[leftoverture]

My local BMW dealer has a 2013 335i x-drive sedan with only 19k miles. I'm not really looking for a new car... but this one is sticking in my mind. What do I need to know about the 2013's before I get serious and find myself on the lot looking for test drive (at which point emotion might force logic and reason into the back seat!).

[thejeremyman9]

Its a 2013 so it should be a PWG and is before the rod bearing upgrade. May not be as relevant if you don't plan to mod/tune.

[leftoverture]

I don't think the PWG would bother me, I wouldn't be tracking the car. The rod bearing issue could be problematic though, since I live in a cold weather state where the car could see cold starts at nearly -30°F.

[CJ421]

One question I'd ask is why an 8-9-year old car has only 19K miles. It may have been sitting/stored for an extended period (maybe years). I would get a PPI done at a reputable indy shop - check the hoses, make sure no mice made a nice nest in it, and so on.

Might need to replace the battery given the age. That's a few hundred dollars.

Charles

[leftoverture]

Originally Posted by CJ421

One question I'd ask is why an 8-9-year old car has only 19K miles. It may have been sitting/stored for an extended period (maybe years). I would get a PPI done at a reputable indy shop - check the hoses, make sure no mice made a nice nest in it, and so on.

Might need to replace the battery given the age. That's a few hundred dollars.

Charles

It actually has an excellent Carfax report. Says two owners but I can tell it is a one owner that transferred to Florida for a couple years (now showing as 2nd owner). It is for sale by the original selling dealer and they replaced the battery among other recent services. Excellent service history. Since I have owned so many cars, I have become rather expert at interpreting vehicle history reports. And it is not unusual for a car like this to be rarely used in Minnesota, with our harsh winters. My guess would be an older owner who left the car in storage here while spending winters in Florida. Then a couple years ago took the car to Florida with him. And eventually brought it back and traded it in.

I'm not likely to buy the car knowing there is a potential rod bearing issue. I have a 2015 and some newer ones on my list.

[thejeremyman9]

Originally Posted by leftoverture

It actually has an excellent Carfax report. Says two owners but I can tell it is a one owner that transferred to Florida for a couple years (now showing as 2nd owner). It is for sale by the original selling dealer and they replaced the battery among other recent services. Excellent service history. Since I have owned so many cars, I have become rather expert at interpreting vehicle history reports. And it is not unusual for a car like this to be rarely used in Minnesota, with our harsh winters. My guess would be an older owner who left the car in storage here while spending winters in Florida. Then a couple years ago took the car to Florida with him. And eventually brought it back and traded it in.

I'm not likely to buy the car knowing there is a potential rod bearing issue. I have a 2015 and some newer ones on my list.

To be clear there's not necessarily an issue with the rod bearings (this isnt a E92 M3 situation for example). It's just that the older PWG N55 predate the rod bearing upgrade the EWG N55s benefit from. But you can do your own research to see if that's a concern for you or not. There's plenty of PWG N55s well over 100k miles tuned that don't have a bearing issue.

[leftoverture]

Originally Posted by thejeremyman9

To be clear there's not necessarily an issue with the rod bearings (this isnt a E92 M3 situation for example). It's just that the older PWG N55 predate the rod bearing upgrade the EWG N55s benefit from. But you can do your own research to see if that's a concern for you or not. There's plenty of PWG N55s well over 100k miles tuned that don't have a bearing issue.

Yes, thanks for saying that. I am risk averse at this stage of my life so I prefer going with the later years when those issues were fixed... but there is always the possibility there are undiscovered issues I will encounter any way. Or I go with the 2013 and buy a long extended warranty. But I run up miles really fast so not sure that is worth it or not. Or I just keep my current car and have fun with my wife's 228 when I can.