[Herbmiester]

Hi guys Herb from New Zealand here and yes it's my first post.

I am in the market for a 335i and while I have read up on the waste gate issue to the point where I am pretty sure I understand what the issue is and how the bushes can be replaced, new arms installed etc, what I am curious about is how prevalent the rattle is in the first place?

Does it happen to every N54 once it gets to a certain mileage? The reason I ask is my local dealership said they have only done two in the past 9 years. Now NZ is a small place but we have boat loads of secondhand Japanese 335i's in country so they are a pretty easy to find vehicle over here. Also If I have my bushes replaced what's the service life?

Thanks in advance.

[TrollToll]

Originally Posted by Herbmiester

Hi guys Herb from New Zealand here and yes it's my first post.

I am in the market for a 335i and while I have read up on the waste gate issue to the point where I am pretty sure I understand what the issue is and how the bushes can be replaced, new arms installed etc, what I am curious about is how prevalent the rattle is in the first place?

Does it happen to every N54 once it gets to a certain mileage? The reason I ask is my local dealership said they have only done two in the past 9 years. Now NZ is a small place but we have boat loads of secondhand Japanese 335i's in country so they are a pretty easy to find vehicle over here. Also If I have my bushes replaced what's the service life?

Thanks in advance.

Your dealership is full of shit. They all rattle, even when new.

[fmoua916]

Mines rattle when new

[Mixmaster]

I am from NZ and have brand New OEM turbos and they rattle.

Best thing to do is make the car louder and faster and it will no longer bother you

[cRaZyiNgLiSh]

I'm in NZ, my stock turbos rattled like crazy after I took the cats out. I tightened the actuator rod and now they're much better.

[ritzzzzzwik]

They all rattle! Not a question on IF, but WHEN

My new ones (OEM), with supposedly beefier wastegate arm design does not (14K on them now), but plenty of people out their whose rattle right from the first minute.

If you can live with, just let it be till it stops holding boost. I replaced mine at 110K, even then they were holding boost, just rattled like rattle snake all the effin time, and really loud.

[titium]

100k no rattle. avoid 07 and earlier the wastegate design changed after that and rattle is much less prevalent. 07 and earlier is almost guaranteed. I find it hard to believe new turbos are rattling.... seems like installer error / not adjusted properly. if not I'd be asking for a refund.....

if you go off people on forums the stats will be majorly squewed people don't post when everything is all and well.....

[Herbmiester]

So the 08 N54's have a better wastegate/Turbo design? Anyone got images of the differences?

[TrollToll]

So from this thread so far you can conclude that:
5 people agree that they all will rattle,
And 1 person has been fortunate and/or oblivious and believes everyone else is wrong.

Take that for what it's worth.

[Herbmiester]

Oh I have taken that "for what its worth" and I will listen to any further opinions, facts, evidence, that perhaps might show itself. I am now intrigued as to what if any design changes were made to the 08 and later cars, anyone know for sure what the changes were?

[Turbo_power4ever]

Originally Posted by Herbmiester

Oh I have taken that "for what its worth" and I will listen to any further opinions, facts, evidence, that perhaps might show itself. I am now intrigued as to what if any design changes were made to the 08 and later cars, anyone know for sure what the changes were?

I think the 07 and 08 have some forged internals. also if u want Alpine transmission flash, some 07s are not capable. then u got LCI to pre LCI 335i's. what are you looking for in this car? also the motor mounts on 07s can cause motor to hit on serpentine belt and ruin your motor. lol

[titium]

Originally Posted by Yournamehere90

So from this thread so far you can conclude that:
5 people agree that they all will rattle,
And 1 person has been fortunate and/or oblivious and believes everyone else is wrong.

Take that for what it's worth.

not sure where i said you were wrong.....

all i said was BRAND new turbos shouldnt be rattling which they shouldn't.

I simply pointed out a fact the wastegate design was changed/improved in later cars. thicker actuator arm - not sure how this specifically helps but I believe this is an indication that the internals of the wastegate are different.

failure rate is definitely alot lower with the newer design.

edit:

just reread your original post... guess I am saying you're wrong. they don't all rattle even when new as you claim.

[Herbmiester]

I think the 07 and 08 have some forged internals. also if u want Alpine transmission flash, some 07s are not capable. then u got LCI to pre LCI 335i's. what are you looking for in this car? also the motor mounts on 07s can cause motor to hit on serpentine belt and ruin your motor. lol

It looks like an 08 is a good choice as you still get forged internals but also a better waste gate design. Didnt 09 on miss out on forged internals?

Originally Posted by Turbo_power4ever

also the motor mounts on 07s can cause motor to hit on serpentine belt and ruin your motor. lol

This isn't an '07 thing; it's an N54 thing. I've seen an even spread of model year cars from '07 - '11 that have suffered from this issue.

[Torgus]

Originally Posted by Yournamehere90

So from this thread so far you can conclude that:
5 people agree that they all will rattle,
And 1 person has been fortunate and/or oblivious and believes everyone else is wrong.

Take that for what it's worth.

They all rattle eventually. Even upgraded stage 347893272394 rattle eventually. This is why I still think a single is the only 'real' way to go.

A local guy got brand new turbos(under warranty) and they rattled from the stealership.

Originally Posted by Torgus

They all rattle eventually. Even upgraded stage 347893272394 rattle eventually. This is why I still think a single is the only 'real' way to go.

Pretty much...too bad we can't just weld the gates closed and just go external.

[Herbmiester]

So even if they rattle they will still hold boost until such time as the wear in the linkage gets so bad that they dont sit evenly on the seats and you get the low boost code?

[TrollToll]

Originally Posted by Herbmiester

So even if they rattle they will still hold boost until such time as the wear in the linkage gets so bad that they dont sit evenly on the seats and you get the low boost code?

Exactly. The rattle can be improved in the tune, but it is inevitable. Eventually they'll stop building boost efficiently.

[Herbmiester]

Ok guys that's great information, but to be honest it is making me have second thoughts on buying an N54 based vehicle. The N55 based cars are quite a bit more expensive and from what I can gather not quite as responsive to upgrades, but they are more reliable. Perhaps I should just buy a cheaper 07/08 car and rebuild the wastegates. This video shows how its done and it looks within my capabilities.

[maaaaackle]

So really? No matter what we do...it'll always be a problem? What about all those aftermarket turbos that say theyll get rid of it for good?

Originally Posted by maaaaackle

So really? No matter what we do...it'll always be a problem? What about all those aftermarket turbos that say theyll get rid of it for good?

The gates literally open/close millions of times over the life of the turbo itself; of course they're not gonna last forever.

Don't get how it's easy to scoff at something like "lifetime fluid" and still not understand that a moving/mechanical/non-lubricated part has a reasonable life expectancy.

[Herbmiester]

Don't get how it's easy to scoff at something like "lifetime fluid" and still not understand that a moving/mechanical/non-lubricated part has a reasonable life expectancy.

Fair comment.

But that raises the question how long is a reasonable life expectancy?