◆

2008 BMW 3-Series repairs by problem area

Engine (49%)

Transmission and Drivetrain (5%)

Brakes and Traction Control (3%)

Suspension and Steering (7%)

Electrical and Air Conditioning (25%)

Paint, Rust, Leaks, Rattles, and Trim (7%)

Other (4%)

Select a problem area

Show all problems

Need advice about a specific BMW 3-Series problem?

Chart based on 908 repairs.

See TSBs and recalls for the 2008 BMW 3-Series.

2008 BMW 3-Series engine repair cost distribution

$2500+ (6%)

$1000 - $2499 (20%)

$500 - $999 (16%)

$100 - $499 (19%)

< $100 (39%)

See most expensive repairs

Worried about potential repair costs? An extended warranty can provide peace of mind.

Chart based on 301 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.

21000 mi

Engine light went on -- loss of power. Hight Pressure Fuel Pump

81000 mi

Waste gate rattle problem. Dealer replaced waste gates and provided free fix for faulty oxygen sensor.

56200 mi

US $3700

Throttle Valves banks 1& 2 went bad thermostat open

Return to top

89000 mi US $1600	Replace gaskets Changed all fluids
93000 mi US $300	Replace plugs and coil packs

Return to top

20000 mi

Valve associated with gas tank had to be replaced. Second time for this.

57000 mi

US $500

Leaking gasket around oil filter Accessory belt tensioner not adjusted correctly

85000 mi

US $400

No start condition; over a few days it became harder and harder to crank until it no longer starter. Ran codes which indicated a failed eccentric shaft sensor. Replaced myself. Annoying and lengthy job, not hard Replaced valve cover gasket.

53000 mi US $277	Service engine soon light, and sputtering at low RPMs. Coil pack above cylinder 5 failed and was replaced.
53000 mi US $1700	Issues starting car and stalling out as soon as it started, engine revving inconsistently, surging. Code for eccentric shaft sensor thrown. Rough idle, significant drop in mpg, sluggishness. Remaining coil packs were replaced as well as spark plugs to try to fix this issue, but it did not.
53000 mi	Rough idle, significant drop in mpg, sluggishness never fixed.

56000 mi US $50	Bad O2 emission control sensor, covered and repaired under warranty
81000 mi US $2400	Automatic tensioner for serpentine belt was failing, leaking oil onto belt.
105000 mi US $2500	Oil seal failed, replaced.

Return to top

103000 mi

US $300

Replaced failing VVT eccentric shaft sensor. Replaced leaking valve cover gasket and oil filter housing gasket (common gasket failures for the N52 engine).

Return to top

19000 mi

High pressure fuel pump failure

19000 mi	high pressure fuel pump replaced at 26,000 miles. Symptoms began with stuttering engine starts then check engine light came on.
63000 mi US $50	water pump failed. went into limp mode while on a trip. towed back to dealer. part ordered and replaced in a few days.

38000 mi

Rough idle when first started after not running overnight or during day in office.

29000 mi

Brought the car in for service, and only issue I had was with a long crank in the morning, which they said was a software update. They kept the car for about 4 days and gave me a loaner car. (most people pay $25 per day for loaner) This is BMW Riverside

19000 mi	High Pressure Fuel Pump Replacement
55000 mi	oxygen sensor
78000 mi US $1350	water pump and thermostat

59100 mi US $1100	water pump failed
65000 mi US $750	Engine light periodically comes on. Idle is rough, and unsteady on acceleration. Shop believes a coil or spark plug needs replacement, will also replace intake/exhaust valve solenoids.

24000 mi	"Car stalled after a few starts and I felt as if power was fading. BMW said they could not duplicate the problem and the car drives fine now."
33000 mi	Car would sputter for a few minutes on cold mornings; on first trip BMW accredited to the infamous high pressure fuel pump without verifying and replaced that; second trip they found it was the fuel injection and spark plug wires + 1 plug
36000 mi	The engine would stutter in idle on cold starts. BMW said there were two recalls on the car: to update the software on the ECU and clean/adjust the fuel injectors to fix stutter.
41400 mi	Car was idling rough sometimes on start up but the local BMW dealer said they could not replicate the problem so no fix was provided.
54000 mi	Car has been back for rough idle two times before this trip. This time they cleaned the injectors. BMW NA paid for it. Car is running fine now. Also replaced side mirror motors due to faulty memory.

73000 mi

US $50

Rough idle when cold. Replaced fuel injectors and spark plugs.

82000 mi

US $50

Oil cooler

49000 mi US $765	Replaced all 6 coils
54000 mi US $1276	Water pump failed and needed replacement Also performed oil change
57000 mi US $3197	Slight oil leak from the valve cover gasket. Valve cover and gasket were both replaced.

79000 mi

US $900

Valve cover gasket replacement

92300 mi US $5354	Repaired leaking oil pan; replaced spark plugs, air filter; serviced oil, brake fluid, microfilter; and adjust tires.
100600 mi US $2900	Valve cover gasket leaking. Removed and resealed valve cover with new updated oil filter cap. Oil level was very low when brought to the shop. Oil filter housing is leaking oil. Removed and resealed oil filter housing housing. Parts replaced: oil filter stand gas, oil cooler seal.

24180 mi	Fuel Pump, common problem on 335i with turbo engine.
40300 mi	Misfiring on cold start only, ran fine after it warmed up. Fuel injectors and low fuel pressure sensor were all replaced. Car runs like new again.

49000 mi	Replace turbo vacuum canisters
53000 mi US $80	Water pump

87000 mi US $1600	Cooling system: replaced thermostat, water pump and a couple of hoses.
97700 mi US $820	The service engine soon light came on. Repair shop said there was an injection problem in cylinder 5. The spark plug was indeed fouled. But when they ran their test, the injector seemed ok.
103300 mi US $500	And Mass Airflow sensor.
116000 mi US $500	There was a leak in the oil filter housing - meaning oil leak. Was fixed/replaced by mechanic.
118000 mi US $600	The check engine light was on. As well as the engine malfunction under accelerative load. The dealer replaced the map sensor, that temporarily got rid of the check engine light. But says, I need to replace two further parts (that tell the turbo what to do) to get rid of the engine malfunction issue (says it is NOT the HPFP and the turbos themselves are ok)

41200 mi	Intermittent misfires, poor gas mileage, engine code P2A87. Dealer replaced intake and exhaust Vanos solenoids.
43300 mi	Oil leak at filter housing. Replaced filter housing and gasket. Occasional coolant smell in cabin. Dealer checked cooling system and performed pressure test, could not replicate.
45000 mi US $250	Occasional misfires. Cleaned intake valves via walnut shell blasting.
49000 mi US $850	Water pump failed. Replaced water pump and thermostat.
54500 mi US $150	High pressure fuel pump replaced under extended manufacturer warranty. Also replaced low pressure fuel sensor as a recommended precaution.
54000 mi US $250	Leaking fuel injector cyl 5, misfires, SES light. Replaced injector
62000 mi	Catalytic converters below efficiency
63000 mi	Lean fuel conditions, misfire under load. R&R fuel injectors, cleaned injectors and replaced injector o rings, ran Techron fuel cleaner. Resolved. (Fixed myself)

300 mi	Within 3 weeks of purchase check engine light came on three times: 1. No fault found, code reset car given back. 2. In 4 days light back on, dealer replaced fuel injector. 3. 5 days later light back on dealer replaced 2 additional fuel injectors. Failure of a fuel injector
500 mi	Failure of additional two fuel injectors

23000 mi

Loss of engine power after acceleration. Vanos valve system repaired under warranty. No further problem. Known issue on tsb by BMW.

22000 mi

The high pressure fuel pump failed, putting the car in limp mode. Towed to dealer and pump was replaced with new model. A recall was just issued on the HPFP.

Return to top

54000 mi	CEL on, loss of power. 1-6 fuel injectors replaced as well as 1-6 spark plugs. Fuel smell in the cabin. Fuel injector line torqued
55000 mi	high pressure fuel pump replaced

60000 mi

Cylinder misfire, needed new coil on cylinder #4.

60700 mi US $50	Failed water pump.
66600 mi US $50	Dealer replaced #5 ignition coil.

25600 mi

Engine failure light came on with some loss of performance. Bad solenoid.

51000 mi

High pressure fuel pump problem

68000 mi

US $2400

Waterpump broke. Replaces including thermostat.

119000 mi US $1500	Water pump died and was replaced.
143600 mi US $300	Changed ignition coils and spark plugs hoping it would clear up misfires.
145000 mi US $1100	Replaced 6 fuel injectors, three had failed (repairs by owner, parts $1000 plus $100 for cable to code ECU).
164000 mi US $80	Replaced upper coolant hose to head, leaking o ring at head flange
168000 mi US $45	Oil leak due to failed valve cover gasket. Replaced gasket.

47000 mi	Engine trouble light came on, car went into limp mode. Dealer replaced exhaust / turbo vanous sensor, problem didn't go away. Still in shop.
50000 mi	Engine light came on, went into limp mode. Took to dealer with 2 miles left on 50,000 mile warranty. Turned out to be fouled plug in #5 due to bad fuel injectors. They replaced all plugs and injectors.

40000 mi

Failed high pressure fuel pump.

28000 mi	High Pressure Fuel Pump partial failure - car entered limp mode under hard acceleration. Dealer found three campaigns were open, including the HPFP, injectors, and software remap. HPFP replaced, 3 injectors replaced, software was remapped.
32000 mi	Intake manifold was fouled due to oil mist from turbo pumps. Problem resulted in mis-firing of cylinder 5 under hard acceleration. Solution was walnut shell blast. The dealer could not (or would not) diagnose this without repeated prompting
84000 mi US $1100	Water pump failed. Water pump and thermostat replacement.
110000 mi	Ignition coils failed; replaced coils.
116000 mi US $300	Turbo vacuum lines cracked and leaking. Replaced vacuum lines.
119000 mi US $1610	A high pressure oil seal was leaking. This leak also caused a leak in the water pump, requiring early replacement. Water pump had been replaced 35,000 miles and three years earlier. Water pump and thermostat were replaced due to leaking water pump. Water pump seal failed due to oil leaking on it (see previous repair).

Return to top

34000 mi

HPFP (fuel pump) failure. Never noticed longer cranks. Car did have a subtle, very intermittent rough idle for a few months prior that never worsened leading up to the day it failed completely.

38000 mi	CEL came on while driving, lost all turbo power. Car restart cleared CEL & back to normal. Occurred several times. Managed to get error code one time while car was running: "camshaft over-retarded." Dealer blamed dirty VANOS and cleaned it.
38200 mi	CEL came on again a week after previous shop visit for same problem. Although this time fault code read low air pressure to turbo. Dealer found pinched vacuum line and replaced it.

57000 mi US $1200	Water pump failed and had to be replaced. Went into limp mode.
70500 mi US $700	low fuel pressure sensor failure
72000 mi US $450	crankshaft position indicator replaced
74200 mi	HDP fuel pump replaced under extended 10 y warranty

6000 mi

Fuel Pump - known problem with 335i BMWs.

51000 mi

US $400

Fuel Pump

150998 mi US $1830	pulley replaced valve cover gasket & oil filter housing gasket replaced
151353 mi US $82	Low oil pressure warning light on, oil pressure sensor replaced

128967 mi

US $400

Car was experiencing severe misfires on hard acceleration. Warning light would come on at anything over 4,000 rpm. Engine codes suggested fuel pump failure. Also experienced hard starting problems on first crank of each day (cold engine). Multiple times the car would start and then instantly die. Car totally stalled at least twice at traffic stops. I was able to re-crank and drive, but it ran very rough. Replaced the high pressure fuel pump with new unit.

141748 mi

US $283

Car was misfiring and hesitating on heavy load acceleration. Common issue is carbon deposits on intake ports. Solution is manual cleaning by removing intake manifold and scraping/blasting each intake port. Also replaced all intake manifold gaskets and charge air inlet tube.

47000 mi

Coolant seals had a very slow leak. Covered under warranty during a recall repair. Coolant seals had a very slow leak. Covered under warranty during a recall repair.

53000 mi	I noticed rough running at start up and the dealer replaced the fuel pump under recall.
113000 mi US $2000	failure of tensioner on accessory belt

10800 mi	High Pressure Fuel Pump failure which left the car inoperable on the side of the road. It had to be towed on a flat bed truck to local BMW dealership. Took 3 days for repairs and tests.
29000 mi US $105	Intake Vanos solenoid was sticking intermittently. Common problem. Purchased OEM part and repaired it myself. Problem solved.
32900 mi US $150	Replaced fuel injector (older part number) with brand new injector. Recoded ECU with new injector parameters. All repairs performed by owner at owner garage.
36000 mi US $51	Ignition coil went bad. Self replaced with new part.
36300 mi US $180	Fuel injector replacement. BMW released generation 2 injectors and I needed to swap one out.
40000 mi US $75	Oil cooler gasket needed replacement due to a minor leak.
46000 mi US $700	Fuel injector bolt snapped during racing on track damaging 2 injectors. Replaced two fuel injectors
65000 mi US $200	Valve cover gasket replacement

4000 mi

High pressure fuel pump failure while driving. Also fuel hose became disconnected resulting in large (2-3 gallon) gasoline leak. Car died in the middle of the road and was towed. Fixed under warranty. Car had been in a week earlier for long cranks.

26000 mi	Rough/long starts in morning, occasional mis-fires while driving, 1 yellow check-engine light with reduced power (fine after re-start). Dealer reflashed and tested following morning. No problems since (30 days).
29000 mi	After dealership reflashed ECU in June 2010, Rough/long starts returned, occasional mis-fires while driving, then Service Engine Soon light stayed on continuously with reduced power. Dealer replaced 6 fuel injectors/spark plugs per BMW NA. After dealership reflashed ECU and later replaced 6 fuel injectors/spark plugs, rough/long starts returned with occasional misfires while driving, no warning lights but reduced power. Dealer replaced HP Fuel Pump with BMW NA approval.
42000 mi	Had 5 yellow check engine lights with reduced power at highway speeds/6th gear/low RPM. Car hesitated when accelerating in 5th or 6th. Dealer replaced 2 defective/collapsed vacuum hoses connected to turbo waste gates based on thrown code.
45500 mi	Experienced hesitation while accerating in 4-6th gear (6MT) between 2,000-3,000 RPM. No codes thrown. Dealer got permission from BMW NA to "walnut blast" the intake valves to remove carbron build-up -- fixed! Repair covered by warranty.
59300 mi US $1274	Water pump failed at 58k, threw yellow temp code and then red temp code. Pulled over, turned off car, noticed fluid leaking. Flatbed to indie shop. Replaced water pump & thermostat.
61000 mi US $1200	Slight engine hesitation past 6 months at 2,500 RPM under load, no codes, dealer & indie unable to diagose. Early Sept 2013, Service Engine Soon light at start up w/misfires. Dealer replaced all 6 fuel injectors w/new design. Resolved.
65000 mi	Experiencing yellow check engine light/low power. Dealer found fault for boost pressure and diagnosed high crankcase pressure. Recommend replacing valve cover to fix boost issue. Did not authorize repair due to high cost.
65500 mi US $429	Dealer replaced valve cover due to boost issue caused by high crankcase pressure. Owner paid 50% of cost at warranty rate and BMW NA covered the other 50%. Dealer then replaced both turbos under 8 year/82,000 mile turbo warranty.
70300 mi US $100	Replaced leaking oil filter seals (2 total) and 6 related bolts/screws. Also, drained coolant and refilled with new. Drained engine oil and refilled with new oil and filter. Replaced cabin/HEPA micro filter.
78000 mi US $240	Received yellow check engine light and reduced power. Scan showed fault code 002A87 (Exhaust Vanos variable cam control test, mechanical) and 003100 (Boost pressure control 2). Purchased/installed new intake & exhaust Vanos solenoids.
92550 mi US $120	Replace vanos intake solenoid due to yellow check engine light and reduced power "limp" mode (fault codes 002A87 & 003100).
99725 mi US $1081	Car threw yellow and then red temperature warning lights. Independent BMW shop diagnosed bad water pump and installed new OEM water pump, thermostat and coolant. Problem resolved.
102000 mi US $1600	Started car in morning, RPMs surged and engine started to stumble. Received yellow check engine light and fault codes 002B2C (high-pressure, plausibility, cold start) and 0029F2 (high-pressure fuel system, fuel pressure). Had car flat-bedded to BMW dealership and diagnosed bad high-pressure fuel pump. HPFP was only 3 months past BMW NA's 10 year/120K mile extended warranty but BMW NA would not cover cost. Authorized replacement and have decide to sell car. This is the car's second HPFP failure/replacement. Discovered significant coolant leak and replaced cracked expansion tank.

22000 mi	Intake and all injectors had to be replaced.
54000 mi US $50	Failed water pump

20000 mi

Check engine light, and injectors needed to be replaced(all 6 were replaced even though only 1 was found to be "sticky")

44000 mi

HPFP HPFP

Return to top

73000 mi US $460	Stuttering really bad when cold, could smell fuel, unburnt fuel in exhaust. Misfire Codes on cyl 4,5,&6. Replaced fuel injectors on cyl. 4,5,&6. Oil Weeping from front top of motor near oil filter housing. Replaced gasket on oil filter housing. Oil weeping around inside of valve cover near spark plug wells. Removed and replaced valve cover gasket.
68000 mi US $600	Coolant leak from hose with bad o-ring and a broken coolant tank vent screw. Leaking oil from head gaset on the driver side. Very small weep but still annoying. Speculating that it could be a stretched or broken head bolt. Replacing all heads bolts first, in hopes it fixes leak. If not head gasket is bad.

29140 mi	Car shook when idling at a red light. Also the fuel pump was making a different sound than normal - suggested to service advisor that it may be the high pressure fuel pump (the most common problem on the 335). They found no problem.
29760 mi	Confirmed the problem was the high pressure fuel pump and changed it Smelled oil burning from engine and noticed some smoke coming out of hood. Huge oil leak on garage floor. Brought to dealer and they said valve broken and needs to be replaced. Fixed valve but car now the computer (dme) is dead

37820 mi

HPFP Died. Did complete reflash but ran only 20 minutes before stalling and long starts

60700 mi US $50	Misfiring and rough running. All 6 fuel injectors were replaced under (CPO) warranty.
66800 mi US $50	Service engine light was on. Dealer replaced gas tank vent valve. Cost $50 deductible (was a warranty repair) Oil filter housing gasket leak and oil pan leak.
82500 mi US $1220	Electric water pump failed suddenly while on the highway. Car couldn't be driven, so was flat bedded to closest dealer. Water pump was ordered, installed, & I picked the car up 3 days later. Dealer provided me a loaner.

38000 mi	all lights came up
42000 mi	maintenance replacement of one spark plug

47120 mi	cold engine rough when ambient temps drop below freezing; all 6 fuel injectors replaced under voluntary recall
69440 mi C $1343	Electric water pump failed
72540 mi C $750	Leaking oil
76260 mi C $1073	significant engine oil leak at filter housing

9000 mi	High Pressure Fuel Pump went out on me and the car was undriveable. Had to have it towed to Motorwerks BMW in MSP 5 hours away, where they took 4 days to complete the repair before it was returned to me.
26000 mi	Check Engine Light came on twice, but after an engine restart, it went away. Then, cold starts started taking longer and longer to turn over. High Pressure Fuel Pump was replaced for a second time.
35000 mi	High Pressure Fuel Sensor had to be replaced in late July and after getting the car back and not being driven for a week, the car takes longer than normal start ups and white smoke is pouring out of the mufflers. Cause still to be determined
36200 mi	Entire Fuel system was replaced. Fuel injectors, low pressure fuel sensor, high pressure fuel pump and valves were cleaned.

23000 mi

High Pressure Fuel Pump failed after only 2,000 miles.

37000 mi

High pressure fuel pump failed...this is now the car's 3rd unit in less than 40,000 miles. Nice job BMW! Thankfully, BMW covered it completely under an extended warranty.

Return to top

65720 mi

€600

Exhaust Gas Cooler cracked and leaked coolant. Replaced and refilled with fresh coolant.

Return to top

84816 mi

R 750

Throttle actuator caused faults and limp mode. Figured out the actuators were the issue with a code reader, then removed the actuators myself and sent them to Jason at Rebuild.org.uk. He refurbished them and then returned them. I then installed them again.

Return to top

70000 mi	Throttle valve controller - considered part of emissions equipment.
74000 mi US $90	fuel pressure regulator needed replacement
73500 mi US $3500	Thermostat replaced Idle control valve replaced

38000 mi

US $50

Throttle valve

36000 mi

US $50

Engine throttle valve sensor. Christmastree of warning lights on startup; DSC, DTC, DBC, CEL, engine in limp mode. Replaced under CPO,

32000 mi	Fuel sensor was broken
36000 mi US $1100	The throttle valve actuator had to be replaced

87000 mi

Motor seized. Too expensive to repair. Will be getting a new motor and turning into a track car.

15000 mi	Warranty Repair - Replace O2 sensor
15500 mi	Warranty Repair - Secondary MAF sensor replaced

58000 mi	Engine started making loud whining noises at low RPMS, between 1000-2000. The noise was based on engine speed and not vehicle speed. Dealer couldn't reproduce the problem, nothing was done.
59300 mi US $75	Cracked ignition coils on #1 and 2 cylinders.
65000 mi US $8	Low pressure fuel sensor Loud squealing noise when engine started cold.
64300 mi US $350	Leaking valve cover gasket Drive belt pulley
80000 mi US $7200	Idle actuator Thermostat Leaking timing cover gasket

63100 mi

US $50

Bad thermostat.

33300 mi US $900	Service engine light led to increased emissions info. Throttle actuator and switch on bank one defective. BMWNA helped subsidize (50%) the repair.
36400 mi	Check engine light and increased emissions lights again. This time it was a loose wire on a sensor. Dealer repaired at no charge.

41740 mi C $150	Emissions air pump hose and sensor faulty, OBDII codes 2430 and 2432. Hose replaced.
63860 mi C $500	Right bank throttle actuator replacement
63860 mi C $150	Replacement of primary oxygen sensors following exhaust system modification. Likely a self-inflicted (I made the modification) issue.

45260 mi	Throttle Body failure. Requires replacement.
46980 mi C $600	O2 sensor (emissions system)
49600 mi C $3000	Both Throttle Value Actuators replaced due to premature wear / failure.

51400 mi

US $300

Gasket worn out, causing exhaust leak at exit of manifold.

66300 mi US $650	Oxygen sensor replaced, front left and right
79000 mi US $1800	Throttle body failure. Car went into limp mode. Max 1500 rpm & 20 mph.
94000 mi US $1300	thermostat failed, replaced water pump as a preventive measure

29760 mi

C $60

Heat shield on left exhaust was loose. Welds were broken. Heatshield was clamped.

35000 mi

Oil level sensor replaced.

Return to top

143000 mi

US $250

replace fuel filter

163000 mi

US $1105

EMIL light on, rough idle, stalls at rest when car is at operating temp. Replaced both O2 sensors.

5000 mi

down shift not in sync with throttle response; car does not glide smoothly to a complete stop

72000 mi

US $300

Idler pulley replaced

93000 mi

US $1000

Thermostat was broken.

102000 mi

US $1420

Crankshaft position sensor broke, engine light came in and engine stopped while running. 3 days after the sensor repair the coolant pump failed, the engine overheated and the car stalled. I have to tow it to the dealer this time, and they fixe the pump ($1,420 total cost). After picking the car up, I drove it for 2 days, and the "Service Engine" light came up. I drove for 3 more days with that light on and it finally turned itself off.

123000 mi

US $750

grounding strap corroded Idler pulley cracked causing loud belt noise

54560 mi

leaking valve cover gasket

78500 mi US $450	Tensioner and pulley broke; replaced, and also replaced belt.
122000 mi US $125	Head gasket replacement. $1000 at the shop, but I did it in a day at home.
140000 mi US $400	Valve cover failed, causing oil filter housing gasket to fail. I replaced the valve cover and the oil filter housing gasket. This took me a whole day and a few hundred in parts; the dealer quoted me nearly $3k.

30000 mi

Had the ticking noise coming from the lifters that many people with the N52 have. Dealer replaced lifters and sound hasn't returned.

120400 mi

US $400

leaky gasket

39700 mi	Noisy lifters. Replaced.
46000 mi	continued to have ticking noise. Dealer replaced HEAD. Subsequently, check engine light came on, and they replaced some injector.
67400 mi US $1500	Check engine light came on repeatedly. Some pulley needed replacement as well as belt. Sensor replaced. Battery replaced.

20000 mi

Replaced noisy lifters

47000 mi

Reprogrammed transmission to improve shifting at low speeds Knocking sound from lifters

61000 mi US $50	Replaced thermostat
68000 mi US $275	Replace ignition coils
71600 mi US $1100	Head gasket and oil filter gasket

Return to top

620 mi	Engine is slightly lumpy at idle, but the engine runs fine while cruising or accelerating. Drive by wire throttle input requires slightly heavy foot to get the car moving off the line. When the car does decide to move forward, it pulls a bit hard. Smooth start off the line is impossible to achieve. No problems while cruising though.
1860 mi	Noticed valve-ticking noise for a few weeks and then disappeared. Didn't bother going to dealer since according to BMW service advisers, this is "normal"... this according to experiences of others in BMW forums.

9300 mi	rattly noise from engine - not repaired, but changed oil. Was told this was normal for this model year and engine ...
15500 mi	Rattly noise from engine (sounds like a deisel truck). This time dealer said the valve lifter solenoids had failed and were replaced under warrnty
26660 mi	Transmission hesitating and shifting rough. BMW claims the tran 'learning' software was confused/corrupted. Had to be cleared, updated from Toronto and then 'relearned the basics.' 3 days later got car back and seems OK.

32377 mi US $411	Dealer reported during inspection that belt tensioner was separating. Replaced tensioner and belt.
39000 mi US $575	Performed valve cover gasket replacement due to small leak around edge.
44000 mi US $600	Oil level / condition sensor was showing fault in Bavarian Technic no warning light. Dealer replaced sensor.
51000 mi US $781	Gas smell inside vehicle. Shop saw leak around fuel filter/regulator on passenger side. Recommended replace both fuel pump and regulator/filter assemblies.

39000 mi	Fuel plug needed replacement was hard to remove and insert
48000 mi	Replaced all hydraulic valve lifters on intake and exhaust side of head. They were making ticking sounds and getting loud at times. BMW has a new part and so far engine is not ticking after the repair. Replaced all hydraulic valve lifters on intake and exhaust side of head. They were making ticking sounds and getting loud at times. BMW has a new part and so far engine is not ticking after the repair. Warranty repair my cost $0
66000 mi US $50	Check Engine light came on. Code was related to the ozone sensor on the radiator. The dealer had to reprogram the car computer with the latest firmware. This cleared the fault.
50700 mi	Was getting hesitation and miss-fires. Changed the spark plugs which seemed to resolve the problem.
76000 mi US $1400	The motor mount bolts failed when I was going over a small bump in the road. I did not notice and this led to me breaking the half axle over another bump in the road. I had the dealer replace the motor mount and an indi do the half axle

95000 mi US $900	Replace failed eccentric shaft sensor
115000 mi US $150	Oil pan gasket leak

59000 mi US $2400	Owner noticed a drive belt squeek. Dealership investigated and noticed that the tensioner spring for the drive belt had bent, so the drive belt was rubbing against the engine. The entire tensioner and belt was replaced.
72000 mi US $1600	Cracked coolant expansion tank Valve cover gasket had to be replaced.
74000 mi US $1200	Tune up: replaced spark plugs, cleaned fuel system.

66000 mi

US $300

oil pan leak. replaced gasket and aluminum bolts

69000 mi	Valve cover leaking oil
76000 mi	leaking valve cover gasket and eccentric shaft sensor
111000 mi US $200	Leaking oil filter housing gasket

Return to top

23000 mi

exhaust valve lifters

37000 mi

US $114

Thermostat was bad. Radiator fan kept coming on and stayin on. BMW usa agreed to pay 1/3, dealer paid 1/3 and I paid remaining balance. I argued this was a defective part for this positive outcome. (part failed at only 36,500 miles).

78000 mi

US $200

Engine ECU needed updating to clear CELs

41000 mi

Service Engine Soon light came on, software update

Return to top

98000 mi

£925

Timing chain

Return to top

4000 mi

Fuel pump 2nd one in a month replaced. The first was on recall that pump failed. Car in limp mode was towed. Since 2007 BMW has not made the pump right.

108000 mi

US $1300

Auxiliary fan and motor

52900 mi US $50	Water Pump was replaced
67000 mi US $4000	OIL LEAKS , SERVICE, NEW TIRES

16200 mi

High pressure fuel pump died, car broke down and was towed to dealer. Fixed next day, no problem since.

87000 mi

US $900

Replaced water pump

37200 mi

C $1500

Water pump and thermostat replacement. Thermostat was not failing prior to water pump issue but afterwards the old part would not pass a hot water test.

7000 mi	Gaskets between each of two turbos and catalytic converters required replacement as they allowed exhaust gasses to escape (made a lot of noise). When engine is cold and outside temperature is 50 deg F or below; automatic transmission will engage at rest with a pronounced jerk while foot is still moving from brake to accelerator.
11000 mi	High pressure fuel pump failed - car would not operate.
17000 mi	RHS muffler rattles during turns, loose structure inside muffler and will be replaced under warranty - part ordered.
19000 mi	One of two mufflers was replaced under mfg warranty
31000 mi	Replaced high pressure fuel pump; second replacement under warranty. Warranty from Mfg for 10 years.
35700 mi	During diagonsis of steering problem dealer dropped one wheel off the alignment machine damaging fan shroud and coolant hoses - everything replaced and car detailed for free with appology.
73000 mi US $1400	Replace electric water pump, coolant, thermostat
90000 mi US $1020	One ignition sensor and solenoid failed causing vehicle to go into limp mode. Oil change, checked coolant levels and all other fluid levels.

35000 mi

Hpfp replacement. Rattling passenger seat-not fixed. Dents on passenger side-not taken care of. Rattling from underneath-told normal turbo start up operation.

Return to top

56000 mi

£560

Electric water pump replaced

Return to top

44640 mi	Check engine light on. Car running jerky. Engine was cold. The problem took 20-25 of warming up for the engine to run smooth. Keyfob reported mis-firing injectors to the dealer.
45540 mi	Engine jerky and misfiring again.
47000 mi	Engine still misfiring ocassionally. Check engine light would go on and and then later would be off, especially after engine warmed up.
62000 mi C $5000	Turbo Actuators were acting up.
80840 mi C $1000	Ignition coil replaced Injector replaced
86180 mi C $4000	Turbocharger replaced. Injectors replaced. Engine still misses occasionally.
91760 mi C $3500	Coolant Pump & Thermostat failed. Both were replaced.
100000 mi C $2500	Engine became erratic on a long trip, and went into extra slow "Limp" mode. Had to be towed. Being in an unknown area far from major cities, the nearest dealer was 100 km away. Faulty throttle body was the diagnosis, and was replaced. Check Engine and warning lights. Vacuum leaks and loud whining sound from engine while accelarating. Turbo defective. Leaks were repaired. Turbos were changed.
104160 mi	Something wrong with the blow valve.
124000 mi C $1000	Ignition misfires and fuel bleeding. Nothing has been done yet. Car is drive-able, and runs fine after the engine is heats up to normal running temperature. It keeps giving check-engine lights until the engine warms up, and I keep clearing the codes. Problem has not been fixed because of scheduling issues on my part.

76000 mi

US $1400

Water pump failed. Water pump and thermostat replaced

64000 mi US $750	Water pump failed
78300 mi US $250	Thermostat failed
84100 mi US $850	turbo low pressure system needed to be replaced
90000 mi	Oil pan gasket and head gasket were leaking oil

Return to top

97960 mi

C $4263

Throttle actuators replaced for bank 1 & 2 Thermostat replaced with new O rings

Return to top

54000 mi

US $250

replaced O2 sensors

50000 mi

US $3000

Both actuators

Return to top

52000 mi US $50	Clicking hydraulic lifters. Lifters and rockers replaced under CPO. Known problem on engines built pre Nov 2008 according to independent BMW online forums and SIB.
58000 mi US $50	Car ran like it was a 4 cyldr, bad idle, Autozone OBC Scan detected Camshaft Pos Snsr & misfire on Cyl 1. The inlet Cmshft Pos Snsr was replaced. Cyl 1 coil was bad, dealer replaced all under CPO. Dlr claimed all coils were older version.
61000 mi US $50	Valve cover gasket leak, dealer repaired once before under CPO. Belt Tensioner was making intermittent loud noise.
64000 mi US $50	Oil pan gasket leak.
65000 mi US $50	Oil Filter Housing Gasket
73000 mi US $75	CEL P0301 - Misfire in Cyl 1. Pulled the spark plug in Cyl 1. Spark plug was worn, central electrode was warn (no point) Original BMW Marked NKG Plugs. Replaced all spark plugs. Reset CEL.
85000 mi US $150	Low Coolant Warning - Replaced Upper Radiator Hose and the Expansion Tank Breather Hose to correct issue.
89000 mi US $1000	Valve cover gasket (VCG) repair. - Here's the history: VCG, replaced at 50155, 63685, and 89000. Oil and filter change.

46000 mi	Ticking noise: Replaced exhaust camshaft hydraulic valve lifters and rockers.
63000 mi	Rough idle and rough running. Programmed and encoded entire car per bulletin 122112.

Return to top

72054 mi

C $300

1x Ignition coil failed. Belt shredded due to oil leak. Replaced belt

Return to top

59200 mi	Coolant leak. Tracked to cracked expansion tank. Replaced
45000 mi	NOX sensor failed
57000 mi £1000	burst coolant pipes
90000 mi	Main fuel pump failed and replaced Oxygen sensor failed
92000 mi	Induction [ignition] coil failure
91000 mi £500	Another induction [ignition] coil and “recalibrated”
95000 mi £600	Injector
100000 mi £300	Gasket

Return to top

23000 mi	Loud/noisy radiator fan, radiator fan blade(s) broken. Fan and shroud replaced under warranty.
35000 mi US $570	Emissions system problem.

17000 mi	Fuel pump replaced at 17K miles. Car did not start immediately when cold, 3 hours labor.
28000 mi	second fuel pump
29000 mi	another fuel pump
54300 mi	Turbos were replaced.
56300 mi	Oil sensor was bad. Car was experiencing a small leak.

55000 mi

US $572

replaced intake hoses to turbos much improved performance

130000 mi

US $5000

Water pump failed on a freezing cold day stranded me on a tollway with 10 year old in freezing cold. Part was previously repaired by Fields BMW 18 months earlier failed on a very hot day. was covered by 2 year guarantee but was a pain Water pump failed and I was stranded on the side of the highway in -5F weather with a 10 year old. Second time the Water pump failed. 1 st time was September 2014. It was supposedly repaired/replaced by Fields Automotive group. I suspect that a faulty repair job was the cause for the second failure. Also had 2 run-flat tires burst a sidewall when I hit a construction zone on the tollway. This car started to fail regularly after 100,000 miles so I traded it in.

74900 mi

US $50

Turbochargers were replaced under an extended warranty and recall warranty to cure wastegate rattling while the engine slows down from 3000+ rpms Oil Filter housing gasket failure cased leak, fixed under warranty. Leak emanating from coolant overflow tank, overflow tank replaced under warranty.

12000 mi	Bad fuel injector. Replaced.
20000 mi	Failure of High Pressure Fuel Pump.
50000 mi US $850	Low pressure fuel sensor replaced.
53000 mi US $1600	Electric Water Pump Failed. Replaced Electric Water Pump, Thermostat and Radiator Cap.
54000 mi US $600	Hoses + Gaskets for Cooling system and thermostat need replacement - leaking.

25000 mi

reprogrammed control modules (Bulletin #24 05 09 Defect code #00 24 39 01 00) to remedy hard shifting caused by erratic torque converter lock-up

Return to top

77900 mi

US $1300

Replaced low pressure fuel pump

41000 mi	I noticed the engine ran rough for a minute on cold, wet mornings at the same time I learned of the recall. Recall fixed the problem by replacing five of six injectors.
78000 mi US $1200	fuel injectors replaced

35700 mi	car would not accelerate properly above 60 mph service engine light came on..after multiple tests to confirm the issue, they clean the intake valves..
53000 mi	coils in two valves failed and needed to be repaired/replaced.
57000 mi	replaced oxygen sensor.
81000 mi	ignition coils, plugs, I have no idea why it took 3 days

76700 mi US $1600	oil leak found in seal near oil filter
84700 mi US $1100	Water pump and thermostat failed

22000 mi	Rough shift in sport mode with moderate acceleration. More noticeable third to fourth and fourth to fifth gears.
40000 mi	reflash
58000 mi US $750	Faulty spark plug and coil

40300 mi	Diagnose HP fuel pump, variable pressure at or below minimum pressure
40300 mi A $1200	Replace HP fuel pump - dealer not interested, but indicated $240/ hr to diagnose and would take 1 whole day. Then repairs could continue. I estimate $3,000
44200 mi A $100	occasional misfiring under load causing Engine Management light to come on and occasionally goes into "limp home" mode. changed spark plugs, now drives like a new car.

12400 mi

Changed Fuel Pump + Inject due to High Pressure Fuel Pump Failure

Return to top

21300 mi	"engine malfunction - reduced power" warning from car resulted in both VANOS (variable valve timing) solenoids being replaced.
30600 mi	Car would crank but not start, & check engine light was on. After many attempts, car started. Taken to dealer. Computer stored a single error, "2F49 EWS Manipulation Protection". Dealer could not replicate problem & reset code. OK since.

32000 mi	Car starting to exhibit long cranks when started cold. Dealer could not replicate.
34000 mi	Car exhibited long cranks resulting in Service Engine Soon light. Dealer found code related to high pressure fuel pump. New software to fix problem.
37000 mi	Metallic rattle coming from flap in driver's side muffler. Driver's side muffler replaced. Car exhibited long crank at start, rough idle on start. Diagnosed as high pressure fuel pump going out. 'Fixed' w/software in previous visit. Fuel Pump Replaced this time.

55000 mi

US $159

Low pressure fuel sensor code thrown for failed sensor - no drive ability issues or Check Engine Light triggered. Issue found during a routine code scan by owner during regular check (every 6 months or so..).

125000 mi

US $3200

Oil filter housing gasket was leaking onto the coolant hose, causing a coolant leak. Coolant hose and oil filter housing gasket were replaced.

92000 mi

US $250

Spark plugs changed at 20k service. Engine Oil Leak plugged.

35000 mi	Fuel vapor retention /ventilation system.
39700 mi US $25	Fuel vapor recovery system
44000 mi	Failed high pressure fuel pump
45000 mi	Replace leaking water pump
51100 mi US $1922	Replace valve cover gasket and crankshaft seal
54000 mi US $649	Replace oil filter stand gasket
54700 mi US $239	Hose leak
55700 mi	Bad coils Bad oxygen sensor
62000 mi	Oil leak in crankshafts.

22000 mi

ses light on, long cranks at start still drove fine reflashed, hpfp supposedly fine

10000 mi	The car experienced a misfire on cylinder #5. The dealer was unable to reproduce, so they swapped the plug, coil, and injector each to a different cylinder. If it happens again, they said they will know which part to replace.
11000 mi	A fuel injector failed on the highway, causing the engine to turn off. It took 6 days of my time for the shop to get the correct part to repair the car (they ordered the wrong part at first).
20000 mi	Experienced heavy engine misfire on cylinder #5 for the third time. Dealer replaced the coil pack, though they said that they were unable to reproduce the problem. Problem returned 1 week after the car was returned. It is still not resolved.
21000 mi	Engine misfire on cylinder 5. Replaced high pressure fuel pump, cleaned intake manifold. Problem occurred 5 days after delivery from repair, still waiting for additional appointment to try to fix it again.
23000 mi	Experienced engine misfire again. This time the shop said it was a software problem, and that there was no available software update to fix it. They also said that there was no guarantee of one in the future.
34000 mi	Experienced same engine misfire again. This time they said there was a software update, and they applied it. The problem has not returned in the two weeks since the repair, but it's still inconclusive as to whether it was successful.

110000 mi US $700	Water Pump went out and needed to be replaced.
114300 mi US $120	Leak Detection Pump went bad.
125000 mi US $450	Low Pressure Fuel Sensor was not correctly showing pressure, causing hesitation during cold start of car. Carbon buildup in intakes requires cleaning. Performed walnut blast in intakes to properly clean.
163000 mi US $1300	Oil pan gasket replacement Valve cover gasket

28000 mi

Faulty fuel injector causing rough running. BMW's policy is to flash the software once to see if the problem goes away, and then replace if it does not. Problem did not go away after software flash.

8060 mi	Famous limp mode that cause by the high presure fuel pump. But dealer just reset the error and refuse the problem ever exists.
8060 mi

26000 mi	SI B 13 04 09 Fuel Systems SUBJECT N54 - Diagnosis of Cold Start Rough Running with Misfire Faults
42000 mi	long crank-related to Fuel Pump-fixed with software update
58000 mi	Turbo vacuum problem causing check engine lights on accel; no other symptoms; dealer said it was not covered under Certifed warranty; quoted $1400 for replacement of all vacuum hoses; declined repair pending further research.
61000 mi	Turbo vacuum problem when sold. Traded car because felt BMW should have covered it.

Return to top

66200 mi

US $1200

Water pump failure, car overheated and had to be towed. Had thermostat replaced at same time as a preventative measure.

Return to top

13826 mi

Idle valve replacement (cost covered under warranty)

17500 mi

idle actuator(and associated components) replaced as well as alternator belt

53000 mi US $128	SES light intermittent with error indicating problem with cooling system. Replaced thermostat and error appears to have gone away.
65000 mi US $18500	Spun a rod bearing. engine seized.

52000 mi US $500	Thermometer which controls coolant flow was not working, replaced
52000 mi	Engine was destroyed by the rod bearing failure issue which is common among these cars

49000 mi US $100	Engine Service Needed light. Computer diagnosed problem with thermostat. Reset computer. No problems since.
48800 mi US $650	Replace radiator thermostat

43500 mi US $561	Thermostat Leaking
46000 mi US $235	Secondary Air Emission Hose. $460 to replace when part arrives.
46500 mi US $435	Secondary emission suction hose
50000 mi US $996	Replace motor mounts
52000 mi US $1013	Oil Pan thread stripped in aluminum pan. Mechanic had to fix.
54000 mi US $653	Replaced Adjusting Pulley with Level for Water Pump, Alternator Belt and Deflection Pulley

4000 mi	DCT (Dual-clutch transmission) malfunction, could not engage 2nd, 4th & 6th gear. Problem gone after restarting the car to drop the car off at the dealership. Was told that it could just be a one-off event...
5000 mi	Defective fuel/idling sensor causing check engine light on, parts were replaced & has been running fine.
10000 mi	Car shifted itself into N & stalled while sitting at stop light, also having problem taking off from stop. Later was told that it was the engine idling sensor, was replaced under warranty but took 2 days.
11300 mi	Fuel system (inc. pump, vent & module) malfunction, causes excessive amount of fuel sent to canister repeatedly (3rd repair). Dealer still have the car at this time & working with BMW NA to fix problem!

50000 mi

US $200

Coolant expansion tank sensor

Return to top

28000 mi

The idle control valve would intermittently throw an 'increased emissions' and 'service engine soon' messages, and at one point 'reduced power.' I have read about many similar failures in this mileage neighborhood.

55800 mi

C $3000

and throttle actuator replacement

72000 mi US $2000	Throttle actuators
85000 mi US $800	Thermostat replaced

16000 mi	IDLE AIR CONTROL VALVE FAILURE KNOWN ISSUE WITH M3
57000 mi US $1700	Throttle actuator motor - bank 1
79000 mi US $750	Replace sticking thermostat, temp sensor, and vent hose clear CEL

26000 mi	oxygen sensor went out. replaced
40900 mi US $350	Idle control unit failure under warranty, also fuel pressure sensor not covered
40000 mi US $3400	Idle Control Actuator went bad (common problem @ 40-50k miles). Replaced both to make sure I didn't have problem for another 50k miles

11000 mi

Car had stutter starts and then the stutters got worse so I brought it into the dealership. They updated the software.

123000 mi US $2400	Also replaced motor mounts and replaced exhaust manifold gaskets for exhaust leak.
128000 mi US $280	Leaking valve cover gaskets were resulting in oil dripping down the engine and onto the ground under the car. I replaced both valve cover gaskets, all spark plug tubes, and bought new screws for the valve cover.

20700 mi	Cooling system leak
37000 mi US $1000	oxygen sensor failure

Return to top

29000 mi	Hydraulic valve lifters replaced per BMW issue SIB (to subdue valve clatter at idle)
83000 mi US $800	valve cover gasket and oil filter housing gasket replacements
102000 mi US $750	02 sensors replaced

1763 mi

Yellow temp warning light on dash illuminated while at traffic light. Car would only run in limp mode. Fault 2EFF was recorded. Dealer reported auxillary fan was cutting out. Dealer replaced electic fan.

40300 mi

US $500

Replaced serpentine belt because tensioner was failing. Cost was due to difficulty of accessing components.

87000 mi

US $175

Replaced belt, belt tensioner and guide pulley. Took car in to get it "flashed" for a tail light mod, shop said that these parts were about to go. This is an easy DIY driveway job so did it myself. Saw nothing wrong with old parts.

Return to top

77500 mi

US $1000

Valve cover gasket

83000 mi US $1550	Changed Eccentric Shaft Sensor after rough idling and loss of power above 3000 rpm, which also required changing valve cover gasket (total ~$1300). Also changed spark plugs due to sensor replacement (~$200).
108000 mi US $700	Repaired crank case sensor and o2 sensor.

102000 mi

US $560

Engine mount

26000 mi

Had transmission reprogrammed to address sluggish cold performance from rolling start.

Return to top

111000 mi

US $350

Code read missing in cylinder 5 caused the car to lose power

Return to top

9300 mi	Minimum oil warning, dealer added a litre
31000 mi $1000	Rocker Cover Gasket Leaking

Return to top

See TrueDelta's information for all Sedans and Wagons.

See TrueDelta's information for all BMW models.

2008 BMW 3-Series repairs by problem area

2008 BMW 3-Series engine repair cost distribution

2008 BMW 3-Series

2008 BMW 3-Series 4dr Wagon

2008 BMW 3-Series 4dr Wagon

2008 BMW 3-Series 4dr Wagon

2008 BMW 3-Series 4dr Sedan

2008 BMW 3-Series 4dr Sedan

2008 BMW 3-Series 4dr Sedan

2008 BMW 3-Series 4dr Sedan

2008 BMW 3-Series 4dr Sedan

2008 BMW 3-Series 4dr Sedan

2008 BMW 3-Series 4dr Sedan

2008 BMW 3-Series 4dr Sedan

2008 BMW 3-Series 4dr Sedan

2008 BMW 3-Series 4dr Sedan

2008 BMW 3-Series 4dr Sedan

2008 BMW 3-Series 2dr Hardtop conv.

2008 BMW 3-Series 2dr Hardtop conv.

2008 BMW 3-Series 2dr Hardtop conv.

2008 BMW 3-Series 2dr Hardtop conv.

2008 BMW 3-Series 2dr Hardtop conv.

2008 BMW 3-Series 2dr Hardtop conv.

2008 BMW 3-Series 2dr Hardtop conv.

2008 BMW 3-Series 2dr Hardtop conv.

2008 BMW 3-Series 2dr Coupe

2008 BMW 3-Series 2dr Coupe

2008 BMW 3-Series 2dr Coupe

2008 BMW 3-Series 2dr Coupe

2008 BMW 3-Series 2dr Coupe

2008 BMW 3-Series 2dr Coupe

2008 BMW 3-Series 2dr Coupe

2008 BMW 3-Series 2dr Coupe

2008 BMW 3-Series 2dr Coupe

2008 BMW 3-Series 2dr Coupe

2008 BMW 3-Series Engine Problems