Update from Racerbruce....

[racerbruce]

Greetings from Gig Harbor WA -
After saying goodbye to a 12.5 yr love affair with the Red Roadster, it seemed a great fit for me and next step would be a 335is E93 (hardtop/convertible); after searching for a west coast example, I found her in San Jose CA; she has been name Red Rocket and has 36.5K miles, a 2013 model and in great condition; flew down from Seattle in late Nov and purchased her and drove her home over the next few days via Pacific Coast Highway 101 to avoid the I-5 mountain passes in southern Oregon which were snow laden and 19F; she has a ton of M components from the factory and the M suspension components lowered her quite a bit and has several aluminum suspension parts and the factory exhaust sounds really great; the 7 speed DCT (dual clutch transmission) has two shafts with gears 1, 3, 5, 7 on one shaft and gears 2, 4, 6 on the second shaft, creating nano-second shifts at wide open throttle; the 3 liter all aluminum inline 6 is turbocharged developing 320 HP and 332 TRQ.

The 335is was available to the US market only and manufactured in 2011-2013 when the long running 3 series was discontinued and replaced by the 4 series. I'm researching rarity now and there were less than 1K made in 2013 which include the coupe and convertible; researching now just how many were built in Crimson Red, Saddle Brown leather and with DCT transmission.

Have been occupied with paint correction; no rain yesterday so with blue Seattle area skies and 39F, I pushed the button and the insane engineering of watching the hardtop stack and with such precision store itself in the trunk, I went top down and it was so great.

As one post's tagline says "life is too short to drive boring cars"....hoping the Z4 community is well and happy holidays to you - Racerbruce











Red Rocket Build Sheet Production Date Retail Pricing Info.pdf

Red Rocket Window Sticker.pdf

[wdb]

Awesome choice! I have a 2007 128i E93 with 90K-ish miles. M Sport suspension + manual gearbox which was a nearly impossible combo to find. E90's were not terribly appreciated in the marketplace when I bought it, and it's a gray/gray color combination which is a little boring, so I paid a very attractive price. I'm not sure how they're doing price wise these days.

You're going to absolutely love 4-season top down driving! The HVAC system adjusts itself differently when the top is down, plus the heated seats are exceptional. (I added a BMW wind blocker as well to keep the breezes off the back of my head. Recommended.) Keep the windows up and it is downright cozy. It's a great way to make the best use of December's short days.

[racerbruce]

Greetings Steeler and wdb -
Hoping you're well this holiday season; as the transporter loaded the Red Roadster in front of our home in early Nov (I wept), I thought I'd consider another beloved BMW in a year or so....that enjoying our 21 X3 was going to carry me through....it didn't.

Please drop a brief note about your beloved rides and how they're progressing.

Regards to you -
Racerbruce

[racerbruce]

Thank you 3798j -
Hoping your stable of beauties are tucked in and awaiting a great 2023; drop a note about your stable when you can.

Love your Vette - it is iconic; my brother had a 57 Vette with a radically built 327 that never made it to restoration and to the street; the engine went into a 55 Chevy; as a kid, I remember a mid-60's Vette in our neighborhood in San Diego and how intriguing the cockpit was....the dash and "all the gauges" and the passenger side shape of the dash - it looked like a fighter jet.

[Steeler]

Originally Posted by racerbruce

Greetings Steeler and wdb -
Hoping you're well this holiday season; as the transporter loaded the Red Roadster in front of our home in early Nov (I wept), I thought I'd consider another beloved BMW in a year or so....that enjoying our 21 X3 was going to carry me through....it didn't.

Please drop a brief note about your beloved rides and how they're progressing.

Regards to you -
Racerbruce

Enjoy your new ride in good health.
Merry Xmas and Happy and Healthy New Year.

[Huz-Z]

I love it!

And in a festive Santa Claus red too! Christmas came early - enjoy!!

[racerbruce]

Thank you Huz-Z -
It's not a moon shot but the engineering it takes to turn the Red Rocket into a convertible at the touch of a button is incredible; kudos to Bavaria Motor Works to create such joy and experience 39F Seattle area blue skies in mid-December.

Take good care of your BMW stable of rides and all the best this holiday season.

[Piper1]

Originally Posted by racerbruce

Thank you Huz-Z -
It's not a moon shot but the engineering it takes to turn the Red Rocket into a convertible at the touch of a button is incredible; kudos to Bavaria Motor Works to create such joy and experience 39F Seattle area blue skies in mid-December.

Take good care of your BMW stable of rides and all the best this holiday season.

Looking good RB. How are you liking the dct. We’ve had 40s-50s wishing I didn’t put everything in hibernation to keep things away from the road salt but damn anyone in denial of climate change I remember working Black Friday during blizzard conditions here in MI, hell Halloween was our normal first snow not near 50s week before Christmas lol.

[racerbruce]

Greetings Piper1 -
Love the DCT in auto and love it in manual as well; I chose the DCT to ensure my wife could drive the Red Rocket and enjoy it as well.

Very well said re climate change - hopeful there is enough international will to move the needle toward less carbon footprint.

Change is inevitable and our beloved rides will eventually be obsolete but we'll live through it and we'll find ways to love the next generation of performance.

[vt100]

Beautiful iS! And really nice colour combo Congrats racebruce!

I’d had a 335iS for 3 years before getting my Z. Still miss this car from time to time, so nice and smooth to drive, never was getting tired behind the wheel

BTW, if I remember right this engine (N54) has cast-iron sleeved cylinders. Not sure though if this was iS specific or all N54s had it.

[racerbruce]

Greetings vt100 -
So great you were a previous 335is owner; what year, color combo and transmission; any issues during your ownership, etc; I am leaning towards a performance charge pipe as the OEM plastic charge pipe is a known weak link and am considering removing the diverter valve and replacing with a blow off valve and also adding Dinan performance software - your thoughts would really be valued; I found the following (below) re cylinder sleeves.

PS - you're familiar with Bay Area commuter traffic; I left San Jose at 450 pm on the 880 i think it was and it picks up the traffic from Silicon Valley, San Jose, Oakland and SF....it took 2 hours to travel 50 miles....

The N54 is available as a 3.0 liter engine and features the following:
• Exhaust driven turbocharger (Bi-turbo)
• Air to air Intercooler
• 2nd Generation Direct Injection (HPI) with piezo injectors
• New engine management (MSD80)
• Bi-VANOS
• All aluminum crankcase with iron cylinder liners (similar dimensions to N52)
• External oil cooler
• New high output electric water pump (400 W)
• Aluminum cylinder head with plastic valve cover
• Steel crankshaft

[Pheonix]

Congratulations on the new ride! I think your Z4M was one of the inspiration for me to pick up my Z4M Coupe year ago.
I was in similar situations, the Z4M Coupe barely got driven with the 2 kddos so I picked up the e93 M3. I still have the Z4M caused I really love it.

[kaybat]

I had a similiar platform(2011 335i N55)w/Cobb tune,the thing screamed. Depending on mileage, consider getting a walnut blast to clean up valves. N54's eat plugs (and injectors)...Just stay on top of maintenance and you'll love it!

[vt100]

Originally Posted by kaybat

Depending on mileage, consider getting a walnut blast to clean up valves.

That's way too early for racerbruce It's usually needed after 60kmiles-65kmiles, or even closer to 100kmiles.

[vt100]

Originally Posted by racerbruce

what year, color combo and transmission

Added photos that I made just before selling her. And the year was 2012.

Originally Posted by racerbruce

any issues during your ownership, etc

There were a few:
- VANOS solenoid replaced at 55kmiles.
- Turbos were replaced under warranty at about 65kmiles.
- Clutch at ~74kmiles.
- Oil pan gasket was replaced at ~75kmiles.

And about 45kmiles-50kmiles I hit some debris on highway and cracked my front rim. So replaced the wheels with 18" BBS. That was probably the only real "upgrade" I did to the car, but I loved it very much

There were a bit more but those were either issues I caused myself while replacing the clutch or dealer would break something up when doing warranty work.

Originally Posted by racerbruce

I am leaning towards a performance charge pipe as the OEM plastic charge pipe is a known weak link and am considering removing the diverter valve and replacing with a blow off valve and also adding Dinan performance software - your thoughts would really be valued

Not much I can tell about upgrades unfortunately. I didn't do any but was planning on Kobb since it's easily reversible. In Cali they do visual inspection and anything that doesn't look stock means you failed (unless it has a CARB sticker).
But Dinan should be good I think. A friend of mine has Dinan tuning on his 135i also with N54 and it pulls really well

Besides of replacing the CP you might also want to consider adding an oil catch can and maybe upgrading the intercooler.

Oh! And if it still has run-flats - get rid of them ASAP! That was the reason I cracked the rim

Originally Posted by racerbruce

PS - you're familiar with Bay Area commuter traffic; I left San Jose at 450 pm on the 880 i think it was and it picks up the traffic from Silicon Valley, San Jose, Oakland and SF....it took 2 hours to travel 50 miles....

Haha... yeah, it's absolutely crazy here during rush hours (and beyond too)
For that reason I have my work schedule shifted - come to work at lunch time and leave after 8pm or 9pm

[racerbruce]

Thanks vt100 -
Beautiful ride - it appears you addressed all of the known issues....my oh my BMW's can be expensive to maintain.

Your move to starting work at noon is brilliant - I thought Seattle rush hour was bad....the Bay area is terrible.

[vt100]

Originally Posted by racerbruce

- it appears you addressed all of the known issues....

Ah! Forgot to mention the water pump It was replaced right after turbos at about 70kmiles.

Now that's everything

I didn't need to replace injectors or HPFP.

Originally Posted by racerbruce

my oh my BMW's can be expensive to maintain.

Yeah, there is a reason it's called Break My Wallet

And N54 is the first gen of BMW turbo engines so there were quite a bit of "birth defects"

[Piper1]

Originally Posted by vt100

Yeah, there is a reason it's called Break My Wallet

There’s a reason I named the coupe Akasha, after The Queen of the Damned

[Piper1]

Originally Posted by racerbruce

my oh my BMW's can be expensive to maintain.

Isn’t there a quote somewhere saying anyone can afford a bmw, not everyone can afford to maintain them

[WeekendWarriorz]

You’ll be back in an M roadster/coupe in a bit. Congrats on the 335is, it’s a great car! The DCT will get boring once the newness wears off.

I still to this day miss my Z4MR’s, there’s a check mark on the imaginary list of things a car needs to fufill you, and nothing besides an S54 with the top down and some induction sound checks that off for me after almost 4 years.

[Vanne]

awesome car mate!

Love the color too, def easier to live with than the Zed, and i would think as much fun, if not more, as you can chuck others in the back. Good choice. Happy holidays and safe driving mate. next time iam in Seattle, ill buy you a coffee/beers

[racerbruce]

Originally Posted by Vanne

awesome car mate!

Love the color too, def easier to live with than the Zed, and i would think as much fun, if not more, as you can chuck others in the back. Good choice. Happy holidays and safe driving mate. next time iam in Seattle, ill buy you a coffee/beers

Greetings Vanne and happy holidays as well!
Indeed, perhaps we can meet at Pike Place Market in downtown Seattle for a pop; here's to hoping 2023 finds you strapped to The Beast and pulling massive lateral G's....