2011 35is

[Fireball]

After dithering for a while I think I have finally made my mind up to upgrade from existing 23i to a 35 is, rather than spend money on the 23. I have found a 2011 model with the same mileage as my existing car 38k , in excellent condition with a decent specification and FBMWSH.

Are there issues I should be looking for ? It has the adaptive suspension etc.

Also from the spec it has a 6 speed gearbox rather than the 7 speed of the later models, any issues with the 6 speed ?

Thankyou.

 

[Stevo1987]

I thought the 35is only came with the 7 speed DCT. In fact I am pretty sure that is the case.

 

[IRD]

I thought the 35is only came with the 7 speed DCT. In fact I am pretty sure that is the case.

My understanding too.

 

[john-e89]

Yep you must be meaning a 35i Fireball if it’s a manual.

Look for leaking shocks, they’re eye wateringly expensive to replace. Check the roof works as it should. Listen for any whines from the turbo’s, they should be silent. Also the fuel pump can whine, it’ll be heard over your right shoulder from the drivers seat. Other than that the normal stuff to look for when buying a 2nd hand car. There will be things I’ve missed but that’s a start. :lol:

Best of luck.

 

[Fireball]

Thankyou the learning curve has started. The advert photos show 35is on the sides and on the dial faces. I guess it must be a typo so will check that, a 2011 road test I have just found says it was 7 speed and a bit woolly in operation. They also mention that the paddles are not up on one side and down on the other like modern cars, it mentions push pull on both sides.
Regards.

 

[john-e89]

Thankyou the learning curve has started. The advert photos show 35is on the sides and on the dial faces. I guess it must be a typo so will check that, a 2011 road test I have just found says it was 7 speed and a bit woolly in operation. They also mention that the paddles are not up on one side and down on the other like modern cars, it mentions push pull on both sides.
Regards.

Yes the pull pull each side paddles didn’t come in until the 2013 face lift. It’s a very easy job to change them though. If the DCT is ‘woolly’ there’s a fault, they’re sharp boxes. Could be just someone’s interpretation though perhaps, a wrong one nonetheless.

 

[sunnydays]

After dithering for a while I think I have finally made my mind up to upgrade from existing 23i to a 35 is, rather than spend money on the 23. I have found a 2011 model with the same mileage as my existing car 38k , in excellent condition with a decent specification and FBMWSH.

Are there issues I should be looking for ? It has the adaptive suspension etc.

Also from the spec it has a 6 speed gearbox rather than the 7 speed of the later models, any issues with the 6 speed ?

Thankyou.

Copy and pasted from a previous post.

N54 in the 35i / 35is is generally pretty reliable, just the ancillaries around it that can have issues. Prices depend on if you are DIYing or getting bent over by a dealer.

Common Faults
Injectors
High Pressure Fuel Pump
Oil Filter Housing Gasket
Valve Cover Gasket
Valve Cover (Cracking)
Turbo Wastegates
AC Pulley
Engine Mounts
Other than the above it is a solid engine.

Additionally these cars can suffer with:
Adaptive suspension leaks
Cracking alloys


Edit: They will also make circa 450bhp with a custom remap and have a great tuning platform and community.

 

[Fireball]

Thankyou very much for your replies, having never driven an auto box car I think I will try and sort out a test drive lockdown permitting.
Good new is the insurance only seems to be around £90 per year more expensive than the 23i with my current provider, and the road tax is the same as far as I can tell.

 

[Argyll Andy]

I was in the same situation as you, I didn’t want to spend any more money on my 23i so bought a 35iS with the same miles as the one you’ve identified.

I’ve already done a few thousand miles in mine since getting mid September and love it.

Mine is a BMW AUC car but it needed a bit of work done before I got it and I got supplied with copies of the receipts with the car. They’re eye watering. It was for new adaptive rear shocks and a replacement rear alloy. It was around £3k with discounted labour rates so as suggested check the shocks and particularly if it’s on 19’s the wheels for cracks or repairs. The shocks only had a “light misting” but still needed replacing.

I really like the DCT, but still find myself going for the gearstick , but I would definitely not describe it as woolly. Mine is an lci which has your preferred gear change mode but my understanding is that there’s a mod that can be carried out to the existing hardware on the earlier models to replicate mine or yours can be swapped out for the later style.

 

[Zforbes]

A few weeks ago I'd never owned an auto car nor had I driven a Z4 until my recent purchase of a 35iS. Getting used to the gearbox was a concern but I have not put a foot wrong yet. Mines a 2010 so wll have the same box as the 2011 you are looking at and I wouldn't have known about the up / down manual change if I hadn't read about it, seems normal and correct to me.

Car tax on mine was £330 for 12 months

Had a quick look through the usual classifieds and think I've spotted the one you are looking at, looks like a very tidy car and definately a typo with the 6 gears on their website.

 

[ronk]

I love the DCT box - Its my first choice and changes are rapid.
Changes from forward to reverse are lazy so don’t expect to hurry a three point turn.

 

[Busterboo]

... having never driven an auto box car I think I will try and sort out a test drive lockdown permitting.

Make sure you try the DCT (or a Porsche PDK) and not just an ordinary auto.

Remember, too, that it takes a while to learn how to exploit all the features of the DCT on the 35iS.

 

[BadgerDog]

Ive got the 35i with DCT and I can attest that box is WICKED fast in the shifts. It blew me away the first time I drove it. Nothing woolly about it!

 

[Zforbes]

The car I suspected was the one the OP was looking at is no longer advertised.

Is it congratulations or have you missed out?