hpfp failure on 2011?

Any feedback on the hpfp failure on the 2011's especially the is? Is the recall fix seeming to fix the problem? Would love to order an is but would like to see this resloved first.

thanks, Bill

The "is" uses the N54 engine which is the engine in all of the x35i models up to 2011 when the N55 superceded it for std. production. Both engines use the same HPFP and unfortunately the HPFP fails on the N55 engines just like on the N54 engines as a BMW forum search will attest.

BMW would like folks to believe that they have cured the HPFP issues on the N54/N55 since 3/10 but I have yet to see any evidence to support this implied resolution. In fact the current HPFP being used as a replacement is the reman "933" and it has failed in a few thousand miles for some folks. It's unclear what BMW intends to do with the announced recall as they are installing the "933" HPFP and they are failing based on customer reports?

x35i - 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 - HPFP trouble every year

Sorry to offer you bad news ... but ... I just had the HPFP on my 2008 335xi replaced with software update last week. It helped for exactly one day (more on that in a minute). While I was at the dealer a customer came in with a brand new 2011 135i acting as if it was starving for gas and running rough. They took it around to the service bays for diagnostics. Don't know anything more but ... it sounds awfully familiar.
I've scheduled my car back in the shop tomorrow. Cold starts are, well, just barely. Rough idle, rough running until well warmed, and then still rougher than it used to be even when it's warm. I havent any empirical data but the car feels like it's down ~10% on power. This is just the last in a long line of problems with the car. In a little over 2 years, we've been to the dealership service department more than 15 times for warranty work.
Our prior experience with non-turbo BMW cars has been good. We're greatly disappointed with this car (335xi). When the lease ends, we're not likely to make this mistake again.
It's just sad.

Agreed. It will be a sad day when I walk away from my 335i. But, live and learn. BMW does not care about major safety issues and defects in their engineering. They are 100% happy to stick it to you and I, the customer. It has been weeks since the ABC News piece aired, and I have not heard word one from BMW NA nor my dealer. My car stumbles and stalls on cold starts , I am on my second HPFP already, with only 10,000 miles.

Sad, but true.

It must boil down to $$$ as it makes no sense for a company touting it's engineering expertise to allow this type of safety defect to exist for five model years and counting.

The best part from the ABC Nightline special was when they asked the BMW NA representative why BMW had not recalled the vehicles after they found out about the faulty HPFP. His response was along the lines of "we didn't want to inconvenience people by having them bring the car to the dealer for this recall before they go away on a trip". I actually paused it and played it again because I could not believe he said that with a straight face.

is that quote for real?
I am holding out for this to be fixed completely before I consider another 3 series.

My 2008 335 had the hpfp replaced three times in six weeks. In each instance, the vehicle would not exceed 30 mph and the local dealer acted as if they had never heard of the problem. Each time they acted as if assured the problems had been remedied. I didn't pay $45,000+ for this! The dealer bought the car back at 32K miles, washed it, and resold the car to an unsuspecting buyer. I can't imagine what this will cost out of warranty.

It's a very curious interchange between ABC News and someone identified as the Chief Engineer for BMWNA in which ABC News summarizes a lengthy process that had been going on whereby letters were evidently sent to customers to alert them of certain issues regarding the defective fuel pump but falling short of a recall. At issue was why BMW didn't offer what customers believe to be the "safest option, a chance to bring in their cars before they experienced a problem" and the BMWNA Chief Engineer said "Well we also don't want to alarm people, to say I have to drop everything, I have to postpone my vacation, I have to bring the car in when it's inconvenient to me". ABC then replied "Who doesn't want to know information like this, who wouldn't want to know, don't bother me I don't want to bring in my car, it may shut off on the highway, you got lots of families driving these cars, … people wanted to know this don't you think?" and the engineer said "well we did take action to notify people, we probably could be better in our communication and we'll take a look at that".

I think the response by the BMW NA engineer was disingenuous and inaccurate in stating that they took actions to notify customers of the safety defect?

It is my understanding that it isn't just the 3 Series... rather it is all of the x35 models (135, 335, 535, X5 xDrive35, and Z4 sDrive35).

Correct, I've been led to believe, all models running the N54 and N55 engines are effected equally.

Since I had my 2008 335xi back in the shop (for the second time) after my HPFP was replaced, I've talked with another local customer who is now on his second HPFP in a 2009 535xi. He was left stranded in Oklahoma City with the first one.

I've found nobody ... not one single person who has received the recall notice. The service department manager at the dealership has heard of nobody who has received the notice. She hasn't even received the official service bulletin, only the advance notice.

This does not qualify as "taking care of busines."
. . .

True. My wife ditched her 535i at the end of the lease because of this issue. It reared its head too many times for her so instead of buying it, it went back to BMW.

N54 HPFP failures

. .
To follow up on the experience of wdpenhale. We've leased our 2008 335xi with the typical 3 year / 36,000 mile lease. We live a little more than 20 miles from the dealership. To date we have spent more than 5% of our contract lease miles doing nothing but driving to and from the dealership for warranty repairs (quality and reliability failures). . . . What if we lived 100 miles from the dealership?

In over 1.6 million miles of personal driving, with 41 different automobiles, I have never had such a Jeckyll and Hyde experience with a car. The first year was love with a few snags. The second year was fun but very frustrating. The last 8 months have been miserable.

A direct comparison: Prior to owning our first BMW we drove three Honda products. A Civic, an Accord and an Acura TL. Between them, 305,000 miles driven over 14 years of ownership. Collectively, those three cars, added together, required half as many service interventions (warranty, etc.) as this single BMW 335xi has needed in it's 34,000 miles of life. . . Roughly 1800% of the Honda/Acura collective requirements. . . . . And no, the car is not abused. It's driven the same as our other cars, including my 540i sport and our previous 330xi.

It just seems like BMW has lost it's way. Maybe it turned down the same path as Toyota ... ?
. . .

335xi - HPFP - Failure - AGAIN

. . .
Update:
. . .
Just got our 2008 335xi back out of the shop tonight (for the xxth time).
They replaced the HPFP ... AGAIN.
They replaced all the injectors.
They reflashed the software ... AGAIN, per the recall.

When we picked it up at the dealership service department, it still smelled strongly like gasoline, but it seemed to run fine. We wondered around the dealership lot for a few minutes waiting for the "Service Engine Soon" light to re-appear. It didn't ... hm-mm. Do you suppose they might actually have fixed it this time?!? Oh Lord, let it be so.

Drove across town, 21 miles, and just before we turned onto our block ... there it was ... AGAIN!

Service
Engine
Soon

Pulled into our garage and immediately it smelled like a gasoline refinery.
It was still running fine, I think. It's really hard to tell though, it's been more than half a year since it ran right so I don't have much to compare it to.
Called the service manager to let her know the joyful news. With a major snow storm on the way, we'll postpone the return-return-return-return-return-return-return-return-return-return-return-return-return to the service department (for the same failure) until next week.

Only one thing left to be thankful for . . . Oh how thankful I am that I didn't actually purchase this piece of cr*p. In a few months the lease will be up and this tube of dung will be somebody else's nightmare.

Where are the Rolaids ?
. . .

Oh boy. That sounds like a horror story. I will do my best to comiserate --

My father is a recent BMW convert. He has a 335xi - and he loves most aspects of it. He plainly states, 'It outhandles the V8 Audi S4 I used to have. It is faster than the equally priced Mercedes. It goes up my 23 degree driveway in 2-4 inches of snow with its winter shoes.'

Then he says, ' HOLY JEEZ! I just had that fuel pump thing you told me about ! It was scary almost, car shuddered shut off, wouldn't start! I already had the updates for the software!'

This statement made me nervous of course. I have a 335i, and the experience of my fuel pump failure included a service failure (stalled in intersection), that led to first a software update, but then a complete fuel pump replacement, after another, even more acute, service failure (pulled out of dealer and immediately got SES and CEL, along with limp mode). Is this a safety defect that will endanger pops? Is this a long term ownership deal breaker?

Eventually, after multiple calls to NJ, my father was able to ascertain what we long suspected:

1) BMW's apparatus for Cust, Serv. had no available information as to the correlation between VIN (or even model year) and mandated SIBs or 'Recalls' pertaining to the fuel pump or fuel system - this effectively means that no one can guarantee what service action will be taken on an indiviudal car once it is at the shop. Will your pump be replaced? With what part number new pump ? Remanufactured? New design? What about the software? You have to wait for failure, or for the dealer to discover the presence of shadow codes dictating service action on your ECU/OBDII.

2) BMWs phone representatives have no 'technical say so or knowledge' (no fault of their own) and there is apparently no roster of vehicles that will automatically be due for a recall on fuel pumps. Your service failures will dictate your course of service. True Story.

3) It is possible to have your fuel pump replaced, under warranty for free,before a major failure, with your dealer's loaner car under your butt. My pop did it, and with little difficulty and no bill for service. It takes a day or two. Maybe three. It is a minor PITA. But, if you are persistent and courteous and your dealer cooperates, you will be given a remedy...sort of. It will always be suspect.

Sorry for long post. And thanks to Ridgefield BMW for continuing to provide robust customer service for both my father and I.

I feel your pain. I'm in the same boat, 17 visits in 34 months 4-HPFP, 3 DMTL pumps, 7-Injectors, 7-spark plugs, 1 coil pack, 1-headlight assembly, 1-seat frame, and many other small items

You guys are scaring me; I am supposed to pick my 2011 335xi next week at the High Perfromance Delivery Center.
So what's the verdict here the 2011 N55 engines have this issue or not? Does anyone with a 2011 x35i car have this issue?

Don't worry, you should be OK, really, ours was a 2008 model built in late 2007. Lots of minor changes since then. You will absolutely love the car. It drives and handles like no other