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BMW 3 Series: N54 3.0L piezo fuel injector (index) failure & misfire (335i E90/E92)

N54 3.0L piezo fuel injector (index) failure & misfire (335i E90/E92) is a common engine fault on the BMW 3 Series on the 2007–2013 cars, and we rate it major. Putting it right costs $1,500 to $3,500 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. Below is what goes wrong, the symptoms to notice on a test drive, where to look, and what to ask the seller before you hand over any money. It is one of 88 documented faults on the BMW 3 Series.

Vehicle
BMW 3 Series
Engine
N54
Years
2007–2013
Fuel
petrol
System
Engine

This page covers the BMW 3 Series as a model. Some faults only affect particular engines or build years — enter a plate below to narrow the list to one car.

All BMW 3 Series faults88 documented faults on this model

What you are looking at

A single common-rail diesel fuel injector photographed against a plain background.Example of the part — not this vehicle

A common-rail diesel injector. Contamination damages the nozzle at the tip.

Panoha · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

What goes wrong

The early N54's piezo direct-injection injectors are a known weak point: they crack or lose calibration, causing misfires, rough idle, hard starting and increased emissions. BMW ran an emissions recall on 2007-2008 build N54s and released revised 'index' injectors with better internal filtering, plus a goodwill warranty extension - both now expired on NZ/AU cars. A misfiring 335i often needs one or more injectors, and mixed injector 'index' numbers cause driveability faults.

What you would notice

  • Rough or lumpy idle, especially when cold
  • Misfire / stumble under load
  • Check-engine light with cylinder misfire codes
  • Hard starting and poor fuel economy

How to check it

Where to look. Six direct injectors in the cylinder head

  1. Idle the car cold and feel for a shake or stumble.

  2. Have it scanned for cylinder-specific misfire codes.

  3. Ask whether the injectors have ever been replaced and whether all six share the same current 'index' number - mismatched indexes cause running faults.

Parts involved: Fuel injector.

What it costs to put right

$1,500 to $3,500 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That is for this job on its own, not for the car.

An estimate, in NZD, for the repair as normally carried out. What a specific car costs depends on which part has failed and what it damaged on the way — treat this as the floor for a negotiation, not a quote.

Ask the seller

  • “Have any fuel injectors been replaced, and are all six the latest index?”
  • “Does it misfire or run rough when cold?”
  • “Was the N54 injector recall / warranty work ever done?”

Now check the BMW 3 Series you are actually looking at

Everything above is true of the model, and it is free. What it does not tell you is whether THIS car has been looked after: its odometer history and whether the reading has ever gone backwards, whether there is still money owing on it, whether it has been reported stolen, how many owners it has had and what it is really worth today. That comes from the official records for that plate. Enter the plate for the free details, or get the full history and a market valuation from $13.49.

Not sure what you would be paying for? See what a full KickTyres check includes.

Where this comes from

The failure described above is documented in the sources below. The inspection instructions and the cost estimate are KickTyres’ own interpretation of them.

  • e90post.com – N54 Fuel Injector Recall thread
  • AutomotiveTechInfo – BMW Fuel Injector Recalls (N54 warranty extension)
  • bmwtuning.co – Common N54 Engine Problems

BMW 3 Series buyer questions

Is n54 3.0l piezo fuel injector (index) failure & misfire (335i e90/e92) serious on a BMW 3 Series?

We rate it major and common on the BMW 3 Series. The early N54's piezo direct-injection injectors are a known weak point: they crack or lose calibration, causing misfires, rough idle, hard starting and increased emissions. BMW ran an emissions recall on 2007-2008 build N54s and released revised 'index' injectors with better internal filtering, plus a goodwill warranty extension - both now expired on NZ/AU cars. A misfiring 335i often needs one or more injectors, and mixed injector 'index' numbers cause driveability faults.

How much does it cost to fix on a BMW 3 Series?

$1,500 to $3,500 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That figure is for this job on its own. A car showing the symptoms on this page is usually worth either walking away from or negotiating down by at least the repair figure.

Which BMW 3 Series years are affected?

Our research records this fault on the 2007–2013 BMW 3 Series. Build dates move around, especially on imported cars, so treat the range as the years to look hardest at rather than a guarantee either way. The official records tell you the exact build and first registration date for the car in front of you.

How do I check for it before I buy?

Idle the car cold and feel for a shake or stumble. Have it scanned for cylinder-specific misfire codes. Ask whether the injectors have ever been replaced and whether all six share the same current 'index' number - mismatched indexes cause running faults. Look here: Six direct injectors in the cylinder head