The F30 340i has been an extremely popular choice for enthusiasts, and for good reason. They offer a reliable and highly capable engine in a practical everyday car. They’ve also reached that sweet spot in the market where they are old enough for ordinary people like myself to afford, while being new enough that you can easily find pristine, low mileage examples.
If you follow my channel, you know that this isn’t just any 340i, this is my personal car that I’ve had for over two years. Today, I’ll explain what it’s been like to live with this car, I’ll discuss ownership costs, maintenance, as well as some modifications I’d recommend.
WHAT IS IT?
The F30 was the sixth generation BMW 3 series and the 340i was the top model offered in the final years of production. Of all the engines that were offered for the F30, the B58 found in the 340i is the one to get. The B58 is a 3 liter turbocharged inline 6. In this application it produced 320 horsepower and 330 foot pounds of torque out of the box, but will easily make more with a few simple mods. More on that later in the blog.
WHAT I LOVE
My subjective opinion is that the F30 is the most aggressive looking 3 series. It’s hard to believe that this design is 10 years old. The 340i is just as practical as it is a capable performance car. You can tear up some backroads, or you pack your luggage and drive it across the country getting 30+ MPG. Or, you can go to Lowes and load it up with home improvement supplies. It’s a car that can do it all with few compromises. With a HUGE aftermarket for parts and a massive online community, it’s easy to see why these cars are in such high demand.
WHAT I HATE
The driving experience, at least in stock form feels soft, especially having owned an E90 before this. The F30 was the first 3 Series to have electric steering which feels numb and disconnected and took some time to get used to. BMW used to pride themselves on being the Ultimate Driving Machine, but on the road, the F30 lacks some of the character of BMW’s that came before it.
Even though the 340i was the top F30 model, you’ll still find some examples that are sparsely optioned. This car for example was sort of a stripper model. Luckily these cars are modular and many options can be retrofitted easily. Just keep in mind that buying a 340i doesn’t guarantee that you’re getting a well optioned car, despite the price tag.
Auto vs Manual, RWD vs AWD
The 340i was available in rear wheel drive and all wheel drive, and with either a 6 speed manual or 8 speed automatic transmission. For my car, I went with a rear wheel drive automatic and I don’t regret it. There was a time when manual transmissions were the default option for enthusiasts. But recently automatics have gotten really, REALLY good. In the case of this 8 speed auto, it’s slightly quicker while achieving better MPG than its 6 speed counterpart.
Honestly though, you can’t go wrong either way, and considering the small performance difference between the two, it really comes down to personal preference. My only suggestion is if you’re a die hard manual fan, at least give this 8 speed a try, I think you’ll be impressed.
Choosing between rear wheel drive and all wheel drive, or X-Drive as BMW calls it, is a question of how often you’ll drive in deep snow. Even though I live in a place that gets heavy snowfall, I live near main roads that get plowed quickly where I don’t need all wheel drive to get where I’m going. To put it simply, rear wheel drive is more fun and less maintenance.
COST OF OWNERSHIP
If you’re considering buying a 340i, here are a few ownership costs to factor in.
Full coverage insurance: $167/mo
Michigan Registration: $231/yr
Fuel: approx. $5/gal for premium. I average 27 mpg with mostly highway driving. I’ve observed 19 mpg for spirited driving and 34+ mpg on road trips
ROUTINE MAINTENANCE
I made a list of some of the most common maintenance items for this car. These prices are based on using OE parts and assuming you will do the work yourself.
Oil change: $80 (personally I change my oil twice per year).
Cabin air filter: $21
Engine air filter: $27
Spark plugs: $90 (set of 6)
Brake pads & wear sensors: $250 (front & rear)
Genuine BMW battery: $270
Regular maintenance on this car is not difficult, and a novice DIY-er should be able to do most of the things I just mentioned with a basic tool set. Being an inline six, there is plenty of room under the hood to work.
The timing chain on this car is located at the rear of the engine, and while B58’s are not known to have timing chain issues, servicing it will be difficult if the time ever comes. That’s why it’s crucial to keep up with regular oil changes.
MODIFICATIONS
F30’s have a lot of support for mods, both aftermarket and Genuine BMW, and some parts are even interchangeable with the F80 M3. Being that the engine is shared with the Toyota Supra, there is a huge selection of performance upgrades available. Huge shoutout to Kiesmotorsports.com for sponsoring this entire build.
My complete list of mods will be down below in this post, but here are the top three I’d recommend:
Suspension - I’m running Bilstein B16 coilovers which made the most dramatic improvement to this car out of all of the modifications I’ve done. The stock suspension on the F30, especially non-M sport models is on the soft side and changing them to aftermarket coilovers made a massive improvement to the car’s handling. Even a simple spring and shock upgrade like Bilstein’s B14 kit will be a huge improvement over stock.
Tune - One of the first things we did when I bought this car was a simple Bootmod3 stage 1 tune. Just with the tune alone we added 45 horsepower and 55 foot pounds of torque, increasing the power and torque to 365hp and 385 lb-ft respectively. It’s cool to be able to get to that power level without even opening the hood and while retaining stock reliability.
Like I said, this was one of the first modifications I did two years ago and I haven’t had any issues. The car has more than enough power for me, and I haven’t felt the need to get a bigger turbo or other horsepower mods that could potentially hurt reliability. One benefit of keeping the stock turbo is it spools quickly with very little lag, making it fun to drive around town.
M Performance Interior - BMW actually offers some pretty cool interior upgrades for this car like dry carbon fiber and alcantara trim pieces. They completely transform the look and feel of the interior, and while they’re kind of pricey, you get what you pay for. Everything is super high quality and being Genuine BMW parts, everything fits like stock.
COMMON PROBLEMS
I’m happy to report that in 2 years and around 20,000 miles of ownership, this car has not had any major problems. In fact, with 56,000 miles on the car currently, I haven’t got so much as a check engine light. Knock on plastic. Here are a few common B58 issues.
Unexplained coolant loss
Many B58 owners have noticed their main expansion tank slowly losing coolant over time despite not having any obvious leaks. First, check the cap on the expansion tank. if you see dried coolant on the threads, it’s possible that coolant is evaporating from an ill fitting cap.You can buy a replacement cap for around $15. If you replace the cap but are still loosing coolant, you’ll want to have the cooling system pressure tested for leaks. In any case, all 340i owners should check their coolant levels periodically.
Some higher mileage B58 owners have reported leaking water pumps, leaking oil filter housings, leaks from the water to air intercooler and VANOS issues. Typical BMW stuff.
While the B58 has a reputation for being a reliable engine over all with no widespread catastrophic issues, I suspect that the extensive use of plastic parts will be problematic as these cars age. Especially if previous generation BMW’s are any indicator of that.
Not specific to the B58, but F30’s have a common issue where the retaining clips that hold the parking brake cables to the bottom of the car will break off allowing the cables to rub on the driveshaft and make a horrible noise. I have a video on how to replace it. It’s an $8 part but is fairly labor-intensive to replace. If you are physically able to, you’ll save a lot of money if you can DIY this one.
The used car market has been all over the place, but lately I’ve been seeing 340i’s for sale from $25-30,000 in my area. If you can find one under $30k, it’s a solid car for the price, especially considering that they cost upwards of $55,000 when they were brand new just a few years ago. You’re getting the performance and mod support of the new supra, with the everyday practicality and comfort of a 3 series.
Complete Mod List:
Wheels:
Apex ARC-8R w/ brushed clear finish
Front: 18x8.5 ET35 buy here
Rear: 18x9.5 ET45 buy here
Tires:
Michelin Pilot Sport All-Season 4
Front: 245/40/R18
Rear: 275/35/R18
Suspension:
Bilstein B16 coilovers
Wiechers Sport front strut brace buy here
Brakes:
F80 M3 calipers buy here
Stoptech slotted rotors buy here
EBC Red Stuff pads buy here
Goodridge steel braided brake lines buy here
Engine:
Bootmod3 Stage 1 tune buy here
MST intake buy here
AWE Tuning exhaust buy here
Interior:
M Performance Race Display steering wheel buy here
M Performance dry carbon trim kit buy here
M Performance dry carbon gear selector and trim buy here
M Performance dry carbon e-brake buy here
Kies dry carbon paddle shifters buy here
P3 vent gauge buy here
Apple CarPlay MMI buy here
Exterior:
Carbon fiber side skirt extensions buy here
Carbon fiber rear diffuser buy here
Carbon fiber front lip buy here