BMW 3 series - thoughts?

franktennis

Never had a BMW Before. This caught my eye. I drive 9000 miles a year. Price no issue.

tdf7187

Avoid the E90 run flats would be my advice.

franktennis

tdf7187 wrote: »

Avoid the E90 run flats would be my advice.

Thank you

franktennis

franktennis wrote: »

Thank you

Thank you

FAMLEE

franktennis wrote: »

Price no issue.

You'll have no problem running one then. Might aswell go for a 330i

FAMLEE

tdf7187 wrote: »

Avoid the E90 run flats would be my advice.

Most BMW owners dont replace with run flats after the first set is worn anyway.

franktennis

FAMLEE wrote: »

You'll have no problem running one then. Might aswell go for a 330i

I wish !!!

The chan chan man

Best and worst cars I’ve ever had. E46 and E92, best when they were working, great machines to drive. Worst when they weren’t working...which was in my case about 4-5 issues per year. It got expensive! Just my personal experience.

Have an E-class since and its been bulletproof to date... Guaranteed a catastrophic failure tomorrow now for saying that!!

franktennis

The chan chan man wrote: »

Best and worst cars I’ve ever had. E46 and E92, best when they were working, great machines to drive. Worst when they weren’t working...which was in my case about 4-5 issues per year. It got expensive! Just my personal experience.

Have an E-class since and its been bulletproof to date... Guaranteed a catastrophic failure tomorrow now for saying that!!

Thanks

Leonard Hofstadter

I wouldn't get a 330e, they have a tiny fuel tank, tiny boot and the electric range isn't that big, plus they weigh a lot more.

The 330d is the best buy, it has a six cylinder engine, more power, a proper boot and proper fuel tank. In the real world it will be more fuel efficient unless you plan on driving it around town all the time.

The 330i is only a four cylinder engine and has less power than the diesel, so it doesn't really make sense unless you absolutely do not want a diesel.

bazz26

Some out dated information being posted in this thread about run flat tyres. Yes they were not great back in the day when they were a relatively new thing. Run flat tyres as well as the world has moved on since then. They current generation of run flat tyres are fine especially on something like a 330e.

FAMLEE

bazz26 wrote: »

Some out dated information being posted in this thread about run flat tyres. Yes they were not great back in the day when they were a relatively new thing. Run flat tyres as well as the world has moved on since then. They current generation of run flat tyres are fine especially on something like a 330e.

Each to their own opinion but usually after the manufacturer's set needs replacing (vast majority) won't replace with RFT's. Especially when the likes of the sz90's are around 160ish each for an 18", and a good conti or bridgestone would be around 120. Thats almost couple hundred saving on a set. & if they get punctured it can be repaired whereas a runflat has to be replaced.

FAMLEE

FAMLEE wrote: »

Each to their own opinion but usually after the manufacturer's set needs replacing (vast majority) won't replace with RFT's. Especially when the likes of the sz90's are around 160ish each for an 18", and a good conti or bridgestone would be around 120. Thats almost couple hundred saving on a set. & if they get punctured it can be repaired whereas a runflat has to be replaced.

OP quoted money no issue so tyres wont be a problem for him, in general though anyone with cars needing rft's usually have them on finance/pcp.. & when they hear the quote of the manufacturers recommended tyres prices go nuts lol "thats almost two moths payments" haha

kirving

Leonard Hofstadter wrote: »

I wouldn't get a 330e, they have a tiny fuel tank, tiny boot and the electric range isn't that big, plus they weigh a lot more.

The 330d is the best buy, it has a six cylinder engine, more power, a proper boot and proper fuel tank. In the real world it will be more fuel efficient unless you plan on driving it around town all the time.

The 330i is only a four cylinder engine and has less power than the diesel, so it doesn't really make sense unless you absolutely do not want a diesel.

While a 330d would suit me best personally, the 330e is hard to look past if you have a short commute (or in the city) and a place to charge at home or in work. 9k km per year would suggest a short commute.

Smoother, quieter, less problematic than a diesel on short runs, and ulta cheap motoring if you stay in electric.

bazz26

FAMLEE wrote: »

Each to their own opinion but usually after the manufacturer's set needs replacing (vast majority) won't replace with RFT's. Especially when the likes of the sz90's are around 160ish each for an 18", and a good conti or bridgestone would be around 120. Thats almost couple hundred saving on a set. & if they get punctured it can be repaired whereas a runflat has to be replaced.

A run flat puncture can be repaired once its not on the sidewall (same as a normal tyre) and hasn't been driven very far when punctured. I'm driving cars with run flats for years now and the only puncture I got which I had repaired and the tyre was fine after the repair and lasted another 15000 km or so before it had to be replaced due to wear. I also weighed up the cost of replacing 4 run flat tyres with normal tyres and I'd easily have to spend the difference on a space saver wheel for the boot of the car that takes up space too.

FAMLEE

bazz26 wrote: »

A run flat puncture can be repaired once its not on the sidewall (same as a normal tyre) and hasn't been driven very far when punctured. I'm driving cars with run flats for years now and the only puncture I got which I had repaired and the tyre was fine after the repair and lasted another 15000 km or so before it had to be replaced due to wear. I also weighed up the cost of replacing 4 run flat tyres with normal tyres and I'd easily have to spend the difference on a space saver wheel for the boot of the car that takes up space too.

Was that a plug or patch repair? 99% of places wont repair them.

bazz26

It was a patch repair on the inside.

dasilverfox

The chan chan man wrote: »

Best and worst cars I’ve ever had. E46 and E92, best when they were working, great machines to drive. Worst when they weren’t working...which was in my case about 4-5 issues per year. It got expensive! Just my personal experience.

Have an E-class since and its been bulletproof to date... Guaranteed a catastrophic failure tomorrow now for saying that!!

I had a 2004 320d e46 and never had any major problems with it. only issue I had in the 7 years I owned it was a fuel pump. sold it to my neighbour and it had 365,000mls on the clock. I now have a f30 320d and I just love the car. got it remapped 3 years ago makes a huge difference in power. Make sure you get Bimmercode, there's lots of features you can unlock. Yeah a 330d or 335 xdrive even better.

Idbatterim

Aren’t the 530e meant to be a better buy than the 330e? If importing at least

TimeToShine

I'd be surprised if the OP's "money no issue" was referring to a 320d with trim and a metallic paintjob rather than some of the suggestions here...if we're getting into suggesting 530s the OP may clarify what his budget actually is or go and get an M3.

sdanseo

What model are you looking at?

My biggest take away to date: if you don't justify diesel mileage try to find a petrol even though they can be like hens teeth in non poverty-spec. The experience is far superior.

Few known issues (I've had both currently in F30)

E90 - avoid the N47 engine, potentially serious timing chain issues
Cup holders will stick and fail, annoying as hell but cheap to sort
Wear and tear on the plasticised interior trims

F30 - a few rattles and hums which will drive you mad
door locking knob rattles in its housing
door seals
get it coded to turn off start stop in comfort mode - pissing me off at the moment, just waiting on a coder to sort


Both are great cars. Have a slush fund to cater for anything that WILL go wrong assuming it's OOW

Regarding tyres, I've messed around with RFT Potenzas (great), Pirellis (grand but nothing to write home about), and Bridgestone Driveguards which made the E90 drive like a yacht.
Also had Michelin Pilot Sport 4s (on a F20 LCI 1 series) which were unreal but noisy and significantly worsened fuel consumption.

Pilot sports win for fun but are just as noisy as the RFT and to be honest if it's a toss up between being stranded and the slightly cheaper tyre I'd go for the peace of mind all day.

dasilverfox

sdanseo wrote: »

What model are you looking at?

My biggest take away to date: if you don't justify diesel mileage try to find a petrol even though they can be like hens teeth in non poverty-spec. The experience is far superior.

Few known issues (I've had both currently in F30)

E90 - avoid the N47 engine, potentially serious timing chain issues
Cup holders will stick and fail, annoying as hell but cheap to sort
Wear and tear on the plasticised interior trims

F30 - a few rattles and hums which will drive you mad
door locking knob rattles in its housing
door seals
get it coded to turn off start stop in comfort mode - pissing me off at the moment, just waiting on a coder to sort


Both are great cars. Have a slush fund to cater for anything that WILL go wrong assuming it's OOW

Regarding tyres, I've messed around with RFT Potenzas (great), Pirellis (grand but nothing to write home about), and Bridgestone Driveguards which made the E90 drive like a yacht.
Also had Michelin Pilot Sport 4s (on a F20 LCI 1 series) which were unreal but noisy and significantly worsened fuel consumption.

Pilot sports win for fun but are just as noisy as the RFT and to be honest if it's a toss up between being stranded and the slightly cheaper tyre I'd go for the peace of mind all day.

Hi Sdanseo, why not code that start stop function using a vgate obd adapter and bimmercode yourself? I've done it myself it's dead easy. I could code it for ya if ya weren't too far away.

maddness

bazz26 wrote: »

Some out dated information being posted in this thread about run flat tyres. Yes they were not great back in the day when they were a relatively new thing. Run flat tyres as well as the world has moved on since then. They current generation of run flat tyres are fine especially on something like a 330e.

They are still awful compared to non fun flats.

Theboinkmaster

Leonard Hofstadter wrote: »

I wouldn't get a 330e, they have a tiny fuel tank, tiny boot and the electric range isn't that big, plus they weigh a lot more.

The 330d is the best buy, it has a six cylinder engine, more power, a proper boot and proper fuel tank. In the real world it will be more fuel efficient unless you plan on driving it around town all the time.

The 330i is only a four cylinder engine and has less power than the diesel, so it doesn't really make sense unless you absolutely do not want a diesel.

Nonsense

The new 330e that came out in September is a great car if you’re a city driver, plenty of power too

at9qu5vp0wcix7

sdanseo wrote: »

What model are you looking at?

My biggest take away to date: if you don't justify diesel mileage try to find a petrol even though they can be like hens teeth in non poverty-spec. The experience is far superior.

Few known issues (I've had both currently in F30)

E90 - avoid the N47 engine, potentially serious timing chain issues
Cup holders will stick and fail, annoying as hell but cheap to sort
Wear and tear on the plasticised interior trims

F30 - a few rattles and hums which will drive you mad
door locking knob rattles in its housing
door seals
get it coded to turn off start stop in comfort mode - pissing me off at the moment, just waiting on a coder to sort


Both are great cars. Have a slush fund to cater for anything that WILL go wrong assuming it's OOW

Regarding tyres, I've messed around with RFT Potenzas (great), Pirellis (grand but nothing to write home about), and Bridgestone Driveguards which made the E90 drive like a yacht.
Also had Michelin Pilot Sport 4s (on a F20 LCI 1 series) which were unreal but noisy and significantly worsened fuel consumption.

Pilot sports win for fun but are just as noisy as the RFT and to be honest if it's a toss up between being stranded and the slightly cheaper tyre I'd go for the peace of mind all day.

That one little rattle gets me too! I actually can live with the stop start now, that's not a BMW-specific problem. OP should know that there's a button by ignition to turn it off once you started the car.

Only disappointment for me in owning an F30 is the tyres - two replaced prematurely from damage so far. One was fair enough, the other sustained no major trauma yet ballooned out.

Run flats are more expensive and there's no space for a proper spare (front and back are different sizes), and in general they can't be repaired.

The bonus is 50 miles of driving on flat to get you to a tyre shop only to pay for a new set, and you're far less likely to get a catastrophic failure i.e. blow out.

sunnysoutheast

On the topic of RFTs we replaced ours with Falkens on an F30 some time back, wasn't a huge difference tbh so we went back to Michelin RFTs. Bridgestone we found wore very quickly and Conti got very noisy as they wore.
Might be more of a difference on m-sport setup, I don't know, ours are 225/45/18.

I actually found a 320i m-s x-drive a lovely car to drive when I had one as a loaner, but I think it had the lowered suspension deletion. Either that or the adaptive suspension would would be a must-have for me in m-sport spec.

Good luck in finding a car, should be decent choice around in the UK, especially now G20 is out?

franktennis

I have a Mazda CX3171 and it has a resale value of €11000. A loan of €9000 should cover the rest. €21000 is my max.

CalamariFritti

Have a 3 series for the last 3 years. Had a 5 before but didn't like the fact the 5er was getting bigger all the time.
I'm happy with the 3. Have a 320 estate. Great and comfortable drive. Good on fuel. Looks really well. Not a beep out of it. I have not yet replaced a bulb even.

On the downside the iDrive could be more modern and isn't really upgradeable. But it'd does the job. And a few minor flaws with rubber bits; for instance the interior can have squeaky days depending on weather/temperature.

Yes she wants runflats and they are €190 if you replace like with like. But I knew that and they last a good while. I got mine 3 years ago as a 3 year old. The tyres weren't new and I just replaced the rears, doing about 12,000 a year. Thats pretty decent.

If someone flatted her in the morning outside my house I'd get another one again. Would recommend.

ShadowHearth

At what year BMW finally started doing Android auto?

And just out of curiosity, how would Spotify and audible work with BMW and without Android auto? Do you still have USB for at least charging or it would be just pure audio jack experience?

CalamariFritti

I dont know tbh. With BMW it seems they dont make decent software updates for older/existing hardware. Whatever they thing was able to do when you got it, thats what you're pretty much stuck with.

In my case its USB for charging and audio and also bluetooth audio and that works fine and I even have a bit of album art etc. But its all a bit flaky and standard stuff like radio looks rather dull. 2013 model here.

Having said that it works reliably and produces good sound. Just a bit yesterday and no updates in years.

bazz26

BMW push Apple Car Play rather than Android Auto and it was only available on certain models from about 2016/2017 onwards. BMW give you Car Play for free for 1 year but after that they charged an annual subscription. They recently dropped the subscription charge in the UK due to customer complaints, not sure how it works here though.

sunnysoutheast

Android auto support from mid-2020 apparently.

sunnysoutheast

Android auto support from mid-2020 apparently.

digiman

Android auto is coming middle of this year but will only be available on idrive7 cars which the new 3 has.

CalamariFritti

I think car manufacturers in general will have to cut their losses with regards to phone/media/nav integration. They all sunk millions into their proprietary stuff and it has been blown spectacularly out of the water by google maps and android integration.

The idea that you could charge an annual fee for integration software seems insane tbh. But BMW are sh1ts like that. They make good cars that I like but they do try to fleece you wherever they think they can.

bazz26

The 1, 7 and 8 have idrive7 too, the 5 gets it in May/June with the LCI launch.

GustavoFring

ShadowHearth wrote: »

At what year BMW finally started doing Android auto?

And just out of curiosity, how would Spotify and audible work with BMW and without Android auto? Do you still have USB for at least charging or it would be just pure audio jack experience?

You'll basically need enhanced Bluetooth for what you want. Aim for something with the pro nav and you should be fine.

Leonard Hofstadter

Theboinkmaster wrote: »

Nonsense

The new 330e that came out in September is a great car if you’re a city driver, plenty of power too

Yeah but we're talking about F30s here.

For sure, the G20 is a big step forward on its predecessor, now the most powerful 330 variant (although still the slowest one on paper) and much improved electric range, but it's still compromised in the boot (375 vs 480 litres), fuel tank capacity (40 litres vs 59 litres), and especially weight (a whole 270 kg heavier than the 330i, even the 330d with the heavier diesel engine is still 185 kg lighter), so it's never going to have the handling prowess of the petrol and diesel versions.

The 330e will be the version to have in time and for sure it's the best option for anyone who does mostly urban driving, but for everyone else, it's not there yet for me.

vintagevrs

Personally I wouldn't have a 330e. I think they look great on paper with figures showing great power and efficiency, but in the real world you won't get both. This is true for all cars, that you can't utilise the cars power and expect their quoted mpg figures, but in a set up like the 330e the gap is far greater. For example, if you want great mpg you need to try and stay in electric mode a lot of the time, which means using a 70 odd bbp motor. What's the point in that when you spent so much money on a nice car. If you use the performance, you are then flogging a detuned, underpowered 2l petrol around in an 320i with a boot filled with batteries.

If your commute is less than 15km and in city traffic then maybe the 330e, but charging at home and work each day is going to be a pain.

The pick of the bunch is probably the 320d for the balance in performance and mpg if you do any sort of millage.

If you can get an xdrive one, I would recommend them.

Theboinkmaster

vintagevrs wrote: »

For example, if you want great mpg you need to try and stay in electric mode a lot of the time, which means using a 70 odd bbp motor. What's the point in that when you spent so much money on a nice car. If you use the performance, you are then flogging a detuned, underpowered 2l petrol around in an 320i with a boot filled with batteries.

If you can get an xdrive one, I would recommend them.

Jesus there’s some ****e posted here - you’re not limited to 70bhp battery on electric - you always have access to the full 270bhp power, even if battery depleted.

You’ve obviously never driven a 330e.

vintagevrs

It would be useful if you read what I posted before replying.

at9qu5vp0wcix7

Theboinkmaster wrote: »

Jesus there’s some ****e posted here - you’re not limited to 70bhp battery on electric - you always have access to the full 270bhp power, even if battery depleted.

You’ve obviously never driven a 330e.

I assumed the petrol unit was the same as the one in the 320i (circa 180bhp). Electric boosts your overall power to 256bhp. Is this not the case?

Leonard Hofstadter

Danica Mammoth Deck wrote: »

I assumed the petrol unit was the same as the one in the 320i (circa 180bhp). Electric boosts your overall power to 256bhp. Is this not the case?

It is exactly the same 181 bhp engine that you get in a 320i. The electric motor provides extra power, giving a combined output of 248 bhp for the F30, or 288 bhp in the G20 (when in XtraBoost mode).

whippet

Does the 330e come as a touring ? Or is there plans for one - I am considering one but ideally it would need to be an estate.

Leonard Hofstadter

The latest model is, or will shortly be, available in 330e guise.

MetzgerMeister

I've had an F30 330d for the last 4.5 years. I love the car but it does have a few niggles:

- Runflats tyres - although they are miles better than the ones I had on my E92 335i, they can still tramline on uneven surfaces. The car came from factory with Pirelli P Zeros so I replaced like for like. Currently on my second set and I will be replacing them soon with normal Goodyear Eagle F1s.

- Creaks/rattles - If the car has the shadowline trim the rear doors can creak when you're going up an incline or whenever the chassis flexes a bit. It's officially resolved by using Teflon tape but I use Gummi Pflege on all the door rubbers which reduces it. The dash can rattle too depending on the temperature. Pushing it in gets rid of it for a while but so does turning up the stereo volume.

- I have BimmerCode and BimmerLink which are both invaluable and allow you to set the car up exactly how you want it. Options that my car didn't have and which would have cost money to do on day 1 I have done with BimmerCode which cost me about €40. I've loads of stuff done like launch control, speed limiter, digital speed readout, set the stop/start to default off, reduced the number of wipe cycles after using the windscreen washer to 2 rather than 3, set the lights on the door handles to come on when the car is in reverse etc. BimmerLink is very useful for keeping an eye on the DPF and doing regenerations etc.

This is my 3rd BMW and is by far the most reliable car I've had, let alone the most reliable BMW. It responded really well to a remap also which is why I've kept it so long. I normally keep a car for about 2.5 years but after the remap it was like a new car.

whippet

So it looks like the 333e touring will be available in sept (well Uk anyway)

I priced up a Skoda superb sport line hybrid today and before VRT and SEAI it’s coming in at about €56k .. while I’m a big fan of Skoda and I know it’s a bigger car than the 3 series i was left somewhat cold looking at it.

The last BMW I had was when I was much younger (e36 323i coupe) ... is following my heart to the 330e a better option to the superb ?

Heres Johnny

whippet wrote: »

So it looks like the 333e touring will be available in sept (well Uk anyway)

I priced up a Skoda superb sport line hybrid today and before VRT and SEAI it’s coming in at about €56k .. while I’m a big fan of Skoda and I know it’s a bigger car than the 3 series i was left somewhat cold looking at it.

The last BMW I had was when I was much younger (e36 323i coupe) ... is following my heart to the 330e a better option to the superb ?

I'd much prefer the BMW, you'll lose your nuts on all cars 55k and above so go with your heart on it. Spec it up nicely and it's a lovely car.

Casati

Heres Johnny wrote: »

I'd much prefer the BMW, you'll lose your nuts on all cars 55k and above so go with your heart on it. Spec it up nicely and it's a lovely car.

You’ll get 10k grants off that Skoda in addition to 0% finance and a couple grand discount- still not cheap mind you but five figures cheaper than a 330e M Sport Touring

MM3

Casati wrote: »

You’ll get 10k grants off that Skoda in addition to 0% finance and a couple grand discount- still not cheap mind you but five figures cheaper than a 330e M Sport Touring

I think it’s a 7500 grant on the PHEV

sunnysoutheast

Leonard Hofstadter wrote: »

The latest model is, or will shortly be, available in 330e guise.

Available with X-drive too? I think I read that somewhere.

I'd say will be pricey too 😬