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Surely that means something.
If you find out what, let me know please.
steering wheel shimmies,
check engines lights coming on,
airbag warning lights coming on,
transmissions failing(the e36 and e46 3 series have a general motors automatic transmission),
the e39 528i's have the gm transmission too
numerous rattles and squeaks,
premature brake pad wear(this has been reported numerous times before by others)
ticking engine noise at idle(not related to oil starvation),
engine knocking at low speeds,
the notorious clunk(while moving forward slowly in 1st gear try turning and half thru the turn depress the clutch and one might hear the noise.. this is at parking lot speeds; a british magazine commented on this and found it to be unacceptable); seems this was a problem since the 1992-1999 e36 3 series as well
cars stalling out in the middle of the road!
these are just some of the problems that I have heard of.
anyone else had other issues?
that's kinda like porsche manufacturing their boxsters in finland
i remember early boxsters had their engines catching fire and seizing..
the quality of the honda accords dropped too once they were made in ohio
bmw should lower their price and/or increase the standard options...
$35,000 for a 184 horsepower car is too much...
there was an actual owner the uuc digest(a BMW forum) a while back and he wanted to sell his e46 330Ci after one year... he stated the msrp was $44.5 plus tax
guess what he was offered? $26,000!!
so he stands to lose almost $25,000 in one year!!
now the car had high miles for a 2000 model (36K miles) but still that is really dismal
i heard of another guy who wanted to sell his 1997 540i that cost well over $50,000 brand new!
he was offered $20,000!!!
maybe all the electrical gremlins affecting the cars take their toll after all in a bigger way
OUCH!
-Chris
"Democracy is the worst form of government...except for all the others"
that is the big tamale whether you like it or not
personally I'll pass
OEM Factory Brake pads (not rotors nor calipers): manufactured for the masses by a select few companies, all having wear problems. Get over this, as a matter of fact most cars have this problem, it's just like many factory battery problems (in case you haven't heard of them).
steering wheel shimmy: Big wheels, low profile tires, and dings caused by curves can cause this. It's called responsive steering to everything underneath (even a slight imperfection in the wheel). Get a real tire co to balance the wheel and you won't notice it unless your rim is elliptical. I also believe there is some true problems with these though (especially some of the metric sizes they like to use - mostly tastes though).
Auto Transmission problems: All that needs to be said is "General Motors Auto Transmission?"
rattles and squeaks: Frame-less windows are the culprits in this department, all cars with these have this problem. It's a drawback to have this problem, but the advantage is an increase in body rigidity for the great canyon carving BMW's are known for. If you like the handling, then get over the windows. You just simply need to get the dealer to readjust the windows on occasion (the internal door components tend to loosen up and the window tends to roll differently, it's a mandatory break in period).
Thermostat failure: see brakes
Clutch problems: The clutch is known to be one of the best in the industry, if it has some flaws, you can't expect perfection. It's another one of those you can't have everything (great performance, some drawbacks)
Ticking Engine noise and Engine knock: Most if not all DOHC engines have these problems, DOHC creates more power although has noise drawbacks. If you like the power, get over this, it's inevitable and normal. I've had DOHC engines make noise from day 1 (actually one month old) and go 100k miles (as is reads today) and never have a problem.
warning lights coming on, and car stalling: merely random failures, acceptable due to the amount of electronics in the car. Too few occurrences of these to mean anything.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
Take the car as a whole, compare it to others, then make a decision for yourself. BMW's don't have their reputation, and hundreds upon hundreds of awards, for not being one of the best. Pricey (for their respective classes), but one of the best.
P.S. Anybody know any information on the new 325ti? It's specs? It's HP to weight ratio? It's expected performance? It's sounds practical and a lot of fun.
"...salesman reporting that BMW has instructed dealers to replace the amp "on customer complaint" ..."
the stereos could have greater potential, and all that is lacking is a stronger amp to re-capture that potential.
If this is true I am definitely set on buying a BMW as my next car, as this was my only real complaint (and what a complaint??).
-Chris
HiC
HiC
And actually, what is that supposed to tell us anyhow?
There are BMWs being made in North Carolina; does that have some meaning?
the plant is dedicated to e46 production for export for the usa, austrailia, europe
if the 11th digit of the VIN is an "N" it is S. african, also the ag code AN37 denotes the S, african BMW's.
Production started for us export in 10/00 so it is pretty recent..
knudtson, s. african bmw's were used for fleet up to last year, now they are for the unwary public.
Also I heard reports that S. african BMW's have have a Made By BMW rather than a Made in germany designation.
I'll pass
And how does that compare to having a BMW made in North Carolina?
Details, details please. Tell us exactly what you are trying to say.
Don't try to spare our feelings.
The logical challenger being the new Audi 2002 A4, I'm trying to gather info before buying. Never owned either brand.
thanks, shop2
Obviously the quality is gonna drop because the factories are usually new.
look at porsche making boxsters in third world finalnd.. the initial batch of boxster had engines seizing, engines catching fire etc.
Likewise for the mercedes ML class
it was one of the worst in reliability according to JD Power when it first came out
I am worried that the South carolina plant or the S/ african plant wil cause similar trial and error quality problems. who pays in the end? the consumers..That's what I am worried about
Incidentally, the e46 engines will be produced in england and shipped to the german, u.s. and s. african plant..
And mind you lokki, none of my statements contain any racial conotations whatsoever if that 's what you're worried about.
I am concerned about the decline in quality that could arise from building a plant from scratch in a country that isn't as proficeint as the country where the original car originated.
I do not wish to be a guinea pig for the test cars
Funny you should bring it up, though. My Saab convertible (an older one) was made in Finland and it was a complete rattle trap.
I think the point, however, is this:
Where the car is made, and how that affects quality, is STRICTLY determined by how well the work force is trained and supervised. And I have no way of knowing that, nor do any of us. So I guess it is somewhat of a gamble, and we might presume that a German factory could be better supervised, since it is so close to home.
I mean, I'll confess....if Switzerland made the instruments for the plane I was flying in in Alaska, I'd feel better than if Pakistan made them.
HiC
I think by the way, I've figured out why SAABS rattle. It's a design thing. Most cars are designed to have tolerances that don't have rattles at normal temperatures, but rattle when the weather gets cold or too hot. Well, SAABs are designed by the Swedes who expect the temperatures to go down to -20 but never expect the temp to get above about 40 degrees F maximum. So when you put a SAAB in 90 degree weather the gaps get huge. Or maybe it's supposed to be some sort of entertainment system.
http://www.jdpa.com/studies/winners.asp?StudyID=410&CatID=1
http://jdpa.com/studies/winners.asp?StudyID=286&CatID=1
GM in Flint Michigan?
P.S. Thanks for the platinum award link. That's the one I was trying to find.
Honest, Mr. Shiftright, I'm outta here......... :-)
Would you want your Rolex made in Africa?
Not knocking USA or S.Africa but as arzemc2 so aptly put it the "quality of product is not known yet". Germany has put out quality BMW's for years. How many has S.africa or USA?
BTW...I don't even belong in this forum. I have an e36. Sorry!
Just a couple of items:
1) After 25K miles my E46 has suffered only 2 unscheduled squawks, two burned out tail lights. I can live with that. ;-)
2) Regarding the early brake jobs I have read about here, there is another possibility, a dealer SCAM.
A few years ago, a friend of mine bought a used 3 series (probably an early E36), and I gave it a complete once over (ie. Plugs, Filters, Belts, Hoses and Brake Pads). Soon after, she took it into a dealership due to a squeak comming from the rear axle area.
The next day they calld her and told her that she needed all new Hoses, Belts and Brakes at all four corners! She did not know all that I had done on the car, and so she approved the work. Later that day she told me about the work being done on her car. I was stunned! I drove her over to the dealership and asked to see the old parts. The service manager promptly went around the shop to the discard barrels and pulled out some very old belts, hoses and very worn brake pads and showed them to us.
I told him that I had just replaced all of those parts and I wanted to look in the barrels myself. When I did, I found the new hoses and belts in there, they had been cut off with a knife! However, I found no new brake pads. I looked at the car and could see that the rotors had not been newly "turned" (contrary to what the service manager told me). Long story short, it took two years and a law suit to get it all sorted out.
The moral of this story, CHECK THE OLD PARTS!
As for my car, it has virtually of it's miles in and around NYC in heavy traffic. I will check the brakes this weekend to see how much of the pads remain, might be interesting. Stay tuned.
Best Regards,
Shipo
Unless you get a brake warning light, hear the wear indicators or get pulling/pulsing under heavy deceleration, don't mess with your brakes. When time comes, replace those pads yourself (with a friend or shop manual if nessesary).
You will understand how elegant and reliable the system is. You will feel much more at ease with the car.
You will also see quality materials that can easily take the enviornment they are in and that do not need normal replacement.
thanks, jim s
My wife's new car is a BMW 325 Xi Touring Wagon. I will trade in or sell my 2000 Jetta and keep the Saab
Handling: There are some very curvy roads here in the Bergen County, NJ / Rockland County, NY area, this provided ample opportunity to play in the twisties. Subjectively speaking, the only difference I was able to notice was a slight increase in body roll with the non-Sport equipped car. The actual ability to negotiate corners and curves seemed to be virtually identical; even when pushed well beyond what the local constabulary would consider acceptable.
Ride: During my test drives I did notice that the slightly firmer spring rates on the Sport equipped vehicle yielded a noticeably bumpier ride.
Intangibles: My previous car was a 1995 Passat GLX with low profile tires mounted on BBS wheels from the factory. During four years of driving in and around NYC, I encountered a fair number of LARGE potholes. Truism: The lower profile the tire, the higher the likelihood of bending a rim. I bent several.
My recommendation; test drive both packages. This is a decision YOU must live with for at least a few years. In the end, the package you choose is simply a matter of personal preference. Ultimately, I did not buy the Sport option simply due to the fact that I did not want to find myself buying new alloy wheels from BMW.
NOTE: In the two years since my car was delivered, I have not bent a rim (some kind of record for me), and I have only one regret regarding the Sport package: the Sport wheels are easier to keep clean as they have fewer nooks and crannies.
Best Regards,
Shipo