F30 basic questions

Hello guys from a fellow wanna-be-driver of an f30! I was a mercedes supported till now but Im considering of switching to a bmw cause this new 30 beauty rocks!!! well I have though 2 basic questions.

1.As we all know, fraud is more and more taking over so I wanna know how to distinct a 328i from a 320i! photos are more than welcome! because stealership may try to sell me a 320 for a 328!!! and i really need the extra ponies!!!

2.my biggest disappoiintment is the plastic oil pan.. God is this safe? is this durable ? I wanna sleep at nights!!!!

thanks for ur time guyz.

I would not be concerned with the plastic pan. It is high quality and, as I understand it, the filers come replete with a replacement plug - the only part likely to wear.

Originally Posted by BEWD

Hello guys from a fellow wanna-be-driver of an f30! I was a mercedes supported till now but Im considering of switching to a bmw cause this new 30 beauty rocks!!! well I have though 2 basic questions.

1.As we all know, fraud is more and more taking over so I wanna know how to distinct a 328i from a 320i! photos are more than welcome! because stealership may try to sell me a 320 for a 328!!! and i really need the extra ponies!!!

2.my biggest disappoiintment is the plastic oil pan.. God is this safe? is this durable ? I wanna sleep at nights!!!!

thanks for ur time guyz.

You think they will take the badge off a 328 and stick it on a 320? Look at the owner's manual I guess....or drive all 3 cars and make sure you buy the one with the middle amount of power.

I find it hard to believe that in any legitimate economy/country/political regime, any dealership would be willing to try and pull that off. Especially an official BMW dealership. Get busted and you're looking at jail time and probably losing your ability to sell BMW or likely any other reputable brand.

Weird thing to be concerned about...

im not talking about the official bmw reseller but im referring to many dealers that try to deceive ppl like that and I like to make my research before buying anything mate. I assume that the 320/328 engine department looks identical so is there any way i can check for sure that im buying a 328 ? like checking the chassis number for example ?

I think you are being paranoid for no real reason. I don't think there is one single case of an actual BMW dealership passing off a car for something that it's not. Guess what? Your car has a VIN number. That VIN number is also on the window sticker which tells you exactly which model it is and what options it has. There is also dealer paperwork which has this VIN number which is used for registering the vehicle. What country are you in where the 320i and 328i are both available and in which you think someone is going to try to pull a "fast one" on you? Must be a great country if you worry about things like this as the norm.

1. You are being paranoid.
2. Seriously? This almost seems like a joke.

As to your concerns about the oil pan, it is possible that a road trauma (large rock or piece of debris in the road) could puncture the plastic oil pan.... considering your tendency towards paranoia, maybe you shouldn't even think about it.

Originally Posted by voip-ninja

I think you are being paranoid for no real reason. I don't think there is one single case of an actual BMW dealership passing off a car for something that it's not. Guess what? Your car has a VIN number. That VIN number is also on the window sticker which tells you exactly which model it is and what options it has. There is also dealer paperwork which has this VIN number which is used for registering the vehicle. What country are you in where the 320i and 328i are both available and in which you think someone is going to try to pull a "fast one" on you? Must be a great country if you worry about things like this as the norm.

1. You are being paranoid.
2. Seriously? This almost seems like a joke.

As to your concerns about the oil pan, it is possible that a road trauma (large rock or piece of debris in the road) could puncture the plastic oil pan.... considering your tendency towards paranoia, maybe you shouldn't even think about it.

Originally Posted by BEWD

im not talking about the official bmw reseller but im referring to many dealers that try to deceive ppl like that and I like to make my research before buying anything mate. I assume that the 320/328 engine department looks identical so is there any way i can check for sure that im buying a 328 ? like checking the chassis number for example ?

Where is a dealership that's not an official BMW dealer going to get an F30 right now? Isn't this a scam they'd likely try on a used car...like in a few years?

What you should really be worried about is a dealership replacing the glass in the windows and windsheild with plastic and replacing the tires with painted pieces of wood.

There are legitimate concerns that are worth your time elevated blood pressure... and then there are these.

OP, this would NEVER happen at a new car dealership. At a used car dealership in 20 years from now... you'll probably get those 1 in 100,000 type of odds.

to be honest I really feel kinda odd about this plastic oil pan... why would bmw go for it instead of a steel one ? afterall its just a piece of metal

Originally Posted by BEWD

to be honest I really feel kinda odd about this plastic oil pan... why would bmw go for it instead of a steel one ? afterall its just a piece of metal

Cost and weight.

Originally Posted by BEWD

to be honest I really feel kinda odd about this plastic oil pan... why would bmw go for it instead of a steel one ? afterall its just a piece of metal

A lot of cars have plastic panels underneath and if you look, they aren't likely riddled with holes. they also aren't as strong or as reinforced as the BMW oil pan. The odds of road debris hitting it hard enough to crack it are pretty slim as it would have to be a ricochet. If it is going to be cracked, it would likely be on a curb or running over a large piece of debris which would likely cause more damage than just the oil pan and would cause similar damage to a metal pan.

In other words, I wouldn't worry about it.

I think you guys should give the OP a break on the Fraud thing. It says he lives in CY, which is the country code for Cyprus. Do you really know what a dealership there might or might not do? I don't, but I'm not going to assume passing off a 320i as a 328i is an impossibility there like it would be in the U.S.

I don't think it is impossible for that to happen....but first off, it is odd for that to be the primary concern to raise for input from other people on the message board considering that the vast majority of posters on the board would have never, at any point, had to deal with something like that. Therefore, it is an unlikely place to get advice in that respect. Secondly, the vehicle has been out for 3 months. Even if someone was inclined to pull this scam it is hard to imagine that it would/could take place so early on.

Either way, the guy who said that checking the VIN number will verify the model has already answered the question.

Originally Posted by E36toF30

I think you guys should give the OP a break on the Fraud thing. It says he lives in CY, which is the country code for Cyprus. Do you really know what a dealership there might or might not do? I don't, but I'm not going to assume passing off a 320i as a 328i is an impossibility there like it would be in the U.S.

Or he might be talking about goods that ... er ... fell off the truck and can be bought at fabulous prices.

e36tof30 thanks man, the majority of ppl here attack a user for no obvious reason while they can politely answer the question without being that rough. i guess its a way to prove themselves over a forum 'cause they cant do that in real life ? either way i didnt even thought engaging in a forum fighting. do we have any solid source about the material of that plastic oil pan ?

Originally Posted by micknugget

A lot of cars have plastic panels underneath and if you look, they aren't likely riddled with holes. they also aren't as strong or as reinforced as the BMW oil pan. The odds of road debris hitting it hard enough to crack it are pretty slim as it would have to be a ricochet. If it is going to be cracked, it would likely be on a curb or running over a large piece of debris which would likely cause more damage than just the oil pan and would cause similar damage to a metal pan.

In other words, I wouldn't worry about it.

Here's a picture of the culprit.



Not to worry - if you popped for the variable sport steering rack and it's massive electric motor, it sits in front of the oil pan to protect it.

Originally Posted by BEWD

As we all know, fraud is more and more taking over so I wanna know how to distinct a 328i from a 320i! photos are more than welcome! because stealership may try to sell me a 320 for a 328!!! and i really need the extra ponies!!!

Ummmm....where are you located?

VIN number might be a good ref.

I agree the VIN is a good place to start looking and honestly I can see the legitimacy of the question. Out of curiosity I checked the BMW international web site (we don't get the 320i here) and it looks like both models use the N20 but with significant power differences. That causes me to wonder how one would tell externally?

My guess is the 320i uses lower boost, hence the higher compression ratio in the 320i. One way to check might be to take a boost gauge and measure peak boost on a test drive. You obviously would need to know the target numbers for each motor, which you could probably find by speaking with an authorized BMW tech.

There is another possibility - in the instrument cluster there are some hidden menus. Search this forum for information how to access them. You might possibly be able to tell from those menus.

Doesn't 320i sport a single exhaust pipe on the left while there's a double on the left on 328i?

I thought CY = China. I'd worry there too. But Cyprus is sketchy also.

Originally Posted by Caput Mortuum

Doesn't 320i sport a single exhaust pipe on the left while there's a double on the left on 328i?

No, all N20 versions should have a single tail pipe exhaust, the N52 has dual tail pipes. Regardless, it's hard to believe that a brand new model, that just hit the market is going to be mis-represented by the seller, and as I already pointed out, the VIN (or local equivalent) should make it quite clear what parts are actually in the car.

Originally Posted by voip-ninja

No, all N20 versions should have a single tail pipe exhaust, the N52 has dual tail pipes.

The pics on BMWUSA.com show two tips on the driver's side on the 2012 328i.

Yes, sorry, I should have been more specific. The 3.0T has dual exhausts, one on each side of the vehicle. I misread the original comment and made a comment in error.

Originally Posted by voip-ninja

Yes, sorry, I should have been more specific. The 3.0T has dual exhausts, one on each side of the vehicle. I misread the original comment and made a comment in error.