Moving to an E92.. maybe

I'm considering buying a 2009 328i xdrive E92, which has about 9 months of warranty left, and about 21k on the odometer. It has an N52N engine.

Is the N52N one of the engines that can experience the noisy valve problem which BMW sometime fixes with a new head?

If so, how common is this problem, and when does it begin to show up?

BTW, the car will replace my E39 touring. I welcome comments from anyone who's gone from an E39 to an E92. Before the E39, I owned two E36's - a sedan and a convertible.

The car I'm looking at has an auto trans and paddle shifters - are they a gimmick, or do people actually use them? How quickly does the transmission respond? (is it painfully slow?)

Thanks.

Originally Posted by roger955

I'm considering buying a 2009 328i xdrive E92, which has about 9 months of warranty left, and about 21k on the odometer. It has an N52N engine.

The car I'm looking at has an auto trans and paddle shifters - are they a gimmick, or do people actually use them? How quickly does the transmission respond? (is it painfully slow?)

You may not like the GM auto so much - sucks mojo from yer ride.

Don't expect to do big performance mods on the engine.

335i's the ride for moddin' and Step's not bad, not exquisite; is better'n GM.

I lust for DCT....

Transmission is fine once it learns your driving style. While it is learning it may seem like it confused now and again, but the more you drive it, the better it gets.

Originally Posted by DougN

Transmission is fine once it learns your driving style. While it is learning it may seem like it confused now and again, but the more you drive it, the better it gets.

For perspective, drive a PDK [Porsche]. That it exists at all has permanently confused my Step, causing it to shift slowly, all modes.

DCT a quick study, huge advantage!

.

i can tell you the GM auto sucks, I still dont like the ZF either. I like DCT though.

Originally Posted by roger955

I'm considering buying a 2009 328i xdrive E92, which has about 9 months of warranty left, and about 21k on the odometer. It has an N52N engine.

Is the N52N one of the engines that can experience the noisy valve problem which BMW sometime fixes with a new head?

The problem only existed in 2007/early 8. Should be fine.

People use the paddles - they're ok and add to car control. They're not a replacement for a MT by any means.

So, I pulled out my Sept 2006 issue of Roundel and re-read the raves about the twin turbo and the quick ZF auto. They loved it.

My inclination toward the normally aspirated engine is prompted by what I perceive as superior reliability. I don't want to get bled to death by the dealer's service dept. The downsides? - it's not as quick as the 335, and the ZF trasnmission is more responsive. No, it's not a DCT, but I don't want to spend the $ for an 335is with DCT and I don't want a rough ride.

Part of me says if I'm going to give up the utility of a Touring, I may as well go big or stay home, and buy a 335, but the other (rational) part says, "hey, you want relatively trouble-free - the 328i is fine."

On a related note - aside from the ease of a built-in Nav (love it on my Porsche), does the idrive on the E92 offer other pluses, or is it regarded as a PITA, aside from the convenience of not messing around with a portable Nav (cord, hiding the unit when not in use etc. )

Last, I think I'd prefer the cream interior over the black, which I find a bit, well, dark, but cream is scarce as hen's teeth. That aside, does one wear better than the other?

TIA.

Originally Posted by roger955

On a related note - aside from the ease of a built-in Nav (love it on my Porsche), does the idrive on the E92 offer other pluses, or is it regarded as a PITA, aside from the convenience of not messing around with a portable Nav (cord, hiding the unit when not in use etc. ).

Pre-2009, yes.

Nav is drab, all years - $150 Costco beats it, but can never be built in. Also no 10" screen, Costco.

Originally Posted by roger955

My inclination toward the normally aspirated engine is prompted by what I perceive as superior reliability. I don't want to get bled to death by the dealer's service dept. The downsides? - it's not as quick as the 335, and the ZF trasnmission is more responsive. No, it's not a DCT, but I don't want to spend the $ for an 335is with DCT and I don't want a rough ride.

Part of me says if I'm going to give up the utility of a Touring, I may as well go big or stay home, and buy a 335, but the other (rational) part says, "hey, you want relatively trouble-free - the 328i is fine."

On a related note - aside from the ease of a built-in Nav (love it on my Porsche), does the idrive on the E92 offer other pluses, or is it regarded as a PITA, aside from the convenience of not messing around with a portable Nav (cord, hiding the unit when not in use etc. )

Ya know, it's interesting about reliability, especially if you read the forums without a discerning eye. Yeah, the 335i had a big reliability problem with the fuel pumps, and while every car was impacted it was very isolated and relatively easily fixed.

But the 328i engine has Valvetronic - which wasn't introduced on the turbo motor until the N55, which in early years (2007/8) had the valve tick problem, which required head replacement to really fix. Remember, the Valvetronic adds a motor, positioning cam and followers for every intake valve. This certainly doesn't lessen long-term reliability. BMW's got a pretty good handle on Valvetronic, but still, added complexity equals (generally) lower reliability.

There are quite a few Nav/iDrive threads. The conclusion is that the integration offered - ability to transfer addresses from phone to Nav, complete car option control, BT integration, etc., adds enough value to make it a worthwile option. However, if you just want simple Nav functions and lifetime map upgrades a Garmin/TomTom or whatever is a much better value. Remember that, with iDrive/Nav, you have to pay (through the nose) for map upgrades. And if the screen or other appurtances break it's very expensive to fix (I've seen $2500 bills touted.)

I've just passed the one year mark of ownership on my '09 and I love this car. I have the paddles and honestly, I rarely use them. I usually just hop into sport mode and let the tranny do the work. I've put 11k on the car (current odometer:43k) with nary a problem except some minor A/C issues. This is my first non V8 powered car in 30 years of driving and I still miss that low end torque but this engine does pull pretty hard from 4k to redline and will quickly get you beyond the posted limit. Decent gas mileage as well. I just averaged 28.6 on a recent highway run of 160 miles.
I have the iDrive and think it is pretty good. Easy to use, iPod integration was no problem. No bluetooth for me but no big deal. I say for go it!