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E90 predicted quality and reliability?

3K views 21 replies 16 participants last post by  AF 
#1 ·
Hello All,

I'm considering getting an E90 330i when it comes out next year in 05. Can anyone comment on the predicted reliability of the new E90 330i? How is BMW's reliability track record when they come out with a completely new model? eg. new 5 series, Z4, etc... Can I expect that the first year of the E90 330i to be risky proposition? I do not usually consider buying the 1st year of any new model car, but I recently bought an 04 Lexus RX330 and was pleasently surprised. Even though for 04 the RX330 was an entirely new, there where not any nastly surprises and has been reliable. Can I expect this to be the case with the new E90?

thanks
 
#2 ·
KickinA said:
I'm considering getting an E90 330i when it comes out next year in 05. Can anyone comment on the predicted reliability of the new E90 330i? How is BMW's reliability track record when they come out with a completely new model?
Unless BMW has radically changed, you will be helping debug the model - and doing the rest of us a great service :) - buying the car in its first year of production.

BMW typically needs about three years to fully debug a model. The Japanese have usually been much faster, being able to iron out any problems the first year the car is sold in Japan before selling it to the rest of the world.
 
#4 ·
While BMW doesn't have a Toyota-esque reputation, my first year E46 has been no worse than any of the later model E46's. The few problems I have had were shared by the whole model line. In some ways it is better since it doesn't have the throttle by wire and may not have a CDV.
 
#5 ·
You never know....I think my 2000 was a safer buy than the 2001's based on all the problems they had. The 3 series should be a little safer than 5's and 7's because it is trickle down technology, so by the time it gets to the 3, it has been around the BMW block a few times. I know of an 01 X5 that has been very well behaved for 60k miles, it was probably built only a year from intro production.
 
#6 ·
ff said:
ha! I was going to say 6 years...exactly the amount of time it takes for them to come out with yet another model, and start over again with the debug process :p

I think the thing to remember about BMW's (well, German cars as a whole), is that you're gonna have issues no matter what. Maintenance and repairs are going to be more common and more expensive. I spent more time with my car in the shop during my 3 years of BMW ownership, than I had in the entire 10 previous years owning Hondas. I can count on 2 fingers, the number of times my Hondas had been in the shop (and for really minor things). Whereas my BMW's were in a constant perpetual cycle, with something in need of repair. And for things that should just never go wrong on a 21st century, mass-produced car. Stalling, failed pressure plates, hard starting, electrical gremlins. You name it.

If a BMW's what you want, then just be prepared for the trouble that goes along with ownership. For most, the driving experience is enough reward to forgive the problems.
Yep, I wouldn't buy a BMW in it's first two model years, possibly three. Of course, that's just my personal preference. My bet is that the e90 will indeed be a success, and I might even want one--but not in those first couple years. Let everyone else deal with the headaches! :thumbup:
 
#7 ·
I want the basic performance model. No i-Drive, no nothing. Do you think BMW will offer a sedan with fixed windows? :thumbup:
 
#10 ·
KickinA said:
...I'm considering getting an E90 330i when it comes out next year in 05. Can anyone comment on the predicted reliability of the new E90 330i? ...
Imagine the disposable plastic window regulators, recycled beer can trunk floors, and dryer lint door trim of the E46 combined with the Atari joystick steering angle sensors and flunky electronics and iDrive interface in the E65 that only make Mir cosmonauts happy. Perhaps you should wait until the 2nd model year (at a minimum) to see if the E90 will be more reliable than a 1986 Yugo.
 
#11 ·
'05-'06 will be an interesting time for the E90. I wasn't into the E46 back in 1999 but I would imagine this introduction will be that much more popular because of the more aggressive design and all the new features, etc. Trickle-down technology will help with the reliability but all the new features maybe a cause for concern for bugs and also the new engine. Like the E46, I'll probably be buying the E90 near the end of it's life-cycle but if the reviews are above expectation in those years, then I maybe on board sooner. Time will only tell :dunno:
 
#12 ·
Considering that most of the car won't be totally new I'd say first year reliability will be above average for a BMW. IDrive has been out for a few years, active steering, etc. The engine has only been out for a few months in Europe, IIRC, so I'd expect most issues to come from there. Probably the transmissions if those are new as well. Probably some fit and finish items, trim pieces, rattles etc., but I would think that important stuff will work just fine.
 
#13 ·
philippek said:
Considering that most of the car won't be totally new I'd say first year reliability will be above average for a BMW. IDrive has been out for a few years, active steering, etc. The engine has only been out for a few months in Europe, IIRC, so I'd expect most issues to come from there. Probably the transmissions if those are new as well. Probably some fit and finish items, trim pieces, rattles etc., but I would think that important stuff will work just fine.
What else are more important than the engine and transmission?
 
#14 ·
mkh said:
What else are more important than the engine and transmission?
Brakes? :angel:
 
#15 ·
Part of this will depend on what systems get carried over and what are new. So far all we know for sure is that the (6 cyl) engine and its management systems are new. Transmissions are an unknown, though AFAIK there isn't anything completely new like SMGIII on the M5. IIRC the 1er and X3 both have moved away from the circa E36 suspension design, so that should be new, or based on the E81 and/or E83 (are they the same? I dunno) Presumably the body electronics will be based on the E60/E65 systems, not the current ZKE.

So aside from the engine and its electronics, it seems like the majority of the other systems will not be brand-new to the E90. But I'd personally still wait at least 2 model years if I were buying one to keep for a while.
 
#18 ·
johnf said:
Forgive me, but when I read this, I think of Samuel Johnson when he said that to marry a second time represents the triumph of hope over experience.
Let's not forget Alexander Pope's contribution: Hope springs eternal in the human breast
 
#19 ·
Kaz said:
Part of this will depend on what systems get carried over and what are new. So far all we know for sure is that the (6 cyl) engine and its management systems are new. Transmissions are an unknown, though AFAIK there isn't anything completely new like SMGIII on the M5. IIRC the 1er and X3 both have moved away from the circa E36 suspension design, so that should be new, or based on the E81 and/or E83 (are they the same? I dunno) Presumably the body electronics will be based on the E60/E65 systems, not the current ZKE.

So aside from the engine and its electronics, it seems like the majority of the other systems will not be brand-new to the E90. But I'd personally still wait at least 2 model years if I were buying one to keep for a while.
Some info I've gathered :

Strictly speaking, 1-series has its own platform, but as much as 40% components are shared with the next generation 3-series. This include the front MacPherson strut and rear Z-axle 5-link suspensions. To reduce the weight at nose, the front suspensions employ aluminum links and aluminum sub-frame on which they are mounted. The rears are made in steel - in contrast to aluminum of 3-series - to reduce cost.
....since BMW designed the car to share some 60% of its components with the slightly larger BMW 3 Series sedan and made sure it could be built on the same production line as the 3 Series.
 
#22 ·
How has the new 5 series been as far as problems ?

If it's been problem free then I would think the E90 would be problem free as well ... if it is anything like when the 7 series was introduced then we might be in line for some problems though like others have said, the trickle down technology will help cut out alot of issues.
 
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