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Do you trust your e90?

7K views 85 replies 28 participants last post by  boltjaM3s 
#1 ·
I just ordered 328i and, because I'm pretty technical I goo gled and found lot's of interesting info on the car.

It has nice and innovative things in its design, but some of them make me wonder if I let this car handle long trips where one could expect to see signs like "next service 73mi" and be out of BMW assist coverage. And I had plenty of trips like those on my Hondas.

Run Flat tires is something obvious. As a person who has experience with blown tire at freeway speed I can say - run flats are good. I was lucky to be able to manage to control and safely stop the car that day. It's lack of spare tire in addition to run flats that I do not like. That day I lost 15 minutes of time - replaced the wheel - and continued my errands - did not miss anything. I also kept using my spare another week or so while shopping for the best deal on the new tire. You do not have this option with just run flats. Also, promised 50 miles might be just not enough. At least, unlike MINIs we have enough trunk space to add the spare.

Next thing that caught my attention was electric waterpump... Yes, it is cool, but if waterpump engine fails... If I was BMW engeneer I'd implement two waterpumps - if one fails in the middle of nowhere the driver would be able to keep going at lower speeds but be able to reach safe place to stay and ask for help. I also kind of understood the reason why we do not have water temp. gauge. It appears ECU can intentionally maintain very different coolant temps depending on engine mode they could be as low as 94C and then intentionally as high as 108C - both normal - having temp gauge would make you asking yourself - why is the temp. is not stable and changes with no apparent reason?

And the next one - complex oil pump... Basically - similar thing to the waterpump.

So, are you, e90-ers having long trips at your e90s?
 
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#2 ·
At least you don't have the hpfp to worry about.

I have no reservations taking my car on long trips. I've taken mine on fishing trips, birding in the hinterlands, college exploration trips to the Bay Area & site-seeing.

Why would you bother to get an awesome car & have concerns about driving it anywhere?

IMO
 
#4 · (Edited)
I trust my 2007 328i. However it is more of a boring luxury cruiser than an exciting, dynamic driver. BMW has just about totally emasculated it.

People here who are genuine driving enthusiasts know what I'm talking about. The rest of you will reply with the usual ill-placed sarcasm, having spent too much time here drinking from the group BMW kool-aid pitcher.

Going for my second test drive tomorrow of the 2010 GTI. It has what the 328i is sorely lacking: FUN!!
 
#5 ·
I trust my 328i. However it is more a boring luxury cruiser than an exciting, dynamic driver. BMW has just about totally emasculated it. Going for my second GTI test drive tomorrow.
GTI is FWD. So as former FWD autocrosser I can say that as such GTI will not be enough of an "exciting, dynamic driver" car.

Also. it's not just the car - it's the driver :)
 
#11 ·
That sounds like a good idea! (Pun intended). I will look into it.
 
#12 · (Edited)
Just remember folks, I am already on record as saying "I trust my 2007 328i." So you maladjusted preachers of hate groupies who always seem to be following me around:

SCAT!!!
 
#13 ·
I just ordered 328i and, because I'm pretty technical I goo gled and found lot's of interesting info on the car.

It has nice and innovative things in its design, but some of them make me wonder if I let this car handle long trips where one could expect to see signs like "next service 73mi" and be out of BMW assist coverage. And I had plenty of trips like those on my Hondas.

Run Flat tires is something obvious. As a person who has experience with blown tire at freeway speed I can say - run flats are good. I was lucky to be able to manage to control and safely stop the car that day. It's lack of spare tire in addition to run flats that I do not like. That day I lost 15 minutes of time - replaced the wheel - and continued my errands - did not miss anything. I also kept using my spare another week or so while shopping for the best deal on the new tire. You do not have this option with just run flats. Also, promised 50 miles might be just not enough. At least, unlike MINIs we have enough trunk space to add the spare.

Next thing that caught my attention was electric waterpump... Yes, it is cool, but if waterpump engine fails... If I was BMW engeneer I'd implement two waterpumps - if one fails in the middle of nowhere the driver would be able to keep going at lower speeds but be able to reach safe place to stay and ask for help. I also kind of understood the reason why we do not have water temp. gauge. It appears ECU can intentionally maintain very different coolant temps depending on engine mode they could be as low as 94C and then intentionally as high as 108C - both normal - having temp gauge would make you asking yourself - why is the temp. is not stable and changes with no apparent reason?

And the next one - complex oil pump... Basically - similar thing to the waterpump.

So, are you, e90-ers having long trips at your e90s?
I'll bet you wear suspenders with your belt to keep your pants up. What about the alternator/battery? Don't you need a redundancy there also? Then there is the fuel pump, you don't get far if it fails. Left to you the car would weigh 2 tons and have 25% less horse power with all the added bolt ons. :rofl::rofl:

dj
 
#21 · (Edited)
The 328i has been bulletproof and according to CR is BMW's most reliable model. I concur. I haven't had an ounce of trouble in 14 months of ownership.

I trust the BMW 328i with my family's life. No other car makes me feel more secure.

Once I was joyriding behind a good ol' confederate boy in a red pickup-both of us flirting with 95 mph one Sunday afternoon when he attempted to make amends for losing the war by jamming on his brakes in an attempt to kill this yankee from New York. The glorious brakes stopped my 328i with plenty of room to spare. Ol' Johnny Reb lost again! :tsk:
 
#14 ·
I just ordered 328i and, because I'm pretty technical I goo gled and found lot's of interesting info on the car.

It has nice and innovative things in its design, but some of them make me wonder if I let this car handle long trips where one could expect to see signs like "next service 73mi" and be out of BMW assist coverage. And I had plenty of trips like those on my Hondas.

Run Flat tires is something obvious. As a person who has experience with blown tire at freeway speed I can say - run flats are good. I was lucky to be able to manage to control and safely stop the car that day. It's lack of spare tire in addition to run flats that I do not like. That day I lost 15 minutes of time - replaced the wheel - and continued my errands - did not miss anything. I also kept using my spare another week or so while shopping for the best deal on the new tire. You do not have this option with just run flats. Also, promised 50 miles might be just not enough. At least, unlike MINIs we have enough trunk space to add the spare.

Next thing that caught my attention was electric waterpump... Yes, it is cool, but if waterpump engine fails... If I was BMW engeneer I'd implement two waterpumps - if one fails in the middle of nowhere the driver would be able to keep going at lower speeds but be able to reach safe place to stay and ask for help. I also kind of understood the reason why we do not have water temp. gauge. It appears ECU can intentionally maintain very different coolant temps depending on engine mode they could be as low as 94C and then intentionally as high as 108C - both normal - having temp gauge would make you asking yourself - why is the temp. is not stable and changes with no apparent reason?

And the next one - complex oil pump... Basically - similar thing to the waterpump.

So, are you, e90-ers having long trips at your e90s?
By the time its run is over, the BMW E90 will be the most popular car in BMW's history, with more units sold than any other.

That kind of success doesn't come to a vehicle that would have any issues with "long trips" so no worries there.

Regarding the waterpump, who cares? You're under warranty. If the 1-in-10,000 odds strike you, you bring the car in and its fixed. Oil pump? Another one of these longshots. Stop already.

Spare tire? That's what the 800 number and roadside assistance is for. Why would anyone change a tire when it costs nothing to have someone meet you and do it for you?

It's a brand new German luxury car. You are worried about issues that would plague a 10 year old used car. Relax, make your purchase, and enjoy.

BJ
 
#23 ·
I have driven my 335xi through both of those places. We kept a pace that had our MPH exceeding the Farenheit most of the time. In late May.

The car was awesome. I have had a HPFP failure and a week after it was replaced we scorched the earth through Wyoming and Montana.

jummo
 

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#22 ·
You'll be fine on your long trips
 
#26 · (Edited)
For any of you remaining doubters, I am now placing my left hand on an old King James bible carried by my great, great paternal grand pappy, Cyrus Hpowders when he fought in 1862 for the great union cause:

Now for the oath which I learned from attending a skin head rally in San Francisco back in the day:

Ich schwore bei Gott diesen heiligen eid: I truly and sincerely trust my 2007 328i sedan.

I can do no more.
 
#32 ·
I took my 328xi from Boston to Captiva Island in FL a month after buying it- it ran flawlessly. I have the base seats, but even they were comfortable the day I got carried away and drove from Captiva to NJ. (6am-1:30am). It is a great highway cruiser for such a compact car. I thought about the runflats, but you can drive on the flat about as far and fast as you dare go on a doughnut spare, and I was going down I-95, so I figured someone would have a tire if I blew one. RFTs are more common now than in 2005 when the e90 first came out.
 
#33 ·
I generally don't take my car further than 3 miles from the garage. If a dealership is within a 10 mile radius I MIGHT risk it...

:rolleyes:

No seriously, these cars are rock solid. Google just about anything more complex than a bicycle and you will find failures. Failures occur on any car. That is why you have 4 yrs of BMW Assist, a AAA membership, a cell phone...don't sweat it and enjoy the ride. If you take care of your car it usually takes care of you.
 
#36 ·
What's up with this concern about reliability that keeps popping up? When was the last time any newish car from any manufacturer left you FORD (Found On Road Dead)? Where are you all getting your flat tires, fried water pumps, blow-outs, and various other vehicular maladies? I drive around 40,000 per year, some times more, in a variety of cars. I had a blow out (the real kind where you are driving and the tire goes POW and there's a big ass chunk of rubber GONE from the tire) once, in 1983 in an E-150 with 125,000 miles on it and a fully loaded back end, on a two lane. It was such a non event...in a BMW if you could figure out how to have a "blow out" you might not even know it.

I have been in a BMW family since 1982, we have had ONE stranding, 1986 grey market 745i that popped a radiator fitting, took about 1 hour at a full service station in Plymouth Indiana (look it up, kind of no where) to get the car back on the road.

When it's -20 and windy in the UP and I'm loving the heated seats and great stereo in my 335i I don't really give a crap about the water pump, though I do really care about the spectacular high beams that might show me a boulder sized ice chunk in time to avoid munching my fogs. You don't get those lights in a Honda....but you would have a spare tire and a belt driven water pump....but no headlight washers....
 
#39 · (Edited)
As for reliability, when is the last time any of you has seen a car stranded on the side of the road waiting for a tow truck in normal weather driving situations?

Reliability has gone up quite a bit from the old days, across the board.
 
#47 ·
Well I wish they gave us a spare gas pedal in case the main one broke. :rolleyes:

Seriously, why worry about an electric water pump? Every car made in the last 30 years uses electric fuel pumps -- that's hundreds of millions of them, and they aren't failing left and right. My pond has an electric water pump running 24/7 for a decade, and my aquarium has three running 24/7 for 6 years.
 
#54 ·
I forgot to mention RX8 as pretty interesting, competitive and unique FR autoX car which is very close to be called 4 door 4 seat... although even if VW CC is called coupe these days.... :) But, back to RX8 - its curb weight according to 2009 brochure is 3109 lbs vs 3362 lbs unladen BMW 328i. Now, after some inet research it appears that unladen weight - 68kg driver - 7kg cargo + 10% fuel weight = curb weight. So, after bringing these car weights to single basis it shows up that BMW 328i curb weight is 3188 lbs vs RX8 3109 = 79lbs difference. Just 79lbs. And based on my friend's experience with his RX8 - it is very troublesome car. And it does not provide as much interior and cargo space as BMW. And, per BMW magazine I briefly looked yesterday in the bookstore - moonroof weight might be as high as 80lbs. I assume this number can be substracted from BMW weight as 2010 328 weight is not updated against 2009 BMW brochure when moonroof was standard. RX8 has superior front suspension design though.

So, back to the topic - it's just some trust related matters due to particular implementations that make me worry about 328, but not its sport qualities.

And I've driven RX8 several times - I have to say it feels agile and lighter than 328i. But feelings are feelings, and numbers are numbers. Go figure. BMW engeneers most likely added some luxury tinges to BMW suspension tuning (like hydraulic bushings) which might make the car feel heavy.
 
#56 · (Edited)
As a Christmas oath, I swear I completely trust my 328i sedan.

Now when the heck will the great VW GTI-R come to the US so I can trade up.

Trust is boring. I'll take fun over trust anytime.
 
#57 ·
As a Christmas oath, I swear I completely trust my 328i sedan.

Now when the heck will the great VW GTI-R come to the US so I can trade up.

Trust is boring. I'll take fun over trust anytime.
Does that include with women?
Would you agree that people have different ideas as to what is fun? Whether in driving a car, or doing most anything else. E.g., I might find it great fun to fly a light plane under VFR (visual flight rules) while another person might have more fun using instruments. And yet another might consider both to be boring, like driving on a smooth highway, and say that the only real fun is doing aerobatics (which I experienced with a 'maniac' piloting a cross-country glider which had the wings bolted on). I guess it is hard to make one car that will please everybody. And there is the desire to stay in business.
 
#61 · (Edited)
I can't seem to be able to read what poster #60 wrote. However, knowing who it's coming from I'm assuming it's not complimentary to me. Was I correct? Whatever it is, you won't be able to ruin for me the acknowledged day of my savior's birth.

I rejoice in the peace and glory of this great day.

I will pray for those of you who are stuck with those HPFP BMWs. I'm sure if you are patient, BMW will find you a cure.

For those of you consumed by petty hatred and jealousy, I will pray for you too.

Gloria in excelsis Deo.
 
#64 ·
I just ordered 328i and, because I'm pretty technical I goo gled and found lot's of interesting info on the car.

Next thing that caught my attention was electric waterpump... Yes, it is cool, but if waterpump engine fails... If I was BMW engeneer I'd implement two waterpumps - if one fails in the middle of nowhere the driver would be able to keep going at lower speeds but be able to reach safe place to stay and ask for help.

So, are you, e90-ers having long trips at your e90s?
Out in the middle of no where, hit a raised dirt curb. The shock was enough to have the sub frame hit the engine belt and cut it. On your regular car, the water pump is history, with the electric water pump, off to the dealer I went, about 50 miles. Because of this I found out that BMW had a recall on 335 sub frames needing to be replaced. They need a larger cut out area in the sub frame for the pulley and belt.

My experience was a unique situation, but one I found interesting for owners of older 3's, if the belt breaks the electric pump gets them to a BMW service center.

cr
 
#70 ·
May the joy of the season be upon you. This is a time of peace and love. Feel it. Let it envelope you and bring you much needed peace and serenity.:)
 
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