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After 3 BMW's within 3 Years, I am Done.

39K views 612 replies 65 participants last post by  M40i4me 
#1 ·
No, this thread is not to incite a riot, it is merely to relate one former customer's unfortunate experience now that I can talk freely about it.

Two of the three were brand spanking new 3 series.

First was an '09 750... Not even a week of ownership, in for the "customer care" recall, but not really a recall, fine.

Within a month after that, valve tap and severe oil consumption, but shockingly, still within tolerance. Brought it back to the dealer, made a deal on a brand new 320.

Within less than a year of ownership, multiple issues, finally, after far more than 30 days in the shop, I was going to "lemon" it. It required a new engine. BMW steps in, and does a great trade assist for a brand new, extremely well equipped LCI '16 328i.

Within three months, a very obvious rattle surfaces. Back to dealer... This time, they fix it promptly, as it was relatively easy to determine the source.

A few months after that, loud buzzing behind that dash at highway speeds, AND when stopped in park, tranny started to feel inconsistent, a somewhat of a low level rumble/grind that was changing in pitch.

At that point, I had simply had enough of the drama. Enough of scheduling service visits, enough loaners, and traded out of it.

I've ready plenty were folks are like, "Well, they DO rattle, just the way they are, etc., etc.". Well, if it WAS ONLY that, fine. ...but it's my repeated time and effort also.

I just can't believe two brand new BMW's, one with a MSRP of 50K, and I still didn't end up with a relatively care-free car. I just think BMW is skimping too much on the 3 series. Maybe I just had bad luck, but after two, I don't think I'll be going back for a while.

I truly hope no one has to go through what I did.

Cheers...
 
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#2 ·
Thanks for sharing your experiences, cracked1. What car did you get to replace your most recent F30?
 
#5 ·
BMWNA and BMWAG should take note of owner's experience like OP's.

The products should be rock solid from day one of new product introduction, and should not require frequent visits by customers for SIBs and non-maintenance repairs esp. for cars within 4-yr/50k miles.
Do you think the OP's experience is typical of the majority of people who purchase a new BMW? While I don't consider BMW to be as reliable as Toyota and Honda I certainly don't consider them to be as unreliable as the experience of the OP.
 
#6 ·
No, this thread is not to incite a riot, it is merely to relate one former customer's unfortunate experience now that I can talk freely about it.

Two of the three were brand spanking new 3 series.

First was an '09 750... Not even a week of ownership, in for the "customer care" recall, but not really a recall, fine.

Within a month after that, valve tap and severe oil consumption, but shockingly, still within tolerance. Brought it back to the dealer, made a deal on a brand new 320.

Within less than a year of ownership, multiple issues, finally, after far more than 30 days in the shop, I was going to "lemon" it. It required a new engine. BMW steps in, and does a great trade assist for a brand new, extremely well equipped LCI '16 328i.

Within three months, a very obvious rattle surfaces. Back to dealer... This time, they fix it promptly, as it was relatively easy to determine the source.

A few months after that, loud buzzing behind that dash at highway speeds, AND when stopped in park, tranny started to feel inconsistent, a somewhat of a low level rumble/grind that was changing in pitch.

At that point, I had simply had enough of the drama. Enough of scheduling service visits, enough loaners, and traded out of it.

I've ready plenty were folks are like, "Well, they DO rattle, just the way they are, etc., etc.". Well, if it WAS ONLY that, fine. ...but it's my repeated time and effort also.

I just can't believe two brand new BMW's, one with a MSRP of 50K, and I still didn't end up with a relatively care-free car. I just think BMW is skimping too much on the 3 series. Maybe I just had bad luck, but after two, I don't think I'll be going back for a while.

I truly hope no one has to go through what I did.

Cheers...
You traded the 328 because you had rattles in the dash board? Did i read it right?
Rattles are annoying, and something i personally dislike a lot.

My e60 and e90 were rock solid no rattles.

1st f30 had rattles, dealer addressed upon my first complain. (They actually removed transmission to get to the source of one of the rattles).

2nd f30 has few rattles, i don't like that, when i took it to a dealer (different one), he blew it off saying if they start taking dash apart it won't go back in the same way and i should give him all top scores on the survey because he has kids to feed. I actually saved an email from him where he stated all of the above. I was too busy at the time to get upset about it.

Trading it in is a bit extreme. Your tranny is under warranty, mine got replaced at 21K. No big deal as long as the car is leased.

What did you replace it with? Hopefully it will be rattle free.
 
#12 · (Edited)
The car doesn't know who owns it or what you owned previously. You know it's not typical but the natural emotional reaction is to not buy another one. Did you really go from a 750 to a 320?

Nobody here will tell you they are all trouble free cars so I guess we can just wish you luck with whatever you buy.
 
#13 ·
To each his own, and you're surely entitled to owning a perfectly flawless brand new car, but you seem very sensitive to noises.

Enjoy your replacement.
 
#21 ·
@OP, hope everything works out for you. I'm a firm believer in "you're entitled to whatever satisfies you", and having been there myself with cars that rattled and squeaked and drove me crazy as a result, I applaud your resolve.
 
#22 ·
Now here's the kicker...

I replaced it with a '15 RAM Laramie.

I never thought an American pick up (yes, I know, half the thing isn't made in the U.S.) would be comparable in terms of luxury and features.

The cabin is nicer, nicer materials throughout, and I have pretty much every single option my 328 did, and even picked up a few additional:

Picked up:

-heated steering wheel
-vented seats
-remote start

Lost:

-auto window roll down
-adaptive LED's (those were NICE)

Best of all: not a single creak or rattle.

From MY experience, I feel like I got a better VALUE.
 
#29 ·
Congratulations on your "new" Ram 1500 pickup truck. The ones I've driven were all very impressive in terms of body integrity, cabin quality, and quietness.

Which engine did you get? My experience has been with the Pentastar V6 exclusively; I always found that engine very well suited to the Ram 1500.
 
#23 · (Edited)
Oh, and I do so wish RAM would have tilted the infotainment system a few degrees towards the driver... +1 for BMW on that one.

Also, in the end, the I-drive is a better system, but by NOT all that much... I would say in terms of the "infotainment" aspect, I came to
within 90-95% of BMW.

Oh, and the truck has the same keyless system (just need to keep the fob in my pocket).

It blew my mind to even think a domestic truck could compare.

Plus, I bought the MOPAR service contract: 2.8K and I have, essentially, bumper to bumper (with SOME exceptions, of course) coverage
for the life of my vehicle, that's right: life (or until the repair exceeds the value, then you get a check for the value), no mileage or time limit.
 
#28 ·
Look, I'm not ragging on BMW. Let me tell you, it was a HARD decision to make and I almost went back on it several times. I would LOVE a good BMW.

...but I can't have my life, time, and energy, sucked down by all these issues. There is nothing pleasant or enviable about going through this.
 
#32 ·
No one is trying to rag on you. But you have to admit that one person having so many issues with three different vehicles (two of which were brand new) is a little difficult to swallow. If we were to take a group of 100 people and put them into three different vehicles (two of which were new) how many do you think would experience the same number / level of issues you did?
 
#34 ·
Wow. OP you've had extraordinarily bad luck. Between myself and my family we've owned 14 BMW's. Some brand new. Some were CPO. Not a single BMW had any of the catastrophic issues that you've mentioned. Most of the cars only went to the dealer for service. A handful had occasional quirks that the dealers always remedied quickly.

It definitely sounds like you are the exception not the rule in terms of reliability.

I hope you enjoy your RAM. That thing got a HEMI?
 
#42 ·
Wow. OP you've had extraordinarily bad luck. Between myself and my family we've owned 14 BMW's. Some brand new. Some were CPO. Not a single BMW had any of the catastrophic issues that you've mentioned. Most of the cars only went to the dealer for service. A handful had occasional quirks that the dealers always remedied quickly.

It definitely sounds like you are the exception not the rule in terms of reliability.

I hope you enjoy your RAM. That thing got a HEMI?
Interestingly enough, my dealer told me they average about 4-6 trade assist/lemon issues per year.
 
#75 ·

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#76 ·
That's never going to feel good.:eeps: That's the downside of buying new.
 
#77 ·
Let me frame this properly:

If BMW showed up at my door with a brand new '17 328 Xdrive in Esotril (sp) blue, with all the packages you could throw at it for all my troubles, I'd take it.

So, I don't "hate" BMW inasmuch as I feel I shouldn't have had to go through all that for vehicle carrying the badge.
 
#80 ·
Thats fair. :) Enjoy the Detroit muscle!
 
#94 ·
I'm thinking it would be a refreshing change if we could express our experiences and opinions without attack or accusation. Because someone's experiences or views regarding a topic may differ from another's shouldn't result in discord...frankly, for me, these situations present better opportunities to learn more about something I am passionate about. It seems ironic that there should be a negative result when we're here as strangers to share a common passion.
 
#95 ·
I'm thinking it would be a refreshing change if we could express our experiences and opinions without attack or accusation. Because someone's experiences or views regarding a topic may differ from another's shouldn't result in discord...frankly, for me, these situations present better opportunities to learn more about something I am passionate about. It seems ironic thseeat there should be a negative result when we're here as strangers to share a common passion.
The thread went all of 5-7 posts before heading south.
 
#99 · (Edited)
To the OP

In 2015 I bought my first MOPAR ride after 14 years (I did swear I was not going to buy another Chrysler product again after my lemon 300M) but I could not resist to the value for the money offering for our Grand Cherokee SRT and how nice did look inside.

Based on my experience so far, I had few trips to the dealer here in there, nothing serious (couple of service bulletins, 2 recalls, couple of minor defects) and all promptly resolved, no "dealer fights"....so far fairly satisfied. The most serious issue was the replacement of our adaptive lights (water infiltration, part of a recall) that would have been extremely expensive if it were out of warranty.

For about $1300, if I recall correctly, we got a bumper to bumper warranty extension up to 100.000K (we usually trade our rides before the 90K mark) and I think that is a very good deal considering how expensive repairs can be on a complex vehicle such as a fully loaded GC SRT.

So yes, ownership experience has not been exactly "Japanese like" but I cannot complain.

I think I did become the MOPAR salesman of this forum when I often suggest that the Dodge Charger is hands down the bargain of the century right now if you want a refined, reasonable well made sport sedan at unbeatable prices (together with the Chevrolet SS), I even convinced someone dead set on an Estoril blue 328i (coming from an E46 330i) to get a fully loaded Charger R/T Road and Track 5.7 in B5 blue instead, this one...he could not believe how much car for the money he was getting....

 
#101 ·
To the OP

In 2015 I bought my first MOPAR ride after 14 years (I did swear I was not going to buy another Chrysler product again after my lemon 300M) but I could not resist to the value for the money offering for our Grand Cherokee SRT and how nice did look inside.

Based on my experience so far, I had few trips to the dealer here in there, nothing serious (couple of service bulletins, 2 recalls, couple of minor defects) and all promptly resolved, no "dealer fights"....so far fairly satisfied. The most serious issue was the replacement of our adaptive lights (water infiltration, part of a recall) that would have been extremely expensive if it were out of warranty.

For about $1300, if I recall correctly, we got a bumper to bumper warranty extension up to 100.000K (we usually trade our rides before the 90K mark) and I think that is a very good deal considering how expensive repairs can be on a complex vehicle such as a fully loaded GC SRT.

So yes, ownership experience has not been exactly "Japanese like" but I cannot complain.

I think I did become the MOPAR salesman of this forum when I often suggest that the Dodge Charger is hands down the bargain of the century right now if you want a refined, reasonable well made sport sedan at unbeatable prices (together with the Chevrolet SS), I even convinced someone dead set on an Estoril blue 328i (coming from an E46 330i) to get a Charger R/T Road and Track 5.7 in B5 blue instead, this one...he could not believe how much car for the money he was getting....

That is absolutely spot on...

I feel like I'm getting a better value in terms of "luxury" and features, but also not in a Hyundai/Kia kind of way.. :rofl:
 
#105 · (Edited)
I don't think OP's experience is typical. If you just look at reliability statistics, like in this quick JD Power 2016 reliability report I found, BMW is above the industry average in reliability and wins out over many brands that I would have traditionally thought more reliable (i.e. Nissan, Lexus, etc.)

http://www.jdpower.com/press-releases/2016-us-vehicle-dependability-study-vds

The irony that OP had so many reliability issues with BMW that he felt compelled to jump ship into the least dependable brand in existence (according to this study), DODGE, is not lost on me. I guess I am the only one that thinks that is sort of funny.

But again, I don't think his experience is typical. It is merely anecdotal and subjective, nothing more. Its like when I leased my wife her VW Tiguan, some wise ass at my work (a total FORD loyalist) made some remark like "VW Eh? Brutal. Have fun in the service department. My wife had a Jetta once and it was such a piece of $hit and blah blah blah". Meanwhile, this is her second Tiguan and both have been exceptionally reliable. Zero issues. The point being, his experience and my experience are basically irrelevant. All one can do is look at general stats and data out there and make a decision. While my coworker was blowing hot air around about VW and Fords are so great, the irony that Ford is statistically rated below VW in reliability, time and time again, was also not lost on me.

I don't think BMW needs to address anything. Aside from recently being dethroned by Mercedes as the top selling luxury brand in the US, they still sell a $hit ton of BMW in the US. BMW makes the list 3 times on this top 10 selling luxury cars from JD Power.

http://www.jdpower.com/cars/articles/car-buyers-guides/10-most-popular-luxury-cars

Where I draw the line with all this is with the squeaks and rattles. Unacceptable as far as I am concerned in a car at at this price point. The good news: most of these annoyances can be fixed pretty easily, either DIY or at the dealer. I would recommend a little DIY to anyone with these issues. But the bad news: that I had to get a trim tool removal set at Autozone and some foam weatherstripping to silence the rattles in my $48000 'luxury' car is totally RIDICULOUS. Meanwhile, you could go and buy a sub $20000 Hyundai and it would be tight as a drum. This in my opinion is the major quirk that BMW needs to sort out. I have yet to encounter a BMW without these issues. Every loaner I have ever been in had a plethora of interior noises and I drove a fellow forum member's brand new 340i and while it was pretty solid, I heard an annoying rattle coming from the driver side A pillar area which he had noticed as well, which was slowly driving him crazy. Unacceptable.
 
#114 ·
I don't think OP's experience is typical. If you just look at reliability statistics, like in this quick JD Power 2016 reliability report I found, BMW is above the industry average in reliability and wins out over many brands that I would have traditionally thought more reliable (i.e. Nissan, Lexus, etc.)

http://www.jdpower.com/press-releases/2016-us-vehicle-dependability-study-vds

The irony that OP had so many reliability issues with BMW that he felt compelled to jump ship into the least dependable brand in existence (according to this study), DODGE, is not lost on me. I guess I am the only one that thinks that is sort of funny.

But again, I don't think his experience is typical. It is merely anecdotal and subjective, nothing more. Its like when I leased my wife her VW Tiguan, some wise ass at my work (a total FORD loyalist) made some remark like "VW Eh? Brutal. Have fun in the service department. My wife had a Jetta once and it was such a piece of $hit and blah blah blah". Meanwhile, this is her second Tiguan and both have been exceptionally reliable. Zero issues. The point being, his experience and my experience are basically irrelevant. All one can do is look at general stats and data out there and make a decision. While my coworker was blowing hot air around about VW and Fords are so great, the irony that Ford is statistically rated below VW in reliability, time and time again, was also not lost on me.

I don't think BMW needs to address anything. Aside from recently being dethroned by Mercedes as the top selling luxury brand in the US, they still sell a $hit ton of BMW in the US. BMW makes the list 3 times on this top 10 selling luxury cars from JD Power.

http://www.jdpower.com/cars/articles/car-buyers-guides/10-most-popular-luxury-cars

Where I draw the line with all this is with the squeaks and rattles. Unacceptable as far as I am concerned in a car at at this price point. The good news: most of these annoyances can be fixed pretty easily, either DIY or at the dealer. I would recommend a little DIY to anyone with these issues. But the bad news: that I had to get a trim tool removal set at Autozone and some foam weatherstripping to silence the rattles in my $48000 'luxury' car is totally RIDICULOUS. Meanwhile, you could go and buy a sub $20000 Hyundai and it would be tight as a drum. This in my opinion is the major quirk that BMW needs to sort out. I have yet to encounter a BMW without these issues. Every loaner I have ever been in had a plethora of interior noises and I drove a fellow forum member's brand new 340i and while it was pretty solid, I heard an annoying rattle coming from the driver side A pillar area which he had noticed as well, which was slowly driving him crazy. Unacceptable.
Not subjective, factual.

Even your experience coincides almost perfectly (sans engine replacement). A lot of folks, myself included, just don't have the time/effort available to chase down these issues on a consistent basis, and that is why I left the brand. Not that I hate the brand, far from it, but at the same time, every time I'm out there dealing with these issues, is at the expense of something else: work, travel, spending time with family, shopping, etc., anything...

It's almost like I'm back in high school taking the time to maintain a beater so I could go out on the weekends! :rofl:
 
#115 ·
It's like marriage, you have to take the good with the bad. The perfect woman doesn't exist. There might be a few rattles, I honestly haven't noticed any in my car, but the driving experience is second to none. Nothing gets my adrenaline running like the sweet sound of the B58. I've driven the ram and charger and they drive like boats. I'd don't have a problem with op complaining about his 3 series issues, but pushing dodge products as suitable alternatives is a bit ridiculous.
 
#119 ·
I agree, the driving experience is second to none. However I rarely made use of the BMW driving experience, and really prefer not to anyway these days, perfectly happy in a big old boat. This was never anywhere near about RAM is a "better" vehicle, or pushing it, rather how shockingly close it comes (and exceeds in some cases) to matching the luxury and features of a BMW, something one would not expect.
 
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