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      11-17-2012, 04:30 PM   #34
David328M-Sport
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Australia
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Drives: F30 M-Sport 328i Estoril Blue
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Melbourne Australia

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tra08R View Post
1) Downgraded Centre armrest leather quality on F30 vs previous cars - the grade is not that much lower than the seats - just touch it and examine it. look at the folds and perforation from the stitching and u will have an idea how its a much lower and thinner quality leather than in the past

2) This one is more obvious - Carpets...comb your hand over the carpets on the side walls..near the tranny and do the same for your e92 or E46.

3) Doors - you gotta notice this one.. e46 and e9x shuts like a vault. F30 sounds like a Japanese car (not a thick and study thud. But more a thud with some reverberations

4) tactile feel of plastic buttons - examine the electric window buttons vs. those on the e46

5) Dash plastic - tap it. then do so for the e46 enuff said

6) F30 - electric steering vs hydraulic (F30 335i and M cars will retain hydraulic I was told. There is more road feel from my e46, e92.

7) All aluminium struts and suspension to reduce weight on the e9x, now its just STEEL... I can stand advancements, but not backward advancements

8) Might be car specific but - Wind noise.. never an issue in the past, Rusted seats, pillar chips.
If you don't mind me responding, possibly a little firmly at times, but never in a condescending manner.

1. Not evident to me. I like it but will take a close look next time. As for the seats, I have the sports seats and they are by far the very best I have sat on.

2. My E90 had great carpets but so too has the F30. I have looked very closely at the F30 carpets as I am cleaning the F30 myself, so I have felt the plush pile when pulling out little bits of grit and just generally feeling and fluffing the carpet.

3. The E90 doors closed with a reasonable 'thunk' unless the windows were down (open everything to air out the car after long day in the sun). When the windows were down, there was a distinct lack of solid thunk due to window vibration, so the door closing sound was distinctly tinny in comparison.

As for the F30, much duller, more distinct thunk upon closing, unless slammed shut. Some of my passengers might have been a little heavy handed recently. No problem but I hate slamming. Anyway, just yesterday I was cleaning the car and noticed how much more rubber there was around the doors compared to the E90. The F30 is a clear door closing thunk winner for me over the E90.

4. Out of sight, out of mind. I had an E46 from 1998 till 2005. I gave it up (traded it in) for the E90 in less than a heartbeat. I really did not like it towards the end due to its distinct lack of get up and go from the 323i's under powered I6 engine. Only thing is I cannot remember what the buttons felt like. Comparing the E90 to the F30, I find the window lift buttons to be pretty much the same, albeit in a slightly better position now than in the E90. To me, the buttons are as good as each other and feel very nice, with positive feedback.

5. Again, I forgot what the E46 dash felt like, only comparing the E90 & F30 and the F30 is fine for me.

6. That's is a personal one. In at least one other thread, I posted my feedback when driving the F30 and E90 back to back a few times within a 2 week period from F30 delivery to E90 sale. I an so very used to the F30 now anyway, but driving the E90 after the F30, I thought the power steering had failed, it was so heavy in comparison. I am very happy with the electric steering, especially when parking.

7. Backwards? The F30 has the very best, smoothest ride for me. M-Sport suspension and 19" wheels + very smooth ride is major advancement over E90 sport suspension, 17" wheels and a very tight, harsh (please do not misunderstand me - I LOVED the tight, hard suspension setup) ride. Very jumpy over the smallest holes.

8. Yes. Thankfully I do not have those issues.

I believe you have found fault with the F30 due to your point 8, which is, in itself disappointing and unacceptable for the car to have been delivered to you in such a state. Had you not been presented with these build quality failings, do you think you would be as critical of the F30 as you have been? Are you just looking to find issues when there really aren't any?

Yes, 1 to 7 are personal opinions, but when they differ from the vast majority, such opinions can rightly be questioned.

Ok, so here's a build quality issue, very minor but it could have a ripple effect. I am not saying my car is perfect - perfect for me but not built perfectly. The red rear reflector just above the tailpipe dropped off my car within a few days after delivery. No signs of forced removal, just looks like it fell off. Having the part net from Germany.

No comparison to your car's real issues, but if there is a manufacturing tolerance issue, perhaps thousands of cars' reflects may fall off.

That is called mass production, even in a BMW and it is nowhere near perfect.

I hope you have your issues sorted quickly so you can get down and enjoy your F30. Cheers.
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328i M-Sport, Estoril Blue, Carbon XP 35 Tint, front heated seats, black Dakota, Sports Suspension, Anthracite Headliner, HUD, Pro Nav, Sunroof, hk 600w, Bi-Xenon, 19" 403M wheels, Reversing Camera, DAB+, Xenon, BT Ext Connect, MST turbo intake pipe, MST Cold Air Intake, JB4 on Map 2 with Catless DP produces awesome performance in Sport.
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