[s0nu]

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This thread probably exists already, but figured I'd refresh the topic...

So, I bought my f30 (328i) back at the end of December 2013 after having owned an e46, an e90, and an e92. In the beginning, I thought it was a great car. It was quick, loved the turbo, gas mileage, HUD, and various other aspects..

As time went along (now keep in my, time is relative here considering its not only been 6 months), I'm losing interest in the car. I can't exactly pin point what it is that's steering me away from it, but there are a few gripes that I'm sure probably have something to do with it:

1. The subpar interior quality. Squeaks, creaks, outside noise, etc... Never had an issue with my previous BMW's, but for some reason when I drive this car I just feel like I got "ripped off". You know..?

2. As much as I absolutely love the gas mileage on the 4 cylinder, sometimes the turbo doesn't satisfy me enough to do away with the I6. Yeah, my prior cars were slower, but they "felt" faster to me. Maybe because of turbo lag, or maybe because all the torque is in the love RPM bands...who knows.

3. Manual transmission. Miss it, enough said.

4. That "X-factor". I drive a beautiful BMW, I enjoy driving it most of the time, and its a great value. However, I don't see myself walking away from the car and turning my head saying "damn, thats my car" like I did with my other cars.


All I find myself doing these days is thinking "what's next?", which to be honest, I never did before. The first two issues I mentioned seem to be something common between the 3 and 4 series, for obvious reasons, and as much as I love BMW's and their drive, I just can't see myself purchasing one of those. Unfortunately, the 6 series that I love so much is a little out of my budget, but maybe in a few years


So, does anyone feel the same way..? Has anyone felt this way and ended up switching to a different brand. If so, what did you get? Or what are you thinking of getting?

[chrisny]

#1 and 2 have not been a problem on my 335, 18,000 miles in. #4 either for that matter (M sport is a must for that one, IMO. I think the sport line would've bored me after a bit).

I also was getting 28 mpg when I was using it to commute for a while.

[Quakered]

Tell us more about your BMW with a V6 engine!

[JJS]

I think it's remorse buying a 4-cylinder BMW when you've owned I6s. I'm glad I stumped up for the 5th and 6th cylinders.

[300hp]

Pictures say a 1000 words
My old f30 vs my new f30

"Once you get the colors and options right, everything else will take care of itself and happiness is all you will find"

Author: Unknown

[dcg71]

The car still does it for me, although from the factory I think it had a few shortcomings (or at least I felt mine did). Specifically, sport line here equals standard non sport suspension. The car also had non-staggered goodyear efficient grip runflats. Both out of place on a 335i IMO.

A few mods have really helped my appreciation however. Namely M Perf suspension, staggered 19's with non-runflats, and an M-sport front bumper for looks. As it is now, I'm satisfied.

[philbake]

1 and 2, no issues there. I guess it's on a car by car basis. My ride a year ago was an '08 335xi. A rocket, simple, (almost no options) and fun to drive when you wanted to push it. But, it was bumpy, and generally a less refined and less comfortable daily driver. My '13 328ix is a tad softer feeling, and while the N20 isn't the same as the N54, when you put it in sport mode, and push the pedal down a bit, I still get that 'pushed back in your seat' feeling. But you can turn it on and off at will now. That said, when I want to get that old steering and N52 smooth, I'll drive my wife's '10 X3! Not exactly the old 3, but lots of similarities.

[RoundelM3]

15 months and 10,300 miles after purchase, my M-Sport 335i is still the best BMW I've ever owned. No problems, no squeaks, no rattles, no power deficits, and lots and lots of compliments from complete strangers.

That said...what's this about a V6 F30? Obviously the OP either made a typo or is completely ignorant of what BMW is famous for - its world-class inline-6 engines. While Audi and Mercedes still struggle along with their V6 engines, BMW's still on top with the inline version.

[bri1042]

Number 1 is my biggest complaint. I still don't think it's build quality, I think it's the tires. I had the 17" Conti All-Seasons on the car when I got it, and a vibration started right behind the steering wheel at the top of the column around 1000 miles. I took it in for the vacuum pump recall and the vibration and they "couldn't reproduce it". It was actually gone for a few days, and then it came back.

The vibration varies with tire pressure. I got a set of 397 wheels with summer Conti's and the vibration was still there but a little different. At this point its clear that the vibration changes with intensity depending on if the tires are at too high of a pressure or too low of a pressure. Changing the tilt on my steering wheel mitigated it somewhat (which I did not to deal with the vibration but just because I lowered my seat a bit).

If my tires are at 38 psi cold, I get a TON of vibration through the whole cabin once they warm up. At 35 front, 36 rear the vibration isn't that bad. Any less and it's horrid. I deeply feel a bit let down by having to fight this vibration so much. I do think it's the Run Flats more than actual build quality but circumstances don't give me the option of changing the tires right now.

My rear left seat doesn't fold down at the moment, so the car is going in for service on that today and the dealership has promised to take some action on the vibration.

As for number 2, I've never been impressed with a car "feeling" faster. I once had to drive a 1994 Camaro RS for a couple of weeks and that car "felt" fast but was dog-ass slow.

3. I have many days when I miss my manual. But I'm satisfied with this transmission other than its desire to be in 8th gear at 60. I end up being in Manual mode on the highway more than on the street to keep at from going into 8th until 68 or so. It's very possible that my next car will be an M235i with a 6-speed, though.

4. 8 months of ownership in and I do still get the big "that's my car" grin, even with the vibration. :-)

[DrivenByE30]

Originally Posted by Quakered

Tell us more about your BMW with a V6 engine!

OP, you should really consider getting the next mercedes C class C400...
Unfortunately, there wont be any manual either, but at least you would solve the first two issues...

It is what it is...

[Danman5666]

I love my 14 F30 - the right color and packages I exactly wanted.

However, I wish I can get my steering wheel shake fixed. Then it would be perfect.

[s0nu]

Forgive my typo, I do know that BMW's have the famous I6. Thanks for pointing that out.

[X2 Monstah]

I love mine, but I am already thinking about what I want in 2 years when my lease is up. May try out an S4. Already tried a Mercedes and hated it. Traded in for my F30 less than a year later...lost my ass of the trade too, but it was worth it.

[s0nu]

Originally Posted by BSM F30

I love mine, but I am already thinking about what I want in 2 years when my lease is up. May try out an S4. Already tried a Mercedes and hated it. Traded in for my F30 less than a year later...lost my ass of the trade too, but it was worth it.

Yeah I was thinking of looking into an S5. We'll see how far that goes though. I've been a loyal BMW customer for a number of years at this point, but something about this car just lost its excitement with me for some reason.

[335i_4D]

No problem with #1 and #2.
#3, never been interested in. When I want to have a little more fun: Sport+, DS and paddle shift.

As for #4, I still do it, 9 out of 10 times.
I always liked the M Sport looks (exterior), but wanted the red stitching (interior).
This will be adjusted in a matter of days - weeks.

[Benstuck]

Originally Posted by s0nu

This thread probably exists already, but figured I'd refresh the topic...

So, I bought my f30 (328i) back at the end of December 2013 after having owned an e46, an e90, and an e92. In the beginning, I thought it was a great car. It was quick, loved the turbo, gas mileage, HUD, and various other aspects..

As time went along (now keep in my, time is relative here considering its not only been 6 months), I'm losing interest in the car. I can't exactly pin point what it is that's steering me away from it, but there are a few gripes that I'm sure probably have something to do with it:

1. The subpar interior quality. Squeaks, creaks, outside noise, etc... Never had an issue with my previous BMW's, but for some reason when I drive this car I just feel like I got "ripped off". You know..?

2. As much as I absolutely love the gas mileage on the 4 cylinder, sometimes the turbo doesn't satisfy me enough to do away with the I6. Yeah, my prior cars were slower, but they "felt" faster to me. Maybe because of turbo lag, or maybe because all the torque is in the love RPM bands...who knows.

3. Manual transmission. Miss it, enough said.

4. That "X-factor". I drive a beautiful BMW, I enjoy driving it most of the time, and its a great value. However, I don't see myself walking away from the car and turning my head saying "damn, thats my car" like I did with my other cars.


All I find myself doing these days is thinking "what's next?", which to be honest, I never did before. The first two issues I mentioned seem to be something common between the 3 and 4 series, for obvious reasons, and as much as I love BMW's and their drive, I just can't see myself purchasing one of those. Unfortunately, the 6 series that I love so much is a little out of my budget, but maybe in a few years


So, does anyone feel the same way..? Has anyone felt this way and ended up switching to a different brand. If so, what did you get? Or what are you thinking of getting?

+1 on #4, if you don't get that feeling to look back as you walk away, time for a trade IMO

[mike@x-ph.com]

Originally Posted by Quakered

Tell us more about your BMW with a V6 engine!

Be nice

As for OP i do agree that the interior on new 3 series models feels to me inferior as the ones before.
But after you tune your car and get so much more power from that engine, you will forget all that

[swamy]

My first so don't have a baseline bimmer to compare it to. But at 18k plus & loving it! Bought it barebones & at times wonder if i'dve been better off with a 35 but can wait the 2 years left on the lease to change over. I do wish the C class was offered in stick just to keep BMW on its toes

[Huz-Z]

I'e got a Z4 3.0si out in the garage with the 255 hp inline six so I can get my fix of that whenever I need it. But in any case, i don't find our 328 XDrive to be lacking. Its different, but not deficient.

Re the C Class, be aware that for 2014, Mercedes is having a lot of trouble with the 7G Tronic Plus transmissions - extremely harsh shifting at low speeds. I should know; we had one that Mercedes could not repair and after months of frustration, the dealer bought it back. Do be careful that you don't buy a car with that issue if you look at a Merc.

[swamy]

Originally Posted by Huz-Z

Re the C Class, be aware that for 2014, Mercedes is having a lot of trouble with the 7G Tronic Plus transmissions - extremely harsh shifting at low speeds.

the loaner 328x I had for a couple of days felt very abrupt too at low speeds though I wouldnt characterize it harsh

[DrivenByE30]

Originally Posted by swamy

My first so don't have a baseline bimmer to compare it to. But at 18k plus & loving it! Bought it barebones & at times wonder if i'dve been better off with a 35 but can wait the 2 years left on the lease to change over. I do wish the C class was offered in stick just to keep BMW on its toes

What do you mean by your last sentense?

[btbossman]

I feel you OP...shoulda went 335. Then your bored ness could be cured by tuning

Disclaimer: I know 328s can be tuned...the 335 is just more fun anyway you cut the cake.