[stormhammer]

Hey all - new here - and looking for a replacement to my F250 Super Duty - after much consideration of an E61 to an E91, I landed on an F31

Two in teh running are a gas and a diesel - and I like how the diesel is a gas miser - so anything to look out for ( e.g I've seen NOX sensor being one ). Or hsould I run far far away and keep to gas?

Looking at a 2014 328d xdrive

Cheers

[AndrewC1989]

Hmm where to start...nox sensors, HPFP, transfer case, fuel injectors, EGR cooler...

Luckily most all of it is currently under recall or has a 10 year 100k extended warranty so it shouldn't be a ton of money potentially coming out of your pocket, but it can be time consuming and annoying none the less. I wouldn't call these cars reliable by any means and for me it's a love/hate relationship. I love getting a 45mpg average and not having any problems in the snow, but I feel like something on my car breaks every year. I'm sure others will have differences of opinion but that's my take and my experience.

But before you go running away from a diesel to a gasoline car, just be aware that the non-diesels that have the N20 motor (320i/328i) and are built prior to 2016 have a pretty serious timing chain issue. Like engine failure serious. Coincidentally the transfer case failures I mentioned above seem to be most prevalent in deisels made prior to 2016, so regardless of fuel type, if you're looking at a 320i/328i/328d (and you want a better shot at a good ownership experience) you should probably get an LCI (MY 2016+).

[stormhammer]

That's super helpful! I suppose I can aim higher for a 330xi

[Watsey]

My F31 330d has been, by far, the the least reliable car I've ever had (owned and company cars). Previous BMWs in my 'possession' include an E46 330d, E46 320d, and 2 x E91 330d over an 18 year period. All ran faultlessly, with zero warranty issues.

I bought the F31 Approved Used when it was 2 years old and with a 1 year BMW warranty. I subsequently paid annually for the BMW/Allianz Insured Extended Warranty, which has cost me £thousands.

In the 7 years that I've owned the car, the following have been replaced under warranty :

2 x front adaptive dampers.
2 x front control arms.
Air conditioning heat exchanger.
Air conditioning valves.
Rear window rubbers/seals.
Steering rack, twice.

I also elected (more £) to have the windscreen replaced as it was covered with micro pitting/chips to the extent that it reduced visibility in bright sunshine. OEM 'screens appear to have a very brittle top surface - it's a widely reported problem which BMW doesn't seem to want to recognise.

On top of that lot, and with the car now out of warranty (BMW has a warranty renewal cutoff at around 100K miles), all four wheel bearings have had to be replaced due to wear-related noise, the turbo needs a complete tear-down and rebuild (oil seals are leaking) and the ZF transmission may need the same (clutches appear to be slipping at slow speeds).

I get the distinct impression (albeit only from my own experience) that the F3 series cars were designed and built for a 100k mile lifespan. BMW even states that the ZF transmissions are 'sealed for life' a.k.a. they'll fail prematurely due to lack of maintenance (although mine has had the transmission fluid and pan/filter changed at 55k and 85K miles).

My car is fairly heavily modified with key parts (i.e. suspension, brakes, bushes, tyres) of a far higher quality and performance than were fitted at manufacture but at least the car now goes / stops / rides / handles as I like.

It's been a money pit and I concur with AndrewC1989 regarding the love/hate relationship.

There are other, significant and widespread acknowledged, problems with the diesel motors :

High pressure fuel pump failure.
Timing chain failure (as has been mentioned above).
EGR cooler failures, leading to a massive global recall (4-pot and 6-pot units).
Significant coking of the inlet manifolds and inlet ports due to the EGR system.

The F31 may well be the end of my BMW journey. Although this particular car is a keeper (I'm too invested in it) I can't see me having the faith, patience or willingness to keep throwing money away to buy from BMW again.

stormhammer, you'd be wise to do a lot of research before making your decision.

[Nijenego]

Late reply, but watch out for HPFP. I have high mileage (~115k) n47 318d (I'm in EU), and I suffered HPFP failure. If you go to the dealer for repair, the expenses are 10k+ $, but luckily I've found a mechanic who removed and cleaned the COMPLETE fuel system from fuel tank to the engine itself, and replaced HPFP and injectors for less than 2k $.

[andreigbs]

Luckily for most U.S. owners of N47s, BMW has issues a recall campaign for the HPFP where they will replace it free of charge.

Owners can check their VINs on the BMW site to check for coverage (there is a thread already started in this subforum, here: https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1848717)

[NotEdsheeran]

Originally Posted by Watsey

My F31 330d has been, by far, the the least reliable car I've ever had (owned and company cars). Previous BMWs in my 'possession' include an E46 330d, E46 320d, and 2 x E91 330d over an 18 year period. All ran faultlessly, with zero warranty issues.

I bought the F31 Approved Used when it was 2 years old and with a 1 year BMW warranty. I subsequently paid annually for the BMW/Allianz Insured Extended Warranty, which has cost me £thousands.

In the 7 years that I've owned the car, the following have been replaced under warranty :

2 x front adaptive dampers.
2 x front control arms.
Air conditioning heat exchanger.
Air conditioning valves.
Rear window rubbers/seals.
Steering rack, twice.

I also elected (more £) to have the windscreen replaced as it was covered with micro pitting/chips to the extent that it reduced visibility in bright sunshine. OEM 'screens appear to have a very brittle top surface - it's a widely reported problem which BMW doesn't seem to want to recognise.

On top of that lot, and with the car now out of warranty (BMW has a warranty renewal cutoff at around 100K miles), all four wheel bearings have had to be replaced due to wear-related noise, the turbo needs a complete tear-down and rebuild (oil seals are leaking) and the ZF transmission may need the same (clutches appear to be slipping at slow speeds).

I get the distinct impression (albeit only from my own experience) that the F3 series cars were designed and built for a 100k mile lifespan. BMW even states that the ZF transmissions are 'sealed for life' a.k.a. they'll fail prematurely due to lack of maintenance (although mine has had the transmission fluid and pan/filter changed at 55k and 85K miles).

My car is fairly heavily modified with key parts (i.e. suspension, brakes, bushes, tyres) of a far higher quality and performance than were fitted at manufacture but at least the car now goes / stops / rides / handles as I like.

It's been a money pit and I concur with AndrewC1989 regarding the love/hate relationship.

There are other, significant and widespread acknowledged, problems with the diesel motors :

High pressure fuel pump failure.
Timing chain failure (as has been mentioned above).
EGR cooler failures, leading to a massive global recall (4-pot and 6-pot units).
Significant coking of the inlet manifolds and inlet ports due to the EGR system.

.

It looks like there is recall for the HPFP, but I am curious to the cost of these other items.

Does anyone happen to know the average cost and timeframe when these happen?

I am also in the market for this car and the one I am looking at has about 82k miles.