[shoman24v]

I have a few questions. I am in the market for a 330i M Sport, possibly even a touring. I am specifically looking for at 2018 year, because I can get it CPO, most have under 30k still too. I would like to think buying the last year (or at least LCI) of a BMW means most the issues are worked out by that time.

-How do rear facing car seats fit in the back? I'm 6'3, would have to move that passenger seat up a lot? Our F25 requires us to move the passenger set up a bit making sitting in the passenger seat tight for me.

-Every 330 I see has the B46 engine, which is the SULEV. Were there any US 330's with the non SULEV B48? I know from the E46 era, avoid the SULEV like the plague - I'm sure that has changed now.

-Was blind spot monitoring standard on cars manufactured in 2018? Or was it still an option? I can't seem to find what year that became standard on vehicles.

-I've seen M Sports come without fog lights, is this due to the track package?

-Is it accurate to say all 2018's have a touch screen iDrive system?

-It seems more 330's have Sensatec than leather, how does it compare to the leather? If it's more durable, I'm good with it, but I can definitely tell what cars have it in photos as it looks much different than leather.

-It appears if I get a Touring xDrive problems could be in my future. I can't believe BMW still can't get these systems to be reliable. I would hate to find a Touring, just to have the transfer case fail. With that said are the 2018's more reliable in this aspect?

[tturedraider]

All 330i’s in the U.S. are B46. Blind spot monitoring is optional. M Sports without fog lights do have the Track Handling pkg. It is correct that all 2018 iDrives are touch screen. For me personally, leather is a requirement. A lot of folks are satisfied with Sensatec, but I’m not one of them. The fact is, no matter what you call it, Sensatec is vinyl and it doesn’t breathe as well as leather. I also prefer the look of the stitched seam on the door card that you get with leather. With Sensatec the door card trim is smooth.

Good luck with your search.

[shoman24v]

Originally Posted by tturedraider

All 330i’s in the U.S. are B46. Blind spot monitoring is optional. M Sports without fog lights do have the Track Handling pkg. It is correct that all 2018 iDrives are touch screen. For me personally, leather is a requirement. A lot of folks are satisfied with Sensatec, but I’m not one of them. The fact is, no matter what you call it, Sensatec is vinyl and it doesn’t breathe as well as leather. I also prefer the look of the stitched seam on the door card that you get with leather. With Sensatec the door card trim is smooth.

Good luck with your search.

Thank you for the info. I agree, leather is a requirement, but I could concede if it was the right spec otherwise. Halogens though are a non starter for me.

[tturedraider]

Originally Posted by shoman24v

Thank you for the info. I agree, leather is a requirement, but I could concede if it was the right spec otherwise. Halogens though are a non starter for me.

For 2018 all F30s got LEDs as standard. To get Adaptive LEDs you need the Executive pkg, which is not particularly common on the 340i and even less so on the 330i.

[eff32fl]

The B46 is a good engine it's been reliable so far and it's a smooth ride. It's not super powerful but it's ample for a daily driver. I have a 2018 430i M Sport and really like it.

My iDrive screen supported touch but was disabled from factory for some reason so I had to enable the feature with Bimmercode (didn't have those 2 squares in the upper left hand part of the screen) so if you test drive a 2018 330i and the screen doesn't respond to touching don't lose hope. All should be touch screen but just keep in mind you *might* have to enable it.

Good luck!

[Elvisfan]

Originally Posted by tturedraider

All 330i’s in the U.S. are B46. Blind spot monitoring is optional. M Sports without fog lights do have the Track Handling pkg. It is correct that all 2018 iDrives are touch screen. For me personally, leather is a requirement. A lot of folks are satisfied with Sensatec, but I’m not one of them. The fact is, no matter what you call it, Sensatec is vinyl and it doesn’t breathe as well as leather. I also prefer the look of the stitched seam on the door card that you get with leather. With Sensatec the door card trim is smooth.

Good luck with your search.

I have a 2018 430xdrive. I do not have a touch screen.

[eff32fl]

Originally Posted by Elvisfan

I have a 2018 430xdrive. I do not have a touch screen.

I bet you just have to unlock the touch screen functionality. Have you tried with Bimmercode?

It's been a while but I think I changed the 2 settings below in expert mode and it started working for me.

DISPLAY_PIP_CONFIG 3005 > CID_TOUCH = aktiv
TOUCH_COMMAND 300B > CID_HMI_TOUCH = aktiv

[tturedraider]

Originally Posted by Elvisfan

I have a 2018 430xdrive. I do not have a touch screen.

Originally Posted by eff32fl

I bet you just have to unlock the touch screen functionality. Have you tried with Bimmercode?

It's been a while but I think I changed the 2 settings below in expert mode and it started working for me.

DISPLAY_PIP_CONFIG 3005 > CID_TOUCH = aktiv
TOUCH_COMMAND 300B > CID_HMI_TOUCH = aktiv

What is the build date of your cars? I wonder if they are early production models.

[auburnf30x]

Originally Posted by shoman24v

-How do rear facing car seats fit in the back? I'm 6'3, would have to move that passenger seat up a lot? Our F25 requires us to move the passenger set up a bit making sitting in the passenger seat tight for me.

It's tight. I don't have a rear facing seat, but my seven year old has a booster. I have to move the passenger seat up somewhat to give her a little leg room. It looks tight in the front afterwards, but BMW did a good job finding extra leg room up under the dash...as long as you're not riding in the passenger seat daily, there's still enough room to be comfortable. People shorter than 70 inches or so are fine even on longer trips.

Originally Posted by shoman24v

-Every 330 I see has the B46 engine, which is the SULEV. Were there any US 330's with the non SULEV B48? I know from the E46 era, avoid the SULEV like the plague - I'm sure that has changed now.

No big issues as far as I know...these engines are solid and free of any major gremlins.

Originally Posted by shoman24v

-Was blind spot monitoring standard on cars manufactured in 2018? Or was it still an option? I can't seem to find what year that became standard on vehicles.

-I've seen M Sports come without fog lights, is this due to the track package?

Sorry, don't know the answer to the first...but the foglights are deleted when the M Sport package is added. Comes also with an appearance package, including a more aggressive front fascia that eliminates the foglights. I find the lighting to be subpar without them, but obviously the M Sport package comes with other features that may outweigh that deficit for you.

Originally Posted by shoman24v

-Is it accurate to say all 2018's have a touch screen iDrive system?

-It seems more 330's have Sensatec than leather, how does it compare to the leather? If it's more durable, I'm good with it, but I can definitely tell what cars have it in photos as it looks much different than leather.

Sorry, don't know the first one there, either. Leather comes as part of the premium package or as a stand alone option. I didn't find it too terribly hard to find...but I guess it could vary by area. I would try to find one with leather. The difference is noticeable for me, both visually and by feel.

Originally Posted by shoman24v

-It appears if I get a Touring xDrive problems could be in my future. I can't believe BMW still can't get these systems to be reliable. I would hate to find a Touring, just to have the transfer case fail. With that said are the 2018's more reliable in this aspect?

Post-2015 models no longer have transfer case issues, with good maintenance, they should last just fine.

[shoman24v]

auburnf30x , eff32fl Thank you guys for the info. I am not a CarMax fan because a lot of cars I've looked at seem to always have niggles, but I am having this one transferred over. It's a 2018 330i with the track handling package, premium package, M Sport, HK sound, Active blind spot and black kidney grills. It only has 7k miles! For $28k. Downside is SensaTec and carfax shows a damage reported (not accident) to the rear. Looking at other photos of cars in this color, the rear bumper doesn't match well with this color or maybe every other car was rear ended lol. Any input is appreciated! I feel this is a pretty hard to come by car? Maybe too good to be true? Who knows, it's a $200 transfer so we'll see.

[auburnf30x]

Sounds like a good buy to me. Aside from the cosmetic damage, there's very little you can do in 7,000 miles to screw a car up. As long as you don't see any lingering cosmetic defects on the rear end you'll probably end up liking what you've got there.

Kind of surprised it doesn't have leather with it having the premium package...I thought that was included. Possible that they changed that at some point, though.

[shoman24v]

Originally Posted by auburnf30x

Sounds like a good buy to me. Aside from the cosmetic damage, there's very little you can do in 7,000 miles to screw a car up. As long as you don't see any lingering cosmetic defects on the rear end you'll probably end up liking what you've got there.

Kind of surprised it doesn't have leather with it having the premium package...I thought that was included. Possible that they changed that at some point, though.

Yeah, me too. That would make it perfect. The upside for me is it has already had an oil change at 2,300 and 5,400 miles, so says carfax. Good to know it didn't go 10k on the first oil change during a break in.

[deviantspeed]

My my 2017 longroof has been great. Neuspeed box, oil changes every 6 months and I keep it detailed. I drive fast, usually in sport mode to keep the rpms up.

6' and no issues with a rear facing seat. Seems to be a lot more room over say a gti.

I hit cpo soon, so deciding on keeping it or buying new with full warranty. I guess it's a 330ixT. Oh and under 15k miles... Probably why kbb trade in is insanely high.

[shoman24v]

Originally Posted by deviantspeed

My my 2017 longroof has been great. Neuspeed box, oil changes every 6 months and I keep it detailed. I drive fast, usually in sport mode to keep the rpms up.

6' and no issues with a rear facing seat. Seems to be a lot more room over say a gti.

I hit cpo soon, so deciding on keeping it or buying new with full warranty. I guess it's a 330ixT. Oh and under 15k miles... Probably why kbb trade in is insanely high.

Great info! Yeah, those low miles will keep the value up there for sure! I have an E39 Touring currently and I need something more baby seat friendly (doesn't have the anchors). My seat fits good in the center rear facing. It needs more time/work that I just don't have to devote to it anymore.

[deviantspeed]

Turnkey is good! My 2013 328i was good for the rear seats, obviously. Sensatec or whatever, was in cpo and the drivers seat split right above the controls. Dealer replaced it as "goodwill". I'm not that heavy!

Best of luck! If there is repair work, could be minor, it could be major. Could just be the lighting, too! Let us know how it goes.

[eff32fl]

Originally Posted by tturedraider

What is the build date of your cars? I wonder if they are early production models.

Mine is 7/2017

[shoman24v]

Just an update. The car is on its way to my CarMax location.

Another curious item on this car. Adaptive M Suspension. From what I read, this is close to impossible to find on a lot without special ordering it? What do you guys think?

[auburnf30x]

I wouldn't say it is impossible, but uncommon. To add to the confusion, the adaptive suspension could be ordered as a stand alone option without the other sport packages, I believe. Most used dealers wouldn't know enough to specify its presence, so you'd have to run the VIN to find out.

I believe it was also included with the dynamic handling package, which would be specified, and easier to find. But that's not a common package, either. You did luck out finding it.

[tturedraider]

Adaptive M suspension and Variable Sport steering are both part of the Track Handling pkg.

[schnellwagen]

Originally Posted by shoman24v

Just an update. The car is on its way to my CarMax location.

Another curious item on this car. Adaptive M Suspension. From what I read, this is close to impossible to find on a lot without special ordering it? What do you guys think?

I would say go for it!
I bought my 2017 330i last November with 20k miles on it and have put over 3k miles on it with no issues. I recommend the LCI F30 to everyone. It's a very good car, but it was rather overpriced when new. Now they're a great buy on the used market.

[auburnf30x]

Originally Posted by schnellwagen

I would say go for it!
I bought my 2017 330i last November with 20k miles on it and have put over 3k miles on it with no issues. I recommend the LCI F30 to everyone. It's a very good car, but it was rather overpriced when new. Now they're a great buy on the used market.

Geez...I need to stop taking joyrides.

I bought mine at the end of January and have put about 9k miles on it...

But, also no issues. Been reliable, fun, efficient, capable, and easy to work on.

[2017F30]

Hehe like how we’re all on the same page. 2017 330iX purchased in January with 18,000ish miles and currently at 21,250 miles. Went through the paperwork yesterday and verified mine is equipped with the driver assistance package - if this sounds surprising to me it absolutely is because the blind spot detection, lane departure, etc. have all remained disabled. Discovered the electric rear sunshade by fluke as well.