_h_r_ 2nd Gear April 7, 2015 Share April 7, 2015 I would like to seek your kind advice for my BMW 320i that has 1 year left to COE expiry. A few months ago, I spent more than $2K to change 4 shock absorbers, some defective sensors and resolve some oil leaks. Even after repair, it seems that more repairs are needed as there is a soft low-pitch hum when I accelerate and I can hear knocking noises when I go over uneven roads. There are no knocking noises when my car has 3 passengers or when the car goes through speed humps. Should I continue to pay to rectify these problems or just sell the car and get a new Japanese or Korean car which should be more reliable. The monthly cost for a new Altis is about the same as this BMW (~1K a month). ↡ Advertisement Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wt_know Supersonic April 7, 2015 Share April 7, 2015 (edited) new car ... new smell ... worry free ... priceless if it's a E90 M3 V8 then i would advise to fix it up swee swee, renew coe and continue to drive Edited April 7, 2015 by Wt_know Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_h_r_ 2nd Gear April 7, 2015 Author Share April 7, 2015 new car ... new smell ... worry free ... priceless if it's a E90 M3 V8 then i would advise to fix it up swee swee, renew coe and continue to drive I don't need a powerful car. To me, the E90 320i is adequate for my daily usage. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deividz 5th Gear April 7, 2015 Share April 7, 2015 I fix at JB. Reasonably priced and fast. Collect same day if not something major. PM me if you need the contact. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heman75 Supercharged April 7, 2015 Share April 7, 2015 I would like to seek your kind advice for my BMW 320i that has 1 year left to COE expiry. A few months ago, I spent more than $2K to change 4 shock absorbers, some defective sensors and resolve some oil leaks. Even after repair, it seems that more repairs are needed as there is a soft low-pitch hum when I accelerate and I can hear knocking noises when I go over uneven roads. There are no knocking noises when my car has 3 passengers or when the car goes through speed humps. Should I continue to pay to rectify these problems or just sell the car and get a new Japanese or Korean car which should be more reliable. The monthly cost for a new Altis is about the same as this BMW (~1K a month). getting new car would make more sense. not sure how much you going to spend for the one year down the road,,, Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_h_r_ 2nd Gear April 7, 2015 Author Share April 7, 2015 getting new car would make more sense. not sure how much you going to spend for the one year down the road,,, Alternatively, I can just drive the car with the problems until the COE expires unless they develop into something major. My friends said that a new Altis may not be better than my 9 year old BMW in terms of the overall experience. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loki Supersonic April 7, 2015 Share April 7, 2015 Alternatively, I can just drive the car with the problems until the COE expires unless they develop into something major. My friends said that a new Altis may not be better than my 9 year old BMW in terms of the overall experience. Did u just buy this car and does it have 3 previous transfer? If so, I know this car and my advice is to dump it and get new. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heman75 Supercharged April 7, 2015 Share April 7, 2015 Alternatively, I can just drive the car with the problems until the COE expires unless they develop into something major. My friends said that a new Altis may not be better than my 9 year old BMW in terms of the overall experience. I believe in Safety comes first. I can comprehend your feeling but again safety, especially if you frequently fetch ppl... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_h_r_ 2nd Gear April 7, 2015 Author Share April 7, 2015 I believe in Safety comes first. I can comprehend your feeling but again safety, especially if you frequently fetch ppl... The mechanic plugged in a computer and said that there was no fault code. There are also no jerks or oil leaks. I assume that he would have told me if he noticed something serious. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heman75 Supercharged April 7, 2015 Share April 7, 2015 The mechanic plugged in a computer and said that there was no fault code. There are also no jerks or oil leaks. I assume that he would have told me if he noticed something serious. as long as you have done your homework then should be ok lor. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roh96 6th Gear April 7, 2015 Share April 7, 2015 I would like to seek your kind advice for my BMW 320i that has 1 year left to COE expiry. A few months ago, I spent more than $2K to change 4 shock absorbers, some defective sensors and resolve some oil leaks. Even after repair, it seems that more repairs are needed as there is a soft low-pitch hum when I accelerate and I can hear knocking noises when I go over uneven roads. There are no knocking noises when my car has 3 passengers or when the car goes through speed humps. Should I continue to pay to rectify these problems or just sell the car and get a new Japanese or Korean car which should be more reliable. The monthly cost for a new Altis is about the same as this BMW (~1K a month). Knocking sound is likely from mechanical parts like joints, steering rack etc. Don't think computer can diagnose this type of faults. It is good to get it checked where the faulty part that causes the knocking, assess the risk on safety. If no risk, just live with it till COE expires. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_h_r_ 2nd Gear April 7, 2015 Author Share April 7, 2015 (edited) Knocking sound is likely from mechanical parts like joints, steering rack etc. Don't think computer can diagnose this type of faults. It is good to get it checked where the faulty part that causes the knocking, assess the risk on safety. If no risk, just live with it till COE expires. My mechanic told me that my BMW had no more problems except for a power steering hose leak which was minor. He told me to monitor the leak and replace the hose at the next opportunity. I think the leak is what is causing the low pitch humming noise when I accelerate. He also said that the knocking noises are not uncommon as a car this old would have hardened rubber parts and I cannot expect it to drive like a brand new car. Unless there is a visible defect, I might end up replacing part after part and not solve the problem. The knocking noises started after the mechanic changed all 4 suspensions. I think the e90 320i is an extremely unreliable car. I asked him if I should do up the car and renew COE for 10 more years and he advised me not to renew as this car would not last another 10 years. Edited April 7, 2015 by _h_r_ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Furrynadz 5th Gear April 7, 2015 Share April 7, 2015 My mechanic told me that my BMW had no more problems except for a power steering hose leak which was minor. He told me to monitor the leak and replace the hose at the next opportunity. I think the leak is what is causing the low pitch humming noise when I accelerate. He also said that the knocking noises are not uncommon as a car this old would have hardened rubber parts and I cannot expect it to drive like a brand new car. Unless there is a visible defect, I might end up replacing part after part and not solve the problem. The knocking noises started after the mechanic changed all 4 suspensions. I think the e90 320i is an extremely unreliable car. I asked him if I should do up the car and renew COE for 10 more years and he advised me not to renew as this car would not last another 10 years. when u change all absorber, did u change the arb bushes and drop links at the same time? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TameDriver Twincharged April 7, 2015 Share April 7, 2015 (edited) TS, did u drive this car for the past 9 yrs or bought it preowned? Whichever, don't expect too much from a 9 yr old car, probably with >150k mileage. Even the most carefully maintained bmw with low usage would still need parts replaced with wear & tear to just simply due to our kind of weather, eg. Hardening or cracked rubber parts. The OBC diagnosis is limited to electrical parts. Mechanical matters still have to be detected by the mechanic, usually after your complaint. As for the knocking noises. Get your mechanic to check the arm brushings Edited April 7, 2015 by TameDriver 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deividz 5th Gear April 7, 2015 Share April 7, 2015 My mechanic told me that my BMW had no more problems except for a power steering hose leak which was minor. He told me to monitor the leak and replace the hose at the next opportunity. I think the leak is what is causing the low pitch humming noise when I accelerate. He also said that the knocking noises are not uncommon as a car this old would have hardened rubber parts and I cannot expect it to drive like a brand new car. Unless there is a visible defect, I might end up replacing part after part and not solve the problem. The knocking noises started after the mechanic changed all 4 suspensions. I think the e90 320i is an extremely unreliable car. I asked him if I should do up the car and renew COE for 10 more years and he advised me not to renew as this car would not last another 10 years. Hose leak will cause low power steering fluid which explains the sound. Hose not expensive. I'll fix if I were you. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coolad 5th Gear April 8, 2015 Share April 8, 2015 Older BMW 4-potter(N46) got alot of inherent issues.... balancer shaft out of sync/ engine oil leaks and not to mention the taxi sound... BMW NA era... better stick to their 6-potter which they are renown for.. mechanically sound and honed to perfection.... The newer force induced 4-pot blocks (N13/N16/N20) are better though... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_h_r_ 2nd Gear April 8, 2015 Author Share April 8, 2015 when u change all absorber, did u change the arb bushes and drop links at the same time? No, I only changed all 4 absorbers and the 2 front absorber top mounts. The sound seems to be coming from the rear. Older BMW 4-potter(N46) got alot of inherent issues.... balancer shaft out of sync/ engine oil leaks and not to mention the taxi sound... BMW NA era... better stick to their 6-potter which they are renown for.. mechanically sound and honed to perfection.... The newer force induced 4-pot blocks (N13/N16/N20) are better though... You are absolutely right that that 6 cylinder is much better, but cost of ownership for the 6 cylinder is also much higher. The 320i is good enough for me as I drive like a tortoise. My car sounds like a taxi from outside and it has the notorious ticking noise. The noise cannot be heard when I am inside the car. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_h_r_ 2nd Gear April 8, 2015 Author Share April 8, 2015 (edited) TS, did u drive this car for the past 9 yrs or bought it preowned? Whichever, don't expect too much from a 9 yr old car, probably with >150k mileage. Even the most carefully maintained bmw with low usage would still need parts replaced with wear & tear to just simply due to our kind of weather, eg. Hardening or cracked rubber parts. The OBC diagnosis is limited to electrical parts. Mechanical matters still have to be detected by the mechanic, usually after your complaint. As for the knocking noises. Get your mechanic to check the arm brushings I bought it used. My mechanic told me that this car is known to have lots of problems, which explains why the depreciation for this used car (some used units are as low as ~$10K per year) is considerably lower than used IS250 (~$15K per year) and used C180 (~$15K per year). Heck, it is even lower than used Jap or Korean cars such as the Altis, Civic and Avante. Edited April 8, 2015 by _h_r_ ↡ Advertisement Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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