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BMW e90 320i


_h_r_
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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).

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(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 by Wt_know
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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.

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Supercharged

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,,,

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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.

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Supersonic

 

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.

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Supercharged

 

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...

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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.

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Supercharged

 

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.

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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.

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(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 by _h_r_
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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?

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(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 by TameDriver
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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.

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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...

 

 

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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.

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(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 by _h_r_
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