ALL About BMW 3 series (ALL generation)

[Throttle2]

 

Oh I see. In my case I am hearing from owners who have experience with not just bmw but also other marque names. Naturally I take their advice more seriously than hearsay.

 

Good to know your rides are trouble free. Are you driving the current models? Apparently there are more electronics in the newer models compared to old ones. Any comments on the latest 3 series? Speaking of which I just googled and seems like 3 series is having a face lift, so the latest will soon be superceded.

 

I also have experience in other brands.

Moreover i very hands on one, can fix my own car even....also can save money.

 

I no money to drive current models. Too expensive.

Can only buy secondhand. Pai mia....

 

Comments on latest 3?

Looks very nice and sleek but lost the muscular look.

If made in Germany, can.

Otherwise forget it.

 

Havent stepped into Performance Motors since 2011

Now looking at Hyundai, mitsubishi ! Toyota and honda.

 

Must save money.

Edited May 11, 2015 by Throttle2

[Mercury1]

It really depends what you are looking for in a saloon car, if reliability is key then you should go for Lexus, performance & handling its the 3er (Thanks Throttle ). etc etc

 

I doubt the Lci will resolve much since it doesn't change the core build. The current 3er is actually fairly complex. My car threw out a error code due to some fault which went away after a restart, the fault was due to a "direction of travel error" threw out by the chassis dynamics. You can see how complex the system is from the below technical manual

http://www.bimmerpost.com/goodiesforyou/docs/03_F30_Chassis_Dynamics1.pdf

 

That said I always feel at home once seated in my car, I love how everything is so driver oriented. Never regretted buying one, the only disappointed is the lost of hydraulic steering in these new range of Bmw's.

 

 

Oh I see. In my case I am hearing from owners who have experience with not just bmw but also other marque names. Naturally I take their advice more seriously than hearsay.

 

Good to know your rides are trouble free. Are you driving the current models? Apparently there are more electronics in the newer models compared to old ones. Any comments on the latest 3 series? Speaking of which I just googled and seems like 3 series is having a face lift, so the latest will soon be superceded.

 

[Rayoflight]

Yo Bro,

 

No mods yet, I did fit a bluetooth OBD and connected to a Sony phone which I use to monitor engine rev.

 

Wah piang I feel your pain man, was it something protruding out which you reversed into? But hey if you'r fitting the M Sport bodykit its for the better

 

On Sunday someone rear ended me on the PIE, luckily it was only a bump but pushed in the rear diffuser. Had someone at J's Magic fix it today, then I hand itchy went and ordered the rear and roof spoiler too .

 

Exhaust wise quads will look great but be sure to hear how it sounds before fitting, I not used to those that are too loud (i.e eisenmann), also if you're installing quads you might wanna check if the Msport kit you're fitting can accommodate? Otherwise have to make adjustment later down the road when you do fit the,

 

 

Haha thats where im heading to tomorrow. Rear and roof spoiler.. Haha beng!!!

 

Quads are too alluring already.. And i dont have muscle power.. Later david suan me. Ai swee loud loud buay zao.. Like a pussy hahaha

 

After codewerx, i think 280nm of torque is quite solid leh for a 1.6l

 

Next facelift.. 316 will be using a 1.5l 3cyclinder and thats terrible..

Edited May 11, 2015 by Rayoflight

[inlinesix]

Haha thats where im heading to tomorrow. Rear and roof spoiler.. Haha beng!!!

 

Quads are too alluring already.. And i dont have muscle power.. Later david suan me. Ai swee loud loud buay zao.. Like a pussy hahaha

 

After codewerx, i think 280nm of torque is quite solid leh for a 1.6l

 

Next facelift.. 316 will be using a 1.5l 3cyclinder and thats terrible..

Not I suan hor. 1.6L not enough push hor.

 

This same engine produce 211hp & 280nm stock. Nothing surprising.

 

The new B38 block for 318 is the same for i8

[Detach8]

For those who talk about "electronics" and avoiding, you have clearly no idea what you are talking about. The last Japanese car that didn't have any electronics (discount the radio) in it is probably manufactured in 1990.

 

Almost every car has several computer "module" (or as one member here said "motherboard") in them. These are:

 

Central gateway (think of it as a computer bus or a network switch) which manages all the computers together

 

Engine management, or commonly known as ECU

 

Transmission management, if you have an automatic gearbox (or some manual gearbox also have a simple one)

 

Stability/traction control, ABS, brakes -- self explanatory

 

Cruise control -- if your car is equipped

 

HVAC, your air-conditioning system -- if you see a digital aircon temperature, it has a computer

 

Exterior lights -- if you see auto headlights, auto this auto that, it has a computer

 

Interior lights and door access, or what BMW calls "footwell management module" -- you open your door, the lights come on, you forgot to lock your door, the computer tells you, your mirror folds when you lock the car, etc.

 

Car infotainment computer -- as long as your car computer tells you your fuel consumption, or you can configure something in the car, it has a module for tat

 

Communications module, such as those for bluetooth or emergency assistance, or some cars even phone home for regular oil service, etc.

 

Security and access module -- your central locking system, keyless access system, etc.

 

Battery/electrical power management -- some car protect themselves from over-discharge, and cut auxiliary power so the car will be able to crank-start in a low battery situation

 

Instrument panel (your dashboard -- RPM and speed, etc.) is also a module on its own

 

AND many more...

 

Which Japanese and Korean car don't have some or all of these features these days?

 

Cars are full of computers. Almost every car has them nowadays. The DIFFERENCE is that it takes a lot of R&D and testing to get it right. And you will soon learn that the Germans and Japanese are one of the best at that (and the French probably the worst.)

 

The engine management computer itself is super complicated these days, with variable valve timing, variable ignition timing, variable this and variable that. There are a lot of sensors in the car, and Jap engines are no better. All the race for economy is making engines complicated, and I will not be surprised if the latest Jap car suffers from some software issues.

Edited May 11, 2015 by Detach8

[7hm]

From what I read from most guys here on MCF suggest that BMW reliability is really all about maintenance. I think it's clear to me that BMWs are not as hardy or resilient as the typical Toyota, but they give zero problems if cared for sufficiently. Am I understanding this correctly?

 

Despite that my family doesn't seem to like the idea of getting one since they know people who complain about BMWs.

I'm not adverse to the idea of having a BMW myself though

[Detach8]

It really depends what you are looking for in a saloon car, if reliability is key then you should go for Lexus, performance & handling its the 3er (Thanks Throttle ). etc etc

 

I doubt the Lci will resolve much since it doesn't change the core build. The current 3er is actually fairly complex. My car threw out a error code due to some fault which went away after a restart, the fault was due to a "direction of travel error" threw out by the chassis dynamics. You can see how complex the system is from the below technical manual

http://www.bimmerpost.com/goodiesforyou/docs/03_F30_Chassis_Dynamics1.pdf

 

That said I always feel at home once seated in my car, I love how everything is so driver oriented. Never regretted buying one, the only disappointed is the lost of hydraulic steering in these new range of Bmw's.

 

 

 

Nice link. That was what I was looking for -- it has information of the modules in the car, of which most actually already exists in the previous generation 3 series.

From what I read from most guys here on MCF suggest that BMW reliability is really all about maintenance. I think it's clear to me that BMWs are not as hardy or resilient as the typical Toyota, but they give zero problems if cared for sufficiently. Am I understanding this correctly?

 

Despite that my family doesn't seem to like the idea of getting one since they know people who complain about BMWs.

I'm not adverse to the idea of having a BMW myself though

 

Firstly, mindset is the key. If you buy a car thinking it shouldn't need to be maintained (trust me there are people like this), then please buy a 2005 Toyota Camry and renew COE.

 

Secondly, money. If you spend all your money on a car to the limits of what you can afford then obviously the maintenance of the car will suffer. There are people like this too, for sure, just because they want to own a branded car. Unfortunately, BMW, Audi and some Merc suffer from this kind of owners.

 

Lastly, knowledge. If you know a thing or two about cars you'll naturally know how to take care of it. If you don't know how to change a tyre or jump start a car, by all means buy a 2005 Toyota Camry, renew COE, and sign up as an AA member.

Edited May 11, 2015 by Detach8

[Detach8]

... but they give zero problems if cared for sufficiently. Am I understanding this correctly?

 

Well, this is all about heng/sway also. No statistics to prove but I'm led to believe that there are more lemon BMW than there are Toyotas out there in the past decade or two given how complex the cars are. But for current-day models, the Jap or Korean cars are equally complicated.

 

If you take a look at the Mazda 3 thread here in MyCarForum you'll see that there are similar complaints to what we're used to hear of the conti cars in the last decade or so -- cars stalling, squeaking noises, infotainment computer rebooting, weird functions they can't change, etc. These are all not uncommon, but probably less publicised.

[Miles]

Wah, heng ah, you made me feel more relieved. A number of people told me to stay away from BMW because of the electronics.

 

wont be BMW if there is totally no issues. i do have other non electronics irritating minor issues.

[Miles]

If you need the space and can get past its looks, the 3-series GT (F34) cabin feels bigger than the 5-series. There is more headroom and the extra 20cm over the regular 3-er mostly goes into the cabin. Boot space feels bigger too because of the high boot.

 

Handling will feel closer to the 3-er with a lower weight and smaller footprint

 

However price is too close to the 5-series, you may feel shortchanged with the interior trim. Probably why you don't see many on the roads.

 

AD stopped bringing in 3GT. Only on indent basis.

 

3GT cabin indeed more legroom than 5er, even7er or about the same. But narrower shoulder room. Boot is huge. Trim is actually same as 3er luxury or sport trim, which is high. Wont feel short changed as it has almost everything 5er has, except mechanical handbrake vs electronic parking brake for 5er. Its price between 5er business and luxury. Quite high OMV.

[Miles]

For those who talk about "electronics" and avoiding, you have clearly no idea what you are talking about. The last Japanese car that didn't have any electronics (discount the radio) in it is probably manufactured in 1990.

 

Almost every car has several computer "module" (or as one member here said "motherboard") in them. These are:

 

Central gateway (think of it as a computer bus or a network switch) which manages all the computers together

 

Engine management, or commonly known as ECU

 

Transmission management, if you have an automatic gearbox (or some manual gearbox also have a simple one)

 

Stability/traction control, ABS, brakes -- self explanatory

 

Cruise control -- if your car is equipped

 

HVAC, your air-conditioning system -- if you see a digital aircon temperature, it has a computer

 

Exterior lights -- if you see auto headlights, auto this auto that, it has a computer

 

Interior lights and door access, or what BMW calls "footwell management module" -- you open your door, the lights come on, you forgot to lock your door, the computer tells you, your mirror folds when you lock the car, etc.

 

Car infotainment computer -- as long as your car computer tells you your fuel consumption, or you can configure something in the car, it has a module for tat

 

Communications module, such as those for bluetooth or emergency assistance, or some cars even phone home for regular oil service, etc.

 

Security and access module -- your central locking system, keyless access system, etc.

 

Battery/electrical power management -- some car protect themselves from over-discharge, and cut auxiliary power so the car will be able to crank-start in a low battery situation

 

Instrument panel (your dashboard -- RPM and speed, etc.) is also a module on its own

 

AND many more...

 

Which Japanese and Korean car don't have some or all of these features these days?

 

Cars are full of computers. Almost every car has them nowadays. The DIFFERENCE is that it takes a lot of R&D and testing to get it right. And you will soon learn that the Germans and Japanese are one of the best at that (and the French probably the worst.)

 

The engine management computer itself is super complicated these days, with variable valve timing, variable ignition timing, variable this and variable that. There are a lot of sensors in the car, and Jap engines are no better. All the race for economy is making engines complicated, and I will not be surprised if the latest Jap car suffers from some software issues.

 

Absolutely agree. But i also know that any running on software codes will not be immune to bugs. Just like human beings will never be perfect. There will be fail safe workarounds to ensure if any codes run into error, other components takeover to ensure the machine runs smoothly.

 

I am just amazed at the level of detail in which BMW uses electronics in their cars, to a point where the only mechanical parts are the wheels, engine, steering, brakes and the doors, bootlid and bonnet. And the newer ones with connected drive, remote access via a SIM card. Someday they probably can activate the car remotely via connected drive to "order" the car to drive "home" in autonomous driving mode.... if it is legally allowed. Drunk driving will be a thing of the past.

 

Wont be surprise when Apple starts building cars (if they ever do), everything will operated by wire including the power train, doors and wheels (4 wheels LSD?) and probably a billion sensors covering the whole car.

[Throttle2]

The future scares me sometimes.......

[inlinesix]

Electronic make my life easier.

 

Eg, when i locked car door, i don't have to care whether my passenger is closed their door or not. Electronic will take care of it.

 

In case of emergency, it will also make life easier. Eg, when BMW crashed, it will automatically unlock all 4 doors, switch on hazard light & kill the engine.

The future scares me sometimes.......

 

Autonomous driving is going to be a reality in 5 yrs.

[Damienic]

 

Well, this is all about heng/sway also. No statistics to prove but I'm led to believe that there are more lemon BMW than there are Toyotas out there in the past decade or two given how complex the cars are. But for current-day models, the Jap or Korean cars are equally complicated.

 

If you take a look at the Mazda 3 thread here in MyCarForum you'll see that there are similar complaints to what we're used to hear of the conti cars in the last decade or so -- cars stalling, squeaking noises, infotainment computer rebooting, weird functions they can't change, etc. These are all not uncommon, but probably less publicised.

 

Just one more question. Heard that BMWs have higher incidence of engine overheating issues than other rides. Is this true?

[Damienic]

 

wont be BMW if there is totally no issues. i do have other non electronics irritating minor issues.

 

Actually I'm not expecting issues free for my ride. In fact, I can accept certain minor issues popping up and there, as long as it is not those major issues like gearbox failure and etc. I'm the type who would be willing to spend money and time on maintenance of my ride.

 

My previous ride, the Saab, also have some sort of nitty gritty issues from time to time and I can accept it. Am just asking around to clear my doubts on things that I have heard. Sometimes I do wonder is it those complaints on conti rides I heard coming from ex owners of Toyota and Honda who expects problem free cars with little maintenance required? That may explain why a little bit of issues popping up when they try BMWs and it kind of freaks them out. I do feel that one should be some what of a car enthusiast to be able to appreciate the joy in owning a ride like BMW.

[east41st]

 

 

Firstly, mindset is the key. If you buy a car thinking it shouldn't need to be maintained (trust me there are people like this), then please buy a 2005 Toyota Camry and renew COE.

 

Secondly, money. If you spend all your money on a car to the limits of what you can afford then obviously the maintenance of the car will suffer. There are people like this too, for sure, just because they want to own a branded car. Unfortunately, BMW, Audi and some Merc suffer from this kind of owners.

 

Lastly, knowledge. If you know a thing or two about cars you'll naturally know how to take care of it. If you don't know how to change a tyre or jump start a car, by all means buy a 2005 Toyota Camry, renew COE, and sign up as an AA member.

 

Actually I am not even comparing with Japanese cars.

 

I am just comparing amongst these makes - Merc, BMW, Volvo, Audi. My experience being primarily Merc and Volvo.

 

I admit I am not an engineering person (I go mainly for looks ) so I leave servicing and maintenance to authorised dealer. Perhaps I have been lucky as the only problem I had was a flat battery and blown bulb for the merc, and faulty electronic steering lock and erratic signal light on the volvo. The flat battery was a tat embarrasing as I could not start the car in a public area. The electronic steering lock issue I had to call a tow truck as the car also could not start. Otherwise I have not met with any engine or mechanical issue or such. So overall in my books this is considered reliable enough and trouble free.

 

As for noisy seats, upholstery and joints, or creaking body sounds etc, they are more a matter of finishing and refinement. I understand and do not expect BMW to be as refined in this area as say Merc or Lexus.

[inlinesix]

 

Actually I am not even comparing with Japanese cars.

 

I am just comparing amongst these makes - Merc, BMW, Volvo, Audi. My experience being primarily Merc and Volvo.

 

I admit I am not an engineering person (I go mainly for looks ) so I leave servicing and maintenance to authorised dealer. Perhaps I have been lucky as the only problem I had was a flat battery and blown bulb for the merc, and faulty electronic steering lock and erratic signal light on the volvo. The flat battery was a tat embarrasing as I could not start the car in a public area. The electronic steering lock issue I had to call a tow truck as the car also could not start. Otherwise I have not met with any engine or mechanical issue or such. So overall in my books this is considered reliable enough and trouble free.

 

As for noisy seats, upholstery and joints, or creaking body sounds etc, they are more a matter of finishing and refinement. I understand and do not expect BMW to be as refined in this area as say Merc or Lexus.

 

I don't leave everything to AD. I still do my own checking. Things like water lever & oil lever.

 

As my car annual mileage is about 12k, i even do a oil change in btw.

 

If battery has been used for 2 yrs, it is always better to ask technician to check it every time you sent it in for servicing. It is better to change it if it still got 40% life.

 

A lot of ppl also nvr check tyre pressure.

[Mercury1]

Btw the new bmw have no oil dipstick (seriously wtf)

 

Like you I also like to do out of service oil change between service intervals , when I had pml did it the scuff the paintwork. Really champion man.

 

 

I don't leave everything to AD. I still do my own checking. Things like water lever & oil lever.

 

As my car annual mileage is about 12k, i even do a oil change in btw.

 

If battery has been used for 2 yrs, it is always better to ask technician to check it every time you sent it in for servicing. It is better to change it if it still got 40% life.

 

A lot of ppl also nvr check tyre pressure.