benpaul12

Having owned an E39, two E46s and an E87 I was very surprised how reliable they were, they were all jap imports too. Even the E39 - which had 250,000kms when I bought it was fine! Even though everyone's situations are different and perhaps I had some good luck I find that BMW has an unfair reputation of unreliable.

Had it back for 2 days now and running much better. 2 coil packs replaced in total (1 more in the recent drop off). This has solved the misfire during normal running (so far). The engine doesn't feel amazing after a cold start, but isn't running anywhere near as rough as before. Someone on the VASK forum and other forums has pointed out that this is a very common issue on FSI engines that's resolved by a carbon buildup clean. Am going to live with this for the time being as apparently it doesn't improve anything else (performance, economy).

^ Yeah I had a mk4 Polo and it was a dog's breakfast when it came to sensors throwing whoopsies. I'm happy that this Golf is under warranty, so the car will continue to go back until it's all fixed - if it keeps causing problems it will just have to go back... lol

Funnily enough I took it back to the dealer this morning as the light came back on and running rough again - misfiring. Let's see what they replace now.

Interesting. Before you upgraded it, how did you find the reliability of the engine etc.? And yes, it is I.

Tell me more? How come only some models do?

haha yes I have seen how much they are! Parts came ex Germany so maybe they did go for new?!

Picked up today, they've replaced the NOX sensor and the coils. Hopefully it's all sorted now - feels much better.

As it's under warranty from the dealer (3 months) they will probably try and fix it in the most cost effective manner - but again, that could also equal not fixing the problem at all

Thanks, it is going back in next week. I have a feeling this will be interesting.

No more BMW have bought a 2005 Golf GT - was the only decent thing available at a good price, BMWs were either too old or too expensive! Anyway... One day after buying the car (from a dealer) the engine light came on. As it's under 3 month warranty it went back, it was due to the knock sensor which has been reset - engine light hasn't come on again (had it for a few days now). I had a feeling that the engine light was tripped because I put 98 in the tank - perhaps this shocked the car after probably running on 91 fumes (good-damn dealers). While the engine light was on the idle after starting up (cold) was rough. After getting underway the car is fine and does not rough idle at all. This was resolved when I picked up the car. However, this morning the rough idle following cold start has returned. The rev counter isn't bouncing around, it's more of a car shake - feeling like misfires. Looking around on forums this sounds like a difficult issue to diagnose, and many owners say it's common - and not actually a problem. Something you just have to deal with. Has anyone experienced this or have any ideas? I am in a position where a non-diagnosed issue which is not easy to fix is difficult to argue when taking a car back to a dealer.

Thanks Glenn.

Anybody?

Had an issue for a wee while now, after a long, higher-speed, windy drive (non-commute driving) the front left wheel/strut area of the car makes a creaking noise at lower speeds when turning right. The noise is not a metallic grinding, but like a low grind or similar to worn shock sound. Someone at the Shock Shop end of last year looked at it, drove it, and found nothing. A recent wheel alignment hasn't solved the issue. I never get the noise on commutes, it always seems to be on longer drives when "pulling-in" to the location. Once the car sits for an hour or overnight - doesn't replicate again until the next long drive. Anybody got an idea on what this could be? I am going to take it in end of next month, just seeing if anyone can point me in the right direction. Seems to me as if it is when the car has to exert itself or some parts produce some heat etc.

Does anyone know the answer to this?

I don't think they have, if anything it seems to me that Mercedes and BMW have retained and increased their soul. While all Audi's share their platform across the VW group vehicles and they all look the same - they've gone in the same direction as the Jap carmakers. The 2 series is a blot on this view though.

Thanks mate! That's the one!!

I used to contribute and read a reliability website quite often, I think it was a US site but had many contributors from around the world too (public). Can anyone remember what this site was? It was very basic looking, I think it used a yellow colour scheme and you could generally search any car. It was a good place to look up people's stories about what they'd done and how the cars ran.

^ yeah it is. There's no RFT version of the similar technology found in the RE003s. Keep an eye out for the 25% off deal they do either on the 4th tyre or on the 2nd tyre at Bridgestone, they did it around May last year...

I get the feeling that 6 hosts won't be presenting all the time. There will be a small, core group (such as Le Blanc and Evans) and then the others would chime in with particular cars. I wouldn't be surprised if they have interjecting review snippets between longer segments. This is where I see the other hosts coming in...

Youi is a joke. They ask more questions, but those questions don't really have any weighting on the insurance - other than making it more expensive! They eventually came in a bit cheaper than ASB, but only because I told them they weren't competitive and then when I asked what the excess was it was $2k! The only lowered this to match ASB when I told them it was a joke. Once they got the price down I decided to go ahead, but when organising contents they informed me that I couldn't do it in my house because there are 4 other flatmates. It was a complete waste of time and everyone I talk to seems to have the same opinion.

The new Top Gear will be good if they keep away from trying to replicate too much from the old show, I think having so many hosts is indicating that there will be a bit going on in each episode with differing car reviews. I don't mind that they're keeping The Stig, it's a good, iconic element and the power-lap times is a great feature. If it's about cars, I'll watch. Without illegal downloading, will we see the Clarkson/Hammond/May Amazon series here?

ASB for contents and car. I've had about 2 claims with them and they've been excellent. I know people who've had quotes from them and found them too expensive, but $65 for full cover on my car can't be beaten by anyone else...

Me too. I see a gun-metal e46 318 around Ellerslie that has one...

Welcome! I've got a 130i too while it is a little small at times, it's the best beemer I've had from my e39/e46s!