Driftit 1968 Report post Posted July 14, 2009 Or lack of. Have been looking at getting an E36 for the family. Is it just me or is the interior of an E36 total rubbish? Nearly every car I have looked at has had broken door trims and/or handles. Most of them have sagging Head linings. Ether the Air con or Heater doesn't work. Fuel gauges work when they feel like it. And speakers are all blown. The drivers and passenger seats wiggle around like they have been maintaining a 150kg ass. This is not just one car. I have looked at 6 E36's in the last week. Mostly late model ones. 97-98 etc. They have all been rubbish. All the cars I looked at had around 100,000 - 130,000kms. Gone off them now. Have started to look at A Class Mercs instead. Now thats a kick in the balls for the E36. Would much rather spend the extra and go for another E39 if I was able to. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bimmer boy 21 Report post Posted July 14, 2009 Yep they are all very common faults on E36's seems every things seems to come unstuck and fail. thankfully mine has none of those problems! Not bad for a car with 170,000kms Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jochen 4 Report post Posted July 14, 2009 Mostly late model ones. 97-98 etc Late model? It's 2009 now, heading rapidly towards 2010 A 97-98 E36 is now more than 10 years old And a car that has been around for more than a decade will start to show wear and tear.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
greenday-rulz21 5 Report post Posted July 14, 2009 Wow, intense. I don't see the quality issues with E36's! My '99's (170k's) headliner, door panels and everything works perfectly. Maybe its just the examples you've looked at. Usually if they're looked after well then they're in pretty good condition. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mark 178 Report post Posted July 14, 2009 Yes, the interior quality of an E36 can be rubbish.... compared to other luxury cars I find it pretty darn impressive though compared to many other 10 year old cars. Drove a brand new Holden Colorado ute today. Interior was crappy black plastic with painted silver accents (paint was already coming off), Flimsy glovebox and door cards, speakers rattled at even the sight of a bass frequency, horrible blanking plates to cover up switches for options not ticked on the option list. Overall just shitty, would rather have a well-used E36! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mike 1 Report post Posted July 14, 2009 my olds e36 is pretty terrible too, sagging headliner, broken trims and handles, climate control busted but that was easy fix. E30's seem to hold up way better (as long as you dont count cracked dashes, broken sunroof handles, worn seats or broken gloveboxes) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Driftit 1968 Report post Posted July 14, 2009 (edited) Late model? It's 2009 now, heading rapidly towards 2010 A 97-98 E36 is now more than 10 years old And a car that has been around for more than a decade will start to show wear and tear.... Late Model E36's. Otherwise I would have stated other model numbers. I know they are over 10 years old. I am just really dissipointed in the ones I have seen. Mechanicaly they were all sound. We decided to go for a A class merc now anyway though. Would have still prefered to keep it BMW. But just did not find a well maintained one around. Oh and your right mike. I have seen many a 20+ year old E30 in better everyday condition. Edited July 14, 2009 by driftit Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lucan 196 Report post Posted July 14, 2009 My E36 only has a semi sagged headliner (once it starts going downhill, the windows open make it worse) otherwise ive had none of the other problems and mines done over 210k!! sounds like the quality of E36s on here's pretty good considering the "common" problems! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
3 SERIES 92 Report post Posted July 14, 2009 (edited) How much are you looking at spending? Maybe you should look at better examples that a worth a little more? Look to buy an E36 off someone who has looked after it ie: full service history and not an 18 year old kid who has thrashed the nuts out of it and does not give two shits if the A/C works. Yes, a lot of E36's seem to have sagging door cards or roof liner but I really dont think this constitutes you calling them total rubbish! I took 7 months to find my E36. Took my time and brought sensibly and never had a problem. Mine has none of those faults you mention Maybe buy an E30. They seem to be the bees knees Edited July 14, 2009 by 3 SERIES Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yuen 16 Report post Posted July 14, 2009 Not of any use now that you've made your decision. But perhaps for the future... yes the E36 interior is worse than E39 and a lot of other BMWs, but I've found that's more common in Japanese imports. NZ New cars seem to be better. Most of the E36 problems are to do with glue - sagging headlining and doorpanels. I think that glue holds a bit better in the NZ climate. Not sure about the other things you mention though - blown speakers etc. But yeah many E36s (if not all?) come with Nokia speakers, hardly the best. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mark247 38 Report post Posted July 14, 2009 My e36 has done 190,000km and the right door card if stuffed. That's all. And it costs bugger all to get fixed I have been lead to believe. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Driftit 1968 Report post Posted July 14, 2009 Yes, a lot of E36's seem to have sagging door cards or roof liner but I really dont think this constitutes you calling them total rubbish! I didn't. I called the interior of the ones I looked at Rubbish. I was looking for answers as to why they may be like this. 3pedals helped me answer this. I don't care that your one has none of those faults. Lucky for those that let me know. The cars I was looking at were all Jap imports. Sorry if I hurt anyones feelings by bashing their beloved E36 interiors. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
3 SERIES 92 Report post Posted July 14, 2009 (edited) ^^^ Is it just me or is the interior of an E36 total rubbish? Edited July 14, 2009 by 3 SERIES Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Driftit 1968 Report post Posted July 14, 2009 Dont worry. You will get over it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JaseNZ 53 Report post Posted July 14, 2009 mine had those same sort of problems but was an easy and cheap fix to most of them. $60 per door card to make them better than before you can even choose your material type and colour. Cracked outer door seals cost me $40 off of ebay for the set of 4 and took me maybe 30 mins to replace them all. Mine is at 180k now but is in mint condition. It may not cost you as much to bring up an e36 to a standard you want. Just my opinion. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
*Glenn* 854 Report post Posted July 14, 2009 Dan... you better ring me "DONT BUY AN A CLASS MERC" Common problems: Gear box failures.. not a matter of if...its when Trans computers Starter motors....drop the motor down to do it Water pump....virtualy remove motor Oil level sensor.....drop the motor down Ign coil packs Air mass sensor...combined with DME control unit Power steering pumps Steering column Rear suspension arm bushes Interior trims fall to pieces And besides all that...theyre friggen ugly Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Driftit 1968 Report post Posted July 14, 2009 Hah cheers for the heads up Glenn Even at 50,000kms? I would be bringing it into you to have a look at anyway Glenn. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Braeden320 0 Report post Posted July 14, 2009 E36 and A Class mercs are hardly comparable cars IMO, totally different style of car built to service different markets. A Class looks like a shoping trolley. My 2c. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
martyyn 2 Report post Posted July 14, 2009 Glenn has beaten me to it. We looked at A-classeseses last year and they are RUBBISH. We had the best one we could find tested and yet it still had a fault sheet as long as my arm....it was two pages. They look like fantastic little town cars, but the gearboxes were usually knackered, the interiors were falling apart, they ride was harsh. If you want an alternative to an e36, get a Focus. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AzonicNick 0 Report post Posted July 14, 2009 My kiwi new 95 with FSH has a immaculate interior, but I know some people who think the interior isnt that hard wearing at all. I guess it comes down to the examples you were looking at. There are a few tidy examples out there but they are getting harder to find. I was looking for one for about two months but expected to be looking for much longer. Mine is nearly 15 years old and so far its running perfectly apart from the passenger electric window which can play up the odd time. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
brockie123 31 Report post Posted July 15, 2009 when i was younger and used to work as a groomer at bmw nearly every e36 had these issues especially ti's door cards always seem to go.. but my dads e36 325i manual coupe is mint! nothing wrong with it! seems sturdy as all hell, has no rattles and seems like new.. and it's driven daily. i guess some just survive. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mikal 4 Report post Posted July 15, 2009 My drivers window plays up from time to time but other than that its all good.. no sagging etc. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
str8_6 270 Report post Posted July 15, 2009 My 1994 NZ New Coupe's interior is flawless. This is largely due to being babied it's whole life. It is easier to take care of though due to the colour - black with black leather. Most E36's especially those with light colour carpets/seats will be showing their age unless they have spent most of their lives locked away. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Driftit 1968 Report post Posted July 15, 2009 Well after all that and being warned the A class Mercs are a no go I went and had a look at a 97 318TI this afternoon. And was stoked it had only one of the problems I listed. The head lining. But I got it at a good price so will get the head lining repaired by Ben's Auto Trimmers on the Pak Highway. As you guys said. There is indeed good ones out there. Just a shame I had to look at so many sh*t overpriced ones first. Sister will be very happy with it I would think. Is a 97 318ti M-Sport in Silver. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AzonicNick 0 Report post Posted July 15, 2009 Nice work, always rewarding after a good hunt. I paid a little premium to get into mine but it was most defiantly worth it. Having a tidy example is good! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
