Handling is great, reliability is terrible!

[mlk]

I got mine fully loaded 330cic ’04 in August with European Delivery and may tell you: Handling is great, reliability is terrible!
For just couple month:
1. Sliptronic problem, transmission changed
2. Rattle sound from driver’s seat, SA tries to find so far.
3. Terrible subwoofer rattle, SA ordered parts.
4. Squeaks and rattling while driving when top is up.
5. Stitches on driver’s seat leather coming apart; (hey I’m not a Sumo fighter, only 180lb! J); service ordered
6. Small plastic yellow handle in trunk “Emergency release” didn’t stay in place. Plastic pin changed.
7. Couple times right hand door window didn’t jump down-up automatically while door is being closed.

Some stupid design things make me sick:
1. GPS user interface is terrible, compare to Garmin Street Pilot 3, for instance. Error with entry of street number in address book.
2. You can’t see info on CD track or radio station if GPS display is selected. Need to toggle display mode…
3. Why cell phone control button on the steering wheel doesn’t work as a stereo “mute” button if no integrated phone installed?
4. No media (CD, radio, AUX In) switch on the wheel.
5. No factory optional shock sensor (tilt only!) for alarm system. I installed by myself…

May be I’m so picky but give me your opinion….Thx!

 

[aNoodle]

Wow. You should go to work for BMW and make all of our cars better. I agree with every one of your suggestions.

As far as reliability and all those little tweaks, it sucks. I thought it was just me cuz I broke that old cardinal rule that says don't buy a car in the first year of a body style change. The thing is BMW is constantly upgrading and changing its parts throughout the life cycle to stay ahead of competition...sometimes for the worse (sliptronic). But the alternative would be a Honda Accord and who wants that?!?

I think if it weren't a BMW 3 series you'd never be so meticulous and discriminating in your review. The King of Road brings that out in people.

Just make them fix those tweaks before you're out of warranty!!!

 

[bmwrocks]

Your feature wish list is right on target. Great ideas. Send them to BMW, better yet SELL them to BMW.

Couple of questions/comments:
7. Couple times right hand door window didn’t jump down-up automatically while door is being closed. Your window has to be completely up for this to work. If it is down even a millimeter, it won't do this. Maybe that's what happened?

5. No factory optional shock sensor (tilt only!) for alarm system. I installed by myself… You installed this with the OEM alarm system? How did you do it?

2. You can’t see info on CD track or radio station if GPS display is selected. Need to toggle display mode… You can in split screen mode, no?

 

[epj3]

Some stupid design things make me sick:
1. GPS user interface is terrible, compare to Garmin Street Pilot 3, for instance. Error with entry of street number in address book.
2. You can’t see info on CD track or radio station if GPS display is selected. Need to toggle display mode…
3. Why cell phone control button on the steering wheel doesn’t work as a stereo “mute” button if no integrated phone installed?
4. No media (CD, radio, AUX In) switch on the wheel.
5. No factory optional shock sensor (tilt only!) for alarm system. I installed by myself…

May be I’m so picky but give me your opinion….Thx!

Germans seem to be anti-ergonomics, which explains 1 - 4. The fifth one is kind of surprising to me, but they probably did it due to complaints of false alarms.

 

[William330]

My 330Ci doors make the worst sound when closing, they go CLUNK.

Its neat how the window drops down for a second, but the sound
is odd. Both doors sound the same, and have since day one.

Is this normal?

I know Lexis is fanatical about sounds the car makes.

 

[theBMWenthusiast]

well that stinks guys, i feel for you becuase we are going through problems with our 740iL (not from defect but amount of driving/wear and tear) but im sorry to hear...hope BMW will make it right! BTW what BMW center do you take your cars for service?

 

[mlk]

Update of my initial post:
Car was in service (BMW of Mountain Viev, formerly Alisson BMW) and they called me tonight:
1. they heard rattle sound from the driver seat but "It appears too rare and we can't recognize from where, let's wait when it will be worse" - GOOD FIX!
2. they confirmed terrible rattling of subwoofer, but "with TEST CD FROM BMW it works fine and your CD sounds even worse ON OTHER 330's " - VERY GOOD EXPLANATION! Why this CD works fine everywhere else, even in my Mustang GT with MACH sound system.
So this quality of sound is normal for BMW330?
3. tomorrow I'll se how they re-stich my driver's set....
BMW quality..........to be continued

 

[bmwrocks]

2. they confirmed terrible rattling of subwoofer, but "with TEST CD FROM BMW it works fine and your CD sounds even worse ON OTHER 330's " - VERY GOOD EXPLANATION! Why this CD works fine everywhere else, even in my Mustang GT with MACH sound system.

Does it do it with all CDs you play in it? I say get a collection of CDs, preferably non-burned originals to avoid their blaming the CD, and sit in it with them and prove it. Unfortunate that you have to do this but I think it may your easiest avenue to getting them to fix it.

BTW my subwoofers never rattle, however I do have the classic annoying rattle in my passenger door speaker. Will have them fix it (again) next visit.

 

[deutsch100]

Hey mlk,

In regards to the annoying rattles when the top is up...the awesome people on our BMW board told me the fix to this problem that I had too. Took 4 weeks to get the dealer to do it. They did it and it is like a new car.

The problem is the rear shock absorber housing/shock mounts. The plastic coverings crack, and when driving with the top up it is so annoying. BMW is aware of the problem, but it is only fixed on a complaint basis. I printed all 8 or 10 responses I got from our BMW board and took them with me to the dealer. They read them all, contacted BMW, and agreed that they would replace my shock housings. The rattles are 100% gone.

For the rattles in the door that sound like the speaker.....It is not the speaker usually. If you spray some Silicone Spray (not WD-40) along the rubber/felt seal that the window goes into (along the cabrio top), the rattle goes away. Out cic tops are so snug fitting that the glass rubs on the rubbery-felty seal. I dd both windows and also 100% gone. I too thought it was the classic speaker rattle, but this solved the problem...a friend who is an auto magazine photofrapher told me about this fix.

I thought that BMWs from the last 5 years were virtually problem free, since they are always so highly rated and always win comparisons in auto mags........ I do love the way my cic handles, and now the rattles are gone (at least for now). I have to say that compared to MBZ, BMW build quality seems amazingly better. Very solid and the materials seem top notch!!