[jfawns76]

I have owned the car for exactly one year, bought a 2009 335i in May 2010 from a BMW dealer in Miami. I had it shipped to Atlanta and it arrived with 12 miles on the odometer.

At 15 miles (the day I took delivery) I noticed that the rear turn signal did not work, took it in for service and was repaired.

At 1k I noticed that only one key worked with the comfort access. I took the car in for the key to be reprogrammed; it ended up taking about 10 days to resolve the issue.

At 3k while driving home from work the car started jerking and completely shut off, luckily I was able to coast to the size of the road where it restarted in limp mode. As expected it was a faulty fuel pump. Again had to take it in for repairs.

At 7.3k miles (last Saturday) the car would not start, had a friend give me a jump and it started right away. I took it to the dealership and told them about it. They said the battery was fine but needed a throttle position sensor.

At 7.5k (this weekend and this morning) the car would not start again, same issue. Took it back to the dealership and now they are saying that if it needs a battery BMW will not cover it under warranty because I don’t drive the car enough. I informed the service rep that I have driven the car at least 1 hour a day since receiving the car (Atlanta traffic), and that should be sufficient to keep the battery charged. This has never been an issue with any other car I have ever had. He suggested I get a “trickle charger”. WTF?? Waiting to hear back from the dealership now.

I am wondering if this is typical of BMW ownership?? I have only had Japanese cars (Acura CL, Evo VIII, Infiniti FX) in the past and have never had a problem out of any of them. When it is running it I love it. Even considering doing a European delivery of the new M3 when it comes out in a couple years.

Jeb

[xxp0loxx]

research the lemon laws of GA. your car may not yet qualify, but is well on its way to making a grand appearance. tell your SA to actually read the maint history on the car before making a poorly educated recommendation.

Or talk to the General manager/BMWNA about your issues.

[benzo23]

Ahh yes the joys of owning a bmw. Wait till your cup holder breaks then you'll really be happy

[matrix76]

Had a similar problem with the battery that was causing electrical problems which they confirmed existed. They told me my battery was at 70% and needed to be replaced and I would have to pay for it. It's under warranty I said, only been a year, but they informed me that BMW will only replace a battery when it gets to 50%. I went on to tell them NP, then do whatever it takes to fix my electrical problems that I am sure are related to the battery. They called me a few days later and said my car was ready, they had to replace my battery to mix the problem.

Been fine since , ,

I still have a number of issues not resolved, car goes in for software update next week to fix high RPM at start up.

[N54bimmer]

They have little issues here and there, but our engines are rock solid, so are our transmissions. My car eats light bulbs like theres no tomorrow, but its covered and Ive never had any powertrain issues.

[electro-house]

No, the amount of times you have brought your car in for service is above average. I wouldn't expect that to maintain, though the car will require service more frequently than your prior Japanese rides. Pay attention to your HPFP failure, your car will probably be a lemon like mine is about to be.

[benzo23]

Oh cant forget all the oil leaks your looking forward too.

[cssnms]

Hopefully you leased it.

[listerone]

I had two prblems with my "d" in the two years I owned it.A malfunction of the AdBlue system (which your car doesn't have) and the alternator went south.Both took a week to fix because of the wait to get parts in from Germany.Given that my "d" was one of the first that BMW ever produced with the AdBlue system I'm willing to give them a pass on that.So that leaves the alternator.

[jfawns76]

Ok just got a call from the dealership they are covering the battery under warranty. Hopefully that will be it.

[JuppiOne]

no way this can be normal or typical for a BMW, granted they are not as reliable as the japanese, but certainly no where near the issues you have experienced, like the other post say, do some research on lemon law in your area.

[Legion5]

The 328i is actually the most reliable long term car in the world right now and it matches the Honda Civic in reliability. Unfortunately you own the model with the big engine, which is one of the least reliable cars on the market.

[Nalod]

Its not the norm.

Good luck! I hope your experience gets better!

[matrix76]

Originally Posted by jfawns76

Ok just got a call from the dealership they are covering the battery under warranty. Hopefully that will be it.

That's pretty much what they did with me in the end. Just should not have been handled the way they did it.

[bimmer2008]

which ATL dealership is this?

[hpowders]

Typical of BMW ownership? I have owned 4 BMWs since 1993. The only problem I ever had was a dying battery in my 2005 545i.

Draw your own conclusions.

[jfawns76]

Originally Posted by bimmer2008

which ATL dealership is this?

United BMW Gwinnett - They were fine just as I mentioned before seems like a lot of problems for year 1.

[jfawns76]

Originally Posted by hpowders

Typical of BMW ownership? I have owned 4 BMWs since 1993. The only problem I ever had was a dying battery in my 2005 545i.

Draw your own conclusions.

Good to know

[nichojo]

Originally Posted by jfawns76

United BMW Gwinnett - They were fine just as I mentioned before seems like a lot of problems for year 1.

I take mine to Global and they have always treated me wonderfully. If United ever gives you trouble, talk to Jeff Leising @ Global and he will steer you straight.

[Taipei-TT]

Every time I stomp my throttle pedal...I think I should have bought the 335.

Every time I read this board or pass by the maintenance facility without a care in the world...I'm glad I have my 325.

If my gf had a car or I had access to a car when my 335 broke, I would have taken my chances. But if I depend solely on my car (which I do), I could not accept the repair and maintenance needed to keep a 335 running well.

[ctt335i]

I have had absolutely no issues with my 335i other than the headlight washer that spontaneously flew out of its housing (that could have been a result of the highway speed at which I was travelling when I used them) and the HPFP recall (it never went out or showed signs of impending failure).

I have a 2011 G37 as a rental this week (thank you Avis) with 120 miles on it and it already has an awful buzzing coming from the steering column at highway speeds and the passenger side window won't roll down and none of the accessory outlets work despite me changing the fuse out myself. As your vehicle woes are atypical, I guess there are anomalies with Japanese makes as well.

[DeepD.Fast.Rider]

Man....Ok Ive owned now 6 BMWs in the past 11 years. 5 Series, X3 finally settled on the 3 Coupe. My last 4 were Coupes 320 E46 -> 325 E92 -> 335 E92 -> 335 E93. Appart from the One unlucky 335 E92, coupled with the local dealer's lack of far sightedness (dealing with one issue per visit) in UK (SCOTHALL) my experience by large seems to be OK with them. The 335 I had, I posted a bad review of it. I have found that the new cars are very electronic heavy, and thus the chance for something to screw up has increased. They are definately not as bullet proof as the older cars. My old 5 Series, andE46 were absolutely the best cars Ive OWNED, and Ive pelted the cars, squeezed turns, but the pickup was not like it is now so...the E92's handle better, but give up a lot sooner than the older cars.

The first E92 325 I had, the older engine, 2.5 L one was absolutely Kick ass, no problems in 2 years I owned it, and it drove like "the ultimately driving Machine"

My second E92 was the 335 after 32K had over 5,000 Pounds worth of repairs needed, Fuel Pump, Engine Sump LEakage, Gear Box leakage, Air Con Vents Broke internally,Coolant Leakage, Navigation Screen Faded..It was a disaster, I gotrid of it ASAP.

My Third E93 335 I bought at 2 years old, but it seems to be in very good shape, ITs now done 4000 Miles with me , it has had aHPFP replacement, and no other work (touch wood). Its good.

So In my opnion, I would say sometimes its just pot luck but moreover, once they drive well for 2 months, they will go one year without any issue, you will enjoy it more than any other car (excet a lambo, Aston MArtin or ferrari)

I have learnt one thing about the BMs though, never go for a brand new car, go for one which has atleast 2000 Miles on it, because chances are that the teething problems are ironed out. Unfortunately BMW, and Moreso Mercs have become so commercial, they sell like Hotcakes, and means that as the number of cars sold per year ges up, so the the fraction of unrealibility in quantity. Sad....but this is the way of corporates.

I would say if it you go back for silly things again, its too much unfortunately, just swap it for another car.