[jetblk328i]

This is probably very boring as you would rather read something like a 335 or 335 conv. review but here is my review of my baby.

pros:

1:The handling is superb i feel that when i turn the steering wheel it reacts so well.
2:The brakes are amazing, a couple days ago i was going down the road at night just me on the road and this pick up truck cuts me off i step real hard on the brakes, they stopped almost instantly...awesome.
3:The ability of my rear wheel drive on snow, it was actually quite good, no slipping, nothing.
4:fuel economy is still going up at 1500 miles:23.7 very pleased.
5:The interior quality /look/leatherette are great, not up to par with my A4 but very very good.
6:standard headlights are very bright, no xenons and i am happy but xenons woulda been nice.
7:the feel of the road: the suspension is better than my audi, less soft, i can feel every bump/crack in the road, i feel connected to the road.
8:Acceleration:The acceleration is great form the 230 horses, much beter than my 2.0T A4, i would be going 80 when i feel like im going 50.
9:Interior space is very good, i have had 4 adults in my car comfortably.

Cons:

1:not smooth gear shifts especially on hills, at 1500 miles the transmission should be broken into but still pretty unsmooth, will take to dealer soon.
2:Engine/road nose: the road noise is made by the runflats but is pretty loud, engine noise is pretty loud too when accelerating to even at idle.
3:Car seems to fog up a lot in the inside, no big deal but kinda annoying.
4: BMW free maintainence is a joke. 15000 per oil change that just sad.... glad to have it but they could do better.

So thats my review i hope that some people who are debating C klasse or IS250 or 328i or A4 can get some help from this.

I have a couple of questions:
1:Any 328i owners have my problems with road/engine noise and unsmooth gear shifts? How did you fix?
2:For car people:Is it ok for 15000 oil changes? i Plan on keeping for a long time so i guess i shouldbe doin 7500 but is 15000 ok? any damage?

[c56250]

Originally Posted by jetblk328i

This is probably very boring as you would rather read something like a 335 or 335 conv. review but here is my review of my baby.

2:Engine/road nose: the road noise is made by the runflats but is pretty loud, engine noise is pretty loud too when accelerating to even at idle.

I come from 2004 Acura TL and do agree with the above point. I am not sure if this is the way it is going to be. After 200 miles, I am getting use to it though.

I do think BMW NAV is a superb sytem-even better than what I had in my TL. It looks fantastic as well.

[c56250]

Originally Posted by c56250

I come from 2004 Acura TL and do agree with the above point. I am not sure if this is the way it is going to be. After 200 miles, I am getting use to it though.

I do think BMW NAV is a superb sytem-even better than what I had in my TL. It looks fantastic as well.

A couple of things that I am not crazy about my new cars (very minor)...

The sound quality of bluetooth and voice is not so great. Some of you who have driven TL would know what I am talking about.

I thought that the stock radio is so so-but not terrible.


The steering wheel feels very heavy. Is this normal?

[LEDZEP]

I'll assume you have steptronic transmission (otherwise the complaint about the rough shifts would sorta be your own fault)... the steptronic "learns" the drivers habits over time and adjusts the shift timing accordingly. If you tend to drive hard (jackrabbit starts, strong acceleration, etc.) the trans is going to hold your revs higher for you. The higher you're revving when the shift occurs the more you'll feel it. If you think it is rough beyond that, then you should ask your SA to take a look.

Do you have the Bridgestone all season EL-42 tires? If so, they are notorious for road noise. Hate to tell you, but it will only get worse over time. So far, I am thrilled with my 17" Contis on the new car... I had the EL-42's on the last one. Although we have them on the E91 also and they're not as bad. Luck of the draw with Bridgestione I guess.

[jetblk328i]

thanks, i don't really drive hard at all, sometimes a little punch in the gas. your conti's...are they runflats? do you know the model of the tires, i would need 16 inch cause i dont have sprot pkg. thanks, i think it is my EL 42s

[FotiosF90M5]

Originally Posted by jetblk328i

This is probably very boring as you would rather read something like a 335 or 335 conv. review but here is my review of my baby.

pros:

1:The handling is superb i feel that when i turn the steering wheel it reacts so well.
2:The brakes are amazing, a couple days ago i was going down the road at night just me on the road and this pick up truck cuts me off i step real hard on the brakes, they stopped almost instantly...awesome.
3:The ability of my rear wheel drive on snow, it was actually quite good, no slipping, nothing.
4:fuel economy is still going up at 1500 miles:23.7 very pleased.
5:The interior quality /look/leatherette are great, not up to par with my A4 but very very good.
6:standard headlights are very bright, no xenons and i am happy but xenons woulda been nice.
7:the feel of the road: the suspension is better than my audi, less soft, i can feel every bump/crack in the road, i feel connected to the road.
8:Acceleration:The acceleration is great form the 230 horses, much beter than my 2.0T A4, i would be going 80 when i feel like im going 50.
9:Interior space is very good, i have had 4 adults in my car comfortably.

Cons:

1:not smooth gear shifts especially on hills, at 1500 miles the transmission should be broken into but still pretty unsmooth, will take to dealer soon.
2:Engine/road nose: the road noise is made by the runflats but is pretty loud, engine noise is pretty loud too when accelerating to even at idle.
3:Car seems to fog up a lot in the inside, no big deal but kinda annoying.
4: BMW free maintainence is a joke. 15000 per oil change that just sad.... glad to have it but they could do better.

So thats my review i hope that some people who are debating C klasse or IS250 or 328i or A4 can get some help from this.

I have a couple of questions:
1:Any 328i owners have my problems with road/engine noise and unsmooth gear shifts? How did you fix?
2:For car people:Is it ok for 15000 oil changes? i Plan on keeping for a long time so i guess i shouldbe doin 7500 but is 15000 ok? any damage?

use the ac at whatever temp you want to keep the car from fogging. a/c = dehumidifier

[STE92VE]

Originally Posted by jetblk328i

1:not smooth gear shifts especially on hills, at 1500 miles the transmission should be broken into but still pretty unsmooth, will take to dealer soon.

Originally Posted by LEDZEP

I'll assume you have steptronic transmission (otherwise the complaint about the rough shifts would sorta be your own fault)...

Not clear whether he has the step or not but the rough shifts on a 6MT could be related to the dreaded CDV.

[BK]

Originally Posted by STE92VE

Not clear whether he has the step or not but the rough shifts on a 6MT could be related to the dreaded CDV.

I'm guessing step, too. I have no experience with them to say whether they shift hard or not. But with the 6MT, by 1500 miles, I would think he should be pretty used to the CDV by now. I don't really notice it anymore.

[jetblk328i]

i have step thanks

[ehhhwik]

i changed my oil at 8,000 fyi on my 328

[LEDZEP]

Originally Posted by jetblk328i

thanks, i don't really drive hard at all, sometimes a little punch in the gas. your conti's...are they runflats? do you know the model of the tires, i would need 16 inch cause i dont have sprot pkg. thanks, i think it is my EL 42s

I could look at my tires for the info, but they might be totally different for the 16" tires. Best thing to do is go to TireRack.com and put in your vehicle specs - then you'll be able to view all OEM tires, and they should have the Contis that would be OEM for your car.

Changing tires is your call... how many miles do you have on them? You might be able to get BMW to replace them (they have been doing this) if they are showing abnormal wear and have a lot of noise.

[c56250]

Originally Posted by LEDZEP

I could look at my tires for the info, but they might be totally different for the 16" tires. Best thing to do is go to TireRack.com and put in your vehicle specs - then you'll be able to view all OEM tires, and they should have the Contis that would be OEM for your car.

Changing tires is your call... how many miles do you have on them? You might be able to get BMW to replace them (they have been doing this) if they are showing abnormal wear and have a lot of noise.

After reading your posts re: your tire (Conti), I was really hoping for the same tires on my car (I had some issues with non-RF EL42 on my TL), but I was a bit disappointed to see BS tires on my new 328i. I think the noise level is tolerable though as long as I don't see any "bubbles".

[scubajag]

If you have a good relationship with your dealer, you can get the oil changed at the one year mark, no matter what the mileage. Dealer does this to keep you as a customer.

[LEDZEP]

Originally Posted by scubajag

If you have a good relationship with your dealer, you can get the oil changed at the one year mark, no matter what the mileage. Dealer does this to keep you as a customer.

Actually, as I have recently learned (from my fine friend Mr. E90Fleet), the dealers have to do an oil change/service at 12 months regardless of mileage. This is BMW mandated. If they want to pretend they're doing it as a favor, that's fine, but don't let them tell you they can't or won't.

After Fleet informed me of this, I checked with my SA and he verified that it is true.

[Rover]

I changed my oil at 1800 miles...to clear out any new engine debris.

After this...It will be changed every 5000 miles (as it was on my past beemer). I'm not convinced about the 15000 mile schedule. Oil isn't that expensive....and it is the lifeblood of the engine.

I'd rather have been conservative on this....as, lie you, I will be keeping the car well beyond the warranty period.

As an fyi...one tech...the only one I talked to... at the BMW dealer agrees with this scenario.

tmtcw

[Swatman888]

i think that the standard headlights are terrible. i cant even see anything in the dark. it could all be a different perception but in my opinion i would put headlights as a con.
I havent encounter a unsmooth gear shift yet and i would not wait 15000 miles(too long) to get a oil change. i would recommend 2500 miles especially if your car is brand new.

[dmboone25]

Originally Posted by Rover

I changed my oil at 1800 miles...to clear out any new engine debris.

After this...It will be changed every 5000 miles (as it was on my past beemer). I'm not convinced about the 15000 mile schedule. Oil isn't that expensive....and it is the lifeblood of the engine.

I'd rather have been conservative on this....as, lie you, I will be keeping the car well beyond the warranty period.

As an fyi...one tech...the only one I talked to... at the BMW dealer agrees with this scenario.

tmtcw

Not sure how true this is.....but a tech at my dealer (in response to my question about 15K oil changes) said that oil doesnt need to be changed every 3-5K miles--that if you are running synthetic, this is just overkill, as the difference in oil quality at 3-5K is not all that different than the same oil at 15K (My dad actually went over 20K once with his E46 with no noticeable effects). He went on to comment that the "3K mile rule" was really more of a clever way to get the general public to buy more oil. Like i said, not sure how true, but i can see what he meant...

[e92sam]

Hey thanks for posting a review on the 328i. Not a lot here, except for LedZep who gives a great bumper-to-bumper information stream which is great.
Have read a lot about oil temp and fuel pumps, but love to hear anything 328i related.
Helps pass the time waiting for delivery!

Thanks again!

[Wai328]

Very good review of 328i

[koreez88]

It is a great review. There are a few BAD things that I can point out about my bimmer, there're already enough topics on how great e90s are. Anyway:
1. The side mirrors are too small, although I did get used to that.
2. The steering wheels twiggles A LOT from side to side when crossing some uneven terrain.
3. Runflats SUCK. The wear out with unbelievable speeds, they are heavy and need pumping all the time. I'm tired of them.

Nothing else I can think of right now. I still love my bimmer though.

[dougman]

Originally Posted by koreez88

It is a great review. There are a few BAD things that I can point out about my bimmer, there're already enough topics on how great e90s are. Anyway:
1. The side mirrors are too small, although I did get used to that.
2. The steering wheels twiggles A LOT from side to side when crossing some uneven terrain.
3. Runflats SUCK. The wear out with unbelievable speeds, they are heavy and need pumping all the time. I'm tired of them.

Nothing else I can think of right now. I still love my bimmer though.

I think if you change tires you'll find that 2. and 3. are related!

I've driven an e90 without runflats (but with sport suspension) and it did not tramline the way the e92's do. The sidewalls are so stiff that the "aligning torque stiffness" (tire engineering term) gets very high and transmits small forces back up through the steering.

[stressdoc]

AC + heater = no window fogging. The AC takes out the humidity, then heating the AC'd air further decreases the humidity, allowing the water that condensed on the windows to rapidly evaporate. So hit the AC button and crank up the heat to de-fog.*

Not recommended for backseat recreational fogging treatment. Damn peepers should mind there own business anyway.