Former E46 Owners any regrets?

[IndyMike]

Originally Posted by Mega Man

In no particular order other than what pops into my head first:

-I actually prefer the window controls on the door (seems that I'm alone in this).

No, if you look back a bit instantexpert drank the same cool-aid as you did.

j/k Mega Man & instantexpert. Just bustin' on you guys. Every 1's a winner, baby, that's no lie (isn't that a song back in the 70's by Hot Chocolate ).

Originally Posted by Mega Man

-My radio and all audio capabilities sometimes don't work at all (radio, CD, bluetooth, iPod, the chime when you start the car).).

Yikes!That sounds (no pun intended) like a nightmare. Hope it's not one of those electrical issues that takes forever to isolate and correct.

Originally Posted by Mega Man

It feels heavy.

I know the feeling. The R32 is a stout little monster, too. But once it gets rolling you don't notice the weight, and it's very agile in the turns and twisties. The 135 reminds me a lot of it. If the R32 had a stick in it I would probably not be interested in the 135. But it doesn't and so here I am.

Originally Posted by Mega Man

-Occasional long crank and being worried that it's more than just a long crank (possibly the HPFP!).

Yikes again. Hoping it's not a lemon you have there. Best wishes it too gets resolved amicably.

Originally Posted by Mega Man

Brake dust

Another mainstay of BMW's; soft brake pads. My 'trick' is to make sure the wheels always have a coat of wax applied at least every 2 - 3 months. You'll still need to use a wheel cleaner and maybe apply a brush to the spokes, but at least tar and other road grime don't get ground into the alloy.

Originally Posted by Mega Man

-Fuel economy (what the heck, I'll jump on the bandwagon for this one), I'm averaging 19.7 MPG mostly street driving. I drive conservatively by setting cruise control to 40MPH and using 5th gear.

To be honest, if I can see an average of 20mpg I'll be ecstatic. The R32 is in the same range, so I'm hip with that.

Thanks for taking the time and effort to post your thoughts, Mega Man.

[1ToBeOn2Wheels]

Most of what I have to share has already been said, but I will say I miss the window controls in the center near the shifter, and I really miss the rear window pop-outs.

[Add1ct]

oh yea rear window pop-outs gone- both on the 1 and the 3- that goes to show cost cutting is occurring even at our beloved bmw

[SlickShift]

Originally Posted by Add1ct

oh yea rear window pop-outs gone- both on the 1 and the 3- that goes to show cost cutting is occurring even at our beloved bmw

I was so sad when I found out that even the 3-series coupe didn't have the rear window pop-outs. I always pop them out to cool down the car when it's parked outside.

[Add1ct]

yea it is a great feature

[Mega Man]

Originally Posted by IndyMike

Yikes!That sounds (no pun intended) like a nightmare. Hope it's not one of those electrical issues that takes forever to isolate and correct.

Hope it's nothing to serious...I won't know until after it's taken in to be looked at though.

[redwood]

I had my '99 328i sedan w/manual from 70K-157K miles. The major issue I had was several replacements of front control arms. I don't know if the later models had that issue or not. The only other unusual issue I had was the yellow lights in the gauge cluster went out and I had the gauges replaced. I had no other electrical issues. The only engine type issue I had was a small oil leak after changing the spark plugs (always replace the valve cover gasket when changing them!), a camshaft sensor go out (easy fix), and cracked radiator at 115K, and cracked coolant expansion tank at 85K. I replaced the rest of the cooling preventitively and had no other issues.

[Gogud]

'02 e46 cpe non Zhp, Dinan- intake, throttle body, reflash, tranny reflash, exhaust. The replies have covered almost everything except: On the rare occasion when someone needs access to the back seat, it is a total pita on the 135. On the e46 with mechanical sport seats, you pull the release handle up an forward and the seat swings up and forward by several inches--and goes right back where it was. Shouldn't have been too hard to include on the 1er. I would like to emphasize the gas tank problem--with slight exaggeration--The driver finds himself/herself searching for gas stations instead of enjoying the scenery. The car with lower gas mileage has been given the smaller gas tank! wtf!

[slog]

I came from a 2001 e46 coupe. Everyone is pretty much on spot with the small annoyances. The smaller gas tank is a negative. However, in the end..this car is simply amazing and a blast to drive.

[nollem]

Originally Posted by IndyMike

Can anyone that did ED already confirm this?

Close: both the warning triangle and the first aid kit are in the trunk now. The triangle mounts on the inside of the trunk lid (perhaps the non-ED US 1'ers just have an indent for it). Man I miss the Autobahn.

[IndyMike]

Originally Posted by nollem

Close: both the warning triangle and the first aid kit are in the trunk now. The triangle mounts on the inside of the trunk lid (perhaps the non-ED US 1'ers just have an indent for it). Man I miss the Autobahn.

Achso (German for "I see"). Thanks for scratching that itch I had.

The Autobahn is schitzo, but everything whirrs by you at breakneck speed. I actually prefer the secondary and even tertiary roads in Germany, because you can actually see and enjoy the beautiful countryside, at least until you come up behind a 'honey wagon' (tractor pulling a load of animal crapoloa).

Life goes by too fast on the Autobahn.

Give me a twisty 50km stretch of road and a well handling vehicle, because that's my idea of being on a natural high.

[former]

Originally Posted by SlickShift

I was so sad when I found out that even the 3-series coupe didn't have the rear window pop-outs. I always pop them out to cool down the car when it's parked outside.

I just use the Climate feature to set the timer and it vents the car nicely for lunch runs or end of the day. The other option is just to pop the sunroof to the vent setting.

I had a 2000 e46 sedan and enjoyed that car very, very much. For the 135, I find the performance to be excellent and the features and options to be great as well. The split climate control was certainly not completely thought out - as I dislike having to adjust both all the time.

The Sport seats are very, very good. Had 6 hours straight in them at the end of last month and felt darn good at the end of the trip.

Other comments:

(1) tires (RFT's and less than optimum tire dimensions)
For daily use, they are fine for me. I have found them to be quite good in the wet as well, though others disagree.
(2) numb handling (no doubt related to RFT's)
Numb on center, but good feedback in the curves.
(3) no dipstick
I have no earthly reason to care about this. Take care of the car on break in and it shouldn't eat oil.
(4) window switches on door (instead of center console where God intended them to be)
Quite honestly, center window switches feel cheap (since that's cheaper to build) to me and aren't placed near the functional thing you are controlling. It would be like having the side mirror controls in the center as well - which would be weird.
(5) smallish side view mirrors
This is a bit of a pain, but it's a small car and I think you get used to them.
(6) fuel economy
It's been good for me. 23 mpg in mostly highway driving and I am very pleased with that compared to my previous Corvette powered Cadillac at about 16.something mpg.
(7) lack of fog lights
Have not found this to be an issue at all.

I too miss the autobahn. My car loved 100+ mph. It was a very, very quick way from point to point.