1 Series owners' comments

[Doctor Speed]

I read all the reviews and comments posted at http://www.carsurvey.org/model_BMW_1+Series.html and they're not all good. It seems that some owners are complaining of window squeaking/rattling due to the rubber seal going dry, and a few other problems as well.

I hope that BMW has dealt with the problem areas in the 1 Series before the 135i comes out. Has anyone else heard of any other reliabilty issues regarding the 1 Series?

[imported_sbw]

I had the window squeak-rattle with my '03 Mini Cooper S. It seems to be a problem with frameless windows. Not sure what the solution is. I tried lubricating the seals to no avail.

[Robert]

My 07 civic's window squeals as well and this thing is suppose to be as reliable an appliance

[gimme135]

Originally Posted by Doctor Speed

I read all the reviews and comments posted at...

I've just read all those comments too, and, if you carefully note who's who, there are exactly two very disgruntled short-term owners there from down under. One is named Tim (owner of the 2006), and the other keeps referring to his wonderful article named "Brilliant but not for everyone" (2005 model). He uses the phrase "BMW has lost the plot with its current..." There's also a Rhonda who doesn't seem to know much about cars. A few others.

Aside from that, I think they absolutely do have a point that rattles and squeaks can ruin an otherwise very expensive, albeit entry level, luxury car.

I only hope that:

1. the coupe body is so much stiffer that the frameless windows don't have a chance to squeak, and even if they do,

2. that BMW has ironed out the quirk observed from their last two years selling the 1-series down under, and will ship to the U.S. only HIGH QUALITY rubber seals

3. my dealership will allow me to test drive as long as i want because i fully intend to inspect every friggin inch and feature mentioned by everybody everywhere good or bad. especially bad.

No way would I pay a dime for any low quality crap. I'm not THAT in love with any piece of depreciating gas guzzler. I'll get the Porsche Cayman if I have to. :biggrin:

[dino007]

I have a 2005 120i, and I'm really happy with it
The rubber door seals used to squeak after detailing, but not anymore.

[godless]

Originally Posted by robert

My 07 civic's window squeals as well and this thing is suppose to be as reliable an appliance

well i would expect a 2005 civic to be more reliable, since it's the last year of production for that particular series. the 2006 is a top down redesign, so i would expect your car to still have some bugs since it's only in its 2nd year

[redwood]

I know BMW was supposed to have fixed some of the problems like that in the '08 refresh for the hatch. Hopefully that squeaking is one of them. I don't recall all of the issues pointed out in used 1 series in a UK mag I bought last month, but that squeaking seals was mentioned. I wouldn't worry too much.

[imported_sbw]

There must be some sort of really good lubricant available for the window seals. Anyone have suggestions? My Mini's windows didn't squeak all the time.

[ttdmac]

If you live in a cold climate, you may experience the odd window rattle or squeak due to the rubber seals contracting in the cold.
So regardless of if BMW uses the very best in rubber seals you still might get some rattle in the cold.

As long as it's not as bad as the original G35 coupe window issue, where the seals would let water in when washing the car.
Those seals were replaced by Infiniti on a TSB. If BMW see's the same issue, it's probably likely they'll issue a TSB as well.

Hell, they issued a TSB on a parcel shelf rattle on the 323i.

[redwood]

Let's not get ahead of ourselves planning on fixes for an issue that is known on the pre-facelift hatchback. We don't even know if it will be a problem on the coupe or if the facelifted hatch even has this issue.

[larryn]

Originally Posted by sbw

There must be some sort of really good lubricant available for the window seals. Anyone have suggestions? My Mini's windows didn't squeak all the time.

Gummipflege and Zymol Seal have been known in the BMW circles for years to cure the common squeaky window seal issue.

Originally Posted by Redwood

Let's not get ahead of ourselves planning on fixes for an issue that is known on the pre-facelift hatchback. We don't even know if it will be a problem on the coupe or if the facelifted hatch even has this issue.

It's been an ongoing problem with BMW coupes since before I got my 1st BMW coupe in 1986. It goes away if you treat it though. It's pretty common for coupes in general anyway...

[kere]

I have driven three 1-series hatchbacks and only the oldest one had this problem, and it was a 5 door (with window frames).

[adc]

Originally Posted by sbw

I had the window squeak-rattle with my '03 Mini Cooper S. It seems to be a problem with frameless windows.

Not necessarily. I didn't have this issue on my 98 M3/2, but I do have it on the wife's X3 for instance. It may be too soon to tell, but so far it's not present on the E92 335 either - this car is extremely stiff, compared to pretty much anything I've owned before.

Since the 135 Coupe is touted as being stiffer than the hatch, chances are this problem won't affect it.

Originally Posted by sbw

There must be some sort of really good lubricant available for the window seals. Anyone have suggestions? My Mini's windows didn't squeak all the time.

Gummipflege used to be available through BMW dealers, but not anymore. They have something else right now, called Carbo-something. Ask the dealer what they use on squeaking X3 doors, they'll know.

Anyway, Gummipflege is a silicone based compound as far as I can tell and it works reasonably well, but you have to apply it at least 1-2 times per year. If you can find some old BMW hack mechanic that has a few tubes stashed away, you'll be in luck.