11,200 miles - so far so good

[jrb135i]

I'm actually at 11174, but i like round numbers. I'll start by describing the car. Ordered it in April, picked it up June 6th. She's a Montego Blue 135, sport, leatherette, ipod, heated seats, HiFi, iDrive, and Blue tooth. And, of course, manual tranny. There are no other mods.
I drive it everyday on the roads of south orange county. It's run out to vegas 4 times for work and once for fun. Once up to San Francisco. (I'm going up there again this weekend.) That should account for the some of the miles. I broke it in after 2500 miles of city driving.
Its been full of people, (tall ones even), no complaints on space for short distances. A road trip in the back is technically torture.


- So far -

20.8 MPG

I had a flat tire at 1500 miles.

About 3 times the lights never came on when unlocked. (Lock and unlock cures it).

The tire pressure monitor had a false reading - once at about 7500 miles.

There is a slight whisle at 85 mph and only 85 mph.

I now have a rattle in the glove box, still working on that one.

This past Monday the oil light came on, said I needed to add 1 quart.

The "fancy" cupholder broke. (The plastic flappy thing exploded.)

The phone has not connected 3 times.

- My Gripes -

Why didn't we get the cubbyhole just to the left of the steering wheel like in all the pictures?

The dash isn't BMW quality. Gauge cluster should not be plastic.

They removed the rechargable flashlight from the glovebox. It is a cool BMW thing that has been around forever.

And the most toublesome - the paint. Does anyone else have streaks or bars? I have a buddy how picked up a titanium 328 that had the same issue on one of his doors. I think it is a problem with the "new" factory. I had an '03 325i and it's paint was stunning (Grey Met.) Mine are on my hood, of course and can only be seen at the right angle and light. BMW has no solution.

The factory bra is so-so but keeps the front clean on road trips.

Well - I love the car - It just keeps getting better the more I drive it. No need to go on, if you're reading this then you know.

If anyone has spent time with an 03 or old 7 then you will know what real problems are. I feel what I've listed are just bugs or glitches.

My last car was an '05 Tacoma and the clutch FELL APART at 10k miles. That's a problem.

I love it.

There, I said my bit.

Thanks for reading...

(Pictures to follow soon)

[hbiscuit]

pretty sure all BMW gauge clusters are plastic

[Oregon]

Hey jrb,

Welcome to 1ADDICTS.

3,000 miles/month, that sounds so SoCal. I lived there for 25 years, at one time had a similar commute, a total car killer. The glovebox rattle, yep, got that, probably not alone, either.:wink: Haven't had ANY of your other issues, however, knocking on wood...

[ModlessG]

I have 5000 miles since July first. I have had no problems at all. The tire pressure thing went off but the tires were about 3lbs low. I has been a solid dependable car so far.

[Perfect128]

I've got over 5200 miles on mine, and it keeps getting better. It has loosened up and feels quicker. The mileage has been improving as well. On my crowded commute I get a combined >24 mpg which is what I expected.

So far no mechanical problems other than the occasional loud popping noise from the dash that I had a thread on a couple months ago. That has mysteriously disappeared and never recurred since the high summer temps have gone. I've had to top off my tires 3 times due to the tire pressure monitor indicator (as expected).

I get a smile every time I get in the car and it is a joy to drive.

BUT - Why the hell can't BMW put a 21st century sun visor with extension in this car? My sole gripe that I think about EVERY SINGLE DAY as I drive south to work and north home, with the SUN IN MY FRICKEN' EYES! Its like dating Carmen Electra and finding out she has a bad gas problem. Sure, the great design and performance are sweet, but what's that nagging smell?

[Tom K.]

12,000 miles on my 128i Convertible including an 8,000 mile cross-country trip.
Problems:
I had to re-insert the cup holder tensioner after stuffing an oversize bottle into the holder.
A slight vibration near the throttle pedal developed whenever I released the clutch, which was solved by re-positioning the floor mat so it didn't catch on the clutch pedal.
Questions:
Why does the climate control engage the A/C compressor in the "Auto" mode when heat is called for?
Has anyone figured out how to completely lower the front headrests?
Good stuff:
Overall mileage (mostly highway) is 27.5 mpg, and it apparently has a typically long BMW break-in period as the engine seems to be getting stronger and more responsive in the 4,000~7,000 rpm range.
This is the first new vehicle I've bought in 40 years which did not have to go back to the dealer for a repair, recall or adjustment in the first 12k miles.
Tom

[jeremyc74]

Originally Posted by alpnwhite96

pretty sure all BMW gauge clusters are plastic

Same thing I was thinking. That goes for just about all cars under $100k that I can think of.

[hbiscuit]

Originally Posted by jeremyc74

Same thing I was thinking. That goes for just about all cars under $100k that I can think of.

not really sure why that is a criticism ...

[jrb135i]

The last gen. 3 had a great padded dash all over. Guess the bean counters got involved.

One more observation, the driver's left air vent blows down the door and not on the driver. Really sucks when you try to cool off in vegas.

Still the best car

[wu2x]

Yeah, that left air vent is totally useless. Oh well...

[Perfect128]

Yeah - forgot about the vents.

[spongeWorthy]

Originally Posted by jrb135i

I'm actually at 11174, but i like round numbers. I'll start by describing the car. Ordered it in April, picked it up June 6th. She's a Montego Blue 135, sport, leatherette, ipod, heated seats, HiFi, iDrive, and Blue tooth. And, of course, manual tranny. There are no other mods.
I drive it everyday on the roads of south orange county. It's run out to vegas 4 times for work and once for fun. Once up to San Francisco. (I'm going up there again this weekend.) That should account for the some of the miles. I broke it in after 2500 miles of city driving.
Its been full of people, (tall ones even), no complaints on space for short distances. A road trip in the back is technically torture.

Im at about 10,500 miles.

- So far -

20.8 MPG
^
I reset mine every tank, but thats about right for my average.

I had a flat tire at 1500 miles.

About 3 times the lights never came on when unlocked. (Lock and unlock cures it).
^
Also happens to me every once in a while.

The tire pressure monitor had a false reading - once at about 7500 miles.
^
Same here, but then it got cold and went off again, for good reason as the pressure went down. Fill and reset, all good.

There is a slight whisle at 85 mph and only 85 mph.
^
No whistle but quite a bit of wind noise.

I now have a rattle in the glove box, still working on that one.
^
Same here I think, along with something rattling in the back when i have the window opening, almost jumped a curb trying to find out what the hell it is.

This past Monday the oil light came on, said I needed to add 1 quart.

The "fancy" cupholder broke. (The plastic flappy thing exploded.)

The phone has not connected 3 times.
^
Every once in a while mine takes a little while to connect. Always does eventually.

- My Gripes -

Why didn't we get the cubbyhole just to the left of the steering wheel like in all the pictures?

The dash isn't BMW quality. Gauge cluster should not be plastic.

They removed the rechargable flashlight from the glovebox. It is a cool BMW thing that has been around forever.

And the most toublesome - the paint. Does anyone else have streaks or bars? I have a buddy how picked up a titanium 328 that had the same issue on one of his doors. I think it is a problem with the "new" factory. I had an '03 325i and it's paint was stunning (Grey Met.) Mine are on my hood, of course and can only be seen at the right angle and light. BMW has no solution.

The factory bra is so-so but keeps the front clean on road trips.

Well - I love the car - It just keeps getting better the more I drive it. No need to go on, if you're reading this then you know.
^
Same here. My first ever new car purchase, so little quirks don't bother me so much.

If anyone has spent time with an 03 or old 7 then you will know what real problems are. I feel what I've listed are just bugs or glitches.

My last car was an '05 Tacoma and the clutch FELL APART at 10k miles. That's a problem.

I love it.
^
Word.

There, I said my bit.

Thanks for reading...

(Pictures to follow soon)

comments above

[Esmallstii]

Originally Posted by Tom K.

Questions:
Why does the climate control engage the A/C compressor in the "Auto" mode when heat is called for?

Same Question Here!

[spongeWorthy]

Originally Posted by Esmallstii

Same Question Here!

same here. i always turn it off manually....annoying.

and maybe its just me, but even then, the heat doesn't work all that well until you crank it all the way up to 80.

[123D-M]

The AC dries the air as well providing cooling. You could get condensation without it and all your windows will fog up.

I think you'll find most cars with climate control do the same thing.

[Tom K.]

Originally Posted by 123D-M

The AC dries the air as well providing cooling. You could get condensation without it and all your windows will fog up.

I think you'll find most cars with climate control do the same thing.

While this may be true, there should be an option to alter the setting through iDrive - especially since our relative humidity is now down in the 30% range when heat is called for.

The last car I had that did this was a 1973 Plymouth Fury. I had to wire a switch to turn off the compressor, which was designed to run whenever the motor was running - reducing gas mileage from about 11 to 9 mpg!

And like sponge..., I also have a problem getting any heat unless the temp control is near the 84o maximum.
Tom

[x97Melbourne]

Originally Posted by Tom K.

12,000 miles on my 128i Convertible including an 8,000 mile cross-country trip.
Problems:
I had to re-insert the cup holder tensioner after stuffing an oversize bottle into the holder.
A slight vibration near the throttle pedal developed whenever I released the clutch, which was solved by re-positioning the floor mat so it didn't catch on the clutch pedal.
Questions:
Why does the climate control engage the A/C compressor in the "Auto" mode when heat is called for?
Has anyone figured out how to completely lower the front headrests?
Good stuff:
Overall mileage (mostly highway) is 27.5 mpg, and it apparently has a typically long BMW break-in period as the engine seems to be getting stronger and more responsive in the 4,000~7,000 rpm range.
This is the first new vehicle I've bought in 40 years which did not have to go back to the dealer for a repair, recall or adjustment in the first 12k miles.
Tom

AMAZING mileage. I'm jealous. I get 24MPG on the highway by itself, and thats on a good day.

[Tom K.]

Originally Posted by x97Melbourne

AMAZING mileage. I'm jealous. I get 24MPG on the highway by itself, and thats on a good day.

Don't forget that I have the non-turbo 128i. My best (average of 3 tanks) was 32.5 mpg cruising at 60~70mph at over 5,000 feet altitude - about 2200~2500 rpm in 6th.

(Either that or my Cashmere Silver is more efficient than your SGM!!)

Tom

[123D-M]

Hehe. My average, with city driving and motorway driving is about 35mpg :biggrin:

[Brady1984]

I wonder if the talk about gas mileage will taper of as the price goes down?

[Tom K.]

Originally Posted by Brady1984

I wonder if the talk about gas mileage will taper of as the price goes down?

I doubt it as it's already down to March, 2007 levels in my area. I just paid $2.77 for 93 octane, down from $4.63 in August.
Tom

[richsnuc]

At 1500 miles, I needed a new serpentine belt due to a defective P/S pulley...Other than that, divine. Avg 24 mpg on a 25mi round trip commute on a 45mph city street. Drove from Detroit to Richmond on cruise at 70mph, actual mpg 30, computer said 30.5 mpg.