1999 BMW 3 Series 318iSE 1.9
Summary:
An experience I would not want to repeat
Faults:
The air conditioning failed within the first year of use.
The suspension was rebuilt at approximately 1 year as one side was found to be out of line with the other. I was accused by the dealer of having damaged the car myself, but this was later retracted. BMW apparently authorised a rebuild as it was ultimately accepted that it could have been built this way.
The thermostat mounting broke up at one year causing overheating and the heating system to fail to operate. (This was dangerous as the weather was icy and there was no way of stopping the screen from icing up), the dealer was not over interested and I was inconvenienced for several weeks. I know of numerous other other cars to have suffered this fault including those owned by the hire company the dealer referred me to!
The driver's door trim plastic blistered within weeks of delivery and was replaced under warranty. Similar dis-figuration later affected the other door trims, but by then I had lost interest in the car and could not be bothered to get the problem sorted as the car was due to be returned to the lease company.
The accelerator pedal began to stick open toward the end of my period of use and this fault was still there when I parted with the car.
General Comments:
I am now convinced that what is great about BMW is the marketing department and their ability to supress information relating to problems from reaching the public. (My previous model 318iSE was also far from perfect).
This car was dull to drive in comparison with all previously owned vehicles and especially the Honda Accord 2.0 SE I now own.
The pedals are offset so far to the right that severe back pain set in after just over an hour at the wheel.
Whilst the boot is a reasonable size, the aperture is not.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 8th September, 2002
18th Oct 2003, 15:44
I am currently driving my 5th BMW and yes they do have faults, but the upside is the dealers are normally excellent at resolving the problems, BMW's follow up telephone call after dealer visits are excellent, indeed if you have a problem just wait for BMW's call and they just fix it! But don't bother with a 4 cylinder, go for a 6, they are faster and are real BMW's, and yes I will be having another one, and yes, I'm sure it will go wrong sometime.
5th Feb 2008, 00:04
I agree the 4 cylinder engines don't really do the car justice. But as for a A4 handling better, please.
21st Aug 2008, 18:54
I have a 97' 318ti with 104k miles. When I bought it last year the I found that the accelerator was sticking open too. Some WD40 sprayed on the pedal mechanism solved this. Aside from that, the car hasn't gone wrong. It makes some odd noises sometimes but perhaps that is to be expected with an 11 year old car. Fantastic car considering what I paid for it.
9th Sep 2002, 13:18
BMW's are over-rated and I cannot see why everyone thinks they are good. I traded in my 99T 318i and lost so much money on it, I was forced to buy an old wreck. Do not BUY a B*W!