Originally Posted by e92fail

Hi All,

Just wanted to make a thread for those who might be considering switching from another brand (in this case, Lexus) to BMW. I would have appreciated reading something like this before I made my recent purchase.

I just got a BMW 335i coupe. I came from another BMW 3, and really enjoyed that car. Without *****ing for hours, this new car is a true disaster. The well-publicized High Pressure Fuel Pump problems have come up for me in the first few hundred miles, and there are TONS of other reasons that the overall impression of this car is poor. I don't like it, and wouldn't advise anyone I like to get one.

Just putting this out there to help the greater community; if a single person reads this and thinks twice, I'll feel better. I certainly wish I had.

Thanks for the time!

Originally Posted by texan629

I smell a troll. Your just mad because toyota is getting all this bad publicity so you want to rain on someone elses parade. Post pics of your car with you in it.

Originally Posted by texan629

I smell a troll. Your just mad because toyota is getting all this bad publicity so you want to rain on someone elses parade. Post pics of your car with you in it.

Originally Posted by e92fail

Hi All,

Thanks for your responses and well-wishes. This will be a long post, sorry. Someone asked about more details... please don't bother reading this unless you're that person - the gist of what I have to say is in the first post. I think I'm doing this mainly for theraputic reasons : )

By way of comparison, here is the story of my last BMW, which I loved:

Test drove. Bought. Enjoyed for 4 years. Maintained per BMW, and NEVER a problem. The end.

Here is the new story, which covers less than a month of time:

I should clarify: I purchased a Certified Pre-Owned 2007 335. Not new, so no return/lemon. I was aware in it's history that the HPFP had been replaced. In fact, I was told by a BMW service advisor that replacement might actually be a good thing, since he "almost never" saw cars come in for a third HPFP. What I wasn't told until I returned to the dealer for something unrelated was that the dealer that sold the car to me replaced it again literally days before I took ownership (that being the third pump for the car). Warning: long version ahead.

I had test-driven this car and it had a noticeable vibration at highway speeds. I naturally told them no deal until they fix. They said of course, but that it would be no problem. They rebalanced the tires, and a tech took it out and said it was perfect. I was ready to buy, so they CAME AND PICKED ME UP (as re-test-driving it would just be a formality). I drove it; it was exactly the same. No difference whatsoever. They had to drive me home, as the car hadn't improved. I then needed to be out of town, and told them go ahead and sell it if you can - don't keep it for me. But to fix the vibration they eventually determined that they needed to replace the driveshaft balancing weight ("dbw" henceforth); needed the part from Germany; it took a long time to get here, etc.

I suppose at this point I should have walked away, but who would believe that a company like BMW wouldn't find a way to fix a problem like this, and it's a Certified Car, which I had been fooled into thinking meant that it was "one of the best of the best". As a reminder I am coming from 4 years of bliss in an e46 330Ci.

So it turned out they still had it when I got back, and I drove it again. They didn't bother telling me, but after they replaced the dbw the hpfp failed again. So they replaced it, didn't mention anything, and sold it to me. (I drove it with the new dbw, and the vibration problem was solved). I noticed on this test drive that it pulled to the left, and I said so to my Sales Advisor. He made something up about the tires needing to "break in" and said that if it wasn't better in a week, they'd align it.

I drove it for a few days, and it was running rough. No long cranks, but a rough idle feel at rest (car on) and while shifting. The gearbox has a small delay before you can get it into the next gear, which is something I'm noticing more, but it isn't dramatic or anything. Just something I don't associate with a 3er.

Then the battery light came on. Drove it for several more days, replicated problem several times. Took in for service and alignment. Battery tests fine, alignment doesn't change pull. Get the car back from service, and it's missing change from armrest (I realize this is not performance related, but it contributes to my increasingly negative feeling for this car and for BMW. Also, I'm sure you're wondering: surely there must be room for human error! Are you sure? I wouldn't normally be, but I LITERALLY just tranferred the change from my old car to my new one before I took it in. The old car has room for 7 quarters in the coin holder which was full, and I had exactly one more dollar in quarters plus a LOT of other change. Instead of 11 quarters, it comes back with 4, and generally less loose change.)

These are the main performance problems, and I know they aren't a big deal/ that there are people with bigger problems out there. I'm really not saying I have the worst case, just that I don't enjoy the car like I though I would/should/did with my last one. I could quibble about the seats that are less comfortable, the floor mats that constantly catch on the clutch or the cabin that has less of a "cockpit" feel, but that stuff woudln't matter if it were fun to drive. With the vibration, rough idle, rough shifting etc... it just isn't.

I readily acknowledge that there may well be a lot of perfect 335's out there, and if you get one, I would imagine it's a blast to drive. Again, I only wanted to post to warn someone who might not have thought that this could happen to them! To that person I say: you run a very serious risk of getting a car with significant problems, and if you're like me you may not have expected this from this brand. Mine is under factory warranty, so it isn't about money (yet). But the time and effort to get to the dealer and then not have a car that many people buy because they're passionate about it (and about driving) is a drag, and not what I personally would have expected from BMW.

Thanks, and good luck on your search.

Originally Posted by DASHOCKER

+1. With a screen name of "E92fail & it being his first post I am suprised others have not picked up on it yet.. Where is your thread on e90post, Bimmerforums, Bimmerfest??? Patiently awaits photos as per Texan629's request.

Originally Posted by bagwell

I'm pretty sure you just got told....





he's gonna make all that up...?!?!?!? riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight

Originally Posted by rdgdawg

While cautious here...

Big difference though between calling and proving "bs" on ordering a Koeingsegg and BMW engine failure that's well documented

Originally Posted by Oleg400

So are these on a certain batch only?

Broke Mans Whip