F30 320d ownership journey?

[PaulWW]

Hi Folks,

I am about to upgrade my e90 320i to a F30 320d. Very excited!!

I would appreciate some input from owners as to maintenance issues to be weary of.

The vehicle currently has 58k km on the clock and the plan expires in August 2019. I am buying from the original owner.

As a rule I change oil and rotate/align the wheels every 10k km as a precaution.

What else must I do/look out for on these motors?

 

[DangerD]

I'm jealous. Please delete this thread so that I don't have to see how nice your new ride is :roflol:

Jokes. Colour? Still under plan?

 

[PaulWW]

I'm jealous. Please delete this thread so that I don't have to see how nice your new ride is :roflol:

Jokes. Colour? Still under plan?

LOL!!!

The vehicle is white and the plan expires in August this year, hence my questions.

I do 40k km per year so am really looking forward to the fuel consumption and automatic ease of drive!!

 

[the gymkhana fanatic]

Also keen to hear this and I have been searching for an article on this.

 

[MGO_BMW]

Nice...at this moment i wish to do the same but priorities and finances dont allow for that yet.:fencelook:

 

[PaulWW]

Nice...at this moment i wish to do the same but priorities and finances dont allow for that yet.:fencelook:

I hear you. According to my calculations, the increase in premium will almost be covered by the saving in fuel and maintenance. My e90 has been great, but at 227k currently i have had some expensive repairs to cover and do not want to chance my luck anymore.

Sent from my SM-N920C using Tapatalk

 

[MR_Y]

I am still being pampered by MotorPlan, so I cannot comment yet on maintenance items to look out for.

Are you purchasing a standard spec car, one of the Lines (Sport Line, Luxury Line, Modern Line) or an M Sport?

If an M Sport, you will be unable to rotate the tyres, given the different sizes back to front (seeing that you mentioned rotating the wheels).

Also, if M Sport with the gloss black window surrounds, there is a known issue with squeaking. This is fixed under MotorPlan, when they paint the inner part of the surround in matt black. This would be something to check.

Another quick check would be to ask BMW if there are any comments on the MotorPlan. Just call up a dealer and provide the VIN number.

You will also need to pay a fee to BMW to transfer the MotorPlan from the previous owner to you. I guess this is a few thousand Rand.

 

[PaulWW]

I am still being pampered by MotorPlan, so I cannot comment yet on maintenance items to look out for.

Are you purchasing a standard spec car, one of the Lines (Sport Line, Luxury Line, Modern Line) or an M Sport?

If an M Sport, you will be unable to rotate the tyres, given the different sizes back to front (seeing that you mentioned rotating the wheels).

Also, if M Sport with the gloss black window surrounds, there is a known issue with squeaking. This is fixed under MotorPlan, when they paint the inner part of the surround in matt black. This would be something to check.

Another quick check would be to ask BMW if there are any comments on the MotorPlan. Just call up a dealer and provide the VIN number.

Thanks.

This one is a base spec with the 16 inch tyres, so no worries there.

The VIN check has come back with two repairs being done both by BMW ARC, neither of which are concerning. In fact the current owner was upfront about them.

 

[M135i]

Door locks can sometimes act a little funny, same as with the 1 series as they use the same locks...So if your door locks act wierd - doesnt want to open with 2 pulls from the inside or opens with one pull then have them replaced before MP falls away.

Other than that great cars, cant fault them

 

[PaulWW]

Door locks can sometimes act a little funny, same as with the 1 series as they use the same locks...So if your door locks act wierd - doesnt want to open with 2 pulls from the inside or opens with one pull then have them replaced before MP falls away.

Other than that great cars, cant fault them

Great advice, thank you

 

[yush1]

Aside from the regular maintenance the generally trouble free. Since you are doing a lot of mileage consider the gearbox service at ZF in about a years time. :thumbs:

 

[PaulWW]

Aside from the regular maintenance the generally trouble free. Since you are doing a lot of mileage consider the gearbox service at ZF in about a years time. :thumbs:

Great thank you.

What does the gearbox service entail, at what mileage is recommended and what would the cost be?

 

[kingr]

Has anyone had any major repairs done to this car while under plan? Sounds very bullet proof if nobody experiences any big ticket repairs while in plan. Turbos are the first thing that come to my mind.

Are you getting an extended warranty when the plan ends or are you extending the MP?

Never knew there was a cost involve to transfer the MP, any ideas how much this cost?

 

[PaulWW]

Has anyone had any major repairs done to this car while under plan? Sounds very bullet proof if nobody experiences any big ticket repairs while in plan. Turbos are the first thing that come to my mind.

Are you getting an extended warranty when the plan ends or are you extending the MP?

Never knew there was a cost involve to transfer the MP, any ideas how much this cost?

Yeah, they look like very good value and pretty hardy - however I always believe preventative maintenance is the key.

am rather divided about the MP. It can be extended by 12 months OR to 100K km at a cost of R23k!!! SMG said that extending beyond 100k km is very costly, so i am a bit divided. I will investigate closer to MP expiring, might even look at an aftermaket warranty and just do my usual 10k km oil changes and other services as required by the CBS system on the vehicle as I do currently. Whether I use BMW for the servicing or an Indy is also up for debate.

That is all assuming I take ownership.... just waiting on the bank so i can make a formal offer.

 

[yush1]

Aside from the regular maintenance the generally trouble free. Since you are doing a lot of mileage consider the gearbox service at ZF in about a years time. :thumbs:

Great thank you.

What does the gearbox service entail, at what mileage is recommended and what would the cost be?

The recommend it normally between 80k to 100k km. Think its an oil service and resetting the adaptations.
Heres the link to contact them for specifics:

https://www.bmwfanatics.co.za/forumdisplay.php?fid=241

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Has anyone had any major repairs done to this car while under plan? Sounds very bullet proof if nobody experiences any big ticket repairs while in plan. Turbos are the first thing that come to my mind.

Are you getting an extended warranty when the plan ends or are you extending the MP?

Never knew there was a cost involve to transfer the MP, any ideas how much this cost?

They do a quality check and transfer it. Normally around R2k

 

[PaulWW]

Aside from the regular maintenance the generally trouble free. Since you are doing a lot of mileage consider the gearbox service at ZF in about a years time. :thumbs:

Great thank you.

What does the gearbox service entail, at what mileage is recommended and what would the cost be?

The recommend it normally between 80k to 100k km. Think its an oil service and resetting the adaptations.
Heres the link to contact them for specifics:

https://www.bmwfanatics.co.za/forumdisplay.php?fid=241

Thank you, I have actually emailed ZF off their website after your post.

 

[PaulWW]

DAMN, all the excitement and then I loose the deal.

NOW the search starts in MORE earnest!!

 

[hereticangel]

Nothing the motor's are bulletproof!

I am on 195k on the clock, everything is original engine never opened up!

Only thing every replaced was steering rack, known issue on the early f30 models.

I use liqui-moly diesel system cleaner every 5k and service once the Idrive system tell me to do so. Which is about 3 times a year with my current commute.

 

[cOlDFuSiOn]

Had no major complaints about mine, lots of little things though, mine I don't think was very well put together as it was a launch car back in 2012. I would get a 2014 onwards if you can.. The usual F30 niggles would have been sorted as well under plan.

The base audio is pretty bad so keep that in mind as well, I miss the fuel consumption, very frugal engine on the open road, engine and gearbox is solid IMO.

You won't go wrong with a car that checks out.