2005 BMW 3 Series 325i Touring review from North America

To begin, the transmission constantly popped out of 3rd gear. This would occur at approx. 60 km/h, when you took your foot off of the gas pedal and were coasting, with the load on the engine. At first it would quietly come out and you would only know something is wrong when you hit the accelerator and nothing happened. Eventually, it started to pop out with force (if you hand was nearby, you would get and hear a strong, loud slap) as well as rattle loudly.

I suggested to the dealer to look at the gearing/teeth that physically hold the shift lever in third, but they decided to replace the transmission in its entirety.

Well, th transmission was replaced and now car turns off while driving (i.e., cruising at 100 - 120 km/h), as well as turns off when accelerating hard (at 5500 RPM and then continuously on/off at 6500 RPM). The battery light turns on, cruise control (if applicable) turns off and the car seems to jump-start itself, due to the fact that it is still moving. Thank goodness it's a manual transmission otherwise starting would be a far more dangerous situation.

Currently (Sept. 6, 2007) the car has been in with dealer garage for 30 days, with no resolution. *Expert* from BMW looked at it and could offer no concrete explanation or fix for the vehicle. Right now it is going through a 7-step plan of repairs to see if this solves the problem. We are currently at Step 5; Replacing the Cam Shaft.

Recent items replaced on this car include: new (well, refurbished) transmission at 54,000 km, numerous engine computers, numerous wiring harnesses, and now a new cam shaft.

Other problems discovered during diagnosis of the car include fuel travelling up the fuel rails and spilling over into the engine and injectors spraying the wrong way (?!?).

This car was my dream car. European sport wagon by a "single malt" manufacturer that handles like a dream and goes like a bat out of hell when pushed. What more could you ask for (well, great fuel economy would be nice, but that's it!).

Besides a few annoyances (early factory tire wear, center console fan going, stereo cutting out) I was planning on owning this car for many years to come. At this point, I am 90 days shy of 3 years and feel that I can no longer consider this car safe to drive. A real shame considering the investment and the reputation of the brand.