1999 BMW 3 Series SE review from UK and Ireland
"Nice looking, but sometimes annoying"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
The cooling fan failed on the first long journey (300 miles approx.), resulting in the car overheating on the M25, and blowing the radiator expansion bottle. This added about 3 hours onto my journey time, and resulted in me having to drive a Nissan Almera for 3 days.
All door seals had a very annoying squeak, more noticeable when pulling off, or accelerating.
Instrument cluster became noisy (when needles moved) with 2 weeks.
Front passenger electric window failed.
Airbag system fault caused airbag warning light to come on - requiring a faulty wire to be replaced. During the cars stay at the dealership, the technician sheered the bolts off while removing the front drivers seat.
Front brake disc's warped.
Steering seemed almost uncontrollable when traveling over uneven road surfaces.
Car had roughly 8 annoying trips back to the dealer in the 5 weeks that I owned it - before they exchanged it for another car of the same model.
General comments?
Nice looking car - on the outside anyway. I think the interior looks somewhat dated.
Can't give any praise as to the reliability.
Wouldn't recommend the dealer to a friend.
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| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Don't Know |
| First year of ownership | 2003 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2003 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.9 Manual |
| Performance marks | 8/10 |
| Reliability marks | 3/10 |
| Comfort marks | 7/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 3/10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 8/10 |
| Distance when acquired | 68000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 69000 miles |
| Previous car | Vauxhall Vectra |
| Date of Entry | 18th July, 2003 |