2007 BMW 3 Series 335i from North America - Comments

Wow, and I thought my 2002 Ford Taurus with 133,000 miles was pretty bad. I am so surprised with BMW. If I were to pay around $60,000 for a car it better be flawless for the first 100,000 miles at least.

On my car I needed a new flywheel, rack & pinion, and a brake lamp switch. All at different miles. And nothing that would have been unsafe to drive. The car never left me stranded.

We have a BMW 3 series. A 2007 and it's been flawless so far.

If you are averaging 14.6 MPG and your insurance is super high, I feel strongly by saying a lot of it isn't the car. Electrical issues are one thing, but just jumping into your leased 300hp 3 series and whooping the life out of it, what would you expect? Again these are just accusations, but I work for BMW and have never seen this before.

This sounds grim and I understand your annoyance.

Where is this model made? I think BMW makes some models outside Germany, could this be the case?

"The 3 Series is built in Germany only."

The 3 Series is also built in South Africa. Here in the western USA I see 328s from both Germany and South Africa on the dealer lots. It saws where they were made right on the window sticker.

I test drove the 328 three times last year, but finally decided the ride was just too rough for me to enjoy driving one.

I have a 2008 335i and love it!! I also owned a 2006 325i but traded it for more HP. I have 12,000 miles on my 335i and have only had to top off the oil at 11,000 miles. Power and handling are fantastic! I will definitely buy another BMW in the future.

12000 mile oil changes huh.

Plus having no dipstick..

Sounds like a recipe for disaster.

I guess this guy got a real lemon.. but I haven't seen many positive reviews of the e90 car on here so I'm a bit worried.

Till then I'll stick to my e36, which has been very Honda-reliable thus far.

I have a 2007 e90 and it is far superior to the old and dated previous models.

A dip stick is no longer needed as the oil levels can be checked digitally on the onscreen display.

E90 3 series being far superior to the old and dated previous generation models?

Not in all departments.

The dash design is austere, the cup holders messy, the absence of a temp gauge a cheap and nasty deletion (despite the electronic warning that has replaced it), the plastics feel less high grade and the angular theme of the door trims are not to everyone's taste; nor is the external look even after the rather fussy facelift.

The need to rely on electronic displays to check a basic function that could be more easily and handily served by a dipstick also serves no useful purpose, apart from providing added flash and allowing BMW to charge more for the car.

Hope you're going to be as happy with these electronic doodads when they eventually crap out on you, as they cost an arm and a leg to replace.

Have you ever heard about moving with the times?! My brother used to have an E46 and I found the interior dowdy and the dashboard dated in appearance. The interior quality of the E90 is much better than the old model.

BMW is a company that stands for innovation and quality in products, why should they stand still with oil dipsticks and analogue temperature gauges? Electronic and digital measurement introduces further accuracy - the components being used are BMW and thus can be assured of their quality. (If you have an old BMW you should have some understanding of this.) BMW are a company of accuracy and precision - be that in the steering, braking, engine management systems et al.

In any case my car is under warranty for another year - around which time the new model is released - which I will consider nearer the time.

I (and no doubt BMW) prefer the styling of the E90 - looks more upto date and upmarket than BMW's previous efforts. Were you aware the E90 is one of the most successful 3 series in terms of world-wide sales? So it looks like the sheer numbers of sales don't match your views. (Although admittedly such high sales reduces the exclusivity of the BMW brand)

I await with interest the design appearance and technical specifications of the E90's successor.

"Why should they stand still with oil dipsticks and analogue temperature gauges?"

I at least would want a dipstick as a backup as it's foolproof, at least more so than some electronic sensor or any wiring or connectors.

"The components being used are BMW and thus can be assured of their quality."

Not 100%. BMW might design the components, but like with any other make the component manufacture is sourced from vendors. Do these vendors individually check each and every component they produce off their lines? No, they pull random samples from the lines to inspect. Problems still get through from time to time. I don't want the main indicator for my engine oil to be totally subject to electronic complexity.

Well in that case the best thing for you to do is stick to your old E36 or E46. You're probably not part of the target market that BMW aims for with their newer innovative vehicles.

Stick with an E36/E46? We would, but we don't have a choice now, do we? Can you get an E46 brand new?

No, and who would ever want an E46 brand new in 2009 when you can get an E90 with efficient dynamics, which is far better.

I mean with all due respect, just stick with your older car and change it for another second-hand E46 in the future. And let E90 owners continue to enjoy our cars.

I had the same car and averaged 24 mpg. I drive my cars hard, and routinely cruise at 90+ on the freeway. You have some other problem there besides the ones you list.

I have a 2009 E82 125i with the 3 litre engine (not turbocharged). It is the same engine as the 335i with twin turbos. I think it is a fantastic car, and have had no reliability problems after 7 months and 10,000 klm. I also own a 2003 E46 320i. The 125i was made in Germany and the 320i South Africa. I love both these cars, which beat Toyotas, Hondas, Mazdas, Hyundais, Kias etc. etc. in so many areas, that it is not a case of which BMW model, as long as it is BMW for me.

Sorry to hear that. Sounds like your car was built on a Friday.

Me and my friend both have 1996 e36's. His has been an absolute nightmare. Mine's been a dream. Lucky for you; BMW actually acknowledges their warranty unlike some other unscrupulous companies.

I had a 2007 335i and yes I went through 2 fuel pumps, but apart from that the car was flawless.

I believe you got very unlucky and got a lemon.

Based on the things you had to replace and went wrong, hey did you track that thing? ;)

I had a 2002 325xi (E46), and I put 199.000km on it. Guess what, in 8 years, all I have to replace are front CV BOOTS. Only one of them had blown up, well the car was on the jack, so did all 4 of them... So my point is BMW built the car well, and I just got my second BMW 2006 530xi. If many things go wrong, then you got the lemon, which is built by a human... enjoy the drive, whatever you got from BMW...