2007 BMW 3 Series 335i from North America - Comments

We have just over 14k miles now. I don't remember the mileage of each incident, but they are roughly in the order of occurrence.

IDrive system failed to boot/display unclear- replaced by dealer.

Low gas, ABS light and stability control lights came on at same time- dealer reprogrammed computer.

Climate display unreadable- replaced by dealer.

Failed to start 3 separate times- was towed to dealer, reprogrammed computer, replaced faulty wire harness and loose negative terminal.

Memory seats have a mind of their own- dealer reprogrammed computer.

ABS/brake module failed resulting in loss of braking power- (thank God I was driving and not my wife) - dealer replaced entire system.

Sunroof failed to close properly- dealer replaced seals, hinges, motor and switch.

Right rear wheel bearings worn out/failed- replaced by dealer.

Front suspension unbolted itself from structure- dealer replaced defective mounts.

Parking brake froze into lock position- towed by dealer.

Dealer added a documented 9 quarts of oil during first 12k miles.

Brake pads/rotors replaced at 13,560.

I must say I have a love/hate relationship with this vehicle. Everything that makes a car great, this car has. But everything that a car should never have, it unfortunately has also. I absolutely love the way it drives and that was the reason we leased this car.

Our thumbs up:

- Power: It has power to spare and is super fast on the highway. NO turbo lag from the 300 HP engine.

- Brakes: Super brakes and terrific pedal feel, and stopping distances.

- Steering: Steering feel handling combination is great. A little heavy at slow speeds, but great once you go.

- Looks: The exterior looks are good, but the interior is a bit unintuitive and confusing.

- Interior: The seats are very comfortable and great for long trips. Enough trunk space for a weekend get-a-way. HID lights are excellent.

Our thumbs down:

- Poor gas mileage. We average 14.6 MPG which is exactly the same as our old Lexus GX470 SUV that fits 7 people and has AWD and weighs 5000+ lbs.

- Unreliable: Our list of problems outweigh its excellent driving ability. Problems like we have never seen before or expected from a BMW. We did a little research on the net and found many other owners have complained about reliability mostly electrical problems, but also the assembly seems to be sub-par. --ie sunroof misaligned. Other owners have mentioned the additional oil so I guess its not just us. I gave the dealer service an 8 because they did everything they could, but were slow to issue a loaner car. The maintenance was free so the cost of ownership should be low-- its not. Insurance was 40% more than the our Lexus SUV, and the gas mileage was POOR. These combined, cost more in the long run than the free maintenance. This car has unacceptable reliability in our book.

- Ride comfort: We find the ride a bit rough and harsh and strange vibrations showed themselves at about 7k miles.

-iDrive. An absolute hassle to operate. We need to read the owners manual to change the bass or treble and enter an address and we have owned it almost a year.

In all, not worth the trouble of owning. Not satisfied. we would never consider a BMW ever again.

You have definitely got a lemon on your hands as all of the problems you listed are uncharacteristic for new cars, especially these. My BMW went 140,000 miles before the first wheel bearing went out and I've never had any of the other problems you have listed, so I would definitely look into lemon law procedures.

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 5 Series is built in Germany and as far as I know Slovenia.

The 7 Series is built in Germany and in Asia (asian market only).

The x5 is built in USA.

The X3 is built in austria at magna steyr.

Z4 is made in germany and USA IIRC.

"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.