[hiropowers]

Originally Posted by KingClifton

Would be interested to know if it's a South African-built model or a German one...

If it's an E90 built for the Australian market it's most likely made in South Africa

http://www.bmwplant.co.za/Content/fr...af0gau02~5.htm
--> check 3rd 1999

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW#South_Africa
--> for confirmation "BMW's with a VIN number starting with "NC0" are manufactured in South Africa."

[KingClifton]

E90 LCI pre-October 2009 were built in Germany. MY10 (Oct '09 production onwards) switched back to South Africa.

[hiropowers]

Originally Posted by KingClifton

E90 LCI pre-October 2009 were built in Germany. MY10 (Oct '09 production onwards) switched back to South Africa.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=245041
---> Post 25 has a cool chart

Hay Mat. I can agree with your comments - my father spent coin at Motorline and a there is a loving relationship... but I'm not sure how long the affair would continue under these conditions! Sorry to hear your comparing your new BMW to a Mazda or Holden My 320i M Sport is my 35th car (I'm 35 coincidently) and whilst being the most tame - I find the quality of engineering to be the best of the pack hands down.

[bcoz]

Originally Posted by KingClifton

E90 LCI pre-October 2009 were built in Germany. MY10 (Oct '09 production onwards) switched back to South Africa.

That's partially correct and as far as I can tell, only applied to the 320d. According to the "Tracking the shipment of your BMW for Australian orders" thread, there was an E90 323i (March 09) and 330d (June 09) shipped from Durban South Africa, and a 320d (April 09) from Zeebrugge.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...34#post4778834

[mat320i]

Originally Posted by bcoz

That's partially correct and as far as I can tell, only applied to the 320d. According to the "Tracking the shipment of your BMW for Australian orders" thread, there was an E90 323i (March 09) and 330d (June 09) shipped from Durban South Africa, and a 320d (April 09) from Zeebrugge.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...34#post4778834

Here is the shipping details.

Looks like its an SA built car

DELIVERED FROM BRISBANE 09-05-2008 17:22:00 1
DISCHARGED BRISBANE 06-05-2008 15:46:25 1
LINER RELEASE BRISBANE 28-04-2008 15:16:55
LOADED ON VESSEL DURBAN 16-04-2008 20:20:00 1
RECEIVED AT TERMINAL DURBAN 14-04-2008 09:12:12 1
BOOKED DURBAN 14-04-2008 08:48:06 1

[mat320i]

Originally Posted by dtlv8

Sounds like a lemon Matt. Demand another new 320i! If it's an autobox then it is unsual for it to give up so early. It's made by ZF (not by bmw).

I'd love to but since there is no lemon laws in australia i dont have a leg to stand on. Thats the problem the car can spend half its life in the shop until the warranty is up and there is not a thing i can do about it.

Still havent got a call back from the BMW complaints team as yet. hopefully i will get a call tomorrow.

i wouldnt care if motorline just said to me that they will take the car back and i can pick a car from the premium selection range. that would suit me nicely. unfortunatly i think i will win the lotto before that happens.

Its been parked the garage for the last 3 weeks. i have lost the urge to drive her the mrs and i have just been sharing her car. until the car is 100% i dont want anything to do with it. BMW can come and pick it up when they want to look at it

[John_01]

Hi Mat, sorry to hear the car is a cause of trouble for you. I think that persistance is key. If it was me, I'd simply call them every single day until the transmission is fixed. As with most things, it like the squeaky hinge that gets the oil... Good luck with it!

[BMW //MPOWER]

Originally Posted by mat320i

Here is the shipping details.

Looks like its an SA built car

DELIVERED FROM BRISBANE 09-05-2008 17:22:00 1
DISCHARGED BRISBANE 06-05-2008 15:46:25 1
LINER RELEASE BRISBANE 28-04-2008 15:16:55
LOADED ON VESSEL DURBAN 16-04-2008 20:20:00 1
RECEIVED AT TERMINAL DURBAN 14-04-2008 09:12:12 1
BOOKED DURBAN 14-04-2008 08:48:06 1

I was going to say, all 4cylinder e90 & 3 series sedans for the Australian market have been made in South Africa since mid 1993, the diesels may be different, but they are the exception, rather than the rule.

[bcoz]

Originally Posted by mat320i

I'd love to but since there is no lemon laws in australia i dont have a leg to stand on. Thats the problem the car can spend half its life in the shop until the warranty is up and there is not a thing i can do about it.

Still havent got a call back from the BMW complaints team as yet. hopefully i will get a call tomorrow.

i wouldnt care if motorline just said to me that they will take the car back and i can pick a car from the premium selection range. that would suit me nicely. unfortunatly i think i will win the lotto before that happens.

Its been parked the garage for the last 3 weeks. i have lost the urge to drive her the mrs and i have just been sharing her car. until the car is 100% i dont want anything to do with it. BMW can come and pick it up when they want to look at it

There may not be a lemon law for cars as such, but you do have the rights under the various consumer protection laws, which state that products must be of merchantable quality and fit for purpose.

If a product is faulty and spends a disproportionate time in service, then it clearly is not of merchantable quality nor fit for purpose.

Personally, I would persist with the repairs rather than selling it at a big loss, or swapping it for a premium selection used car (if that became an option). But if after allowing reasonable time for repairs, the problems recur or new problems show up, then I would insist on a replacement new car or a refund.

Of course BMW can choose to repair the car ad infinitum, rather than provide a refund or replace it. But providing you have a good case, have given them ample opportunities to make repairs, and you make the right noises (official complaints to Head Office, the MTA, Office of Fair Trading, and threaten legal action, etc), then anything is negotiable.

Anyway, I don't think it's likely to come to that. I think BMW (and dealer) will eventually get its act together, focus the right resources on the problems, find the root cause and fix it.

Good Luck!

[mmmmQuattro]

Originally Posted by mat320i

I'd love to but since there is no lemon laws in australia i dont have a leg to stand on. Thats the problem the car can spend half its life in the shop until the warranty is up and there is not a thing i can do about it.

Still havent got a call back from the BMW complaints team as yet. hopefully i will get a call tomorrow.

i wouldn't care if motorline just said to me that they will take the car back and i can pick a car from the premium selection range. that would suit me nicely. unfortunately i think i will win the lotto before that happens.

Its been parked the garage for the last 3 weeks. i have lost the urge to drive her the mrs and i have just been sharing her car. until the car is 100% i don't want anything to do with it. BMW can come and pick it up when they want to look at it

Hey Mat,
When you have lost the urge to drive, it is because it is a real disappointment to you. It sounds like you have lost the urge to fight and that you feel this car has all the problems.
I can understand that as they had it for 3 weeks (I liked the idea of taking the X5 and running

It might be a simple software issue that no-one else has found and so there isn't really anything wrong with the car.
My recommendations would be:
1. Drive the hell out of it. Even though the gearbox seems to have a problem, does it still have the problem in DS or Manual mode? If not, drive it in those modes. The reason you don't want it sitting around doing nothing is that you NOW want all the things to wrong that will. No point waiting until you get it back from the next visit to the dealer and then find something else has gone wrong. Also, if there is something really wrong with the box, then best to have it fail now.
2. Call both the dealer and BMW everyday at the same time for a week. Whenever this kind of stuff happens, I just hound people. But I do it in a really nice and polite way. Just so that feel my pain. I try to get them working for me on my side; has worked almost every time. When it didn't, well I just took them to court (we have a great small claims system in SA).
3. Give up on the idea of swapping cars, I have never heard of that happening. They have to get yours working right.

You have to remain positive about it, as BMW have made lots of 320's and they should know them inside and out; so this should be fixed.

[mat320i]

Originally Posted by jp330Cic.au

Hey Mat,
When you have lost the urge to drive, it is because it is a real disappointment to you. It sounds like you have lost the urge to fight and that you feel this car has all the problems.
I can understand that as they had it for 3 weeks (I liked the idea of taking the X5 and running

It might be a simple software issue that no-one else has found and so there isn't really anything wrong with the car.
My recommendations would be:
1. Drive the hell out of it. Even though the gearbox seems to have a problem, does it still have the problem in DS or Manual mode? If not, drive it in those modes. The reason you don't want it sitting around doing nothing is that you NOW want all the things to wrong that will. No point waiting until you get it back from the next visit to the dealer and then find something else has gone wrong. Also, if there is something really wrong with the box, then best to have it fail now.
2. Call both the dealer and BMW everyday at the same time for a week. Whenever this kind of stuff happens, I just hound people. But I do it in a really nice and polite way. Just so that feel my pain. I try to get them working for me on my side; has worked almost every time. When it didn't, well I just took them to court (we have a great small claims system in SA).
3. Give up on the idea of swapping cars, I have never heard of that happening. They have to get yours working right.

You have to remain positive about it, as BMW have made lots of 320's and they should know them inside and out; so this should be fixed.

Thats the thing. the main reason it was gone so long was because there were so many software issues with the car when they changed the gearbox over. That had to hook the car up to the computer and BMW head techs in germany had to spend a week making changes and updates. when even they lost connectivity to the car they shipped the car over to westline BMW as aparently motorline didnt pack the gear to program the gearbox ECU.

It has issues in both D and DS i drive it more in DS when i need power but in the same token if i go up a hill and put my foot down it does the kangaroo hop all the way up until i take it into manual. it seems the gearbox issues are mainly in relation to timing but as i said when i take it back they say its my driving style and reset the adaptive drive and send it back to me.

I still have received no call from BMW Australia about my complaint. if i dont get call by tomorrow then i will call them back and have more words with them.

And yes the urge to drive was lost because when i got this car it was my pride and joy. many hours spent working my ass off were transformed into the fruits of my labour being my 320i its not a povery pack 320i its a fully optioned 320i and with all its problems i feel that i spent 70k of my hard earned money on a POS. when i get in it and its running a dream i love it. but when i get into it and the engine light comes on or the TPMS light comes on or something just doesnt work i get the shits.

[MNR0]

You have raised a complaint with BMW - that is the only way to get something done. Now the games begin. You will have to chase them down for a response no matter how many excuses they make. It will also be another visit to the dealer for them to perform some further tests but that won't happen before the end of the month because they will be guided by a head office tech over the phone (he is so hard to get)

Then, they will give it back to you with the all clear. When you complain again they will waste another month of your time for an onsite booking with the said tech (remember, he is so hard to get) and then another round but with the tech on-site

Basically, if they can get a road test passed without throwing any codes - its all fixed and the problem is back on you. Welcome to my world.

Demand a loaner while your car is off the road - excuse being it is undrivable and may cause damage or death by contributing to a road accident. Drive their cars not yours. The dealer will organise a head office loan car

All sales persons/service persons are bi-polar. They swear by their brand 9-5pm but outside of that woudln't touch one themselves. I laughed when I saw a dealership financial manager drive out of the car yard in his own Porsche.

Telling...

[mmmmQuattro]

Hey MNRO,
did you get your 335 fixed in the end?

[mmmmQuattro]

Originally Posted by MNR0

Demand a loaner while your car is off the road - excuse being it is undrivable and may cause damage or death by contributing to a road accident. Drive their cars not yours. The dealer will organise a head office loan car

+1
It does sound like it is dangerous to drive, so you need to get it fixed.
Bottom line you paid $70k for something that isn't working, they have to fix it (we all hope).

[MNR0]

Originally Posted by jp330Cic.au

Hey MNRO,
did you get your 335 fixed in the end?

Yeah - so far so good

But BMW has burnt me bad in the process, and the compensation they talked about is a joke - adds no realistic value to the car or makes up for the crap I had to go through

[dtlv8]

Just keep at it Matt. Who knows bmw may throw in the towel and give u that x5 in the end!
My car had a few problems/issues too. While not as bad as yours, they did bug me no end. Top of the list was engine oil consumption; about 1L per 7-8000K. I wanted a new engine but according to their head technician it was within the normal oil usage range for the engine. Bl**dy ambarrasing having to lug a drum of mobil1 engine oil in the back boot! Other (minor) problems were leaky power steering line, faulty steering lock mechanism, squeaky rear brakes, dodgy front suspension bushes, idrive play dead occasionally, various loose interior plastic panels and those RFTs. So just keep an eye out for these issues too.

[KingClifton]

My former employer had his Saab convertible upgraded that way - basically he got a lemon and it was in and out of the dealer multiple times to get 3 new roofs. Eventually he whinged loud enough to Saab Australia who upgraded him to a 9-5 Aero at no cost. But then the poor bugger had to buy another Saab 2 years later as the trade-in valuation on other cars was substantially lower than the lease residual...

[mat320i]

Well i was nearly blown away when i got a phone call from BMW Head office today. He was greatly concerned about my experience and listened to everything i had to say. He said he is taking ownership of this and will ensure it gets rectified swiftly. He even offered me the BMW VIP loan car. cant wait to see what this is. Cant imagine it being a 118I or something.

He told me if i so wished it could go to another dealer but stressed that it is his belief that Motorline caused this mess to get out of control they should be made to clean it up.

I am suposably getting a call on monday from motorline to book it in. BMW have asked motorline for a full audit of the car from top to bottom so will be interesting to see how long it goes for.

[Zen]

Originally Posted by mat320i

Well i was nearly blown away when i got a phone call from BMW Head office today. He was greatly concerned about my experience and listened to everything i had to say. He said he is taking ownership of this and will ensure it gets rectified swiftly. He even offered me the BMW VIP loan car. cant wait to see what this is. Cant imagine it being a 118I or something.

He told me if i so wished it could go to another dealer but stressed that it is his belief that Motorline caused this mess to get out of control they should be made to clean it up.

I am suposably getting a call on monday from motorline to book it in. BMW have asked motorline for a full audit of the car from top to bottom so will be interesting to see how long it goes for.

Nice to hear that BMW Aust got back to you and is pushing Motorline to rectify all the issues that is currently on your 320i. Please continue and keep us updated on your progress.

[cloudyday]

Motorline BMW dealer..

Good deals, but customer service is

[MNR0]

Originally Posted by mat320i

Well i was nearly blown away when i got a phone call from BMW Head office today. He was greatly concerned about my experience and listened to everything i had to say. He said he is taking ownership of this and will ensure it gets rectified swiftly. He even offered me the BMW VIP loan car. cant wait to see what this is. Cant imagine it being a 118I or something.

He told me if i so wished it could go to another dealer but stressed that it is his belief that Motorline caused this mess to get out of control they should be made to clean it up.

I am suposably getting a call on monday from motorline to book it in. BMW have asked motorline for a full audit of the car from top to bottom so will be interesting to see how long it goes for.

This is the usual blurb. Take everything said with a grain of salt - and I hope your experience with them is much better than mine (which is looking like a carbon copy to date). A BMW VIP car is basically a lease car so that the dealership doesn't have to give you one of theirs. Prolly a 5 series.

[amberzombie]

mate as with the rest of the guys above really sorry to hear about this.

just to chime in really quickly... i also have trouble with my comfort access for the boot. doesn't open all the time. i do sometimes have to use my key to open it too... for what it's worth.

Also, i also get lurches every now and then... especially in low speeds. i actually think it's the way they've programmed the gearbox and i reckon only getting a manual will solve that.

hope that makes you feel just that tad better to know someone has issues with their 320i too!!