*** Calling All Members With Problems With The 320i ***

bigdave196 · 01-11-2012, 04:19 PM

Well this thread makes for depressing reading

I got my 08 E90 320i back in July, second hand from a non-BMW dealer. It came with a 6 month warranty which, typically, ran out just before the end of last month.

Everything has been fine, up until tonight when I got in it to drive home from work. When I started it it felt really rough and was idling a lot slower than usual, around 500rpm. I could feel it through the steering wheel and the footwell and hear that something was not right, it was total contrast to the smooth and quiet it usually is.

The 15/20 minute drive home was horrible. It was really gutless, pulling away the revs dropped to 200-300rpm which I had to compensate for, acceleration was really juddery and at one point, non-existent (I had my foot flat on the floor and there was just nothing happening, it just stayed at 2000rpm and 40mph) and it just felt and sounded really rough.

When I got home I immediately took my dad out so he could have a listen (he's got a couple of classic Triumphs, so is quite used to dealing with cars with problems) and he concluded that it sounded like there was a misfire, and there's a definite clunking noise coming from the engine, and the exhaust smells like unburnt petrol.

Sound familiar? Although the odd thing is, none of the warning lights have lit up all, and the iDrive says everything is OK.

So what are my options? Is there some sort of warranty program that BMW will fix this under? Do I take it to a main dealer and pay an arm and a leg, or is an independent specialist the way to go (and if so, anyone have any experience with this issue at Bartley, Brynstone or Iridium)? It's a 2008 Pre-LCI E90 with 25k on the clock if that helps, had it's first service in 2010 at a dealer in Reading and says it's not due for another for 5000 miles.

Any help, greatly appreciated

alistairgd · 01-11-2012, 06:44 PM

Yeh I had no warning light, and no error codes logged on the key either. They told me "uhm, it won't log the fault until the next time the car is started", okaaaay.

The thing about that is, they tell you there is no damage caused by unburnt fuel in the affected chamber, and no stress to the components, because the car knows there is a fault and cuts the fuel supply to the cylinder. Kind of hard to swallow that if the car is not logging a fault at all.

If the warranty has expired you'll be on your own. I believe the parts are not too expensive though, so if there is a good independent near you, get it done there.

bigdave196 · 01-13-2012, 08:35 AM

Took it over to an indy last night and it finally lit up and told me it was in limp mode as I did. Just had a call from the guy and he confirmed that it's a faulty ignition coil on cylinder 1. £60 for the diagnostics, £40 for the coil + fitting, £10 for the courtesy car so should be sorted for about £150, not too bad and not as horrendous as I'd feared.

Hopefully should all be done by the end of today so I can get rid of this terrible Nissan Micra they've given me as a (un)courtesy car, which is quite possibly the worst car I've ever driven.

Chris100 · 01-13-2012, 08:45 AM

Not to alarm you but I had all the coils replaced in mine which was under warranty and the problem still returned, pretty much why I got rid of it in the end just had no confidence in the car at all after that.

Graaf_van_Vlaanderen · 01-21-2012, 12:21 PM

Last year I bought a second hand 320i 2005. About the general performance of the engine I cannot complain. Compared to my old Volvo S40 2.0 it does have more torque at lower RPM.
Fuel consumption in my case: 6.9 to 7.1l/100km

There are however several issues I had to deal with:

1. Vacuum pump had to be replaced.
2. Oil plan sealing changed after sudden oil leak.
3. Currently I have a rattling sound when driving around 1100 - 1200 RPM
(2nd gear) and suddenly accelerating. If you slowly accelerate, you don't hear it. You can also hear it occasionally in first or rear gear when you're around the same RPM. The rattle sound is only there when there is enough counter torque (inertia).

I have not found yet the culprit of '3'.

My dealer told me he has seen quite some issues with those engines. The dealer had another customer complaining about '3', but they couldn't identify the cause yet.

vartanu · 01-25-2012, 07:18 AM

Hi Guys,

I am looking into buying a 320i from 2006 with about 140.000 km on board.
Is there a chance that by this mileage the coil and injector problems have been solved already by previous owners? Or in the end is just pure luck?

Chris100 · 01-25-2012, 05:19 PM

I truly cannot understand anyone buying a 320i after reading this thread, bad enough owning one witha full BMW warranty but an older one with no warranty is just not worth the risk.

Graaf_van_Vlaanderen · 01-29-2012, 07:53 AM

I forgot to mention I also have this typical ticking sound, not very loud though.
I don't hear this in my father's 116i. However the engine in this car does not have valvetronic.

I think the engines of the 320i are ok. However all the attributes that make the engine work definitely have some quality issues: vacuum pump, injectors, coils,...

I could have bought a 320d. However considering the very short distances I'm driving I went for the petrol. A broken turbo or injection pump can be pretty expensive.

Graaf_van_Vlaanderen · 01-29-2012, 07:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vartanu

Hi Guys,

I am looking into buying a 320i from 2006 with about 140.000 km on board.
Is there a chance that by this mileage the coil and injector problems have been solved already by previous owners? Or in the end is just pure luck?

140 000km is too much in my opinion. Try to find one with less than 80000km.

shortie · 02-17-2012, 05:33 PM

So is the general consensus that the new coil packs have resolved the issue.

For the first time today whilst stationary in neutral, i can only describe what felt like a "shiver" through the whole car. It was like the whole car vibrated like a pulse going through it. Does this sound in line with coil pack problems?

gelicate · 02-27-2012, 04:21 AM

Hi,

Just looking for some advice. I bought a 320i (Jul 08) from Car Giant about 6 months ago without a warranty...i know silly me. It was running fine up until about 2 months ago when i started getting serious hesitation under acceleration (usually from low revs in 2nr or 3rd gear) and engine warning light come on. I took it to an independent BMW garage over the weekend to get the fault codes read. came back with misfire from cyclinder 1 and a few other emissions and lambda warnings. My Mpg seems to have dropped a lot recently as well.

This obviously all points to the coil failure. The garage recommended taking it to a BMW main dealer and trying to plead the case that they replace any faulty part as it is a known fault with 320i's. The car is out of warranty (2008 and done 50k miles). It had a full BMW service history previous to this, has anyone had any success in getting BMW to foot the part and/or labour bill for these type of repairs outside of warranty!?

Also is changing the coils and plugs normally enough to fix the issue or do injectors ave to e replaced as well??

Any advice really appreciated.

Thanks

1sh@Crystalwhite · 03-05-2012, 08:36 AM

Had a problem with starting the car up last week...now my fuel economy is down to 30....

Spoke with my local BMW garage regarding the new coils, he told me he hasn't had any back in since they started fitting these new coils....some good news.

shortie · 03-05-2012, 03:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1SH

Had a problem with starting the car up last week...now my fuel economy is down to 30....

Spoke with my local BMW garage regarding the new coils, he told me he hasn't had any back in since they started fitting these new coils....some good news.

Down to 30mpg, what sort of driving and which gearbox?

I do 25 miles per day mainly town driving but due to my shifts, no traffic but still only getting 30mpg, although mine is auto.

1sh@Crystalwhite · 03-06-2012, 03:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shortie

Down to 30mpg, what sort of driving and which gearbox?

I do 25 miles per day mainly town driving but due to my shifts, no traffic but still only getting 30mpg, although mine is auto.

Sorry for the late reply mate! I have a 6 speed gearbox. I drive split between motorway and town.

I was getting approx 39mpg on my audi!

Im going to schedule this in later this week!

bigdave196 · 03-08-2012, 05:30 AM

Joy of joys, I've had the Bong of Great Expense come on again yesterday with the car going into limp mode again.

Same symptoms as last time, no power and feels like a box of frogs under the bonnet so going to have to take it back to the garage again. No doubt it will turn out to be a misfire and faulty coil

gelicate · 03-09-2012, 06:42 AM

Just had the call back from the BMW stealer! £680 for 4 new coils and plugs and a reprogramme!

My attempts to argue that the coil pack failure is a common fault fell on deaf ignorant ears. And seeing as i bought outside the dealership network BMW are willing to offer me zero goodwill payment towards the repair.

the very slim silver lining to this dark annoying cloud will be having a functioning fuel effecient car again.

Jsc320i · 03-17-2012, 11:22 AM

I had the same problem with my 320i (58 reg with 30k on the clock). Only had her for a month and I had shudder and hesitation whilst accelerating, BMW upgraded the software. A few weeks later loss of power and engine warning light came on, BMW replaced all coils and spark plugs. Been about a two months now and no more issues ...

All the visits were free of charge, I suppose there are benefits of buying an approved used car

daviddimbleby · 03-18-2012, 07:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gelicate

Just had the call back from the BMW stealer! £680 for 4 new coils and plugs and a reprogramme!

My attempts to argue that the coil pack failure is a common fault fell on deaf ignorant ears. And seeing as i bought outside the dealership network BMW are willing to offer me zero goodwill payment towards the repair.

the very slim silver lining to this dark annoying cloud will be having a functioning fuel effecient car again.

yo gelicate... got my 320 from cargiant too last year.

was fine up till about 2 months ago when it failed mot due to "engine emissions" so after i took it to a garage they ran a diagnostics and changed a 'faulty' nitrogen oxide sensor + control unit and 2 Lambda sensors.

Cost me £925!!

3 weeks ago my engine light came on for the first time, and i experienced power loss. Got home and after leaving it off for a while the light went away and car was fine.

2 weeks ago engine light came on again as i was stuck in traffic, and car started shuddering violently and conked out. It automatically started itself when it conked out but for the rest of the journey i had keep revving the engine when coming to traffic lights or a stop to prevent it conking out again.

Last week mate did an oil change on it for me with new oil filter and some good oil.

Yesterday almost broke down on way to work!!!

fed up!!

Are you going to have the coil replacement done?

cheers

gelicate · 03-21-2012, 10:43 AM

I got all 4 coils replaced and 4 new spark plugs and a reprogramme. The final bill was £480 so it wasn't as bad as I was expecting.

I just covered 1200 miles over a weeks driving and had no issues so far. Fingers crossed it stays this way. Previously owned an AUdi, VW and Mazda and this is the first serious parts failure i've encountered.....disappointed in BMW tbh.

daviddimbleby · 03-23-2012, 03:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gelicate

I got all 4 coils replaced and 4 new spark plugs and a reprogramme. The final bill was £480 so it wasn't as bad as I was expecting.

I just covered 1200 miles over a weeks driving and had no issues so far. Fingers crossed it stays this way. Previously owned an AUdi, VW and Mazda and this is the first serious parts failure i've encountered.....disappointed in BMW tbh.

cool. hope it stays that way

burgemaster · 03-25-2012, 10:32 AM

About 6 months ago I had a coil fail, i was reading this thread and shitting myself... I think changed the bad coil myself for £28 and wondered what all the fuss was about as the car was perfect.. The coil that I swapped was black and dated 2007 from when the made... all the others was grey and dated 2009/2010...

But after a 300mile motorway trip as i pulled onto my road the engine light came on and down to 3 cylinders again...

I was a tight ass before and bought 4 coils, but after seeing only one has never been changed I took the other three back. I will now go and replace the other 3 with the new type coils and PREY that it is not anything else... The only difference im getting this time is
1) stinks of feul and CAT smell?
2) long cranks then finally starts up.

Should I also take this opportunity to change the plugs?

I would recommend anyone change all 4 not just one, especially as the coils are supposed to be different now.
Cross your fingers for me please!

Rass · 03-26-2012, 08:20 AM

OHHH DEAR!!

ive just bought a BMW 320i M Sport 2007 with 6600 miles on the clock no issues with it at the present! just thought i would have alook for common faults and i really wish i researched this a little more before purchasing, surly after 6600miles if the issue was to occur it would have happend by now and been resolved " Fingers crossed "

do you guys think i might be in for a bit of bother here?

after putting 2 engines in my last car i really dont need the hassle!

01-11-2012, 04:19 PM	#969
bigdave196 New Member 6 Rep 12 Posts Drives: E90 08 320i Edition MSport Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Hampshire iTrader: (0)	Well this thread makes for depressing reading I got my 08 E90 320i back in July, second hand from a non-BMW dealer. It came with a 6 month warranty which, typically, ran out just before the end of last month. Everything has been fine, up until tonight when I got in it to drive home from work. When I started it it felt really rough and was idling a lot slower than usual, around 500rpm. I could feel it through the steering wheel and the footwell and hear that something was not right, it was total contrast to the smooth and quiet it usually is. The 15/20 minute drive home was horrible. It was really gutless, pulling away the revs dropped to 200-300rpm which I had to compensate for, acceleration was really juddery and at one point, non-existent (I had my foot flat on the floor and there was just nothing happening, it just stayed at 2000rpm and 40mph) and it just felt and sounded really rough. When I got home I immediately took my dad out so he could have a listen (he's got a couple of classic Triumphs, so is quite used to dealing with cars with problems) and he concluded that it sounded like there was a misfire, and there's a definite clunking noise coming from the engine, and the exhaust smells like unburnt petrol. Sound familiar? Although the odd thing is, none of the warning lights have lit up all, and the iDrive says everything is OK. So what are my options? Is there some sort of warranty program that BMW will fix this under? Do I take it to a main dealer and pay an arm and a leg, or is an independent specialist the way to go (and if so, anyone have any experience with this issue at Bartley, Brynstone or Iridium)? It's a 2008 Pre-LCI E90 with 25k on the clock if that helps, had it's first service in 2010 at a dealer in Reading and says it's not due for another for 5000 miles. Any help, greatly appreciated
	Appreciate 0 Quote

01-11-2012, 06:44 PM	#970
alistairgd New Member 4 Rep 18 Posts Drives: E90 318 ES Edition Saloon Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Scotland iTrader: (0)	Yeh I had no warning light, and no error codes logged on the key either. They told me "uhm, it won't log the fault until the next time the car is started", okaaaay. The thing about that is, they tell you there is no damage caused by unburnt fuel in the affected chamber, and no stress to the components, because the car knows there is a fault and cuts the fuel supply to the cylinder. Kind of hard to swallow that if the car is not logging a fault at all. If the warranty has expired you'll be on your own. I believe the parts are not too expensive though, so if there is a good independent near you, get it done there. __________________ Alistair 318 E90 ES Edition [Titanium Silver, Alu trim, Black dakota leather)
	Appreciate 0 Quote

01-13-2012, 08:35 AM	#971
bigdave196 New Member 6 Rep 12 Posts Drives: E90 08 320i Edition MSport Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Hampshire iTrader: (0)	Took it over to an indy last night and it finally lit up and told me it was in limp mode as I did. Just had a call from the guy and he confirmed that it's a faulty ignition coil on cylinder 1. £60 for the diagnostics, £40 for the coil + fitting, £10 for the courtesy car so should be sorted for about £150, not too bad and not as horrendous as I'd feared. Hopefully should all be done by the end of today so I can get rid of this terrible Nissan Micra they've given me as a (un)courtesy car, which is quite possibly the worst car I've ever driven.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

01-13-2012, 08:45 AM	#972
Chris100 First Lieutenant 7 Rep 367 Posts Drives: 320d M Sport Highline Coupe Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: N.Ireland iTrader: (0)	Not to alarm you but I had all the coils replaced in mine which was under warranty and the problem still returned, pretty much why I got rid of it in the end just had no confidence in the car at all after that.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

01-21-2012, 12:21 PM	#973
Graaf_van_Vlaanderen New Member 0 Rep 8 Posts Drives: BMW 320i E90 2005 Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Belgium iTrader: (0)	My quality issues Last year I bought a second hand 320i 2005. About the general performance of the engine I cannot complain. Compared to my old Volvo S40 2.0 it does have more torque at lower RPM. Fuel consumption in my case: 6.9 to 7.1l/100km There are however several issues I had to deal with: 1. Vacuum pump had to be replaced. 2. Oil plan sealing changed after sudden oil leak. 3. Currently I have a rattling sound when driving around 1100 - 1200 RPM (2nd gear) and suddenly accelerating. If you slowly accelerate, you don't hear it. You can also hear it occasionally in first or rear gear when you're around the same RPM. The rattle sound is only there when there is enough counter torque (inertia). I have not found yet the culprit of '3'. My dealer told me he has seen quite some issues with those engines. The dealer had another customer complaining about '3', but they couldn't identify the cause yet.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

01-25-2012, 07:18 AM	#974
vartanu Registered 0 Rep 3 Posts Drives: BMW 320i Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Amsterdam iTrader: (0)	Hi Guys, I am looking into buying a 320i from 2006 with about 140.000 km on board. Is there a chance that by this mileage the coil and injector problems have been solved already by previous owners? Or in the end is just pure luck?
	Appreciate 0 Quote

01-25-2012, 05:19 PM	#975
Chris100 First Lieutenant 7 Rep 367 Posts Drives: 320d M Sport Highline Coupe Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: N.Ireland iTrader: (0)	I truly cannot understand anyone buying a 320i after reading this thread, bad enough owning one witha full BMW warranty but an older one with no warranty is just not worth the risk.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

01-29-2012, 07:53 AM	#976
Graaf_van_Vlaanderen New Member 0 Rep 8 Posts Drives: BMW 320i E90 2005 Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Belgium iTrader: (0)	I forgot to mention I also have this typical ticking sound, not very loud though. I don't hear this in my father's 116i. However the engine in this car does not have valvetronic. I think the engines of the 320i are ok. However all the attributes that make the engine work definitely have some quality issues: vacuum pump, injectors, coils,... I could have bought a 320d. However considering the very short distances I'm driving I went for the petrol. A broken turbo or injection pump can be pretty expensive.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

02-17-2012, 05:33 PM	#978
shortie Lieutenant 49 Rep 573 Posts Drives: BMW 320i M sport Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: West Midlands UK iTrader: (0)	So is the general consensus that the new coil packs have resolved the issue. For the first time today whilst stationary in neutral, i can only describe what felt like a "shiver" through the whole car. It was like the whole car vibrated like a pulse going through it. Does this sound in line with coil pack problems?
	Appreciate 0 Quote

02-27-2012, 04:21 AM	#979
gelicate Registered 2 Rep 4 Posts Drives: 320i Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: London iTrader: (0)	Hi, Just looking for some advice. I bought a 320i (Jul 08) from Car Giant about 6 months ago without a warranty...i know silly me. It was running fine up until about 2 months ago when i started getting serious hesitation under acceleration (usually from low revs in 2nr or 3rd gear) and engine warning light come on. I took it to an independent BMW garage over the weekend to get the fault codes read. came back with misfire from cyclinder 1 and a few other emissions and lambda warnings. My Mpg seems to have dropped a lot recently as well. This obviously all points to the coil failure. The garage recommended taking it to a BMW main dealer and trying to plead the case that they replace any faulty part as it is a known fault with 320i's. The car is out of warranty (2008 and done 50k miles). It had a full BMW service history previous to this, has anyone had any success in getting BMW to foot the part and/or labour bill for these type of repairs outside of warranty!? Also is changing the coils and plugs normally enough to fix the issue or do injectors ave to e replaced as well?? Any advice really appreciated. Thanks
	Appreciate 0 Quote

03-05-2012, 08:36 AM	#980
1sh@Crystalwhite Banned 62 Rep 905 Posts Drives: E92 Space Grey Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: All over the UK! iTrader: (19)	Had a problem with starting the car up last week...now my fuel economy is down to 30.... Spoke with my local BMW garage regarding the new coils, he told me he hasn't had any back in since they started fitting these new coils....some good news.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

03-08-2012, 05:30 AM	#983
bigdave196 New Member 6 Rep 12 Posts Drives: E90 08 320i Edition MSport Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Hampshire iTrader: (0)	Joy of joys, I've had the Bong of Great Expense come on again yesterday with the car going into limp mode again. Same symptoms as last time, no power and feels like a box of frogs under the bonnet so going to have to take it back to the garage again. No doubt it will turn out to be a misfire and faulty coil
	Appreciate 0 Quote

03-09-2012, 06:42 AM	#984
gelicate Registered 2 Rep 4 Posts Drives: 320i Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: London iTrader: (0)	Just had the call back from the BMW stealer! £680 for 4 new coils and plugs and a reprogramme! My attempts to argue that the coil pack failure is a common fault fell on deaf ignorant ears. And seeing as i bought outside the dealership network BMW are willing to offer me zero goodwill payment towards the repair. the very slim silver lining to this dark annoying cloud will be having a functioning fuel effecient car again.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

03-17-2012, 11:22 AM	#985
Jsc320i New Member 0 Rep 17 Posts Drives: 320i Edition M Sport Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Gomshall iTrader: (0)	I had the same problem with my 320i (58 reg with 30k on the clock). Only had her for a month and I had shudder and hesitation whilst accelerating, BMW upgraded the software. A few weeks later loss of power and engine warning light came on, BMW replaced all coils and spark plugs. Been about a two months now and no more issues ... All the visits were free of charge, I suppose there are benefits of buying an approved used car
	Appreciate 0 Quote

03-21-2012, 10:43 AM	#987
gelicate Registered 2 Rep 4 Posts Drives: 320i Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: London iTrader: (0)	I got all 4 coils replaced and 4 new spark plugs and a reprogramme. The final bill was £480 so it wasn't as bad as I was expecting. I just covered 1200 miles over a weeks driving and had no issues so far. Fingers crossed it stays this way. Previously owned an AUdi, VW and Mazda and this is the first serious parts failure i've encountered.....disappointed in BMW tbh.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

03-25-2012, 10:32 AM	#989
burgemaster New Member 3 Rep 24 Posts Drives: E92 320i M Sport Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: UK iTrader: (0)	About 6 months ago I had a coil fail, i was reading this thread and shitting myself... I think changed the bad coil myself for £28 and wondered what all the fuss was about as the car was perfect.. The coil that I swapped was black and dated 2007 from when the made... all the others was grey and dated 2009/2010... But after a 300mile motorway trip as i pulled onto my road the engine light came on and down to 3 cylinders again... I was a tight ass before and bought 4 coils, but after seeing only one has never been changed I took the other three back. I will now go and replace the other 3 with the new type coils and PREY that it is not anything else... The only difference im getting this time is 1) stinks of feul and CAT smell? 2) long cranks then finally starts up. Should I also take this opportunity to change the plugs? I would recommend anyone change all 4 not just one, especially as the coils are supposed to be different now. Cross your fingers for me please! __________________ 57 E92 M Sport Last edited by burgemaster; 03-25-2012 at 03:53 PM..
	Appreciate 0 Quote

03-26-2012, 08:20 AM	#990
Rass Enlisted Member 5 Rep 47 Posts Drives: 320i M sport Coup Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Wick caithness scotland iTrader: (0)	OHHH DEAR!! ive just bought a BMW 320i M Sport 2007 with 6600 miles on the clock no issues with it at the present! just thought i would have alook for common faults and i really wish i researched this a little more before purchasing, surly after 6600miles if the issue was to occur it would have happend by now and been resolved " Fingers crossed " do you guys think i might be in for a bit of bother here? after putting 2 engines in my last car i really dont need the hassle!
	Appreciate 0 Quote