Thanks to the nice folks at BMW of Sterling, today I'm driving a TiAg 328i sedan with <1000 miles on it.
I took my car in for an issue I have with steering and to update my software.
We'll see if they address either issue.
Steering: not a huge deal, but I have a slight "bump" when turning at low speed that bugs the hell out of me. The shop manager tried my car, was skeptical and unable to reproduce the problem. I showed him how. He agreed but said maybe it was like that on all 330i's. He or the SA (can't remember who) said the X5 does the same thing but worse. In any case, he was going to compare my car to other 330i's and only fix it if it really is an issue. That's totally fine with me -- I don't want unnecessary surgery on my car, and this is not major, it just bugs the f-- out of me because I notice it. Most people probably wouldn't notice it.
Software update: they were very
very reluctant to do the update!
I couldn't believe it, since they seemed so easygoing about this over the phone. Maybe people are hammering them asking for the update? I have multiple legitimate issues with my current software that reportedly are fixed in later PROGMAN releases (mine is like 4 or 5 versions old). As a result, I thought this would not be a big deal. Apparently I thought wrong.
Loaner car: I was happy to get a BMW loaner, since I did not buy my car there and didn't ask for a Bimmer.
I expected a Corolla or something.
The 328i E90 they gave me has only like 900 miles on it. It has zero options except for the AT.
I have to say, I can't believe how much a difference the options make to the "feel" of the car. From now on, I'll pass along
KL2DC's advice that he gave me before I bought my car: in general, if you are on the fence about an option and can afford it, just get it. Driving the base 328i, I really miss my car -- no offense to anyone intended.
Driving back to work along Rte 7 to Tyson's Corner was a nightmare.
My car should be done later today and I'll go there tonight to get it. I imagine going out there in the evening will be just as bad.
BTW, is the gearing different for the 328i versus the 330i? It seemed like I was at higher revs for equivalent speeds, equivalent gears. Just driving moderately, it felt like the 328i engine was working a lot harder than on my car. Also, this loaner seems to have a lot of throttle delay. I drove in DS and used the steptronic AT (M1, M2, M3, etc.), but it still felt like a lot more throttle delay than I'm used to.
Anyway, I'll keep you posted on how Sterling does. As usual, all the people were very nice and the SA, who is new to me, seems like a stand-up guy.