[Miliner]

Thought I'd register and add another tale to the mix.

I bought a 320i Used Approved end of last year, with only 13K on the clock and done only 3k since (it's my wife's car during the week)

Had the car in twice now for engine warning light problems, including issues of hesitancy and the engine 'throwing' at specific revs (1000rpm) in my case, causing the cabin to shake. Only getting 30mpg too.

Got my car back the other day after an O2 sensor replacement, got in it and the cabin was shaking worse than before.

Walked straight back in and asked for a tech to come out with me. He agreed there was an issue, and spotted some misfiring at low revs, but worse, said BMW don't have a solution at the moment. He was pretty good and refreshingly honest.

I'll give it a little while as discussed, but I think it is going to be returned (for a 6 cylinder). Shame as the car is brilliant to drive in every other way.

[beliz]

Ok first time poster
Hi to everyone
Just wanted to add my story.

--- Last November i got the engine management light and the car was shaking immensely
It was still within warranty so they changed an ignition coil and was fixed.

--- Around march i got the engine management light again and took it in. The mechanical engineer said it was probably because i had too little gas in the tank and the car might have sucked air.

--- The last month i was getting huge hesitations and lately with the A/C on i could not drive the car. I took it to the dealers and picked it up today. They changed the following:

1. Knock sensor
2. One ignition coil
3. NO2 sensor
4. Software update V.37

They said the knock sensor costs 500 euro and although it was out of warranty the dealer covered one-half of the cost and BMW the other half.
I was still left with an invoice of 180 euro.

I asked the engineer for his sincere opinion on whether i should sell the car. And he was absolutely against it. He said these problems should not deter me from enjoying the car.

[grant1987]

Having similar problem with my e92 320i m sport on a march 08 plate

Only bought 2 months ago from BMW, i thought i had traded up into the german cars to avoid this sort of sh**. Last car was a 1.6 2004 ford focus and it ran like a dream (about an eighth of the price too!)


Over the past 2 weeks have had the hestitation at random rev intervals, even when driving at constant 70mph with no accelerator action and also with the with cruise control on its the same. Its damn annoying

Car has also developed sporadic flat spots in the rev range where previously the day before it was ok. They seem to come and go. Today it had no power in third gear between 3k and 4.5k.

Also judders on start up like a transit (in fact my mates transit is def inately quieter!) and revs sometimes drop to around 500rpm when stationary and the auto throttle kicks in to save it from dying.

No engine warning lights yet and i did get 36mpg last week but somethings def not right.


Its booked in for monday @ the stealers, fingers crossed it comes back a little healthier

[PeKKeR]

Hi grand

i got exactly the same model and year

you will be visiting the dealers a lot, theyll change a lot of stuff, and at the end it will all come down to the coils

4 coils. they will all fail eventually. after you change all 4 your car will run like a dream.

its pretty simple actually. you dont need to worry.

if you can sacrifice this trouble of visiting the dealer, for the amazing looks of this model, then by all means enjoy it. otherwise just sell it and get a turbodiesel.


pek

[E92westy]

I had a BMW tech test drive my car yesterday (for another issue) and I questioned him on these problems.
He says they've had LOADS of petrol cars (4 and 6) cylinder in for misfires, but mainly the 4's.
According to him the injectors are the real problem - misfuelling, this makes the engine management to try and compensate with the spark plugs (don't ask me how - timing?) and this ultimately knackers the coils (again, don't ask me how).
They are now installing injectors with a new part number.
Generally, all new plugs, injectors, coils plus the software update SHOULD solve the issue.
Mine has had all this (plus more...), however, it still misses occasionally and feels 'flat' most of the time.
I also posted about my woes on a non-car orientated forum and got a PM from a forum member who just happens to be a customer service manager at a dealership (no names no pack drill).
He says and I quote...
"I guess your BMW is a petrol 320?

These issues with the engine management system are a big problem and very well known to all dealers and BMW UK, although it does sound like you have had some terrible luck with this one in other areas too

I reckon the dealer will try and switch you into something else and if they do and you are willing to try another then be sure to get a diesel.

The current crop (built within last 5 years) of petrol models both 4 and 6 cylinder as you have found out can suffer repeat problems with coils/plugs/injectors/o2 sensors/high pressure pump and sensors."

[Boyd1963]

Originally Posted by E92westy

I had a BMW tech test drive my car yesterday (for another issue) and I questioned him on these problems.
He says they've had LOADS of petrol cars (4 and 6) cylinder in for misfires, but mainly the 4's.
According to him the injectors are the real problem - misfuelling, this makes the engine management to try and compensate with the spark plugs (don't ask me how - timing?) and this ultimately knackers the coils (again, don't ask me how).
They are now installing injectors with a new part number.
Generally, all new plugs, injectors, coils plus the software update SHOULD solve the issue.
Mine has had all this (plus more...), however, it still misses occasionally and feels 'flat' most of the time.
I also posted about my woes on a non-car orientated forum and got a PM from a forum member who just happens to be a customer service manager at a dealership (no names no pack drill).
He says and I quote...
"I guess your BMW is a petrol 320?

These issues with the engine management system are a big problem and very well known to all dealers and BMW UK, although it does sound like you have had some terrible luck with this one in other areas too

I reckon the dealer will try and switch you into something else and if they do and you are willing to try another then be sure to get a diesel.

The current crop (built within last 5 years) of petrol models both 4 and 6 cylinder as you have found out can suffer repeat problems with coils/plugs/injectors/o2 sensors/high pressure pump and sensors."

My car is just over 2 years old and I have had no engine problems until recently. However I am finding that when I first turn start it up there is really alarming misfiring and hesitancy. It sorts itself out after 1-2 minutes but seems to be getting worse. I wonder if this is the same thing?

[apm0003]

Just registered to share my tuppence worth ...

I have an 118i (E81) 2008 but I think it has the same engine (N43) as the later E90s.
I bought the car a year ago when it was a one year old demo.

Over the past few months I noticed a slight stuttering when accelerating in fifth or moving to sixth. Last week at the end of a three hour journey, mostly on motorway. the amber light went on and I lost substantial engine power. Engine sounded like it was running on two or three cylinders.

I dropped it into the BMW dealer and I did some research and found this thread

I picked the car up on Friday and was told it had an injector replaced, the cylinders de-carbonised and it had been re-programmed (new level is E89X-10-03-504). I'm on extended warranty (standard is only 2 years in Ireland !) so they didn't discuss with me before doing the work.

I questioned the service manager about the 'known issues' with this engine and he agreed that there was a known issue and that it was due to the spray pattern from the fuel injectors resulting in uneven fuel burning. This was eventually leading to injectors failing, coils failing and spark plugs failing.

He said the problem has been resolved by the new software levels. I asked him should they not have replaced all my injectors/coils/sparks as a preventative measure but he said they only replaced what the diagnostics instructed them to replace. He said they had cleaned up the cylinders and suggested that that should prevent any further problems.

It annoys me that I had the car serviced only 1 month ago and they never checked for signs of what is a known problem with these engines.

I now feel that I could have further failures with injectors and so on due to residual damage as a result of this problem. The BMW dealer says that's an issue I need to take up with BMW !

[Rinos]

Originally Posted by beliz

Ok first time poster
Hi to everyone
Just wanted to add my story.

--- Last November i got the engine management light and the car was shaking immensely
It was still within warranty so they changed an ignition coil and was fixed.

--- Around march i got the engine management light again and took it in. The mechanical engineer said it was probably because i had too little gas in the tank and the car might have sucked air.

--- The last month i was getting huge hesitations and lately with the A/C on i could not drive the car. I took it to the dealers and picked it up today. They changed the following:

1. Knock sensor
2. One ignition coil
3. NO2 sensor
4. Software update V.37

They said the knock sensor costs 500 euro and although it was out of warranty the dealer covered one-half of the cost and BMW the other half.
I was still left with an invoice of 180 euro.

I asked the engineer for his sincere opinion on whether i should sell the car. And he was absolutely against it. He said these problems should not deter me from enjoying the car.

After just a month of the above fix i got the yellow check engine light again and the car is shaking immensely and is impossible to drive

I think i bought a Lada Samara with a BMW badge

[COLSEN]

Hey all long time no speak! I'm sorry to hear you guys are still having issues. I'm so glad I got out of my bmw 320i. Even though it was driving ok when I got rid I know that it would have come back to haunt me at some point. I still think there's a load of serious issues with this engine as a friend of mine mentioned some problems his family member had been having with one. You'll be pleased to know my little Mercedes C Class Spanish taxi is running superbly, although I've noticed the seats aren't as good on the long journeys the engine is running like a peach. Good luck guys I'm still keeping my eye on the forums!!

[grant1987]

Good news!

Went into the stealers and they did a software update on the e92 to the latest version and it seems to have fixed the issues!

Whoop whoop!


Completely un related but had to have a steeering rack replaced as well due to some annoying squeaking. Thank god its under warranty thats all i can say


Grant

[Mr Cane]

hmmm, had my car for a year now, I've suffered nothing really serious yet, but reading this thread I have noticed the engine's tendency to stutter at times, I may be calling in at the dealer sometime soon to discuss - thank you guys.

[Masterplan]

I've been reading this thread for quite a while now. I have a 2008 320i E92 and I too have had a trip to the garage regarding misfiring and "cabin shaking".

BMW in Edinburgh were not fantastic when it came to customer service (to say the least), but they corrected the problem at the time.

If I remember correctly, I got a software update, new 4th injector, coil pack and spark plugs.

Did it permanently correct the problem?? Sadly not.

The car still hesitates now and then, it still shudders on startup and when stationary in traffic on occasion.

Does anyone have any idea how to end this once and for all? Has anyone found a solution that seems to be working?

Scott

[Falmouthboy]

Having read this thread I am thinking that I may have made a BIG mistake! I have just bought a Sep 2008 E91 320i SE with 11000 miles on the clock. I went for a petrol as we don't do the mileage to justify the additional cost of a diesel. Are all these problems confined to the pre-Efficiency Dynamics cars?

It seemed fine on the test drive and at least I have the reassurance of 12 months manufacturers warranty remaining. Also the BMW computer only shows 3 visits to a dealer in the past 2 years.

[xenon]

If it's any consolation, I bought my March 2008 E92 320i M-Sport brand new in April 2008 and it's never put a foot wrong. Been once to the dealer for one service, that's it.

[E92westy]

Originally Posted by Masterplan

<snip> Has anyone found a solution that seems to be working?

Scott

The only solution I found was to swap into a 320d.......

Having said that, posting in this thread seem to have really slowed down, so perhaps the injectors / coils / plugs / software fix is working for most?

(Just not all...)

[grant1987]

Originally Posted by Falmouthboy

Also the BMW computer only shows 3 visits to a dealer in the past 2 years.

Do you mean the onboard computer and display in the middle of the dash clocks? if so how do you find this out/get to it?

[Falmouthboy]

Originally Posted by grant1987

Do you mean the onboard computer and display in the middle of the dash clocks? if so how do you find this out/get to it?

No, I mean that the salesman put the car Reg into the BMW service history database on his PC and showed me the screen.

[E92westy]

It appears that the dealer has sold on my deffective car, so, good luck to whoever has bought SE07 MPV.

You'll need it....

[planetocean]

Hi Tony,

Looks like my wife is having the same problems as others with her 3 year old Luxury car! I'll send you a PM.

[philreid]

I've posted something similar in another thread but wanted to share my experience with others.

My car is a December 2007 325i M Sport 3.0i model.

From cold, when the engine is switched on and idling at around 1,000 rpm, the engine vibrates, the rev counter jumps up and down (the engine is not revving excessively - seems to be a result of misfire) and sometimes the engine warning light comes on.

It's been into BMW twice, and the problem is no better. It's had a software update, two new fuel injectors, two coil packs, two spark plugs and a new O2 sensor. I left it at BMW over the weekend so they could run it first thing in the morning, yet no joy - they haven't fixed it. I think they are test driving it when it's warm - the problem doesn't show up unless it's cold.

It's still under warranty but they say there are no other error codes coming up other than the ones they cleared for the above repairs.

I am completely stumped, and completely unimpressed that a car of this age and supposed quality is having these problems which you would associate with an old car, and not impressed that BMW have not fixed it given two opportunities and a crystal clear briefing of the problem.

Are there any other steps I could ask them to try which they haven't done already? I'm getting to the point where I'm considering demanding that someone come out to my house first thing in the morning to experience the problem for themselves since they clearly are having problems resolving it.

[mylobmwmac]

I also have has similar issues with my 320i. In the last four month i have had to replace 2 x coils, injectors and spark plugs. Had software updated and one of the sensors replaced also.

My car has just went out of warrenty and issues are continuing!!! Dealer is refusing to pay even though it is same problems i have been experencing when it was in warrenty.

Does anyboy have and advise on how to get this problem sorted once and for all? I think i might just sell it and move on....

Any help would be great.

Paul

[Rinos]

Originally Posted by mylobmwmac

I also have has similar issues with my 320i. In the last four month i have had to replace 2 x coils, injectors and spark plugs. Had software updated and one of the sensors replaced also.

My car has just went out of warrenty and issues are continuing!!! Dealer is refusing to pay even though it is same problems i have been experencing when it was in warrenty.

Does anyboy have and advise on how to get this problem sorted once and for all? I think i might just sell it and move on....

Any help would be great.

Paul

Had the same problems as you. Went in 3 times so far. Last two out of warranty. Paid 170 euros (No2 sensor, 1 coil) and 150 (4 injectors) respectively. Last time i contacted directly BMW Munchen. Didnt have much luck. I am sure i will be going back. Maybe if everyone would contact BMW Munchen directly to make the problem well known and pushing thus for recalls or something similar