BMW 118i 2016 Question

[R.G]

Challo said:

I have the 1.5 3 cylinder in a Mini Cooper and it's quick and perfect round town. Performs well on the motorway and you can cruise comfortably at motorway speeds or quicker if you wanted with no problem at all.

Not sure how it would perform in a slightly heavy body but it sounds like it would be perfect for you.

Well they put the engine in 1 series, 2 series, 3 series and even certain X1's.

One would assume it must be decent enough for those cars. I watched a review on YouTube earlier where they tesrdrove a 2 series tourer mpv and were commenting on how quick it was and how nice it sounded.

Anyway, my only concern was that it would be quicker than the old 1.6 golf fsi I have had for 10 years - evidently it will be.

Cheers

Edited by R.G on Friday 17th February 21:41

[CraigyMc]

R.G said:

Challo said:

I have the 1.5 3 cylinder in a Mini Cooper and it's quick and perfect round town. Performs well on the motorway and you can cruise comfortably at motorway speeds or quicker if you wanted with no problem at all.

Not sure how it would perform in a slightly heavy body but it sounds like it would be perfect for you.

Well they put the engine in 1 series, 2 series, 3 series and even certain X1's.

One would assume it must be decent enough for those cars. I watched a review on YouTube earlier where they tesrdrove a 2 series tourer mpv and were commenting on how quick it was and how nice it sounded.

Anyway, my only concern was that it would be quicker than the old 1.6 golf fsi I have had for 10 years - evidently it will be.

Cheers

The little B38 will likely end up under the bonnet of the next 5 series too, albeit with some electric motors and a battery too - although not as one of the launch engines. (The new 5-series model G30 is released this month).

I think if you are able to try them back to back, you'll probably end up in the 118i.

[R.G]

The 118i is amazing. I'm so happy with it and with reference to the power of it, I needn't have worried.

Very punchy and just so, so smooth on the road - just drives so well. Engine sounds fantastic and and gives that 'raspy' sound when putting your door down.

Whilst the car and the general drive is just so smooth, I had noticed that the gear stick (I've got a manual transmission) when driving 'jiggles' just a little. Everything else about the car is silky smooth.

Whilst reading reviews and various content on forums on the 118i I had noticed others mentioning this.

I'm guessing this is normal for RWD cars, or perhaps it's a BMW trait.

It's my first RWD car and I've seen a fair amount of content on the internet saying that a certain amount of vibration/movement in the gearstick is normal due to 'direct linkage' or something?!

Is this correct?!

Thanks

Edited by R.G on Sunday 19th February 23:10

[OtherBusiness]

Glad you are pleased with it. I really like mine too!

Can't say I have noticed that through the gear stick (mine is a manual too). Wouldn't worry about it and just keep both hands on the wheel instead!

[R.G]

OtherBusiness said:

Glad you are pleased with it. I really like mine too!

Can't say I have noticed that through the gear stick (mine is a manual too). Wouldn't worry about it and just keep both hands on the wheel instead!

Thanks. Yes the car, the steering wheel itself - everything so smooth. Just noticed the gearstick that's all. The car has only done 6k miles so sure it's fine.

[MorganP104]

R.G., congratulations on the new car. There's been lots of talk on this thread about engine "note" or "noise", and how the 3-cylinder gives off a more pleasing sound than the equivalent 4-cylinder engine. As a (self-confessed) non petrolhead, you may be wondering why this is.

In simple terms, an odd number of cylinders will give an "off-beat" engine sound, rather than the more conventional noise an engine with an even number of cylinders emits.

Typically, 3 and 5 cylinder engines are noted for their "characterful" noise, which most car enthusiasts prefer to the more anodyne sound of a common-or-garden 4 cylinder engine.

On the other side of the coin, the more cylinders an engine has (in multiples of 2), the smoother it tends to be (that, and they will often generate more power than smaller engines). This is why luxury cars tend to sport 6 and 8 cylinder engines.

[R.G]

MorganP104 said:

R.G., congratulations on the new car. There's been lots of talk on this thread about engine "note" or "noise", and how the 3-cylinder gives off a more pleasing sound than the equivalent 4-cylinder engine. As a (self-confessed) non petrolhead, you may be wondering why this is.

In simple terms, an odd number of cylinders will give an "off-beat" engine sound, rather than the more conventional noise an engine with an even number of cylinders emits.

Typically, 3 and 5 cylinder engines are noted for their "characterful" noise, which most car enthusiasts prefer to the more anodyne sound of a common-or-garden 4 cylinder engine.

On the other side of the coin, the more cylinders an engine has (in multiples of 2), the smoother it tends to be (that, and they will often generate more power than smaller engines). This is why luxury cars tend to sport 6 and 8 cylinder engines.

Hi there,

Thank you, really enjoying it. All of you have said makes complete sense. Incidentally, yesterday I took my car to a friend who is rewally in to engines and cars (he's got a new 3 series tourer) and whilst he was aware it was three cylinders, in terms of sound he couldn't really tell the difference upon normal driving (as opposed) to high revs etc.

The car is so smooth, absolute solid. As mentioned, though, I have noticed a that my gear stick 'wiggles' from side to side, just a little, when driving. Is this a result of the three cylinders?

I've noticed people posting this previously so on that basis I feel a little more comfortable, but would be great if you or anyone else cups shed some light on that?! It's the first BMW I've owned and certainly the first RWD, which some people have made reference to as the reason - direct linkage to something or other.

I've left a message at the dealership for the sales guy to call me back so he can let me know his thoughts.

Cheers

[va1o]

I think I know what you mean with the gearstick and I've seen similar before in Manual 1 and 3 - series, would assume it's normal

[CraigyMc]

va1o said:

I think I know what you mean with the gearstick and I've seen similar before in Manual 1 and 3 - series, would assume it's normal

It's normal. My E90 does it at idle, and at certain revs (I suppose there's a resonant frequency for it).

Glad OP likes the car.

[MorganP104]

Regarding "wiggly gearsticks", it's a well-known thing on both diesel 4-cylinder and petrol 3-cylinder BMWs.

Rest assured, OP, your car is completely normal.

[R.G]

MorganP104 said:

Regarding "wiggly gearsticks", it's a well-known thing on both diesel 4-cylinder and petrol 3-cylinder BMWs.

Rest assured, OP, your car is completely normal.

Thank you guys for your responses.

That's reassuring to know. The Volkswagens I've owned in the past had very little or no vibrations/movement with the gear stick so this new to me with the BMW 1 series.

If it wasn't for the fact that the steering, the engine, the car, was all so smooth, I think I would have worried a little bit more.

[Legend83]

Thread revival - can anyone comment on how the B38 holds up in a Gran Tourer? Worried the extra girth would render it a bit gutless.

[Constantin88]

Hi guys, im new to pistonheads. Sorry to revive a 3 year old thread, but im also about to pull the trigger on a 2017 bmw 118i. Im not concerned about the power of the engine but more about the reliability of it. I was asking around, read multiple articles about this engine and it seem that there is a potential failure of this engine as it gets miles. Issues on the timing chain or turbo. Is there any reason to be concerned about the reliability of this engine on around 70 - 100k kms? At this point this is the only reason which keeps me away from buying a 3 cylinder engine.
Many thanks,
Constantin

[R.G]

Hello, OP here.

I sold the 1 series back in 2017 after only having it for 4 months. Ended up buying a bigger house so decided that the cash was important towards renovations.

It was only 6 months old when I purchased it so I lost a st load when I sold it on.

I did however buy a 12 month old 320i MSport in 2018 after we done the works on the house.

Haven’t looked back since. Both cars, great.

[CraigyMc]

Constantin88 said:

Hi guys, im new to pistonheads. Sorry to revive a 3 year old thread, but im also about to pull the trigger on a 2017 bmw 118i. Im not concerned about the power of the engine but more about the reliability of it. I was asking around, read multiple articles about this engine and it seem that there is a potential failure of this engine as it gets miles. Issues on the timing chain or turbo. Is there any reason to be concerned about the reliability of this engine on around 70 - 100k kms? At this point this is the only reason which keeps me away from buying a 3 cylinder engine.
Many thanks,
Constantin

If you ask enough, you'll find people who have had problems with basically every motor from basically every manufacturer.

The usual ones on BMWs are/were:

• nikasil coatings decomposing (because of sulphur in petrol),
• head gasket failures,
• water pump impeller failures (plastic impeller gets brittle, snaps),
• timing chain tensioner problems,
• swirl flaps falling off and being sucked though the engine.
• seat airbag sensor failures causing MOT fails
• heater system electrical failures causing fires
• RWD car propshaft flexi failures

I'm 100% sure that all of these have actually happened, but BMW made 2.5 million cars last year, so you have to ask what the per-capita failure rate is rather than if they happened at all. At 2.5 million cars per year, you have to start thinking about how many of them were destroyed by falling trees or written off by being destroyed in floods or by stampeding animals.

The problem of stats versus perception is exacerbated by forums/social media by people who have an axe to grind being much more visible/likely to post about their negative experiences than the people who have never had a problem worth talking about.

If you're really worried about it, just buy one of them and either get a warranty from the seller or independently. I did that with an ancient E39 5er many years ago and it paid for itself (water pump).

Literally the only B38 specific problems I've found with a cursory search are both minor. Fixes are available for both, the first is a gasket on the cam cover and the second is a software update.
http://australiancar.reviews/_pdfs/MINI_Cooper_F56...
http://australiancar.reviews/_pdfs/MINI_Cooper_F55...

[Constantin88]

Thanks guys! Im aware that a certain number of products out of the total sold can malfunction at some point. Sometimes there are some issues which can lead to epidemic failures and not all of them are admited by manufacturers. This is what i was trying to determine.
After i have asessed lots of models, now i have narrowed it down to 2: 118i or mazda 3. Im little bit paranoia 😅 because is a quite an investment for me (i droved an old clio and a 2007 focus till this year). The only reason i might choose mazda is because is the automatic gearbox which seem to be more reliable. This is something im still looking into it.

[CousinDupree]

Constantin88 said:

Thanks guys! Im aware that a certain number of products out of the total sold can malfunction at some point. Sometimes there are some issues which can lead to epidemic failures and not all of them are admited by manufacturers. This is what i was trying to determine.
After i have asessed lots of models, now i have narrowed it down to 2: 118i or mazda 3. Im little bit paranoia ?? because is a quite an investment for me (i droved an old clio and a 2007 focus till this year). The only reason i might choose mazda is because is the automatic gearbox which seem to be more reliable. This is something im still looking into it.

They are good cars and aside from earlier crankshaft issues on the first B38s, they seem ok so far.

They aren't good on fuel though. I get 34mpg average, which is almost the same as the 330i N52 I had. Even the latest F40 one is a good 20% worse than the VAG options. Look at Fuelly or dare I say it, the Carwow review.

Also lots of road noise. Less without the run flats, but still intrusive. Add the offset driving position (more noticeable on the manuals) and it's quite a flawed car. I still like it though!

[Constantin88]

Beside being eco, i dont mind the fuel consumption too much. I had 13l/100km on my old focus (urban). For me, at this point, a quite new car and reliability is the key. Im not chasing a specific car, this is how end up choosing between mazda3 and bmw318i

[CousinDupree]

I am the same, i do fairly low mileages each year.

Nonetheless, it does somewhat negate any advantage in driving something with half the cylinders and half the power.