RE: BMW 340i (F30) manual | Spotted
Discussion
loudlashadjuster said:
Raygun said:
helix402 said:
It looks to be a good car, shame it’s white which highlights the terrible F30 panel gaps.
Are the panel gaps terrible? Look like any other make of car panel gaps to me.Shame it looks mundane and boring.
It's like the BMW guys looked at the bonnet shutline on a 2002 Megane and thought "Mmm, yes! That's it, that's the look we want"
“So the decision of this car's first buyer to go against the grain deserves recognition,”
From reading the article and the comments, it makes me think this car was a model the dealerships had to have from BMW in their allocated quota, a cooking version - Fashion White, manual box, standard wheels, virtually standard trim, token ‘sporty’ privacy glass (if it’s not retrofitted). Probable end of line box shifting.
Consensus so far appears to be, Boring & Ugly, barring the engine. Sounds bang on.
It was said some years ago that the BMW 3 series had become the Cortina (substitute Sierra, Mondeo as suits) of their range...... XL version anyone.
From reading the article and the comments, it makes me think this car was a model the dealerships had to have from BMW in their allocated quota, a cooking version - Fashion White, manual box, standard wheels, virtually standard trim, token ‘sporty’ privacy glass (if it’s not retrofitted). Probable end of line box shifting.
Consensus so far appears to be, Boring & Ugly, barring the engine. Sounds bang on.
It was said some years ago that the BMW 3 series had become the Cortina (substitute Sierra, Mondeo as suits) of their range...... XL version anyone.
AC43 said:
I always notice that massive gap when I see one in the street. Even on the dark-coloured ones.
That’s the worst one. To be honest the other gaps look better than a lot of F30s. Try parking an E36 or E46 next to a F30 for a comparison. My old E46 has Taiwanese front wings and much better panel gaps than an F30.AC43 said:
loudlashadjuster said:
Raygun said:
helix402 said:
It looks to be a good car, shame it’s white which highlights the terrible F30 panel gaps.
Are the panel gaps terrible? Look like any other make of car panel gaps to me.Shame it looks mundane and boring.
It's like the BMW guys looked at the bonnet shutline on a 2002 Megane and thought "Mmm, yes! That's it, that's the look we want"
cerb4.5lee said:
I've always had a saved search in the classifieds for these with a manual gearbox. It is my type of car and I like the more rare version. Autos rule now and a prime example of that is the Alpine A110. Although you could argue that the auto suits these better because it is a cruiser primarily.
Nothing wrong with an auto-box for the daily commute or motorway cruising, but sad to see the manual not even being offered as an option on sports cars designed for the road, not the track.I would have an auto 3 series, but a manual Alpine.
Gitwhoismiserable said:
Needs 19’s and an auto box, then sweet spot alert
I’ve 19’s on mine. I find them an irritation and more form over function. When I come to replace the tyres I think I’m going to find some 18s as I don’t live on the Autobahn or ‘Ring but in England where I tend to think ultra low profile tyres on our typical roads is not the ideal. I love a manual gearbox and I could even put up with the one in the BMW, if it's as people keep saying, but I wouldn't want one in the big baulky 3 series! Get an auto box in there for goodness sake.
Edit: I do approve of those smaller wheels though, fantastic! Wish it looked more Q car.
Edit: I do approve of those smaller wheels though, fantastic! Wish it looked more Q car.
I had a 2010 E90 335i manual which it took me a good 6 months to find after I missed out on two manual tourings which both sold within a few hours of being listed.
Yet when I came to sell it 4 years later nearly every other one for sale, admittedly not many, was a manual. Typical!
Like my manual 130i before it the gearbox could be a little notchy when cold but other than that it was fine.
I do mourn the demise of the manual gearbox.
Yet when I came to sell it 4 years later nearly every other one for sale, admittedly not many, was a manual. Typical!
Like my manual 130i before it the gearbox could be a little notchy when cold but other than that it was fine.
I do mourn the demise of the manual gearbox.
Gez79 said:
I had a 2010 E90 335i manual which it took me a good 6 months to find after I missed out on two manual tourings which both sold within a few hours of being listed.
Yet when I came to sell it 4 years later nearly every other one for sale, admittedly not many, was a manual. Typical!
Like my manual 130i before it the gearbox could be a little notchy when cold but other than that it was fine.
I do mourn the demise of the manual gearbox.
Couldn’t have been worse than the ZF6 auto in the 130i. That was a shocking installation that really buggered a cracking car. Yet when I came to sell it 4 years later nearly every other one for sale, admittedly not many, was a manual. Typical!
Like my manual 130i before it the gearbox could be a little notchy when cold but other than that it was fine.
I do mourn the demise of the manual gearbox.
loudlashadjuster said:
I suspect helix402 might be referring to this particular gap.
It's like the BMW guys looked at the bonnet shutline on a 2002 Megane and thought "Mmm, yes! That's it, that's the look we want"
The gaps themselves are not bad, but the shutline management is pretty inept and that terrible line across the bonnet would shame MG Rover. It's like the BMW guys looked at the bonnet shutline on a 2002 Megane and thought "Mmm, yes! That's it, that's the look we want"
Helicopter123 said:
Nothing wrong with an auto-box for the daily commute or motorway cruising, but sad to see the manual not even being offered as an option on sports cars designed for the road, not the track.
I would have an auto 3 series, but a manual Alpine.
I've never subscribed to the idea that your everyday car should be a boring auto 'because daily'. You drive that car more than any other, why not drive something fun? Sure, if your commute is nose-to-tail motorway door to door, but driving an unnecessarily boring car is robbing yourself of a bit of daily fun.I would have an auto 3 series, but a manual Alpine.
Gez79 said:
I had a 2010 E90 335i manual which it took me a good 6 months to find after I missed out on two manual tourings which both sold within a few hours of being listed.
Yet when I came to sell it 4 years later nearly every other one for sale, admittedly not many, was a manual. Typical!
Like my manual 130i before it the gearbox could be a little notchy when cold but other than that it was fine.
I do mourn the demise of the manual gearbox.
If by notchy when cold, you mean it's harder to shift when cold but easier when hot? If that's what you mean, I would suggest you change the manual gearbox oil to Total Gear 8 75w-80. It makes it softer and smoother to shift manual gearbox stick when very cold & hot. Infact, I did a video with one of my manual Peugeot cars, where I was using only 2 fingers to shift the gear lever from cold, to point out how good that Total manual gearbox oil is. Watch the video in the link below:Yet when I came to sell it 4 years later nearly every other one for sale, admittedly not many, was a manual. Typical!
Like my manual 130i before it the gearbox could be a little notchy when cold but other than that it was fine.
I do mourn the demise of the manual gearbox.
https://youtu.be/6rMtzjLQNE0
You can use Total BV 75w-80 or Total Gear 8 75w-80. Both are good and do the same cold softer shifting. Though, the gear 8 replaced the BV (improvement on BV)
Ikenna351, Lion King - Monk.
Limpet said:
I had a manual F30 320d from new, and the gearbox was awful. Heavy, notchy and occasionally baulky. The manual BMWs of this era also have a delay valve in the clutch hydraulics that robs the pedal of anything resembling feel or consistency. I get the appeal of a manual transmission as much as anyone, but for me this one gave no pleasure whatsoever to use.
If it’s the same unit used in this car, I’d see very little reason to choose it over the ZF8 auto.
Yeah it’s strange... for a brand which built its reputation on being a drivers car, I’ve never really enjoyed their manuals. If it’s the same unit used in this car, I’d see very little reason to choose it over the ZF8 auto.
I had a 6cyl e46 manual and it was a notchy bugger that didn’t like to be rushed. 1st to 2nd smoothly was a like hitting the perfect golf shot - infuriating rare. Had a 6cyl auto e39 afterwards and thought it the better combo.
But maybe they were better before / after the e46. Or maybe mine wasn’t right, not sure. I also had an e90 320d manual company car and didn’t like that shift much either.
DonkeyApple said:
Gez79 said:
I had a 2010 E90 335i manual which it took me a good 6 months to find after I missed out on two manual tourings which both sold within a few hours of being listed.
Yet when I came to sell it 4 years later nearly every other one for sale, admittedly not many, was a manual. Typical!
Like my manual 130i before it the gearbox could be a little notchy when cold but other than that it was fine.
I do mourn the demise of the manual gearbox.
Couldn’t have been worse than the ZF6 auto in the 130i. That was a shocking installation that really buggered a cracking car. Yet when I came to sell it 4 years later nearly every other one for sale, admittedly not many, was a manual. Typical!
Like my manual 130i before it the gearbox could be a little notchy when cold but other than that it was fine.
I do mourn the demise of the manual gearbox.
Whereas the ZF6 auto in my E90 330d felt like a reasonable match to the engine, although the auto was still quite old fashioned feeling to be fair.
Plate spinner said:
Yeah it’s strange... for a brand which built its reputation on being a drivers car, I’ve never really enjoyed their manuals.
I had a 6cyl e46 manual and it was a notchy bugger that didn’t like to be rushed. 1st to 2nd smoothly was a like hitting the perfect golf shot - infuriating rare. Had a 6cyl auto e39 afterwards and thought it the better combo.
But maybe they were better before / after the e46. Or maybe mine wasn’t right, not sure. I also had an e90 320d manual company car and didn’t like that shift much either.
That's a characteristic of the clutch delay valve, not the gearbox.I had a 6cyl e46 manual and it was a notchy bugger that didn’t like to be rushed. 1st to 2nd smoothly was a like hitting the perfect golf shot - infuriating rare. Had a 6cyl auto e39 afterwards and thought it the better combo.
But maybe they were better before / after the e46. Or maybe mine wasn’t right, not sure. I also had an e90 320d manual company car and didn’t like that shift much either.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff