should I buy a 1-series?
Discussion
Hi all,
I'm considering buying a 1-series, but a quick google-search reveals a "well-known" electronic steering lock problem which costs several hundred pounds to fix. Can anyone tell me whether this is indeed a wide-spread problem, and whether it really is expensive to fix or not?
Many thanks in advance,
Craig.
I'm considering buying a 1-series, but a quick google-search reveals a "well-known" electronic steering lock problem which costs several hundred pounds to fix. Can anyone tell me whether this is indeed a wide-spread problem, and whether it really is expensive to fix or not?
Many thanks in advance,
Craig.
It seems there is a problem but not sure how widespread it is.
http://www.babybmw.net/ has a bit of info.
I get frequent yellow warnings rather than failures on my 130i M Sport but IIRC it's around £1k to fix.
As usual, BMW don't recognise it as an issue as they make nice money out of fixing it.
I didn't know about it when I bought mine (at 3 years old) but it wouldn't put me off - all cars have potential to burn money (don't talk to me about VW or Audi).
http://www.babybmw.net/ has a bit of info.
I get frequent yellow warnings rather than failures on my 130i M Sport but IIRC it's around £1k to fix.
As usual, BMW don't recognise it as an issue as they make nice money out of fixing it.
I didn't know about it when I bought mine (at 3 years old) but it wouldn't put me off - all cars have potential to burn money (don't talk to me about VW or Audi).
Like most cars there are a few issues to consider - I bought a an ex-lease 2008 118d (74k miles) from auction and for the first time ever decided to take out a warranty (BMW) after reading about premature timing chain failures etc.
Clutch judder also seems to be an issue on the diesels - mine suffered from this and the gear change was also a bit stiff so I booked it in after I read that BMW have just released a re-designed clutch. I also had a strange noise coming from the engine which was later diagnosed as a alternator/water pump belt tensioner. Luckily the warranty picked up the cost of this and a few other things which they found when it was in (input shaft seal/fuel temp. sensor) and after a bit of persuasion BMW covered 100% of the new clutch as a good will gesture which was a bit of a result. The car now drives perfectly (new clutch has also cured the stiff gearbox). The 118d is a nice car to drive and I average 52mpg and its only £30 a year to tax but I don't think I would like to own one without a warranty!
Clutch judder also seems to be an issue on the diesels - mine suffered from this and the gear change was also a bit stiff so I booked it in after I read that BMW have just released a re-designed clutch. I also had a strange noise coming from the engine which was later diagnosed as a alternator/water pump belt tensioner. Luckily the warranty picked up the cost of this and a few other things which they found when it was in (input shaft seal/fuel temp. sensor) and after a bit of persuasion BMW covered 100% of the new clutch as a good will gesture which was a bit of a result. The car now drives perfectly (new clutch has also cured the stiff gearbox). The 118d is a nice car to drive and I average 52mpg and its only £30 a year to tax but I don't think I would like to own one without a warranty!
I've had my 2007 120d SE since July last year and have suffered the dreaded red warning symbol, therefore resulting in an £800 bill to have a new steering column. I've also covered 20,000 miles in that time so hopefully that should be it. Yes I was annoyed about the bill but the car came with a warranty and that covered most of the work but when it does 53mpg and will get me out of trouble if I need I'm pretty happy with it.
I've had a 130 for the past three years and 50K miles and the only warranty claim I've had is for one coil pack that failed last year.
Compare that with the E46 330i I had before that, there was at least a dozen warranty claims in the time I owned it.
Mind you the diesels are a bit more complicated than the petrol cars due to the high pressure fuel pump, injectors and turbo...
Compare that with the E46 330i I had before that, there was at least a dozen warranty claims in the time I owned it.
Mind you the diesels are a bit more complicated than the petrol cars due to the high pressure fuel pump, injectors and turbo...
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