118i vibration when idle

[MikaJP]

Good afternoon,

A few months ago I asked for advice on this forum about which car to buy and ended up getting a 2015 118i with relatively low mileage (26k). I've been a happy owner for a month now and racked up 200 miles. However, I recently noticed that when idle, the car seems to vibrate slightly. It's hard to describe but it feels as if the engine was running a bit "rough" and the vibration being noticeable in the body of the car. When driving, the car & engine behave fine and as expected.

I bought the car from a garage and it has 3 month warranty still on so if there is reason for concern, now would be a good time to act. If you recommend so, should I first take the car e.g. to BMW to have them diagnose it (and ensure that if fixing is required, the garage where I would take the car wouldn't try to give me a runaround as bad as otherwise)?

What say you, experts? Oh and PS, I'm not knowledgeable enough to start looking into the engine myself (did some quick googling on this topic but nothing conclusive) to determine the state of affairs... Happy to provide more information if it helps.

cheers,
Mika

[Charlie Croker mk2]

Most of these small three cylinder engines have a unusual tickover . There wont be anything wrong , its just a characteristic of the type .

[blearyeyedboy]

Perhaps find an owner with a similar car (search on here or a friendly BMW forum, for example) who lives near you, and ask if you can see if theirs does the same?

[MikaJP]

Thanks for the advice. If I fail to find "comparable" cars from my area, what are your tips for proceeding with the diagnostics/ contacting the garage where I bought the car? I'd hate to simply call the garage and get stuck in an argument where the garage may claim everything's fine with me disagreeing. I definitely don't want to risk finding out something unpleasant with the engine once my warranty has expired!

[Greendubber]

Having just ordered a new 118i I've read about a bit of vibration at idle, it's a characteristic of the 3 cylinder B38 engine.

If it's really bothering you then no harm in getting it checked over though.

[MikaJP]

Greendubber said:

Having just ordered a new 118i I've read about a bit of vibration at idle, it's a characteristic of the 3 cylinder B38 engine.

If it's really bothering you then no harm in getting it checked over though.

Thanks, it doesn't really bother me per se but I'd hate to have something serious go wrong with the engine out of warranty, after having ignored any warning signs...

By the way, my car has the older 4-cylinder engine... Don't know if that makes any difference.

[eybic]

Do you know if they have a dual mass flywheel fitted? On some engines, they are fitted to reduce vibration.

[Greendubber]

MikaJP said:

Greendubber said:

Having just ordered a new 118i I've read about a bit of vibration at idle, it's a characteristic of the 3 cylinder B38 engine.

If it's really bothering you then no harm in getting it checked over though.

Thanks, it doesn't really bother me per se but I'd hate to have something serious go wrong with the engine out of warranty, after having ignored any warning signs...

By the way, my car has the older 4-cylinder engine... Don't know if that makes any difference.

Ah if yours is a 4 pot that's pretty much ruled my post out to be fair.

I'd get it looked at just to be sure.

[330ti]

Can you feel any vibration though clutch pedal ? Could be DMF .

[MikaJP]

330ti said:

Can you feel any vibration though clutch pedal ? Could be DMF .

No, and neither through brake/gas (I got automatic gearbox). I mostly notice it through the seat transmitting it to my legs, if that makes any sense! Again, I have to emphasize that we are not talking about any major shaking here. More like mild but noticeable & steady vibration...

[MikaJP]

eybic said:

Do you know if they have a dual mass flywheel fitted? On some engines, they are fitted to reduce vibration.

No idea but perhaps worth asking...

[to3m]

Direct injection? Apparently it's normal for direct injection petrol engines to run a bit rough, like a diesel, when idling.

(My 330i has a direct injection engine, and it behaves similarly. The engine is just rather rough when idle, and it can be felt through the seat (not so much through wheel or pedals) and manual gearstick (which constantly vibrates). Doesn't seems to actually be a problem. When something has actually gone wrong, it's been quite obvious...)

Edited by to3m on Monday 18th June 17:08

[Ramongm]

Hi! Did you find out a solution? A have the same problem.