My e90 325i

[Philip Foglar]

Frikkie, ek dink jy is maar net fussy!! jk

Jokes aside, my car probably suffers from some of these same issues that you are experiencing (maybe just to a much lesser degree), but over the years I must admit, I have become less fussy - this happens when living with corolla appliances. Not saying that these issues should be ignored.

On my car, I do have a number of interior rattles - I think the passenger seat sensor which is a common problem needs to be looked at. Door seals and various bits around the rear and parcel shelf apparently usually cause noises. Suspension isn't noisy, just has the normal sounds of struts etc. Creeping on and off driveways there are the odd noises but really minor. Brakes do have that annoying (but harmless) knock sound in slow parking area speeds if you have reversed, braked and then pull off and brake again. Brake wear sensor sometimes makes a horrible screeching sound at low speeds as you drive around without the brakes applied - common issue on these cars as well as the 335i.

So maybe I am just a bit more forgiving than you. Or the severity of the issues you are having are considerably more than what I have experienced so far.

The engine ticking noise is difficult to capture reliably with a camera since some are more sensitive than others - maybe your camera makes it sound louder where mine makes it sound less intrusive.

What about the erratic idle? Did they solve this or say anything about it?

I think you have also just had a lot of bad luck with various things getting damaged or packing up - at least it's still under motorplan (ja, ja - helps if they fix the problems) while this is all going on. At the end of the day YOU need to be happy with the car!!

:thumbs:

 

[Sankekur]

The car is ready for collection, but I told them tomorrow morning. :joy::thinking:
Nothing wrong with the AC system.
Cooling system preassure tested all ok - Leak splatter must be from the Moon.
Engine ticking - The engine sounds normal - no anomalies found :fencelook:
Engine oil was replaced according to the service history.
Squeeky suspension - No fault found :nonono:

Looks like I have a radio active imagination :thinking::thinking::thinking:

I have to say this worries me a bit, seems to much like the dealers, just declare everything fine just so they don't have to actually so some proper work, but maybe I am just too sceptical....

 

[frikkieh]

imp:
So Frikkie, when we putting that subwoofer?? :mmm:

For Christmas - From dad to dad :rollsmile:
I have MOSFET amp, don't know how good it is though.

---

Sank, If I am not happy, the car goes back. The engine noises are random, so it is hard to detect.

@ Phillip, Perhaps I expected that the e90 would have a quiter engine than my e46. You are correct about the camera / microphone thing, it tends to amplify the sound, but the motor did not sound right to me.

I hear no internal rattles whatsoever. I saw the US (e90 forums) complaining bitterly about this, especially the seatbelt roller.

Perhaps LH did not clean up their mess. I complained about the coolant like splatter that was clearly visible on the plastic parts.
But that is speculation, because there is an oil spill too and it might have been there before.

I should now get on with my planning a trip to Cape Town :joy:

 

[Coisman]

imp:
So Frikkie... Why your car so slow??? :rollsmile:

 

[frikkieh]

Francois - you'r WILD !!!!
My 325 pulls like a 1 liter Ford Cortina with only two pistons against your monster.
You should not say "skiet die bliksims", but rather:

"ry weg vir die bliksims"

raise:raise:raise:raise:raise:raise:raise:raise:

 

[Coisman]

:biglol: :bravo: and also :ty:

 

[Philip Foglar]

Hmm, in terms of noise and general engine sound they should be very similar, although there are some different technologies. My Wife's car for example, with basically 100k km more on the clock still sounds good if maybe a slightly noisier head than when it was new. Still need to replace the AC belt pre-tensioner which is a bit tired. Power steering pump is at this stage the noisiest component which "spoils" the sounds coming from the engine bay.

Always best to trust ones gut! But otherwise, now that you have the car back, does she seem better now? What did they all do other than just say this and that is "fine"?

Took another vid this afternoon of the engine idling and then got in behind the wheel - so can hear above the camera's microphone distortion the typical noises and hopefully the intensity. Camera as usual makes it sound tinny by comparison to ones ears. Blipped the throttle at the end just for fun!! :rollsmile:

[video=youtube]

 

[frikkieh]

The new 325i is simply no match for a chipped e46 325i...
Performance is fine for the way I drive.

Looks like the Diagnostic was done twice.
Apart from the door locking mechanism, no other parts were replaced.

I still don't like the sound of the engine. My guess - it is time for a decent sound system now.
Earmuffs is not an option :rollsmile:

 

[Philip Foglar]

I still think it would be interesting for you to get together with someone else with an otherwise identical 325i and see how it compares. Mine is plenty fast enough for me, and um the rules of the road. I love the flexibility of the engine, and for me mine sounds great, excuse for having the window down when driving around in my neighbourhood.

So when are you coming down to CPT?

 

[frikkieh]

Philip, The sound that I recorded is still there. BMW says it is normal.
Yes we did some pretty hard 0-100km/h accelleration tests and it was in a 100 zone.

I plan to be there near end of next year for a vacation. Will have to see how that works out.

Your motor sounds very similar to mine, except for the deeper voice of course :rollsmile:
Driving with the window down is therefore very understandable.

I am just thinking of ignoring the irratic idlling and engine noises and just drive the car.

 

[Philip Foglar]

I think your car just needs a dose of coastal air!! :rollsmile:

Well, keep an eye (ear) on it to see if it changes over time. The erratic idle is still odd though. Mine idles at slightly different speeds depending on temperature (not, I mean once at "normal" temperatures), Sometimes when depressing the clutch the revs climb just a bit as if the load of the release bearing is affecting the idle speed, but somehow it seems more as if on purpose by the electronics, not sure. The first couple of months for me it also took a bit of getting used to the various things and noises specific to this car. My gear changes were clumsy at first and crawling at low speeds I was experiencing that nasty clutch shunt from not having my throttle clutch inputs perfectly timed - seems you need to keep the throttle depressed briefly while depressing the clutch.

Yep, with the rules of the road that I said above, you just begin to have fun and then release, oops, crap, better slow down hey?!

I must say, I would think the engines should sound pretty much the same, maybe a slight difference in tone, but otherwise identical. On my vids admittedly, my camera seems to be very sensitive to the lower frequencies, so things like rumbles come across a lot more prominently than in reality. But yes, soundtrack through the rev range around buildings etc is very very satisfying!! :inlove:

 

[Coisman]

imp:
Philip, I think Frikkie is constantly comparing his E90 to the E46, and I personally think the E46 engine runs a more quiet than the E90. Don't know if with the E90 bmw used less materials, or maybe the engine design makes it so, but both my 325 and frikkie's 323 idle quieter than the E90 325....
hope all that made sense?? :rollsmile:

 

[herr bmw]

frikkie said my e90 323i sounded quiter than his 325,

unfortunatlly i didnt listen to his car so wouldnt be able to say,but if not happy take it back

 

[Sankekur]

So I am wondering frikkie if you take the car out for a hard (spirited) drive and you them park it and let it cool off (say overnight) and then start the car again in this ticking noise less or the same?

 

[Philip Foglar]

Well, the 323i and 325i engines are very similar I would think, both are 2.5 L so typical engine noises should be much the same - assuming the head design is the same, this follows too. If I listen to my car's engine and compare it to my Wife's E46, the overall noise level is much the same, just the various individual sounds generated differ.

I remember when I bought the car, the salesman told me that it is important to allow the engine to work hard and at high revs every now and then so that there is good oil circulation - large engine in terms of how and the where the oil all has to go.

 

[frikkieh]

Perhaps I should pay Colin a visit for this. The 323i motor should be very similar.
The suspension squeeks comes from the park brake, when getting in or out of the car.

---

BTW - Fountains called me from an "UNKNOWN" number twice today (got the message tonight), which was gracefully declined on both occasions. Looks like they don't want you to call them back again :biglol:

 

[Philip Foglar]

Mine does that too, the squeak that is. So does my Wife's car and my father in law's E46 - always thought of this as being a common issue and not really a fault. I for example hate rattles in the dashboard for example, but if I know that it is something stored in the cubbyhole for instance, then it doesn't bother me - but let it be something within the dashboard then it will drive me nuts!!

Let us know how it goes when getting the cars together... :thumbs:

 

[Coisman]

imp:
So frikkie, shall I go and get some quotes for you on the sound-system parts?? :excited:

 

[Sankekur]

The suspension squeeks comes from the park brake, when getting in or out of the car.

As far as I know this is perfectly normal.

 

[Coisman]

imp:
Sank, and all the others who's cars have this "squeeky" suspention... :thinking:
My car doesn't have this problem, so it must be because I often use my back seat for more than just transporting my kids... :mmm: