[sleepyal]

just purchased this beautiful vehicle, new poster here. this is my first bmw, and it feels pretty stiff behind the wheel which i really like, but i also feel every little bump on the road, the car came with 255/40/17 tires on it. could that have something to do with it? also when i have the car in break or park completely stopped it kind of vibrates a little bit, is this something normal on these cars or is there something wrong. i'm used to infiniti and bigger cars, this is the first small car i've ever owned. it handles great, engine sounds great, how would i be able to tell if anything wrong with the tranny or engine or breaks or anything like that, there are no indications of anything on the dash. just bought this used with 46.5 k on it and want to know if all is well. The car looks absolutely mint and carfax is clean.
got some pics here. Can anyone possible provide some good advice on how this vehicle should feel while driving and idle, i would greatly appreciate it.

[Tom K.]

For a 2007 with ZSP & 17" wheels, the stock tire sizes are 225/45VR17 on the front wheels and 255/40VR17 on the back and the recommended pressures are 32/32.

If you have 255/40R17 tires on the front, you might post on the Tire/Wheel forum as to the desirability of this combination.

Tom

[sleepyal]

I believe all 4 tires on this car are 255/40/17

[El Cheapo Loco]

^ it has sport package and those should be staggered wheels, just like Tom said.

328i are reliable cars. But idle will not be as smooth as the Japanese luxury cars. Nothing to worry about.

[sleepyal]

thanks elchea, anyone else have any other thoughts on how the drive should feel of this vehicle? compared to say a infiniti m35x or g35?

[shanecarmaster1]

Originally Posted by elcheapoloco

^ it has sport package and those should be staggered wheels, just like Tom said.

328i are reliable cars. But idle will not be as smooth as the Japanese luxury cars. Nothing to worry about.

I would beg to differ. It's quite the opposite. When my e90 was new, i would check to see if the car was still on because it was/is so quiet and smooth. Afterall, that's what BMWs are know for - their silky smooth engines.

As for the op, there might be some maintenance that should be performed that will solve a rough idle. For example: have the filters and plugs ever been replaced? Does it need something physical because there's a leak? A rough idle, especially on the n52 is unnacceptable.

[xxp0loxx]

While its still a bit early for a tune up for the car.....its not to early to ensure your car is tip-top. Fluid change, spark plugs, belts....considering your investment, i always felt it was owed to the new car!

Is it CPO? if not, i would have had it inspected prior to buying. To point out rough idles and such.

But, you car is most likely fine. Give her some TLC.

[sleepyal]

yea well i already bought the car so much for that and no it is not CPO but i do have warranty still i guess i can take it in and have them look at everything, tell them my concerns, would they charge me for that if i tell them i have a rough idle and there is nothing else particularly wrong with the car?

[conix67]

Originally Posted by sleepyal

I believe all 4 tires on this car are 255/40/17

Just go have a look at your tires. Can't be all 255/40/17, that's an odd setup.

I heard older run flat tires gives harsher ride, even without sports suspension.

[GreenThree]

Welcome! You will be able to tell a big difference in cornering with the sport package. The trade off is you will feel every bump and road imperfection. I am sure you will enjoy your car!

[ctuna]

Google Mike Miller BMW for the old school maintenance schedule .
You are entitled to one oil change a year regardless of mileage left on the
computer till the next change.(while under warranty)
Although this is a very reliable engine the common problems are
head bolt breakage there are some threads on this here they are aluminum
bolts they have to be because of the magnesium block.
Check them to make sure the heads aren't broken to get them changed under
warranty if necessary.
Other common problem is valve ticking ( not that common though there is also
threads and stickies on this)

http://www.e90post.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=16
usefull sub boards above

read the manual and it will tell you how to check the maintenance items and
oil level . You can download manuals at bmwusa.com and there are some training
videos there as well. It took me weeks to get use to the controls and electronics
and months to get comfortable with them. If there were anything wrong with the
car it would be stored in the memory as error codes (well anything major) You can
get scanning tools read the codes if your into it, or have BMW or and Independent shop
do it .For the suspension and undercarriage a good visual check would confirm the state of the rest of it.

the harsh ride is the RFT's many threads here on this also it is a sport suspension.
You can change to non RFT's to smooth it out.

Nice Car

[Kevin Harney]

Man with all those problems with the 328s I am glad I only have to deal with the HPFP !!

[roundle]

What make and model are the tires? If the previous owner put on an odd-size, it would not surprise me if they took a short cut and bought no-name tires.

[tony20009]

Originally Posted by sleepyal

just purchased this beautiful vehicle, new poster here. this is my first bmw, and it feels pretty stiff behind the wheel which i really like, but i also feel every little bump on the road, the car came with 255/40/17 tires on it. could that have something to do with it?

The tires could have something to do with it. In general, BMW 3ers will let you know what is on the surface of the road over which you travel. That's by design. While you may feel a slight thump as you hit various road imperfections, they should not be uncomfortable. If your car is doing more than hitting them, communicating same to you and that's about it. The car should not bounce, bound or sway after hitting the bumps.

Some tires are designed for comfort, others for grip. I don't know how your car is shod, but you have the OEM run flat tires on your car, what I described above is about what you should expect. Things may become a slight bit better with a different tire. Mostly, however, I've found that the main thing I get from tires is either more or less grip in corners and more or less road noise on the highways.

Originally Posted by sleepyal

also when i have the car in break or park completely stopped it kind of vibrates a little bit, is this something normal on these cars or is there something wrong.

I don't know how much vibration you are feeling. It is an engine that's attached to your car and it has moving parts. That said, I can't tell you that I've noticed any vibration that I feel is unusually dynamic, nothing more that the minor motion that lets you know the motor is running. The next time I'm in our 328i, I'll pay attention and let you know my observation if I should drive that car in soon enough to be relevant for this tread...

Originally Posted by sleepyal

...how would i be able to tell if anything wrong with the tranny or engine or breaks or anything like that, there are no indications of anything on the dash.

Well, as goes the engine or tranny, if this isn't your first car ever, you'll know. The car tells you when to change the brakes. As for things like brake fluid and whatnot, you may have to consult a publication on BMW maintenance or the BMW store nearest you. I pretty much, from my first BMW to now, just take my cars to the dealer and let them do what needs doing to keep my cars in shape. Sorry I have no useful insights as goes general maintenance. If you haven't found the windscreen wiper fluid reservoir, I can help. I found mine a week or two ago.

Originally Posted by sleepyal

j...Can anyone possible provide some good advice on how this vehicle should feel while driving and idle, i would greatly appreciate it.

When driving, it should feel tight, responsive, smooth, communicative and very "pointable." You shouldn't find torque steer when driving in a straight line. You should be aware of the character of the road, but you should not feel discomfort or uncertainty about it. When cornering, you will be able to tell exactly where your car is in the turn. The car should pretty well stay level when cornering between 40-50 mph around most entrance/exit ramps on the interstate. You will fee g-forces, but your car should also feel under your control at the same time; that's you leaning not the car.

Hope that helps.

Welcome and enjoy your new BMW.

[tony20009]

You know, one thing that may help you more than anything we can say is the following:

Go to your local BMW store and test drive a 328i -- any 328i that is part of the ex model. Drive one with sport suspension and tires and one without. Then you'll have a fair point of comparison. It won't matter whether you drive a new one or a used, CPO vehicle. Just drive one that you can feel certain is running correctly.

[sleepyal]

Originally Posted by roundle

What make and model are the tires? If the previous owner put on an odd-size, it would not surprise me if they took a short cut and bought no-name tires.

i believe they put on nankang sport ns-1 tires, definately not original.

[sleepyal]

what about the having them do a good inspection on the car via the warranty can i tell them to check out the whole car even though it is not displaying any particular problems other than a very slight vibration in idle? Can i just say, heres a list of things can you check all this out for me and give me a oil change since i haven't had one done at a dealer in over a year? would they give me a problem for that if anyone has experience with the dealership, I hear they always try to rip money out of you no matter what warranty or not. If some one has good experience with under warranty cars and what i can and can't expect them to do would be much appreciated.

[John 070]

Originally Posted by sleepyal

i believe they put on nankang sport ns-1 tires, definately not original.

I think we've learned from tire tests throughout the years that there are some tires out there (the ones mentioned above) that actually perform worse in the dry, than a benchmark like the Pilot Sport PS2 in the wet. Part of the problem I think is the DOT standards (lack thereof). A 460 AA A rating is only usable within the mfg. who assigned it. It's as crazy as the EPA and testing what less than 5% of the mfgs reports of mpgs, or the FDA allowing tainted beef to reach ones grocers' shelves...

[ENINTY]

Originally Posted by sleepyal

i believe they put on nankang sport ns-1 tires, definately not original.

Nankang - that's your problem right there. One thing you will learn over time is BMWs are very sensitive to tires. If you get cheap-ass tires you get a cheap-ass ride. I looked on the Nankang website (still laughing) it looks like the NS-1 is an H-rated tire. You should be putting on at least a Z-rated tire let alone a W-Rated tire on a sport package E90. Also, if the front tires are the same size as the rear, then some butthead put the wrong size on the front. The front tire size for a sport package is 225/45-17 (the rear as previously stated is 255/40-17). The front rim size is 17x8 and the rear rim is 17x8.5.

Considering the previous owner went cheap on the tires, he probably ran cheap no-brand regular octane gas in it. Run a few tank fulls of Shell V-power and some fuel system cleaner and see if the idle cleans up. The BMW in-line 6 is one of the smoothest engines on the planet, it shouldn't have a vibration at idle, unless the fuel management system is idling it too low. Or maybe the trans needs to be checked.

Nice car BTW.

[sleepyal]

thanks to everyone for the feedback. i did check the tires and they are 255/40/17 in the rear and 235/45/17 in the front. the tires do make some kind of noise and they do have bad reviews. but i will be going to the dealer tomorrow morning i have my appointment and i'm going to address all my concerns with them and i'll let you guys know what they found and how they treated me since i'm a second owner and i didn't purchase the car from them.

[hipnotic]

welcome and nice ride

[sleepyal]

so i went to the dealer today, i live in brooklyn, ny so i went to life quality bmw in bay ridge brooklyn area. very large service operation they have there i would say somewhere around 20 lifts. the advisor told me that he would give me the full workup, check everything i told him the car shakes during idle, he told me we'll take a look at everyting i specifically had a complain about the driver's side mirror not going up and my rear door would no go back up after all the way down, i would have to play with it to get it back up. In addition to those he told me that my warranty was almost over as my car has 47k on and he would give me the following things also. In he write up he said that i was complaining about shaking while idle, leaking oil, leaking washer fluid, suspension buckling over bumps, power steering fluid leaking, and oil leaking in drive way. so lets see what they come back with, I'm mostly concerned with teh shaking while idle so i'll get back on the results.