BMW and M Power Owners

jpaul said:
got 1.4tfsi/150bhp manual a4 avant and on regular cross country/fens/A10 A road routes 120 miles round avg 55, doing 50+mpg, mostly just me,
also, like for bmw if you have auto/x-drive/bigger-engines you add 150Kg+=2people too, to carry around corners.
haven't done much motorways/urban yet - occasionally glance at mpg status and confuse it with speed, guess that's a diesel world problem.

I would have got the b38/manual - sound was reminiscent of previous 320/6 cylinder during test drives - but noticeably less powerful and dealer wasn't responsive to fix a few issues. (pro rwd, con cabin/audio)
couldn't find a manual/non-M 320/330
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I’m not calling you a liar, but that would genuinely surprise me.

I’ve driven the 1.4 engine in an A1 and didn’t get anywhere near that MPG, driving very sedately.
 
MrRockliffe said:
They’re terrible. The only auto I can personally tolerate is the PDK.


Still standby this.


If it isn’t electric or PDK, my preference will always be a manual.


I don’t know why everyone raves about the ZF8. They’re horribly jerky at lower speed gear changes.
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They really aren’t, I’m not sure what to say at this point :p You are in an extreme minority.

The DSG in M cars is a bit dodgy at lower speeds. I’ve never found PDK to be much better.
 
Robbo said:
They really aren’t, I’m not sure what to say at this point :p You are in an extreme minority.

The DSG in M cars is a bit dodgy at lower speeds. I’ve never found PDK to be much better.
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I even did a back to back comparison using the accelerometer in my phone and another 3 series to confirm it wasn’t an issue with my car, and it exhibited the same issues.


It’s a good for an auto, but it isn’t good, IMO.


Have had the ZF8 in 3 cars and it has been pants in all 3 (admittedly the best in the G20)
 
MrRockliffe said:
I even did a back to back comparison using the accelerometer in my phone and another 3 series to confirm it wasn’t an issue with my car, and it exhibited the same issues.

It’s a good for an auto, but it isn’t good, IMO.

Have had the ZF8 in 3 cars and it has been pants in all 3 (admittedly the best in the G20)
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But it's not terrible is it? I'm genuinely intrigued by your view, I would say the ZF8 is objectively a brilliant thing, universally liked by most people, from casual drivers to racing drivers.

I'm sure there are areas where auto might stumble a bit, but 99% of the time it's near on perfect, and you can further adjust that with sport settings for example. The PDK's I've driven are the same sort of thing, certainly no better at junctions etc, or in the usual situations where people might criticise an auto. They aren't jerky at low speed gear changes, it's closer to being imperceptible.

I'd be interested to see your issues with it first hand. I'm wondering if you're driving it in such a way that causes a problem, but I can't really see how!
 
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I agree with @MrRockliffe on this one, the ZF8 speed is good, but not great. At low speed it's not the smoothest, and it can be easily confused when you're, for example, coasting/slowing for a roundabout then put your foot down to go through when a gap appears and you're still doing 10-20mph. Then it seems to pause to figure out what's happening before gives you drive again. A small thing, but really affects how the car drives. Sport+ mode generally sorts this out, but at the cost of smoothness.

This is my first BMW experience so not sure if it's common with the brand, but I never had anything like that with previous Mercs or Audis I've driven.
 
MrRockliffe said:
100% the ZF8. I’ve had it in 3 different cars, used it in a hire car. All exhibit the same issues
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So if you set off down the road just driving normally, you find it horribly jerky when it changes gear?

I just don't see how that can be possible unless something is wrong with it. They are very smooth.
 
Just been watching this guy.

He seems to enjoy the flappy paddles..

To be fair when he is flicking between gears it seems responsive.. I'd have to watch again to see if he's using it in another mode.

 
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Robbo said:
So if you set off down the road just driving normally, you find it horribly jerky when it changes gear?

I just don't see how that can be possible unless something is wrong with it. They are very smooth.
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Up to around 30 mph yes, which made it frustrating for 20 limits.

Worst offender was 3rd to 2nd at around 20. Diabolical where I used to live as it was a 20 zone around the area.


I’m much smoother in a manual.


Edit: wish I had accelerometer data still as I did a full comparison with my Boxster, 320d and the 320i loan car.


Boxster was perfect and blended the gears and clutch exactly like I do in a manual. 3 series were spikey in readouts.




Edit 2: it was fine if you’re just mashing the accelerator but for town driving where you’re not necessarily braking, just lifting off, it was killer.


Higher speeds it was fine, but so is a manual.
 
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MissChief said:
Also buttery smooth changes, especially after I had the gearbox serviced and the fluid changed. On gentle acceleration the only way I can see the gearbox changing is the rev counter.
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Yeh does sound like it good gear changes. What did they do with the gearbox service, transmission oil change? , how much and what interval ?

I'm just reading further , b47 and b48 engines at the moment

I did notice when I was listening to the petrol 420i it sounded abit noisy under the bonnet, but reading up it has a noisy drivetrain, and we'll a 420d sounds like a diesel but better than previous years cars.

Apparently things I need to look out for are

Still comments about timing chain, I guess along as you keep within the service every 6-8k miles you should be fine


Other comments
Coolant loss, oil leaks, failing water pumps, and issues with the VANOS system are a few problems that could arise over time in both engines. Keeping a close eye on your engine bay would be a good idea, as usual for any high-mileage BMW. Having to replace the turbocharger at very high mileage (150,000+ miles) wouldn’t be out of the ordinary.


Any owners had any of these issues ?

With regards to BMW Warrenty , if I go for approved used I assume any non BMW parts or non BMW servicing would void any warrenty . I like to do certain tasks myself that are easy (IE air filter/cabin filter) and then take it to an indie to get the oil and filter changed etc and then log it with BMW to say it's been done , I assume this wouldn't be allowed ?
 
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MrRockliffe said:
Up to around 30 mph yes, which made it frustrating for 20 limits.

Worst offender was 3rd to 2nd at around 20. Diabolical where I used to live as it was a 20 zone around the area.


I’m much smoother in a manual.
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Very strange, I can honestly say it's extremely smooth and could never be described as jerky. Perhaps they were all faulty, I can't think of any other reason.

The DCT in my M4 on the other hand was a bit all over the place at times in terms of smoothness, but they're known for it.
 
Robbo said:
Very strange, I can honestly say it's extremely smooth and could never be described as jerky. Perhaps they were all faulty, I can't think of any other reason.

The DCT in my M4 on the other hand was a bit all over the place at times in terms of smoothness, but they're known for it.
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Have a look online. It’s not hard to find numerous threads with the 3rd to 2nd issues. Every ZF8 I’ve driven exhibited the same problem :)
 
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MrRockliffe said:
Have a look online. It’s not hard to find numerous threads with the 3rd to 2nd issues. Every ZF8 I’ve driven exhibited the same problem :)
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But if I took you for a spin in my car I'm confident you wouldn't notice it. I am pretty fussy about these things and it's really very smooth.

I'm not saying the gearbox can't have problems or inconsistencies, but you make it sound far, far worse than it is. Unless there are differences between the ZF8's in a 3 Series and 5/7/8 Series.
 
DJMK4 said:
Yeh does sound like it good gear changes. What did they do with the gearbox service, transmission oil change? , how much and what interval ?
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The filter is built into the sump so it's a new sump and fluid. BMW will say it's sealed for life, ZF themselves say 8 years or 60,000 miles. I got mine done in August 2023 for £350+VAT.
 
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