Questions re engine and common problems in the f31

[Tmrtom]

A petrol 2018 or 2019 F31 is almost certainly going to be our next car (it is between this and an Octavia VRs of similar vintage).

I’ve never had a BMW before but researching the model has just thrown up a few questions that hopefully the experts on here will be able to answer.

Our budget of 16-17k will get us a 320i or 330i. As I understand it, for Europe this means the same b48 engine and not the infamous N20 engine - can anyone confirm this is correct?

If so, is there anything I’d need to know re preventative maintenance and common issues?

Are there any other things to be aware of for this particular model?

Thanks!

[rottenegg]

Yep, B48. No real concerns with that engine but as with any BMW, they are not tolerant of neglect or sloppy maintenance.

The only common thing worthy of note on the F3x platform is steering rack knock, but is easily fixable. Everything else is just standard maintenance and ownership diligence. i.e. preventative rather than waiting for stuff to break before ever lifting the bonnet.

[numtumfutunch]

the standard audio is awful

I honestly wouldnt touch one unless it has the Harman Kardon upgrade which many do

Cheers

[VRSrob14]

As above, i have a 2016 340i and the only issues I've had in the 5+ years of ownership have been a steering knock which i had resolved by the repair kit and the coolant cap seal perishing which caused the coolant to evaporate over time, again another cheap and easy fix. The current issue i have is the valves on the exhaust are making a "chirping" sound on upshift / downshift and causes an intermittent rattle on idling sometimes, just waiting for the Milltek cat back to drop to a reasonable price before getting it resolved .

[_Hoppers]

I have a Dec 2013 F30 and about three years ago paint started to bubble on the rear arches, these was repaired under warranty. Last year the front wings were replaced due to corrosion and last month the nearside rear arch was repaired (different spot to last time), again, under warranty. Paint issues might not be apparent on a 2018 model but it's worth a close look I reckon. A friend had a newer 335D (not sure of the year) and he had the same issues.

I've also had the steering knock, it wasn't bad at all but I wanted the car to be 'sorted'. When I took it to BMW they wouldn't fit the steering rack repair kit unless it could be diagnosed as such! They suggested it would be the track rod ends (I knew it wasn't and told them as much), I paid the diagnosis fee for them to investigate further and they couldn't find anything wrong! They agreed to fit the rack repair kit and the knocking stopped! I didn't get the diagnosis fee back!

I've had to replace both rear door locks too. When locking, the door pin went down and appeared to have locked, but, because I'm a bit OCD I sometimes pull on the door handles to check they have actually locked. This was an intermittent problem but the doors sometimes opened after locking the car!

[danb79]

Re steering rack knock; there are 2 variants - ThyssenKrupp and ZF

ThyssenKrupp you can fix with the kit (to tell if it's that one, the top of the rack will have a cover with 3 holes in it that you need a tool to remove)

The ZF rack is just a 17mm nut (same rack as we have on our F31); that you just adjust using that nut, if it needs adjusting

Re other things; I agree that you want the HK system at a minimum if you can (same goes for the ProNav, heated seats and memory seats (if you're not too tall); xenons/LED headlights, ideally RWD over xDrive IMO, M Sport spec if you can, power tailgate etc)

I've done a lot of preventative maintenance on ours; inc a full suspension overhaul (every part), which made a huge difference to how it drives and handles; and it's on 18" non RFTs all year round (Goodyear Assym 6s for summers and Goodyear Vector Gen3 all seasons for the colder, wetter winter months etc); and that makes a superb difference too. Better drive, comfier, quieter and smoother

[Pica-Pica]

danb79 said:

Re steering rack knock; there are 2 variants - ThyssenKrupp and ZF

ThyssenKrupp you can fix with the kit (to tell if it's that one, the top of the rack will have a cover with 3 holes in it that you need a tool to remove)

The ZF rack is just a 17mm nut (same rack as we have on our F31); that you just adjust using that nut, if it needs adjusting

Re other things; I agree that you want the HK system at a minimum if you can (same goes for the ProNav, heated seats and memory seats (if you're not too tall); xenons/LED headlights, ideally RWD over xDrive IMO, M Sport spec if you can, power tailgate etc)

I've done a lot of preventative maintenance on ours; inc a full suspension overhaul (every part), which made a huge difference to how it drives and handles; and it's on 18" non RFTs all year round (Goodyear Assym 6s for summers and Goodyear Vector Gen3 all seasons for the colder, wetter winter months etc); and that makes a superb difference too. Better drive, comfier, quieter and smoother

Some of the above are personal preference, rather than essentials. I have xdrive, because of gravelly tracks, mixed surfaces, wet roundabouts, and so on. Also for my 335d, the standard suspension and ride height allows me the ground clearance to access all but the worst of unmade house drives up rough tracks without buying an SUV. But yes, Pro-Nav and HK system, LED etc. heated seats should be fairly easy to find, but electrically adjustable seats and memory seats seem strangely rare.

[Tmrtom]

Thanks all. I am tallish (6ft 3) so maybe give memory seats a miss? Heated seats and h k sound seems easy to find.

Is rust a big problem then? That’s what’s killing my mk5 gti I’m currently in so would prefer my next car not to battle this prematurely.

Had already decided on m sport just for the looks and interior improvements. Will be a long term keeper so happy to do bits as I go - just ideally not rust fighting as it always seems to come back!

[Tmrtom]

Oh, and does anyone know the service plan on these - lots for sale around 6 years old that have only been serviced 3 times. Doesn’t seem a lot to me given what people above are saying? Should it be every year or 10000 miles like most modern 2 litre engines?

[andyvtr]

My 2013 F31 started to bubble on both wings at around 100k miles. BMW wouldn’t replace them under warranty so had them resprayed at my expense. Barely lasted a year before the bubbling returned so replacing the wings would be my advice.

[danb79]

Tmrtom said:

Thanks all. I am tallish (6ft 3) so maybe give memory seats a miss? Heated seats and h k sound seems easy to find.

Is rust a big problem then? That’s what’s killing my mk5 gti I’m currently in so would prefer my next car not to battle this prematurely.

Had already decided on m sport just for the looks and interior improvements. Will be a long term keeper so happy to do bits as I go - just ideally not rust fighting as it always seems to come back!

6ft 4 here and was 22 stone (no just 17 stone after poor health)... The memory seats are great; but they sit you high. The manual seats are better and right down, they're actually too low

Zero rust issues on our F31; no corrosion whatsoever

Full of stone chips up front mind, but not a lot you can do about that

This is ours:

On its winters:


On its summers:


The full project is here if you're bored

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[sortedcossie]

No rust on our 2016 F31 335d, but have to say the F series does suffer badly from stone rash. Ours has only done 61k, but it's the worst car I've had for it. Half a dozen mates have had f3x, all had heavy stone rash.

[numtumfutunch]

Tmrtom said:

Oh, and does anyone know the service plan on these - lots for sale around 6 years old that have only been serviced 3 times. Doesn’t seem a lot to me given what people above are saying? Should it be every year or 10000 miles like most modern 2 litre engines?

Its variable according to the idrive however roughly every 2 years

[_Hoppers]

danb79 said:

Zero rust issues on our F31; no corrosion whatsoever
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

Have you checked the inner surface of the arches? I only noticed the front wings were going when I had my head in the wheel arch to remove the washer bottle.

[danb79]

_Hoppers said:

Have you checked the inner surface of the arches? I only noticed the front wings were going when I had my head in the wheel arch to remove the washer bottle.

Yup; when I remove the wheels to clean them and the arches/suspension etc - zero corrosion

[_Hoppers]

danb79 said:

Yup; when I remove the wheels to clean them and the arches/suspension etc - zero corrosion

Excellent! I've slapped some BH Dynax-UB on mine, hopefully that will stop the rust coming back for a few more years?!

[danb79]

_Hoppers said:

danb79 said:

Yup; when I remove the wheels to clean them and the arches/suspension etc - zero corrosion

Excellent! I've slapped some BH Dynax-UB on mine, hopefully that will stop the rust coming back for a few more years?!

That's a good idea TBH; I've lashings of Jelonite in the garage still as bought it for sorting the rear subframe on my 130i

When the wheel swap happens I'll do the arches too

[Tmrtom]

Thanks everyone. Still sounds like a contender then I’ll just keep an eye out for rust although my budget gets one around 50000 miles so hopefully not bad.

Thanks Dan, seen your threads before - always kept immaculate. Mine won’t be - sadly I don’t have the time, skill or money to keep up to cars like some do on here but I’ll do my best! Like the silver - to be honest I want a colour but most our monotone!

[danb79]

Tmrtom said:

Thanks everyone. Still sounds like a contender then I’ll just keep an eye out for rust although my budget gets one around 50000 miles so hopefully not bad.

Thanks Dan, seen your threads before - always kept immaculate. Mine won’t be - sadly I don’t have the time, skill or money to keep up to cars like some do on here but I’ll do my best! Like the silver - to be honest I want a colour but most our monotone!

You can't come on here and blaspheme like that

Silvers a great colour; always looks clean even when it's filthy

[rottenegg]

Tmrtom said:

Is rust a big problem then? That’s what’s killing my mk5 gti I’m currently in so would prefer my next car not to battle this prematurely.

No. Far from it. Neglected, abused or previously damaged cars are the most common for rust, but that's common to many cars.

By neglect I mean not touching up stone chips and not clearing out the wheel arches when cleaning, and I mean properly cleaning them. For example, the front wing lips are U shaped which fill up with dirt that never dries out. How many people do you reckon bother themselves to clean those U sections out? I'd wager 5%, if that. The rear arches are pinched/rolled and don't have U sections to fill up, but still need a damn good clean out regardless.

Ditto under the plastic arch liners were damp leaves like to fester. Again, how many people do you see doing that?

So no, F3x do not rust when looked after.

The MK5 had specific design flaws with the front wings and really stty paint quality, i.e.completely missing from the bottom of the A pillar. Most GTI owners would be horrified if they took the side skirts off and saw the rust under there.