4TehNguyen

iTrader: (1)

Toyota's 3.5 is state of the art for a mass produced engine, having good mileage, reliability, good power, good torque, low emissions, low production cost (50% cheaper to produce than the previous V6). Very little manafacturers can come close to having all those abilities.

M3 engines had major problems early on, I wouldnt be surprised if emissions mileage and durability were sacrificed to reach those hp numbers. I doubt many M3 engines would even pass 100k miles without a major overhaul or rebuild

boonboon

IS350 -- 306 HP SAE @ 6,400 rpm; 277 ft lb , 376 Nm @ 4,800 rpm
i will prefer a lexus... lol

phatboyc

Update from the 335i owner: "So I went in today to get my "rental heap" and talked to the tech, and he said they found metal deposits in the oil. He also said that the whole system in the car has shut down and locked up, they tried to acsess the on board computer but it just errors out, and nothing works. It doesn't throw any codes, or anything at all. He also said to just wait it out, and that they ordered the new engine but BMW Canada might just decide to replace the car. I don't mind either out come. I hate this Charger so much I am just going to insure the winter viehicle now (2003 MB ML 500) and take the rental back."

I can't believe it, the whole engine is locked up! You would think BMW would want the car shipped over ASAP to investigate.

ff_

Yeah, I can't think of any other mass produced 6 cylinder engines that return good mileage (i.e. tall overdrive gears), reliability, power, low emissions, and low production costs...


Wouldn't pass 100k miles without a major overhaul or rebuild? Perhaps you can post a link to the source of your info? LOL...
What makes you think that Toyota didn't sacrifice durability to achieve the 350's power numbers? You don't know, because the car's only been out for a year. How do you know nothing catastrophic is going to happen to the power plants after the warranty runs out? You don't.

shoei

I wish the guy would throw up some pictures or something to prove this isn't some BS troll. If the blown engine is true, this sucks for BMW to have a failure so early in the life of the car

C280to250

Chances are this are true. Most of my Friends drives BMW and have heard of similar stories.
First year production is always a gamble and there will always be a lemon in a batch but as long as you have the waranty, Its all good

CoasterG

iTrader: (1)

I would've thought that BMW would've offered him another car at this point.

Complete engine seizure would make me want something brand new, replacing the engine and other parts just wouldn't sit well with me after all you just plunked down a nice chunk of change for a BMW and all that entails.

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

At this point, the source of the problem is academic. This is where a manufacturer differentiates himself from the pack. Customer service. Things will always go wrong, and every manufacturer puts together a lemon from time to time. It's impossible to achieve perfection, but certainly noble to pursue it. In this case, BMW NA needs to step up and get this guy a workable solution pronto. Either a new engine or a new car, but in any case, it needs to be swift and sure. I can't even remember all the people I've know with Jaguars suffering similar problems only to have them repeat. Hopefully, this is just infant mortality.

AFA the computer not being accessible? WTF? That's nothing short of bizarre.

KKelly

Well, the warranty is what it is and likely only entitles him to the repair not a new car.

Oh, btw, your car will look sweet with the RGR's. Big BBS fan here, as you can tell from my signature. My motto is why pay more for heavier wheels?

If we are going to discuss these two cars as perf. cars let's not resort to Lexus wins because it is more reliable and fuel efficient. I might think I stumbled on to the Prius board.

P.S. All Prius' (not sure how I say that in plural) should be banned from the left lane along with RAV-type vehicles (aka the new VW Bus). Go save gas in the slow lane.

CoasterG

iTrader: (1)

KKelly, I'm just thinking in customer service and satisfaction terms not just in the manufacturers normal warranty terms.

If it went by normal warranty terms, then this guy would have to have his engine blow up 2 more times to qualify for my state's lemon law. How bad does that sound?

BMW should do the respectable thing and take the loss and give this guy a new car. After all they position themselves as an elite level car manufacturer/dealer, they should back up their products in the same manner.

And thanks about the BBS - ordered RG-Rs today and hopefully will have them by Monday and then installed on Tuesday. =)

TwiBlueG35

Wow this is tough. If you ask me about IS350 and 330i I would immediately tell you I would pick IS350. But 335i coupe is very good looking, and should be very very fast. I probably would still go for the Lexus if I have to choose between these two. But actually I want to consider the new G35, either sedan or the upcoming 08 coupe.

Koz

Funny, the Rav is sporting the new 3.5 V6 which makes it the quickest and most efficient in its class.

Koz

4TehNguyen

iTrader: (1)

v6 rav4 can smoke my prelude in a straight line now, sad 6.4 vs 6.8ish

KKelly

Telling words. No matter what is under the hood they seem to be driven poorly most of the time. Then again the tendency of U.S. drivers to block the left lane is becoming a plague. They will neither slow down or speed up to get out of the way of a passing car. So infuriating that I had to do a couple of downshifts to third this a.m., move over 3 lanes and come back to the left after waiting 3 miles for the idiots to do something.

suprafrank

I totally agree. Just about $10,000 and give you a more sporty and better looking/more agressive look. Well, still waiting for IS 500 to compare with the next gen V8 M3.