Motorheads,

I'm currently looking at pre-owned/used F30 LCI (facelift) 318i Luxury Line with less than 2 years of age, so hoping any owners / ex-owners could share your insight if you have owned or have any immediate family owning this car on what's the running costs, fuel efficiency around town, maintenance costs, experience dealing with BMW Malaysia like and other common issues.

The reason I've shortlisted this car is I love the driving dynamics of the F30 despite 318i being the entry level 3 pot engine, it's within my purchasing budget (I was also looking at new Japanese D segment sedan) and it's also easier to maneuver around town compared to bulky D-Segments. Can't doubt I've also always adored the BMW brand.

Genuine experience / opinion is greatly appreciated here.

Edit: I'm not a boy racer and typically a light footed guy who frequently ferries my family around town & to work so 136 horsepower is sufficient for my usage.

This post has been edited by budang: Jun 11 2019, 11:06 AM

How many days of annual leave do you have?

I have a 318i as well as the current X3. No issues with both cars.
You often go on leave and what car do you drive?

just need an honest answer here... is it true that bmw is a gentle car in terms of reliability? i mean compared to merc, lexus or maybe jaguar.

I drive a myvi!

No informative replies yet, anyone with genuine experience could share?

Appreciate much.

Got my f30 last year brand new. Havent even sent it for first service tbh as I am always travelling out of the country for work.

but if ur looking for something which is 2 years old why not just buy it new? im sure they will have some promo going on with the new G30 being released.

I got mine for like 185k after discount and deduction of GST. Plenty of goodies like tinting, fuel card, crystal number plate, TnG, car wrapping thrown in.

Cant say much of my experience with BMW Malaysia. The salesperson got my car out on time. Just kinda lousy with the way they source for number plates. In the end had to go through the whole JPJ process with an external runner to get the number that I want.

This post has been edited by Aztec: Jun 12 2019, 02:00 PM

Unregistered ones got very limited color options as most were sold to make way for the G20. Even there is, it's going for about 177k which exceeds my budget (I was initially shortlisting only Japanese D segment cars). I've also seen a couple of pre-owned & premium selected vehicle by BMW Malaysia which has pretty low mileage but price does not come attractive enough in my opinion.

Managed to find a few low mileage used F30 318i with less than 2 years of age and it's a whole 40-45k cheaper than brand new. Interest rate is high for used car by that doesn't matter as my company could subsidize the interest rates as part of staff benefit.

That aside, is yours the 318i? Hows the 3 cylinder engine so far? Any particular complains with your car?

Those less than 2 years old should still be under the 5 year free CBD maintenance, as long as the mileage isn't very high and none of the 318 is more than 5 years old.
There's a review which praised the 318i for its fuel efficiency

The thing about the 318i is the missing comfort access function

As for BMW Malaysia, depending on your location, some service center may be rather swamped.
I have to wait 1 month for a slot to get some accessories fitted (the part is already in stock). But then, the same is happening to Honda/Toyota too

What mileage do you consider 'isn't very high' for a less than 2 year old BMW? I'm generally short listing cars with less than 45k KM on the clock, not sure if this should be the benchmark.

And yeah, they're covered under BMW Malaysia's 5 year Warranty + Free service program.

Which variant is yours?

less than 2 years with 45k KM on the clock = more than 20k KM per year. when i was looking for mine, i set the criteria to be between 10k KM to 15k KM max per year.

Are you buying this under BMW's premium selection lineup? If not, be extra careful if you're buying from a used car dealer. Check all of the service history and see if there's any late or even missed service (i stumbled upon one last time). Even better, find where the car was last service and get them to confirm that the car's warranty is still valid. If im not mistaken you can request to do a 360 point checkup by any BMW authorize Service center.

This post has been edited by axtray: Jun 12 2019, 05:40 PM

I did consider BMW's premium selection but the price is abit steep in my opinion although it's for a peace of mind. Still under consideration.

Let's say a car has slightly higher mileage (say 45k KM) but service was done in time & still warranted by BMW, will there be any major concern for the high mileage?

And how do you request a 360 point checkup? As far as I know we can call the service center where the vehicle was last serviced to check on the vehicle status.

Edited some typo

This post has been edited by budang: Jun 12 2019, 06:00 PM

Yea if it's serviced on time, it shouldn't be an issue. My parents own a 320i with the older engine. So far other than usual wear and tear (oil, brake pads etc) and this one occasion drivetrain warning light popup it has been very reliable so far.

For the 360 degree checkup, you should try and find out where the car was usually serviced before it was sold to the used car dealer. Usually the authorize service dealer can do the check.

You don't want a repeat of the hybrid merc issue last time to happen to you.

Your parent's car was the Pre or Post LCI? How many years old and what's the mileage?

I'm avoiding buying a used hybrid car, it's just not worth all that hassle and frustration when it comes to battery replacement for the sake of some added performance and fuel efficiency.

Anyway thanks for letting me know about the 360 degree inspection.

parent's car is 2014, current mileage about 85k km iirc.

the merc part was just a mere reference where the warranty was voided eventhough it was just 2 years old iirc? not really because it's a hybrid (and i don't recommend them either).

feel free to share more details of the car here or over pm. more than happy to help (since was in your situation last time )

This post has been edited by axtray: Jun 12 2019, 09:10 PM

Don’t buy 318 people will laugh at you. Ikut pocket bro . Your level haven’t reach there so better drive a vios nobody will laugh at you. I see entry level Bmw wannabe no up . If want Bmw go for the Highest spec . 318 is a rubbish

I'm shortlisting cars like Accord, Mazda 6, what makes you think I'm not ready to pay for this car?

And not everyone is buying a BMW for showing off & racing mind you, I just love the driving dynamics of BMW compared to conservative Japanese D-Segment.

My family used to own the pre-LCI F30 328i but to me that has too much power which I won't appreciate most of the time.

Dunno was called a boy Ricer here buy a cheapskate boi...
But ure probably better off getting a 320 or 328i.....
Sure they all look the same when kitted...

Buy what you can afford and with a beemer, you better buy it with a few years warranty... cuz if something wrong they usually replace the whole part. And sell it to the next sucker before the warranty is up, great car to drive though.

Ahhh gotcha. yeah exactly the same as the one that ur looking at. 318i LCI Luxury line.

So far so good. Nothing to complain about. Interior might be a bit dated, no keyless entry but in terms of the drive its all good.

I am not a big car guy, so Im not the best person to ask in terms of technical specs. But as a layman I have no complaints at the moment with my car. My previous Honda City gave me more problems than this car. Lol

This post has been edited by Aztec: Jun 13 2019, 12:25 AM

The service program covers up to 100,000 km or 5 years.
If the unit is a high miler, it would be near the end of the the program
I've seen some cars with good FC and cruising comfort hitting 40k as they are probably used for sales/customer visits

I suggest to check on pre-reg again since BMW is giving 1 year extra warranty for cars registered in the May-June period
If you are not in a hurry, wait for the roadshow or sales fair. There will be better deals there usually

If you are getting the 318i, most of them are still under warranty. Hence, there's no point paying higher price for it through the Premium Selection. Better to get your dream vehicle from direct owner themselves.

I bought my F30 318i back in Nov 2017. My previous cars were Toyota and Honda, the last being a Camry. Like you, I was looking for a car with good driving dynamics before I got the 318i. During that time, there were only 2 options for the F30 if I want a new car. It is either the 330e or the 318i. I avoided the hybrid model and opted for the 318i. In my opinion, apart from having good driving dynamics, there is nothing much to shout about the 318i as it is lacking quite a bit compared to other BMWs. Small i-drive display, no touch screen, no reverse camera, no navigation and the rear seats cannot be folded down. If you already know these and can live with it, then it is ok. Apart from this, it is a well-built car. Camry, Accord and Mazda 6 are no match to the BMWs in terms of driving dynamics.

Service maintenance is completely free for 5 years or 100km whichever comes first. I have done 1 service and it is completely free. I was also eying on the C180 during that time but they do not provide free service. Ended up buying the F30 from Quill but got it serviced at Ingress. Servicing the car is pleasant but there are not many empty slots available through the BMW service online system. I was told by my colleague that calling your SA to help book the date is easier.

Fuel efficiency for my 318i is between 12~13 km /liter (mix). The engine is loud when pushed hard. You can feel some vibration from the steering wheel during idling as well. Until and unless the turbo kicks in, you will know that you are driving a 1.5cc car especially when you are going slow in town. I have done coding for this car and added sports automatic transmission for much faster and smoother gear shift. There is a slight wind noise intruding the cabin from the side mirrors when going fast. Hope to get this fixed during my next service.

Agree with ur bolded points. I already knew these things and was fine with it before buying the car. It actually exceeded my expectations of what it would actually be like after driving it on a day to day basis, probably cause I did not have much expectations of this car in the first place. I was considering the CLA as well but the interior of that car was even more dated than the F30 so yea.

I just messaged my SA to make the first service booking and she confirmed the time slot in like 15mins. So what your colleague said is probably true.

Although only 318i, but its faster than current accord, camry and mazda 6 2500cc model.

If someone said 318i is underpowered then really topkek la. Zero to sixty in 8.9 second. Faster than japanese 2500cc d segment.

If people said, its not fast like other 3er maybe correct, but if people said its underpowered, its far from it tbh.

Why would a 328 owner topkek if he said 318 is underpower?

Just curious, if a 2 year old 318i which clocked 45k KM but has all the service done on schedule, will there be any other major concern?

I'm not a heavy driver, clocking only a maximum of 15k KM a year but most of the time only 10-12k KM a year so 100k KM will be sufficient for the remaining free service & warranty.


This is the kind of feedback I've been waiting, informative & constructive. Thanks alot mate.

Didn't know the rear seat is not foldable though.

This post has been edited by budang: Jun 13 2019, 09:20 PM

45k in 2 years is still ok.
The guidance is whatever mileage the car has already clocked, you'll need to take that into account to calculate how much more free services you have.

By the way, if not mistaken, Ingress is having some sales event this week. Go check it out.
From experience, one may find pre-reg units at better deal than premium selection during these events without much bargaining.

Thanks for the information bolded above, just called them but they only have brand new cars.

I'm heading over to BMW Tun Razak later as they're having a sales and a few selection caught my attention.

Just to post an update, I booked my unit this afternoon @ Auto Bavaria Jalan Tun Razak. Had to take half day leave just to be sure I didn't miss out any good opportunity.

Car is from their premium selection lineup & registered on June 2018, so it's a year old car.

They're having a sales from 14-16 june so those of you who're interested should drop by and in case you needed a sales assistance I'm glad to share you the contact number of mine, really nice and helpful lady.

Thanks to a forumer here!

Berapa harga?

PM-ed

Congrats on the new ride.

The 318i was the management pool car at my previous company. Believe it or not the lease payments on it were lower than a Toyota Camry Hybrid or Honda Accord of the same vintage. Something to do with the maintenance being included and the car came with a good discount.

Overall unless you are a boyracer or an enthusiastic driver it is plenty sufficient and that gearbox is still the one to beat. Fuel consumption was remarkable as are most BMWs.

Refinement? It wasn't the most refined can hear a bit of engine stress when you pushed it but if you drove it at speed limits or a bit above then you won't notice it.

Comfort? No one complained.

It did not give any issues as far as I know but 9 months into it being with us it was sent to car heaven by a Honda Civic, a Toyota Vios and a Myvi while on the way to Lumut.

Oh yeah it was the only car involved that there were no deaths or serious injuries, in fact the only injuries were the front passenger had a bump on his head from an iPhone 6 that belonged to the rear passenger went flying from the impact. Some scratches on the driver's face from the airbag breaking his spectacles. Other than that mostly just shaken up from the incident and all the tow truck operators that started swarming the car.

Incident happened at 9:30am, my Hilux was 20 minutes behind, we used the Hilux to winch it out of the way, all 3 of them got into the Hilux and we attended the meeting at Lumut as if nothing happened.

I enjoyed driving it but enjoyed the 320d they had as a temporary replacement car, it was finally replaced with a 330e.

June 2018, should be a recently release management unit.
Glad to hear you found your unit

Glad no one was seriously injured in that accident!

From the sales lady yes it was driven by the management team

I own a 318i for a year clocking 30k km
Pros good fuel consumption 13km ish per liter
Smooth transmission
5 Years free service
Adequate power

Cons very dated interior
For me is kinda underpower
No comfort access
Small idrive screen
No navigation
Cabin noise is noticeable when cruising fast

I m thinking to let go n get the new mazda 6
TS pm me if u r keen

Good choice on Mazda 6 don’t buta buta want Bmw but only can afford 318 . Good move

Mazda 6 is more expensive than my 318i

MAZDA 6 is a good car but be prepared for low RV and pricier parts.

Both the point u mention will happen on BMW too
Basically it happens to any car except Japanese make

Not really. If you track the past records and used car prices, I believe Mazda 6 has even lower RV than BMW 318i

i'm a 318i owner, purchased on 2017 January and has clocked 81k KM to this day (weekly kl-jb-kl). its my daily driver car and in terms of fuel efficiency, would say it amazing. a full tank is able to get me jb to KL and KL back to jb most of the time,average on 120KM/H.

no doubt i do feel a lack of power but it doesnt affect my daily commute. the suspension is a bit soft to my liking so i got auto bavaria to tighten it for me (Warranty period of 5 years).

any break downs until this day? nope. my family has owned a 3-series since the 2000s, and i do have to admit after 7years of so, a lot of issues would arise, especiailly on rubber pipping related issues.

the power is there until 120kmh, after that no more

if you get flashed on highway most prob u still need to giveway

TS, I don’t have the 318i, but I have the same engine (1.5 B38) in my Mini Cooper

It’s been very reliable so far as my daily driver.
Will it have problems down the road? Most probably yes....but will it break down and stranded you? Unlikely

Fuel consumption for my mini has been excellent too, about 6.7 l/100km average so far (manual tracking)

For full highway I believe it can easily do under 6 l/100km

Go and get one with a warranty from BMW premium selection, their prices are actually very competitive (maybe only slightly more), but you get the peace of mind that everything has been thoroughly inspected and serviced by an authorised BMW dealer prior to sale

You’ll still enjoy the remaining warranty and free servicing too, so no headaches for 3 years

This post has been edited by axsatr: Jun 19 2019, 07:10 AM

Hey thanks for the feedback.

For fuel consumption I believe it should be able to clock 5.0 - 5.3l/100km full highway cruising for 318i. I have a VW Jetta and usually able to clock 5.2l/100km for full highway cruising all the way to northern states, cruising at 100-120km/h.

Anyway I've gotten my self a 1 year old car from their premium selection line up. The car was registered under BMW and driven by one of their senior staff. Viewed the car yesterday and it's in a pristine condition, pretty satisfied. Should expect to get the car delivered to me before end of the month.

This post has been edited by budang: Jun 19 2019, 09:01 AM

Thanks for the input, I really appreciate them.

That’s nice to hear, hope you have a great experience

Hey guys,

Any advise on the 318i luxury model? How is the maintenance like?
I am planning to get a pre-reg one as well. Not a racer, am a light-footed driver

Maintenance within the 5 years free service & warranty period should be minimal except wear & tear parts like brake pads, tyres & battery, but the battery under normal usage should last at least 4-5 years.

I took delivery of mine on 25th June and so far it's been a good ride except the equipment level is on the lower side. Have not sent for servicing yet which will due in another 3,900km.

If it has less equipments, then there will be less to worry in a long run right? Do you know of anyone with a 316 after 5 years? I supposed the entry level 3series maintenance cost should be lower than other BMW models

The lack of adaptive suspension is friendly to the wallet but keyless access, autonomous emergency braking & folding rear seat being absent can be a deal breaker for many.

I think it's nice not to have the 3 items especially autonomous emergencry braking.
What is the FC on this car?

But why?

FC is pretty good. I travel on congested Federal daily for work and clock somewhere around 12-13km/l.

Highway cruising constant 110km/h easily get 19-20km/l

Less sensors, less maintenance

12-13 is actually very good given that it is a conti car. I used to own a mazda (non skyactiv) only clocking 9km/l in traffic. LOL

I saw many reviews saying that the previous generation, the E90 has a lot of issues on the steering noise and door rubber melting due to our weather. I hope the 318i fixed it.

F30 still suffering from the door rubber melt issue

I'm not sure if that could be attributed from parking under the hot sun too frequently. Mine is still too early to tell but my car is parked indoors 90% of the time and free from any sun

Same here
Not every car so lucky like ours
Those that frequently park under the sun will see the melting issue earlier

Any preventive measure?

Avoid parking under the sun

Hi bro hows your 318i thus far? A quick question you got a year old car from premium selection so bsri was inclusive or you had to pay extra?

If you are trying to get a car which is fuel efficient, great power & less maintanence issue. You should get the 320D! Just go and read from forums & review most people own the 320D will not go back to petrol version. With fuel subsidy is going to remove next year, hybrid & diesel cars/pick-up is seeing a come back and 2nd car dealer now are camping/raising the price up for 320D. Just look at the 320D 2nd value againts 320i if you know what i mean in Mudah, OTO or any on9 market.

This post has been edited by littlefire: Nov 21 2019, 10:45 PM

It's quite a nice car. Not the most powerful car you can find but it's just about adequate around town driving. Engine well insulated from noise but tyre roar seeps into the cabin, probably due to the super stiff run flats. Gonna change to softer rubbers soon.

Yeah it was slightly under a year old when I placed my booking. No need to pay for bsri, it's all included. That's the benefit of premium selection unit, you drive your car away with the remaining bsri + warranty, peace of mind.

The sound proof is not as good as I expected
I agree the power is adequate
But the zf transmission is silky smooth

I love the zf 8 speeder. Compared another of my VW's 7 speed dsg, this ZF is such a pleasant to drive in heavy traffic.

Provided you don’t mind the crackling sound of Diesel engines

And the diesel fume in your driveway. To be fair it's a frugal engine with generous torque but diesel engine is often regarded as lower class in Malaysia compared to their petrol counter part.

Europe is also slowly phasing out diesel engines too.

That is people mindset of the previous diesel quality.
Now we already got Euro5 diesel selling in Malaysia compare to last time only normal Euro2M.
Malaysia is not like Europe controlling so harsh in term of environment, so we still got a lot of time to enjoy the diesel advantage.
if not mistaken Paul Tan from the famous blogger also own a F10 520D before.

The Malaysian mentality, when they hear the noise of your diesel engine it often leave a bad impression. But if you can live with the diesel crank and fume, it's generally a very good engine.

But I believe the engine have to go for urea injection right? How often and how much that costs?

If not mistaken Malaysian BMW diesel engine is tuned for our diesel grade and due to not so strict gov. policy a lot of these enviroment features already remove which include the DPF filter. If i still remember that our local BMW diesel engine is only tune for Euro 3 grade that why a lot of people in Malaysia is enjoying low maintenence cost compare to those European couterparts.

Only those direct imported units from UK or other parts of the world will have these DPF, urea injection thingy to control the smog.

FYI, the urea is the same ammonia which come from our pee pee and filtered.

This post has been edited by littlefire: Nov 22 2019, 07:20 PM

I see. For those out of the bsri period but under bmw premium selection, do we get the option of adding bsri if yes how much? And do all cars under premium selection come with a default warranty for services etc? Trying to gather enough info to fortify myself before heading to a bmw seller. I live in east malaysia

I'm not sure if you can add bsri, because why not just pay for the servicing? If I'm not mistaken all premium selection car comes with at least 1 year warranty, even if it's out of their 5 years / 100k warranty.

330e 3 year old costs rm130k

This post has been edited by timidandslow: Dec 4 2019, 09:40 PM

F30 after 5 years.. Banyak masuk workshop and damn expensive parts.

2013 F30 owner

This post has been edited by Cubalagi: Dec 5 2019, 11:27 PM

Conti car ownership rule #1, sell after warranty ends. After warranty ends all count on luck. Lucky and that thing lasts but if unlucky it's gonna be money pit.

if sell after 5 years, would not it better to lease than buy? just curious

I'm not sure what are the available leasing options for luxury brands in Malaysia, but as far as I know Merc's agility financing (quite similar to leasing) works out to be more expensive, unless you're sticking to Merc forever.

Anyone is welcome to correct me if I'm wrong, since I'm a true believer in the traditional Hire Purchase way since I prefer putting down big down payment for my car

BMW and Volvo also offering the leasing programme now with the so-called Guarantee Future Value. Just wondering if to change every 5 years, which one makes more sense financially wise

I kind of partially agree and disagree.
On upshift the DSG wet box is way faster than ZF.
But the weakness of DSG is obvious during 1,2,3 gears downshift in start stop traffic. As workaround paddle shifters.

If it make any sense, why would a company design a leasing plan which make them lose money

Yup.. Now got brake dsc problem.. Ori part is RM14+k.

Well I did not say the DSG is smoother than ZF, it's just that ZF is smoother in start stop traffic compared to the rather jerky DSG. DSG is a nightmare at start stop + inclined road especially the ramps at parking lots.

I agree to this. The plus point of leasing is you pay way lesser upfront compared to traditional H/P method but after the 3 / 5 years period you actually ended up paying a premium over H/P.

so that you stay on their brand for very long time ahead?

And if you leave, they'd make sure they've ripped you enough to make a handsome profit.

haha, for sure they will

Hey bro just one more thing I forgot to ask, how much did you get your car for?

PM-ed

Are you still planning to sell your 318i? I am looking for a used 318i

F30 with the N20 engines are quite notorious as it was BMW first time into inline4 2.0L turbo engine.
That's why the N20 was only introduce just a few years before they switch to B-series (B38, B48 and B58).. B series was introduced during F30 LCI in late 2015.. B48 being 2L turbo and B38 1.5L turbo.. The new B series seems will be used for many years in BMW and Mini line up..

Toyota is using the B58 inline 6 for their Supra and B48 inline 4 for their lower spec Supra.. that might give some confidence to B series owners..

So the newer models of the F30 (2015) onwards are more reliable?

Better than N20..

N20 is?

N20 engine bro.. This engine is famous for timing chain failure..

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_N20