Howdy,

thought you might like a down under view of these cars .....

I bought a new 318is auto in March 1997. Its a Jan 1997 build. Black on black with 10 spoke alloys & sunroof.

After 2000km there was noticeable noise in the diff during coasting at about 80kmh. I demonstrated the noise to the local BMW service centre & they acknowledged it - asking me to see how it progressed.

AT the forst service (14000km) the diff was howling like a dog under accel;aertion, coasting & de acceleration. A new diff was fitted under warranty. AFter 1 week the new diff had noise too. I took the car back & they ordred yet another replacemeent - this time they said it would be a "hand built" diff from germany (to be fitted next week - 22nd Feb) I think the forst replacement was a recon. Stay tuned on this ....

Other dramas -
L/H window - occasionally would wind down a few inches after being wound up. Adjusted & fixed at first service.

Air Con -
It could only manage about 9 degrees (Celcius) at coolest settings. It was tested for pressure - all OK. They said it was within spec. When the second diff was being fitted, I pushed the issue & they finally agreed to test the gas (involves purging system & weighing the refridgerant). It was 10% low. They filled it corrrectly. AC works a little better now.

On the coolest setting - A digital guage shows it will cycle down to 3 degrees C, then quickly back up to 12 degrees C. I would have expected it to run at a constant 3 - 5 degrees C. (my 20 year old Merc does!) It gets pretty hot down here in summer, so I'm a bit dissappointed.

Poor Starting -
recently will cough and splutter when started after several hours on non use. Proba fule pressure drop - dripping injector?? To be checked next week. Happens about 8 out of 10 starts.

Idle surge -

1. when idleing along in Drive & steering turned to ful lock - idle will drop suddenly then surge to about 1500 RPM - a bit dramatic in tight car parks!
2. in Drive, foot brake on, at idle, revs will drop well below 500 RPM for no reason. Happens with AC on or off. Happens about once/day.
3. in Drive, foot brake on, at idle, lights on, open door then close it, revs will drop well below 500 RPM then surge high again. Doesn;t happen every time.
   • The mechanics could find no cause for this stuff.

Interior -
glove compartment lid is a poor fit - sags at one side.

Rear R/H window - trim piping below window lifts off on hot days.

Thats about it. Hey, I would love to hear your reader's comments on these probs. Especially the air con & idle surging. I'm curious to know if the air con can be re programmed to operate in lower range??

Finally, FYI - I believe a 318is in the US cost about US $29,000. Thats about AUS $43200. Well the list price here for a 318is is AUS $57200. Most of this is import duties.

thanks,
Mike