I currently have a 96 328i and am considering either a new 328i or 335i. Does anyone know if BMW has improved on some of the the critical weaknesses in my E36 like:

Plastic Radiator Parts
Inferior Water Pumps
Dysfunctional Climate Control Systems
Weak Shock Mounts
ETC

I have the same question only I am going from a 99 323i (E46) to a 328 (E90). Are there any improvements in:

Control Arm Bushings (or is this just part of BMW)
Window Regulators

Thanks

I currently have a 96 328i and am considering either a new 328i or 335i. Does anyone know if BMW has improved on some of the the critical weaknesses in my E36 like:

Plastic Radiator Parts
Inferior Water Pumps
Dysfunctional Climate Control Systems
Weak Shock Mounts
ETC
I had a E36 (a '95 325i) so I was well aware of the limitations of that model's cooling system.

First off, remember that owners of E90's won't be as savvy about problems as E36 owners are. Two big reasons: 1) Not too many things have gone wrong (yet) as the oldest E90s are only two years old, and 2) We're still under warranty. Very few people have tinkered with their own engines.

That said, the E90's cooling system has two major changes. The infamous water pump of the E36 is no more. The E90 has an electric water pump. It's not belt driven, so it doesn't "steal" power from the engine. It activates once the engine temp is at a certain level, so the engine heats up quicker. The downside is that this new water pump will be a helluva lot more expensive than the old belt-driven version.

The thermostat is also different. It's not the mechanical, thermally-opened version but is opened and closed by an electric switch. It, too, will be a lot more expensive. Whether it is more reliable (I changed mine twice in three years in my E36) remains to be seen.

I still have my E36 and a E90 330i. So far no problems like those with the E90 but the car hasnt been out long enough to really tell yet.

I currently have an 02 325i (335 Coupe is on the water). In 5 years I haven't had any problems and certainly none of those mentioned.

ETC -- assuming by this you mean Electronic Traction Control, it has changed and is now DSC -- Dynamic Stability Control. It has three settings (full nanny, lite nanny, and off) and even attempts to replace our non-existent LSD:confused
You can read about it from owners manual PDFs ppl have posted at e90post.com

Climate control -- the controls work well on the E90 in all kinds of Chicago weather from 100 degree sunny days to 5 below at night. The system warms up / cools quickly and is quiet. Works great all the time in fully automatic mode, or you can control fan speed, which vents air comes out, etc manually. Also has automatic recirculation and pollen filter. One quirk is that the system likes to keep the compressor (A/C switch) on in automatic mode. You can switch it off and still stay in auto, but each time you enter auto mode it turns it on. Better for defogging, etc but seems kind of wasteful in the winter to always have it on (not sure how often it cycles the compressor since I can't hear it operating over the engine and road noise)

I have recently gone from a 1995 325i (e36) to a 2007 328i (e92). The problems listed for the e36 are notorious, and anyone who has an e36 and has not experienced ALL of them is truly lucky.

My e36 woes -- Plastic impeller on waterpump failed, radiator overheated and the plastic housing cracked catastrophically (immediate overheat) the week after my warranty ended. $800 in parts later, plus a tow. I used a metal impeller on the replacement. Air conditioning sucked even when the car was brand new, and over 9 yrs, I had to recover the system 3 times, and replace the refrigerant. Also, the rear subframe began to show signs of wear, and rather than tear out the metal one day, I had the reinforcemnt kit welded in. Then, timeout! ...I just got tired of reliving this car's inevitable demise.

Now I turn to the new hotness. 2007 328i is one of the reasons that I don't give a flying crap about the ozone layer and it's fragility. I want to burn as much fossil fuel as possible since I got this thing. The climate control is Awesome, the headlight and turn signals and overall fit and finish are GERMAN true and true. The DIY unfriendliness of this car is testament to the amount of engineering that has developed this Ultimate Driving Machine. I'm sure that down the road, there will be problems. However, I look back on my years in the e36 so fondly that I know I will be willing to pay $$$ to prolong this love affair as well. BMW is not cheap, but it is the best.

I currently have a 96 328i and am considering either a new 328i or 335i. Does anyone know if BMW has improved on some of the the critical weaknesses in my E36 like:

Plastic Radiator Parts
Inferior Water Pumps
Dysfunctional Climate Control Systems
Weak Shock Mounts
ETC

I had a 2000 E46 that I bought brand new and just traded in for an E92. I have owned lots of Japanese cars and before the Bimmer, I had a Volkswagon Jetta GLX VR6.

The GLX VR6 was my introduction to German engineering. It had the trip computer, a nice stereo and I liked the fit and finish. I had the car for 3 years and absolutley no problems. The German's had impressed me.

The GLX was my baby step to the Bimmer. It was my German appetizer. I was weary of Bimmers and all the electrical horror stories. People warned me that repairs were expensive. Because of this, I bought brand new, seeking the comfort of a full warranty. I swore that the first major repair after the warranty was over and I was going to dump the car. Well I had the car for 7 years and not one problem. In year 7, the air conditioner could still freeze my ass off on a hot August day. I was totally impressed with BMW and became a loyal customer.

I was going to keep my E46 for another few years because it cost me nothing. Then I saw the E92. It was love at first sight. Because of the good experience I had with the E46, I did not think twice about the E92. The E92 has so many more features, that I was sold in mile one of the test drive.

The thing I like about BMW is that they keep the same model for 7 years. People thought my E46 was a 2005 model.

Plastic Radiator Parts
What cars are still using brass?

Inferior Water Pumps
This was in 92-94, pumps were changed after that

Dysfunctional Climate Control Systems
Final stage units have be redesigned

Weak Shock Mounts
These are a joke