I have a 118i (f20) from September 2011 and it has had its fair share of problems... Nothing deadly but things you don't expect on a new car.
1.Extreme rattle on cold start (much like
this) This is completely normal according to dealership.
2. Rattling noise around 1400-1500 RPM. This happens only when driving and it's much like the cold start noise above. There's a theory that the actuator is slamming into the turbo heat shield but i don't know. I've given up on this one. This is also normal according to the dealership, mkaay.
3. Squeaky/noise doors. Just sitting in the car, leaning quickly from side to side or driving around normally induces this horrible noise. This can be fixed by using a wurth rubber care spray on all rubber details, including the top flocked ones. It is extremely important that it is silicone free. The dealership said this noise is normal and that i should clean the rubber with soap (I tried, did not help), wtf...
4. Ticking/knocking noise from engine when warmed up. The engine is noisy as it is but when this appeared around 50 000 km I lost faith in this car. The dealer listened and basically said, lets start with the timing chain tensioner (200€) and see if it fixes it. During the disassemble they said the old one was loose and later that the noise was gone. I picked it up and the noise was still there. Their next bet is the fan belt (150€) because apparently it was a bit damaged. I have my doubts. I have infinite money right, so lets try this as well! It sounds like classic valve adjustment but since this is Valvetronic this should not happen so it has to be something else. Any ideas? Here's a
sound clip.
5. Trunk lock mechanism stopped working last week so now I can't go anywhere or keep anything in the car. The mechanism just wont lock anymore. The trunk just bounces when i try to close. Unlocking, locking etc. does nothing. Dealer said they have to order a new one 120€.
6. Steering column has been a bit squeaky now and then but not enough for me to take action.
7. The plastic cover on the passenger side, in the foot well next to the stick is vibrating and acting noisy.
8. Rain sensor tolerance is way off. It has to be on max to be of any use at all. Normally ends up having to manual wipe or go into constant wiping mode.
9. Cruise control will sometimes act up. Lets say when i go from 90->100 it will go 90->100->94 when just using the "thumbwheel".
All in all it feels cheap and because BMW insist this is all normal we're not even considering a 3-series now that our family is expanding.
My 118i sounds much more like a diesel than the replacement 118d I currently have
