E36 Compact 1995 316i

[Bunker_Bill]

Hello to all....new member here. Not exactly new to the BMW marque however after owning various E30's over the years.
Now the (not so) proud owner of an E36 316i Compact of 1995 vintage with its fair share of glitches to keep me occupied.
Seemed a good buy (Fleabay)...72k miles with a full MoT, 5 months tax and recent service, along with recent receipt for over £400 for work done.
Lady in question was 'sad to see it go' [fake] after 4 years ownership.
Anyway, it has an awful drone from the back end, suspected wheel bearing. Drivers electric window doesn't work, dash lights don't work, wipers are inconsistent and it has an intermittent but rather vicious steering wheel wobble (comes and goes when it likes..??).
Other than that I suppose its OK.......although I can't help but think BMW sacrificed their build quality with the E36 after the E30.
Hopefully I'll be able to sort these things out and report more positively in the future.

 

[E30m42cab]

Good to hear you're used to BMW and their little bits of personality. I've owned several E30's and have been servicing my Uncle's E36 for years now. I must say, I'll probably skip over the E36 model and go straight for the E46 when the time comes. Never been that impressed by the E36, although there are still some very nice examples rolling around.

 

[Bunker_Bill]

316i Compact

Well, an update so far.
Rear OS wheel bearing was indeed the culprit for the awful droning noise. Now fixed.
Drivers side electric window also fixed.
Dash lights problem finally traced to faulty headlight switch....replaced and now OK.
Wipers still only operate on intermittent and fast speed. With normal speed selected they operate on intermittent. I'll need to check the stalk-switch and control module.
Still have the occasional vibration through the steering wheel but I suspect it could be a brakes problem. I've been getting a squeal, usually after driving 10-15 miles, which stops when I touch my brakes.
Hopefully I'll soon have it behaving as it should but I must confess, all these quirks do make me appreciate my Jag more.

 

[Big Daddy]

Welcome to the board. I am happy that you have resolved some of the issues you are having. I have no idea about your wipers, sounds though to me like a faulty switch. Either way welcome and we are glad you are here!

 

[E30m42cab]

Hopefully I'll soon have it behaving as it should but I must confess, all these quirks do make me appreciate my Jag more.

You are the first person ever to appreciate a Jaguar over a BMW for mechanical problems

 

[tennisjazz]

Be of good heart! I too had some problems when i got my '97 in '05,
maybe the previous owner had just ignored them, but once they were out of the way the only problems i have had were what you would expect from increasing mileage -- now at 103Kmi. drove it to mexico and back ... loved the handling, performance, open air ride, etc.