hand me down 2014 328i

[djlz]

hello!

girlfriend's mom is giving us a base base 2014 328i sedan with 130,000 miles for a really good deal.
She's had it since new and dad works at BMW so i'm very confident it's been kept up with maintenance.

what are some obvious preventative maintenance things i should do first
and fun things to make this car reliable and fun for another 4-5 years?

or is it a dud and avoid putting any extra money into it until it dies.

my first thoughts are it needs a headlight upgrade because the halogen's are awful
and so is the speaker system.

is apple carplay possible?

it drives great lol - we're coming from a 2014 prius so the steering, ride, and handling are INCREDIBLE!
i had no idea what i was missing out on gettin behind the wheel of this thing

[RBNetEngr]

I have a 2014 328i, so in response to some of your questions:

The entertainment system in that car cannot be upgraded to add Apple Carplay.

The car is equipped with a 3G cellular system, which no longer works since all USA carriers shut their 3G networks down. And again, there is no upgrade to change it to LTE. So any services that would use cellular connectivity from the car will no longer work. The Nav system isn't dependent on cellular, except if you wanted to use the feature that shows actual road conditions, traffic information, etc. Updating the maps in the Nav system costs money, and BMW wants to charge $200 for them to install an update. I will use the Nav system for turn-by-turn directions, knowing that some newer areas or roads are not on the maps. In those cases I just navigate with my iPhone.

The halogen headlights are pretty pathetic. But I replaced the bulbs with Sylvania Silverstar Ultra low beam bulbs made a big difference. Just swap out the bulbs.

If the suspension is original, the shocks and struts are likely worn out. I just installed Koni Special Active shocks and struts, and it made a great improvement in ride and handling. I also replaced the upper strut mounts, which have a rotating bearing that wears out.

In general, check the condition of bushings and ball joints for suspension components, since they may have cracked bushings, or torn boots, or worn ball joints. Both of my outer tie rods were making a noise when I hit bumps, so I replaced them. Low cost parts.

The ZF 8-speed transmission is excellent, but make sure you change the fluid and filter at 50k mile intervals.

The cooling system has a fitting on the front of the engine which is made of plastic and is known to crack and break, causing loss of coolant. There is an aftermarket metal replacement, which should be used as a replacement.

There is an issue where the gas tank can start leaking vapors out of the top, and you will smell gasoline both inside and outside of the car. BMW USA has a recall for it and will replace the tank for free. I don't think the recall has expired. They won't replace the tank as a preventative measure; it needs to be leaking.

The biggest issue with the car is the N20 engine. They had issues with the timing chain and guides. The guides are made of plastic, get brittle and break. The broken parts can lead to a broken timing chain, and the end of your engine. It's not a cheap repair, but a quality shop can inspect the engine and determine if the timing chain and guides have been replaced, or need to be replaced.

One other thing...the pull handles for the doors have a rubber-like grip on the door-facing side, and hand oils will break the grip down and it will become sticky to the touch. They can be replaced, which involves removing the door panel (not difficult), drilling out plastic "rivets" to remove handle, and using screws to attach a new handle. It happened on my drivers door.

Overall, I have been happy with the car. It now has 138k miles on it.


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