[Ate2fast]

Good evening everyone,

New to the forum here and looking for some advice. I went to look at a bmw 228i xdrive last week at a car dealership (not bmw dealership) with only 4k miles. It was a lease return. I test drove it and everything was what I expected it to be. I notice that after the drive the hood of the car was so hot i was unable to touch it. (the color of the car is black, maybe this played a part) I plan on test driving it again this friday, is there anything else i should be on the testing/looking out for when test driving it?

Do the 228i xdrive sulev tend to run hot? The car is in super mint condition and i fell in love with the car immediately. A little more information about the car. It has the power seats, sunroof, and winter package.

Also a few other questions i have.

1) The car does not come with the auto dim mirrors. Is there a way to get a OEM auto dim rear view mirror and install it without any issues.
2) Are sulev BMW harder to maintain or cost more to repair?
3) I know the maintenance warranty does not carry over if i buy it, What about the original basic warrenty? And is there a deductible?

Thank you all in advance for your help!

[Maynard]

By "228 xdrive sulev" do you mean it has the N26 engine (California version)? I have the N20, but I'll take a feel this evening on mine to see, hadn't noticed how hot it got - it is sitting in the sun all day now, and met.grey, close enough to black.

I thought the maintenance carried over to new owners, but perhaps that changed late in '16? Basic warranty should carry over (you said not a BMW dealer - if it was I'd suggest working in extended warranties too, but poor reviews for the aftermarket versions of those). DK about the mirrors, but please post if you find a simple solution - that was one of the few items on the luxo package that I actually wanted. I assume anything can be coded in if you get the parts, but I wasn't ready to go that route.

If this is the N26 motor, you should do some research on the engine forums here - I believe that there are some significant differences, especially if you plan to mod things (probably a lot less relevant if you are just driving them). Don't recall any big trends for defects or problems, but wasn't looking specifically for that info. Definitely use it to clobber the dealership in the negotiations - I mean, who wants some 'California version' with restrictive emissions in NYC (it really isn't, but they might not know that; probably down a few HP too you can point out). It is a great car, but don't get so many stars in your eyes that you settle - you can probably find just what you want if you look. And definitely get an independent inspection - dealerships aren't above hiding jinky repairs or fixing things on the cheap, and they can sometimes circumvent Carfax reporting.

[BEM-S4]

Maintenance does not carry over, 2014 was last year.

[morphomeman]

228 is 2016 or earlier, which makes the low mileage very odd. Have you run a Carfax report on the vehicle?
Also, how hot was it outside when you did the test drive? A black car in the heat is going to get pretty hot to the touch pretty fast.
And how much do they want for the car compared to Blue Book value?

[Ate2fast]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. Yes, its a 2016 and correct i meant to say N26 instead of sulev lol. I found it odd as well with only 4k miles and a year old, which is why i am hesitant to pull the trigger. I did run a carfax on it and everything checked out. The owner who leased it had it for a year and 1 month and then it ended up at the auction.

When I test drove it last week it was about 90 degrees or so, but it was very humid and muggy. The kbb Fair Market Range is from 27k-30k

[BEM-S4]

That smells like an exec demo or possibly though less likely a loaner fleet vehicle. I would be willing to bet exec demo though. Is it at a BMW dealer? Can you have your dealer run the VIN for you?

[Ate2fast]

Unfortunately, it is not from a BMW dealer. It's from the carmax dealership. The carmax site says Fleet, leased. However, carfax just says personal leased. Should I be staying away from this car?

Whoops forgot to add something. They want 30k for the car.

[BEM-S4]

Originally Posted by Ate2fast

Unfortunately, it is not from a BMW dealer. It's from the carmax dealership. The carmax site says Fleet, leased. However, carfax just says personal leased. Should I be staying away from this car?

Whoops forgot to add something. They want 30k for the car.

Have your BMW run the VIN. They have a huge database that's like Carfax on steroids. Specifically ask them if it has been flagged for anything. Should take them 30 seconds.

[Ate2fast]

Got it. Thanks again!

[3rdcoast228i]

Originally Posted by morphomeman

228 is 2016 or earlier, which makes the low mileage very odd. Have you run a Carfax report on the vehicle?
Also, how hot was it outside when you did the test drive? A black car in the heat is going to get pretty hot to the touch pretty fast.
And how much do they want for the car compared to Blue Book value?

Not really, not everyone buys a car for their DD. I picked up my 2016 228i CPO with only 4k miles back in April 2017 and I'm only up to like 6k miles now.

[BarryJI]

I have the SULEV N26 and have not had any engine problems in two and a half years of ownership, which has included some reasonably spirited driving in the Southern California heat. It has taken a Dinan S1 tune in its stride, too. It does seem to run hot according to engine temp data but it's a hard-working engine. Just my 2c.

[Maynard]

Definitely get a real independent inspection, not just a computer printout, especially if it has been in the hands of dealership/loaner fleet. There are many things that can happen, and then get corrected, that never make it to carfax (sometimes not even the dealership computer banks). Possible this is just a creampuff that s/b got sick of early, but you would really hate to find out later that it had been through major frame work, etc.

[BEM-S4]

Originally Posted by Maynard

Definitely get a real independent inspection, not just a computer printout, especially if it has been in the hands of dealership/loaner fleet. There are many things that can happen, and then get corrected, that never make it to carfax (sometimes not even the dealership computer banks). Possible this is just a creampuff that s/b got sick of early, but you would really hate to find out later that it had been through major frame work, etc.

+1, this should hopefully go without saying. Start w/ computer printouts since free, if that passes definitely PPI.

My brother was once rear ended while on a test drive in a Q5 and I know for a fact the dealer sold the car brand new and never disclosed anything. Not entirely sure how bad the damage was but it didn't look great when I left the place that day.

[Maynard]

Exactly what I was thinking about. Dealerships and others with a good mechanic on duty can fix things without going through official channels, so it never hits carfax (you can also get this with people going to a shade-tree mechanic for repairs). Years ago a family friend asked me for my opinion on a new car that was 'tracking crooked' - I thought they were imagining things until I checked - it dog-tracked about 3" off-line, and had been hit hard enough that there was obvious frame straightening and a lot of bondo visible underneath. Dealership quietly ordered them another car, but if it were a private used car place, they likely would have just pointed out the part of the contract that says 'as is'.

[BEM-S4]

There are just sooooooo many ways to get burnt. Even something simple like the bumper gets scratched at port which I'm sure happens all the time. They paint and reclear the bumper and everything is totally fine.

Until, that is, you then go to sell the car someday and there's overspray noticed and you have no way of knowing what the hell happened. That could be a sign of a minor cosmetic thing that no reasonable person would care about or a major thing.

I once got a dent from a shopping cart at Wegmans that required paint. I actually saved the letter from Wegmans acknowledging fault and the receipt with all work from the repair shop just so I could prove it was a minor, nothing to worry about thing.

[Ate2fast]

Thank you everyone for the feedback. So just a little update, I called BMW and told them to run the VIN. Nothing came back as flagged and the warranty is until 2020. Carmax said they do not allow PPI's. With that said and with everyone's feed back I decided to not risk it. I think I will end up leasing a 230i from the BMW dealer instead. Thank you all again!

[Maynard]

Smart. "they do not allow PPI's" = walk away (or take it to your trusty mechanic while out on a 'test drive' - but this is technically a bit over the line). I've bought w/o one, but never from somebody who wouldn't OK one; one of those 'just don't look in the trunk, officer' moments.

[BEM-S4]

Originally Posted by Maynard

Smart. "they do not allow PPI's" = walk away (or take it to your trusty mechanic while out on a 'test drive' - but this is technically a bit over the line). I've bought w/o one, but never from somebody who wouldn't OK one; one of those 'just don't look in the trunk, officer' moments.

If you're stuck on the car for whatever reason - there are mechanic services who go to the car to do a PPI vs you taking the car to a BMW dealer. No idea if they'd allow that or not but worth asking if you want to pursue that.

[PowerfulF22]

My 228i's hood is still touchable after a 50 km trip. The car might have some problems with the cooling system

[ramy_who]

Never noticed a hot hood issue even after very long drives. Maybe there's an issue an that's why he traded in the car only only at a couple thousand miles?

[Rayscott]

Too many red flags here. There are lots of 228's on the market. My advice would be to move on and lower your stress level.

[ramy_who]

Originally Posted by Rayscott

Too many red flags here. There are lots of 228's on the market. My advice would be to move on and lower your stress level.

Yup. The whole thing is very suspect.