Questionable Build Quality of E70
 

Hi Guys...

After three months with my E70, as much as I hate to say, I'm quite disappointed with the build quality of my 4.8i Sport. BMW continued use of "hard plastics" thoughout the interior including the high flex areas like the center console and seat control areas contribute to a lot of that hard plastic "creaking" sound and a terrible rattle in the steering column that my dealer has been unable to fix.

While I still love to drive the SAV, I'm starting to get pissed at just how poor the build quality is and a vehicle that rattles and creaks down the road. While some may not consider this a major issue, it's quite upsetting to just have layed down $72k for a top of the line BMW product and have to put up with this.

While my experience may be in the minority, I'd like to hear what you guys think about the build quality of the E70. This is certainly something that I didn't figure when I first test drove the car, but at this point, if BMW doesn't fix my car and with all the other problems I've been having, I'm ready to give up on this car.

-Chris

Yes, I agree....I may trade it in for the Lexus LX 570.

:dunno: My build quality has been solid and sturdy. I don't think the plastics are hard...

In general I think it's a well built machine, but the plastic pieces bother me and I think were a bad move on their part. In four months, I have a broken ashtray (I don't smoke), broken hinge on rear floor hatch, broken cover on rear wiper, two broken tow hook covers. All of these have been replaced at no charge, but I fear the cost of these little items after warrantee.

Didn't you check out the E70 and test drive one before dropping 72k on as you said? Couldn't you see what the vehicle was made of then?

I would assume if you had any concerns, this would have changed your mind.

Next time don't go to BMWUSA.com and hit the http://pics.ebaystatic.com/aw/pics/bin_15x54.gif button ;)

Mine has been problem free and solid.
I lost a tow hook cover in a car wash but that's it, no rattles, no squeaks, couldn't be happier other than the gas mileage which i knew would stink.
The tow hook cover was $15 which is rediculous but that's it.

My x5 4.8 bought is April is very solid. People remark how there is not a squeak to be heard. My only issue with fit has been an interior lense cover , part of the rear ambient lighting, that fell off below the rear seat. The fit was loose so I had to use a bit of double sided tape. Really my SUV is very quiet.

I'm still very impressed with the solid build quality and excellent materials. I'm still unimpressed with dealer service. It's like taking the space shuttle to Joe's Garage. They have no idea what they're working on.

Sorry to hear about your issues. I don't know if the quality is low, as much as that's just a part of hard plastics used in many cars and either you are just more sensitive to the sounds of the plastics, or possibly there is some kind of issue with your suspension that makes it 'creak' more than others.

:rofl: ...pretty damn funny line; it got near RackIt! territory! :thumbup:

Classic... I feel the same way. My dealer has had 3 stabs at fixing my rattle and they give it back to me sounding even louder. Go figure...

I'm gonna record a sound clip of my rattle and put it up...

Chris

If you want to see cheesy hard (and mismatched) plastics, look at an XC90. The only issue I see (so far) with the plastics on the E70 are the B-pillar trim. The seatbelt buckle hits it, and over time, it's going to look like someone pelted it with a sand blaster from the contact everytime you take off your seatbelt. This should have been a soft touch covering like the center tunnel and door panels.

I have to admit, it's obvious that BMW is cutting costs somewhere. This is a concern not on the E70 but all the newer generation of BMWs. They look very nice and photograph pretty well, but they just seem more hollow and more superficial than before. It's a lot more flash and less 'substance'.

Now I know my X3 is hardly the benchmark, but at least there's a lack of stuff that'll scratch. It's durable, tough, and kinda waterproof! :rofl:. I spilled some water out of a bottle on the topside of the dash.....and thought "it doesn't look all that bad.............reminiscent of the Nissan Xterra"

I looked at EVERY SUV on the market.. I am one of the most anal people when it comes to build quality, and interior appointments. I am also (or at least was) a loyal Mercedes Benz owner for said reasons.

I vetod the GL and ML because I found their interior build qualities, and choices of materials to be sub standard for Mercedes. I think those cars are designed for US consumption where the average American is dumbed down by the likes of Cadillac and Toyota.

The BMW was the ONLY car I've been able to live with in terms of interior build that also didn't cost north of $100,000.. There are "some" areas where I would have used a better plastic, but for the most part, even the hard plastics are of a better grade than found in most cars for under $100K..

For plastic heaven, see this clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5GlDagXfy4

MD11F...Like you, I'm a current Benz owner S550, and former W211 E class (E55) owner. As much as people hate on the W211 about its poor build quality, I found my E55 to be solid over my 3 year lease. Lots of soft plastics that help to dampen any rattles or squeeks. My S550 has been a dream and probably the best car I've owned to date in terms of build quality.

After driving 3 E70s, I'm quite sure my rattles are an exception and like you, I test drove pretty much all the SUV's on the market and concluded the X5 was one of the, if not the best. But as I've driven it more and more, the center console, the cupholder area "creaks" when I go up steep driveways and there is that horrible rattle in the driver side dash somewhere that my dealer hasn't been able to isolate.

I know you have the rear entertainment, and on mines, the TV area that attaches to the center console creaks too when going over large bumps. Any noises from yours?

-Chris

Christ, have you expressed this to the dealer, or BMW USA? I would. It could be an issue they need to work on, or it could (hoping it's this) be more narrow to a few cars that used a bad part to attach the consoles. But I've always made it a point to be very critical when I buy something (especially something pricey). If a few people call one the same issue, they'll take note.

btw.. love that S550, it's everything a luxury car should be. It's tempting to trade my CDI in for one, but absolutely love owning a diesel, it's so different.

Sam

rattle
 

my rattle is in the front undercarriage. took it in 2 times now and it's not all the way gone. first they replaced the end links on the sway bar, no help. then they gave more clearance to some aluminum shield and its a little better.. i dont hear anything when i roll over an uneven elevation change, but still get the rattle when i hit on straight.

uhhhhhh..... i guess i'll ask them to "fix it" again when i take it back for the steering wheel issue.

Update on my rattle: I took it back to the dealer and took a drive with the shop forman. He hear the rattle loud and clear and agreed it wasn't something normal and nothing he had heard on other E70s. They are going to take the steering column apart again and see if they can see what's causing that hard ticking noise.

We drove another 4.8i Sport and this one seemed a lot tighter than mine. I'm not sure why, but I guess who ever put my car together had a bad day or something. But I'm happy to report that it seems like my issue is an isolated problem and not something across the board.

So...any future E70 owners on the board can rest assured that poor build quality is isolated to a few cars.

I also spoke to them about my creaking sports seats and the other car I drove didn't have even a squeek. But they're gonna try and adjust it and see if it goes away.

Chris

Its odd how that can happen with ONE car every once in a while. I recall on the MB message board a guy saying his W211 was falling apart.. meanwhile, I and many others were marveling at how amazingly well built it was.. I think that some cars are maybe "Training" cars. I say if you have too many other problems with interior build quality, you insist on a major interior overhaul.

MD11F...

I hinted to them today that if they don't fix it this time, I'm going to seriously push for a new X5. It's been in 3x now, and actually gets worse everytime. I'm guessing from taking off and putting back the same pieces over and over again.

It was really amazing to me how much more sturdy the other 4.8 felt compared to mine. Mine only has approx. 1200 miles and is driven really carefully. I certainly don't go knockin around potholes or any off roading.

Chris

I have had a series of creaks and rattles in my E70. The dealership has been great about resolving them, but I feel the factory should have put in some preventative measures to save the customer frustration. So far I had the creaky door seals (same as my E60) which was resolved by cleaning them and right now I have a passenger side b pillar creak and a clicky comfort seat. That said, I am still happy with my X5 4.8is (but the tranny software still sucks after multiple updates).

I've had a lot of rattles in my 2009 E70. so many issues. the latest problem is my whole front dash is rattling and rattles are no longer covered by warranty. These rattles are caused by the flexing of the body. The E70 seems to flex more than BMW's claim. This is contributing to squeeks and rattles. I regret buying a BMW. I Would like to publish a shamewall for cars and report all problems and warn other potential buyers.

Why drag up a 3 year old thread?

Also, considering the thousands and thousands of E70's that have been built, and the lack of responses to this thread (under 25!) I don't think the build quality is questionable or we would be seeing thousands of responses instead of a handful. What this thread does show, as Wagner stated, is a buyer who didn't thoroughly check out the vehicle before buying it (if the OP doesn't like the materials that were used, well the OP didn't do their homework prior to buying)

OH PLEASE, COME ON. BMW by far has the best quality. I've had Infiniti, Lexus, Nissan, Toyota, GM and my 2008 X5 is by far the best. I don't think the plastics are hard. I just bought a 2011 Toyota Sienna Limited, top of the line and the interior trim is the CHEAPEST piece of junk ever, and that cost over $40K. So stop complaining, and if you don't like BMW, go to Mercedes or by a Chrysler.

Really? Where in the warranty document do they limit rattles to some time period? I recall tires and alignment having a very short period (2k miles)

Plus if you have documented issues under warranty and they continue OUT of warranty, the 'date of occurrence' is the first report on that first service visit.

I know this is old but, I'll say this...

I'll take the hard plastic that may eventually creak (hasn't so far) but always look OK in my E70 over the nice rubbery plastics that would peel regardless of how good you took care of them in my old E90 and E92 any day.

News flash! The e70 interior trim peels also. My car is babied and the trim on the steering wheel and on the power window surround is peeling already.

I also have noticed lots of creaking sounds when entering a driveway from a street. The chassis flex makes all the window seals creak at the top, and the center console plastic does the same.

It is a bit of a trad-off. My 2005 Focus got criticized in magazine reviews due to the hard plastic they used for the door and dash trim. And it was a valid criticism, as it is not as nice as "softer-touch" materials, although appearance-wise it looks fine.

But... my Focus now is five years old with 65,000 miles on it, and those hard surfaces still look as good as the day they were new.

You might want to check your tire pressure--the ride can be greatly affected by this.

I don't think you can really compare a Ford and a BMW on any comparison and make it apples to apples.

People who go crazy over barely audible noises make me laugh. Don't you fools listen to music? :bustingupPeople criticize build quality like they are accustomed to driving a rolls lol The build quality is superior to the competition and that is all that really relevant to me!

I know, the paint is much better on a Ford, as well as the nav system and voice recognition, as well as overall reliability.

I think your comparison made sense considering the topic was "use of plastic etc". Sadly i agree with you on paint quality. I am sick of seeing those stupid commercials for ford with the voice recognition tho, I never use my voice rec....it is as stupid as people who walk around with bluetooth in their ears lol I don't think anyone buys german for paint and tech. For that matter if you buy for paint/tech/reliability you'd be crazy not to buy Japanese..its what they do best.

Actually, Ford now beats all the Japanese on quality now, except for Lexus:

Ratings | J.D. Power

Not as good on three year reliability, but Lincoln beats everyone except Porsche:

Ratings | J.D. Power


The main reason I went BMW with the X5 was I wanted good handling. I just wish my BMWs were as reliable as my Fords.

Good point. I still cant get over not buying ford stock back at a buck n change. I was interning at Merrill Lynch a year ago and I will always remember the day when one of the FM's talked a client out of taking a position up in ford when it was 2 bucks.:rofl: No no he says trust me you don't want to do that.:rofl: I bet he is no longer with them.

Hindsight is 20/20. You don't know the client's tolerance for risk and a year or so ago, that would have been a risky move.

Damn I hate to find this thread. I have a 2007 GS350 I'm getting rid of for squeaks and rattles. I'm afraid all luxury cars are like this. I have a Jetta and had a Honda Accord with no rattles or squeaks :(

My 2007 and 2008 - no rattles.
My 2010 - One is corrected and two more appear. 5000 miles.

Have the same problem over the other side of the pond........am picking up my replacement vehicle this friday which I have been assured has no rattles........

Would like to get a poll going at what spec of car is causing the most rattles/squeaks......SE or Sport........

I have an SE....sounds like a metal tin with lego inside.......and two of my friends have SE's....again all have been back to the garage for the same issues......another two friends of friends have the Sport and no problems at all.......I would be interested to see if this is a common occurrence....

So Far

SE - 3
Sport - 0

That poll won't work in North America, where those two model designations don't exist. Not sure about the rest of the world, but many configurations are country-specific in terms of what the build consist is.

Over in the Uk the Sport is classed as the M Sport with the additional bodykit and different front and rear bumpers and the SE is the one with the matt black wheel arches / bumpers / etc