sleeper22

Been contemplating trading my 05 TL with 119,500 miles for a newer car. Have driven a few 2008-2010 BMW 328's and one 335 and love the way they drive and handle. Of course reliability is the main concern (especially the 335 turbo) but for the most part the 328 is reliable with the exception of the electric water pump going out anywhere from 60-80K but some last much longer. I have never driven a 09 up TL so can anyone give me some insights or advice. And yes I know its a TL forum lol

I may end up keeping mine a little longer as all maintenance is current and nothing wrong with it. You know how the bug bites so looking for a great deal and could pull the trigger if one pops up. I am pretty patient so no big deal.

andrewcjduong

I'd say keep your TL until there's a major issue. The BMW 328i is pretty slow, so if you were to compare cars. I'd go for the 335i instead. I was also deciding between a 335i, 535i and a TL. I ended up going for Acura because of maintenance and up to date tech which the BMW lacked of.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

if you never driven an 09+ TL. you'll need to get yourself into a 4G.

we can sit here and compare cars and spend your money all day long, after all this is the internet with opinions about subjective matters.

so, you've already sat in a couple of 328s and a 335. the next logical step for you to take is to get your butt into a 4G and test drive it.

your opinion matters the MOST, as YOU will be driving it and not us.

again, we can paper race/bench race/compare stats and pick out the better car ALLLL DAY LONG.
at the end of the day, we wont be the one hunkering down upwards of $30k

sleeper22

Justin just looking for some obvious differences and advice. I do agree I have to drive one.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

just remember, the Germans have higher maintenance cost than Hondas.
if you can afford the maintenance in the long run and think that the BMWs are for you, go for it.

hadokenuh

The BMWs are nice and drive really fine as long as they don't break. I had a 2008 528 with 80K miles before my 2013 TL so here is my experience. Note that I love both BMW and Acura so I try not to be biased here.

You are right that at 80K miles, the electric water bump can fail any time ($$$ to fix). The CPO does cover it but only when it breaks, usually without warnings. At that mileages, to keep the 328 run reliable, you are looking at these (common) issues:

1. Battery ($300 part + re-programming labor)
2. Coolant system. My BMW mechanic would recommend entire coolant system overhauled. This is particularly important because if the engine is overheated, you are done.
3. Valve cover gasket, oil housing gasket. Mine were all leaking at the time. Replaced under warranty.
4. Engine and transmission mounts. The engine mounts were leaking and replaced under warranty. The transmission mounts were showing signs of leaks when I traded it in.
5. Control arm bushing (tend to break at this mileage)

I don't have much experience with the BMW x35 but BMW extended their warranty coverage for the turbo and HPFP to 10 years/120K miles so keep that in mind. If you don't drive a lot, it may make sense to get a BMW with 40K miles and drive it until 80K miles (3-4 years). If you do drive a lot (20k miles/year), the TL is a better choice. Try to get a 2012+ if you can.

ucf_bronco

iTrader: (1)

That depends, do you want to...

1. Comfortably seat four 6' adults?
2. Have long-term peace of mind and reliability?
3. Enjoy an up-to-date interior?

...or do you want a BMW?

As others have said and as you already know, your best bet is to test drive a TL. Good luck with your decision!

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

^my friend just got a '10 745i and my 2006 TL's interior looks More up to date than the brand new-ish beemer.

Brock79

If you go with the BMW, go with the 2011 and up. That's when they did a refresh, that water pump isn't am issues with the newer years. The bolts however on the heads of the 335 are an issue. They will snap on you leaving you with a problem, and they will snap. This is the main reason behind the longer warranty on them. The water pump isn't covered under the CPO which is not a warranty but an inspection to give you the 4yr 50k mile maintence for a CPO. They do cover brakes however. The back seat is non existent in a 3 series and the major problems begin at 100k miles. As for the TL, they run on the same price group and were refreshed in 2012 as you most likely know. I went with the 11 because I actually liked it better. The only issue I have with a TL is the fact it calls for a nice costly tune up at 100k miles.

ucf_bronco

iTrader: (1)

Granted I haven't seen any recently, but I was always amazed at how dull the BMW interiors were. At that price level I expect more.

hadokenuh

Sorry I have to disagree with you there. I think what you are saying is the free 4yr/50K maintenance that comes with any BMW. It covers brakes, oil changes, wiper blades, etc.

When I said "CPO" earlier, I meant the BMW CPO warranty. (http://www.bmwusa.com/standard/conte.../warranty.aspx). It does cover water pump and radiator IF they fail during the warranty period.

Brock79

Yes if you buy the warranty, it does NOT come with that as part of a CPO. I was looking at BMWs before I bought my TL and every dealer and every CPO did not offer a CPO warranty, just maintance. You MUST purchase the warranty, make sure you ask more thourugly. I was under the impression that it was included as well by their wording. Read the fine print about the warranty.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

I cant find the pic he sent me and when I searched online, I'm guessing you can spec it out the way you want, but the pic he sent was the basic classic 1989 bmw interior with the strip of wood going across the whole dash. and the red buttons.
yeah, we all know how it looks.

sleeper22

Its pretty well known that BMW's don't put a lot of effort into their interiors. While they are not cheap they aren't as intuitive as most Japanese cars. Most of the engineering goes into the rest of the car. BMW is over engineered in my opinion.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

^its great to hear your opinion, since you know, you'll be the one driving it.

hadokenuh

Agreed. Their interior is geared toward simplicity. Nothing fancy. But it's very well put together with high-quality material used, at least on their 5 series. I had no rattles after 5 years.

sleeper22

WOW do I detect some sarcasm lol? I was just stating a fact. I have no idea what I will end up driving to be honest. Have you driven a 3 series and what year(s)? They are fun as hell to drive and there is a reason they call them The Ultimate Driving Machine. But there are trade offs and I'm trying to decide what is best for me. I love my TL and may end up with another one as I do like the reliability and MPG's. The interiors of the Japanese cars are more intuitive as I mentioned, a poster above even pointed it out that the latest generation of TL's have a lot more technology (great point) than BMW. So I appreciate everyones opinions as this is what these forums are for.

stogie1020

I just came from a 2011 335i Coupe and into a 2014 TL Base.

I can say that the overall interior of the 335 was great. Some of the little things were troublesome (older popout cupholders, idrive controller was backwards to me, etc) but the interior was VERY nice.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jefford_e/5340971077/http://www.flickr.com/photos/jefford_e/5340971077/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/jefford_e/, on Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jefford_e/5340970321/http://www.flickr.com/photos/jefford_e/5340970321/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/jefford_e/, on Flickr

I am not saying anything negative against the TL, but the BMW felt more plush, less sterile than the TL.

Layout of controls in the BMW were a bit better IMO than in the TL.

sleeper22

I never thought BMW interiors were horrible by any means but overall they haven't changed them much since 2006. The one I do NOT like is the controls for the cruise on the steering wheel stalk. At night you can't even see it.

NwTSXmt

get the beamer too many 4th gens on the road now

BEAR-AvHistory

Guess that's because unlike steering wheel buttons which are mixed in with radio, phone etc you don't need to look down to see it anymore than you need to see your turn signal stalk. Its right there under your finger tips push/pull just like your high beam/flash to pass control on the turn signal stalk.

I don't think they have changed the dash layout going back years before 2006. My 2004's layout was close to both my 2011 & 2013's. BMW & MB both do functional & are not into as much flash as the Acura. My daughters 2014 Cayenne has a lot of flash for a German car & its pretty nice but personally I like the BMW style panel.

I might not have all the tech stuff available but I am not sure what the TL has that I don't. It has all the stuff my 3G had but don't know whats been added by Acura since then.

One bit of tech I do like in the newer BMW's is the aircraft styled HUD, something every car should have. I think the new RLX has added it.

internalaudit

Besides 6-speed / better fuel economy, anything else found in the later models?

internalaudit

^ Someone on another thread posted the diff:

http://www.hondanews.com/channels/ac...-tl-powertrain

Filson

both are great cars, the 335 2 door is bad ass but its a two door, the sh awd has comfort, class and power..

i had to make the same choice as you 2 months ago, i went with the TL, considering they hold their value better then a german and they wont break like a german, but they dont handle like a german.

if you like spending $$ at the mechanic get the BMW, unless you buy CPO w/warranty, best thing to do is to drive em both

silkysmooth_96

If BMW would RID of that horrible orange lighting, it'd be much more attractive.. However, decades of that ugly orange makes it seem very old fashioned.

sleeper22

Well I drove a 09 TL yesterday with 55,000 miles and a Mercedes C-300 4-Matic with the sport package with 48,000 miles. Drove the 300 first and to be honest its a damn nice car. Doesn't have the power of the TL but much more refined and quiet. Very smooth and handles great but not in the 328i category. Not much trunk space and the control stalks for the cruise and wipers are in a weird spot. Basically out of view. Trunk space isn't much and wouldn't even hold a good sized golf bag. No fold down rear seats. Overall really liked the car as its typical MB.
Next up the TL. Completely different car than the 3G. Overall I liked it. Its a great car. Felt tight and pretty nimble. Is it MB quality or refinement? No, but it handled well and I like the way it felt and drove. Would I be happy with it? YES no doubt. I pushed it harder than the MB because the traffic allowed me to. I'm still not sold on the looks but it was the White Diamond Pearl which is a little bright but a very pretty color. I liked the flakes in the paint. I will drive a 4 Gen again. One site actually has the TL ranked 3rd on sport sedans and the MB ranked 7th. You can't beat the reliability of the Acura which is a HUGE deal to me. Very quick review and not a very good one as I am short on time but wanted to answer this thread while it was on my mind.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

glad you're getting out there and driving these vehicles and forming your own opinion.

sleeper22

Of course that was always the plan

ABDomega

If I recall correctly, I believe the color choice (whether it's red or orange, I can't really tell) is due to prevent driver fatigue.

andrewcjduong

You are correct. Which is why when you have 6k+ HID bulbs, your eyes tend to get sore after a long drive. At least for most people.

Something about a BMW quality that just seems to be in every BMW that gets me every time I sit in one. Maybe it's the deadening or how everything just feels firm and fit. Still love my TL and I still think I did the right choice of picking it over an 08 535i. I probably wouldn't buy a BMW unless it was the newly refreshed models. The tech is so outdated on the older models.

stogie1020

It;s funny people complain about the stalk mounted Cruise control. It took me a week or two to get used to it and now I MISS it in the TL. The buttons on the TL are confusing, I have to look down to pick the right one (Cancel/Master ON), whereas the BMW stalk I knew up or down would cancel, push the button to resume, pull/push to accelerate/decelerate. it was MUCH more intuitive once you got the hang of it. I still don;t get the need for a master "on" button for the CC on the Acura.

Booya4139

never got the button hate on the TL...there are maybe 2-3 unneeded buttons, but it is all logically laid out. Radio section top middle, AC along the sides, nav down below. much rather a button than navigating touch screens.

andrewcjduong

The Mercedes one is worse. It's exactly where the signal indicator is so you're setting the cruise control almost everytime you try to signal left.

stogie1020

I can;t figure some of it out, for example why the ON/Off for the climate control is in the middle of the vertical stack of buttons not at the top.

stogie1020

That sucks! I never had any problem with the BMW stalks. I feel like the Acura ones are too far away now that I had the BMW ones...