BMW Made - Germany vs South Africa

[wei0306]

Nowadays, most BMWs coming out from PML are made in South Africa, with a minority and a couple from PI are made in Germany.

Anyone has any feedback on the differences ? I heard from some owners saying for those made in South Africa, there are QA issues although the parts are from Germany.

 

[delrosa81]

Re: BMW Made - Germany vs South Africa

Hmm I guess there should be some QA differences ba, but should be alright. Mine 3er is coming out from South Africa too, no issues yet (Touchwood). At least its better than being assembled in Thailand....heehee

 

[phil]

Re: BMW Made - Germany vs South Africa

i heard mirrors fold at different speeds!!

 

[delrosa81]

Re: BMW Made - Germany vs South Africa

i heard mirrors fold at different speeds!!

Wow lucky mine doesnt come with folding side mirrors. I'm thinking of getting the folding mirrors done up though.....

 

[donaldho]

Re: BMW Made - Germany vs South Africa

i heard mirrors fold at different speeds!!

These r one of the features man, during high speed fold in... aerodynamic thingy

 

[GeekinE90]

Re: BMW Made - Germany vs South Africa

One thing I notice is the type of epoxy bonding process/welding which is on the shock tower between Munich build and SA/Malaysia CKD BMWs.

Not sure if it translates to any difference in chasis ridgidness, but its one difference i notice from just visual inspection of the engine bay. Pop the hood to check out the difference heh. Attached is the pic of my Munich build E90 bonds/welds near the base of the shock tower.

 

[Turbonetic]

Re: BMW Made - Germany vs South Africa

Only E90 is South Africa, E83 in Austria and E85 in US, all others still in Germany.

Nowadays, most BMWs coming out from PML are made in South Africa, with a minority and a couple from PI are made in Germany.

Anyone has any feedback on the differences ? I heard from some owners saying for those made in South Africa, there are QA issues although the parts are from Germany.

 

[E83_X3]

Re: BMW Made - Germany vs South Africa

Don't know about you guys, but when I recently test drove the 325i Coupe (made in Germany), it felt more-sturdier, with a stiffer chassis and a meatier steering feel - and much less power assist. Overall a much more solid car than the E90 325i Sedan (made in Africa).

Don't know if that is due to its 2-door configuration (inherent stiffness), it being made in Germany, or a combination of both.

 

[Deadkookaburra]

Re: BMW Made - Germany vs South Africa

rear lower rubber weather strip of windshield has come off...silicon didnt hold. 2 other E90s same problem...no leakage but it's a fault.

 

[delrosa81]

Re: BMW Made - Germany vs South Africa

Wah like this I better quickly sell off my E90 and get the E92 instead liaoz.......

 

[mrericlee]

Re: BMW Made - Germany vs South Africa

Buy Buy Buy!! E92!!

 

[Turbonetic]

Re: BMW Made - Germany vs South Africa

I noticed there are some significant differences between my ZA made ex-E90 and my fren's E92. :S

 

[check13]

Re: BMW Made - Germany vs South Africa

So does it mean my E90 made in Germany?

My chassis number starts with WBA - which stands for Europe, Germany, BMW.

VIN View /// AnalogX

 

[vngooi]

Re: BMW Made - Germany vs South Africa

..errr..actually I thot that the VIN number of the car will tell you EXACTLY where the car was assembled...to the country that assembly plant is located....IMHO, as long as the QC is there, technically there should not be any difference....IMHO, there are also cars so called "Made in Germany" with problems...

 

[pufferfish]

Re: BMW Made - Germany vs South Africa

How do I locate the VIN no?

So E60 confirmed made in Germany?

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: BMW Made - Germany vs South Africa

Check your rear seat for the VIN. Our rides come with a 17 character structure.
Digit 9 - Year of Made - for example, 5 for 2005 and 7 for 2007
Digit 10 - Plant Code - N for South Africa

 

[fasterthanferrari]

Re: BMW Made - Germany vs South Africa

J.D. Power and Associates Reports: BMW Ranks Highest in Automotive Initial Quality...

Thu Dec 6, 2007 3:00am EST

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]JOHANNESBURG, South Africa - : For the first time since the inception of the study in 2004, BMW ranks highest in initial quality among passenger vehicle nameplates in South Africa, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2007 South Africa Initial Quality Study(SM) (IQS) released today.

The study is a customer-driven measure of problems experienced during the first three to seven months of ownership and examines 228 individual problem symptoms across nine factors: vehicle exterior; the driving experience; features/controls/displays; audio/entertainment/navigation; seats; heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC); vehicle interior; engine/transmission; and other problems. All problems are identified as the number reported per 100 vehicles (PP100), with lower scores indicating fewer problems and therefore better quality.

With 142 PP100, BMW earns the highest rank among passenger vehicle nameplates. Honda (145 PP100) follows BMW in the rankings. Rounding out the top five are Subaru (147 PP100), Mercedes-Benz (163 PP100) and [COLOR=black ! important][FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif][COLOR=black ! important][FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Volvo[/FONT][/FONT][/COLOR] (174 PP100).

"BMW has made steady improvements in quality over the past couple of years, which are reflected in its climb from ranking third in 2005 to the top rank in 2007," said Brian Walters, vice president of J.D. Power and Associates Europe, Middle East and Africa operations. [/COLOR][/FONT]

 

[opvaulet]

Re: BMW Made - Germany vs South Africa

Compared a 10 year old e38 7 series right next to a 1 series coupe as they were parked side by side. e38 was much better built, particularly in fit and finish of rubber and other soft parts.