BMW 1-Series BMW 1-Series

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BMW 1-Series repairs by problem area

Engine (35%)

Transmission and Drivetrain (2%)

Brakes and Traction Control (4%)

Suspension and Steering (3%)

Electrical and Air Conditioning (29%)

Paint, Rust, Leaks, Rattles, and Trim (16%)

Other (10%)

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Chart based on 845 repairs.
See TSBs and recalls for the BMW 1-Series.

BMW 1-Series body repair cost distribution

$2500+ (1%)

$1000 - $2499 (0%)

$500 - $999 (1%)

$100 - $499 (11%)

< $100 (86%)

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Chart based on 70 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.

2013 BMW 1-Series 4dr Hatch

turbocharged 215hp 2.0L I4 8-speed shiftable automatic RWD

13020 mi Replacement of right hand side headlight due to condensation 

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2013 BMW 1-Series 2dr Coupe

turbocharged 320hp 3.0L I6 7-speed automated manual RWD

20000 mi Trim piece at bottom front of drivers seat kept falling off. It appears that one of the three mounting projections on the back of the trim piece had broken. Replaced. 

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2013 BMW 1-Series 2dr Convertible

230-horsepower 3.0L I6 6-speed shiftable automatic RWD

15000 mi Navigation screen trim plate plastic began peeling 
17000 mi part failed to come in had to return 2nd time 

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2012 BMW 1-Series 2dr Coupe

turbocharged 300hp 3.0L I6 7-speed automated manual RWD

41000 mi Small section of rear bumper paint cracked (no impact, scratch, etc...). 

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2012 BMW 1-Series 2dr Coupe

230-horsepower 3.0L I6 6-speed manual RWD

31000 mi

US $750
Replaced cracked horizontal tail light, covered by per service bulletin. 

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2011.5 BMW 1-Series 4dr Hatch

turbocharged 134hp 1.6L I4 8-speed shiftable automatic RWD

32240 mi

€250
Cooling liquid leak. 

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2011 BMW 1-Series 2dr Coupe

turbocharged 300hp 3.0L I6 7-speed automated manual RWD

7000 mi Fixed pass. side mirror squeak when using the power folding feature. 
2480 mi rear seat tray rattle 
6820 mi rear seat tray rattle still present when sold 
10540 mi Third brake light assembly, lense cracked then broke off. Repaired no cost . Informed "common problem" 

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2011 BMW 1-Series 2dr Coupe

turbocharged 300hp 3.0L I6 6-speed manual RWD

11000 mi 3rd brake light, common issue that dealer did acknowledge, even had it in stock it was so common. No questions asked, easy repair. 
620 mi Wind noise near B-pillar at about door handle level. Adjusted window to reduce wind noise (but not completely eliminate). 
2480 mi Wind noise again. Not willing to replace door seals, and no further adjustment of window pressure available. Will have to live with minor (or normal?) wind noise. Center console squeak / rattle. Dealer acknowledged problem, but didn't correct as I didn't want the console torn apart. Will consider at year-end oil change visit. 
3100 mi Replaced center armrest due to creaking diagnosed in Oct 2011. 
7440 mi

C $70
Creaking at base of windshield 
7840 mi Continuing rattles and creaks at base of windshield. 
20000 mi Broken 3rd brake light. Replaced 

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2011 BMW 1-Series 2dr Coupe

230-horsepower 3.0L I6 6-speed shiftable automatic RWD

2141 mi Sunroof glass delaminating-Dealer replaced the glass. 
7933 mi Rattle in passenger sie A Pillar. Fix was to replace missing felt pad at base of A Pillar. 
45900 mi front center console losing color. Dealer replaced it 
27000 mi The air vents turned white very suddenly. I have never seen this happen in a car before. Dealer recommended I park it in the sun but the change was to sudden to be fading from the sun. Very weird. 
21200 mi Raised carpet on passenger side door trim, aluminum trim on dash front loose, both repaired. 

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2011 BMW 1-Series 2dr Coupe

230-horsepower 3.0L I6 6-speed manual RWD

17700 mi Third trip to dealer to try to repair clunking noise at low speeds. 

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2011 BMW 1-Series 2dr Convertible

turbocharged 300hp 3.0L I6 6-speed manual RWD

2600 mi Cracked 3rd tail light. 
8000 mi Center tail light cracked 

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2011 BMW 1-Series 2dr Convertible

230-horsepower 3.0L I6 6-speed shiftable automatic RWD

20200 mi One fog light was loose and there was a small rattle in the rear. Both fixed. 

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2011 BMW 1-Series 2dr Convertible

230-horsepower 3.0L I6 6-speed manual RWD

33000 mi Convertible top liner connector broke off on front driver's side (near windshield) after regularly getting caught on side frame during top mechanised movement. Liner replaced under warranty by BMW. 
25000 mi Convertible top was leaking. Gasket starting to wear out so they inserted foam to fill the gap. Problem solved. 

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2010 BMW 1-Series 2dr Convertible

230-horsepower 3.0L I6 6-speed shiftable automatic RWD

34000 mi The assembly with the buttons for the convertible top operation fell back into the dash, but the buttons still worked. Item was reattached. 

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2009 BMW 1-Series 2dr Coupe

turbocharged 300hp 3.0L I6 6-speed shiftable automatic RWD

30000 mi Lens on 3rd brake light cracked. Known issue on this car 
10000 mi Trim between driver side front and back windows catching on the window when opening door. Trim piece ordered and replaced 10 days later. Trim moulding was also damaged but not repaired - part on order. Trips to dealer=3, not repaired yet. 
10700 mi Trim moulding replaced. 
18000 mi Trunk lid stop light lens cracked. Lens was replaced. 
45200 mi

US $200
Replaced cracked rear third brake light (in trunk lid). 
9800 mi Ashtray lid closed and would not re-open. Dealer replaced ashtray.  
21000 mi Third brake light cracked. Repaired under warranty by BMW dealership. 
17000 mi Cracks in the trunk lid brake light lens; cracks present when I bought the car used, but number of cracks starting to increase. 
39000 mi Cracked brake light lens on trunk lid. 

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2009 BMW 1-Series 2dr Coupe

turbocharged 300hp 3.0L I6 6-speed manual RWD

7000 mi Dashboard showing indentation on the passenger side. Probably due to heat. SA looked at it and immediately said that he'll go ahead and order the parts for replacement. Follow up service was a drop-off; dealer provided loaner. Job done the next day. 
3100 mi Replace dashboard, service clutch spring, replace MAF, reprogram software 
19000 mi Center armrest is creaky. They all do that. ;( 
19500 mi

US $100
Center armrest creaking. Special lubricant ordered from Germany. Advisor indicated there might be a TSB that specifically indicates this new lube/fix. 
20300 mi Finally replaced passenger side rear tail light after I pointed out there was evidence of condensation. Second dealership far more helpful than first dealership in resolving this concern. 
45200 mi "Severe electrical fault, car cannot be driven." iDrive, warning lights flashing chaotically, Comfort Access not working. Dealer: water leakage into modules; modules replaced. Rained before I picked up car, same problem, left at dealer. Previous electrical problem was finally completely corrected. 

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2009 BMW 1-Series 2dr Coupe

230-horsepower 3.0L I6 6-speed shiftable automatic RWD

34200 mi

US $9
The rear brake lamp cracked and needed to be replaced. This item would have been covered under warranty. Its a common issue and in my opinion the result of a basic design flaw. 
80000 mi

US $175
Driver's side heated mirror rusted. Replaced with aftermarket from ebay ($50 total for both sides) - this caused electrical problems. Then bought original part from BMW ($150 CDN + tax) and installed myself. No more issues. 

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2009 BMW 1-Series 2dr Coupe

230-horsepower 3.0L I6 6-speed manual RWD

12400 mi Sunroof rattle going over bumps. No idea what they tried to fix it, but it didn't work. 
33480 mi Driver's seat cover replaced as the leatherette was cracking on the outside side bolster. Update: they didn't do it correctly. Fourth attempt on Tuesday, I believe that they are bringing in an upholstery expert. Updated: fixed. 
35960 mi Sunroof rattle...again! The problem has now been identified as the bracket that holds the rear dome light to the headliner. The bracket is missing the retaining tabs which were broken off. New part on order from Germany. 
37060 mi Dome light bracket replaced and sunroof rattle appears to finally be cured. 

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2009 BMW 1-Series 2dr Convertible

turbocharged 300hp 3.0L I6 6-speed shiftable automatic RWD

33700 mi Convertible top replaced due to known issue. BMW had issued a tsb covering a defective part in the top mechanism that caused damage to the top. 

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2009 BMW 1-Series 2dr Convertible

turbocharged 300hp 3.0L I6 6-speed manual RWD

23560 mi Rear brake light indicator lens cracked and broken. Third time it has happened. Low profile tires and Alberta roads can lead to jarring causing light lens to crack and break. They have replaced it every time at no cost to me. 
5580 mi Centre arm rest squeaking. Dealer removed and replaced, however squeaking returned a week later. 
20940 mi Soft top developed a wear mark and had to be replaced. 
23420 mi Cosmetic issues from soft top replacement. Clips not connected properly, metal shavings throughout the cabin. Rear headrest was scratched. 
23960 mi Dealer removed and re-installed door panels due to squeaking. 

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2009 BMW 1-Series 2dr Convertible

230-horsepower 3.0L I6 6-speed manual RWD

22500 mi I had to have another (2nd) new top installed under warranty when it developed a hole. I found on-line a tsb that had not been performed which will, I hope, prevent another hole developing. 

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2008 BMW 1-Series

Engine not specified

57340 mi Had rust underneath, in the back. Got fixed for free by the dealer a few days ago. 

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2008 BMW 1-Series 4-door

turbocharged 4-cylinder diesel manual 2WD

17000 mi Rattle and squeaky noise from front dash board, they stick it with Double sided tape, made no difference and squeaky noise still evident. 

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2008 BMW 1-Series 2dr Coupe

turbocharged 300hp 3.0L I6 6-speed shiftable automatic RWD

18000 mi Wind noise on driver's side 
19840 mi Center mounted tail light lens was cracked. Parts were in stock so replaced under warranty same day. 
35000 mi 3rd tail light replaced.  Front seat stitching repaired. Steering wheel plate was peeling and was replaced.  
31000 mi Sunroof rattle. Sunroof sunshade was ordered and replaced but was/is wrong color. Correct color had to be ordered from Germany during volcano/plane issues in Europe. Awaiting delivery/install. 
1000 mi Outside mirrors creat a whistling noise at 45-70 mph. Whistling increases in volume with speed. Certain crosswind conditions increase noise. Design flaw root cause is the groove and pressure cavity aft/under the mirror cap. 
1000 mi The rear 3rd brake light cover (red plastic) on trunk is cracked. Part was ordered by BMW Service Center; a waiting part. Inside surface of driver's side window had 6 hair line scratches. Dealer service mgr. offered to 'good will' pay for the labor required to change out the window if I paid for the part. 
2000 mi It was the 3rd brake light plastic cover, not the actual light bulb, that was cracked. Direction given to technician NOT to over-torque new spring-loaded studs during installation of new part. 

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2008 BMW 1-Series 2dr Coupe

turbocharged 300hp 3.0L I6 6-speed manual RWD

31000 mi 2 rattles in dash. One behind nav screen, one in right corner below A pillar. Problems were claimed to have been fixed, but persist exactly as originally described to dealer. 
41000 mi 3rd brake light lens cracked and fell out. had already been replaced 2x. forum research discovered a TSB detailing some metal grinding as part of lens replacement. discussed with dealer. work performed including grinding. 
58000 mi Rattles in dash never fixed. Pulling that giant 1 piece dash out of my daily driver was a risky prospect. I figured I'd end up not being able to find the source, or break something else in the attempt. 
19000 mi Also inner part of steering wheel had to be replaced covering/paint was coming off. Audio control switch on steering wheel had to be replaced too. 
35000 mi Also found source of rattling noise from sunroof, replacement parts ordered. Leather on bottom of driver’s seat started to tear replacement ordered. 
36000 mi Replaced sunroof rain gutter thought to be source of constant rattling.  Seat cover replaced. 
38000 mi Rattling from sunroof area. 
16000 mi cracked 3rd brake lens; scheduled maintenance: oil change, filters, wipers 
16000 mi Cruise Control Stalk button was loose and rattling. Ordered new stalk.  
10000 mi Rattles 
47000 mi replaced steering wheel cover (plastic plate around the buttons).  
10000 mi

US $178
The 3rd brake light was cracked and became loose. It was replaced. I do not know the cause. 
30600 mi

US $264
Center brake light was cracked. Replaced brake lamp assembly with updated unit. 
30000 mi 3rd Brake Light cracked apart from the trunk, needed replacement. 
20760 mi The chrome strip on the top of the passenger door was loose. They looked at it, ordered the part, I went back and they put it on while I waited. 
21560 mi Chrome strip replaced. When bringing car in to replace chrome strip, remarked on excess wind noise at high speeds. Dealer determined weather stripping was defective and ordered new weather stripping. Weather stripping replaced. Excess wind noise reduced. NOTE: Problem had existed from day one, but I finally got around to complaining and dealer fixed it immediately. Fantastic dealer, BTW. 
24800 mi Brought the car in because the driver door doesn't close properly. We then noticed that the problem was due to incorrect repair of weatherstripping. So my dealer is going to replace the weatherstrippping on both doors again on May 11. Parts ordered. 
25500 mi Replaced the weatherstripping (for the second time). That seems to have helped the wind noise problem, but the door is still a little too hard to close on the driver's side. No one seems to know how to fix it. 
41540 mi

$300
There isn't really a category for the catastrophic failure of a glass sunroof. But that's what happened. In the middle of an open motorway, at speed, not trailing any other car, the sunroof spontaneously shattered. 
47680 mi Water got into a circuit box through the right rear tail light and filled it up. The problem was discovered following some body work when the key would not unlock the door. The circuit board had to be replaced and the whole car reprogramed. 
2000 mi The leather around the side airbag on the driver's seat was trimmed so the seat stuffing was visible. It was about a 2mm gap. 
25620 mi A pillar broke loose (internal tab), had new A pillar installed. Got an E90 335xi loaner. 

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2008 BMW 1-Series 2dr Coupe

230-horsepower 3.0L I6 6-speed shiftable automatic RWD

21000 mi Laminate on steering wheel was replaced due to peeling off. 
24000 mi Sunroof would not open. Repair included software update with reflash 
5000 mi Cloth top warp. 
56000 mi

US $250
Rear tail light red lens cracked and fell out 

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2008 BMW 1-Series 2dr Coupe

230-horsepower 3.0L I6 6-speed manual RWD

13000 mi Center brake light lens cracked and fell out of housing. Replaced under warranty. Center brake light lens cracked and fell out of housing. Replaced under warranty. 
27000 mi Tail lamp assemblies improperly aligned when reinstalled after recall performed at previous trip. Tail lamps realigned correctly. Tail lamp assemblys improperly aligned when reinstalled after recall performed at previous trip. Tail lamps realigned correctly. 
33000 mi Also had some vibrations taken care of around rear parcel shelf, as well as a clutch inspection. 
41000 mi High mounted rear brake light replaced for the 3rd time due to manufacturers defect in cracks forming at edge. 
48000 mi Sunroof switch failed. 

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2008 BMW 1-Series 2dr Convertible

turbocharged 300hp 3.0L I6 6-speed shiftable automatic RWD

30000 mi Right rear convertible top rattle 
33000 mi Convertible top rattle. 
32300 mi Tail lights seal worn, recall. 
18600 mi Convertible top was misaligned which caused wear on the passenger side near the C-pillar when the top was raised or lowered as it rubbed a rubber gasket. Was re-aligned and does not rub now. 
20460 mi Driver side left bolster leather was wearing too quickly. The dealer replaced the leather on the seat with a new leather cover. 

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2008 BMW 1-Series 2dr Convertible

turbocharged 300hp 3.0L I6 6-speed manual RWD

17000 mi new convertible top. The original developed a hole in the C-pillar on the driver's side. Apparently the original guide can rub and eventually cause a hole a small dime-sized hole in the top. The is a new guide that solves the problem. trim around steering wheel had rubber coating beginning to peel. Part replaced with newer part model. 
13000 mi 3rd Brake Light fell off the car and into pieces. Repaired by dealer under warranty 
20000 mi Had a few bad rattles. Left at dealer for a couple of days and fixed correctly.  
23000 mi 3rd brake light cracked and fell off 

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2008 BMW 1-Series 2dr Convertible

230-horsepower 3.0L I6 6-speed shiftable automatic RWD

11280 mi Replaced steering wheel as plastic finish near horn buttons was pealing off the under material. 
30000 mi

US $2700
window became detached from convertible top. Replaced top 
16000 mi Convertible top - mechanism wearing through fabric of top. 
28000 mi clips that hold the inner liner of the convertible top, told due to botched replacement of top 
34000 mi clips that hold the inner liner of the convertible top 
30000 mi Extra screw in convertible top header. Rolling around and rattling. 
33000 mi Convertible headliner pulled loose. Headliner is stretched in place using plastic clips at convertible top header. Plastic clips broke. Inner headliner (convertible liner) securing clips had broken. BMW apparently created a repair kit just for this problem. So the liner was not replaced, only repaired 
18000 mi Convertible top wear Third brake light 
Brakelight lens on trunk lid was lying on floor in several pieces day after we took delivery of new car. Nothing had hit it. It just fell out. Was told it wasn't properly glued in at factory and that I wasn't the 1st to experience this issue. 
8000 mi 2nd time 3rd brakelight lens in trunk deck lid has been replaced. Not sure why they crack. 
10000 mi Convertible top had a wear mark from getting pinched when it was put down. Convertible top was replaced. Leather driver's seat showing scuff/wear marks where person entering car rubs against seat. Replacement leather on backorder. 
12000 mi Backordered part arrived for repair of seat leather. 

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2008 BMW 1-Series 2dr Convertible

230-horsepower 3.0L I6 6-speed manual RWD

6820 mi Had to repaint hood as paint had bubbled off. 

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BMW 1-Series Body Problems

See our lemon odds and nada odds page to see vehicles with no repairs or vehicles with more than three repairs. To see how frequently BMW 1-Series problems occur, check out our car reliability stats.