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BMW 3-Series 2005 and earlier
30250 messages, Last post on Mar 24, 2013 at 11:51 AM
You are in the BMW 3-Series Forum.What is this discussion about? BMW 3 Series, Sedan
#21269 of 30250 by div2
Dec 19, 2002 (10:50 pm)
Sadly, lots of BMW dealers will try to hose you on service costs. My local Indie BMW shop performed the Insp. II on my 528iA using Mobil 1 and in addition replaced the front pads, a tie rod, and did an alignment for about $450. Insp 1 on my ti was $155(including front pads). More than a few wanna-BMW owners like to trash our cars with unfounded sour grapes comments about BMW reliability and repair costs. That's THEIR problem. I just returned from a 210 mile interstate trip in the ti-a 1995 with 74000 miles on the clock. The weather was miserable-a flood warning was in effect- but the ti never gave any cause for concern. It simply drilled through the rain at speeds of 75-85 mph. No rattles, no squeaks, just the pleasant sound of the 1.8 revving along at 4000+ rpm. In seven years of ownership I've shelled out less than $120 dollars for unscheduled maintenance- a set of front pads, wiper blades, and drive belts(which I replaced as a precautionary measure). Unlike a lot of the wanna-BMW owners, I don't lie awake at night wishing I'd bought something else...
#21270 of 30250 Put it to rest by fjm1
Dec 20, 2002 (4:39 am)
Riez, as I've clearly stated on that other message thread I do not treat the 323 any worse or better than my '92 Acura Integra. One breaks the other doesn't.
aldubya and getz: thanks for a little sympathy. It's been very upsetting to make the financial stretch to obtain a dream car only to have it fail miserably. My wife an I love our Bimmer when it's working well, that's why it's so hard to part with.
Div2: I own a BMW and lie awake at nite wishing I bought something else.
#21271 of 30250 Resting by riez
Dec 20, 2002 (6:40 am)
fjm1... Guess I don't mind too much your constant complaints about your own car and your experiences. It is unfortunate. But believe you go over the top when you criticize BMW in total. And I think it is only fair that you should explain to people that you self admit to "flogging your sucker". BMW builds hundreds of thousands of 3 Series annually. A few bad apples are bound to be in any such huge bunch. But I suspect that owners that flog their suckers are bound to experience more problems than those who don't. I haven't flogged either of my BMWs. Both have been pretty enjoyable experiences to own and drive. (Not sure one can compare the driving experience of an early 1990s FWD 4 cyl Acura Integra to the 3 Series. Was that Acura based on the Honda Civic or Accord platform? Can't hardly imagine there was any fun in flogging the Acura. Might be scary to get it near its limits. But I can imagine how much more fun it is to push the 3 Series. They can bring out the beast in drivers.)Do you have an active BMW CCA chapter near you? Are you a BMW CCA member? They might have been able to assist you in dealing with your dealer or BMW NA.
Where was your 3 Series made? Mine is South African. Just curious.
#21272 of 30250 fjm1 by div2
Dec 20, 2002 (7:05 am)
You wrote:>I own a BMW and lie awake at nite wishing I bought something else.< Well, just sell the bloody thing and find another topic to post in; your constant whining is becoming tiresome to the large majority of participants who DON'T have problems.
#21273 of 30250 Aldubya and Riez Re: Inspection 2 by mseals
Dec 20, 2002 (7:17 am)
Erhard is high, there is no doubt about that. I knew they were high when it came to buying cars, but I figured with they might not be so bad for maintenance. My mistake, their $1200 quote for an inspection 2 is evidence of that. I don't think I will be taking it there for anythign other than warranty work from now on. That is almost insulting if they tried to add on a bunch of stuff without even looking at the car. If a customer asks for the cost of an inspection 2, should the price vary or should it be static. I could see if they found something wrong, like brakes for instance. But that is after the fact. Could they be quoting me high incase something like that occurs. Isn't there some law that the price for repairs can't be higher than the estimate or can only be so much over the estimate.#21274 of 30250 riez by div2
Dec 20, 2002 (7:48 am)
Well, I DO flog the ti; drivers schools, autocross, and "spirited" street driving. The only thing I've noticed is that the M42 four banger consumes a bit more oil under track conditions. And I did manage to hot spot a rotor once because I didn't get to do a cool down lap after an instructor session.#21275 of 30250 div by kdshapiro
Dec 20, 2002 (8:03 am)
"Flogging" is different from abusing. Some people abuse their autos by:1. not following recommended maintenace especially when flogging
2. driving with low fluid levels and parts in need of repair
3. not following manufacturers break-in recommendations
4. driving the car hard while the engine and drivetrain is warming up, especially in freezing weather
5. overreving the engine in neutral
6. driving with your foot on the brake and accelerator at the same time
7. using the clutch to hold the car on a hill
8. doing a lot of high rev torque starts with an auto tranny.
Have fun flogging, even with hard driving and track racing you should get many years of ownership from a car provided it's taken care of.
#21276 of 30250 riez by jb_shin
Dec 20, 2002 (9:02 am)
I realize you are passionate about your BMWs, but as a 95 Integra owner (for the record, I own 2002 530 as well), I must point out a couple of things.1. fjm1 did not compare the driving dynamic between the 2, but reliability based on his experience.
2. Have you driven an Integra? I brought mine to Germany after putting about 127,000 miles in DC metro trafic and the powertrain still pulls hard, cruises at 100+ mph for hours on autobahn. Sure it is not as quiet nor stable above 120 as my 530, but handles well, and is fun to drive. It is built on Civic chassis, and there are a few squeaks, but no rattle. In fact, it is holding up so well that I may take it back to the states and keep it as my commuter.
Please do not generalize and make comments like "Can't hardly imagine there was any fun in flogging the Acura. Might be scary to get it near its limits". There are other cars that can be quite fun, even if they do not have the roundel on it.
#21277 of 30250 FWD by riez
Dec 20, 2002 (9:08 am)
jb_shin... I readily admit my bias against FWD vehicles. I've owned FWD and RWD. I much prefer RWD for performance applications. And I know there are a ton of great cars from a lot of marques. I love great cars. Not just BMWs. (I had fun driving my old '96 Infiniti G20t but from a driver's perspective it doesn't compare to my wife's 323iA.)Was the Integra based on the Accord platform? Civic? Some other platform? Decent car.
#21278 of 30250 Definitions by riez
Dec 20, 2002 (9:19 am)
div2, kdshapiro, & jb_shin... I would refer you to read fjm1's comments posted at the Edmunds BMW 325i vs the World board. I did try to get fjm1 to define his terms.fjm1 wrote his car was a "spirited vixen that begs for trouble" and "so heck yeah I flog that sucker". He also wrote "flogging = opposite of 'driving as intended'".
Believe his original main beef related to VANOS units on 2.5L.
I concur that BMWs can be driven appropriately hard as long as the driver maintains the car and knows how to drive well on the right road surfaces & settings (e.g. race track vs 25 mph residential area). But that to me seems like it could be different than "flogging" or getting into "trouble".
The MidAmerica Motor Sports track isn't too far from me. My local BMW CCA chapter has come out twice for weekend driving school and spirited track time. I went out once to watch and spoke with participants. (Is a bit pricey to participate.) They had a blast. That is the right place and under the right conditions.
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