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BMW 3-Series Maintenance and Repair

5349 messages,  Last post on Apr 30, 2013 at 3:31 PM

You are in the BMW 3-Series Forum.

What is this discussion about? BMW 3 Series, Sedan

    
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Messages Page 205 of 536

#2035 of 5349 Re: devil78 [div2] by devil78

Jun 17, 2005 (8:16 am)

Replying to: div2 (Jun 17, 2005 8:07 am)
The BMW Club sounds like a great idea. I recently purchased a 1993 318is. It's kind of a joint ownership thing for myslef and my 17 yr old son. The car seems to be in pretty good shape, however, the radiator problem has us parked for now. It has 104,000 miles and the body is in very good shape.
 
What is the differnce between an "is" and the "ti" that you own?
 
By the way, I live in Ashland.

#2036 of 5349 devil78 by div2

Jun 17, 2005 (8:36 am)

The ti is the hatchback that was sold in the US from 1995-1989. It is 9" shorter than the coupe or sedan, and it uses the rear suspension from the 1984-1991 Threes.
You'll hear lots of(mostly bogus) horror stories about BMW repair costs, but the truth is that Threes of your vintage are quite reliable and repair costs are very reasonable.Over almost ten years and 97000 miles my 1995 has cost me under $40/month in maintenance and repair costs-and that includes three sets of Z-rated tires. If you want to perform repairs yourself I'd strongly suggest picking up the Bentley repair manual. A bit pricey-but worth it, in my opinion.

#2037 of 5349 Re: devil78 [div2] by devil78

Jun 17, 2005 (8:49 am)

Replying to: div2 (Jun 17, 2005 8:36 am)
Yeah, I would like to do as much of the general repair work as possible. Is the Bentley guide the most "user friendly"? I need plenty of pictures and diagrams.

#2038 of 5349 devil78 by div2

Jun 17, 2005 (9:07 am)

"Is the Bentley guide the most "user friendly"?"
 
Yes, it's the best for novice and expert alike.

#2039 of 5349 Re: devil78 [div2] by potemkin

Jun 17, 2005 (10:11 am)

Replying to: div2 (Jun 17, 2005 9:07 am)
I bought the Chilton's for fixing up my '95 ti. I'm definitely a novice, and I can certainly recommend it. Haven't seen the Bentley guide, but if Div2 says it's the best, it probably is.

#2040 of 5349 Re: 1992 325iC Check Engine Light [kyfdx] by tze3034

Jun 17, 2005 (9:41 pm)

Replying to: kyfdx (May 21, 2005 1:26 pm)
Yup Yup,
I own a 92 325ic, and this car is a sick automobile. Owned it for about a year now, and it rips most cars a new one. Car was crafted with great, and simple engineering. I had the same problem with the check engine light on. This light that is on, is not a check engine light. It is basically a service check light, and the reason that the light is on in this car is because of a faulty third brake light harness. I had the same problem, but when I removed the third break light and installed a spoiler with the led this problem went away. This car brought M Power a whole new meaning, and still represents today. Its nice cruisin with the top down also.

#2041 of 5349 Questions before buying a BMW 2006 325i by beemer_newbie

Jun 18, 2005 (12:12 am)

Hi Friends,
  I am strongly thinking about buying a 2006 BMW 325i during the next few months and wanted to ask you all a few questions and take a careful decision based on that.
 
- I live in Mountain View,CA. Is the BMW of Mountain View the best Dealer or should I try Stevens Creek/Pleasanton?
 
-Which is the best month to buy a BMW 325i?Does BMW have independence day sales events this year?
 
-I plan to buy a car with STEPTRONIC Transmission. I've read in forums that this is a problematic component in BMWs. Is It True?
 
-Is a Sports Package Necessary? What are its advantages/disadvantages ?
 
-Is there a catch to their 4yr/50K warranty thing?How much will I roughly have to pay up per year on maintenance?Everyone in my family is discouraging me from buying a BMW because of it being expensive to maintain,(they say) even during its warranty period.
 
-After owning it for four years,I plan to sell my car back to the dealership(maybe for a trade-in). Is this a good viable option?Will they accept a 4yr old car if its in a good condition?
 
Any other tips you have for me will be greatly appreciated.
 
Regards,
Beemer Newbie.

#2042 of 5349 Re: Questions before buying a BMW 2006 325i [beemer_newbie] by potemkin

Jun 18, 2005 (6:35 am)

Replying to: beemer_newbie (Jun 18, 2005 12:12 am)
I'll take a shot at answering a few of your questions.
 
Mountain View
Can't help you there. I'm on the East coast.
 
Sports Package
I wouldn't say that it is necessary, but I got it. Some people like the firmer ride and nice big wheels, others think it's too firm and prefer it without the SP. Be sure to test drive both.
 
Best month
Haven't bought many cars, so I'm not the best person to answer this one, but I'll throw in my $0.02: The best time to buy a car is sometime after you've done your home work. Figure out what car you want and what's the best price you can get it for. Don't worry about what color the leaves are.
 
STEPTRONIC
A few people have posted problems with the auto, but I haven't heard anything from reputable sources that indicate that there is a wide-spread problem with the Steptronic (other than the fact that it's a automatic - some people here believe that the manual is the better choice, but the decision is yours and yours alone).
 
Warranty catch
The only catch to the warranty is you have to buy (or lease) a BMW. Other than that the cost is zero, nothing, nada, zip. You get 4 years or 50,000 miles of free scheduled maintenance built into the price of the ultimate driving machine.
 
Also, the "expensive to maintain" claims are hard to justify in my personal experience. I have a '95 318ti that is still on the road and has incurred very little maintenance cost over the years.
 
After... four years
If you know you're only going to keep it 4 years, talk to others on this board about leasing. You might be better off. I'm not the person to ask. I suggest buying it with cash, but that's just me.
 
Any other tips
Make sure you inspect cars that have both Leather and Leatherette interiors and decide for yourself which to get. Most people prefer the leather, but the leatherette (German for "vinyl") isn't your father's vinyl and you may decide that the leather isn't worth the additional cost. Personally, I liked the 'ette enough that I wasn't able to justify getting the leather.
 
Also, don't take anything I said above as gospel.

#2043 of 5349 Re: Questions before buying a BMW 2006 325i [potemkin] by amt7565

Jun 18, 2005 (7:02 am)

Replying to: potemkin (Jun 18, 2005 6:35 am)
Yo-
Get the Sports package. The larger wheels enhances the looks of the car. It will also hug the road better when you want to take those tight corners.
 
You don't pay for anything until after 50K/4 years. Not even oil change. Oil is changed every 15K miles and is free. During the maintainence you even get a free loaner car.
 
When you are ready to sell it after 4 years, better sell it to a private party.
 
Get the Bimmer and then kick back and relax
 
AMT-

#2044 of 5349 Re: Questions before buying a BMW 2006 325i [amt7565] by potemkin

Jun 18, 2005 (8:44 am)

Replying to: amt7565 (Jun 18, 2005 7:02 am)
Yes, get the SP. AMT will even pay for it.

Messages Page 205 of 536

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