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Sedans BMW 3-Series BMW 3-Series Maintenance and Repair
3997 messages, Last post on Oct 10, 2008 at 5:42 PM
You are in the BMW 3-Series Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
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Replying to: megrdh1 (Jan 05, 2008 7:01 pm) Sorry, but you got hosed, plain and simple. I hope the service manager kissed you and sent flowers the next morning. My local dealer doesn't charge that much more for an Insp. II on an E46 M3- which includes changing all drivetrain fluids as well as a time-consuming valve adjustment. As a matter of fact, a few years ago I put off changing a noisy idler pulley on my wife's 128K 1997 528i, and in late fall of 2004 my procrastination was rewarded by the pulley bearing disintegrating and taking out both belts and the fan shroud. I decided to let my independent BMW tech handle the repairs. While he had the car we decided to replace the radiator, the water pump, and the remaining idler pulley as a precaution. My tech also found and replaced a bad tie rod and had the car aligned. The total cost of repair? $1161. And one more data point: I had my dealer change the thermostat in my E36 3er just last month- $160
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Replying to: ultimgrocgettr (Jan 05, 2008 4:41 pm) Welcome! That's a great car; I almost picked up a five speed Touring on ebay, but I snoozed and lost...  On oil changes, how do you base your intervals on time or mileage? I've heard the 3 month 3000 miles for years and I drive this car about 14 K a year. Do you think half of the interval is sufficient? I had the oil changed last summer when the OBC was reading 7,500 to inspection II. Now I am about 2,400. I'm a bit more conservative than some of the other members on this board, so I also perform a 7500 mile oil change. Just be sure to use a BMW filter as well as a BMW Longlife 01 rated oil. Some commonly available oils that meet that spec are: BMW Synthetic 5W-30 Castrol Syntec 0W-30 Mobil 1 0W-40 |
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Replying to: roadburner (Jan 05, 2008 10:34 pm) You are right. My local dealer ripped me off. I guessed because I am a gal and know nothing about car so they easily scared me. Anyway, if you follow this forum you may remember a while back I asked for a referral to an independent shop in SF BayArea not only because of the high cost of maintenance at my local dealer, but I also feel they no longer treat me well.
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Here is an action shot of my E46 Touring at a local autocross event. I get some good natured ribbing about having a wagon and some of the local club members call it a grocery getter. I remind them since it is a BMW, it is the Ultimate Grocery Getter. I was autocrossing it using the stock 16" Michelins. Next season, I plan on using Bridgestone RE070 mounted on 17" E36 Style 24 rims. It should be interesting to see if the change in tires will improve my track times. This is a very fun car to drive and I am looking forward to the next season. I am participating in a BMW Winter Driving School in a couple of weeks. That should tide me over for awhile. |
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Replying to: megrdh1 (Jan 05, 2008 10:55 pm) Actually, your experience is more the rule, than the exception.. There is a reason that BMWs got their reputation for being expensive to maintain.. It's a dealer network that charges astronomical prices for dubious repairs.. You shouldn't have to have an intimate knowledge of the mechanical workings of your car, to avoid being ripped off by the service department.. But, in many cases, that's exactly what you need.. Good job seeking out an independent.. regards, kyfdx visiting host
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Replying to: kyfdx (Jan 06, 2008 10:01 am) After years of searching, I've only found two really great BMW shops in the Bay Area, one in San Rafael and one in Santa Cruz. I'm sure there are more. Some have good "reputations" but they are very ego-driven and snooty, another trait I don't care for in an BMW indy shop. One of my favorite indy BMW shops is run by a lunatic. If you catch him on a good day, he is BRILLIANT with these cars, but if he's on a bender, don't go near the place. LOL! |
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Hello everyone, Does anyone know offhand the size of the caliper brake line bleed valve? I have an E46 2002 330i. I'd like to drive to the hardware store without having to remove/replace the wheel to check. If I recall from the last time I did it, its either a 7mm or 9mm fit (I ended up using a box wrench that time). What I do remember is that it isn't one of the sizes that comes in the trunk mounted tool kit. Thanks. |
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I have a 2006 330i with sports package. Does anyone know where I can get the maintenance schedule online for this car? Thanks for the help.
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Replying to: skj109 (Jan 07, 2008 7:19 am) |
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| I purchased a 2004 325i, 12,500mi. in July 07. The car belonged to an elderly man that passed away. He only drove around town, store, doctors, etc. I have had the SES light come on 7 times in 5 months. Due to my varying work location, I've had 2 different dealers address this problem. 1st time, dealer said it was a coil misfire - replaced the coil, then it was the coolant light, replaced the water pump, then SES light again, 2nd Dealer said it was bcuz my 'fuel light' came on [WHAT!!!????], so I drove away - 2 weeks later I'm back there and they say it's the same coil misfire in cylinder 1 again - they replaced it. I pick-up my car and when I start it, the radiator light comes on - but then immediately went off - so I didn't think too much of it. Of course it's come on again over the weekend, went off, but now the SES light is on again. I took the car to an independant, Dinan in Mtn. View, CA - they stated a misfire in cylinder 1 has been logged 7 times in that car. Did I buy a lemon? I sure do LUV IT - LUV IT. The warranty expires in Mar.08, and, I can't keep taking this thing in every other month. HELP! | |
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