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Sedans BMW 3-Series BMW 3-Series Maintenance and Repair
4431 messages, Last post on Nov 05, 2009 at 12:02 PM
You are in the BMW 3-Series Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
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Replying to: montrealer1 (Jan 08, 2009 7:18 pm) I called BMWNA and told them this was a common problem that may be the result of an engineering flaw. The rep said, "these things usually stop here", meaning they would not help me. The next day he called back and said they would look into it and I was very surprised. They covered $1100. (see message 4068, in this message I was the mistaken about how much they covered, it was $1100 and not $900). We have had several major repairs done with the dealer and all other repairs but oil changes (that was a bad idea=new oil pan twice, but that is another story). We also bought the car as certified used at the dealer. I am not sure if this had anything to do with the outcome. I hope this is of some help and best of luck.
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Replying to: jetzzs (Dec 30, 2008 7:59 am) I am not saying you should always use dealership, but when you do and something outside of warranty occurs. Dealership and Manufacturer tend to take care of you. |
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Replying to: montrealer1 (Jan 08, 2009 7:18 pm) ya know, there are engines and transmissions out there that don't last 130k miles. Everything fails eventually. Doesn't mean they are poorly manufactured/designed (ok, maybe some), and it certainly doesn't mean the manufacturer should be held liable.
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Replying to: qbrozen (Jan 09, 2009 7:59 am) I had an 82 Mazda '626 that needed a new head gasket every 55,000 miles or so. After letting the stealer do the first one, I did the second myself (actually let my two sons have at it). Yes, that experienced soured me on Mazdas. My '87 BMW with 188,000 miles is still on the original clutch and no tranny work. I'll have to check my records (it was bought used with 125,000 miles on it), but I don't think the head has ever been touched. Heck, even my Dodge Caravan went for 174,000 miles without having any major engine problems. That's what I consider the norm for today's engines, not cracked heads at 118,000 miles.
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Replying to: srs_49 (Jan 09, 2009 9:34 am) 130K is a lot of miles and may well be beyond any "goodwill" gestures from BMW. I mean, think of all the other parts that might normally fail at 130K on any car in the world. When do we stop our expectations as an owner? 150K? 200K? If you were a good customer at one dealership, and if that dealership is a favored one by BMW, and if the dealer has discretionary monies given it by BMW for these goodwill things, well fine. But if you are in a situation of having a high mileage car and no particular relationship with a dealer, I don't see where you can expect very much. |
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Replying to: srs_49 (Jan 09, 2009 9:34 am) I didn't say it was normal. But I don't consider it unacceptable, either. My personal view on cars is that once I pass 80k miles, all bets are off. Its nice when it goes longer without major repairs, but I certainly don't expect it to. |
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Hello all, Long story, but I'm thinking of trying to swap a 1996 520i Touring five speed for a 1996 320i Touring automatic (both German specs). My biggest concerns are the overall reliability of the automatic versus manual transmission, and the degraded handling/control in the winter as I drive daily through a pass that can get sketchy in the snow (and we take frequent snowboarding trips to Austria). Any thoughts on these two issues or other general comparisons would be great. Thanks!
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Replying to: jetzzs (Jan 09, 2009 5:48 am) I guess my frustration stems from the many examples that I am hearing/reading regarding BMW and oil separators. I know wear/tear repairs become prominent as you get beyond the 100K mark. I accept this. However, the impression that I have is that there is an issue (again from reading other forums, blogs, etc.)with BMW's oil separator, especially in cold weather climates (regardless of mileage). In my particular case, my garage door spring broke, which forced me to park my 325 outside while waiting for the door to get repaired. Over the course of 3 days, the oil separator valve(?) froze from condensation build up (this is what I was told). 5 minutes into my drive, engine started to smoke from oil spraying everywhere. Repairs include replace oil separator, dipstick, vavle cover gaskets & seals. So, if this is a case of "just an old BMW" wearing. OK, I'll keep quiet and move on. However I will say that I bought a BMW because I thought I would get more than 130K out of my investment. But if this failure is becoming prevalent in the BMW community (and is getting more awareness because of the advantages of the internet and sharing like this forum), then I am one more data point that needs to be added to the many, potentially more. Thanks again! |
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Replying to: montrealer1 (Jan 10, 2009 1:44 pm) Yes, it's a potential problem but it seems to require a certain set of conditions that don't affect most of the cars. I think a "goodwill" gesture from BMW would be quite appropriate and I hope you can wrangle one, but I can't say that BMW "owes" anything legally or morally to a customer after 130K miles. Most cars are junked at 175K miles anyway. (average age of a car on the road in America, about 10-11 years). So your car is probably at well over half its natural life at this point anyway. Not sure how much of an "investment" you have left in reality. Anyway, I'm definitely on your side about the $$$ to fix this. That's no small change. I wouldn't be happy either and I'd certainly ask for something. No harm in asking and/or firing off a few letters....squeaky wheel and all that. Good luck with it.
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Is it possible that besides the vapor barrier that may cause the wet carpet on the driver side, somebody mentioned about the coil heater that might be another source of it.every now and then im checking my coolant level, the other day i checked and found th expansion tank empty and filled it up. could it be a sign that im leaking thru the coil heater. any imputs will be much appreciated to those experts on 3 series.
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