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Sedans BMW 3-Series BMW 3-Series Maintenance and Repair
4441 messages, Last post on Nov 23, 2009 at 1:04 PM
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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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Replying to: uncleto (Jan 11, 2009 5:07 pm)
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Replying to: roadburner (Jan 11, 2009 5:36 pm) |
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Replying to: jimbres (Dec 30, 2008 8:22 am) I have a 2006 330i with 70,000 (mostly Highway) miles. I am thinking about keeping it for two or three more years for an additional 66K miles. However I am worried about costly or many less expensive repairs. I am retired and want some reliability. as I travel a lot. My car is garaged kept I am the only driver. rear seat never used. Very clean condition. Only repair was rear brake pads. Any comments or suggestions? owner6
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Well, the first part of the decision process is simple math: If you don't keep the car, what will you buy or lease, and what will the increase in your payments be? If they're the same or lower, then first choice is sell. If they're higher, how much higher? Take that difference and set it up as a maintenance fund. Let's say the difference is $100 a month, and you'll keep the car 36 months. Thus: $3600. Now: Assuming that you would buy/lease another BMW, you'd get free maintenance, and new tires and brakes. Therefore, in considering keeping your current car, you have to factor those expenses into your $3600. At 70,000 miles, you'll likely be needing both within 5,000 miles. Let's say $1500 between them. That leaves you $2100 for routine/non-routine maintenance over 3 years. Of course, I'm just making these numbers up, but I'm guessing that your break even point is one significantly major repair over 3 years. The fact that you're travelling a lot may influence the likelyhood of that occuring. Now the serious guessing starts. Looking at this board, I don't think it likely that the car will nickel and dime you - it won't break often, but if it does, it won't break cheap. It's not the window switches that fail, it's the regulator or the motor. It's not the radiator hoses, it's the radiator. What's the cost of an extended warranty from BMW? If it's not outrageously expensive, that would solve your "major illness" worries. I personally come down on the side of buying a year-old lease-return CPO BMW warrantied out to 7 years or 100K, rather than keeping your current car. You get most of the warranty, and all the major concerns are covered way out into the future. Your current car is easy enough to sell right now; at 120K miles it will take a bigger hit in depreciation. Of course, I just pulled all these numbers out of my coffee cup - your math WILL vary. So, I recommend that you take the course I always do - sit down at the kitchen table with a pencil, pad, and calculator and run the numbers. Then ball it up and go with your heart. You may do something stupid that way, but you'll do it with your eyes open and you'll have no regrets later. For what it's worth.
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