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BMW 3-Series Maintenance and Repair

4446 messages,  Last post on Nov 29, 2009 at 12:04 PM

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#4230 of 4446 Re: 323i wagon [damendolia] by backy Apr 03, 2009 (4:27 pm)
Replying to: damendolia (Apr 03, 2009 4:06 pm) You can get a pretty nice Corolla with many fewer miles for $8k. Gas, insurance, and repair costs will be lower also. If you are worried about $ for repairs and only have $8k to spend on a car, I am betting other costs are important to you also.
#4231 of 4446 Re: 323i wagon [damendolia] by Mr_Shiftright HOST Apr 03, 2009 (4:47 pm)
Replying to: damendolia (Apr 03, 2009 4:06 pm) I don't think this is the car for your particular needs, given that your livelihood depends on absolute no-fail operation.   the price is retail, this model is "okay" in terms of reliability, but 25K a year is 500 miles a week, to say nothing of your pleasure use. This means you'd have to keep the car tip-top, and really almost a bit of overkill for maintenance. This might prove to be more than you wish to spend.   It would be a nice car for all that driving, though.
#4232 of 4446 Re: 323i wagon [damendolia] by shipo Apr 03, 2009 (7:33 pm)
Replying to: damendolia (Apr 03, 2009 4:06 pm) My take in it is this: if it has a stick shift, go for it, if it has the problematic automatic (that loses reverse gear), take a pass.   Best regards, Shipo Replies to this message: roadburner (Apr 03, 2009 8:57 pm) damendolia (Apr 04, 2009 7:37 am)
#4233 of 4446 Re: 323i wagon [shipo] by roadburner Apr 03, 2009 (8:57 pm)
Replying to: shipo (Apr 03, 2009 7:33 pm) Yep, shipo nailed it. Replies to this message: damendolia (Apr 04, 2009 7:37 am)
#4234 of 4446 Re: 323i wagon [roadburner] by damendolia Apr 04, 2009 (7:37 am)
Replying to: roadburner (Apr 03, 2009 8:57 pm) I think you all saved me a lot of agrevation. Thank You. I am not going for it.
#4235 of 4446 2005 325ci or 2004 325ci by donga Apr 05, 2009 (11:59 am)
New to owning BMW. We are deciding between a the 2005 with 30K miles or the 2004 with 17K miles. Looked at CR and 2005 has better reliability ratings? Need feedback from owners! Would you buy extended warranty? Thank You! Replies to this message: roadburner (Apr 05, 2009 7:08 pm)
#4236 of 4446 Maintenance Costs 2005 325ci by donga Apr 05, 2009 (12:01 pm)
How much are does a tune up cost? What other costs have you had for repairs after 30K miles?
#4237 of 4446 Re: 2005 325ci or 2004 325ci [donga] by roadburner Apr 05, 2009 (7:08 pm)
Replying to: donga (Apr 05, 2009 11:59 am) The E46 3 Series has proven to be durable and reliable. The six cylinders need a water pump at 60K intervals but other than that there really aren't any major problems. The difference between the CR 2004 and 2005 reliability numbers is just statistical noise. I also recommend that you have the car inspected by a good BMW tech. The E46 3er is a great car, and there are enough of them around that you can afford to be selective. As for maintenance and repair, here's a brief overview:    On an E46 some services are determined by time, some by mileage, and some by the on-board Service Interval(SI) system(which calculates service based on driving conditions). The time based services are: Brake Fluid(every 2 years) and Coolant(every 3 years) The mileage based services are: Spark Plugs, ATF, and Oxygen Sensors(every 100K miles for all three). The SI system has 3 levels of service: Oil Service, Inspection I, and Inspection II. An Oil Service is called for at 15K intervals(or every year, whichever comes first). It is just an oil change. It costs $80-$125 The Inspection I rolls up at 30K; it is an oil change, a cabin air filter change, and a comprehensive inspection of the car. Figure $250-$300 Inspection II occurs around 60K and is essentially an Inspection I + an engine air filter change. Costs average $400-$500     If you are planning on flipping the car in a couple of years I'd just follow the BMW schedule. However if you're going to hang on to it for a while I'd advise changing the transmission fluid(slushbox OR manual) every 60K at least. Ditto for the final drive oil. If you take your 3er to the track I'd reduce those mileage intervals by 50%. I change the engine oil on my 3er at 7.5K intervals due to the fact that it sees the track every so often and my wife's X3 chews up its oil in less than 9K miles(based on used oil analysis). Some people go 15K without any problem but I'm not one of them.   As for an extendeed warranty, I just don't think it's worth it. Stick whatever you were going to pay for it in a money market account and just self insure.
#4238 of 4446 driver side door panel by uncleto Apr 09, 2009 (6:44 am)
I have a 2001 3251x wagon w/ 6000mls on it. im planning to open the door panel and check the vapor barrier. do i need to be concern on the side airbag. ive seen some photos on some bimmers being taken apart the door panel but not sure if they mention about taking off the battery or thse are older models. needs some advice before i venture on this. any inputs will be appreciated. Replies to this message: roadburner (Apr 09, 2009 1:28 pm)
#4239 of 4446 Re: driver side door panel [uncleto] by roadburner Apr 09, 2009 (1:28 pm)
Replying to: uncleto (Apr 09, 2009 6:44 am) The airbag stays on the door. Just use common sense and work around it.

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