Bmw maintenance cost question

[Brute]

I have owned 3 BMWs. No more, since it is so expensive to maintain after warranty. I think some of the issues relate also to oil leaks and the aging plastic engine parts losing their flexibility.

In addition to my experiences that are similar to Kilersvt and Poppa, you may want to assess the dramatic reduction in the selling price as the years go by. An $80k 2003 4.4 X5 will have the same or less selling price as a regular extended cab 2003 Chevy Silverado.

Frankly it was the 2012 GT 5.0 performance (with Pobst behind the wheel) against the M3 that got me to buy an American car after a 30 year period of only Japanese and German cars. I am so glad that I did.

 

[NC85]

Wife's beater 08 328 gets gas and oil.

I did replace the original battery two months ago.

Car has 70k city/highway miles. Simple combo of NA straight 6, no turbo crap.

 

[SuperBlownGT]

Buddy of mine had an X3. Total lemon. Had to replace the whole rear end, interior trim, transfer case, and the whole transmission in less than a year. Just the rear and transfer case was 11,000 now he is upside down bc he had to trade it in.

 

[CobraBob]

ANY car can have issues, and it is not uncommon for people to own (any) car model for years with no issues at all. That would include BMW. However, the cost of fixing same/similar issues on a BMW will usually be more expensive than, say, on a Nissan, Toyota, Ford or a Chevy. Same thing with a Mercedes.

 

[testorossa1989]

Depends where your getting the parts and what. Generally speaking no. They are one of the cheaper of the german cars to maintain. Could just be because im working on a mercedes and now my whole concept of Genuine OEM cost has changed lol. Im pretty sure its because your getting the M series parts

 

[thomas91169]

Never.... repeat NEVER own a BMW out of warranty.

That is all.

Agreed.

 

[BlueSnake01]

Like I posted before, 90% of the crowd are either
1) NEVER owned a BMW
2) Don't know how to work on a car and has taken them to a shop (most cost an arm and leg)

I do my maintenance on my BMW, just did the brake fluid, changed the water pump already, and did the spark plugs.
Outside of that, she runs like how she looks. I've been owning the car for almost 3 years, those saying you will spend THOUSANDS of dollars more than likely fall into the 2 category's I posted.

Just do a proper inspection O.P and check on the VIN to see if it ever had any recall fixes done to it. Fuel pump are covered till 110k miles I believe and turbo's are also covered till 90k?

IMO no different than any other car, yes parts are more expensive than your avg car but nothing extreme, you pay for what you get.

 

[testorossa1989]

Like I posted before, 90% of the crowd are either
1) NEVER owned a BMW
2) Don't know how to work on a car

I do my maintenance on my BMW, just did the brake fluid, changed the water pump already, and did the spark plugs.
Outside of that, she runs like how she looks. I've been owning the car for almost 3 years, those saying you will spend THOUSANDS of dollars more than likely fall into the 2 category's I posted.

Just do a proper inspection O.P and check on the VIN to see if it ever had any recall fixes done to it. Fuel pump are covered till 110k miles I believe and turbo's are also covered till 90k?

IMO no different than any other car, yes parts are more expensive than your avg car but nothing extreme, you pay for what you get.

Agreed. 528i with 200k on it and its been good. Have done work on it and its absolutely great to work on. Nothing nearly close to the dreaded Mercedes we have. People have a lot of misunderstood information when it comes to BMWs and Euro cars. They are by far way easier to work with in my opinion.

 

[kaz109]

Like I posted before, 90% of the crowd are either
1) NEVER owned a BMW
2) Don't know how to work on a car and has taken them to a shop (most cost an arm and leg)

I do my maintenance on my BMW, just did the brake fluid, changed the water pump already, and did the spark plugs.
Outside of that, she runs like how she looks. I've been owning the car for almost 3 years, those saying you will spend THOUSANDS of dollars more than likely fall into the 2 category's I posted.

Just do a proper inspection O.P and check on the VIN to see if it ever had any recall fixes done to it. Fuel pump are covered till 110k miles I believe and turbo's are also covered till 90k?

IMO no different than any other car, yes parts are more expensive than your avg car but nothing extreme, you pay for what you get.

Haven't you learned yet...We are the only two ppl in the world lol

 

[Grabber]

I will say BMW's are not necessarily expensive to maintain considering they cover everything for the first 50K miles.

However, warranties aside, a Brake job on a 2012 M3 will cost more than a Brake job on a 2012 5.0. The parts themselves are typically more expensive compared to a Domestic car, but, Labor should be the same (If not, you are being ripped off)

Didn't have any problems with my E46 M3, even though it was less than a year old before it was totaled out and sold. The owners of my Company have an 05 4.8 IS X5 and they've had nothing but issues, and they are 8K miles over the 50K mark. Sensors are expensive (Labor aside as they have a shop that charges them $70 an hour for any work done on their cars), Modules, etc.

 

[thomas91169]

Like I posted before, 90% of the crowd are either
1) NEVER owned a BMW
2) Don't know how to work on a car and has taken them to a shop (most cost an arm and leg)

Eh I do not think this is the case.

Im sure many on here have seen people buy BMW's and have these issues. I live in CA, 1/2 the cars on the road are some sort of BMW offering in populated areas, so not knowing someone with one is pretty difficult.

From what ive seen, the only good BMW is the one you hand to the dealership and go "here, you deal with it" and at no cost to you (IE under warranty).

Ill never own a BMW based on seeing other's experiences with them, even a person like me who prefers to do everything myself.

 

[BlueSnake01]

Eh I do not think this is the case.

Im sure many on here have seen people buy BMW's and have these issues. I live in CA, 1/2 the cars on the road are some sort of BMW offering in populated areas, so not knowing someone with one is pretty difficult.

From what ive seen, the only good BMW is the one you hand to the dealership and go "here, you deal with it" and at no cost to you (IE under warranty).

Ill never own a BMW based on seeing other's experiences with them, even a person like me who prefers to do everything myself.

Well considering we had/have 5 BMW's including mine in my family, im speaking from personal experience.
My lil brother owns an 07 540i
My older brother had a 08 535i, 07 335i and now an 08 M5.

The only one that actually got some share of problems was the 535i, it was due to the fuel pump and battery. It was also the first year the 5 series got the N54 engine but it was all under warranty. Fuel pump has been pretty much fixed since then for all N5x cars.

The only big money I wasted on mine was the water pump, cost me $400 and I changed it myself, it also included the thermostat. Dealer was charging me $1200 to get it done, so its understandable why people stay away from these cars. Like I said, they are slightly more expensive than your avg car but they don't carry a ridiculous price like people make it seem.

 

[raustin0017]

Owned a 2008 128i, 2009 M3 Sedan, and currently have a 2012 528i. Never...never has any of those three been in the shop minus the scheduled maintenance. Traded 128 in on 528...the 128 had 45,000 miles. M3 had 25K miles on her and none of them easy.

Love BMWs!!!

 

[Gravik]

I've had two BMWs. Both were pretty reliable.

First was a 1995 525i. The fuel pump went out and the radiator started leaking. That was $1100 at a shop charging $89/hour to replace the fuel pump, radiator, radiator hoses, and thermostat and an oil change. Other than that it was a good car.

My vote is, buy a 90s BMW and do a coyote swap

 

[TJSwoboda]

My E39 540 6-speed was costing around $1500 a year to maintain. Got rid of it at 93K miles.

 

[RTR GHIG]

The wife loves her '14 BMW 328i, fully loaded w/ an M series suspension.

 

[jbs$]

BMW = Bring Money With-You

 

[cobra777]

I've owned 3. A 325is, 330, and 328xi. They are more expensive to maintain for sure. However, it is one of the best cars on the road. I've owned 54 cars, and the BMW's were some of my favorites. Sure an oil change is $200 but you only do them every 10k miles. Having said that... I just sold my 328xi and got a Lexus IS250. I got tired of the bimmer always needing something... :nonono:

 

[Swetrid]

BMW's are hit or miss. We see some that are a pos and some that last forever. If it were me I would trade it the second I didnt have warranty! Some repairs are rediculous, we tend to shy away from repairing VW, Volvo, Bmw and Mercedes because they turn into nightmares.

 

[BLK93GT]

I liked my 01 325i, it had issues but I got it with 144k miles. It drove it HARD and replaced parts as needed. Even when I sold it with 176k it was tighter and drove nicer than jap or domestic cars with 100k less miles. I then bought a 545i which so far has been great other than a few little things. It is a powerhouse for a 4.4L, 13.33@106 in the 1/4!!! 4 door car that seats 5 comfortably, handles awesome and is just all around an incredible experience. You do take a gamble buying used but ANY car is like that. My friend bought an Acura TL and had the timing belt go well under the range for service and had to dump a pile of $$ in it. All cars have issues. BMW does have more electrical than most, I will say that. I do ALL my own work which helps.