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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum
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.Considering throwing in the towel
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03-13-2015, 08:49 PM | #1 |
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.Considering throwing in the towel
I'm starting to really get annoyed at all the repairs my 2008 328i is demanding. I had to repair valve cover gasket, starter, eccentric shaft sensor, steering boot, and belt tennision. As we all know, repairs are expensive regardless independent shop, or dealership. I was quoted $841.00 today to fix a squeak I'm having in my steering wheel. They said I need to relplace the steering boot. Indy shop might be $125-$200 cheaper, however they said they will replace the entire steering wheel column. And then, that might not solve the squeeking. The dealership right away said its the steering boot. The dealership gives a 1 year warranty on the work. The independent I'm not sure. I will have a loaner for 4 days because i dropped the car off late and won't be able to pick it up tomorrow, and the dealer is closed on Sunday's. So that kind of off sets the price difference from Indy.i always have the same tecknnician work on my car. So I'm confident it will be repaired. I know you have to pay to play. However, I think it's outrageous what the repairs cost. Don't know if I'll be keeping the car much longer.
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03-13-2015, 09:02 PM | #3 |
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Is your car paid off? Makes all the difference...
At the end of the day, any car repairs for any brand are costly. You just need to ask yourself if it is "worth" it for you. If you plan on keeping the car long term... Fix it... If you are going to dump it in another year or two, perhaps it is time to move on. Things can be very frustrating I know got sure. Just gotta figure out what it is "worth" to you... Good luck man. Remember, the cheapest car to own is 9 times out of 10 the one you already have.
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03-13-2015, 09:06 PM | #4 |
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Depending on your milage water pump and thermostat are next. Then oil/filter housing gasket, transmission and the list goes on. If you are not comfortable wrenching it yourself get a 3rd party warranty. Unfortunately, the time of reliable lux vehicles is over. It's all about the next best thing disregarding reliability. That what we as consumers want - more luxury, more tech, better fuel economy etc. Rarely somebody keeps vehicle past 4years/50kmiles these days.
How many miles is on yours? |
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03-13-2015, 09:21 PM | #5 |
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Yes, car is paided off 2 1/2 years now. I really enjoy the way it drives, and it looks like new. I take pride in cleaning and maintaining it. Could be one reason why it cost me . The moment something doesn't sound right, I don't wait , I repair it. You are correct, it will be cheaper to fix, then get into another loan. I thnk my car has cost me around $175-200 a month after I paided it off to maintain.
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03-13-2015, 09:35 PM | #7 |
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I have 57,500 miles on the 2008 328i. Water pump, thermostat? What will that cost? I'll likely go to the Indy shop for that if they give me an exact diagnostic reading.Thanks.
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03-13-2015, 10:10 PM | #8 |
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Have you thought about DIYing? I'm going that route myself, I'm sitting at 46k right now.
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03-13-2015, 10:43 PM | #9 | |
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Its still cheaper to fix it than to get into a new loan , however if it keeps going this route you may be better of selling it and getting a new one. A new loan would probably cost you around 5000-6000 a year with your car as a down payment , if you get a higher end car (new bmw) , so if you are spending over 3000 a year in your bmw then you may want to consider trading your car for a new one However if you are spending less than 2500 , it is not really bad , specially for maintenance on an older luxury car |
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03-13-2015, 11:05 PM | #10 |
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Owning a BMW is sometimes not for the faint of heart, but if you know what lay ahead and prepare for it($$$ set aside) or are willing to get your hands greasy(DIY), it'll be a better experience for you. For instance, I own an '06 325i E90. Man, you don't get more bottom tier than that. I bought it as a DD and have a hell of a commute. Anyways, I've gone through front struts twice, rear shocks once, shock mounts in all corners once, water pump, thermostat, coolant reservoir, rotors, brake pads, belt tensioner, mechatronic sleeve, transmission fluid change + pan, 1 lock actuator, and 2 window regulators, aside from a host of other little bits that just go when they feel like it. Length of ownership? Almost 3 years. But I knew these things were coming, I don't have a warranty and hell, I bought it used with no service history! Having a slush fund for the car was instrumental though. If I hadn't planned ahead, I might have kicked my car to the curb. Talk to the community here, if you don't know what's coming, somebody here does and when you find out, prepare accordingly. Good luck man and hey, don't quit on her just yet.
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03-13-2015, 11:52 PM | #11 | |
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But hang in there OP any car is a crapshoot....some brands just have better odds then others! |
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03-14-2015, 12:12 AM | #12 |
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Not trying to offend but not caring if so being perceived, I honestly think you should sell your car.
Whenever I say I've had enough because I replaced a starter and a gasket, it's because I shouldn't own a used car. Either buy one with a warranty or take the bus. Read my first 10 words again now. |
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03-14-2015, 06:57 AM | #13 |
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Besides oil changes and a spark plug change, both of which I do myself, I can't even remember when something went wrong with my car. Luck of the draw I suppose. 335xi with 87k.
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03-14-2015, 07:02 AM | #14 |
Fuck it dude, let's go bowling.
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Typical story that has playeded out many times on this forum.
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03-14-2015, 07:44 AM | #15 |
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OP, so who are you depending upon that the car needs these levels of repair? Are you taking the dealership's word for it? Are you investigating on your own? What is you level of knowledge about cars in general? Are you being anal about some of them?
Dealerships are notorious for diagnosing repairs that are not necessary. A valve cover gasket leak for instance, is it a simple weeping leak that a wipe from a rag will keep it in check, or a leak that is dropping an amount of oil on to the exhaust manifold and making an intolerable oil smell. There are millions of cars on the road that have weeping valve cover gaskets. Eccentric shaft sensor, did it fail due to the leaking valve cover gasket, or did they just replace it after the VCG was repaired? My car developed a squeak in the steering wheel. I left it alone and it eventually went away. It sounds like the dealership is chasing a bunch of problems that it sees $$ for. Belt tensioner, a somewhat common issue, and a cheap fix. My car has a weeping oil pan gasket. I could fix it myself, but why? It's a little leak, I wipe it up every oil change. Yeah, it's a bit of a mess but I can keep it clean for a lot less effort than pulling the subframe, supporting the engine, and replacing the gasket. And I have a lift and complete auto shop at home. What I don't have is a lot of free time to do car work unless it is absolutely necessary. In my 27-years of BMW ownership, what I've learned about the brand is that BMWs tend to fix themselves (like my steering wheel squeak). Scan your car with a BMW scan tool and you'll find several codes that come and go and don't mean anything. Periodically my car will show that the BMW Assist is not functioning. Probably a software bug of some sort, but I let it be. A scan of the car will show the Bluetooth system didn't function at some point. Probably related to the BMW Assist system not working. Yeah, once and a while my cell phone won't get connected to the car, but who cares. The point I'm making is all cars have small issues that may not really need attending to. Being a bit less anal about them makes life easier. The other thing I've learned over the years is most BMW owners are anal retentive and make their BMW ownership a lot more stressful than need be.
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A manual transmission can be set to "comfort", "sport", and "track" modes simply by the technique and speed at which you shift it; it doesn't need "modes", modes are for manumatics that try to behave like a real 3-pedal manual transmission. If you can money-shift it, it's a manual transmission. "Yeah, but NO ONE puts an automatic trans shift knob on a manual transmission."
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03-14-2015, 08:16 AM | #16 |
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Well, you could buy a new BMW and pay $841 per month as your car payment. It's still much less expensive to pay the repairs on a used BMW than to buy a new one. But even so, you have to have a healthy disposable income to own a used BMW. Otherwise, buy a high volume American or Japanese vehicle and that will get you much cheaper parts/repair.
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03-14-2015, 08:43 AM | #17 |
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Think about it this way. All the repairs you had done were major repairs which are due at least once in the car's life. Now that they are done, you have noting to worry about for the next 100k+ miles. Enjoy her if you keep her.
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03-14-2015, 09:25 AM | #18 |
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Sorry to hear about your experiences brother just imagine if it was a 335?
It could always be worse. Believe me, with some of the hardtop bullshit I've been going through with this vehicle I've strongly considered going Japanese, on more than one occasion |
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03-14-2015, 09:41 AM | #19 |
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Cost of ownership of a used car is still way less than a new car even when you include repairs. The depreciation you see on a new car, especially BMW, is very high. If you can drive your car 5 more years you'll be way ahead. 10-12 years is optimum for owning a car.
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03-14-2015, 11:22 AM | #20 |
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Yes, I'm anal about my cars maintenance. I fix it right away. I love my car, so hey, I'll fix it up and keep for many more years. So far what I had repaired is common for this vehicle considering its age. Hopefully I should be ok now for some time.
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03-14-2015, 11:37 AM | #21 | |
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I'm probably the best guy to answer this. I have a 2007 328xi I bought in July with roughly 81,000 miles. At 81,500 I needed a new battery, at 81,600 I needed the ECU box fan replaced, at 83,585 my Eccentric shaft sensor failed, cyl 4 misfire, and valve cover gasket needed to be done, at 85,000 my started failed and left me stranded at a supermarket, my right turn signal failed to work...was fixed the failed again a month later. So I know what your going through I was in the same mindset and really frustrated. Only difference is I have a full warranty on the car and didn't have to pay a penny. The main point of my post is to tell you that all this shit happens...kind of like when it rains it pours type of deal. What it comes down to man is this...do you love the car? If you love the car keep it and fix as need be. You have a paid off car man that's great...unfortunately I am financing and more so have to deal with it. If you love the car keep it and keep maintaining the shit out of it...if you don't love the car and want a switch for other reasons then it might be time to swap...again its yours paid off so you have that advantage. But just remember things happen and fail just keep doing your part even if the car is being a pain...your far past the lemon stage. Hope this helps.
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