[9krpmrx8]

Originally Posted by Pladi

Bmw does not have more advanced diagnostics. YOU have been given more permissions with your bmw than other cars to access them. You think other car manufacturers dont have factory tools and cant access and upgrade different modules and infotainment systems ? Aee you kidding me ? The fact that you have more diagnostics tools available should tell you something about the amazing BMW reliability.. lool

I'm not kidding you, you just don't have a clue what you are babbling on about. And yes other manufacturers do, but not most and especially not 10+ years ago. For example, Mazda's WDS system is more advanced than what you can buy at Autozone, but they cannot do that much more than a good commercial scanner because the cars just don't have the tech built in to them.

But yeah I do wish they did, it would have saved a lot of troubleshooting time on my super reliable Mazda RX-8 over the past 13+ years.

[sirdaft1]

Originally Posted by Pladi

My bmw is stock and the article is about check engine light occurances. Read it fully. You did not read it.

?

[nsjames]

Originally Posted by sirdaft1

Incorrect, it was about justifying maintenance costs on a car that had already neared the bottom of its depreciation curve, NOT about reliability or JD Power ratings. I experienced the same conundrum with my blown head gasket ‘03 Civic years ago.

Many of your other comments in this thread are pure conjecture. I understand that your own reliability issues may make you hypersensitive on whether all BMWs experience the same problem. But the fact is that most STOCK, maintained, higher mileage BMWs are fantastic to own - and this is coming from a guy who has owned 5 different BMWs that have had 150k+ miles. I wouldn’t hesitate to buy another one (and my current X5 35i has 110k miles has been fantastic)

**And FWIW, it’s DIY not DYI

it's unpossible that your 03 Honda had a head gasket issue (as I have mentioned a few times already), they rank highly for reliability, and everyone knows you just put gas and oil in a Honda for the first 250K miles. They don't break.

[sirdaft1]

Originally Posted by nsjames

it's unpossible that your 03 Honda had a head gasket issue (as I have mentioned a few times already), they rank highly for reliability, and everyone knows you just put gas and oil in a Honda for the first 250K miles. They don't break.

Dang it. BUSTED!!

[ryan stewart]

Originally Posted by Pladi

here..

top 10 makes least likely to have a engine check light on.. BMW is not even on the list.

Within a 3 year ownership my light has come on 2 times. Unheard of with any of my other cars. One of these times my engine check light was half engine check light (other makes "blinking"). A status i have NEVER seen with any other make before BMW.

https://www.carmd.com/wp/vehicle-hea...icle-rankings/

LEt me remind some people this post was started about reliability. NOT how nice BMWs are to drive which people keep defaulting to.. and no one is disputing that.

I am a DYI for so many years, having pulled a rebuild mazda engines for racing. BMWs break down too much even for a DYIs. No denying.

The only time I have seen a CEL on in a car of mine since 2001 is a loose gas cap.

[Drifter2090]

I've had my 07 for almost 4 years now and I always drive it like I stole it. Just been regular maintenance (Gaskets, fluid, coolant hoses etc.) and lots of mods. Been on MHD Stage 2+ for most of its life as well. As long as you can DIY and maintain the car yourself, you will be fine.

[nicholaf]

Update-

I did the valve cover without issue. I recently replaced the steering fluid reservoir and power steering pump (the pump on a xi was a bear..no DIY pics for guidance either).

Just passed inspection and I'm holding onto the car for as long as possible. I am waiting on the turbos to go, or for the clutch to start to slip (its chattering at the moment).
This is the ONLY reason I haven't started with bolt on's/JB tuning. Afraid its the straw that will break the camel's back.

Maybe then I will finally give up, who knows.

[Rollo`]

Thanks for updating and this post OP...some fun discussions mixed in with the silliness in this thread...

[1sicke92]

Originally Posted by CTinline-six

335i's are expensive to maintain. With that said, there are few cars out there that are similar.

While $2,500 is a decent amount of maintenance on a $7,000 car, you have to look beyond that. What would it cost to replace the car? A newer car has higher insurance, payments, taxes, still will break eventually, etc. My cars aren't worth much, and neither is my GF's 325i. They were bought with cash a few years ago though, and any maintenance will be less than monthly payments and higher insurance on a newer vehicle.

$2,500 isn't all that abnormal for a 2008 with over 100k miles on it. My friend spent that on his 2006 Acura TL redoing the suspension and brakes. Like me, it was cheaper to put money into his paid-off car knowing it would be good for a while than drop the cash on a newer ride.

Also, how bad is the oil pan gasket leak? The valve cover can be done DIY, and if not done the oil will leak on the exhaust, but the oil pan can be left alone if it is just a minor seep. My Jeep Cherokee has had a small oil pan leak for about 6 years now, and it doesn't cause any problems. As long as oil isn't dumping all over your exhaust and creating a fire hazard you will be fine.

For me, I hang on to things I like to drive. I could buy a new car tomorrow but there aren't many out there that really interest me. I looked at F30 340i's and while they were quick the steering and handling wasn't the same.

^ this

I too struggled with the same issue but I decided that a new car would mean a monthly payment (since my car is paid off this is a non-issue), higher insurance, and annual registration costs. Not to mention the fact that if you are on these forums you more than likely are into driving modified cars so add that into the equation as well. Another thing is that for the price range no car comes close to an N54 imho. It's very easily tuneable and while admittedly it does have it's fair share of potential issues it's just a little higher on the maintenance scale and being over 100k miles doesn't help but to be fair for ANY car to run 100k miles + without worry a fairly extensive overhaul needs to be done. Serpentine belts, coils, sparks, water pump/tstat, gaskets start leaking, tranny servicing, etc... but again this is true for all high mileage cars, the N54 is just a tad more sensitive. But there are pluses and minuses to everything & you need to figure out what's a priority. Spending 1/3-ish of the car's value may not make sense on paper from a fiscal point of view, however if you're planning on keeping the car for X amount of years it probably WILL be cheaper than a new car and all the payments that come with it. Just my 2 cents though