[Dukenole]

I remember the excitement and joy when I bought my 2006 330i. After 7 years and 90K miles it is still a joy to drive...except when it is time for maintenance, or God forbid, repairs! I knew M&R was expensive for Euro cars, I was coming from driving a Volvo, but BMWs are on another level of M&R cost. For the first 4 years it wonderful, everything is "free," but after that be prepared to pay 4, 8, 10 times-- or more-- than what you might pay for a "normal" car. Used to paying $30-40 to change a blown headlight? Be prepared to pay ~$700 now. ~$200 for a new windshield...BMW will cost you $750. $30 for a oil change, BMW will be $120. $80 for a brake job? BMW will cost you 5 times as much. I don't mean to be a killjoy, I just wish I had made my purchasing decision with such information so perhaps others buying their first bimmer will appreciate this information. Just thought I'd post this as I go off to pick up my bimmer from the dealership for an overheating problem, new battery, and oil change. Total cost, about $3,200-- but hey, they gave me a 10% discount!

[mikew2069]

Whoa, that's a crazy expensive battery... but $120 oil change? That's the easiest thing to do on your own. $10 BMW filter, $30 for Mobil 1 synthetic and 30 min of fun!

[shivaswrath]

Why didn't you get the 6 year/100k maintenance extension program?
Or the 6 year/100k extended warranty?

Both combined cost $4000 and you would've broken even on this service, no?

[Tsuyoi]

That's why after the 4 year warranty I'm just gonna have the car maintained and fixed at local shops, not dealerships. Not planning on reselling anytime soon.

[chrisv_335EBII]

Are you getting your car serviced at a dealership? A excellent german shop can do those for less.

[Dukenole]

Replies:
New battery costs ~$350. Okay, you might be able to change your own oil but what about the other stuff?

I didn't think the expected value calculation of extended warranty is worth it. Obviously each person will have to decide this for themselves.

For some, local shops are not an option. Unless you're in a big city, relatively few shops work on BMWs. Of the ones around here that do, I'll use them for small stuff like an oil change but don't trust them for major repairs like the overheating issue. Plus, they don't always cost less. One place quoted me $560 to replace a sqeaky fan motor (climate control) or whatever it's called, dealership said it'd cost $380.

[alex2364]

Originally Posted by mikew2069

Whoa, that's a crazy expensive battery... but $120 oil change? That's the easiest thing to do on your own. $10 BMW filter, $30 for Mobil 1 synthetic and 30 min of fun!

Tell me where you can find 7 liters of 5W-30 BMW recommended synthetic for $30. Just oil and filter will be $76.

http://www.getbmwparts.com/partlocat...catalogid=4462

And the car needs to be reprogrammed after a battery change or it could explode.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=468750

[roadcarver]

I have 86000 miles on my e92 coupe. I use a reputable Indy shop that is significantly cheaper than the dealership. Stay the hell away from the dealership, repeat, stay the hell away from the dealership. They will completely rip you off. The repair and maintenance costs have not been much higher than any of the modern Hondas I have owned except for the oil for oil changes due to it being full synthetic and the volume of oil required. My wife's 2010 Subaru WRX that we just sold required costly frequent maintenance that was very much on par with the cost of BMW maint. after warranty. We just sold it and bought her a new 335i m sport.

[BMW AH3]

Personally, I only lease new BMW's while they are under full factory protection. I'd be scared the out of pocket would break me after the warranty.

[chrisny]

In related news, the sun is very, very hot.

Sorry... Just seems this shouldn't have been a surprise.

[index1489]

What overheating problem cost 3k? Oil change and battery are irrelevant, what did they do replace the waterpump thermalstat radiator all the hoses and the cylinder head? Cut that bill in half if you found a good indy shop. No reason to go to the dealer if your out of warranty.

[Dukenole]

Why are oil changes and batteries irrelevant? I don't have the bill on me but they had to replace the thermostat, a couple of gaskets, and some other stuff I can't remember. Again, if you have a good indy shop that you trust, more power to you but the point remains, M&R on bimmers is very expensive-- insurance is higher too obviously. Just helping some new buyers make a fully informed decision.

[soolman32]

A good majority of people look at BMW or other luxury brands and only worry about the initial cost of ownership. They don't think about M&R or depending on the states what your yearly registration tab will cost you. Most Euro luxury cars are expensive to maintain, that's just how it is. I'm sure this will be helpful for a few people looking to get into BMWs

[azzurro]

Originally Posted by chrisny

In related news, the sun is very, very hot.

Sorry... Just seems this shouldn't have been a surprise.

This is what has kept me away from a used Maserati Quattroporte up to this point. I wanted to know the total potential M&R costs. I still may buy one anyway but at least I know that I need to budget $3500 a year or so on these costs. It's worth it every time you hear that engine though...IMHO.

[shivaswrath]

My insurance went down when I moved from an Acura 2010 TSX to the BMW 335i....Odd.

[tuned2ride]

Originally Posted by alex2364

And the car needs to be reprogrammed after a battery change or it could explode.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=468750

Untrue.

[tuned2ride]

At 72000milles I am at 2600$ for out of warranty/out of included maintenance stuff.

Front struts
Valve cover and gasket
Battery
Ignition coil, spark plugs
2 oil changes

130$/month on 20 months.

[Tsuyoi]

Originally Posted by shivaswrath

My insurance went down when I moved from an Acura 2010 TSX to the BMW 335i....Odd.

Yeah coming from a 2002 Ford Explorer my insurance went from 940 for 3 ppl to 860 for 3 ppl for exact same coverage. DTL, anti-theft, new car, and better safetey tech/ratings really drops that insurance.

Speaking of "expensive maintenance", my ford had a busted tranny at 26k miles which cost me 4k out of pocket. So yeah.... if you thought bimmers were expensive....

[宝马.e90]

I'm pretty sure the general public understand the costs of owning any German car. It's the first thing that usually comes up when you talk about these cars.

Never bought an extended warranty plan, but so far, count me as one of the lucky owners. Only thing that has happened was the water pump/thermostat but (which will die) and had an indy that I trust and know do it for the cost of the parts. Spark plugs, oil change, brakes all done myself.

[KORALLROT]

Here's the sad part; the '06 330i is one of the most reliable BMW's on the roads right now, and one that requires considerably less maintenance than others.


My '06 330i was pretty low maintenance, aside from routine stuff. That's the other thing. You really need to know what you're getting yourself into, before buying a used premium European auto. Us BMW rats will tell you that most of that stuff is pretty customary.


Now that you've been properly hazed by your car, welcome to the extended-warranty-is-worth-every-penny club.

[KORALLROT]

Originally Posted by 宝马.e90

I'm pretty sure the general public understand the costs of owning any German car.

...

I think you would be surprised.

[Cyberdemon]

Reasons I leased.

But if you didn't look or think about the maintenance costs, especially going to a dealership that's shame on you. It'd be like buying a Maserati for $30,000 then not realizing a routine service is $2k.

In fact that was one of the main reasons I didn't go with a used M3...SMG rebuild for your first born kid? No thanks.