[9iron]

I have a '08 328i that just rolled 90k. I bought it CPO'd in 2010 with ~26k on it. Havent had a single issue yet, and the car feels solid as a rock. Handles great, engine feels strong, 6MT is smooth, etc... The only things ive replaced have been tires/pads/rotors. I did have the dealer flush my brake fluid about 6 months ago.

The car is paid for, and i am *hoping* to drive it for quite a while longer. I would like to go to 150k if i can, as long as it doesnt turn into a money pit. Ive read a few recent threads on the things most likely to crap out (water pump/gaskets), and i was wondering if there was any benefit to replacing them preemptively.

I dont want to replace things too early if they still have life, but if there is a well known life of a particular part, it may be best to fix it before it breaks. Also, since the majority of costs are labor (gaskets), would it be too tough to do that myself? My BIL is a mechanic (not a BMW mechanic), so we have the tools and some know-how, but is the job over our heads? I dont want to tear the car apart and not be able to get it back together

Let me know what you think.

[Efthreeoh]

I think get a Bentley service manual, and fix the car when it needs a repair. Reaching 150,000 is a breeze in this car.

[bender rodriguez]

Replacing a water pump before it goes is a waste a money. You never know when they will go. You could replace if and the new one would go 20k later.

Just get AAA if you are worried about getting stuck somewhere. I tjlhink there 200 mile tow is 79 dollars a year.

[9iron]

Originally Posted by bender rodriguez

Replacing a water pump before it goes is a waste a money. You never know when they will go. You could replace if and the new one would go 20k later.

Just get AAA if you are worried about getting stuck somewhere. I tjlhink there 200 mile tow is 79 dollars a year.

Yeah, i have AAA. Ive used it a few times since i started driving many years ago, and it is well worth the $$$.

[bender rodriguez]

Originally Posted by 9iron

Yeah, i have AAA. Ive used it a few times since i started driving many years ago, and it is well worth the $$$.

Yeah my car is 90k and the only thing that has started to go is suspension parts.

[ctuna]

Google Mike Miller BMW for a maintenance schedule.
Change all the lifetime fluids and plugs .
Be prepared to change your water pump and VCG and oil filter housing
gasket.
There are a bunch of DIY's in the DIY sub forum here and on
ytube. If you are not a Gorilla and prepared to put some time
in to study the DIY's you can do a lot of this stuff yourself.
Be sure to use a good torque wrench.

[9iron]

Originally Posted by ctuna

Google Mike Miller BMW for a maintenance schedule.
Change all the lifetime fluids and plugs .
Be prepared to change your water pump and VCG and oil filter housing
gasket.
There are a bunch of DIY's in the DIY sub forum here and on
ytube. If you are not a Gorilla and prepared to put some time
in to study the DIY's you can do a lot of this stuff yourself.
Be sure to use a good torque wrench.

Just googled Mike Miller. Thanks for the heads-up. That guy seems to know his stuff. Really makes me question if its worth keeping the car a long time considering what SHOULD be done to keep it in peak operating condition.

Seems like 100k is the drop off point where proper maintenance really matters. If i can do most of the work myself, its probably worth the investment. If most work requires special tools/knowledge, im probably better off selling it.

[bender rodriguez]

Originally Posted by 9iron

Just googled Mike Miller. Thanks for the heads-up. That guy seems to know his stuff. Really makes me question if its worth keeping the car a long time considering what SHOULD be done to keep it in peak operating condition.

Seems like 100k is the drop off point where proper maintenance really matters. If i can do most of the work myself, its probably worth the investment. If most work requires special tools/knowledge, im probably better off selling it.

Most of mike miller stuff is waste of money. A 328i is a reliable car all you need to do is follow what BMW says. Not something intended for a BMW 25 years ago

[ctuna]

If you do half of what Mike Miller says
it will be more than twice as much as BMW does under
the free program and more like what any car should
have done as a minimum.
That means the stratigic replacement of fluids and filters every 30 to 60k
oil ever 7500 or once a year. Spark plugs at 90k.
All you need in the beyond common tools is a good torque wrench
and it would also be good to have something like BMWhat or coding
setup that does diagnostics. (Both of which are real cheap)The big problem with maintenance is having
space to work on it and getting easy access by getting it up the air.
I see a lot of older BMW's on the road that look well kept.
Mike practices aircraft maintenance you can't pull over in a airplane
but I bet he is never stuck on the side of the road.
At between 125k and 150k I would be thinking about a new radiator
and Water Pump if it hasn't failed yet though.

[mansito]

The maintenance steps already suggested are great to keep your car rolling pass your 150K miles goal. If you like your car and perform routine maintenance it should last a long time (I sold my prior BMW ~4yrs ago with 200K miles and it is still running). The typical maintenance required on a 328 cost a lot less than buying a new car.

[bender rodriguez]

Originally Posted by ctuna

If you do half of what Mike Miller says
it will be more than twice as much as BMW does under
the free program and more like what any car should
have done as a minimum.
That means the stratigic replacement of fluids and filters every 30 to 60k
oil ever 7500 or once a year. Spark plugs at 90k.
All you need in the beyond common tools is a good torque wrench
and it would also be good to have something like BMWhat or coding
setup that does diagnostics. (Both of which are real cheap)The big problem with maintenance is having
space to work on it and getting easy access by getting it up the air.
I see a lot of older BMW's on the road that look well kept.
Mike practices aircraft maintenance you can't pull over in a airplane
but I bet he is never stuck on the side of the road.
At between 125k and 150k I would be thinking about a new radiator
and Water Pump if it hasn't failed yet though.

The guy is full of crap.. A car is not a plane and who the fuck replaces a working radiator or working water pump. I have seen engineers say mike miller is full of it too. BMW people have the most bat shit insane maintenance ideas.

Not sure what made bmw people not trust bmw or oil specs backed by engineers in many different fields but I follow bmw makntence plan and my car is yet to explode at 91k. In fact you are better off just to follow bmw maintenance and take the money you save from not doing mike miller crap and put it towards parts that actually break.

[AllBlackBimmer]

I am literally in the same position as you.
I have a '08 328i sedan. 84k. 6MT. Also bought it CPO'ed... had about 38k on it.

I am going through the exact some thoughts in my head... Do I want to keep this car long term OR trade it in spring 2015 on a e92 M3 possibly.

So far, only thing I've really done maintenance wise is brakes, which I did myself. I have my DSC module replaced under CPO along with a new thermostat and coolant (no water pump though) around 60k.

However, my valve cover gasket and oil filter housing gasket are both starting to show signs of them going bad, and most likely need to be replaced in the next 3-6 months.
Also, with the NA engines, 100k service calls for spark plugs.

I love my car... but my thoughts are... if I want to keep it, I'll need to invest AT LEAST $3,000-$4,000 into it with the gaskets, and inevitably when the water pump dies, along with spark plugs.

OR, do I not do any of that, hope my car makes it to spring, and then trade it in on something else?

I feel like if I did invest $ into my car, these NA inline-6 engines will run for a long time... and I would feel pretty comfortable keeping my car to 150k...

Or do I buy a "money-pit" M3 and call it a day?

[bender rodriguez]

Originally Posted by AllBlackBimmer

I am literally in the same position as you.
I have a '08 328i sedan. 84k. 6MT. Also bought it CPO'ed... had about 38k on it.

I am going through the exact some thoughts in my head... Do I want to keep this car long term OR trade it in spring 2015 on a e92 M3 possibly.

So far, only thing I've really done maintenance wise is brakes, which I did myself. I have my DSC module replaced under CPO along with a new thermostat and coolant (no water pump though) around 60k.

However, my valve cover gasket and oil filter housing gasket are both starting to show signs of them going bad, and most likely need to be replaced in the next 3-6 months.
Also, with the NA engines, 100k service calls for spark plugs.

I love my car... but my thoughts are... if I want to keep it, I'll need to invest AT LEAST $3,000-$4,000 into it with the gaskets, and inevitably when the water pump dies, along with spark plugs.

OR, do I not do any of that, hope my car makes it to spring, and then trade it in on something else?

I feel like if I did invest $ into my car, these NA inline-6 engines will run for a long time... and I would feel pretty comfortable keeping my car to 150k...

Or do I buy a "money-pit" M3 and call it a day?

Oil housing and spark plugs are super easy. Valve cover gasket is not bad either.. All the parts are cheap to. Did bmw really quote you 3k to do all this stuff or something.

[AllBlackBimmer]

Originally Posted by bender rodriguez

Oil housing and spark plugs are super easy. Valve cover gasket is not bad either.. All the parts are cheap to. Did bmw really quote you 3k to do all this stuff or something.

That is my estimate, not an actual quote. I realize I can maybe do some of this by myself... with the exception of the VC... which is a little more than I want to tackle.

I'd estimate 1200-1500 for valve cover gasket
400-600 oil filter housing gasket
200-400 spark plugs
1200-1500 water pump
(obviously that is including laber, and my "guesses" on what the dealer would charge based upon other peoples experiences)

[bender rodriguez]

Originally Posted by AllBlackBimmer

That is my estimate, not an actual quote. I realize I can maybe do some of this by myself... with the exception of the VC... which is a little more than I want to tackle.

I'd estimate 1200-1500 for valve cover gasket
400-600 oil filter housing gasket
200-400 spark plugs
1200-1500 water pump
(obviously that is including laber, and my "guesses" on what the dealer would charge based upon other peoples experiences)

Well, doing the spark plugs and oil housing will save you around 700.00. Both jobs are like an hour each. If you can do the spark plugs you are half way to valve cover. Lol I looked up the book time. Its 2 hours and a 40 dollar gasket. Where do shops get 700 dollars from doing this stuff?

[jrod1475]

New guy here. I am completely new to BMW's and never had anything but American cars.

Picked up a steal of a 07 328xi this weekend for my wife. It has 70k miles on it.

I'm hearing that the AWD can be a problem after 100k.

What I would really like to know is what I need to be watching out for? What maintanence schedule should I get on and what fluids should I get changed now to get started on a good schedule and make sure i'm good to go?

Any general or specific info would be much appreciated.

THANKS!!

[bender rodriguez]

Originally Posted by jrod1475

New guy here. I am completely new to BMW's and never had anything but American cars.

Picked up a steal of a 07 328xi this weekend for my wife. It has 70k miles on it.

I'm hearing that the AWD can be a problem after 100k.

What I would really like to know is what I need to be watching out for? What maintanence schedule should I get on and what fluids should I get changed now to get started on a good schedule and make sure i'm good to go?

Any general or specific info would be much appreciated.

THANKS!!

People are going to say flush your coolant. I did but its a mistake because your water pump could go anywhere from 70k to 120k.. They will change your coolant then.

Personally I think at this point you should let transmission fluid ride out until it breaks but that is just me. It's what I am doing..

[mansito]

Originally Posted by bender rodriguez

People are going to say flush your coolant. I did but its a mistake because your water pump could go anywhere from 70k to 120k.. They will change your coolant then.

Personally I think at this point you should let transmission fluid ride out until it breaks but that is just me. It's what I am doing..

These are crazy suggestions. I believe in preventive maintenance rather than replacing parts. You just got the car. I am going to assume you are planning to keep it for a while. If you do not have information on what maintenance has been done to the car, the least I would do is replace the motor oil, transmission fluid, differential fluid, and transfer case (if you have one, I am not familiar with the x-drive). I would also replace the coolant and brake fluid, but these can wait.

[ctuna]

Well you could spend 4000 to 5000 on maintenance.
If you can DIY or have a good Indy it will be much less.
Or you could buy a new car and have it depreciate 10k when you
drive it off the lot and 5 to 3k every year after that.

There are many sub forums here and one of them is on AWD.

[bender rodriguez]

Originally Posted by mansito

These are crazy suggestions. I believe in preventive maintenance rather than replacing parts. You just got the car. I am going to assume you are planning to keep it for a while. If you do not have information on what maintenance has been done to the car, the least I would do is replace the motor oil, transmission fluid, differential fluid, and transfer case (if you have one, I am not familiar with the x-drive). I would also replace the coolant and brake fluid, but these can wait.

Why would anyone flush coolant when mike miller says to replace the entire cooling system at 120k..

No proof that changes all the fluids before what bmw says will prevent anything

[jrod1475]

I am most interested in preventative maintenance. I do know the oil has been changed but that's about the extent of what I know

I can see through the diagnostics in the dash some future dates/milage for a few things but not things like transmission or transfer cases and the like. And can the computer have been reset and not be accurate now?

I know only a little about the cars history. But at the price we just couldn't pass it up. But everyone I talk to stresses the maintenance schedule and maintenance history. And I don't have anything telling me what should be done and when other than the computer.

I hope to not be taking it to a dealer. I have friends that have given me the number to a reputable Indy. Maybe I should just take it to them and see what they say?

[Efthreeoh]

I'm just going to throw in here. I've followed BMW's maintenance schedule for the E90, that means the CBS items (17,000 mile OCIs) and 100,000 mile driveline fluid and plug changes. I just turned 260,000 miles this month. These cars do not need the level of preventative maintenance of an airplane (I think Ctuna came up with that gem - LOL). They just don't. The common problems the E90 has (WP, T-stat, OFH gasket, VCG, etc.) are not preventable by a higher rate of preventative maintenance. Stuff breaks because of time, environment, mileage, abuse, and build/assembly quality of the parts and vehicle. I'm even on the original radiator (but with all new hoses).

You can follow Miller's schedule and waste a butt-load of money, or do what BMW recommends and get an easy 150 - 200K out of your car.