[AllBlackBimmer]

2008 328i RWD, 6 Spd.
I've owned my car the last 6 years, 2nd owner.
Bought it with 30k, now it has 95k on it.

Replaced over the last year or two:
VC and VC gasket
Spark plugs and coils
Serpentine belt
Brakes are new

What my car needs: (All common and expected)
It will need a water pump sooner or later... $800
Oil pan gasket is leaking... $1000
Real main seal (output shaft seal) is leaking $800

So roughly +/- $2500 at least in maintenance needed.
And that's not including any suspension work, or if/when the clutch goes bad.

Now...

The water pump is the only thing that will leave me stuck somewhere. The gaskets leaking are just minor leak now but...

If I let the rear main seal leak and do not fix it... what will happen? My car is a RWD, 6spd Manual transmission car.

If I let the oil pan gasket leak... what will happen? Other than oil spots on my garage floor, and maybe having to top the oil off, what happens if I don't fix it?

I love my car, and most importantly, it is paid off. A RWD, inline 6, Manual transmission car is hard to find and BMW simple doesn't make them anymore for the most part.

What should I do? Get rid of my car before it turns into a MAJOR MONEYPIT, Or dump a few grand into this car over the next few years and keep it "forever" ?

I do have another vehicle - 2015 F-150, so my E90 is more my "fun" and "nice weather" car... I don't "need" it.
I could probably get... $8,000-9,000 for my car I would imagine... In another 3 or 4 years with another 20-30k on it, it MIGHT be worth... $4,000?

Thoughts?

[PhaseP]

Sell it.
Rear main may not be leaking, it is probably the oil pan gasket leak finding its way into the bell housing.

[PhaseP]

Also if you sell private party let the buyer know of the issues, my suggestion. Especially water pump.

[Needbmwpartzz]

Keep and set a limit on how much you budget for repairs knowing the problems anticipated and if the repairs exceed that amount fix it and sell asap.

[doru]

Considerations:
1.) car is paid off
2.) you like the car
3.) standard transmission

Options:
1.) buy new car: need to find one that you will like. Monthly payments vs old car paid off. No headaches if stuff goes wrong (warranty).3 years later you will be facing options again, with the potential of owing $$$.
2.) buy used car: every used car will have stuff that will break down. What will go wrong, you don't know. But have to be prepared.
3.) keep it: Fix the oil pan gasket. (DIY if you have tools & skills). Have a new WP & T-stat and DIY. These 2 parts only don't cost too much. As previous poster said - rear main seal could be a fake alarm. Suspension components are more $$ and not very hard to do.

Bottom line: you paid probably quite a bit. You said the resell value of the car is not great. You have another vehicle to help if needed.
What I would do: I would keep it. Mileage is not very high, and these engines if taken care off will last a long time. Invest some $$ do fix things (suspensions & gaskets), drive the F150 while doing that. The only tool you might need if DIY is an engine support (cheap) when changing the oil pan gasket. I would do the WP/T-stat at the same time (subframe out of the way + clearance). You have plenty of time to do it, and the car will last a long time before you will need another major fix.

0.02

[HomoPirate]

Do the repairs and keep the car if your love your 328i and willing to keep it for few years.

If you don't miss your e90 so much from what I had read, sell it and live with F-150.

Life is short and enjoy every bit with your toys is the main priority.

[PichaDis11]

another option is to do the jobs preventative together. Your mechanic should Group all the jobs that need to be done and you should only be paying for parts as they are closely related (give or take an hour or two).

I'd say keep it.

[AWSB328iM]

Keep driving it with a $1000 in savings for repairs. Water pump could go anytime or could last another 50k miles. Water pump and thermostat at an Indy shop can range from $1000-1200. Forget the leaks as that's another $1000 for three gaskets and labor.

[smass]

Originally Posted by PhaseP

Rear main may not be leaking, it is probably the oil pan gasket leak finding its way into the bell housing.

Oil pan gasket leak can look exactly like a rear main leak. Always fix OPG first.

[AllBlackBimmer]

Both the oil pan gasket and the real main seal and both leaking and have been verified by the dealer.

The OPG is started to get worse, the RMS is just started to leak.

If I DONT fix the RMS or OPG what happens other than leaking fluid?
I think I read somewhere the RMS leaking leaks onto the clutch disk or something? Is it going to ruin my clutch?

[catcher22]

Wait for the pump and or tstat to go unless you take long trips frequently. If you take lots of long trips, then maybe consider replacing the water pump and tstat as preventative maintenance. It will leave you stranded whenever it goes, give or take 1/2 mile or so.

Shops have told me to fix my OPG for upwards of $1000+ when there was just a pinhole leak. Are you frequently topping off oil? If not, perhaps hold that repair for when if/when it starts to really leak. If you don't fix it, well not much bad will happen unless there's a major leak and the majority of the oil is out. You'll just be topping oil off more frequently, thats all really

As suggested above, combine the work in one visit to save on labor costs.

Save the money and fix when you need