[34dean]

I have the extended warranty/maint. plan up to 100K. Should I bring the car in and have evrything possible done (I have a good relationship with my local dealer) and then pray the car runs flawlessly for another year or two OR... should I bite the bullet a little and trade in for something newer, knowing I'll be $3-4K in the hole and that would need to go into my next vehicle?

Thanks in advance for the input!

[fdriller9]

It really depends...I love my 330xi. I'm at 54k right now and plan on keeping my 330xi till at least 120k. I would try to get as much done as possible especially a tranny fluid flush/replacement of the filter (if its an auto the filter is in the pan...$225 part I believe). Maybe spark plugs if you haven't had them swapped yet.

[ctuna]

http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/e60...e-our-m5s.html
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...+for+foolshttp

[Chriztofor]

Originally Posted by 34dean

I have the extended warranty/maint. plan up to 100K. Should I bring the car in and have everything possible done (I have a good relationship with my local dealer) and then pray the car runs flawlessly for another year or two OR... should I bite the bullet a little and trade in for something newer, knowing I'll be $3-4K in the hole and that would need to go into my next vehicle?

Thanks in advance for the input!

If you stuck with BMW's lifetime BS I would get rid of that car. Keep the car while under warranty, make BMW change all the fluids at 100k unless they still won't change the trans fluid because the pan states "Lifetime" keep the invoice and privately sell it to the next guy.

[MrDummy]

It is a big chance in a way, as I heard a lot about BMW only building their vehicles to hit the 10 year / 100K mark before some bigger maint. items are needer or some major stuff is required to be done to it to prevent damage.

But then you read about peeps having 180,000 miles on there bimmers and there still going strong.

But that being a turbo and an AWD model, I would consider trading it in, or selling it to get a newer one with another warranty. Just my 2 cents.

[wj4]

Originally Posted by 34dean

I have the extended warranty/maint. plan up to 100K. Should I bring the car in and have evrything possible done (I have a good relationship with my local dealer) and then pray the car runs flawlessly for another year or two OR... should I bite the bullet a little and trade in for something newer, knowing I'll be $3-4K in the hole and that would need to go into my next vehicle?

Thanks in advance for the input!

I say...keep it! You're already up to 100K miles, just have any necessary work worked on.

Trading it in now vs. in a couple of years won't be that big of a difference IMO. I cannot see the value of your car being that much less at say, 150k in 2 years vs. 100k now.

That's what I plan to do with my car. I'm at 60k now. I plan to keep her until a major issue comes up where I think it's not worthwhile to keep her anymore.

[BMWinNorthdakota]

Originally Posted by MrDummy

It is a big chance in a way, as I heard a lot about BMW only building their vehicles to hit the 10 year / 100K mark before some bigger maint. items are needer or some major stuff is required to be done to it to prevent damage.

But then you read about peeps having 180,000 miles on there bimmers and there still going strong.

But that being a turbo and an AWD model, I would consider trading it in, or selling it to get a newer one with another warranty. Just my 2 cents.

Lol wut? 33oi

Id keep the car out of warranty and take it as it comes if you really think the car is a "Good one"...

Find a good independent mechanic to do your fluid changes and pray for the best IMO...

Edit: Milk your warranty for all its worth prior to it expiration as you stated, yeah.. thatd be a good idea XD

[cotmfk]

Keep it until the wheels fall off!

[mattsten]

I would keep it, but you have to find yourself a good independent shop. There is nothing inherently unreliable about your car, and the items most likely to break and cause huge repair bills are electronics in the interior (i-drive, cc, amplifier, etc). But, most electronic parts can be sourced used for a fraction of the cost of a new part. Just steer clear of the main dealer.....

[jt335i]

If you've had no problems and you enjoy driving the car, then there's no reason to get rid of it. As long as you've maintained it well, then you shouldn't have to worry about having any mechanical issues.
Check your manual to find out what needs to be replaced at 100K miles and then get-r-done before you hit 100K. Your car should run flawlessly as long as you maintain it regularly.
If you have friends who knows a good independent BMW mechanic that they trust, you can take it to that place for future maintenance beyond 100K.

[fdriller9]

Originally Posted by MrDummy

It is a big chance in a way, as I heard a lot about BMW only building their vehicles to hit the 10 year / 100K mark before some bigger maint. items are needer or some major stuff is required to be done to it to prevent damage.

But then you read about peeps having 180,000 miles on there bimmers and there still going strong.

But that being a turbo and an AWD model, I would consider trading it in, or selling it to get a newer one with another warranty. Just my 2 cents.

How do you engineer a vehicle to only last 10 years? That's the biggest BS I've heard in a while. You probably just read a user's bad experience about his car and he jumped to conclusions becasue he has been researching other problematic cars. Do you realize how much money a company would waste to research and develop parts to only last 10 years?

What you make the parts weaker?
No becasue then you're opening up claims of premature failure, which is followed by liability.

Make the parts out of a cheaper material?
You can only go so far....and again premature failure is bound to happen.

These are just basic theories as to why you don't cheap out on vehicle parts. I'm a mechanical engineer studying for a career in the automotive industry.

Companies don't research and develop parts to fail in 10 years....especially vehicles as they carry people, who most of the time value thier life. Use your head....

OP, don't listen to this mis informed fool. His username fits him well....

BTW, when did 330's come equipped with turbos? And when did I's have xdrive?

Moving on, I agree with those that mentioned the "lifetime" tranny fluid is BS.....horrible decision by BMW. I plan on replacing my fluid soon. I'll probably swap out the pan/filter as well as that traps alot of debris which I do not want to unsettle.

I also hate the 15K oil change intervals....maybe this could be why you see these vechicles failing after 100k but by no means were they engineered that way. These were decisions made by BMW to cut costs, increase sustainability, and reduce dealer visits. For the average Joe, this is fine. To the enthusiast, this is unacceptable.

[34dean]

Thank you, all, for the input. Most has been extremely helpful and a smidge was very confusing.

Unfortunately, I do not have a good private mechanic and have only used my local dealer for all maint. He did tell me to bring the car in at 99K and he would do the spark plugs and anything else necessary. I just don't know if I want to "roll the dice" once I get beyond 100K.

[MrDummy]

Originally Posted by *********

How do you engineer a vehicle to only last 10 years? That's the biggest BS I've heard in a while. You probably just read a user's bad experience about his car and he jumped to conclusions becasue he has been researching other problematic cars. Do you realize how much money a company would waste to research and develop parts to only last 10 years?

What you make the parts weaker?
No becasue then you're opening up claims of premature failure, which is followed by liability.

Make the parts out of a cheaper material?
You can only go so far....and again premature failure is bound to happen.

These are just basic theories as to why you don't cheap out on vehicle parts. I'm a mechanical engineer studying for a career in the automotive industry.

Companies don't research and develop parts to fail in 10 years....especially vehicles as they carry people, who most of the time value thier life. Use your head....

OP, don't listen to this mis informed fool. His username fits him well....

BTW, when did 330's come equipped with turbos? And when did I's have xdrive?

Moving on, I agree with those that mentioned the "lifetime" tranny fluid is BS.....horrible decision by BMW. I plan on replacing my fluid soon. I'll probably swap out the pan/filter as well as that traps alot of debris which I do not want to unsettle.

I also hate the 15K oil change intervals....maybe this could be why you see these vechicles failing after 100k but by no means were they engineered that way. These were decisions made by BMW to cut costs, increase sustainability, and reduce dealer visits. For the average Joe, this is fine. To the enthusiast, this is unacceptable.

There is NO reason to be a jackass and attack me when I am only stating things I have read on this site from other 330/335 readers with all their issues, including the lifetime fliud issues and such. Like how the Automatic is known to have issues after the 100K mark, and then the price to repair said transmission.

And I am not stating that BMW only markets their cars to last 10 years out of spite but out of necessity. It is in their best interest to not only save money on maint. issues, but by making the vehicle not last forever so that people will eventually have to buy a new car.

If you think I am just full of BS, then why cant you find a warranty that covers a BMW over the 6 year/100K mile mark?

Also It does make a huge difference on how the vehicle was maintained, but I was going by the factory maint. intervals that BMW recommends. Of coarse if someone does their all their fluid and filter changes at sooner intervals the vehicle is bound to last longer.

Like I said though its just my 2 cents, and there was NO call to become rude, and PS I have worked for the Automotive Industry for over 15 years now, going from a production worker, to a technican and now as an Engineer, and can tell you from personal experience, that quite a few car manufacturers ONLY care if the part in question last for a certain amount of time or length duration, mainly due to cost and the amount of R&D that goes into creating the said part.

[Tiz113]

Do you live in southern CT? If so what dealer do you recommend??

[fdriller9]

Originally Posted by MrDummy

There is NO reason to be a jackass and attack me when I am only stating things I have read on this site from other 330/335 readers with all their issues, including the lifetime fliud issues and such. Like how the Automatic is known to have issues after the 100K mark, and then the price to repair said transmission.

And I am not stating that BMW only markets their cars to last 10 years out of spite but out of necessity. It is in their best interest to not only save money on maint. issues, but by making the vehicle not last forever so that people will eventually have to buy a new car.

If you think I am just full of BS, then why cant you find a warranty that covers a BMW over the 6 year/100K mile mark?

Also It does make a huge difference on how the vehicle was maintained, but I was going by the factory maint. intervals that BMW recommends. Of coarse if someone does their all their fluid and filter changes at sooner intervals the vehicle is bound to last longer.

Like I said though its just my 2 cents, and there was NO call to become rude, and PS I have worked for the Automotive Industry for over 15 years now, going from a production worker, to a technican and now as an Engineer, and can tell you from personal experience, that quite a few car manufacturers ONLY care if the part in question last for a certain amount of time or length duration, mainly due to cost and the amount of R&D that goes into creating the said part.

My bad...didn't mean to be so harsh but I just hate it when people convey info they read on the forum like it is a widespread problem. There are thousands of owners who do not contribute to E90 post. These problems people are having only seem widespread becasue we hear about them all the time on these forums. Those thousands of owners who do not contribute to these forums have cars that work fine after 100k. I know a friend with a '95 E36 with the original auto transmission with 250k+ on his OD. Granted the E36 was a solid chassis (and in a different decade), the E90 shoudn't differ by much. Especially since my friend has been following BMW's maintenace plan for the E36 328i since purchase, new.

I agree it has to do with service intervals and if done more frequently (properly), you should theoretically be able to drive the car for an extended amount of time.

I somewhat agree to your statement here:

Originally Posted by MrDummy

And I am not stating that BMW only markets their cars to last 10 years out of spite but out of necessity. It is in their best interest to not only save money on maint. issues, but by making the vehicle not last forever so that people will eventually have to buy a new car.

But this again has to do with the maintanence plan of the vehicle....which BMW implemented horribly. I guess you're right in that they want people to buy new cars but that shouldn't mean that they should "maintain" the car to only function flawlessly within the first 100k.

Didn't want this to turn into an arguement. My apoligies to you and the OP.

[DenverJayhawk]

First, though i have no evidence, I feel fairly confident BMW does not engineer their cars to last only 10 years. I doubt any manufacturer does this. It's just after 10 years, any car will begin to display signs of its age and require parts replacement.

OP - personally i would keep the car until repairs exceed the value of the car. No turbo or fuel pump issues to worry about. My guess is if you service the car properly, it will take you well beyond 100k.

[TheRox]

Drive the car into the ground

Just keep it and pay for major repairs

Ignore other things, ie. if the audio or electricals start to go if thigns break, let them break!

[pruettfan]

You answered your own question. If you would be 3-4k in the hole getting rid of it why do so? Based on that you could pay for a lot of repairs before you would hit 4k. I think you should consider that years ago 100k was the end of life for cars, these days cars are designed to last 200-250k. That does not mean that they won't start to wear out components like alternators and fuel pumps but engines and transmissions are designed to go the distance. I am at 80k and plan to bring mine to 200k if it holds up asthetically. The only major question I would have for you is do you have the ability to do some work on the car yourself? The reason I mention this is I had both rear window regulators go out a dealer would charge 450 each to replace them I did it for 73 each in less than one hour.

Long story short, I would drive and enjoy it but keep an eye on its mechanical condition. If things start to go south then dump it but I suspect you won't have to worry about it for some time.

Best of luck

Tom

[MrDummy]

********* = "My bad "

Thank you and I agree I do not like using forums for my only reference as well for knowledge.

I should not have called you a jackass, so I do take that back as well.

And to the original poster:

It does depend on how well you maintained your vehicle, if I were in your shoes I would see what you can get for it, then depending on how much the loss would be, use that for the determining factor.

And for confidentiality reasons I cannot state which manufactures do indeed build parts for their vehicles based on what I stated above, but it is true.

On the plus side I do NOT do any work for BMW or any German vehicle manufacturer for that matter, so maybe BMW is still building them to last forever?

thanks

[wj4]

I don't think BMW intentionally 'design' their cars to blow up after x miles. BMW is a brand that thrives on loyalty....many BMW owners buy more BMW's because of their experience.

This is my first BMW, and depending on the long run experience with the car...it will be the determining factor if my next car will be another BMW or not.

However, in today's age....where a crap load of technology is poured into a car....it's inevitable that something will need replacing sooner or later.

Let's take the 3 series, which has the least amount of gadgets out of the line up (excluding the 1 perhaps)....you have the iDrive, brake sensors, oil level sensor, motor for the trunk, adaptive headlights, PDC, lumbar support on the seats, etc.

A decade or so ago, most of these features were not available on the average car so there were less things that would need replacing.

[CT_335i]

One thing to add here.

I think you shouldn't panic just b/c you're hitting the 100k mark.

1) Don't ever use forums as your gauge of a vehicle's perceived reliability as others have mentioned. I am a BMW CCA member and if you take a look around, you'll see folks running BMWs well into the 100k mark, even 200k.

2)There is a very healthy support group that maintains the fan base for BMWs. Granted, these are folks who are loyal to the brand and love their cars to death. But the fact is that BMW itself even has the Mobile Tradition group (now called BMW classic) whose sole purpose is to main the heritage of the brand by supporting a parts catalog for cars >25-30 years old.

3) I don't worry about warranties at this point. I look at it this way.. no carpayments so the I look at the warranty repairs as a few carpayments per year.

4) Just find a good independent dealer .. look here http://www.bimrs.org/

[wj4]

Originally Posted by CT_335i

One thing to add here.

I think you shouldn't panic just b/c you're hitting the 100k mark.

1) Don't ever use forums as your gauge of a vehicle's perceived reliability as others have mentioned. I am a BMW CCA member and if you take a look around, you'll see folks running BMWs well into the 100k mark, even 200k.

2)There is a very healthy support group that maintains the fan base for BMWs. Granted, these are folks who are loyal to the brand and love their cars to death. But the fact is that BMW itself even has the Mobile Tradition group (now called BMW classic) whose sole purpose is to main the heritage of the brand by supporting a parts catalog for cars >25-30 years old.

3) I don't worry about warranties at this point. I look at it this way.. no carpayments so the I look at the warranty repairs as a few carpayments per year.

4) Just find a good independent dealer .. look here http://www.bimrs.org/

Wow, thanks for the site. My 335i is now out of warranty and there is a local shop listed under the site you gave me. I will check them out sooner or later.