[Bocy75]

Just found this great thread. My 2014 328d just passed 180k miles and still running strong and smooth, mainly used between CT - NYC highways.
Still the Original suspension. Going to change the four shocks soon, but that is easy.
Usual SCR codes are coming up now, and the DPF is failing. As much as I love this car, it got to the point that I’m reluctant to spend a fortune on a new OEM DPF.
I was wondering if there’s another solution for this issue, as emission test is coming up in few months time.

[Enabled]

Originally Posted by Bocy75

Just found this great thread. My 2014 328d just passed 180k miles and still running strong and smooth, mainly used between CT - NYC highways.
Still the Original suspension. Going to change the four shocks soon, but that is easy.
Usual SCR codes are coming up now, and the DPF is failing. As much as I love this car, it got to the point that I’m reluctant to spend a fortune on a new OEM DPF.
I was wondering if there’s another solution for this issue, as emission test is coming up in few months time.

What exactly is failing on your dpf? What indicator are you going by?

[n00bkiller944]

Originally Posted by Morrob95

I'd hope thats not what they did.. I got the Jr Auto Stage 3 tune from tunemyeuro. Its weird because about a minute after that drivetrain malfunction message, it just randomly goes away. Sometimes it'll be gone for weeks and sometimes it'll pop back up an hour later. I've scanned right after, never while that message was displayed and it hasn't ever shown anything. There was one time when it pointed toward a faulty MAF (which I was excited about), turns out my solder job failed for the extension ;(.

Reckon I should look for another tune? Do you have any recommendations?

Keep us looped in. I have seen 3 drivetrain malfunction codes (comes with an overboost code) since JR tuned

[gryffishhawk]

amazing shares here everyone! SO appreciated. i've owned a 328d since November 2013 and hope to keep it running forever and a day and your stories are inspiring. Do you recall
what Richard Hammond of Top Gear dubbed it?...New BMW 320d could be the best car ever made- Richard hammond

[Uber Commuter]

I'm pushing 210,000 miles right now, just put new tires on and about to do brakes... I do have a CEL but it's been running smooth and ~42mpg average all day so I haven't bothered with it yet.

Need to sort that soon...

[n00bkiller944]

On the BMW diesel FB group there is a member who uses his for basically hot shot delivery. He bought it with 289k with a broken timing chain and swapped the motor. He just posted 420k milestone. Really cool update, figured I would share.

[ssf556]

Originally Posted by n00bkiller944

On the BMW diesel FB group there is a member who uses his for basically hot shot delivery. He bought it with 289k with a broken timing chain and swapped the motor. He just posted 420k milestone. Really cool update, figured I would share.

What is the link to that FB page?

[n00bkiller944]

Originally Posted by ssf556

What is the link to that FB page?

https://www.facebook.com/groups/NABDOG/

[FaRKle!]

Originally Posted by n00bkiller944

https://www.facebook.com/groups/NABDOG/

I got banned from there

[n00bkiller944]

Originally Posted by FaRKle!

I got banned from there

LOL! Well we like you here. Not sure how you got banned, but they are a tough crew to ask questions to...

[maniaq]

my 328d xdrive is now at 440 000km, running strong, oil chane at 10 000km, look like new, no rust, no scar on the red leather!! best car i ever had.

[ululi1970]

I am new to the forum and hope this is the right thread.
We decided to buy a used 2014 328d for my son. 90k miles. I have been going over this thread and it seems that the major problem is with the TC, which this car does not have.

I consider myself a good DYIer. I do most of the regular maintenance on my cars, and have done work on cars ranging from engine rebuild (old MGBs) to front end jobs, radiators/pumps, clutches, belts,brakes,... Basically anything that does not absolutely require putting the car on a lift. Before I send off my son to college (150 miles away), I have a few questions:

1) What are the things that I should be checking?
2) I was thinking about getting an extended warranty to cover high-cost failures (trannys,...), with the idea of doing most of the repairs that can be done in my garage myself. Is there a company that you guys recommend?
3) Any other things that I should be checking? I still have a couple of weeks left on the warranty offered by the dealer...

Thank you and again apologies if this is not the right forum.

[ssf556]

Originally Posted by ululi1970

I am new to the forum and hope this is the right thread.
We decided to buy a used 2014 328d for my son. 90k miles. I have been going over this thread and it seems that the major problem is with the TC, which this car does not have.

I consider myself a good DYIer. I do most of the regular maintenance on my cars, and have done work on cars ranging from engine rebuild (old MGBs) to front end jobs, radiators/pumps, clutches, belts,brakes,... Basically anything that does not absolutely require putting the car on a lift. Before I send off my son to college (150 miles away), I have a few questions:

1) What are the things that I should be checking?
2) I was thinking about getting an extended warranty to cover high-cost failures (trannys,...), with the idea of doing most of the repairs that can be done in my garage myself. Is there a company that you guys recommend?
3) Any other things that I should be checking? I still have a couple of weeks left on the warranty offered by the dealer...

Thank you and again apologies if this is not the right forum.

I would be worried about a buddy or friend of yours sons borrowing the car and filling it up with gasoline. I could see a buddy running out of diesel and then putting in 5 gallons of gas

Emissions can be very complicated. Especially if your son fills it up with a low quality DEF.

I just think this is car that needs to be in a controlled environment.

I would buy him a used Honda Accord and keep the 328d for you!

[ululi1970]

Funny, we had a long chat about the importance of using the right fuel. The good thing is that in AZ, diesel is actually quite cheaper than gas and he is going to be a on a tight budget. I will print a large sticker and put it on the tank cover.

I am planning to fill the DEF tank myself. Where do I buy good quality DEF? I got my exposure to DEF renting Diesels in Europe, where you can purchase DEF from specially designated pumps at most gas stations. I guess the advantage is that (a) it is actually hard to run out of it and (b) one can only fill a few liters at a time and keep it fresh.

Here, I have seen DEF at HomeDepot, Lowes and some gas stations, but it comes in jugs. What is the shelf life of it?

And finally, I have given some thoughts about keeping it for myself, but I need to haul large rc planes and the 328d just does not have enough space.

[ululi1970]

Today my sold told me that the dashboard had a "right low beam malfunction".
So we checked and we found this strange contraption when we went to replace the lightbulb. If I were to guess, it seems some sort of high end lightbulb, one which involves high voltages and what not. One of the boxes on one end seems to be a CAN transceiver, the other some sort of voltage stepper. The white thing is a mistery. You know, I am old enough to remember when a light bulb was a light bulb...

The light bulb itself seems to have suffered some sort of high heat death.

At this point, I am inclined to replace the whole enchilada with a standard lightbulb and worry about what to do with the gizmo later. But I am still curious to know what exactly I am looking at.

Also, the car came with only one key fob. Any good suggestion where we may purchase another one or at least, have a spare key made (provided it is possible to start the car without the fob). I have the sinking feeling that a new fob may involve a trip to the dealer but just in case...

Thanks again for your patience. The last BMW I owned had two wheels, was made when Carter was president, and could be fixed by the roadside with a screw driver and not much more

[Enabled]

That's an aftermarket HID Xenon kit. I'm guessing your car had halogen headlights to begin with, without projectors, and someone had slapped in a Xenon kit. For what it's worth, it has nothing to do with CAN.

[TRAFLY]

Hello All, I've been interested/obsessed with buying a 328D wagon for about 5 years now. Don't ask why it's taken so long. I'm currently looking at a 2016 with 87k miles and a 2017 with 57k miles. The '16 has better options/packages, but the miles worry me. Should I be? Should I be going for the '17 with the lower miles, higher price? I'm hoping that this will be my 'forever' car, as my current car, 2003 Jetta TDI, has 250k miles, and has been relatively inexpensive to maintain. If I get to 200k miles on the 328, the the 30k mile difference is not a big deal.
Note, This will be my first BMW and I've been told that as the miles grow, it could be very costly to maintain. Reading this thread has given me high hopes that that may not be the case.
Thanks for reading, and hopefully replying

[mrgolf100]

Been on here a long time and hoping it's not coming to an end. I did a DPF clean (Atom X) on my 328d on a 200 mi slog to Cape Cod at 3k RPM to try and clean the yet unreplaced DPF. Shut car off and when i started it a few hours later the car was surging in slow speed (1-15 mph) but runs well and strong after that. Check engine light lit up within minutes and made it back to Connecticut where i took it to a shop. Light is related to Intake Manifold (told it was melting?). So there is a vacuum leak there. Not sure if that could possibly be related to my trip and/or the DPF cleaner but now i'm in for $1900 to fix that, another $2400 for the DPF and i need brakes soon. Not sure i'm in for $5k+ for a car that is worth $2500. Currently still driving it but hold my breath on bridges and tunnels. Any advice?

Bought her new in December 2013 with 4 miles on the clock. I want to keep it

[dreaming.haze]

mrgolf100 If it was me, I'd be getting some used parts and having an independent shop install things for you. I picked up a used (60k miles) DPF last winter for this potential `what if`. The same guy I bought things from has another DPF listed for $400 off a 125k mile car. Heck here's even one on eBay for $450 in New Hampshire: https://www.ebay.com/itm/355111702505

For the intake manifold, you can find those on eBay easy enough for $140 or so.

Up to you though, 271,000 miles is a damn good run.

[JonZeke]

We just hit 103k miles on ours, and it runs so well. That said, it's had 2 replacement fuel pumps (one was the old design when ours started crapping out at ~55k and replaced under warranty, then 4 months later it got the recall update new design pump for free again.) and with the EGR cooler recall it got a coolant flush and a lot of clean, new EGR components.

I haven't checked the swirl flap and inlet tube, but it pulls so well I don't think I will see much in there (it does 90% highway over the last 80k).

That all said, I picked up an 86k miles Porsche Cayenne Diesel, just to try as the VAG community loves the V6 TDI. So far so good, but I cleaned out the swirl flap, throttle body, inlet tube and EGR intake and whoa was that nasty. But now it pulls like a 35d engine! But with the stories on here, I am wondering what's the better engine to keep for another 100k?

I have a Ford Maverick on order (and a Boxster in the garage) so ultimately one diesel is going to go. The Cayenne is a luxurious beast, while the BMW is like the world's best Accord (and a wagon). People think the DPF is expensive to replace on the BMW but its the same for a VAG V6 TDI so maybe that's the cost of these things? I think the 35d DPF is about the same too. Shame that's the major hit on "modern" diesels as you see W123 Mercedes just chugging along on the highways still mocking us all.

[JonZeke]

Originally Posted by TRAFLY

Hello All, I've been interested/obsessed with buying a 328D wagon for about 5 years now. Don't ask why it's taken so long. I'm currently looking at a 2016 with 87k miles and a 2017 with 57k miles. The '16 has better options/packages, but the miles worry me. Should I be? Should I be going for the '17 with the lower miles, higher price? I'm hoping that this will be my 'forever' car, as my current car, 2003 Jetta TDI, has 250k miles, and has been relatively inexpensive to maintain. If I get to 200k miles on the 328, the the 30k mile difference is not a big deal.
Note, This will be my first BMW and I've been told that as the miles grow, it could be very costly to maintain. Reading this thread has given me high hopes that that may not be the case.
Thanks for reading, and hopefully replying

There's no such thing as a forever car anymore if you plan to you know, actually drive it. The days where you could just keep a W113 running forever on zipties and french fry oil seems to have ended. OK any Corolla can be a forever car, but "forever is a mighty long time" to drive a s**tbox. On the flip side, a $2300 DPF is a small price to pay as its only every 120k miles and up (if at all for some drivers!) versus the monthly payment on a $40k Accord. Even EVs with their promise of simplified motoring are going to be bricked as older batteries become problematic, motors expensively burn out, and ECUs useless after an OTA update you didn't ask for.

Cost to maintain on anything produced in the past 10-15 years has skyrocket to the point that industry analysts are talking about regular Hondas having $5k bills as they get older and Euro brands pushing $10k. The idea of buying a used car for $5-10k and maintaining it for less than $3k a year in perpetuity only applies to old Corollas or possibly a Nissan Leaf. I think that myth has been busted when it comes to BMWs or anything else worth the drive. If wages would go up, this wouldn't actually be a problem...

[n00bkiller944]

Originally Posted by mrgolf100

Been on here a long time and hoping it's not coming to an end. I did a DPF clean (Atom X) on my 328d on a 200 mi slog to Cape Cod at 3k RPM to try and clean the yet unreplaced DPF. Shut car off and when i started it a few hours later the car was surging in slow speed (1-15 mph) but runs well and strong after that. Check engine light lit up within minutes and made it back to Connecticut where i took it to a shop. Light is related to Intake Manifold (told it was melting?). So there is a vacuum leak there. Not sure if that could possibly be related to my trip and/or the DPF cleaner but now i'm in for $1900 to fix that, another $2400 for the DPF and i need brakes soon. Not sure i'm in for $5k+ for a car that is worth $2500. Currently still driving it but hold my breath on bridges and tunnels. Any advice?

Bought her new in December 2013 with 4 miles on the clock. I want to keep it

If you ever come through VA I would be happy to help. Even have a used DPF on the shelf... Did you get the EGR cooler recall done? EGR failure could be impacting your intake, but I would hope the dealer would have told you that...