[bavarianride]

Originally Posted by Jttran89

New to the forum.

I have a 2013 328xi with the sports trim and cold weather package. I am the only owner. I drive a lot. Just came back from a maintenance routine at the dealer with 156,000 miles on it. Been solid as a rock so far with a few minor hiccups.

Replaced horn 3 times under warranty.
Replaced turbo at 45k under warranty.
Spark plugs at 50k under warranty.
Replaced temp sensor under warranty.

Just replaced water pump and thermostat at 156k.
Front thrust bushings at 156k.
Battery at 156k.

Regular oil changes and tire changes as needed.

I'm looking to keep this for the long run as I have my first little one on the way. I commute 100miles/day for work.

That is good info, so is battery@156k the 2nd replacement?

[Jttran89]

Originally Posted by bavarianride

That is good info, so is battery@156k the 2nd replacement?

Nope. The battery that was just replaced was first time it was done. Dealer said it was running low voltage during my last visit so they recommended a change. I have a baby on the way this March and winters get pretty bad up here in the northeast. Didn't want to risk my car not starting one of these cold mornings.

Side note: someone broke into my gym locker and took my key fob. Used it to steal some cash in my center console and took off with the fob. Anyone here had to replace their fob? Is it wise to get a used one or do I have to get a new one at the dealer?

[Kafkaesque328]

Nice to hear that many of these higher mileage F30s have been relatively problem free for many of you. I was thinking I would just hand this car in at lease end but life has changed quite drastically recently and I am putting a LOT more miles on the car than I had thought. I could just purchase extra miles but I'm getting attached to the car and it checks all the boxes for me so I am likely just going to buy it at lease end. If I do, I plan on putting around 150k miles on it before getting something else. I have little interest in the G20 and don't really see the point in getting something else. So far I'm only at 25k miles but the car has been flawless as one would hope. I base oil changes on the car's recommendation and it seems to average a little less than 10k mile intervals. Says I need a brake fluid change in May of next year and that I have 80k miles left on my front and rear brake pads.

[Pdxway]

Originally Posted by Kafkaesque328

Nice to hear that many of these higher mileage F30s have been relatively problem free for many of you. I was thinking I would just hand this car in at lease end but life has changed quite drastically recently and I am putting a LOT more miles on the car than I had thought. I could just purchase extra miles but I'm getting attached to the car and it checks all the boxes for me so I am likely just going to buy it at lease end. If I do, I plan on putting around 150k miles on it before getting something else. I have little interest in the G20 and don't really see the point in getting something else. So far I'm only at 25k miles but the car has been flawless as one would hope. I base oil changes on the car's recommendation and it seems to average a little less than 10k mile intervals. Says I need a brake fluid change in May of next year and that I have 80k miles left on my front and rear brake pads.

Nice to see that you are still around.....You posted a lot in bimmerfest a while back. We used to have different opinions over "buy vs lease" thread. I argued for buy, you argued for lease.

Anyway, I own my car for 5 years now. Mostly stop and go traffic and will be at 40K miles soon. I have read that stop and go miles actually hurt car more than lots of highway miles, like 10x more. So I will consider myself in high mileage category. : )

So far trouble free....Hope to hold on to it for 5 more years.

[chowser51]

Originally Posted by Jttran89

Side note: someone broke into my gym locker and took my key fob. Used it to steal some cash in my center console and took off with the fob. Anyone here had to replace their fob? Is it wise to get a used one or do I have to get a new one at the dealer?

New one was like $320+tax at dealer if you don’t need the key blade cut.
I chose to get one cut. It was $401 out the door. Don’t pay them the $140 to “synch” it your car. I did it myself in a few seconds. You order the key with your VIN so it comes programmed to your car, it just needs to be activated by the car. Youtube is your friend.

Make sure to tell them to deactivate your stolen fob.

[bavarianride]

Originally Posted by Kafkaesque328

Nice to hear that many of these higher mileage F30s have been relatively problem free for many of you. I was thinking I would just hand this car in at lease end but life has changed quite drastically recently and I am putting a LOT more miles on the car than I had thought. I could just purchase extra miles but I'm getting attached to the car and it checks all the boxes for me so I am likely just going to buy it at lease end. If I do, I plan on putting around 150k miles on it before getting something else. I have little interest in the G20 and don't really see the point in getting something else. So far I'm only at 25k miles but the car has been flawless as one would hope. I base oil changes on the car's recommendation and it seems to average a little less than 10k mile intervals. Says I need a brake fluid change in May of next year and that I have 80k miles left on my front and rear brake pads.

Wow Kafka considering a long term ownership of a BMW, that is big news.

Do note that latest BMWFS policy is that they no longer allow lease buyout price negotiation. Instead, BMWFS has a fixed discount off RV per model(e.g. $2k), and it is take-it-or-leave-it.

If the dealer is caught selling the lease return to the same lessee, the dealer will be charged back the difference of sales price and "RV - fixed BMWFS discount".

E.g. RV = $30k, BMWFS lease end discount = $2k, lessee can buy from BMWFS for $28k.

If dealer sells to you for $28k, then they will be no penalty to dealer; if dealer sells to you for, say, $20k, dealer will be charged back $8k.

[bavarianride]

Originally Posted by Jttran89

Nope. The battery that was just replaced was first time it was done. Dealer said it was running low voltage during my last visit so they recommended a change. I have a baby on the way this March and winters get pretty bad up here in the northeast. Didn't want to risk my car not starting one of these cold mornings.

Side note: someone broke into my gym locker and took my key fob. Used it to steal some cash in my center console and took off with the fob. Anyone here had to replace their fob? Is it wise to get a used one or do I have to get a new one at the dealer?

156k on battery is impressive. My previous bimmer original battery lasted 8 years and 90k miles, so my expectation will be similar for my current bimmer.

The fob needs to be programmed to the car, the best route is (unfortunately) through dealer. In CA there is a designated BMWNA number to call, and it costs around $300-ish to have the key cut, delivered, and programmed at dealer.

[adhrp]

Originally Posted by bavarianride

156k on battery is impressive. My previous bimmer original battery lasted 8 years and 90k miles, so my expectation will be similar for my current bimmer.

My original battery is sitting at 7 years and 85k miles. Surprisingly, it hasn't even flinched on the coldest days of this winter so far! Perhaps I will get 8 years out of it.

[bavarianride]

Originally Posted by adhrp

My original battery is sitting at 7 years and 85k miles. Surprisingly, it hasn't even flinched on the coldest days of this winter so far! Perhaps I will get 8 years out of it.

Yeah do try to stretch out factory battery as much as possible, as replacements(even BMW ones) tend to be not as durable.

[izaazk]

2012 BMW 335i RWD:

- hood latches replaced (49K)
- valve cover gasket (59k)
- (suspension in progress - adaptive dampers completely shot @ 55k w/ no lowering springs)
- new sway bar links both sides

[jh_f30]

Originally Posted by adhrp

My original battery is sitting at 7 years and 85k miles. Surprisingly, it hasn't even flinched on the coldest days of this winter so far! Perhaps I will get 8 years out of it.

I'm at 102k on my original battery in a 2013. Never even the slightest sign of losing charge so far. But now that I've said that, it's probably gonna die within the week.

[bavarianride]

Originally Posted by jh_f30

I'm at 102k on my original battery in a 2013. Never even the slightest sign of losing charge so far. But now that I've said that, it's probably gonna die within the week.

That is good data point. So is your auto-start-stop off?

[jh_f30]

Originally Posted by bavarianride

That is good data point. So is your auto-start-stop off?

Yeah. Coded it out about 20k miles ago or so.

[cboosh3]

2013 335 M-sport manual. 183K on original clutch and battery. Several brake jobs and oil changes done, but really that's been about it for me. Exceptionally well screwed together car.

[Tjcf14]

120k 2014 335. Running great. I change oil every 6k, differential every 30k, ATF every 60k. I had extended warranty and just prior to 100k, my SA found issues with valve cover and a few other gaskets and changed them out as well.

[OceannZhu]

70k 2013 328i 8 speed. Mixed driving 50% city/highway. Oil change every 6k and trans service every 45k via drain and fill. Will replace filter/trans plastic oil pan on next service on 85-90k. Original battery, doesn't seem to be wearing out at all since it starts every time with strong crank. But we will consider looking into that since it might fail anytime. No leaks at all at any areas.

Issues and replacement parts:
-Defective seat mat. (covered by warranty)
-Turbo oil line recall, car smoked when start up in the morning. (covered by warranty)
-Passenger side rear window won't roll up or down. (Ignoring it for now)
-Transmission jerk/delay shift from 1st to 2nd in parking lot/low speed under 1800 rpm, happened at around 40k, told by dealer that it's normal and that they can't replicate it.....unsurprising and usual respond from a dealer. So we paid for a drain and fill and that did nothing, but preventative maintenance nonetheless. Wasn't a big deal for my mom so she just drove it like that for another 30k. We were busy as a family with work and school so we just set it aside. Fast forward yesterday, took to our guys at Euroautospot here at San Diego upon recommendation from them and they reset the trans adaptation and now it shifts like butter. No charge. Highly recommend this shop btw if you are in the SD area.
-AC line leak due to two front end collisions, 285$ at Euroautospot plus labor
-P0171, plastic intake housing cracked after second accident, causing it run a little lean from the small leak. Light came on a week ago from (12/31/2018). My other mechanic/friend fixed it with some bonding solution, because a USED part was 300$ for the whole fucking thing. hell no to that. Link to the stuff we used: https://tbbonding.com/product/starter/
-Squeaks and rattles on driver door and sometimes seat and dash, ignore cuz mom blast music and she don't care.

Other than those faults and now a salvage title car, this car has been great. It made a good impression on us since this was our first experience with BMW's and German cars in general. Coming from a family that only runs Toyota's and had great experiences with them, we had our expectations and assumption on these cars. And we can safely say that this car exceeded our expectation. We will look forward to own this car till the wheels fall off.

[leadfoot12]

2014 328i N26 Auto 8spd. 55,000 miles.

So far nothing but routine oil/filter changes every 6k miles.

Driven hard daily, and racking up the miles at about 20k a year.

So far only replaced all four shocks but just because they OE shocks rode a little too soft for my taste. Swapped out with Bilstein B6. Couldn't be happier.

OceannZhu So to fix the trans jerk/delay from 1st to 2nd it was just a computer trans adaptation? I've got the same damn issue, drives me nuts.

[FastActionJax]

2012 328i 6MT (PWG)
73k
Hood latch replace at 63k, still have to pull it twice walk to the front of the car lift the hood like you want to open it, walk back and pull release again then walk back to the front and pull it up again to get it to open, its irritating but people have worse problems.
Thermostat replaced at 65k (had extended thermostat warranty)
Wastegate is showing signs of needing replaced

Other than that, car has been great. No major issues thus far. I plan on keeping this one because I love it so hopefully she continues this trend I don't mind replacing minor things as long as the motor itself holds up and has no major mechanical failures.

[OceannZhu]

Originally Posted by leadfoot12

2014 328i N26 Auto 8spd. 55,000 miles.

So far nothing but routine oil/filter changes every 6k miles.

Driven hard daily, and racking up the miles at about 20k a year.

So far only replaced all four shocks but just because they OE shocks rode a little too soft for my taste. Swapped out with Bilstein B6. Couldn't be happier.

OceannZhu So to fix the trans jerk/delay from 1st to 2nd it was just a computer trans adaptation? I've got the same damn issue, drives me nuts.

Yes it works for us, car now shifts like butter. But I did read a couple more forums and they said it's not a permanent fix. So we hope that it last for a good while

[pcking]

Just turned 165K miles this week on my 2014 320i xDrive. Typically do about 35K/year with a lot of highway miles. Overall, the car has been a GEM, requiring only maintenance and having very few other issues.

Only thing that comes to mind, is that BMW replaced my blower motor just before the car went off warranty. I complained it was a little noisy and they just swapped it - no questions asked. Everything else was almost exclusively maintenance items.

Been through a number of tires and a set of rims - never got as many flats as with my BMW. And the rims bend or crack fairly easily. Broke (2) and bent a few others. Must have went through like TWENTY tires in total between flats and normal wear. Welcome to driving to major cities in the northeast - NYC, Boston, and Philly to name a few. Pot holes are so common they are almost unavoidable... (and yes I carry a full size spare).

I am an AMSOIL dealer, so I do oil changes every 6K miles now. Was going for 10K when it was newer and was paying BMW to do them. Use the Mann filters and added a magnetic drain plug with very little evidence of any metal on the 10+ oil changes since.

Battery still works great - no voltage drop and never any issue starting the car.

Did the transmission service at 60K and 120K - again at 180K, probably around May'19. New pans, fancy fluid, the whole shebang...

Been planning to swap the fluid in both diffs, but haven't gotten there yet.

Whenever something feels like it is due for maintenance, I just upgrade it. Got one brake job done by BMW and then upgraded to all Stoptech parts and swapped the fluid.

Never did any walnut blasting or other intake cleaning, but did upgrade the charge pipes, intercooler, and added a CAI and a catch can at about 85K miles. Then I swapped in a high flow downpipe and a full exhaust before turning on BM3 at around 110K.

I've used up (2) sets of dampers, and plan to swap in Dinan lowering springs and a new set of Bilstein sport struts in the spring since the ride is getting clunky again. I did need to swap a couple bushings along the way, but nothing too extreme and again really a maintenance part.

One thing that is a bit of a mystery - how to service the xDrive unit (aka transfer case). It appears to have no drain plug/port and I have read that to empty and refill requires it to be removed from the car.

When the car is cold, I sometimes hear some whining from what I believe is the xDrive unit, so I feel like I need to do something soon, as sounds like that are typically the precursor of impending doom.

Anyone service the xDrive unit on a F30/N20? Any Tips, tricks, and videos?

And I also need a set of engine mounts and was looking for a DIY video for that too.

But otherwise, my little F30 is a 2 liter rocket, handles like a dream, and has been a true gem. My previous Ford vehicle was constantly in the shop. Thankfully, I got Ford to take back the Taurus after 20 months, since it spent 48 days in the shop on the period and blew the transfer case 3x. Full refund (to the cent) and bought the 320i the next day and never looked back.

[markeys]

Originally Posted by markeys

CPO 2014 335i RWD purchased at 29k miles currently at 44.8k miles.

Issues addressed by dealer under warranty:

• Windshield cowl replacement
• Trim panel adjustment/fix
• Creaky door sills - teflon tape
• Engine oil pressure valve replacement
• Oil filter housing gasket replacement
• Oil pan gasket replacement
• Carbon canister replacement

Current issues that need to be addressed:
Rattling under load

Updates with 50k miles:
- Passenger side xenon light bulb replaced (covered under New Car Warranty)
- Right rear wheel bearing replaced (CPO)
- Rear differential replaced (CPO)
- Rear differential bushing (out of my pocket)

Very happy that CPO covered the diff, that would've been $2k+. Was experiencing a whining noise between 30-60mph, initially thought it was unbalanced wheels or a bad wheel bearing. My dealer found the faulty diff as the culprit.

I'm glad that the warranty (new and CPO) has covered a number of items for me thus far. Kinda scared of what will happen after CPO ends...

[Wgosma]

Good luck going forward.
Those two gaskets should have not started leaking until ~ 100k ; diff replacement ugh that's not good. Wheel bearing failure also pretty rare.