[drewkelly]

One of the original MTV VJs once said in an interview, "Working for MTV is like having a really hot girlfriend that treats you like shit," meaning you've got the coolest gig in town that you want everyone to see you doing but the pay, benefits and mistreatment is unbearable.

I feel like this is my relationship with my F30.

I love this car. Like many of you on this board, I've been accused of loving this car more than a spouse or kids. I love the look, the performance and most of all the character; the way it makes you feel.

But it does not love me.

Regular oil changes, only the best gas available and meticulous care is not enough. So far I have:

• Replaced the turbocharger wastegate actuator
• Replaced the horn (twice)
• Replaced a seat belt tensioner
• Replaced a side mirror turn signal
• Replaced exhaust actuator clip (that just fell off I guess?)

....and other minor stuff that would send a non-handy person to a service center.

Don't get me wrong...I love the car and enjoy working on it. But, what if this were someone's daily driver who doesn't know where a dipstick is? They'd be thousands in the hole.

Am I alone in this feeling, or is this a typical BMW ownership experience?

[Wires]

Knock on wood, but the only issue I've had (other than software updates) was a "rail bearing" in the left front wheel that got swapped out on warranty.

[TheJungatron]

Buy your parts on FCP Euro. Pay once and its free replacements for life. Same goes for oil changes. This will make ownership cheaper in the long run if you plan on keeping that car for years.

Good luck!

Originally Posted by drewkelly

Regular oil changes, only the best gas available and meticulous care is not enough. So far I have:

• Replaced the turbocharger wastegate actuator
• Replaced the horn (twice)
• Replaced a seat belt tensioner
• Replaced a side mirror turn signal
• Replaced exhaust actuator clip (that just fell off I guess?)

[amancuso]

Just curious, what is your mileage, when did you buy it and where did you buy it?

[Desertnate]

What you experience could happen to any car. I've owned cars that were far more unreliable than my BMW.

The added complexity of BMW's will lead to things like the exhaust actuator breaking (I had that problem too). The rest of the issues you mention could happen in any car. I wouldn't let it get you down. Just enjoy the car.

[culpability]

I've got probably 70,000 miles in BMW's and 70,000 in Fords. My Mustang totally bricked at 13,000 miles and my F150 was just plagued with problems (that were thankfully all covered under an extended warranty, holy smokes t hat warranty saved me over $15k).

In my BMW ownership the only remotely "unexpected" repair I've ever needed was a transmission service at 70,000 miles on a 328i, compared to easily over $20k in warranty repairs on the Fords. I think its all luck of the draw, in my experience the BMW's have been much more enjoyable to own.

[Psi5]

Many BMW chassis/engines have known issues (e.g., ask me about E39 water pumps and valve cover gaskets), but what you're describing sounds sounds like bad luck with an F30. That said, even after dropping $$$ into my E39 540, I was happy every time I got in and loved every minute of driving it. Fix your car, drive it, and smile!

[CajunBMW]

Originally Posted by Psi5

Many BMW chassis/engines have known issues (e.g., ask me about E39 water pumps and valve cover gaskets), but what you're describing sounds sounds like bad luck with an F30. That said, even after dropping $$$ into my E39 540, I was happy every time I got in and loved every minute of driving it. Fix your car, drive it, and smile!

+1!!!!

[erickonphoenix]

I've had a lot of experience with different brands in the intermediate price level and yeah, BMWs tend to be a little more high maintenance than the rest. However, I love the driving experience in a class of car I can actually afford so I accept the idiosyncrasies. But also, most all my cars have had some odd characteristic or two.

Well, except my Mustang GT that I bought new in 2016 then put 95,000 miles on it without so much as a oil leak. That was a bit of head scratcher in it's own way.

But here's some food for thought. Of all my cars through the years the one that's been the most problematic is actually the daughters N280 Toyota 4 Runner. It's not the labor of working on it like taking the engine out to the seal service but the parts on that thing are like Aston Martin prices. Eight hundred dollars for an oil cooler?? It's far and away costing us the most money to keep running out of the Camry, Mercedes ML, Jeep Wrangler, Honda Accord and my F30.

[Randy Johnson]

BMW are temperamental bitches!!! I've owned dozens of asian cars that were trouble free for 10's of thousands of miles.

Bought a used 435i in great shape and it has had the common random BMW issues.
Valve cover gasket leaking at 50k miles
Coils go bad at just under 60k miles
Battery for SOS Warning dies at around 60k miles
Lower windshield cowl dry rotted at cracked at 41k miles
Rubber trim and seals are disintegrating
Plus oil changes and other maintenance is 2-3 times the cost of asian cars even when doing it yourself.

Not sure if I'll buy another BWM.

[cfm56d7b]

Originally Posted by amancuso

Just curious, what is your mileage, when did you buy it and where did you buy it?

Great questions. Experiences with vehicles purchased new or used with more than one owner vary greatly. Looking forward to OP providing more information.

[drewkelly]

Originally Posted by amancuso

Just curious, what is your mileage, when did you buy it and where did you buy it?

Originally Posted by amancuso

Just curious, what is your mileage, when did you buy it and where did you buy it?

Excellent questions.

It's a 2013, purchased in 2017 with 23,000 miles on it. I bought it from a Subaru dealer in Central PA and the car originally came from BMW of Manhattan. I'm now at 90,000 miles.

[jv004]

Only big issue I had aside from the regular and preventative maintenance is having a transmission leak which ended up transmission being replaced just under 50k miles. Luckily all covered under the warranty just before warranty ran out lol, no other issues so far.
Oh and other issue I had was a door actuator going out and replaced, and the expected valve cover gasket.
I say you're doing good if that's all the issues u had, annoying but minor.

[Billfitz]

What do hot cars and hot girlfriends have in common? They're both high maintenance. Deal with it, and enjoy the ride.

[drewkelly]

Originally Posted by Jungatron

Buy your parts on FCP Euro. Pay once and its free replacements for life. Same goes for oil changes. This will make ownership cheaper in the long run if you plan on keeping that car for years.

Good luck!

Originally Posted by Jungatron

Buy your parts on FCP Euro. Pay once and its free replacements for life. Same goes for oil changes. This will make ownership cheaper in the long run if you plan on keeping that car for years.

Good luck!

I did not know that!

Great advice...thank you!