[Kafkaesque328]

statistically so far, if you believe JD power, consumer reports and other sources point to the 3 series with the n20 engine to be one of the more reliable BMWs of all time. There are like 5 dudes on the forums who swear the sky is falling with this timing chain tensioner failure or whatever but this doesn't seem to effect the overall reliability of the F30. Its not going to be cheap or anything to keep long term, everything costs more to replace and fix on a BMW vs. a Camry or something and labor is more. This is common knowledge. My parents on the other hand have a 7 year old Infinity EX35 and its cost them a mint to keep going. You never know

[blankito]

Personally I don't trust my BMWs enough to keep them long term. I usually buy them 3-4 years old with CPO and then sell them when CPO is over...

I had 4 BMWs so far (135i, X3, X3 and 435i).. some didn't need anything beside regular maintenance, some would have cost me 10,000$+ in repairs if I didn't have warranty on them so you never know.

If you can do some repairs by yourself it's something else, but if you rely on the dealership to do every single repair, you're better off buying a newer car after a few years

[blankito]

Originally Posted by Gen13 F36

Will they replace xenon headlight for condesation? Mine started to condensate, passenger side but it's gone after awhile. This happens when I wash the car....condensation appears and disappear after. How do you prove it.

They won't replace it automatically, but if you complain enough they will usually eventually do it. Make sure you take pictures when it's really bad it's going to help your case

I was lucky enough that they even replaced mine with the newer model

[Savageenterprise]

Originally Posted by BrettKA7

I'll start by saying I love my car. I loved it when I upgraded from an Acura TL Type-S to a 328i, and I love it even more after some cosmetic improvements and a new suspension.

I had to have a harness replaced for an inoperable rear left turn signal. It had a short and was burning the tail lamp out repeatedly. I had to fix an oil leak that began before 60k miles. I have a terrible pop in my steering rack that BMW was unable to replicate last time, so I'm waiting until it gets worse to rectify.

Not one of these items could have been prevented by staying on top of general maintenance.

I can't trust BMW's recommendations for any fluids because of how long the intervals are, so I don't feel they care how it holds up after the warranty is over. An engine replacement can run upwards of $20k if it came down to it.

I have CarMax warranty up to 100k miles and I'm currently at 67k. I need to have walnut blasting done, coolant changed, transmission fluid changed, and differential fluid changed if I plan to keep it past the warranty.

I just don't know if I want to try to make this a long term car or if I'd be better off swapping to a Lexus once the warranty is just about done? The timing chain defect also has me a bit concerned but I'm not worrying about that until just before 100k miles if BMW isn't going to issue a recall.

My wife’s 2011 e90 328i xdrive had 88k miles when we got rid of it. The only unplanned maintenance we had in that car from 7k miles until we got rid of it was oil filter gasket on filter housing (common issue) and a fuel pump. I can honestly say it was a great ownership experience and it’s one of the reasons I decided to look at a BMW for myself.

That being said, comparing a Lexus to a BMW is almost unfair. Lexus/Toyota is probably one of the ,most reliable cars on the market period...BMW not so much. You can abuse the shit out of a Camry and it’s like a bowling ball, it just keeps coming back for more. My mom has a 2007 Lexus gs350, lots of miles on it. No issues, just regular maintenance. If you want peace of mind and lower repair costs, go with the Lexus. If you don’t care about the money factor and the inconvenience, then it’s really a toss up imo.

[Cyanfall]

yes. I had been bmw driver for 6 years and bmw never failed for me once. there were some minor issues like instrument screen shut down by itself but the car always run.

[Gen13 F36]

Originally Posted by blankito

They won't replace it automatically, but if you complain enough they will usually eventually do it. Make sure you take pictures when it's really bad it's going to help your case

I was lucky enough that they even replaced mine with the newer model

Will do, thanks

[That340i]

Originally Posted by BrettKA7

Sounds like a nightmare out of warranty, and my car has all the tech yours does. My power folding mirrors have always sounded like they don't necessarily want to fold/unfold.

That's why Im glad It's under warranty, I most likely won't be having once the warranty run's out... You should get your mirror's checked whenever I folded them in and tried to fold them back out you could hear a loud grinding sound and the mirrors would "jump" almost and wouldn't fold back out... I LOVE my car regardless of all of the issues I've had.

[chhappy7]

Originally Posted by That340i

That's why Im glad It's under warranty, I most likely won't be having once the warranty run's out... You should get your mirror's checked whenever I folded them in and tried to fold them back out you could hear a loud grinding sound and the mirrors would "jump" almost and wouldn't fold back out... I LOVE my car regardless of all of the issues I've had.

You have quite an interesting current lineup of cars XD I would be interested to find out how you ended up with the mix

[That340i]

Originally Posted by Gen13 F36

Will they replace xenon headlight for condesation? Mine started to condensate, passenger side but it's gone after awhile. This happens when I wash the car....condensation appears and disappear after. How do you prove it.

My dealer didn't replace mine right away, took me about 3 or 4 times taking it in for service and complaining when they finally replaced it. I took them to the automatic brush wash (I know that was dumb, no need to tell me. And that car wash left black spots all over my damn car) to let them see for themselves and they replaced it on my next service visit (Didn't have enough time for them to do it that day). Anyways that automatic car wash left little black spots all over my paint, I noticed this when I had gotten home and took the car back and the manager kept trying to convince me it came from a tree (MY CAR DOESN'T EVEN GET NEAR TREE'S!!!!) So after damn near 30 mins. of me arguing with him about how it wasn't a tree he decided that to prove it wasn't his "Million dollar equipment" he ran the car through again and the crap still didn't come off and it's still on my paint because It won't come off. I wanted to take legal action against the car wash but I didn't because I don't know if I should, wife told me to do whatever I wanted but I still can't decide if I want to (is that petty? To take legal action over paint?)

[RM7]

Nope. One day the entire rear half of my car wouldn't work, no hatch, rear lights, etc. Lots of errors on the display. The rear ECU had just decided to crap out. Was able to get the car re-programmed at the dealer, but this confirmed my suspicion that all these electronics can't possibly work in the future, the cars are just too goddamn complex. I looked up what a rear ECU would be if I was outside of warranty. IMO, unless it's a really special car that does something amazing for you (and even then you need to step back and make sure it's a good decision), a new car with a warranty is the only way to go. IMO, we have entered an era where the cars are so complex half the stuff won't be working 10-15 years down the road.

[cfm56d7b]

Originally Posted by jh_f30

Nearly 101k miles on my '13 335. Just regular maintenance, a few sets of tires, and oil cooler/filter housing gaskets. Zero other issues. I plan to drive it into the ground, hoping to get at least 50k more miles! Will be interesting to see what pops up on these forums once more cars get into the 150-200k mile range.

Nice trouble free track record. How is the original charge pipe doing? It's made of hard plastic.

[jh_f30]

Originally Posted by cfm56d7b

Nice trouble free track record. How is the original charge pipe doing? It's made of hard plastic.

I have VRSF cp & dp fitted. I wasn't really counting that as maintenance nor did the stock one blow out so I didn't count it as an issue either. Guess I just consider it a supporting mod.

[tsm007]

I'm on my 3rd 328i (E90, E92, & F30). They're amazing vehicles, great fun and very capable. The engine and transmission are bulletproof as long as you keep up on the maintenance.
I haven't had any issues on my F30. On my E90, I've changed the power steering pump, water pump, valve cover gasket, ignition coils, starter, control arms, suspension, and annually pads and rotors. It's up to 140K miles now, still running like new.
I do most of the work myself and if I can't, I take it to my local shop that specializes in BMW.
As far as swapping for a Lexus, my brother has the 2017 ES350, it's well built and bulletproof like most Toyotas but it's just too boring. When you drive BMW not too many cars can meet the standard it sets.

[cfm56d7b]

Originally Posted by jh_f30

I have VRSF cp & dp fitted. I wasn't really counting that as maintenance nor did the stock one blow out so I didn't count it as an issue either. Guess I just consider it a supporting mod.

What was the mileage when VRSF charge pipe has been installed?

[jh_f30]

Originally Posted by cfm56d7b

What was the mileage when VRSF charge pipe has been installed?

Just under 80k. Got the car with about 52k. No idea if it was ever replaced in the first 52k miles of its life, but the one I took out was oem plastic.

[brettbmw]

I'm considering a diesel next time. But I'm keeping my 320i till I reach 100k. 46k as of yest.

[tsm007]

Originally Posted by brettbmw

I'm considering a diesel next time. But I'm keeping my 320i till I reach 100k. 46k as of yest.

Diesel station wagons are awesome. Super practical and reliable.

[AGONXF30]

I do, I have 100k in my 2012 and I am confident it will last another 100k with proper care.

[adhrp]

Originally Posted by AGONXF30

I do, I have 100k in my 2012 and I am confident it will last another 100k with proper care.

Have you had the transmission fluid changed? If not, are you planning to? I'm at 83k and contemplating an ATF change.

[Al Bundy's Dodge]

My E90 was bullet proof. Could have kept her a long time, but decided at age 9+ to trade her in for....


...an F30 that sounds and feels rickety with creaks and rattles. Had a number of issues at around 28k miles (thermostat, struts, emissions). Hard to have confidence in her...

[AGONXF30]

Originally Posted by adhrp

Have you had the transmission fluid changed? If not, are you planning to? I'm at 83k and contemplating an ATF change.

Did at 60k.

[That340i]

Originally Posted by Al Bundy's Dodge

My E90 was bullet proof. Could have kept her a long time, but decided at age 9+ to trade her in for....


...an F30 that sounds and feels rickety with creaks and rattles. Had a number of issues at around 28k miles (thermostat, struts, emissions). Hard to have confidence in her...

My 2011 335 was also perfect (beside maintenance and some random hilarious things that would stop working periodically then start working for a month or two.) And my current 340 was pretty "problematic" these first few thousand miles. Completely different than my 335.