[thejeremyman9]

Originally Posted by varun2136

thats true I'm also a mechanical engineer so I feel I can slowly figure things out on an engineering level.

I stay in Torrance , CA Area

any advice based on where I reside?

There an area of the forum for local recommendations. SSR is a common name i hear for BMW work.

[McGyv3r]

Originally Posted by varun2136

...Overall everything was 2500...

For a reference point:
The PO of my car got the valve cover replaced at the dealership and it cost ~$2000.

As with any car (even honda/toyota) things will break and should be replaced at some point. You can either fix the small things as they pop up, wait and end up with a huge repair bill, or run the car into the ground.

To keep the car in good shape, it comes down to what you value. Do you make good money and hate working on cars? Take it to a shop. Does working on a car relax you? Buy some tools and spend some time on DIY repairs to save cash. Can't afford the repair bill and don't want to wrench? You're going to have an unreliable car that ends up being worthless.

Cars are just time and money.

[varun2136]

Originally Posted by McGyv3r

For a reference point:
The PO of my car got the valve cover replaced at the dealership and it cost ~$2000.

As with any car (even honda/toyota) things will break and should be replaced at some point. You can either fix the small things as they pop up, wait and end up with a huge repair bill, or run the car into the ground.

To keep the car in good shape, it comes down to what you value. Do you make good money and hate working on cars? Take it to a shop. Does working on a car relax you? Buy some tools and spend some time on DIY repairs to save cash. Can't afford the repair bill and don't want to wrench? You're going to have an unreliable car that ends up being worthless.

Cars are just time and money.

I felt I got a decent price.

but I'm a working engineer and its decent not great and not bad I'd say.

but to be honest I want to just mechanically understand the different parts of my car and sadly it took the chargehose and terrible oil leak for me to get motivated to do so.

next thing I'm going to replace is to flush out my coolant at an authorized bmw shop.

they quoted me 200 for that. decent price?

they use distilled water with some official BMW coolant

[MacklinUSOB]

Originally Posted by varun2136

I felt I got a decent price.

but I'm a working engineer and its decent not great and not bad I'd say.

but to be honest I want to just mechanically understand the different parts of my car and sadly it took the chargehose and terrible oil leak for me to get motivated to do so.

next thing I'm going to replace is to flush out my coolant at an authorized bmw shop.

they quoted me 200 for that. decent price?

they use distilled water with some official BMW coolant

I would not suggest a coolant flush on any BMW for any price. Test the fluid and if it passes just leave it until the cooling system requires servicing. At that point I would still only fill without a flush unless there was a lot of contamination found.

Highly recommend a first DIY to be either brakes, an oil change, or a needed service like driveline fluids. Until then you can look at all the technical diagrams and really get familiar with the car without spending a dollar. Learning these is what's going to end up saving you money in the long run. Bimmercat(dot)com

When you need to buy parts for maintenance it's FCP Euro or nothing. Their lifetime warranty has saved me thousands at this point.

[sygazelle]

Originally Posted by Randy Johnson

Welcome to BMW’s. I’m on my 1st one. Same year and model. I started having trouble around 50k miles. Valve cover gasket, ignition coils, e-brake cable clamp. I fixed each issue myself but troubleshooting was not easy. I spent under $200 for all. I noticed a lot of seals and plastic parts are severely dry rotted and brittle. A few trim pieces were replaced by the dealer a few years ago when still under warranty. South Motors BMW sucks A$$ so I’m surprised they did any warranty work at all. Anyway these cars seem to have a pretty short shelf life. Get out and enjoy it before it blows up!!!!

Sorry you have been having issues with your first BMW. You should know that every BMW owner does not have the problems you have experienced.

I'm on my 5th BMW since 1988. I buy them, keep them. Other than the one that crashed, the ones I've sold had over 200k miles on them with no major mechanical issues whatsoever. Routine maintenance is all.

It's not always a horror story, that's for sure.

Here's a photo of my current BMW. I picked it up in Munich in 2013. It has 72,000 trouble-free miles and looks like new.

[WDE82]

Originally Posted by sygazelle

Sorry you have been having issues with your first BMW. You should know that every BMW owner does not have the problems you have experienced.

I'm on my 5th BMW since 1988. I buy them, keep them. Other than the one that crashed, the ones I've sold had over 200k miles on them with no major mechanical issues whatsoever. Routine maintenance is all.

It's not always a horror story, that's for sure.

Here's a photo of my current BMW. I picked it up in Munich in 2013. It has 72,000 trouble-free miles and looks like new.

His car hasn't been a horror story. He had an oil leak and one other problem.

This whole thread is weird. BMWs are not reliable. Period. Full stop. The dealers charge absurd rates. These are the realities of owning one. If you do not DIY, it's fucking expensive.

OP you either learn to troubleshoot and repair on your own or you're subject to getting bent over. There is no better way to learn a car than to work on it yourself. Interestingly I'm an ME in Torrance. Started working on my own BMW a decade ago. If you want to own one you pay up or fix it yourself.

[sygazelle]

Originally Posted by WDE82

His car hasn't been a horror story. He had an oil leak and one other problem.

This whole thread is weird. BMWs are not reliable. Period. Full stop. The dealers charge absurd rates. These are the realities of owning one. If you do not DIY, it's fucking expensive.

OP you either learn to troubleshoot and repair on your own or you're subject to getting bent over. There is no better way to learn a car than to work on it yourself. Interestingly I'm an ME in Torrance. Started working on my own BMW a decade ago. If you want to own one you pay up or fix it yourself.

I can only talk about my personal experience while you have no problem making a blanket statement for everybody. I'm sure I'm pissing up a rope here but I'll give it one try and respond to your comment.

Gladly, my experience is different than yours. I'm in my 6th decade of owning BMWs. I buy them new and well-optioned, and take care of them properly. I take the free maintenance when they started providing it and went straight to an indy I've used for 20 years when the dealer wasn't free. Never once have I paid BMW rates for anything. Never in all 5 cars did I have any kind of a mechanical breakdown. So, your full stop comment is lost on me.

Several friends and family members have purchased BMWs and I can't think of a single one that has a bad thing to say about their BMW experience.

If you are buying a used, previously-thrashed BMW, and continuing the thrashing, then you might have a different outcome.

[WDE82]

Originally Posted by sygazelle

I can only talk about my personal experience while you have no problem making a blanket statement for everybody. I'm sure I'm pissing up a rope here but I'll give it one try and respond to your comment.

Gladly, my experience is different than yours. I'm in my 6th decade of owning BMWs. I buy them new and well-optioned, and take care of them properly. I take the free maintenance when they started providing it and went straight to an indy I've used for 20 years when the dealer wasn't free. Never once have I paid BMW rates for anything. Never in all 5 cars did I have any kind of a mechanical breakdown. So, your full stop comment is lost on me.

Several friends and family members have purchased BMWs and I can't think of a single one that has a bad thing to say about their BMW experience.

If you are buying a used, previously-thrashed BMW, and continuing the thrashing, then you might have a different outcome.

BMWs are factually not particularly reliable. Idk why people are in denial of this.

Yeah when you get a new BMW under warranty every 5 years they're "reliable". OP's car isn't young in terms of years. There is always someone who will claim they've literally never had an issue. None of mine have ever had a mechanical breakdown either. But I take care of them. If you don't keep up they fall apart. That is not reliability.

[Randy Johnson]

Originally Posted by varun2136

damn at least you spent much lower. I just am so busy in other areas of life its hard for me to spend a full day or two on it. I really need to get to the point like you and really study how to work on my car seriously.

how are the issues after you replaced everything yourself?

If you were to invest in quality parts from little things to up how do you feel your bmw will last?

I always hear of people driving beyond 100k miles with their BMW/Audis with no issues it blows my mind

I’ve worked on all my cars for over 30 years. BMWs are new to me and come with a pretty big learning curve but I am very confident in my repairs. Car should last over 100k miles. It’s true you really need the time to troubleshoot and repair. Glad you got it running right again.

[Randy Johnson]

Originally Posted by varun2136

damn at least you spent much lower. I just am so busy in other areas of life its hard for me to spend a full day or two on it. I really need to get to the point like you and really study how to work on my car seriously.

how are the issues after you replaced everything yourself?

If you were to invest in quality parts from little things to up how do you feel your bmw will last?

I always hear of people driving beyond 100k miles with their BMW/Audis with no issues it blows my mind

I’ve worked on all my cars for over 30 years. BMWs are new to me and come with a pretty big learning curve but I am very confident in my repairs. Car should last over 100k miles. It’s true you really need the time to troubleshoot and repair. Glad you got it running right again.

[MacklinUSOB]

Originally Posted by WDE82

BMWs are factually not particularly reliable. Idk why people are in denial of this.

Yeah when you get a new BMW under warranty every 5 years they're "reliable". OP's car isn't young in terms of years. There is always someone who will claim they've literally never had an issue. None of mine have ever had a mechanical breakdown either. But I take care of them. If you don't keep up they fall apart. That is not reliability.

I have had two BMW motors go kaput on me over the years, an M62 and a M52, I am not one who would suggest exceptional relatability. I will say, however, that my experience would have been different with a lower mileage car. My F30 is nearly 10 years old and still dependable as ever, because I took care of it.

[thejeremyman9]

It really depends how you define reliable... To me being prone to oil leaks does not mean a car is not reliable. Reliable is more the question of whether or not it will frequently break down and leave you stranded (i.e., require tow). The F3x N55 in that sense is actually quite reliable, especially the EWG years.

[WDE82]

Originally Posted by thejeremyman9

It really depends how you define reliable... To me being prone to oil leaks does not mean a car is not reliable. Reliable is more the question of whether or not it will frequently break down and leave you stranded (i.e., require tow). The F3x N55 in that sense is actually quite reliable, especially the EWG years.

Reliable compared to what? A Land Rover?

[bavarianride]

Originally Posted by thejeremyman9

It really depends how you define reliable... To me being prone to oil leaks does not mean a car is not reliable. Reliable is more the question of whether or not it will frequently break down and leave you stranded (i.e., require tow). The F3x N55 in that sense is actually quite reliable, especially the EWG years.

Do note oil leaks onto drive belts can cause belt shredding, and the shredded belt can get through crank seal into the engine.

I would say Toyota without oil leaks past 200k miles is the definition of reliability.

[MacklinUSOB]

Originally Posted by bavarianride

Do note oil leaks onto drive belts can cause belt shredding, and the shredded belt can get through crank seal into the engine.

I would say Toyota without oil leaks past 200k miles is the definition of reliability.

The belt consumption issue you reference was common with the N54 and eliminated in subsequent designs. I think we can all agree that N54s are not very reliable at least.

[bavarianride]

Originally Posted by MacklinUSOB

The belt consumption issue you reference was common with the N54 and eliminated in subsequent designs. I think we can all agree that N54s are not very reliable at least.

F30's N55 still does not factory crank seal guard, while N20/N26 does. There are aftermarket parts for N55:

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-kies-mot...n55s55sealgua/

[Randy Johnson]

Originally Posted by WDE82

Reliable compared to what? A Land Rover?

Or an jaguar!!!! Or anything italian!!!

[McGyv3r]

This thread has definitely gone sideways.

Originally Posted by MacklinUSOB

I would not suggest a coolant flush on any BMW for any price. Test the fluid and if it passes just leave it until the cooling system requires servicing. At that point I would still only fill without a flush unless there was a lot of contamination found

Any background or reasoning for this advice? I'm of the mindset that coolant should be flushed every two years or so. I agree about starting with an oil change or brake job for a beginner, but properly flushing the coolant at the specified interval is important for any car.

[thejeremyman9]

Originally Posted by McGyv3r

This thread has definitely gone sideways.



Any background or reasoning for this advice? I'm of the mindset that coolant should be flushed every two years or so. I agree about starting with an oil change or brake job for a beginner, but properly flushing the coolant at the specified interval is important for any car.

IIRC coolant flush is 100k for the first one. Flushing every 2 years really isnt necessary under normal conditions. Brake fluid is 2 years, but that's just a generic timeframe and you can test to confirm when it needs to be changed. But in any case, if OP did OFHG, he may need to do coolant now. I believe people reported some oil in coolant after that job, depending on how much care was taken.

[MacklinUSOB]

Originally Posted by thejeremyman9

IIRC coolant flush is 100k for the first one. Flushing every 2 years really isnt necessary under normal conditions. Brake fluid is 2 years, but that's just a generic timeframe and you can test to confirm when it needs to be changed. But in any case, if OP did OFHG, he may need to do coolant now. I believe people reported some oil in coolant after that job, depending on how much care was taken.

One important thing to note that the 100k interval is for a replacement of the fluid, F30 does not have a coolant flush interval. In those instances where contamination is suspected or confirmed, absolutely go for it, flush it out. At that mileage most cars are going to require at least one repair where coolant needs to be drained so I see little reason to change it before then. I still have the factory coolant and test it yearly, still good at almost 90,000 miles. Mind you this is one of the only fluids I do not change yearly since I track the car.

[bavarianride]

Originally Posted by MacklinUSOB

One important thing to note that the 100k interval is for a replacement of the fluid, F30 does not have a coolant flush interval. In those instances where contamination is suspected or confirmed, absolutely go for it, flush it out. At that mileage most cars are going to require at least one repair where coolant needs to be drained so I see little reason to change it before then. I still have the factory coolant and test it yearly, still good at almost 90,000 miles. Mind you this is one of the only fluids I do not change yearly since I track the car.

How do u test your coolant@90k miles? You mean this?

https://www.amazon.com/Prestone-AF-1.../dp/B000BOA9RY

[bavarianride]

Do note coolant has two properties.

Anti-freeze/anti-boil(as tested by a hydrometer like Prestone's).

There is also anti-corrosion property that needs to be pH tested. Any time the coolant approached neutral(pH 7) may need to be replenished.

E.g. my F30 did get a coolant change around 60k miles ($100 extra) when the coolant turned from greenish-blue to pale blue, and pH tested to almost 7. This was caused by dealer changing thermostat per recall, and BMWNA only paid for 1L of fresh coolant. The foreman acknowledged they had to reuse drained(and likely contaminated) coolant against TIS recommendation.