How expensive is it to maintain a bimmer?

[mikeee2]

All,

I am in the midst of waiting for the new 2006 bmw 3 series. Never own a bmw before and been driving my old honda. Just curious how expensive it is for you guys to maintain your bmw after the warranty is over. Example: how much is a usual tune up? oil change? changing brake pads/rotors, etc. I am just curious if it cost a leg and arm to maintain it. I know it'll be free maintenance for the first 4 yr/50k miles but just wanna know what I can expect afterward. If it costs too much I might have to get an Acura TSX instead.

Thanks...

[BGReddy00]

ive owned 3 my newest is my 2002 325i and i just went out of warrenty first oil service at 41k $220...i usually just turn them back in when it goes out and get a new car they just break way too much..im gonna buy a mercedes within the next year instead this time..

[mikeee2]

$220 for an oil change? damnnnnnnn.....my crappy old honda does it for $20 bucks...

I am pretty sure you took it back to the dealers to do it. Does any bimmer owners here bring it to outside mechanics that specialize in german cars? And how much a difference do do they charge vs the bmw dealers?

[RobbieR]

IMO, if you want cheaper maintenance and less electrical gremlins, an older Bimmer is the way to go. Buy one from a BMW enthusiest with plenty of maintenance receipts.

I just can't justify letting a dealership steal money from me by performing a "service" on my car.

[RobbieR]

$220 for an oil change? damnnnnnnn.....my crappy old honda does it for $20 bucks...

I am pretty sure you took it back to the dealers to do it. Does any bimmer owners here bring it to outside mechanics that specialize in german cars? And how much a difference do do they charge vs the bmw dealers?

Never, ever bring your Bimmer to a dealership for anything. That goes for any brand of car. If something goes wrong with the BMW that is major, visit an independent BMW shop. There are plenty out there.

[fritzintn]

[climbs up off the floor after laughing at the $220 oil change]

30 bucks at Walmart for Mobil1, 7 for a filter from the dealer, and about two beers (i drink fast :)) and you're done.

If you are buying a 2006 then you should be covered by warranty for the majority of your service, during that time try to find a good independent shop recommended by other BMWCCA members in your area.

[///M_Nicht]

You just convinced me to open my own oil change service.

These cars are much easier to work on than you'd imagine....especially routine maintenance like oil, spark plugs, air filter...

[Jwright]

I don't think its to expensive to maintain a bimmer. I've driven my M3 for 10k miles now and we've put around 20-25k on the 740i. Neither car has had any problems. Had to replace the 02 sensor on the M3, but it was time anyways.

[JSN]

if you have to ask....

just kidding. If you have a good indy dealer near you, it's no more than any other car.

[dinomite]

if you have to ask....

just kidding. If you have a good indy dealer near you, it's no more than any other car.
Exactly. As long as you don't go to the dealer (which goes for all cars) you won't pay much more on maintenance than any other car. Sure there are some expensive pieces, but a BMW has a lot of features that your Honda doesn't. On the contrary, however, I recently replaced all four rotors and all the pads for just $250 in parts. It'd be tough to find a deal like that for any car.

[marcio]

Having owned a BMW (E36 and E46) and a Japanese car (Toyota and Mazda) side-by-side for years, in my experience a BMW costs about 50% more to maintain (after free maintenance/warranty runs out) and has more expensive and less reliable parts that can break.

[BJO]

i've owned my e36 m3 for 6years and my wife just got an '01 325i 2 months ago. here's my view on BMW maintenance.
1. If you can learn how to work on your car, your maintenance costs will be alot lower.
2. The dealer is good for warranty work or if your car needs to be analyzed by the special dealer computer.
3. Join the BMW car club. The discount on parts alone will cover the $35/year fee.
4. The newer cars have alot more electronic items that will eventually fail. If you do get a newer car, try not to go overboard with the electronic gizmos. (power seats, electronic climate controls, NAV)

[Boondoggie]

The numbers on the back of the car are a handy reference for how much a visit to the dealer will cost you...

$325
$540
$750
$1003 (M3)

[coolio4433]

i've owned my e36 m3 for 6years and my wife just got an '01 325i 2 months ago. here's my view on BMW maintenance.
1. If you can learn how to work on your car, your maintenance costs will be alot lower.
2. The dealer is good for warranty work or if your car needs to be analyzed by the special dealer computer.
3. Join the BMW car club. The discount on parts alone will cover the $35/year fee.
4. The newer cars have alot more electronic items that will eventually fail. If you do get a newer car, try not to go overboard with the electronic gizmos. (power seats, electronic climate controls, NAV)


Have you ever had a seat failure? :confused
Just curious, doesn't seem like that's been a major issue. :D

[Makr]

I dont know about the brand new BMWs, but my old 633 has given me years of relativaly trouble free miles. Long term it has been very cheap to own. The parts might be more expensive, but you don't have to replace them very often.

[bigbris1]

Bottom line is this:

If you're mechanically inclined & can get under your car for the not too major issues you'll be fine.

If you go to the dealer for something as minor as an oil change, not only are you an idiot, you open yourself up for this formula:

c:enter#######

.

[NickM3]

If you can do your own work, then maintaining almost any car isn't too bad. Unless you have something major to replace.

Most of the Ferrari owners i know that own F-cars out of warrentee do their own maintenance.

[Ridgeway]

More than a honda but less than a porsche to maintain. :)

oil change: $80
brake job: $800
Inspections: +-$500
etc

[BCM M3]

My 3 series is the easiest car to work on I've ever worked on. Synthetic oil changes cost about $40 if you DIY. Brake job (new fluid, pads/rotors all around) was about $300 in parts. Dealer wanted something insane like $1200. Never ever take your car to a dealer if it is out of warranty.

[Zoso]

I'm just going to reiterate what other people have said - maintain it yourself or be prepared to pay if you go to the rapest...er..... dealer.

Parts aren't that bad in most cases and with places like eap4parts and the BMWCCA discount, they are ok. I've done tons of work on my M3 and my 1991 318i. A lot of people are scared to get under a BMW, but in all honesty, they are easy to work on.


..... unless you accidently cross thread a hole in an E30 that holds the lollipop that holds your control arm bushing and control arm... then they can be a pain to work on :)

[mikeee2]

I am definitely not good at fixing cars myself. Attempted on my accord but end up causing a mess. As changing a bulb here and that, that I can manage but that's about all. When you guys say +/-500 for inspection...what kinda inspection is that? 800 for brakes? wow...that's expensive!!!

[Ridgeway]

I am definitely not good at fixing cars myself. Attempted on my accord but end up causing a mess. As changing a bulb here and that, that I can manage but that's about all. When you guys say +/-500 for inspection...what kinda inspection is that? 800 for brakes? wow...that's expensive!!!

Inspection I: @ 30k miles
Inspection II: @ 60k miles & every 30k thereafter

cost varies depending on what they do/need to do

[BJO]

Have you ever had a seat failure? :confused
Just curious, doesn't seem like that's been a major issue. :D

what do you mean by seat failure? my m3 has manual sparco seats and my wife's car has manual factory seats. even when my m3 had the powered, heated luxury seats for 5 1/2 years, it never had any problems...

[ajm]

If you are rich enough that money doesnt really matter, and ease is more important than thousands of dollars, then the dealer is for you. But this does not hold true for most people on bimmerforums, even if they have the money. Most people on here are enthusiasts, love their cars, and possibly most importantly - arent afraid of them.

[bigbris1]

If you are rich enough that money doesnt really matter, and ease is more important than thousands of dollars, then the dealer is for you. But this does not hold true for most people on bimmerforums, even if they have the money. Most people on here are enthusiasts, love their cars, and possibly most importantly - arent afraid of them.

I concur. Additionally, from my experience sometimes taking your car to the dealer is not the best idea, even tho we all, when faced with a real problem are tempted to take it in, thinking they must know what's wrong & how to fix it. You'll find most of them are idiots anyway & don't care a lick about you or your car.

[TiS52ZM]

Mywife bought a brand new 323 CI in 2000 w/sport & premium package. The 1st month the rear brakes started squeaking and the dealer said it was normal. Problem #2 the drivers door seals were coming off. Problem #3 the sunroof stopped working. All 3 were fixed by the dealer under warranty. After the warranty was over, we replaced the rear bushings & water pump (60k miles). Last week, the 323 CI could not go into reverse. The transmission went out @ 76,xxxx miles. The dealer said it was going to cost $5k :eek, we then decided to trade it in. After being in the dealership for 6 hours, we ended up with a 04' X3 2.5. We managed to bargain the price down from $39,xxx to $36,xxx ($500 over invoice). Exterior: Gray/silver Interior: gray leather w/premium package, steptronic, & heated seats. The best part of the car is the panaramic sunroof. The X3 2.5 drives smoothly and handles turn pretty good. The X3 is now a garage queen, I'm waiting for the new Discovery this fall. It has the genes of the new Range Rover w/the Jaguar's engine 300 horsepower. A definite trade in, if I get approval from the CFO.

[dinomite]

After being in the dealership for 6 hours, we ended up with a 04' X3 2.5. We managed to bargain the price down from $39,xxx to $36,xxx ($500 over invoice). Exterior: Gray/silver Interior: gray leather w/premium package, steptronic, & heated seats. The best part of the car is the panaramic sunroof. The X3 2.5 drives smoothly and handles turn pretty good. The X3 is now a garage queen, I'm waiting for the new Discovery this fall. It has the genes of the new Range Rover w/the Jaguar's engine 300 horsepower. A definite trade in, if I get approval from the CFO.
Good to hear you weren't deterred from buying another BMW due to the quality of that 323. Hopefully it was just first model-year woes.

[marcio]

Good to hear you weren't deterred from buying another BMW due to the quality of that 323. Hopefully it was just first model-year woes.

Only now I noticed that the original poster is buying a 2006 3-series. Be prepared for a lot of repairs. Not necessarily that you'd have problems, but be warned. I had a E36 with a production date of 09/91 and I'd never buy a first year model BMW in my life again.

[ajm]

I concur. Additionally, from my experience sometimes taking your car to the dealer is not the best idea, even tho we all, when faced with a real problem are tempted to take it in, thinking they must know what's wrong & how to fix it. You'll find most of them are idiots anyway & don't care a lick about you or your car.
The dealer gives you a false sense of security definetly - you think that since youre doing what the factory tells you to, youre doing the right thing. I would suggest finding a good private mechanic for stuff you cant do yourself(if youre into working on your car) Finding a good mechanic can be difficult however, which is another reason why most people go to the dealer.

And as a general rule, the newer a car is, the harder it is to work on.

[mikeee2]

Yes, all along I've wanted a bmw 3 series. But now that I am hearing all these about how expensive it is to maintain one, I might just switch to my 2nd choice, which is an Acura TSX. It's not as prestige as a bmw 3 series, I've test drove a manual and it felt pretty good. Not a v6 though but the 200 horses were pretty good. The interior is also very good with tons of standard equipment. Obviously it's a fwd and don't have the bmw badge on it but it's much cheaper to maintain. You guys think buying a TSX over a 3 series is a good choice?

Also, the person who bought the x3. Yes the panoramic roof is out of this world but I really didn't like all the "plastic feel" interior. Thus, I elimnated that as one of my choices. But don't get me wrong, aside from some interior plastics the car still looks awesome from the outside.

[Luftwaffe1O1]

$220 for an oil change? Umm... yeah.... what the hell kind of dealership you go to man???

I didn't feel like changing my oil myself recently, took it to the dealer cost me $75.....

[TiS52ZM]

Our 1st test drive was a basic X3 2.5 w/automatic and the interior was to plastic for a BMW. For the 2nd test drive, I asked one w/premium package and it made a big difference.

I hope my post doesn't deter anyone from buying a enjoyable car. I still have faith in BMW, my 00' M Coupe w/60,xxx miles is still running great. Inspection II is coming up and I called a few dealerships and was quoted $750 and $825.