Wanted: BMW repair cost horror stories... - Page 7

I have to go get new front tires for my 3 series. I guess it was my fault for never having them rotated; I just assumed the BMW service center would do that for me when it was necessary during my periodic oil changes and service work (my first car, so I now know better). Over $500 for two of those RFT, plus installation. Also need to replace the front bumper in order to reinstall a displaced fog lamp from a run-in with a raccoon this past winter. They quoted me at $1,200 for that. My warranty expired last month too, so hopefully they won't find something else that needs fixing. I have less than 50k miles on it; still runs like new.

Easy as pie to work on/learn to work on, and bulletproof.... but with old Bimmers, Mercs, I guess this might apply to many common old cars - if you find one that runs okay, you don't need to expect to spend tons of money to keep it running - they last forever. You'll probably have to deal with pretty uncomfortable seats that are spewing their horsehair filling, cracked dashes, moldy carpet, a nice mossy earthen smell in the interior all the time, crunchy gear synchros, a little bit or a lot of rust, little trim bits missing, etc.
If you expect a classic car that is spotless, with everything working, then you could spend a fortune. You could easily spend $20-30K on a 2002, either getting one with the work done to it already, or doing that work yourself over time. Obviously a lot more if you start with a basketcase. (not recommended unless you really need to do it for some reason) You missed the boat on cheap '02's by about 15 years.

I'd trust a well-kept 2002 for daily driving just as much as many modern cars, though. It's less likely to leave by your roadside than many modern German cars, IMO.

If your warranty is up, go to a private repair shop. Two tires should be cheaper than $500, surely.

Well, "YOU" did a Marvelous Job at choosing.
Most people do Not have that expertise.

BMW recently built a brand new 2002 from parts to demonstrate parts availability. BMW and Mercedes-Benz pride themselves on providing parts for their classic models.

Just sayin' -- love that series of XK8. Had I been able to get an XK8 or XKR with a stick I would totally have gotten a Coupe. I think that as long as your 'main car' and not your 'only car' it may be OK. I drove an '86 Jag as my main car through the last half of college (while having my grandfather's '79 Dodge as a spare), and while the Jag was not too troubling, I think that not having a spare would have been bad, especially if I didn't know how to do car repairs -- be advised, you will have some outlay for necessary tools if you do not have them. My father had a very complete tool set, and I used every bloody crazy thing he had on the Jag at times. I think you also need to judge your detail-orientation -- it's all well and good to say anyone can work on their car, but sometimes, if you don't notice or remember which way that washer went in.... This is awesome. btw, I am going to pursue that thing with the bolts. Seems so fundamentally unfair for them to have played dumb with a TSB out already -- I found it at Bimmerforums and it covers my car. Heck, the $500 will pay for two of the M6 reps I want anyway. ~ H

Those parts DO NOT come cheap.
Mercedes' service is called the Classic Center.

+1. A good friend has two 450SLs from the 70s. One is fully restored, and gorgeous. The other is in pieces, and too expensive for him to restore. Parts are available, but they're cost prohibitive.

I run two BMW clubs and know the history of many E46s (and other models). The inline 6 is the best inline in the world. If well treated, will last a very long time. Check the BMW maintenance card and have it checked out with an independent BMW service technician. There are a lot of urban legends about BMWs. Much shit is spouted. All cars have idiosyncrasies and weaknesses. BMWs are the same. That said, much of what goes wrong with BMWs usually appears within the first 80K which is under warranty, and, once fixed, stay fixed. Famous weaknesses of the E46 are: 1. Fuel level sensor 2. Window actuators 3. Door trim 4. Vanos 5. Calipers 6. Thermostat Much more serious (and quite rare) is a weakness is the subframe which causes significant damage. All can be searched from our board or on Google. E46Fanatics is a great site, too. Good luck. I've been in love with BMWs for 30 years. They are amazing cars.

7. Final stage resistor. Pretty simple DIY tho.

I had an 06 530i. Nothing but problems. I understand that all cars have problems but this one was just ridiculous and the dealership was the worst one that I had been to. I ended up getting rid of it to replace it with a Lexus. I'm young and I probably won't ever buy another bmw.

I'd add radiator issues and bad water pumps, both of which have always been issues with the inline-6. Specific to the E46, in addition to the FSR mentioned, I'd also add door lock actuator or GM issues, bushings (RSM and FCAs), and the plastic track in the sunroof breaking. Various sensors in the engine, especially in the earlier cars, tended to die, but aren't hard to replace. I'd say these things are no more worse than any other car.

The fuel-level sensor is easy to fix: use fine grit sandpaper (800-1000) and clean off the track that the copper knuckle rides on. The window actuator is some plastic part that breaks after a while, and can be replaced with a zip tie. That's kind of ghetto, but I don't think BMW sells the plastic part separately from the entire window assembly.

I haven't heard of any brake caliper issues.

--Andre

I think bad radiators and water pumps are kind of universal with BMWs. Always had problems here and there with them, and I've had 4, 6, and 8 cylinder Bimmers.

I replaced the radiators in both of the 5-series BMW's I had.

You're not supposed to rotate the tires on a BMW; that's why the service center doesn't do it. What kind of tires are you getting? My 335i came w/Bridgestone Potenzas, but I've just switched to Michelin Pilot Sport PS2s, which I prefer thus far.