BMW 3-Series Maintenance and Repair

kyfdx

Of course, all BMW is really interested in (as is every manufacturer) is getting the car through warranty, and most oil-related failures don't happen within the first 50K miles...


I read that sentiment a lot... but, BMW re-markets a lot of their leased vehicles as CPO.. and guarantees that drivetrain for 6yrs/100K. If they really believed that, they would be shooting themselves in the foot..

busiris

I read that sentiment a lot... but, BMW re-markets a lot of their leased vehicles as CPO.. and guarantees that drivetrain for 6yrs/100K. If they really believed that, they would be shooting themselves in the foot..

Not really, IMO.

Many cars are purchased, not leased. Many of those without any extended warranty. And, there isn't a 100% failure rate between 50-100K miles, but I highly suspect the failure rate is higher than that between 0-50K miles..

Its a numbers game. I have discussed the newer extended oil changes with several folks within BMW's dealer network (parts men as well as techs) and every single one has told me that they "feel" the incidents of engine failure have increased as the oil change interval has increased.

I know, I know...its only subjective....

Still, there is a break even point where the costs of oil changes every 7.5K to BMW (under the 4 year "full-service-no costs warranty) exceed the relative costs of engine repair on the engines that DO fail.

But, to be fair, I do think the BMW engineers feel the "extended range" synthetic oils being used are better than previous oils, so in the end, I think its a combination of both. BMW is often so secretive about some things that its really hard to get to the real facts of why and how decisions are made...

As I said earlier, beliefs on oil change frequency are all across the board, and the only sure way to know how often YOU need to change your oil is to have an oil analysis run by a competent lab.

In the end, I simply change mine every 5-7.5 K miles. Its not terribly expensive, and I see it as cheap insurance. I purchase all of my cars, so I feel its worth it. If I leased, I would simply follow the BMW suggested intervals, for the obvious reasons.

I guess I would make a poor gambler.

mailbox20

Did you ever figure out what was wrong. I have the same issue. Battery, starter, alternator all good. Replaced the ignition switch, tumbler, and code reader ( that black plastic ring on the tumbler assembly) and still no luck. All lights and everytything works when the key is on but no juice to the starter. I don't know where to go from here. I need some help to do this myself as I do not live anywhere near a BMW shop.

gbrostek

I had same problem. It is either a bad key ($250) or the ignition assy (over $1000). Try getting a new key or do what I did. I totalled the bmw in an accident and got an acura. Good luck

larry175

i STAND ON THE BREAK PEDAL AND IT STARTS RIGHT UP.

mdiawbmw

Hello,

I am new to this forum and new to BMW cars. I am planning on buying a certified used BMW car. A friend of mind who owns a 330i told me that the 330i is better than the 328i in terms of engine.
Based on your experience, what are the main differences between these two cars? I don't intend to spend a lot of money and would be using the car mainly for work. I live in Springfield Virginia and work in D.C.

Thanks in advance for your kind guidance.
Mo.

kyfdx

Well.. the last year for the 330 was 2006... So, you can't likely find a certified one...

So.... you don't really have a choice... Starting in 2007, they are all either 328i or 335i (turbo)...

You might take that into account, the next time this friend tries to give you advice...

larry175

I had a 2006 330ix and now am driving a 09335ix. The motors are both the same 6 cylinders but the bore and stroke are different. In my opinion the 2006 330 is best. Sounds better and runs better also. I gave my 06 to my son in law when i bought the 09 in October of 08 and he hasn't had any trouble with the car even thought he thinks he is a Lemans driver.

robbierob1

im buying a 2008 335xi today it has 43,000 miles am i making a huge mistake somebody help me out

rwolff

I recently traded in my 2000 Audi A4 2.8 for a 2007 33xi w/ 15K miles on it. I did a lot of research on the car and was concerned about the HPFP failures I read about. But after driving the car a few times and the fact that BMW extended the warranty on the HPFP to 10 years/100K miles, I figured it was worth the risk and bought the car. It is also CPO. I love it, it's a great car and in my opinion, the A4 is no match and I've owned three A4's. Make sure you get the carfax on the car, all maintenance records, etc and if you like the car and feel it's a good deal then go for it. Are you buying from a dealer or privately?

kyfdx

Oil level light came on as I was leaving work.... drove by the dealership, into the service department at 5:50 PM..

-Hey, my oil level light just came on..

-I'll be right over to check it--

-Yup, about a 3/4 quart low, I'll top it off--

-Thanks! See ya!

Time... 6:00 PM..

(that oil is $7/qt at the parts department...)

busiris

Its nice to see someone else that has experienced good results at a BMW dealership. I, too, have had no issues with my local dealership.

Then again, most folks expect great service from dealerships, and only vocalize their dis-satisfactions when things don't progress as expected.

Just human nature, I guess...

Kirstie_H

Feel free to give 'em a good review:
http://www.edmunds.com/dealerreviews/

They'd probably appreciate it.

Firebird_EOU

2 days ago the Right Front Parking Light warning came on, researched and checked - it's the lights on the angel eyes ring. It's just cosmetic right? I will defer repair.

About the oil change posts above - Honda has 10k oil change interval, Mercedes service interval is 10k to 13k. Are they suffering the same engine issues?

And if your oil analysis says the additives are gone, can you use that to get a free oil change under free maint?

chewy2

Oil changes - are Honda and Mercedes basing their intervals on synthetic oil, as BMW does? When synthetics first came out, people were saying they never needed to change oil again once they had switched to synthetic. Always sounded foolish to me, but maybe today's long intervals are in that same vein, i.e., a synthetic will be good for a lot more miles than conventional oil.

roadburner

And if your oil analysis says the additives are gone, can you use that to get a free oil change under free maint?

It would depend on the dealer, but in most cases I'd say no. I'd expect that your service adviser would give you a truckload of BS along the lines of "BMW knows best." or "Your test doesn't measure the right properties and/or it's inaccurate", etc.

pl11

My 2004 BMW 3 series will not pass smog. Emissions pass just fine. But the OBD 2 test does not due to several "monitors" reading "not ready". I have been told by smog stations, the smog referee and even the BMW dealership mechanics that the only way to reset these is by driving the car. BMW has checked the car 3 times and there are no faults or problems found. They have performed 3 drive cycles on their machines at the specs required. I have performed 2 drive cycles myself on regular streets, meeting all the specs. I have also driven thousands of regular miles. Still they WILL NOT reset. BMW says there is nothing they can do to "make them" reset, and that everything on the car checks out ok....well, obviously it's not. How do I get these monitors to clear? PLEASE help! Thanks.

Mr_Shiftright

Did you follow this drive cycle pretty much?

http://i719.photobucket.com/albums/ww191/greekengreg/bmwdrivecycle.jpg

If not, give it a try.

BMW should be able to diagnose the OBD-II computer and figure out what's wrong, if it won't reset.

pl11

Yep, that's the one. BMW literally told me there's nothing else they can do. Quite frustrating. There is obviously something wrong because they have said they've never seen the sensors take so long to reset. They said "look we'd love to charge you and perform work on the car, but there's literally nothing we can do further". BMW technicians can't diagnose the problem? How is that possible?

Mr_Shiftright

Well that's just incompetence, that's all. Of course it can be fixed. Are you in the SF Bay area by any chance? I could direct you to people who know what they are doing.

Meantime, if you could get a letter from the BMW dealer saying that the problem can't be fixed, maybe the smog referee will let you off the hook on this one.

Doesn't your state have laws that exempt you from very expensive or impossible repairs?

upstatedoc

Hey guys-

want to throw this out there:

A buddy and I were installing aftermarket "parking sensors" on the back of my E90 and every thing was going fine until he tried to tap into aline for power and ground. Now anything run off either front cig lighter is not getting power. We figure it is a fuse but neither of us wants to go digging and cause further harm. Anyone know exactly where the fuse for the cig lighters is. everything else works fine. Thanks!

pl11

Well, no argument here! Total incompetence. I am not in SF area. I'm in the Central Valley (Fresno). I looked into the BAR financial assistance program but it doesn't apply to me. It is only good for biannual smog checks, not for smog checks from change of ownership (which mine is). I've also already tried the referee who told me they are under stricter regulations than before. They used to be able to cut people slack, but not anymore (in their words). j

If your people in the SF bay area are able to give me a quote (at least to some degree) over the phone, then I might just be willing to take it there for repairs. I am somewhat hesitant because I've taken it to BMW and 3 other mechanics that heard my description of the problem and said "oh, yeah bring it in we can take care of that"....and each one failed to do so. I'm out of pocket so much at this point....still searching for answers.

Mr_Shiftright

Well you might try these guys. They are *characters* and do not present the best image of spiffiness (they could care less) but they really do know what they are doing. Gee, that's a long haul from Fresno, though. If you have AAA premier service, they'll flat bed you 100 miles.

You can check out their reviews on YELP:

http://www.yelp.com/biz/marin-bavarian-san-rafael

Marin Bavarian
775 Andersen Drive
San Rafael, CA 94901-5362
(415) 453-7670

if you go, be sure to check out their elaborate display of junk foods. Bring a 6-pack, they like that.

pl11

Thanks, I'll check it out. I'm seriously considering selling it at this point. I'm not a "car guy". I like cars as long as they don't present problems lol. At this point I'm willing to take a loss on the car just to get rid of it because at this point, my time is not worth the hassle. Someone with the desire to do a little work could get a steal with this car, so maybe I'll explore that route. Hmm...anyway, I appreciate the responses!

srs_49

Bring a 6-pack, they like that.

I've used a body shop around here that works that way, only in their case it's a case of Coors Light :P .

cooljc74

Hey guys, (especially to car appraisal experts)

I noticed a palm size dent on trunk door and sligtly cracked rear bumper; hit and run probably...
I am trying to decide if it's better to have it fixed out of pocket or go thru insurance.
I also plan on selling my car 6-12 months.

How much is taken off on average when you see 1-3K repair done when you pull up a carfax report on 3 series? I am not sure what info/How much detailed info will be shown up on the VIN history report either. Hit and Run, accident, detailed description of the damage & etc...

Thanks in advance.

Mr_Shiftright

What year car is this and what kind of shape is it in otherwise? How many miles on it?

cooljc74

2008 335
39,500 miles.

No other accident or damage.
Good to excellent condition.

Single owner.

Mr_Shiftright

Well okay then---you definitely have to have this car fixed *properly*--no cutting corners on this new an automobile. Since you aren't filing a police report, chances are this repair would never show on CARFAX but if it did all you need do is take a couple of photos of the damage prior, and show that to any prospective buyer. This will assure them that the accident was very minor.

As for claiming it on insurance---you'll get ten different answers about this--my rule of thumb, for better or worse, is that if the repairs are under say $1000, I'd probably pay for it myself. This advice also depends on your prior claims records.

But by all means, get the best possible repair done to the car. Nobody is going to pay good money for a botched up 3-4 year old BMW.

nyccarguy

Why are you planning on sellling the car?

cooljc74

Thanks for the advice.
I haven't had any claims for the past several years at least.

cooljc74

Need more room for a new born baby.

nyccarguy

congrats! Is your car stick or auto? Sport Pkg?

cooljc74

Auto, Prem, Sport. heated seats...
Thanks!

bimmer4me

I have a 2008 328i sedan with 25k on it. Took the car in for a oil and filter change. The oil indicator on the instrument panel read that it was about a 1/4 low. When the oil and filter change was completed I drove off and a few miles down the road I decided to check the oil level. It was at the same exact level as when I brought in before the oil change. The service advisor drove it around back and would have it checked out. 1/2 later he brings the car around and says everything is fine, however the oil indicator reads 1/4 low. He couldn't explains why it read 1/4 low and not at the max as it should be after an oil change. I know the oil level is within specs, however I always check my oil peroidically and it always read max level until recently. Could something be wrong with the computer?

Mr_Shiftright

Apprently the sensors for this system operate in mysterious ways, and no dealer seems to be able to explain it.

Here's what I've read about how oil level is checked:

"The capacitor is at the same level as the oil level in the oil
sump. As the oil level changes, the capacitance of the capacitor changes. The electronic evaluation unit creates a digital signal from this. The engine management system uses this to calculate the engine oil level. The electronic
oil level check is displayed on the Central Information Display (CID) as well as in the instrument cluster. On vehicles without a CID, the oil level is only displayed in the instrument cluster"

bimmer4me

Thanks for your reply. I still don't get it. It always read max when I checked it until recently. You'd think it would read full/max after an oil change. What happen to the days of the dip stick. Now I have to rely on a computer. :confuse:

Mr_Shiftright

Are you using the button on the lever to get a reading or are you going through iDrive?

bimmer4me

The button on my lever. Why?

srs_49

That's interesting. Sounds like they are using the oil to change the permittivity of the insulating material in the capacitor (which can just be something as simple as a pair of wires stuck down in the oil pan). As the permittivity changes because of the oil level rising or falling, so does the capacitance.

I wonder if all oils have the same or nearly the same permittivity? If the oil level circuit was designed/calibrated with an oil that has a higher permittivity than the one the dealer is using, that would cause the measured capacitance at full oil level to be less than predicted, so the monitoring circuit thinks the oil is down a bit. A higher permittivity, means a higher capacitance, all other things being equal.

Parallel plate capacitor

This is all just a SWAG!

bimmer4me

Thanks, still a little confused. I shouldn't be to concerned right?

Mr_Shiftright

Oh I was wondering if iDrive gives you a different reading.

I don't even care if my car's dipstick says 1/4 of a quart low, as long as I know that's what it is.

I believe, if the sensor were bad, there is an error message built right into your system to alert you to that.

I suppose you could add just a smidge of oil to see if the reading changes. I suspect they don't measure the oil level in 1/10ths so adding a harmless little bit might just kick it over the top.

roadburner

I'd just ignore it.

Firebird_EOU

2006 330xi

Sat. radio was working fine before I left on a 2 weeks vacation.
So happens the annual bill is due and Sirius disconnected my Sat.
I went online and paid the annual fee but I cannot re-activate it.

Tried parking it outside and while driving on different days. They tried to re-send the signal, and I tried using online resend activation.

On iDrive Sat. menu I am not getting any preview channel sound.
It has all my previous channels and presets, but the bottom of idrive displays the first channel on the preset even though I tried to set it to 189 Weather (or any other channel). There is no "acquiring..." message anywhere.
There are no other options I see that can change.
The main screen displays my EIN and to call 1888 xxx Sirius.

FM/AM works fine.

neprop

I have a convertible E46 model and I recently replaced my battery. This model has 5 window controls - 2 for the front, 2 for the rear and 1 for all 4 up or down at the same time. Since my battery replacement the window control that is supposed to raise or lower all four windows at the same time only lowers or raises the front 2 windows.

There must be some sort of reset process to get the electronics aligned after a battery replacement. Everything worked perfectly before the battery replacement and everthing else is working perfectly since. Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

roadburner

Try this with each window switch and then with the main 4 window switch

Ignition on, all doors closed.

Window all the way down
Release switch.
Press and hold switch all the way down for 10 seconds.

Window all the way up.
Release switch.
Press and hold switch all the way up for 10 seconds.

Ignition off.

uncleto

My wife turned on the a.c. light was on but no air coming from the vent. check the knob and it was in the I position. open the hood and cleaned the micron filter. the a.c fan is turning. what could be the problem. many thanks!

Mr_Shiftright

You might check to see if the AC compressor clutch is engaging at all. As someone switches the AC on and off, you should be able to see, with the hood open, that the front of the compressor "clicks" and then engages the drive belt.

qali

I have a 2011 328i x-Drive sedan with Premium sound system. I know how to calibrate the sound level for an iPod and the volume level to car speed sensitivity, however, my question is there a way to change how much volume changes when the volume knob is turned or the volume buttons on the steering wheel are pressed? I find that I have to turn the knob quite a lot (or press the button many times) for an appreciable increase/decrease in sound volume. In my previous 2007 335i this was not an issue.

Thanks in advance.

uncleto

I finally have air on my vent, just cleaned the micro filter w/ some dirt and a leaf blocking the in one of the hole leading inside the car. no need the check for the fuse. the a.c is working also. Many thanks!