Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

andres3

Funny, I just got back from the local auto repair/maintenance shop the other day to do some routine maintenance on my A3.

Got the Induction/Fuel System cleaning that's a good idea to do on Direct injection engines every 40K miles or so.

Also got a motor oil and filter change and I'm at just over 85K miles in my 2006 car. He found that one of the brake light bulbs was out, and the other was discolored a bit and probably on it's way out, so he changed both.

He didn't charge me for the labor on that, just a buck or two for each bulb itself. So he changed two bulbs out and it cost me all of $3 or $4 bucks. LOL. I never had a Big 3 repair that was that inexpensive.

Total cost with BG Induction/Fuel System cleaning, Synthetic MOtor Oil and Filter change, and two new bulbs, about $200. Very reasonable in CA!

Everything else was tip top.

andres3

Audis are basically glorified Volkswagens and electrical problems are common.

that is over generalizing and over simplifying. VW is pretty good in and of itself, after all, they did win car of the year with the Passat. Audi has way more quality control than VW. The reliability results show it.

I think electrical problems are a thing of the ancient past. Look at Audi's from 2001 and forward to modern times. Also, optional equipment tends to be a weak area.

So for models from 1999 or prior, I'd agree 100,000 miles was a lot. My father's '87 Jetta just barely cleared 100K after several repairs, and a few thousand miles past 100K we had to call it quits finally. That '87 Jetta was still light years more reliable than the '95 Dodge. By 65,000 miles, I"m sure the Dodge had at least 6 more shop visits than did the VW in 100K, and that is why at 65K we couldn't take it any more and sold it for scraps basically.

For a Dodge, 65,000 miles was a lifetime.

fintail

Something about German cars and bulbs...

But Audi certainly is better than it pretty much ever has been.

akangl

Was looking through the local CL to see what $4k will buy, found this little gem. Now I don't think I'd be brave enough to jump on it, but it looks fairly clean from the pictures.

Acura

omarman

That seems like a lot for a miled up 10 y/o car with a salvage title. But everything else looked a little more expensive there too. Nice color for that car though. Saw a black 2001 CL for sale locally but it looks better in red.

breld

Congrats on the e39! Sounds great - look forward to seeing pictures. I like those sport wheels on the 540i!

andres3

Something about German cars and bulbs...

Wouldn't suprise me if the issue was that their bulbs were sourced and built in China.

Maybe Edison had a dislike of German people? :P

corvette

Yes, it has the Steptronic. The throttle is very controllable for a car with so much power. I was concerned it might have a "hair trigger" throttle, which is something a lot of companies do to make a car feel more powerful than it really is off the line.

As far as the specs go, it is supposed to be about as fast from 0-60 as my E90 325i with the 6 speed manual was, but the 540i feels much faster.

isellhondas

The Chevy Vega won the Motor Trend Car of the Year award one time too and so did the Renault Alliance. Wanna comment on that?

Only time and miles will tell if Audi has improved/ Not such an "ancient" past.

I will stand by my opinion about glorified Volkswagens because that is what they are!

tjc78

Just like a Lexus is a glorified Toyota, A Lincoln is a glorified Ford.....

Audi is no exception.

stickguy

not that much different than the Acura TL my son uses. a 2000 TL that just turned over 160K. And has newly installed front brake pads. And heat.

If maintained (and the tranny doesn't crap out!) it can go a lot of miles.

akangl

I called about the Acura and asked a bunch of questions about it. The guy seems pretty honest about the car. He bought it a month ago at a salvage auction with damage to the right front. He replaced the hood, right headlight, and radiator, he also said the airbags were not deployed. He said the core support was undamaged and mechanically the car seems sound. He said he would have no issue with me taking the car to a mechanic. I'm going to think about it overnight and maybe call him back tomorrow to see if I can look at the car.

Also dropping the Escort back off at the mechanic tomorrow to see if they can figure out where the antifreeze is going.

As far as the Acura goes, my only real worry is would it be too much car for a 17 year old? Also, what the heck does Type-S mean? Reconstructs don't scare me, I've owned 2 of them, just have to be careful and know what to look for.

stickguy

type is is the "sporty" model. Lower profile tires, and a bit more HP (maybe 20-30). Pretty quick car, but not too bad if he is responsible.

my son went from a crappy contour to the Tl and managed to stay out of trouble. But I drove it enough to know it is easy to get going fast without realizing it Has a real sweet spot at 80 where it really is happy cruising.

akangl

my son went from a crappy contour to the Tl and managed to stay out of trouble

The Escort gets offended if you ask for more than 65 mph so pretty hard to get into trouble with it. I've personally had the car up to 85, once you get past the severe shake at 75 its not too bad, lol. My son would never do that, he follows traffic laws to the letter......is he really my son???

The transmission issues on the Acura CL give me pause, might keep looking and pass on the Acura. Found a really nice, clean titled 2004 Saturn Ion 3 fully loaded for just $1k more than the Acura, only has 104k on it too. Of course the kid has now seen pictures of the Acura and wants it.

Unless the Escort pulls off some miracle tomorrow and gives me back the antifreeze it ate then its time with us is going to end very soon. Hubby wants it GONE, he no longer trusts it. I trust it, I just don't know where the antifreeze is going, its not on the ground, so my guess is out the tailpipe. The antifreeze smell on start up is enough to knock over a horse!

kyfdx

Most E39 and E46 afficianados would tell you to replace the entire cooling system somewhere between 75K and 100K.... Since your car is nine years old.... it's probably ready..

I'm not sure I'd follow that recommendation, myself... I'm sort of cheap, and tend to follow the factory maintenance schedule... What would that cost at an independent? $1200? $1500?

One caveat: BMW engines will not tolerate any sort of overheating.. Once you see an issue, immediate shutdown is your only hope... Driving an extra mile to the gas station? Your engine will be toast..

The car sounds really nice... the newest E39 you can get and low miles for the year... plus Sport!!

stickguy

so basically I should expect to budget that for any of the 2005 325i models that I am looking at, since they all have miles in the 80-90 range? I was not sure if it was really an issue that late in the run.

Is it radiator, expansion tank, hoses, and T stat housing? Or is there more?

I am also cheap, so if it all checked out on PPI and given I don't put many miles on, I would likely do the riskier stuff that was cheaper, and not the rad.

corvette

I was thinking the parts alone would run close to $1000, possibly more if I converted to an electric fan (having a fan mechanically attached to the engine seems like a bad idea in general).

corvette

Is it radiator, expansion tank, hoses, and T stat housing? Or is there more?

A lot of people replace the fan, fan shroud, fan clutch, thermostat, water pump, etc... There are extensive parts lists on some of the BMW boards.

andres3

I think it was Car and Driver that got better lap times in a TTS than a Golf R, though your results might vary.

If you wish to believe VW is the same as Audi, and vice versa, that is your perogative.

isellhondas

But...WHY??

Do these items actually fail in such a short time?

I'm almost afraid to take our BMW to the shop this spring after it get's out of the mothballs.

isellhondas

What does lap times have to do with a Car of the Year award?

After a few disasterous choices such as the two I mentioned, the Car of the Year Award means very little to a lot of people.

Those awards sell magazines and are very subjective.

I didn't say that VW's are the same cars as Audis. They both seem to share the same problems and they don't age well.

I do like the way they look and drive and I don't doubt they have learned lessons and improved. I still wouldn't want to own one with a lot of miles on it.

I don't need the troubles.

qbrozen

Congrats! Welcome to the family!

How do you know the expansion tank is original? As for the radiator, there is a label right on the radiator on the passenger side about a third of the way down. The month/year is right on there. Between the month/year on that label and the mileage of the car at that month/year on the carfax, I was able to determine that mine was replaced at 100k.

If you find you do have to do it, you'll want to take care of the waterpump, thermostat, and all hoses, too. It is not exactly a cheap task. I've heard estimates from owners of $600-$1200 just for the parts. Oh, and you'll want to make sure you get a pump with a METAL impeller. The stock was plastic.

I don't think you need to convert the fan, but you might want to replace it anyway. When those get old and brittle, they can disintegrate and destroy your hood. If you haven't already, join bimmerfest and start reading.

stickguy

Slowly. Somehow being stuck in the office from 8-8 every day since New Years is not conducive to car shopping. who would have guessed?

so ditched the families (sent the girls to the movies to see a chick flick), to run some errands. managed to see 2 of the BMWs on my list. Decided to cross them both off.

Oh, and I remembered that I am a very picky pill when it comes to cars.

anyway, one was a 2003 325i with 88K on it. headlights were totally frosted over. and a fair amount of scratches and damage to the paint. But it did have new tires. ON a little local lot. Passing on that one.

Then saw (2nd time) a white 2005 at local Ford dealer. I first saw it as traded, now it had been detailed and through the shop. Cleaned up OK, but had a few things I did not like. passenger side of the front bumper was sticking out (as if it was not attached right) so something was amiss there. And a huge pet peeve: different tires front and back. And the fronts were "Eldorados". On a BMW. Just not right. So I am passing on that one too.

Wanted to go see a gray 2005 at a VW dealer about 45 minutes away, but got too late in the day (and the place is only open until 4). Maybe next weekend!

This search is not looking like it is going to end very soon...

stickguy

I looked for the label today when i was checking out the 2005. It is so tight in there, I couldn't even see the side of the radiator, especially with the shroud on.

My plan is, when I finally find one to buy, is to take it to a local BMW/MB indy specialist and let them figure it all out.

My guess is, and 325i in the 80K miles range (2005 MY mostly) is not going to have had this stuff replaced, so if it really has to be done, I need to factor into the price.

Might be better looking for a higher mile unit that had all the stuff done, and will come cheaper!

roadburner

Congrats! The E39s are just fantastic cars. Check out BMWtips.com and join the E39 Enthusiasts Group on Yahoo. You can now get an all metal radiator which solves that issue, but it is pricey. Hoses last almost forever; I still have the orignals on my 1995 3er and they look fine inside and out. When you do decide to attack the cooling system use only BMW coolant and distilled water.

corvette

Something about the color/style of the float in the expansion tank will tell you whether it's original (I learned that on Bimmerfest). I can't find a label on the radiator, it just says "Behr Made in Germany." It looks like there used to be a label on the upper passenger side of the radiator, but it's no longer there.

roadburner

I finally finished the installation of the new head unit in my son's '02. The only remaining jobs I have left are to install the replacement carpet set as well as the LED tail lamp conversion kit. Here is a picture of the interior the day I brought the car home:



And here it is today:



And the finished installation:

rayainsw

Nice - what are those seats?
- Ray
Recaros ? Scheel?

fintail

It needs a Becker Europa or a Blaupunkt or something :P

Those new seats look a lot more supportive, anyway.

Speaking of radios and how I was making fun of Audis...I go out in the E55 today and notice the radio now has two volume settings: off and max. So I turn it off and think of the worst case repair, not being tortured as the car sounds nice. I drive it again 45 mins later and it works fine. German electronics, always winning.

roadburner

Nice - what are those seats?

They are Recaros from a 320i. They were rebuilt by Aardvarc Racing. I bought the seats(along with rear cushions upholstered to match) off of eBay for just about half price.

roadburner

It needs a Becker Europa or a Blaupunkt or something

If this '02 was a tii or a Turbo I'd be more concerned about originality. The Alpine unit has SiriusXM and also controls an iPod- two things my son really wanted.

stickguy

sat in some of them today. Was at the Ford dealer, and they had a Shelby Mustang on the floor with red and black recaros (said so right on the seat backs.). Pretty comfy, but amazingly, on a 58K MSRP car, they were fully manual, and not even 8 way.

corvette

Love the new seats! I need to get a Dice adapter for the 540, after I get the radio pixels fixed. My dad, the soldering wizard, is working on that as we speak.

rayainsw

Very nice!
- Ray
My old back needs support - and heat these cold mornings,,,

roadburner

Proof positive that the mentally feeble can operate a PC:

2007 BMW 530i M5[sic]

The car's description is unintentionally hysterical... :P

akangl

Proof positive that the mentally feeble can operate a PC:

Um, can I have my lost brain cells back now? Holy cow that was something to read.

I found this completely hysterical CL ad yesterday, whoever wrote it is a brilliant!

MPV ad

stickguy

well, I really like the color combo. Other than that...

And that MPV ad is the best I have ever seen I think.

steine13

Well at least it's tastefully done...

stickguy

My daughter stayed over at a friends house last night. When I went to pick her up I mentioned that the local BMW I was waiting to hear back on was in a neighborhood that looked similar (from the CL pics). So she made me drive all over hoping we could find it! Didn't happen, though she really liked it from the pictures I showed her. But of course, I have not heard back yet. Hopefully it is still available!

having a tight budget really sucks.

stever

Well, yeah, but it does add to the thrill of the chase. Getting a deal is sometimes more fun than actually driving around in the car.

That's probably why a lot of y'all are in here eh? :shades:

(I scored a $5 espresso machine at the thrift last week. Probably get bored and regift it back in a month, but it's been fun to play with).

oldfarmer50

"...the mentally feeble..."

Or wanted you to think that so you would think you were taking advantage of a dope when you bought the car only to find yourself snookered later. :confuse:

Unless he was the car thief how did he know what was done to the car other than being stripped? If I stole a car for chopping I would beat the heck out of it on the way to the garage. Why not?

fintail

Ouch, that makes my eyes bleed. No punctuation.

And although I will probably offend someone here, I find it very fitting that someone who has a douched out fakey E60 wannabe M5 also wants an X5 or Cayenne...very similar demographics there.

fintail

How is the performance with that device between the seats, anyway?

My 60s vintage Becker Europa has an aux input that can be adapted to take an ipod.

corvette

I actually like the X5. The Cayenne, not as much. But I don't like blinged out cars (except for my //M pinstripe).

roadburner

That MPV ad WAS a hoot!

roadburner

How is the performance with that device between the seats, anyway?

Actually the automatic only hurts performance from a standing start. Once rolling it's only a tick slower than a manual. And, unlike modern BMW automatics, the ancient ZF autobox actually does what you tell it to do- without any second-guessing...

qbrozen

Yes, the float color is an indicator. Didn't know YOU knew that, though.

I'll have to see if I can get a pic of my radiator label.

fintail

Does it have a torque converter?

fintail

My bias is on who I see driving them and how they are driven. Personally, if I was going that route, I'd go all out and get a Rover.

Fake badged cars are the pinnacle of lameness. More fake AMG and M badges out there than a person can count.

roadburner

Does it have a torque converter?

Yes; a pretty tight one(a low stall speed).