My BMW fandom has ended.

In reply to sevenracer :

Do you suppose that they'll have pot metal bearings in those too?

Buttermaker:
Baseball's hard. You can love it but, believe me, it don't always love you back. It's kinda like dating a German chick.

I also can't help thinking about all those Mark Felton Youtube videos about German WWII tanks. 

Vigo said:

I drove my neighbor's 128 yesterday... Seemed just about perfect for city/suburban driving! Aren't they more reliable than the 135s?

I think those are the sweet spot of 1 series (and 2 series, tbh).  Smallest of the modern bmws but not smaller than the old favorites, relatively reliable, still fairly fast, and priced right. I'm not a huge fan of the 1 and 2 series overall but i think the 128 is the only one devoid of multiple dealbreakers.  The 1M is probably the worst unless you're just trying to buy something that won't lose it's value. 

 

Sort of like the Z8. You spent 120k in 2003 or whatever and now it's worth... 120k. Too bad about inflation though. 

I think I would agree. I didn't realize how tuneable the N52 in the 128 was until AFTER I had the 135. Otherwise, I may have just purchased a 128 to start with. 

A tuned 128 is basically the grown up, and of course much heavier, version of the S52 E30 I built years and years ago. The S52 with OBD-I intake, Porsche MAF, equal-length headers, and tune put down 235/235 and was a riot. From what I understand, intake/headers/tune on the N52 is good for a bit more. But also weighs another 500-600 lbs. 

I haven't owned any BMW newer than my E46 M3, which I bought under CPO BMW warranty.  It was a great car but BMW had replaced the rod bearings under recall and I didn't put enough miles on it for have any issues.

I put a ton of miles on my 1st e36 M3 and it was a solid car, beyond changing out the cooling system at 60k miles before any of it blew apart.  My 2nd E36 M3 was a garage queen, it was a good car but started to have "old german car syndrome" where electrical stuff would go haywire for no good reason, swap fuses and all was well again.

Their new stuff I'm just not interested in beyond the M2 Competition and I wouldn't own that outside of warranty.

After fixing (and still fixing) issues on my '06 530xi wagon, I've vowed to never buy a newer BMW or any BMW, really.

!) Wires in the headlights are bare and brittle. (My unmaintained E30 has better wiring. So did my '00 T/A, '05 GTO, etc etc...)

2) BMW decided to stick same E36 M3ty wires, unprotected, in the gate and lift hinges. Guess what goes bad after a few uses?

3) I shied away from the E39 wagon due to poor sunroof drains. Seems like BMW couldn't get that right. They also decided to stick I believe 4 expensive modules in the spare wheel well. Guess what fills up w/ water?

4) I'm still chasing an issue where if I go WOT, I get a nice heavy cloud of white/grey smoke w/ a check engine error. Clear the code and it's back to smooth sailing.

5) Middle rear seatbelt will lock if the seats are folded down, preventing me from putting them back up unless I remove the bottom cushion and unbolt the seatbelt. No idea how to even remove the rear parcel of the seats to get to it.

6) Accelerator will randomly get "stuck", stay in one gear, and revs to the moon, all sweet 7k of it. Very fun when combined w/ the white/grey smoke mentioned earlier

That's just what I remember and don't get me started on buying parts.

I stayed away from the N54 wagon because I knew of the expensive engine issues, but my god do BMWs have issues.

sorry you had such a bad time with this one.  My N54 135i was a riot, and gave me a lot of trouble free miles.  

docwyte said:

Their new stuff I'm just not interested in beyond the M2 Competition and I wouldn't own that outside of warranty.

I was actually hoping to save up for an M2 Comp or a Zupra with a LOOOONNNNNNGGG extended warranty. 

But so many of these issues are just completely unacceptable.........especially when you consider the price and that essentially every other manufacturer on the planet seems to know how to build an oil system that protects the rods. 

BMW still recommending 15,000 mile oil changes?

maj75 said:

BMW still recommending 15,000 mile oil changes?

15k oil changes and "lifetime" transmission fluid.

They even put lifetime in quotes themselves, IIRC.

maj75 said:

BMW still recommending 15,000 mile oil changes?

No idea. I always change the oil at 5000 miles regardless of "suggested" intervals. 

I think I've put something like 40k miles on my 128i in the past year and a half, and its been pretty reliable.  In that time I had to replace an O2 sensor.  Its now pushing 100k miles and still drives like new.  I've been pleased with it so far.  

I've shared my disappointing 135i experience here, and I'm sorry that another victim was found. It really is tragic since they are fantastic cars when everything is functioning.

Odd coincidence but we also landed with a Mazda once we (my wife) had reached enough. My wife won't even consider a German car now. She had a very reliable RSX Types S, that I sold and replaced with an E90 that wasn't great and then the E82 that really wasn't great. I still get maintenance updates from Carfax on the RSX and it is still happily chugging along at over 200K miles with just oil changes .

kilgoretrout said:

I've shared my disappointing 135i experience here, and I'm sorry that another victim was found. It really is tragic since they are fantastic cars when everything is functioning.

Odd coincidence but we also landed with a Mazda once we (my wife) had reached enough. My wife won't even consider a German car now. She had a very reliable RSX Types S, that I sold and replaced with an E90 that wasn't great and then the E82 that really wasn't great. I still get maintenance updates from Carfax on the RSX and it is still happily chugging along at over 200K miles with just oil changes .

 

That's why I kept holding out hope, they are great driving cars. And when the N55 is working as it should, all that torque from 1400-5200 rpms is excellent. 

I want a BMW so badly.  Really I do.  I've come > < close to pulling the trigger so many times, but I just can't.  My wife fell in love with the '14 328i when she drove it last year.  I chickened out because I can't take the chance, wound up with our G37 instead.  Still think I may look at BMW next time, but it will be a CPO with the clear understanding that we sell it when the warranty expires.

yupididit said:

So no to the f10 550i? 

This.  It's on a short list of interesting vehicles that are in a price range that I could see myself eventually being willing to explore.  I'm not sure anything on my list (Maserati GranTurismo, Aston V8 Vantage, M5, Lotus Elise, etc) would qualify as reliable, so it's probably a wash.  

Been a long time since BMW made a vehicle I would own, even longer time for Audi/VW

In reply to Toebra :

I took a chance on my Golf R because it has a 6 yr/72k mile warranty.  I won't be happy if something breaks but I shouldn't have to pay to get it fixed at least.

My BMW fandom ended after owning an E30.  I'll take another VW before one of those again.

z31maniac said:

docwyte said:

Their new stuff I'm just not interested in beyond the M2 Competition and I wouldn't own that outside of warranty.

I was actually hoping to save up for an M2 Comp or a Zupra with a LOOOONNNNNNGGG extended warranty. 

But so many of these issues are just completely unacceptable.........especially when you consider the price and that essentially every other manufacturer on the planet seems to know how to build an oil system that protects the rods. 

Zupra - that just connected this thread to a hot topic.  Given their sensitivity to quality ratings, I wonder if Toyota is going to regret their collaboration?

Klayfish said:

 Still think I may look at BMW next time, but it will be a CPO with the clear understanding that we sell it when the warranty expires.

This is what a good friend did. X5 M Sport CPO with the extended warranty to 100k. It's nice, and fast as stink. 

Even with the warranty it's been a nightmare. It ate the engine about 6 months in. $27k worth that was covered. Countless other little issues. 

The warranty finally ended well before the pay book. There is one minor problem, nobody with money wants a 100k mile luxury SUV. The car has depreciated like it was pushed off a cliff. He's upside down in it and stuck unless he wants to cough up a bunch of cash. He decided to keep it because how much more work could it need... He's another $3k into it for 4 injectors now. 

BMWs are like a siren. They lure you in with that wonderful engine note, blissful handling and shapely lines, and then they destroy your soul and your bank account.

Toyman01 said:

BMWs are like a siren. They lure you in with that wonderful engine note and blissful handling and shapely lines, and then they destroy your soul and your bank account.

Truer words have never been spoken. 

Maybe I'll get crucified for defending BMW in this thread, but I do think that some of responses to this thread have been a little over the top. I absolutely agree that a car as new as OP's with as few miles should not have a rod bearing failure without serious abuse. I will be the first to admit that BMW's have their fair share of common issues that can frustrating at the best of times and financially disastrous at the worst. It does seem that those kinds of issues are more common in the generations after the E46 and E39. Some theorize that BMW really began to squeeze suppliers during this time and it's lead to an overall quality reduction in the cars that they produce. Others point out the service intervals that BMW began rolling out near that time as well. 10-15,000 mile oil changes and lifetime transmission fluid changes certainly don't do the cars any favors. I agree that the modern turbocharged cars are a bit of a scary proposition out of warranty, but it's no reason to tarnish the entire history of the brand in a enthusiast centered forum.

My experience with BMW's has been a mostly positive one, and I'm sure that you could find tons of anecdotes to support both sides of the story.  It does seem that when the cars are owned by enthusiasts and held to a reasonable and regular service interval the cars tend to hold up pretty well, on average. I do think a large percentage of the horror stories come from used cars that were abused and bought cheap. Not saying that's the case here, but I do think it's a factor in other cases. People tend to buy a BMW and drive it like "the Ultimate Driving Machine" and service it like their Accord EX. 

Obviously, you should try to do as much of your own work on these cars. Luxury brands demand luxury shop rates. This is where you hear people quoting crazy prices for simple repairs. It also helps if you are resourceful when it comes to sourcing parts. OEM suppliers are your friends in this case. 

The case for modern BMW's is a lot more suspect than the case for the older cars. The competition has absolutely caught up to them at this point. If you can appreciate cars within their respective contexts the old cars are still pretty compelling.  If you want a fun, manual, RWD, coupe/sedan, with a decent interior, that's more than 10 years old; BMW is absolutely still THE answer. 

All of this is to say, I know that BMW isn't for everyone, but they aren't all as bad as some people make them out to be. They have made some great cars over the years and if you don't mind doing some work yourself they can be pretty rewarding to own.

In reply to MTechnically :

You did not defend them in your post.  I read your post as BMW use to make good cars but about 10 years ago they started to suck and have not got any better.  And that about sums up this entire thread with the OP getting about the worst that BMW has to offer. 

The lifetime fluid in the transmissions is funny.  It makes me think that they assume that there cars will not see life past 80-100K. If they are the same transmissions used in some jags that were lifetime it is also noted in the dealer service manual that they should be servicing the transmission every 30-40K with unusual use.  The definition of unusual use was basically normal everyday driving.  So in short if you don't drive the car you don't need to service the trans in the Jag's.  I bet BMW uses the same trans. It was a German made unit.  I don't remember the name off hand.  I once asked a Jag dealer if since they were marketing there trans as never needing a service as the fluid was good for the lifetime of the vehicle I wanted a lifetime warranty on the transmission.  That did not fly.

Mercedes went through this a while back.  The bean counters started dictating the build quality by putting a price point on the various cars and we all know how that ended for Mercedes.  That philosophy at Mercedes changed about 10 years ago and it is only now that they are getting over that blunder.   

My experience with BMWs, as an enthusiast, has been positive.  They've all had their gremlins, but being able to diagnose and fix issues myself is why I get to drive them.  As the resident car guy at work, people sometimes ask if I would recommend a BMW and my answer usually surprises them.  Used BMW's don't make sense for most 'normal' people.

A BMW makes sense when you think about it like a track car:  it shouldn't be the only way you have to get to work.  It's can't have a payment.  It needs to be a small enough investment for you that you can walk away if it all goes to E36 M3.

In reply to dean1484 :

My point was never to defend what BMW is doing now, only to point out that they have made good cars in the past. Since this forum deals with enthusiasts that tend to buy older cars and do their own work, I thought I would just point out that there are still good BMW's out there. As Tyler H pointed out, I wouldn't recommend an old BMW to a normal person, but they can be great cars if they fit your circumstances and tastes.