BMW's nothing but problems??? Really???

Hello,

Many of my friends have been giving me advice of DONT buy a BMW they are a money pit car, $900 alternators, etc... nothing but problems.

I thought the best people to ask are actual BMW owners. Would you do it again?

I love the way they look, the cars I've test drove felt like great engineering went into them. I've heard things such as real men own only 5 series and up? What's the deal with that?

I need help in deciding whether to buy a BMW and if so, which model convertible would be the most reliable with the least maintenance costs? I would prefer something that's a pretty quick and fun to drive in the hills and an automatic (M3 or M5?). Pro's and con's of going with an automatic in a BMW? I personally prefer a stick however, traffic has gotten so bad it's a drag constantly going on and off the clutch.

Since I've never owned a BMW all advice on years and models to avoid and the best years/models, tips etc. would be much appreciated.

Thanks,

Dan

Reply to
szguitar
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Reply to
JimV

"szguitar" wrote

I've never had to replace an alternator, in over 350K miles of ownership of 4 BMWs.

I've owned 4.

I'm 55 and drive a 330xi. My 22 yo son drives a 525i.

None of the M cars come with an automatic. They *do* come with the SMG transmissions. They're notorious for jerkiness in traffic and stop-and-go driving.

Maintenance is free for the first 4 years/50K miles (in the US.) Arguably, BMWNA has set the maintenance schedules (especially for fluids) to too long of intervals. I've paid more to maintain Chrysler minivans than our BMWs - even our '91 525i was cheaper even though they didn't have "free" maintenance when we bought it.

FloydR

Reply to
Floyd Rogers

Maintenance is only ridiculous if you use a BMW Dealer for every little job, but there's plenty of independent BMW mecahnics around that can do the work at half the price.

BMW's have a few 'usual' weaknesses, as any other car do - once you know what these are, maintenance is pretty easy and reliability can be improved by preventative maintenace and generally being aware of what goes wrong and keeping an eye/ear open for problems.

A well looked after BMW will be great, but a neglected one that's had cheapo parts fitted will be a money sponge.

I've had auto and manual BMW's and I'd have an auto again to be honest, for the point of view of traffic. It's so muc easier. BMW manual gearboxes aren't fantastic anyway - they don't break for eons, but they just feel notchy...even from new.

A bunch of us from our club went to Nurburgring last year, and a couple of the cars were autos.

Auto gearboxes are only crap on small engined cars like a 316/318 - as soon as you strap an auto to a 6 pot engine it's perfectly pokey enough.

Reply to
Russ (www.e36coupe.com)

On 18 Jan 2006 01:58:57 -0800, "Russ

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" waffled on about something:

I specifically went for an auto... I'm in the UK and do a lot of motorway miles... It's so much nicer than arriving at my destination with a left leg twice the size of the right from all the stop/start traffic jams, and as Russ said, a 6 cylinder auto has more than enough grunt for general driving, even my 6 cylinder diesel!

Sure if you want a "true" drivers car, have a manual, but we spend

99.9% of the time just using them as transport, so comfort and ease of use count for more in my book. (If you want pure drivers car, you wouldn't have 3 other seats and a boot/trunk on the back would you!)

This is my second BMW in a year (previous one got written off by a blind van driver, but still drove me home). Both are/were approx 10 years old, 100,000+ miles, and haven't caused me any problems. I service them myself, and will turn my hand to most maintenance (changed glow plugs etc). Identical BMW parts can be sourced from other suppliers at a great discount. So if you don't mind getting your hands dirty, they're no worse than any other car. In fact as they seem to be well built they could be considered better.

Dodgy.

Reply to
Dodgy

In the UK various consumer surveys indicate that minor quick / cheap to fix faults are a little more common on BMW's than Honda / Toyota etc, but major incident (i.e. engine up in smoke) are very rare and on par with the japanese makes. Arguably a BMW will live longer than a japanese car.

Absolutely!, but better an auto than no BMW at all.

Mmmm, BMW manual boxes are considered amoung the best, the 6 speed on my E91 (2006) 3 series is the slickest most position action box I've ever used. If an auto box is the top priority Mercedes do better, but then you loose out on engine and handling. Labour rates at BMW dealers are a bit on the high side here too, you rely on the fact that not much will need doing and if you must, turn to an independant when your warantee is over.

Reply to
AGH!

"Mmmm, BMW manual boxes are considered amoung the best, the 6 speed on my E91 (2006) 3 series "

well..ok, perhaps on the BRAND NEW cars they're improved - but this is not the case the majority of the ZF transmissions used on the e36 / e34 / e39 and e46 (I think).

For example, the manual e34 M5 and e36 M3 gearboxes are notchy and quite a few suffer from gear chatter.

The 5 speed manual box used in the 6 pot e36/e39/e46 can suffer from gear chatter too. The gearchanges on my e39 528 (with only 60k miles) were awfully notchy, and the gear chatter in neutral was embarrasingly loud so I had a brand new gearbox fitted at a BMW dealer. The new box is ok, but still isn't as smooth as the gearbox in my wifes e36 316 compact (4 pot).

Not sure if on the very newest 3 and 5 series they are still using the clutch delay valve setup. Nasty device that deadens any feedback and control you have on clutch engagement (not used on the M3 and M5's interestingly) - and also increases clutch wear as it only engages the clutch at a set rate......apparently to prevent damage to the clutch plate. A popular modiication on the e36 328 and the e39 is to remove this valve so you can achieve better gear changes. There's also the dual mass flywheel...which is cool as long as it doesn't leak over time or need replacing due to excesssive clutch wear, as they're mega-bucks.

Anyway....it's more down to you personal preference when it comes to the choice between auto or manual.....I know what I'd have next time.

Reply to
Russ (www.e36coupe.com)

In the UK at least, it's the dealers that give BMW a bad name. They seem to employ kwik-fit type personnel but still want to charge the big bucks for repairs. I had few problems with my mid-90's 3-series (other than the dealer) but I've known a few people with big and/or scary problems with their E46s. The 3-series parts seem to be easier and cheaper to come by whereas parts for the biggers cars are still expensive. Parts for japanese cars can be pricey too. The M-cars can be pricey because a) they might not have been built very well and b) often the parts are different between the Ms and the regular cars.

Reply to
adder1969

An automatic in a BMW is pretty much a waste. Buy a Mercedes/Chrysler if that's what you want. BMW shouldn't even MAKE a M3/M5 with a slushbox. Big power + rear wheel drive + transmission shifts in the middle of a curve = problems.

Basically, BMWs will happily run at least 200,000 miles with basic maintenance. When something DOES break, it can get expensive, especially at dealer rates; but things break much less frequently than on other cars.

Reply to
sunderland

Nonsense! This sounds like talk from the uninformed. Sure you'll get an occasional lemon just like you would from any other manufacturer. Do the regular scheduled maintenance and get the warranty work done if needed. Drive it like it was meant to be driven and enjoy it. Don't sweat the small stuff.

Absolutely!

Are you buying the car for yourself or are you just trying to impress others? Drive what *YOU* like and stop worrying about what others think or say. If they don't like what you are driving tell them to buy you the car

*they* think you should be driving.

A stick is the only way to go. If you want auto you should buy a Volvo.

Good luck and enjoy your new car.

Rita

Reply to
Rita Ä Berkowitz

I have an 1990 E34 535i, 5 speed manua trans, 104K miles and its one of the smoothest shifting cars I ever driven. The key was changing the transmission fluid to a good Synthetic. I've used Redline and am now using Purple Royal. Both work well and really smooth out the shifting, especially when the trans is cold. Try it!

Reply to
bfd

The SMG *is* an auto. It simply allows more manual input than most epicyclic ones - but this is not intrinsic in either.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

Except it's clear (to me) that the OP wants a true autobox for creeping around in traffic, which the SMG is not good at. And I don't want to debate the meaning of "auto", so stuff it.

FloydR

Reply to
Floyd Rogers

Not at the moment, but will be in a couple of years when BMW finally adopts a twin layshaft/clutch version.

I was just interested in the snobbery implied. In the UK most learn on a manual and have a manual as their first car. So don't consider it an exclusive feature but the norm.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

Which is why modern BMW's autos know about steering input and lateral acceleration, amongst other things - no surprise shifts at the wrong moment.

An adaptive auto with Steptronic (or better yet ALPINA Switchtronic) manual mode gives the best of both worlds.

A
Reply to
Alistair J Murray

A wild overstatement. The e36 has proven to be very reliable, and after the first year or so of production, the e46 has too. Since the e90 is brand new, 1) there is little info on its reliability yet, and 2) it's likely to be less reliable in its first year than it will be in years thereafter.

Actually, after owning 3 e36s (325i, 325is, M3), I've been looking around at a lot of alternatives for my next car, but I just don't see any way I'd be happy with anything other than a used e46 330 or M3 (unless it's a new e90 325i with sport package).

I guess I've been spoiled for other makes.

Drivel. 5 series are bigger softer and less agile than 3 series. Except for the M5, of course. If "real men" prefer boulevard cruisers to sports cars, then you heard right.

If this is your primary criterion, buy a Honda S2000 or Toyota MR Spyder. They're the most reliable convertibles out there. And bland.

All M5s are manual. I'd choose an auto (SMG) M3, personally. It's actually faster than the manual.

If your traffic is bad, I'd *definitely* get a SMG. You can manually paddle shift when you feel the need for speed, and otherwise be shiftless.

Avoid the first year of a new model. That's about it.

The factory set the e46 M3s' rev limiter too high, letting some fools damage the engine. I suspect that's more common on manuals than autos, though. If you buy a e46 M3, I'd chip it (e.g. Jim Conforti) to bring down the rev limit a little, especially if you see yourself pushing the car hard. But most M3 owners don't (...chip or drive hard).

On older M3s, I'd also look at the shock towers to see if there's cracking. It's a pretty stiff suspension. In fact, you'd better drive one before buying. A sport 330 might be a lot easier to live with, especially if you live in Pothole Land.

Randy

Reply to
Randy

The new M5 comes (currently) only with an SMG.

Not true. They (finally) admitted to two problems, both related to bearing failures (one was a bad batch of bearings, the other oiling IIRC).

FloydR

Reply to
Floyd Rogers

The ones who can afford them do, the ones who can't act like they wouldn't have it any other way. :-)

Reply to
Jack Dotson

...

Did BMW redress this in more than just words? Was there a recall?

How can a buyer know if an M3 has been "fixed"? Or if it needs to be?

Randy

Reply to
Randy

There were two recalls. Easy to track from the vin.

FloydR

Reply to
Floyd Rogers

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