My First BMW - 3 Series Convertible

On 12/29/2007 5:28 AM, RICK DAVIS went clickity clack on the keyboard and produced this interesting bit of text:

Test drive one first. BMWs do not feel like Hondas or Chevys in the least. Many people think they're stiff and hard to control. But this is so you can actually feel the road and respond to it more accurately. Also consider that because BMWs are high performance cars the maintenance and repairs are going to cost you more. They're not cheap cars to own.

That said, I've owned two Hondas, two Oldsmobiles, a Buick, a Toyota a Dodge and two BMWs. None of them come close to how fun a BMW is to drive. An example: My sister needed to borrow my car as hers was in the shop. I let her with the admonition, "Be careful. It wants to go fast." She scoffed at that (she had never driven a BMW before) and she took off to do her errands. When she came back she was awestruck and said, "It DOES want to go fast!" You've been driving milk horses and BMWs are thoroughbreds. When you first drive one you'll be amazed at the responsiveness and sensitivity to your driving they are. My dad (who has owned three BMWs) says it has a button that makes all the other cars get behind him: the accelerator. Where I live (Los Angeles) there's a steep hill that the freeway traverses. I can accelerate up the hill in 5th gear in my 1994 530i while other cars are struggling to maintain a constant speed. That's 5th gear with a gear ratio of 1:1. If I really want to move up the hill I put it in 4th gear and step on it. It's exhilarating.

I could go on and on about how much fun these cars are to drive, but you'll just have to experience it yourself. If you don't like how they handle then stay away from them and go back to a more mundane car. (Frankly I'd stay with Honda or go with Toyota. Chevys stink.) But if you do like it, just be aware that they aren't cheap to maintain. But if you do maintain it properly they'll last a long time.

Thanks for the feedback. Yes I will test drive one. I'm 6 foot

On 12/29/2007 9:36 AM, Rick went clickity clack on the keyboard and produced this interesting bit of text:

They don't require any "special" maintenance that other cars do (although I've heard that you should change out the automatic tranny fluid every so often; I have always driven a stick) it's just that some parts will wear out more often such as brake rotors. (These need to be changed about every other brake pad change and shouldn't be turned like you would a more mundane car.) The engine itself is pretty darn reliable. My car is nearly 14 years old (egad, I have a daughter that's only a year older!) and when I change the oil it's still translucent. Darker than when it was first put in, but not like the black sludge I've seen in other cars.

Be aware that these cars do break down and need repairs from time to time. I consider this part of maintenance. But parts are more expensive than typical cars. (My oil filter costs about $11.) I've had to replace some master cylinder rubber bushings, belts, and I'm beginning to get a coolant leak that I need to address. But it's well worth it for the enjoyment I get from driving it, even in heavy traffic.

Actually 4 yrs./50k miles

There's a dash readout which calculates maintenance intervals depending on driving conditions using approx. 15,000 miles as a baseline. The basic service is called an "Oil Service" and involves an oil (synthetic) & filter change, a cabin air filter change as well as some inspections. The cost (after the free maintenance period) by a dealer is about $325.00. At approximately 30k, the service is called "Inspection I" and is a bit more elaborate for around $500.00. Certain items are time based such as brake fluid (2 yrs.) and radiator coolant (4 yrs.), and spark plugs and O2 sensors are called for at 100k.

If you do not put on 15k within a year, your free maintenance will cover an oil/filter change annually.

Some of us prefer more frequent oil changes. My dealer charges about $85 for an "Interim Oil Change" (as opposed to the above mentioned "Oil Service") which I have done midway between the scheduled services.

Also, my dealer (I assume they're typical of BMW dealers) provides a free service loaner (albeit not a BMW) an does an excellent car wash.

You'll love it!

Tom K.

You should do this with EVERY car. And you should do it with the manual transmission fluid too. On the BMW I recommend doing the manual every

Brake rotors are one of those things that wear out faster when you use them more. If you're apt to drive more aggressively in a high performance car, you will go through pads and rotors more. If you still drive like a little old lady when behind the wheel of a fast car, you won't.

I will say that more recently BMW has gone in for a lot of wacky electronic stuff, and like all highly complex systems they are prone to failure. Life is like that. If you don't want to fix it, order the car without it. If you're forced to get it, expect to have to fix it.

Yes, but that's no reason you should be spending a hundred bucks for an oil change....

--scott

I don't spend $100 on an oil change. I do it myself. This car is the easiest car to change the oil on than I have ever had. The oil pan plug is close enough to the front of the car that I don't even have to get my body under it and the filter is nice and handy right under the hood. I've practically had to have a joint put in my arm between my elbow and wrist to get to some of the oil filters I've changed.

Pro: It's a car.

Con: It's a convertible.

The E28 is actually a pain to change the oil on without a lift, because pulling the hot canister out from the top is difficult with gloves on, and impossible without gloves on.

I took a wooden rod, drilled a hole in it, and put a loop of rope through it tied so it fits snugly around the canister. You loop it around the bottom, undo the bolt on top, then drop the canister down and pull it back up without spilling a drop. Makes things much easier.

The E28 is the first car I ever owned that didn't require any chassis lube either. I'm not sure this is a good thing since I have gone through a hell of a lot of control arm bushings.... but it halves the time to do the oil change.

--scott

Nedavno Scott Dorsey napisa:

I have '87 E30 manual. When (in winter) I start from cold it is hard to shift into first and second gear until engine (and gearbox, I guess) warms up (not much, a couple of miles is enough).

I am thinking about trying to change gearbox oil with engine oil (as per my manual), which is lighter, to see if that will help.

My question is do I change this oil as I would change gearbox oil, or at the same time as engine oil, or something else?

Question: The local BMW dealer touts no maintenance costs for the 1st 50k miles or 4 years whichever comes first. Is this a maintenance contract (usually very expensive) or built into the price of the car. Of course, the

It's built into the price of the car. And unfortunately, when BMW did that, they increased the service intervals substantially. I'd do a lot more fluid changes than the dealer now recommends, which means a lot more than the dealer will pay for on that plan.

--scott

"tww1491" wrote

As Scott mentions, it's built into the price. Tire rotations are not recommended on BMWs. A DIY oil change is around $30 parts. Air and cabin filters are cheap and easy, if you want to change them more often. Brake pads and rotors usually last 60K, but sometimes go as early as 45K. That's about it for wear items for the first 50K.

FloydR

Actually, the service intervals were increased a few years after the "free" maintenance introduction - The 15k oil change started with the changeover to OEM synthetic engine oil around 1999.

Tom K.

I take it that the rotors usually have to be replaced at the same time as the pads. This must mean the rotors are too thin to resurface. Brake job then is expensive.

Join the BMW Car Club of America. It's $40 a year, gets you a $500 discount on any new/certified BMW purchase (alas, after one year of membership), and comes with a subscription to The Roundel, their superb magazine that is every bit as good as Road & Track, Car and Driver, Automobile, and so on. The magazine has excellent articles about new BMW's and the care and feeding of BMW's. There is an excellent technical support column. They tell it like it is about BMW's and that means you hear about the good, the bad, and the really stupid things BMW does. Once you are out of warranty, you really do need a support group if you are going to own a BMW and BMWCCA is a great one.

I always wanted a BMW and bought an E46 330i zhp a few years ago. It is a good sports sedan and I still own it/like it, but it is not the sports sedan nirvana I thought it would be.

I also own a 1992 Lexus LS400 that we have had for almost 14 years. While not a sports sedan like the zhp and it gets much worse mileage, to boot, it is, overall, a significantly better car than the BMW. I never regret getting the LS. I occasionally regret getting the 330i instead of an STI or EVO, for the same money.

All that is by way of saying BMW hype can (which is not to say it will) overwhelm BMW ownership reality.

GRL

Not always, but sometimes. A lot of folks just do it anyway if the car is being driven heavily, since the rotors are so cheap.

--scott

I have never heard of doing that. I'd be reluctant to do it because the engine oil does not contain high pressure additives. These are mostly sulfur compounds that cause ferrous sulfate corrosion on the surface of steel, which prevents galling when gear surfaces are slid against one another under high pressure. Notice the nasty sulfur smell that the gear oil has, which motor oil doesn't have.

Before doing that, I'd try a synthetic gear oil that has a wider operating temperature range. The Red Line stuff is what BMW recommends, but Mobil 1 and Royal Purple both make perfectly good synthetic gear oils.

I'd see no reason to increase your change rate if you use a different oil. Remember, the engine oil is getting gunked up with combustion byproducts. That's not happening with the transmission fluid. So there is no need to replace the transmission fluid every 3,000 miles like you do with the motor oil, no matter what fluid it is.

--scott

Nedavno Scott Dorsey napisa:

My owners (and Bentley) manual states that I can use single-grade mineral-based engine oil. But I know that dealer used multi-grade oil (while he serviced car in warranty). I wonder if single-grade oils are available...

Red Line and Royal Purple are not available here, for Mobil 1 I'll have to check.

I thought so, but just wanted to check. Thank you.

I am reading that these BMWs require alot of maint. and It can get costly. Sound true? I'm just upper middle income. I just paid off my mortgage this year and am debt free. I just thought I would treat myself to a really nice car. I just don't know if I'm committed enough to give it the service it needs. I'm concerned I might be getting in a lot over my head. I'm not handy with automotive anything. Alot of you sound like you are and do your own repairs. I'm out of your league and really don't want to travel to the dealers (35 mins away) every time a bell or whistle doesn't work. Having said this should I not consider a BMW? Am I out of my league. Its just such a beautiful car.