Top 10 things you need to know before buying a new or used BMW

I'm coming up on a year with a 2001 330Cic, which I found in pristine condition with only 35k miles on it. I put on only about 10k per year, so it has a long future life with me, it seems. My impression so far is very positive concerning quality and reliability, and it seems to me that it would be very practical to buy one outright, even a used one! The previous owner has been my only source of problems, as s/he evidently felt obliged to drive through every pothole s/he ever saw.

Originally Posted by KrisL

[*]The BMW Car Club of America (BMW CCA) is a great organization- membership ($40/yr) entitles you to a free subscription to the monthly magazine Roundel, discounts on parts at most BMW dealers, high performance driving schools/car control clinics/autocrosses, local gatherings/rallys/dinners, as well as a $500-1500 discount on your next new or CPO BMW (you must be a member for at least a year prior to purchase - and this transaction is completely independent of the dealer - you receive a rebate check after purchasing the car for at your dealer-negotiated price). Join here and if you found this post useful, use me as your referrer (Kris Linquist #170334)[/LIST]

Just joined CCA (link didn't directly work but I did list you as referrer). Aside from the benefits such as gatherings and Roundel mag, it's quite plausible I could be in the market for another Bimmer in a year or 1.5

Thanks for the tips my friend I think I should print these, I just got my 654ci, pre-owned, with almost 60K miles on it, and I had to replace the pads and rotors too, I thought it was un-normal till I read your top 10.

So I guess I should prepare my self for changing the tiers pretty soon too

Thanks Kris, I just signed the wife and I with BMW CCA, used your info as the reference.
Regards,
TR

thats some good info to know.

Originally Posted by craigrhyne

That would be one expensive M6!! $1,080,000!!!!

I think he took inflation into account.

Great thread, thanks OP.

What oil does BMW use and recommend?

Originally Posted by KrisL

If the dealer is convenient to where I am, I'll buy that. Otherwise I use Castrol 0w30 European Formula, only available at autozone, that meets BMW's Long Life oil certification.

Mercedes now uses Mobil 1 0W-40 European synthetic. It has some supposed "European" quality that Mercedes (and Porsche, as I understand it) now use in the factory. Rather than trying to reinvent the wheel I just bought it by the case of six to top things off. It was hard to find so I bought it at the dealership where I'm sure I paid a few dollars more than I'd ordinarily need to.

Originally Posted by mistercindy

What oil does BMW use and recommend?


Mercedes now uses Mobil 1 0W-40 European synthetic. It has some supposed "European" quality that Mercedes (and Porsche, as I understand it) now use in the factory. Rather than trying to reinvent the wheel I just bought it by the case of six to top things off. It was hard to find so I bought it at the dealership where I'm sure I paid a few dollars more than I'd ordinarily need to.

Read the Wiki for E46's

Originally Posted by johnny420

I don't know if is the right place for this, but bullet point number two above has me thinking. I'm currently considering a 2008 328i. At this time, I'd rather buy than lease, both because my payments would be much lower (I'd be putting down a substantial down payment) and because I've always purchased cars. The car I'm looking at will have 6 MT, SP, leather and Xenon lights, and that's it.

Is buying a BMW outright a bad idea? Are they really that unreliable?

The fact is I love this car and have coveted Bimmers for years, but a $4-500 lease pymnt is more than I want to take on at this point.

Any input would greatly appreciated.

It depends on the car. If this is the car that has everything option you want, if it is the color you want inside and out, also if the model is what you want then buy it and keep it for more than two years or however long the lease would be

Originally Posted by KrisL

Here are the top 10 things that anyone considering a new or used BMW should know. I'm going to make this a sticky - feel free to add on to it!

1. Most newer BMWs require synthetic oil and premium fuel. Do not give your car less than it requires.
2. Contrary to popular belief, parts and labor on BMWs is not more than the competition; however, BMWs are not as reliable as Japanese cars and they do require more maintenance.
3. If your car is out of warranty, find yourself a competent independent mechanic. Their labor rates tend to be about half that of dealers. http://www.bimrs.org/ lists such shops.
4. Buy a Bentley repair manual for you car. Even if you don't work on your car yourself, it's good to be an informed consumer (example: if your check engine light illuminates, Autozone will plug into your car for free and give you the car's trouble code. You can cross-reference it in the Bentley manual to see what's wrong).
5. Historically, manual transmissions are more reliable that automatic or steptronic transmissions.
6. BMWs have great brakes - this is due in part to the rather soft pads and rotors they use. Don't expect them to last more than 30-50k miles. The rotors generally wear at the same rate as the pads so 'machining' the rotors OR replacing pads without rotors is not recommended. There is a 'brake pad low' warning light that is triggered by a wear sensor that will illuminate on your dash when you are due for new brakes. It looks like this: . When you replace your brakes, you also need to replace the wear sensors ($10-20 each). There's one on the front left wheel and one on the rear right wheel. Parts for all 4 rotors, pads, and sensors are generally $200-500 and labor is about the same.
7. The 'sport package' available on most BMWs is usually considered a necessary option by enthusiasts. It usually includes better (bolstered) seats, stiffer suspension (better handling), as well as larger wheels and tires. One caveat: It also comes with summer only tires that are NOT suitable for ANY slushy/snowy/icy conditions. If you live in an area that gets snow, it's highly recommended that you buy a second set of wheels with dedicated snow tires.
8. It's fairly common for OEM tires to only last 10-20k miles. Price out replacements on www.TireRack.com to prevent being shocked: It can cost $600-1500 for replacement rubber. Also remember that tires are the #1 performance mod available to you! There's a significant difference between cheap all-season tires and good summer-only tires. Ask any questions in the Tires, Wheels, and Brakes forum.
9. BMW engines are tuned very well from the factory. It's very difficult to get more than a few horsepower out of intakes, exhausts, chips, headers, etc. (the newer the car, the more true this is)....unless, of course, you're talking about the N54 twin-turbo (335i, 535i, etc), in which case, completely disregard what I just said!
10. The BMW Car Club of America (BMW CCA) is a great organization- membership ($40/yr) entitles you to a free subscription to the monthly magazine Roundel, discounts on parts at most BMW dealers, high performance driving schools/car control clinics/autocrosses, local gatherings/rallys/dinners, as well as a $500-1500 discount on your next new or CPO BMW (you must be a member for at least a year prior to purchase - and this transaction is completely independent of the dealer - you receive a rebate check after purchasing the car for at your dealer-negotiated price). Join here and if you found this post useful, use me as your referrer (Kris Linquist #170334)

damn good tips. reading the part about requiring more maintenance makes me a bit weary though. But I heard that often.

Originally Posted by KrisL

Join here

Linky no worky....

Keep your sanity buy a Lexus!

Thanks a lot for the forum and i must say its an enlightening one,i have been a BMW enthusiast ever since i was a kid and i can still recall all the grooves on our neighbors' 2002. great car it was. His son is now 35 years of age and the car still runs! mine is an old 520 model (quite my level financially)but i hope to get an upgrade soon.will be in touch.

================================================== =======================================

Malcolm
A very powerful search engine
Google

Originally Posted by X3-terrestrial

Linky no worky....

Did not need to sacrifice many neurons to figure out the correct link: http://bmwcca.org/ or click here.

By the way, the plastic gallon jug will not hold enough quarters. You will need 1,350 gallons to hold that many coins.
http://www.faqs.org/qa/qa-4088.html

(Political msg removed -KrisL)

Just joined the CCA today! Thanks Kris!

My top ten repairable items to watch out for when choosing a used BMW ...
- radiator neck prophylaxis (I didn't do this yet so I don't have a good link for ya!)
- air conditioning stink research & diy
- brake bump shudder judder shake to pieces research
- windshield cover molding diy
- driver seat cover replacement diy
- cupholder replacement diy
- instrument cluster (pixels out) replaced by dealer
- intermittent fan blower (FSU) research
- jack lifting pads research & diy
- broken gas cap tether research

My maintenance list is currently ...
- four wheel brake job diy
- brake fluid diy
- H7 light bulb research
- oil change power bleeder & oil extractor research

My nice-to-have list is currently ...
- dice ipod research & DIY
- best parts supplier by price and availability research
- obnoxious door lock research

Another nice list of things to watch out for is here

A corally to #2 Contrary to popular belief, parts and labor on BMWs is not more than the competition; however, BMWs are not as reliable as Japanese cars and they do require more maintenance: The more expensive the BMW when new, the more expensive the parts and service with age (e.g.: 7 series, 8 series, M cars, especially M5s, etc.)

Originally Posted by ghpup

A corally to #2 Contrary to popular belief, parts and labor on BMWs is not more than the competition; however, BMWs are not as reliable as Japanese cars and they do require more maintenance: The more expensive the BMW when new, the more expensive the parts and service (e.g.: M cars, especially M5s, 7 series, 8 series, etc.)

That is true of all vehicles. One should always assume that a vehicle's maintenance/repair prices are correlated with its original price. This often bites people that find cheap Porsche 944s and such .

Yes, this is great advice. I'm thinking of trading in my 325 for a new BMW. So this will definitely help. Thanks.

First question from me would be "Did you use M1 5W30, Castrol Syntec 5W30, Pennzoil Platinum 5W30 etc?" If yes I walk away fast..

ekk, I wouldnt put money in your car. Just enjoy it while you are saving up money for a newer one.

helpful, but you missed one important thing: carfax is unreliable. buyer beware.

Originally Posted by soupcon

helpful, but you missed one important thing: carfax is unreliable. buyer beware.

eh, that's not BMW related. That applies to any car purchase.

Originally Posted by sprintman

First question from me would be "Did you use M1 5W30, Castrol Syntec 5W30, Pennzoil Platinum 5W30 etc?" If yes I walk away fast..

Why? Esp. the Castrol since they at least paid enough money are good enough to appear in the owners manual AND on the oil filler cap.