BMW 325i 2006-2007 (E90) reliability and maintenance cost ?

FLIP said:
1) Do you expect all the work done to be from a shop? Dealer or private?
2) Can do you things yourself?

Any car you bring to a dealership for maintenance at 60-90/hr will cost a lot even priv 40-60... but once you find a nice source for parts, website for DIY and a few hours on the weekend, you'll be fine.

Simply put, an oil change will take me 30min incl clean up, $5 oil filter (from the states) and like $30 of oil on special (50% of caca tire, just need to know when to buy) where as i'm sure it would cost 3x more else where incl tip.
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I don't know about BMW, but Mercedes dealer is more like 117$/hr...le Duval du moins.
OP, you might want to stay away if you find 500, 600$ too much especially if you plan on bringing the car to the dealer for maintenance. For example, the regular 1 yr scheduled maintenance on a 2010 MB C-class was 450$ at the dealer. That maintenance basically included oil change and checking/replacing couple of basic stuff.
 
that BMW is going to cost 500-600 everytime you get it in the dealership, if you are lucky it's going to be only once a year but i doubt it.

From your original question yes they do have some issues, mostly eletronically related. They also had problems with injectors needed to be replaced. Mechanically they should be strong but there is too much electronic in those. You better stay with your TL if maintenance is your concern.
 
Yeah well I always keep my car a few years, I dont want to spend a crapload for maintenance if its not even reliable.

I'll keep the TL and get a Type-S in the near futur then.
 
Ahh yes typical MR thread where no one can give an actual answer except me.

The E90s are much better built then the previous E46s. Now let's remember you're looking at a 5-6 year old car and mileage will vary.. but let's go over the basics.

As far as "Normal" maintenance goes on a 325i it's pretty normal BMW. Oil Changes every 25000kms which cost about 100$ to change at a garage or 70$ DIY, the service reset can be done yourself. You might have to change the occasional air filter etc. Now problems.. Well first off the biggest issue I've seen with these cars is the failure of the electric water pump located at the front lower right corner of the engine, it will just to start over heat out of the blue and go into reduced power mode. If you look around you can find a new pump for about 500$ and you might as well do the thermostat along with it since it's connected to the WP. DIY? Kinda but a lift is really needed and even with a lift will take about 2 hours to change/bleed the coolant system. It's a bit of a bitch job and you need ETORX sockets. The radiators are also known to crack and start leaking, they already make jobber rads for these cars... If you want an auto trans the wiring harness on early models rubbed against the body and frayed.

Chances are the car you buy will have already had the brakes changed once, if not a complete 4 wheel brake job at the dealer is just under 750$, which is a steal! The drivers side seat can cut the wires controlling the movement of the seat but you can re solder the wiring. There was a recall recently for the battery to be changed. You can't change the battery yourself since the AMPs need to the programmed into the DME so the alternator knows what to do. You might eventually have to change the front sway bar links as well. Depending on mileage the steering wheel will wear out, well not split but rather the texture rubs off. Another issue I've seen is the door mirrors can sometimes have a mind of their own... so those might have to be changed as well. I've seen a coupe with blown rear diffs but that might have to do with the driver....

Honestly I'd get an E90.. As I mentioned much much better then E46s in terms of reliability but doesn't drive as well. Just make sure the car you buy has a proper service history from BMW or a decent garage. It's very important that the proper fluids were used and changed when specified.

STAY AWAY FROM 335i of this vintage unless it's a CPO car with a BMW extended warranty. Those TL's still puke transmissons just like all TLs plus the BMW drives much better and doesn't look like a pig.
 
Gregster: I agree with the extended warranty - and BMW could have offered the Vanos update/upgrade at cost price on a voluntary basis (or not; the dealer network is not the factory, i.e. legal issues?).

My jobber mechanic vanished overnight last week; where to get an expansion cylinder changed with non-dealer warranty?
 
Sustain26 said:
Gregster: I agree with the extended warranty - and BMW could have offered the Vanos update/upgrade at cost price on a voluntary basis (or not; the dealer network is not the factory, i.e. legal issues?).

My jobber mechanic vanished overnight last week; where to get an expansion cylinder changed with non-dealer warranty?
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BMW also knew about rear sub frame problems for years and never made it public but chose to sweep it under the rug/not call it a problem. What work do you need to have done exactly?
 
well known problem with expansion cylinder failing (reservoir for coolant) - preventative maintenance only; no leaks yet on my '02.

Sub frame - legal action in USA has softened their attitude towards similar claims in Canada but no recall here (following one year repair offer in USA).
 
Ahh yea the expansion tank is normal to fail on E46s.. Actually almost any car that has that type of system the bottle will eventually crack. Just like the PCV system with the tubes turning to dust and the MAF boots...
 
The '06 325i is underpowered, go for an '06 330i or a '07+ 328i. Avoid the 335i at all costs except if the car is Certified - loads of high-pressure fuel pump issues.

I haven't had many issues myself, except for the radio freezing every 2-3 weeks (have to reboot the car). Getting the radio replaced soon under warranty.
 
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