[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by VMX1

I respect your opinion Efthreeoh. I don't necessarily agree with everything you said there...but I do understand your point of view...

Flat six huh? Valkyrie or Goldwing? I have a 2000 Goldwing that is my pride and joy...Candy two tone red. Love the cassette deck..LOL...:P

I have also read Mike's guide, and I would agree, it is a little over kill but, at the same time, a nice "guide" if taken with a grain of salt.

"I think automotive mileage-based maintenance schedules for cars are as completely reasonable as are time-based maintenance schedules for GA aircraft, or farm equipment for that matter."

I would certainly agree with this...but...LOL....always a but huh?

Millage is all well and good and an excellent indicator but time has to be worked into that equation as well. If you have a car with 20k miles on it but it is 10+ years old you really should...and like you, this is just my opinion with 12 years automotive and 23 years aviation speaking...you should have a look at certain things. Your 18 year old timing belts might look good to the naked eye but I would bet dollars to donuts it wouldn't under proper inspection. You got lucky in my opinion...If you had lost that belt that interference engine would have cost you a lot more than a $50 dollar timing belt and adjusters.....

Same with the brake hoses...22 years old huh? Looks good outside but have you had them off to inspect the condition inside? You loose one of those in a critical situation and you may well regret a $20.00 part for the rest of your life....especially if it is at the result of someone else's life....just food for thought..

Making fun of Mikes work because he purposes preventative maintenance that is, to some aggressively premature, is fine...I mean your car, your dime. But, I also think leaning in the other direction could be considered just as bad? I have seen things that looked perfectly fine to the naked eye but under scope and test were finished. Replacing items for the sake of replacing them is wasteful. I agree. But some serious discretion should be giving to safety items 10+ years old...


Just my 2Cents as well...

All the best to you Efthreeoh.

Be safe

VMX1

I never answered...

1999 Valkyrie Interstate.

All I can say is my E90 has done quite well without Miller's schedule.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by ralphyboy

Are their cases where it is okay to buy a 3 series with higher mileage, say 140k?

Just expect to replace items. Stuff just wears out. But if you don't DIY, then pass.

[j.t.]

So what is the verdict with AT transmission fluid? I keep hearing both sides to changing it or don't change it. I just hit 100k km should I do it? I plan on keeping the car for a long time.

[Nickco43]

Originally Posted by j.t.

So what is the verdict with AT transmission fluid? I keep hearing both sides to changing it or don't change it. I just hit 100k km should I do it? I plan on keeping the car for a long time.

There is no debate, at 100k KM you are still in the safe zone to change it.

[Lucidus]

In terms of fluids, is it better to just pay someone an inflated price to drain and replace them, or would I be able to do it by myself if I understand cars pretty well?

[Nickco43]

Originally Posted by Lucidus

In terms of fluids, is it better to just pay someone an inflated price to drain and replace them, or would I be able to do it by myself if I understand cars pretty well?

Most BMW indy shops charge about $70-$80 to change the oil using a full synthetic. Buying oil from FCP euro is about $60-$70. The cost savings for doing oil yourself is negligible. Hell the dealer's oil change is about $100 and you get free snacks while you wait.

[Cahagan88]

This is fantastic! I am new to the BMW community and am falling in love with the platform. What a wonderful write up. I love all the knowledge and helpful information. Great job!

[FuZyRL]

I've currently got a f20 116ed and looking to upgrade to a 335D E92. Going looking at a car in a couple of days actually. I'm a very impulsive person but figured this was a big leap. Honestly my current 1.6L is the biggest engine I've had. Nice to know if I have any issues that there are a lot of knowledgeable people all in one place here to help out!

[SEABMW]

After purchasing my BMW second hand with low miles, I'd still recommend buying from a private dealer for a good deal that got paper work and a clean title and also low miles. the x drive's value diminishes even faster. and id stay away from the early e9x automatic transmissions. One thing to keep in mind is these cars are over engineered to be a pain for you so you go to the dealer to maintain and fix you car (which you'll be doing a lot of). A new special expensive tool you need to buy or find is always around the corner. Example is a $20 spark plug socket or $55 front turn signal bulb. Be ready to spend on repairs on a older year once common problems are taken care of (which there are many) they perform great.

[Nickco43]

Originally Posted by SEABMW

After purchasing my BMW second hand with low miles, I'd still recommend buying from a private dealer for a good deal that got paper work and a clean title and also low miles. the x drive's value diminishes even faster. and id stay away from the early e9x automatic transmissions. One thing to keep in mind is these cars are over engineered to be a pain for you so you go to the dealer to maintain and fix you car (which you'll be doing a lot of). A new special expensive tool you need to buy or find is always around the corner. Example is a $20 spark plug socket or $55 front turn signal bulb. Be ready to spend on repairs on a older year once common problems are taken care of (which there are many) they perform great.

I would never take an out of warranty BMW to the dealer.

[miguelwmb]

Frequently I take the time to tell friends and family to always set up a maintenance account to pay for repairs or regular maintenance. All European vehicles cost much to repair and maintain. If you bought a BMW thru a financial institution and the car's warranty expires you are setting yourself up for a pinch. Please get the warranty insurance. It is worth every penny. I own a 06 330xi that sits in my garage collecting dust. Both DISA valves had to be replaced. All the coils(of which are no longer available you must rewire and buy an adapter). Spark plugs, valve cover gasket, and two sensors for the variable timing. It runs but sounds like a blown engine, at the tune of $1700.00 in parts, $150 for towing, $500.00 in labor and in the garage it sits. The dealer in my county doesn't know how to fix it but they do know how to rack up a bill. Don't rely on youtube vids. You're better off buying a book for your car and experiment yourself. Beautiful cars beautiful bills and they look great sitting in your garage when you can't afford to fix it. Buy insurance for unexpected repairs. You will be glad you did. Not having a car will alter your life in a very unpleasant way. BUY MAINTENANCE INSURANCE.

[ctuna]

If you are careful about what you buy and have some DIY experience
you can keep the maintenance and repair cost down .
That means not buying the Turbo and if at all possible not buying the automatic. Also you need to stay ahead of things like belt tensioner
failure and oil leaks . Coils Plugs and filters are easy enough to do .
Diagnostics can be had very cheaply obtained .
Most all parts and filters can be obtained for about 50 percent of what
the dealer charges.

[4 Doors]

Originally Posted by ctuna

If you are careful about what you buy and have some DIY experience
you can keep the maintenance and repair cost down .
That means not buying the Turbo and if at all possible not buying the automatic. Also you need to stay ahead of things like belt tensioner
failure and oil leaks . Coils Plugs and filters are easy enough to do .
Diagnostics can be had very cheaply obtained .
Most all parts and filters can be obtained for about 50 percent of what
the dealer charges.

Why do you say stay away from the automatic? The E9X automatic transmissions are pretty robust and stress-free. Easy to maintain as well. What is your reasoning to make this statement?

[MBE90XI]

This is an excellent post, thank you!

I'm considering a local 2007 328xi 6 speed manual, xDrive will be handy for our cold icy Canadian winters. 129,250 KMs. Waiting on the financing to sort itself out before checking out the car and getting a PPI done at an independent euro shop.

One thing I'm thinking about doing is beefing up the suspension; control arms, trailing arms, thrust arms and subframe bushings along with a set of BC Racing Coilovers.

From the photos, it looks pretty damn clean, seems to have had regular maintenance according to the carfax. I'm going to stop by a BMW dealership and see if I can get a maintenance history printed out but it's right at the mileage at which a few big ticket items need to be looked at.













Price is $7,995 Canadian. I'm strongly considering the option for a 3 year, 60,000 KM warranty. It covers the vehicle bumper to bumper including wear and tear. Apparently unlimited claims during the term but a maximum of $3,000 per claim. The price of the warranty is an additional $1,270.

[sabor049]

Hey everyone, I'm new to the forum and have been looking to purchase an e92 335i. This would be my first self bought car and want to be sure its a good choice. The one I'm looking at specifically is a 2008 auto 335xi with roughly 87000 miles. It has a few dents/ scratches, decent interior with everything working, Nav system, bluetooth capability, aux and cig lighter. I plan to get into a bit of modifying and tuning with this car, getting a JB4 tune and other bolt ons to go with. I haven't seen many xi's that have been tuned, wanted to know if its still just as capable as a 335i and if this sounds like a decent package for roughly 10.5K? Thank you very much in advance! (I tried attaching photos, not sure they made it onto the post)

[4 Doors]

Originally Posted by sabor049

Hey everyone, I'm new to the forum and have been looking to purchase an e92 335i. This would be my first self bought car and want to be sure its a good choice. The one I'm looking at specifically is a 2008 auto 335xi with roughly 87000 miles. It has a few dents/ scratches, decent interior with everything working, Nav system, bluetooth capability, aux and cig lighter. I plan to get into a bit of modifying and tuning with this car, getting a JB4 tune and other bolt ons to go with. I haven't seen many xi's that have been tuned, wanted to know if its still just as capable as a 335i and if this sounds like a decent package for roughly 10.5K? Thank you very much in advance! (I tried attaching photos, not sure they made it onto the post)

Looks clean for an '08. I have a 2008 335xi as well. One thing I would mention is that you need to have some money set aside for potential, if not mandatory, repairs. Also, keep in mind that some repairs cost more, or if you DIY, take longer because of the subframe on xDrive vehicles. Just FYI. You are buying an 11-year old turbo vehicle. There are going to be issues. Just know that. If you take care of those issues, these cars are great and you will enjoy it!

[Papogator24]

Hey guys, not sure if I should post here. I've been debating myself for the past month. Currently, I drive an 08 Tundra (bought since new) and I got my wife the 13' X5 35i. I've always loved BMW growing up and back in 2016 is when I got my wife the x5. I've loved it ever since we drove it home. My tundra is a DD and I commute about 17 miles to work. I'm about to start my new job (promotion) and I may be able to get a second car for work and let the tundra be the workhouse for the house (no payments on that truck). I've always wanted a M3 but I'm not sure if that's in the budget. I can probably do about 15k for a used BMW but for the life of myself, I cannot decide whether to go with a 3 series or 5 series. I want to be able to do some mods to make it a fun car. I would love to hear your suggestions.

P.S. I posted in the M3 forum and it has been dead silent. I'm hoping that is not the case here.

[mweisdorfer]

Originally Posted by sabor049

Hey everyone, I'm new to the forum and have been looking to purchase an e92 335i. This would be my first self bought car and want to be sure its a good choice. The one I'm looking at specifically is a 2008 auto 335xi with roughly 87000 miles. It has a few dents/ scratches, decent interior with everything working, Nav system, bluetooth capability, aux and cig lighter. I plan to get into a bit of modifying and tuning with this car, getting a JB4 tune and other bolt ons to go with. I haven't seen many xi's that have been tuned, wanted to know if its still just as capable as a 335i and if this sounds like a decent package for roughly 10.5K? Thank you very much in advance! (I tried attaching photos, not sure they made it onto the post)

Most people who tune, stay away from 335xi's because they are harder to work on.

You are way better off getting a 335i with similar milage.

Keep looking

[4 Doors]

Originally Posted by Papogator24

Hey guys, not sure if I should post here. I've been debating myself for the past month. Currently, I drive an 08 Tundra (bought since new) and I got my wife the 13' X5 35i. I've always loved BMW growing up and back in 2016 is when I got my wife the x5. I've loved it ever since we drove it home. My tundra is a DD and I commute about 17 miles to work. I'm about to start my new job (promotion) and I may be able to get a second car for work and let the tundra be the workhouse for the house (no payments on that truck). I've always wanted a M3 but I'm not sure if that's in the budget. I can probably do about 15k for a used BMW but for the life of myself, I cannot decide whether to go with a 3 series or 5 series. I want to be able to do some mods to make it a fun car. I would love to hear your suggestions.

P.S. I posted in the M3 forum and it has been dead silent. I'm hoping that is not the case here.

It will be hard to find a clean E9X M3 for $15k or less. You could find a nice E46 M3 though. Especially if you are looking for a fun daily or weekend cruiser. They each have their issues but when maintained, they are incredibly fun. A 335i will certainly need some maintenance also. You could always get a nice 328i for less and have that extra money saved.

[leif20]

If you buy a high mileage e90 with a ZF auto, at the first sign of trans issues I would recommend replacing the solenoids and seals in the transmission. I know it's a bit much for a 'preventative' maintenance item, but given how much information there is out there on failure cases for the solenoids (count me as one who needed solenoids, cleared up slipping shifts) to me it seems an easy decision.

Pan and fluid should (have) been done around 100k miles as well.

If anyone has any questions feel free to post or PM me.

[Barrique_Red]

If you are looking to buy an older E90, be sure to look at this:

https://www.e90post.com/forums/showt...1#post23696021

It's the vacuum line from the brake-only vacuum pump to the booster. The line(s) are plastic and they break with normal wear. This makes the brakes a lot less responsive and at some point they turn into manual brakes (no boost)!

[n54LCI]

+1 YES! After getting my 335i I essentially overhauled the vacuum lines to save headache. They crack in heat over years so be aware.