'07 525xi. Getting some thrust arms, front wheel bearings, brakes all around and a preventative water pump and t-stat (never been done) all at 170k Hoping to see 300k+ Still burns no oil between 7500 mile changes

 

I bought a cheap '08 535iX wagon with 135,000 miles on it back in November. I have had over a dozen BMWs since 1976 (running a few up over 300k miles) and currently own 4, so I have a pretty good idea of what to expect with this one. I have rebuilt several cars (BMWs and classics) over the years and do a lot of the work on these cars myself.

If you own or are considering purchasing a high-mileage BMW, the very first thing you should do, after you read the PDF but before you put your money down, is buy a BMW specific diagnostic tool or find an inspector that has one. Foxwell makes a pretty decent one called the NT510 that you can find for $160 if you look around. Check the threads here for the various other ones, like the Rheingold SHTA/D software, etc. A BMW diagnostic tool will check ALL codes from the various BMW control modules, not just the generic "check engine" codes. Without one, you have no idea if a non-emissions system is throwing codes that might be expensive to fix.

The next thing you need when you own an out-of-warranty older BMW is a good independent mechanic. NOT THE DEALER! Just google independent BMW mechanic or search for BMWCCA mechanic. I took this wagon into the dealer to get the front end aligned after verifying that the suspension was correct and tight. They quoted me $1700 for new tie rods and a trailing link...items that I knew were good. When I asked why, they eventually told me the mechanic could not loosen the adjustment nuts because they were too rusty. (There is no rust on my steering linkage) I collected the car, took it home, put it on jack stands and had the suspect nuts loose in less than 10 minutes. So in essence, my dealer thought it made more sense to charge me $1700 for replacement parts and labor than it would to spend 10 minutes on a couple of frozen linkage nuts. Your dealer probably uses the same weird logic. Do not go there unless you are willing to, as our OP says, empty your wallet.

When you find a mechanic talk to him about rates and parts. I actually have 2 different mechanics that I use depending on what my car needs and, again, I do a lot of maintenance myself. One mechanic will do suspension and some engine work, is not expensive (hourly rate is 40% of the dealer's), and he lets me order parts and bring them to him. The other mechanic is a BMWCCA recommended race-prep type operation that does big jobs and really knows these cars. His hourly rate is about 70% of the dealer and he charges for actual hours instead of using the rarely fair BMW job estimator.

BMW has an open network for parts. This means that most of the parts for your car are made by Bosch or Meyle or some other German supplier. When BMW puts s stamp on it, the price of the part doubles. When the dealer gets it, the price often doubles again. But because it is an open network, you can find the same part on-line that came direct from the manufacturer for a fraction of the price BMW charges. Just make sure the part is not a no-name Chinese knock-off. See if your mechanic will allow you to purchase the parts.

The third thing I would recommend is that you join the BMWCCA. The material you get from the national chapter is very informative and, unlike most car magazines, has very balanced reporting on both new BMWs and older ones. Membership also includes invitations to local chapter events. Local events are often fun and they allow you to network with other BMW enthusiasts, many of whom have more skills, knowledge and tools than you do. Learn from them.

I have found that BMWs are truly no more expensive to maintain than any other performance car as long as you are reasonably smart about it, diagnose things yourself, and have a good non-dealer mechanic.

Just for the record, I have nothing against BMW or any other car dealers in general. I just know that they are in the business of selling and maintaining mostly new cars. $5000 for service on a newer $90,000 BMW is probably fine. $5000 for service on an older $15000 BMW is not OK. BMW dealers don't get that but independent mechanics will almost always work with you. Your mechanic should have a garage full of cars that are generally the same age as your car. That means other people trust him.

 

" $5000 for service on an older $15000 BMW is not OK"

This is spot on.

All the BMW forums seem to have a whole new wave of "I just bought my first BMW 2007 ...." . The E90s and E60s are getting pretty cheap and people are getting excited about finally owning a BMW!

Then the bad realization hits when their $7,000 BMW needs $3,000 worth of work and they have no means of doing it themselves. On the other hand... this is also why used BMWs are so cheap because there is even a larger group of people that are smart enough to be scared of such a thing

 

Well guys, I finally sold my car. I put it off for a long time but I didn't have the space and never really drove it much. I picked up a 13 GS350 earlier in Jan. Really loving the car so far, I felt it was better than the F10. My car had 131k miles when I sold it. As mentioned the BMW repairs get old after a while, I had a e46 m3 I sold a few years ago that was really fun but didn't want to dump money to keep it maintained to the right level, it gets old.

 

we have 178,000 but many issues

 

2004 545i with 160,570 miles. I maintain it (enjoy taking care of it). It's basically like owning a house, there's always something to do. It runs so smoothly, and is so fast on the highway. I've learned so much about the N62, not afraid to get another some day. Have owned a couple years now, and don't drive in winter.

Love this beast of a car!

 

Just hit 110,000

Spent upwards of $4000 on repairs since 85,000 miles between DIY, forum members, and independent shops.

Still love the car but next time around I'm getting a warranty

 

$4000 in 25k. That is a lot. I hope that included regular maintenance services. Extended Warranty is always good to have but not sure if there are too many that warranty to much outside of 100k that are reputable. I did manage to get my insurance company to warranty me bumper to bumper until 130k but that is on a 15 Yukon so we will see if that turns out good. All my other extended warranties were only good to 100k from the dealership but never needed them in the 2 cars I had before.

 

Just got a 185,000 mile BMW 04 545i from auction for my son for 1580 looks great but dead as a door nail, appears to have water damage on computers under hood and in trunk changed IVS module so it now cranks but has a few codes P1051, P1062 P1064 so its a project but the hell! looks good!

 

290K Miles!! All hwy and only normal service except alternator, batteries and coolant system replace. Looking to do engine swap with 4.4 100K miles. Still looking sexy after all these years!!