Long term Bimmer

[KIAman]

So I just passed the magical 100,000 miles on my 330i. Got my final free maintenance done for the service. Goodbye maintenance and warranty.

Here's to another trouble free 100,000 miles. I'm probably going to keep this car until it either 1) explodes or 2) pass it to my son when he starts driving.

What are my chances of lasting that long? LOL.

 

[Vette73]

"pass it to my son when he starts driving."

Why do you hate your son so much? :hmm:

 

[satyajitmenon]

Wow. Bimmer bashing on first response?

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

What year is it? I have a 2006 330i that I absolutely love driving, but based on my experience with the car I'd be reluctant to own one out of warranty.

 

[KIAman]

What year is it? I have a 2006 330i that I absolutely love driving, but based on my experience with the car I'd be reluctant to own one out of warranty.

It's an 06 as well. For the most part, it has been trouble free. Aside from replacing the steering column and clogged up VANOS, everything else was normal maintenance.

 

[satyajitmenon]

For the most part, it has been trouble free.

Aside from replacing the steering column and clogged up VANOS

I don't think those two go together.

 

[Vette73]

I don't think those two go together.

Wow. Bimmer bashing on fifth response?

:twisted:

 

[KIAman]

I don't think those two go together.

Steering column was a recall and the clogged Vanos was money for the dealers.

The car is almost 5 years old and has 100,000 miles. And I drive it like it's stolen.

Tires are the most expensive item. It isn't covered under maintenance and they only last 12-15k miles.

 

[Vic Vega]

Tires only last 15k? Buy some better tires. Plenty of good all season tires which will last 45k. You don't need BMW specific tires or high performance tires.

I would be more worried about the electrics on a car like that than the mechanical bits. Too many gizmos to crap out and nickle and dime you to death. My daily driver is starting to do this, currently at 150k miles. Little things like the power seat switches breaking, auto-dim rear view mirror quit working, automatic headlamps which never go off.

 

[PricklyPete]

What year is it? I have a 2006 330i that I absolutely love driving, but based on my experience with the car I'd be reluctant to own one out of warranty.

What problems have you been having?

 

[coxmaster]

Tires only last 15k? Buy some better tires. Plenty of good all season tires which will last 45k. You don't need BMW specific tires or high performance tires.

Says who? I know plenty of people that run high performance tires because they like having the grip. OP said he drives it like he stole it (so do I :awe so to me that sounds like high performance tires are a great option.

15k is a little on the low end of life, make sure your alignment is within spec. As long as you rotate tires often enough you'll be fine.

 

[Vic Vega]

Says who? I know plenty of people that run high performance tires because they like having the grip. OP said he drives it like he stole it (so do I :awe so to me that sounds like high performance tires are a great option.

15k is a little on the low end of life, make sure your alignment is within spec. As long as you rotate tires often enough you'll be fine.

Says me. A lot of folks think they can't run their premium car without the high performance summer tires it came with. If you like those tires, more power to you but a lot of folks don't understand you don't need "special" tires. I've had people tell me they can't go with a certain tire because it's not a "BMW" tire or a "Cadillac" tire and doesn't cost $250...

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

What problems have you been having?

It's been in three times for VANOS solenoids (though in fairness the first two repairs were just disassembly and cleaning - they replaced them the third time and it seems to have held). I had the steering column replaced after it repeatedly refused to unlock. I had one especially beguiling incident in which the entire audio system (including the bluetooth and even the turn-signal clicker) failed - it turned out to be that a vapor barrier in the driver's door was mis-installed and water got into the floor, shorting everything out - this would have been horrifically expensive to repair out of warranty. I had the battery go when the car was only about 3 years old, with less than 25K miles. It's in the shop now for a leak in the washer fluid system and a squeaky steering column.

All of these things happened within 23,000 miles (I bought the car as a CPO model when it was 2 years old and had only 13,000 miles on the clock).

I will say that my dealer (BMW of Minnetonka, MN) are professional and friendly, and I've always gotten a BMW loaner when the car has needed service.

I LOVE the car (330i with 6MT and Sport, Premium, and Cold Weather packages but no iDrive or Adaptive Steering) from a driving perspective and I'm not that bothered by the reliability issues in light of the fact that it's under warranty and I always get a nice loaner, but if I were paying for these repairs I'd be very unhappy. I will almost certainly get a CPO 335i as my next car, and hopefully NOT suffer a ton of HPFP failures!

 

[KIAman]

I live in sunny California so I never really had a need for all season tires. Also, the cost differential is almost negligable (from what I've seen). Find me an affordable tire that goes more than 20k miles in 225/35R18 and 255/40R18 sizes and I will definately consider them for my next set (which will come soon enough).

Don, sorry to hear about your issues. I had the exact same issue with the steering column and the dealer cleaned my Vanos around 65k miles but the master service technician later told me it was just a money maker for the dealership.

I've never had a leak nor any electrical issues. I'm still on stock battery after all this time. My biggest pet peave is how the door sounds when you close it with the windows rolled down.

Mine is an auto (I know, shut it!), Sport, Premium and Navigation and it's been fun as hell. I've recently upgraded the suspension to a nice set of coilovers and installed a PBX tune. The coilovers were a huge upgrade. The ride is so much smoother than ZSP but a lot firmer through transitions.

The car is paid off so until it fails me as a DD, I'll keep it around for as long as I can.

 

[exdeath]

Says me. A lot of folks think they can't run their premium car without the high performance summer tires it came with. If you like those tires, more power to you but a lot of folks don't understand you don't need "special" tires. I've had people tell me they can't go with a certain tire because it's not a "BMW" tire or a "Cadillac" tire and doesn't cost $250...

Have you ever driven anything besides a stock Kia? I should let you drive my KB Cobra with cheap 275/40/17 all seasons and let you revise your stance on not *needing* special tires.

 

[ayabe]

Equipping no-grip bo-bo's on a high powered car can get you killed. Sure the guy dropping $250/wheel for extreme performance summer tires for his '95 Accord is probably a fool but it's not generally a good idea to downgrade from the OEM tires specs in terms of grip.

 

[Vic Vega]

Have you ever driven anything besides a stock Kia? I should let you drive my KB Cobra with cheap 275/40/17 all seasons and let you revise your stance on not *needing* special tires.

Thanks for that. Definitely one of the funnier posts I've read today.

Back to reality, the OP's run of the mill premium sedan doesn't need high-po tires, it just doesn't. Like I already said for those who can't read, if you LIKE those tires, by all means, buy them!

The car will perform perfectly well with $100-$150 all season tires with 45k tread. We aren't talking about a performance car, we're talking run of the mill premium sedans which is what this thread is about.

 

[exdeath]

Even still, you have ride quality to factor. Cheap tires are going give a lumpier ride and generate more road noise than a premium tie like a Pirelli or Michelin, something you don't want on you premium sedan. Performance aside a $50 chinese made tire is not going to ride the same as a $200 Michelin tire, and if you don't care about that you don't buy a $40,000+ sedan in the first place.

 

[coxmaster]

Thanks for that. Definitely one of the funnier posts I've read today.

Back to reality, the OP's run of the mill premium sedan doesn't need high-po tires, it just doesn't. Like I already said for those who can't read, if you LIKE those tires, by all means, buy them!

The car will perform perfectly well with $100-$150 all season tires with 45k tread. We aren't talking about a performance car, we're talking run of the mill premium sedans which is what this thread is about.

He specifically said he likes to drive the car hard, wouldn't that imply that performance tires are a good choice for him? I can tell you first hand, there is a HUGE difference in handling between a $150 all season vs my $150 high performance tires; and it is most definitely worth it for anyone who drives aggressively. No matter what type of car, high performance tires are going to make an impactt

 

[MJinZ]

I live in sunny California so I never really had a need for all season tires. Also, the cost differential is almost negligable (from what I've seen). Find me an affordable tire that goes more than 20k miles in 225/35R18 and 255/40R18 sizes and I will definately consider them for my next set (which will come soon enough).

Don, sorry to hear about your issues. I had the exact same issue with the steering column and the dealer cleaned my Vanos around 65k miles but the master service technician later told me it was just a money maker for the dealership.

I've never had a leak nor any electrical issues. I'm still on stock battery after all this time. My biggest pet peave is how the door sounds when you close it with the windows rolled down.

Mine is an auto (I know, shut it!), Sport, Premium and Navigation and it's been fun as hell. I've recently upgraded the suspension to a nice set of coilovers and installed a PBX tune. The coilovers were a huge upgrade. The ride is so much smoother than ZSP but a lot firmer through transitions.

The car is paid off so until it fails me as a DD, I'll keep it around for as long as I can.

Michelin sex yo.

If not Yokohama.

 

[MJinZ]

Thanks for that. Definitely one of the funnier posts I've read today.

Back to reality, the OP's run of the mill premium sedan doesn't need high-po tires, it just doesn't. Like I already said for those who can't read, if you LIKE those tires, by all means, buy them!

The car will perform perfectly well with $100-$150 all season tires with 45k tread. We aren't talking about a performance car, we're talking run of the mill premium sedans which is what this thread is about.

Ya know, he could get Ultra Performance (W Rated) tires for like $150 each or less easily.

I mean comon 18" tires are chea pas hell

 

[PricklyPete]

It's been in three times for VANOS solenoids (though in fairness the first two repairs were just disassembly and cleaning - they replaced them the third time and it seems to have held). I had the steering column replaced after it repeatedly refused to unlock. I had one especially beguiling incident in which the entire audio system (including the bluetooth and even the turn-signal clicker) failed - it turned out to be that a vapor barrier in the driver's door was mis-installed and water got into the floor, shorting everything out - this would have been horrifically expensive to repair out of warranty. I had the battery go when the car was only about 3 years old, with less than 25K miles. It's in the shop now for a leak in the washer fluid system and a squeaky steering column.

All of these things happened within 23,000 miles (I bought the car as a CPO model when it was 2 years old and had only 13,000 miles on the clock).

I will say that my dealer (BMW of Minnetonka, MN) are professional and friendly, and I've always gotten a BMW loaner when the car has needed service.

I LOVE the car (330i with 6MT and Sport, Premium, and Cold Weather packages but no iDrive or Adaptive Steering) from a driving perspective and I'm not that bothered by the reliability issues in light of the fact that it's under warranty and I always get a nice loaner, but if I were paying for these repairs I'd be very unhappy. I will almost certainly get a CPO 335i as my next car, and hopefully NOT suffer a ton of HPFP failures!

That sucks to hear that you are having all the problems you are having...but I totally understand the love of how your car drives.

 

[JackBurton]

Says me. A lot of folks think they can't run their premium car without the high performance summer tires it came with. If you like those tires, more power to you but a lot of folks don't understand you don't need "special" tires. I've had people tell me they can't go with a certain tire because it's not a "BMW" tire or a "Cadillac" tire and doesn't cost $250...

$250?!! That would be AWESOME if I could get tires that cheap.

 

[Vic Vega]

He specifically said he likes to drive the car hard, wouldn't that imply that performance tires are a good choice for him? I can tell you first hand, there is a HUGE difference in handling between a $150 all season vs my $150 high performance tires; and it is most definitely worth it for anyone who drives aggressively. No matter what type of car, high performance tires are going to make an impactt

There seriously seems to be a reading comprehension problem on this forum.

Let me quote myself, the same quote you just quoted.

Like I already said for those who can't read, if you LIKE those tires, by all means, buy them!

My original comment was in regards to tires only lasting 12k which I suggested an all season tire which will go 45k and hi-po tires not being a requirement for premium sedans (they aren't, cry about it all you want).

 

[Vic Vega]

Even still, you have ride quality to factor. Cheap tires are going give a lumpier ride and generate more road noise than a premium tie like a Pirelli or Michelin, something you don't want on you premium sedan. Performance aside a $50 chinese made tire is not going to ride the same as a $200 Michelin tire, and if you don't care about that you don't buy a $40,000+ sedan in the first place.

Right... and none of that has anything to do with my reasoning about buying an inexpensive all season tire which will last 45k. Did you read this thread at all?

Here, let me go ahead and quote myself again.

Like I already said for those who can't read, if you LIKE those tires, by all means, buy them!

Damn guys, take your ginko and get some sleep.