My old BMW mechanic told me never to own a v8 BMW out of warranty. He always had X5s, 5s,7s...with V8s with $8k worth of issues and shockingly low miles. I had decent luck with straight 6 manuals. Lost interest after the E46 & E39.
Took my 2020 Bimmer to the dealer for an oil change…
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Because all that followed were impossible financially to keep on the road. Another one of those cars that I knew would never get much cheaper than $20k but could never really afford to hold on to one and wait for the price spike.
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For the sake of accuracy, none of the issues were engine related
Cooling and A/C issues, electrical problems galore, failed cylinder heads and evaporators once a week - just lousy material quality and engineering
We have an S560 in (2018) for oil flow issues related to the oil pan. Said oil pan, due to Mercedes's asinine engineers, has the oil filter housing built into it. No longer available, and has to be ordered with the whole engine assembly.
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Personally to me, the above doesn’t mean anything. It’s the same as working at an intensive care unit at hospital during COVID and to make an assessment that everyone with COVID ends up in the intensive care. Yes, everyone at the intensive care had COVID, but not everyone who had COVID ended up in intensive care. Hope that makes sense.
to my dilettante ears the “oil flow issues related to the oil pan” sounds nonsensical, but I could easily be wrong. Perhaps this is the issue you are referring to though:
I also googled the oil pan for said Mercedes with an integrated oil housing and to my eyes it looks like a nifty design. My dilettante self does not see an issue with such a design. How often are filter housing replaced on cars? Probably rarer than 1 in a million
It's bad enough for Mercedes to recall, which they do NOT like to do. The main problem stems from having said oil pan NLA, which is absolutely ridiculous to force customers out of warranty to get the whole block
nifty and practical are often 2 different things. it is interesting in the fact they have unitized the device, making it more compact , but whatever the issue was ,as it said it was a stressed member and it developed oil leaks, it was expensive if it has a fault..
I don't know what brand engine it was or even if it was true, but I remember someone posting a picture of a V type engine where the starter motor was mounted below the intake manifold.. Thought to myself, that is a great idea until someone has to replace the starter motor.
True
But the V8 usually comes with all the other failure points like larger rims, exploding transfer cases etc
My lowly VW needed a new front diff and wiring at 22k
Been fine since. Tech told me not common as there are not many with that diff just GTI PP and GLI
Been fine since. Tech told me not common as there are not many with that diff just GTI PP and GLI
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Well, recalls are par for the course in the auto industry. But I occasionally wonder about this too: for example, automotive internal combustion engine is 130+ year old invention. Companies like Mercedes, Ford, others that are nearly as old and have been making them for a good century now, still manage to screw up some details from time to time, necessitating recalls and part revisions. I guess to many people and to many links in the chain, that despite a century of experience and expertise s@it still happens
1. The oil pan is probably NLA temporarily(?), sort of an after-COVID reverberation(?) Engine’s still too young
2. Does the case with the oil pan falls under the recall I sited above, or is it related to something else?
Thanks
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Hmmm… on my wife’s E class, to replace spark plugs, an intake manifold needs to come out too. But removing it and installing it is like 1 hour job in total. A starter motor is likely to last a lifetime of the vehicle or be replaced once. I think that incorporating an extra door jamb into a house that might be used once in 20 years (in respect to the starter motor story) is not a prudent approach? Just thinking out loud
That electric car is hideous.
I replaced many starters as an apprentice. The first time I did one on a 3 series (almost 30 years ago), I was thought to myself, my goodness, why there?
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I bought a 335i coupe in 12/06. I took the car to the dealer first 4 years when it was free maintenance. It was such a different business model, since everything was free, there was no upsell whatsoever. They would just inform customers we replaced the pads and rotors, etc. So for 48 mos, my car needed NOTHING. That you have a 2020, which has to be still under warranty, and get a $7,900 multipoint, tells me the business model has changed. I have to be honest--no upsell and anything the car really needed was done free, was different for me.I recently took my CPO 2020 M550 with 29,xxx miles on the clock, that I’ve owned for less than half a year, to a dealer for a routine service: hahaha
View attachment 183522
Due to a line, oil change and inspection was going to take a day+, so I got a free loaner: an all electric, “about 500 hp”, I guess an equivalent to an X5(?) SUV witha base price of nearly $90k. Not too shabby for treating a customer right. I felt teleported into the 22nd century when I got inside. Drove futuristically too. My 5 series felt like an Econo Lodge in comparison. Haha
View attachment 183524
But I digress. Turns out my CPO bimmer with 29k miles that I’ve owned for less than half a year needed new rear driveshaft flex disk, some friction rings/1 per corner to cure factory F up related to mating of the wheel to the hub or something, and a new front differential! They really perform and are thorough with the multipoint inspection!
If not for warranty, it would all tab at $8 grand, LOL! Diff job is $6.5 of that.
View attachment 183526
I also had a bent wheel ($250) and needed two new tires ($1,000). Dealer charged $250 for alignment. Had I not had the warranty, the visit would have tabbed around $10k
. Mind you, I really went in expecting a glorified oil change, lol!
I have gone to the dealer for my PA State inspection every year. Why? Because the dealer charges ~ $43 out the door, when any old garage is about $38 to $43 MINIMUM. And they gave me a free loaner from 2006 through Dec. 2020. Suddenly in 2021, no loaners for cars not under warranty.
Anyway, Lexus did that to me when I bought a used LS430 in 2016. Multipoint said I needed $6,700, and here it is 2023, I've done none of that and have driven about 56,000 miles (parked for almost 15 months starting 3/20). Tells us something about Toyota and their business model.
btw a friend of my cousin has the same car as you maybe 2 years older and headlamp failed out of warranty and it was if I recall $4,000 to replace. Then his kid left the trunk open and water got in and that was another $9,000. Here's where DIY is a must.
edit I didn't get too many interesting BMW loaners over the years (Susan Komen I did drive interesting ones like a Alpina B7), almost always a 328 or 330. But once I got a 335d, once an X5, and once a 750. Some woman brought it back complaining she didn't like the color, so the SA said hey you want this one, and I said yeah why not. One time a Mini which I didn't like, and of course I told the story of the 1 series convertible....X1, X3. Oh yes and then the only accident I've had in 30 years was in a brand new 1 loaner, I did feel really bad. Having a 3 I guess is entry level despite N54 engine...
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i have lived in 3 southern europe countries last 6 years.in every dealership i went for service ,they always give me a loaner with empty tank, i mean really empty with the orange yellow tank light on.Nice to have that warranty, and a wise choice on a used BMW.
Back when I had one, my dealer would always put me in a brand new loaner. They even allowed me to use it on a kind of long road trip of about 500 miles so long as it came back with a full tank like it went out with.
BMW dealers do that to get you thinking of a new one to replace yours that’s in being serviced. I did consider it a couple of times.
i guess they dont want me to buy a new bimmer again
after 2000 all bimmers suck from engine problems view.
here in europe we call them stealership, for a reason
for everyone who feels what is driving pleasure and gets his hands behind a bmw will never turn his head for another brand. you just described that all the other cars just take you from one point to another ,but bmw does it with fun. its the only massive car in production that has the feeling of a supercar like porsche.The bimmer, when I drove it, I was immediately enthralled with it: understated, calm, quieter and better riding then the E53, yet more powerful and mature at the same time. Yes, less wow factor as far as outside and interior appearance, but I like “Jason Bourne” character of the car, if that makes sense. Somehow it manages comfort and quietness of a regular 5 series with completely bonkers performance that feels temperate and unobtrusive from behind the wheel. To most reviewers this sterility was a negative, but I actually like and prefer that at this point in my life. The Merc felt a bit more of a Jackie Chan in comparison. Anyways, that’s why I picked the bimmer
in europe costs the same ammount too,150 euros.when an OCI in a retail service costs half of it,the price of the oil and 20 euros for labour,about 70-80 euros total.
when i was a kid , i always liked audis for a reason.but growing up and driving many cars ,i i found the steering wheel of the audi more neutral .best resembling quality though and the most tight interior plastics .
audis are for conservative drivers who want to drive safely from one point to another. merc guys are usually the ones who want to feel upscale millionaires, to show off. mercs are like tanks to me.they are good for driving highways without corners.bmw loves cornering and shifting gears.its for sport type men - drivers who want the absolute driving machine on the road.
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IIRC, Toyota has done this recently.
It is heavy piece!
1. Positioning in the back contributes to better weight balance.
2. Positioning below helps with low center of gravity.
There is a reason why some cars are enjoyable to drive. It doesn’t happen because engineers just wished it more then engineers in other companies. There are pro and cons to everything one wants to do.
Still, easier job than spark plugs on my Toyota minivan
Our trusty 2001 Tundra V8 has the starter under the intake. Why? A possible failure keeps me up at night.
Are you saying you are not changing starter once a year?
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