The BMW / Bimmer Thread [Merged]

[Cooldude]

Very informative thread indeed. :cool:

[corbon44]

thanks flagg, will keep your inputs in mind.

btw, there's also a 328i in the same model year right (92-98)? what might be the EXTERIOR differences with the 316i...well aside from the badge of course.

wheels? color scheme? lights? body kits?

thanks again.

[Flagg]

Kung stock 328i, malamang mags lang.

[StraightSix]

Front bumpers - by 96/97 yata pareho na sa 328i. Also, the 316i has a single exhaust pipe, dual on the 328i.

Wala na yatang iba visually. Aural, meron

[Jai]

wow after reading through this whole thread, I conclude one thing, a BMW is not as well built as I thought it was. I always thought this things would last without problems for more than 10 years. Parang japanese cars lang din pala tong mga to in-terms of reliability (or maybe japanese cars have become at par with german cars in terms of reliability) the difference probably is just in the ride.

[Pogisofi]

Is a 2003 E46 318i Manual to expensive to maintain? That is if you compare it with a jap car. If ever it will be my first time to own a bimmer. Please give inputs on the regular maintenance cost of this model and the pros and cons. Thanks

[Flagg]

For me, di masaya mga German m/t's. Weird ang shift feeling, parang ang bigat. Feels like hawak ko truck. Mas maganda mga Japanese m/t's. But then again, mga early '90s era ang experience ko... dunno about later models kasi all A/T na hilig namin sa German after our '90s experience.

[Walter]

(or maybe japanese cars have become at par with german cars in terms of reliability) the difference probably is just in the ride.

And what a difference it is, not to mention the handling. All cars need basic regular maintenance, if you buy a neglected car, be it a Japanese, European or American, then problems will certainly come out sooner or later.

[empy]

For me, di masaya mga German m/t's. Weird ang shift feeling, parang ang bigat. Feels like hawak ko truck. Mas maganda mga Japanese m/t's. But then again, mga early '90s era ang experience ko... dunno about later models kasi all A/T na hilig namin sa German after our '90s experience.

bro, i agree with you and it's still that way. but that's because i think most of us grew up with light clutch pedals and more linear engagement. yung mga german clutch kasi "mababaw" and the operation feels very different.

but i guess the people who learned to drive on german cars probably don't see any problems at all....

[alwayz_yummy]

hi guyz, pasingit....question lang me peeps sa inyo...napapasok ako kahapon sa BMW klassik(araneta) kahapon... to look for the x3 2.0 d exec (the one they have there is newly arrived-->may plastic covers pa!, un-programmend-->dont know what this for, black w/ big sunroof, 6 speed m/t, 8 airbags, abs, dsc,hdc, front/rear park sensors, multifunction steering wheel, leather, on-board computer, wood, bluetooth handsfree, 6 cd)...and it really cought my attention...but at 3.4M(less 5% if cash)+registration+insurance(bmw's in-house)=3.7M

got me thinking...this could buy 2 jap/korean compact suvs(ex: 1 tuc, 1 crv+gas money)pero what me thinks is this:the car's service life...the radiator is sealed, oil level lang masusukat mo, and they say the next time i'll be back is for my 10-20 thou kms, which translates in my terms: in 1-2 years!they say its practically maintenance free, and they will provide me a bmw reliver car if ever the unthinkable happens..the in house offers no participation fee in an event of accident, or any acts-of-God...plus sure, no toyota/honda brand of the same level would match this car's reasle value, right?

my question is, is a brand-new practically maintenance free? i'm skeptical about this kasi..kung it will do no good in the future, why they make it that?or i'll just stick to jap/korean compact SUV....kung once a year lang naman maintence nito, ok na yun, kaysa sa 2-3 times a year in most japs and koreans+bigger chances of lemon pa (meron din naman din lemon ang bmw, pero kung under warranty, ok lang daw)...kasi i'm accustom to lower forms of cSUVs which is not practically maintenance free (which also equates to about the same cost in the future if i added it all up)..

[Flagg]

Sealed radiator? Hmm that's something new... parang di me bilib dyan.

Eto isang warning, maraming kalokohan yung BMW para mapagastos you.

For example, yung coolant na you should use kung hindi BMW brand (yes, pati oil meron) some obscure, hard-to-find, expensive, BMW-approved alternative. If you use something else or use water, paktay! Sira yung radiator...

[seonadancing]

The radiator of BMWs is unlike the radiator of jap cars kasi di mo pwede basta basta buksan yun and lagyan ng tubig. You have to let the radiotor bleed first kung hindi mag ooverheat sya kahit puno yun tubig. Tsaka di naman nauubos yun tubig ng radiator ng BMW e kaya di mo kailangan buksan. You can use other synthetic oil naman and not necessarily a bmw brand one.

[alwayz_yummy]

nakalagay sa filler ng engine oil, use "castrol" brand oil only, ung radiator pressure cap and tank is sealed using like a warranty sticke and says: do not open, mixture is at 50:50..somthing like that...and papalitan lang daw un during major service din daw...iba daw pagkakapressurized nun kasi....ewan ko lang, ha..never had a euro ride,e...and im willing to venture(not the lemon of GM) if it justified the total maintenance of a common jap and korean rides: "long lasting" but lesser maintenace vs. "long lasting" but less maintenance....for me kasi only used cars need utmost TLC from day you bought it...

[Flagg]

The radiator of BMWs is unlike the radiator of jap cars kasi di mo pwede basta basta buksan yun and lagyan ng tubig. You have to let the radiotor bleed first kung hindi mag ooverheat sya kahit puno yun tubig. Tsaka di naman nauubos yun tubig ng radiator ng BMW e kaya di mo kailangan buksan. You can use other synthetic oil naman and not necessarily a bmw brand one.

Yun nga, be careful about mga kalokohang ganyan. Of course, there's always a way around em. Dunno lang about yung suggest mong bleed, my BMW kasi is so old, di pa naimbento yung ganyang kalokohan nung time nya.

Re yung oil, example lang yun kung pano me nagulat sa sobrang kupal ng BMW... pati oil lalagyan nya ng brand nya. Di ko naman ginamit. Ehehe.

Love ko pa rin BMW though...

[rickoks]

***************

[StraightSix]

"Use only Castrol" na pala sa X3, hehehe. Sa E46, "BMW recommends Castrol" pa lang. Kung pareho lang naman ang specs, wala akong nakikitang problema sa ibang brand.

Regarding the X3's sealed radiator ... sealed nga siya at wala dun ang cap, - nasa expansion bottle. Nandu'n din ang float bar at level sensor ng coolant, at duon din ang lagayan ng coolant for top-up's. Basta long-life with corrosion inhibitor, walang nitrates at amino compounds, pwedeng gamitin ... 50:50 ang ratio niya sa tubig. The warning stated in the X3's manual regarding the cap is never to open it when the engine is hot, and that the coolant is hazardous to one's health.

Pero kahit X3, may schedule pa rin ng coolant replacement ... most probably pareho din sa E46 * 4 year intervals. Nasa ilalim ng radiator ng X3 yung drain plug.

[orly_andico]

That 14000 for a power window motor is priceless!

The price of the parts are all unreal. But considering the lifespan of the car, 30000/year is just about the same overall maintenance cost as a midsize Japanese car.

I wonder if those power window motors are rewind-able. You know how Pinoys are. :D

[seonadancing]

Meron sa Mike's Parts second hand na power window motor. Dami sila surplus parts for BMW and Benz.

[StraightSix]

Last week the driver's side window on my E46 started to malfunction, getting stuck a quarter of the way down. Not a good thing when you always have to reach out for a ticket on car parks. The window mechanism (excluding the motor) costs £130+VAT (around P14k) at the local $tealer here ... I got one for around P2.6k, oem and brand new, from ebay-UK

[Flagg]

That 14000 for a power window motor is priceless!

The price of the parts are all unreal. But considering the lifespan of the car, 30000/year is just about the same overall maintenance cost as a midsize Japanese car.

I wonder if those power window motors are rewind-able. You know how Pinoys are.

And guess what... yung motor di pa sira. It's some plastic gear in the assembly. Yun lang, the motor is not detachable from the assembly, so no choice. Kahit ayos pa yung motor, palit na. Tapos, if you try to open up the assembly to get at the gear, baka masira naman yung motor. Buysit sobra.

Well, at least it took more than 10 years for that deym gear to get broken.