Any past BMW owners here?

[accel]

All the BMWs use a high pressure cooling system which is why summer or winter your temp is always 220F. That's also why they have that ridiculous bleeding process when you flush the system. So the cooling systems are a weak spot that require very preventative maintenance. I think most of the other stuff except for rod bearings you can run to failure without too much risk.

There are things like oil filter housing gasket which should not fail, but it does and is PITA to replace. And what about the starter? Aluminum engine head bolts that break? Other gaskets that leak more often than they should... By the way, some say that bmw engine runs hot indeed, but gaskets were not accounted for extended hight temperatures and that's the reason why there's a bunch of DIYs on how to replace this or that gasket... all of them were considered as PITA in general. And waterpum failing 10k after being replaced - that's not cooling system maintenance. That's shitty design. To compliment it they also took away the temperature gauge.

I probably was unlucky with mine more than others, so excuse my enthusiasm in pointing out all these shortcomings.

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[bahasad]

There are things like oil filter housing gasket which should not fail, but it does and is PITA to replace. And what about the starter? Aluminum engine head bolts that break? Other gaskets that leak more often than they should... By the way, some say that bmw engine runs hot indeed, but gaskets were not accounted for extended hight temperatures and that's the reason why there's a bunch of DIYs on how to replace this or that gasket... all of them were considered as PITA in general. And waterpum failing 10k after being replaced - that's not cooling system maintenance. That's shitty design. To compliment it they also took away the temperature gauge.

I probably was unlucky with mine more than others, so excuse my enthusiasm in pointing out all these shortcomings.

Can't argue with this - seems like most BMWs since at least the 90s have had shitty cooling systems and gaskets.

 

[fpa1974]

There are things like oil filter housing gasket which should not fail, but it does and is PITA to replace. And what about the starter? Aluminum engine head bolts that break? Other gaskets that leak more often than they should... By the way, some say that bmw engine runs hot indeed, but gaskets were not accounted for extended hight temperatures and that's the reason why there's a bunch of DIYs on how to replace this or that gasket... all of them were considered as PITA in general. And waterpum failing 10k after being replaced - that's not cooling system maintenance. That's shitty design. To compliment it they also took away the temperature gauge.

I probably was unlucky with mine more than others, so excuse my enthusiasm in pointing out all these shortcomings.

Not necessarily

Talking specifically about the E46 platform maintenance can get tiresome to a degree. Things like valve cover gasket, oil filter housing gasket, expansion tank, water pump, lower hose coolant temperature sensor, thermostat housing, front control arm bushings, window regulators, idler pulleys and belt tensioners etc can be considered maintenance items because of replacement intervals. Now the car is tons of fun and all that but the above list is rather excessive...

 

[Dak2Zeke]

Got rid of my 428 and my current GT blows it out of the water. I lowered my PSI today down to 33 from 40 and that made a huge difference in traction and ride ability. Hoping to get some summer tires because the Pirelli all seasons aren't too great and this thing will take off beautifully. But currently my GT way outperforms my old 428. Also gets way more attention. Love it!

 

[BGEFan]

Yeah, I've owned a few over the years. Started with an E30, E46, E82, and we still have an F30 in the garage. They are great cars, and the vast majority of my issues were repaired under warranty. All of the issues were known problems with the platform, so more of a hassle dealing with the repair rather than the expense. If you have to fund the repairs out of warranty, they will strain the wallet. It's rare we don't have a BMW of some sort in our garage. We've also owned a couple of Mini Cooper S models, and they were extremely fun to drive and mod. The current 328i sedan is fun to drive, peppy, and gets 37+mpg on the highway consistently at speeds above posted limits. If you call yourself a car person you owe it to yourself to own a BMW at some point

 

[Gurjit]

had a e53 2004 X5 4.8is before my 16 PP GT
the bmw had much better steering feel, heated steering wheel, and a panoramic sunroof

super responsive 6spd ZF auto tranny "for its time"

I liked the bmw more for daily driving and for spirited street driving more than I like my GT due to the steering feel

but maintenance became a headache
I put 70,000 miles on it in the 4 years I owned it

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