Had our 85,000 mile 325 for about 4 months. Supposed solid German engineering, will go for 100,000’s of miles etc………

So far, seat belt buckle has failed (can excuse that as one of those things), power steering pump has failed, and now reverse gear doesn’t work (it’s automatic)

trawl of youtube will show the steering pump failure happens all the time – garage we went to was full of broken ones – with loads of videos of where to get parts, how to fix it etc. Basically a crappily designed part – shaft too thin and snaps. Got that done on the cheap for about £150.

Even worse – the reverse gear issue had even lead to its own website:

http://www.noreverse.org/

not sure what that may cost, but suspect won’t be pretty……..

pass the Skoda

Meant to get a new one every few years.

garage we went to was full of broken ones –

Did you not think to talk to this garage to get their opinions before buying?

Which version? E36, 46, 90?

Their flywheel clutches are a real PITA as well, all in all though they are not bad cars but I would never ever keep one past 4 years old max.

All brand reputations, good and bad, are utter nonsense IMO and IME.

HoratioHufnagel – Member

All brand reputations, good and bad, are utter nonsense IMO and IME.

especially when looking at increased mileage

don simon – no I didn’t. Didn’t even know said garage existed until I had to sniff it out to get problem sorted.

rog – E46 I think (2001)

Had our 85,000 mile…

I think pretty much all car parts are designed with a 100,000 mile target in mind. If it goes over that, then it’s a bonus. Yours is pretty close.

That said, if it’s been properly serviced(?), I wouldn’t be too happy either.

My lovely Mondeo is still for sale 😉

Dear STW

I bought an 11 year old, 2 generations out of date car and some stuff has gone wrong

waaaaah waaaaaah

charlie mort

Dear STW

I bought an 11 year old, 2 generations out of date car and some stuff has gone wrong

waaaaah waaaaaah

charlie mort🙂
Caveat emptor and all that. Things break, old things break more.

my old 523 auto got to 130,000 and then died (not really major, but uneconomic)
It had been great up until about 110,000 and then started dropping what were clearly hints in retrospect

Get rid

On the other hand, my E39 touring is ticking over beautifully after 7 years of ownership and 160,000 on the clock…

Had a few minor gripes, but I can excuse that for a car of the vintage. And it’s cost me peanuts in comparative depreciation of a newer car.

It’s an 8 year old car with 85000 miles on it.
If it drove like new and didn’t go wrong why would anyone pay x20 what you did to get a new one? You get what you pay for.

you bought an auto 325i??? why???

Mate at work reckons the best car is a certain low power diesel version of the Skoda Octavia. Not quick but goes on forever.

We run a 170k Mondeo that owes us nowt. Even if something big went (DMF / Turbo / Injectors) I’d still fix it, because what would I buy with the pittance its worth…? Body still rust free, interior comes up spotless. And pretty much any garage can fix a Mundano.

better than a merc

Mercs are certainly worse!

I run old cars and having been stung with faulty autos in the past, I’d never touch one second hand. ZF gearboxes seem to be particularly dreadful! Mind you CVT’s are even worse!

I bought a 320d 3 years ago when it was 3 years old, not had an issue yet

I love my 320D. 65k in 2 years and not a single problem.

I’ve ran 530D Sport Tourings, 535D Sport Tourings, M3, all without a hitch all without a single murmur.. Both 5’s I put colossal mileage on (175, 230k respectively) not a jot went wrong.

I love em’

This thread needs SURFMATT

120d here, had for 5 and half years 75k miles. Traction control unit went kupput just out of warranty £2k bill but BMW stumped up the lot! Apart from that the front spring broke the other day £160, put that down to speed bumps and potholes though.

BMW UK are brilliant for just out of warranty repairs.

Traction control unit went kupput just out of warranty £2k bill but BMW stumped up the lot!

the bastards 😥 it’s much more fun with the traction control off/not working!

warton – Member
This thread needs SURFMATT

I miss Surfmatt

I had a 2004 320D Touring. I put 100k miles on it in 5 years. Only problems were an alternator and a faulty alarm sensor on the bonnet, both repaired under warranty. I liked the “service pack” too, free servicing up to 60k miles except for tyres.

Wish I’d kept it

Sorry, but get a grip.!

You bought a car more than a decade old, that has a 99% chance of being clocked, has had some well documented faults appear and now you are whining!

If you want a reliable car for skoda money, buy a skoda. If you want a premium brand, save up for the purchase or the bills.

My 2006 E90 330i auto is running faultlessly so far… :-).

😯 OOoooooohhhhhh …

Remind self to stick to Toyota or Skoda auto gear for the moment …

Mates advised me to stick to traditional auto transmission rather than those with Tiptronic or some super doper new age auto gear …

I miss Surfmatt

Well **** off over to Pistonheads then, & you two can have an AWESOME love-in…

Just search vladimir 335d AWESOME (I started that BTW) company director and he will appear

I don’t think that you can complain too much because as others have said before it is an old car.

Cars cost money too run. There is the invisible cost of depreciation and the visible costs of insurance, tax, repairs and servicing. As your car gets older the invisible element decreases and the visible element increases regardless of marque.

I drive a 51 plate 530i and my family and I love it. Repair bills have been expensive in the last 2 years c. £2k, but it generally wears and drives well.

The car is only worth about £3.5k now and is depreciating at say 10% per year and I am budgeting £500 a year for repairs, so that is £850 a year in costs and it is still a pretty good car. The £850 is still a lot less than the depreciation on a 1 or 2 year old uninspiring new car.

I’ve always wanted to like BMW’s but every time I’ve driven one I’ve been soooooooo unimpressed.

So yeah I think I agree with you OP, over rated IMO.

My sister & brother in law have just bought a 320i touring. Can’t remember the reg, but think it’s a 58 or 09. Anyhoo. It’s had constant engine management lights on & has been back to the garage about 6 times in 3 months. They’ve changed the crankshaft sensor, cam sensor & the cat, but it’s still not right….
Looking online, it seems to be a common problem with that petrol engine.

Think I’ll stick to my Ibiza. 9 years old in July, 186k miles on it & running lovely (touch wood) – 64.5mpg out of the last tank (fill to fill).

My dad has one of the big engined Z4’s. It certainly seems well made and goes like stink. What’s not to like?

my dad bought a 1984 3 series in the 90s, (for £2k) ran it for a decade, did very little apart from routine servicing, advertised it for £400 and took over 30 phone calls. 1st viewer bought it.
not the most exciting car in the world like, but £160 quid a year depreciation?

Quite spooky though, that I bought my BMW at 85k too; mine’s now on 130k four years later. A new Merc driving friend drove it recently, and commented that it drives like a new car – not one 14 yrs old 🙂

But, not sure how you can blame BMW for an old car you bought, maybe you just need to be more careful/lucky with your next purchase.

I had various cars and all have had their fair share of problems (Fords, SEATs, VWs, and now BMWs). The problem with BMW is when they go wrong the main dealers and parts are expensive however for me the looks, driving experience (sounds like I’ve swallowed the marketing manual) and build quality far outweigh the negatives. Mine is almost 6 years old with 60000 miles, still goes like stink (well as fast a 2 litre diesel can) and the interior feels as tight as the day it was made.

If you want realibility buy a toyota, you just have to accept that its likely to be as dull as dishwater to look at and drive…. (not meaning to offend Toyota owners but with the exception of the older Celicas, MR2s etc the familiy cars are well in my opinion dull)

Gary_C – Member
I miss Surfmatt
Well **** off over to Pistonheads then, & you two can have an AWESOME love-in…

POSTED 4 HOURS AGO # REPORT-POST

Bloody hell calm down Gary. Anyone would think I had just insulted your mother.

I never had any problems with him. He always came across fine as far as I was concerned. I guess his arrogance upset a few of you. Wouldn’t it be boring if we were all the same.