Time to move on?

[araaadi]

Grabbed my 2010 M3 in august of 2015, paid around $50k with third party extended warranty. Since then my car broke down a few times, first was DCT leak costing $2500, covered by warranty. Second was o2 sensor, cleaned once costing $500, then replaced costing additional $900. Third was throttle value actuators costing $3500. Along with maintenance such as new tires $1000 and brakes $2000. Last night the car broke down again, they believe its the o2 sensor again with what might be an underlying issue because the one that was replaced is what failed.

I am starting to really dislike the car, $5000 in repairs on top of an extended warranty I already payed for, plus what ever is wrong now is really making me think of going back to a more reliable car. I accepted the fact that is an expensive car to run, but break downs every two months and out of pocket expenses even with warranty is really annoying. I would replace it with most likely a infiniti q50, I know it wont compare to the m3 but it will be reliable.

What do you guys think?

[///M Power-Belgium]

Originally Posted by araaadi

Grabbed my 2010 M3 in august of 2015, paid around $50k with third party extended warranty. Since then my car broke down a few times, first was DCT leak costing $2500, covered by warranty. Second was o2 sensor, cleaned once costing $500, then replaced costing additional $900. Third was throttle value actuators costing $3500. Along with maintenance such as new tires $1000 and brakes $2000. Last night the car broke down again, they believe its the o2 sensor again with what might be an underlying issue because the one that was replaced is what failed.

I am starting to really dislike the car, $5000 in repairs on top of an extended warranty I already payed for, plus what ever is wrong now is really making me think of going back to a more reliable car. I accepted the fact that is an expensive car to run, but break downs every two months and out of pocket expenses even with warranty is really annoying. I would replace it with most likely a infiniti q50, I know it wont compare to the m3 but it will be reliable.

What do you guys think?

High German performance cars are not cheap . And after the rain comes sunshine..

[X5-User]

Originally Posted by araaadi

Grabbed my 2010 M3 in august of 2015, paid around $50k with third party extended warranty. Since then my car broke down a few times, first was DCT leak costing $2500, covered by warranty. Second was o2 sensor, cleaned once costing $500, then replaced costing additional $900. Third was throttle value actuators costing $3500. Along with maintenance such as new tires $1000 and brakes $2000. Last night the car broke down again, they believe its the o2 sensor again with what might be an underlying issue because the one that was replaced is what failed.

I am starting to really dislike the car, $5000 in repairs on top of an extended warranty I already payed for, plus what ever is wrong now is really making me think of going back to a more reliable car. I accepted the fact that is an expensive car to run, but break downs every two months and out of pocket expenses even with warranty is really annoying. I would replace it with most likely a infiniti q50, I know it wont compare to the m3 but it will be reliable.

What do you guys think?

These are quiet common problems and if you did it at any idny shop it would have been way cheaper.

[Bavarian Beast]

I am surprised the warranty didn't pay for more of those repairs. If you are tired of the car then move on. No need to drive something you think is going to strand you somewhere and just be a money pit. 2k for brakes? Wow, that is a bit pricey.

[Helmsman]

Sounds like you've had bad luck mate, sorry to hear. Quite a few people (incl me) seems to drive the E9xM for years without much if any issues. Shit happens though and fully understand it must be really frustrating. Wish you luck with an alternative!

[mermar]

My e90 M3 has been completely trouble free. If I were you, however, I would consider that you may have addressed all of the likely issues and many miles of trouble free driving are ahead. But you may have already passed that point. I wouldn't blame you for moving on. Reliability is BMW's Achilles heel - causes a lot of people to move on to another brand.
Having said that - I think the e9x M's are very reliable M cars.

[/Rock//It///M]

You really have to know what you will be truly happy with. German cars will always be more expensive than japanese or american cars when it comes to repairs.
There is a reason I didnt buy my E90M until earlier this year. Because I wanted to wait until I was comfortable enough to spend $$ on repairs whenever they came up.
I plan on keeping my car as long as possible and i dd her. So any issues that may arise now i will repair/upgrade. This way I know everything was done.

[New2Roundel]

The worst thing is all of the small repairs and maintenance that's occurring at the same time. I can totally relate to that frustration. I would take a closer look at the o2 sensor and why it keeps failing. Is it the same o2 sensor? There are what, 4 o2 sensors on our cars? Does your car burn oil or seem to need to be topped up more frequently than seems normal? Does the car run rich? What do the plugs look like? When was the last time the plugs were changed on the car?

I can understand wanting to get rid of the car when you have a lot of expensive items hit at once. But that could technically happen with any car. I would hold on to it for another 6-12 months and see how it goes. If the car is still annoying and expensive to own, I'd get rid of it. I'd probably opt for a C63 if I needed a little practicality or a C7 vette if I didn't. Then again, those cars aren't known for extreme reliability either. You just can't win when it comes to get a reliable car that's engaging to drive!

[Rajmun340]

BMW really sucks for not issuing a recall on the Throttle actuators when we all KNOW the cause is plastic gears getting worn out which is a bad design choice. BMW should foot the bill for that.

[65fastback]

What repair didn't get covered under warranty... throttle actuators and 02 sensors? I'd like to know what type of warranty you have why this wouldn't be covered.

Sounds like this m3 will soon be for sale or traded in. Once you start shopping for other cars and have one picked out, you have mentally broke up with her and its just a matter of time. To me it sounds like your mind is made up.

[romemmy]

Sounds like you are overpaying for a lot.. I noticed you commented on a Vancouver post - are you in Canada (and thus talking Canadian dollars)? Even so, USD$1500 would still be way too much for brakes unless you needed discs as well (mine is a 2011, I track, and still haven't needed to change discs). The cleaning cost, replace cost for O2 sensors, etc all seem really high.

Almost everything you listed could have been done for much less DIY.

I understand some people don't like to DIY, but buying a 5yr old used BMW, especially an M, is going to need work unfortunately. If cost of repairs is an issue, you would probably be much happier in a brand new leased M3 (might work out not much more overall cost).

Thanks!

S.

[IB M]

How many miles were on the car when you bought her? How many now? Hard part is knowing how the car was cared for the first 5 years before you picked her up. I'd only buy a used e9x M where there was clear proof of proper maintenance and care.

[loveskiing]

While some of the issues that you mention are commonplace there are many of us that haven't had to do very much besides routine maintenance...methinks you might be on to something with wanting to move on to something more reliable and less problematic. Whatever you decide to do, best of luck going forward!

[Denk]

That's exactly what an extended warranty is for. You should be getting your money's worth. Get those common things fixed and keep it at least until the end of that warranty you paid for. That's what I'd do, it's such a fun car and is hard to top in the price range for shear driving pleasure.

[araaadi]

So I got third party extended warranty from a company called SAL, I bought it right from the used BMW Dealership, Brian Jessel BMW. I was sold the warranty as a "covers everything besides navigation" warranty, and paid $3000 for it, discounted from $5000. The DCT leak was covered by them, but they are saying the o2 sensor and throttle value arent covered, and when I returned to BMW they straight up called me a liar, that their financial services manger would never say that about a warranty and said this is what happens when you buy a used car. That is a whole other can of worms that angers me beyond belief till this day.

I bought the car with 67k kms, currently at 87k kms. I knew from the beginning that it would be an expensive car to maintain, but I thought paying that money for warranty would give me peace of mind from big repairs for a few years. Issues with trading in the car would be a huge amount of negative equity that will transfer to my new car (i've done the math and the payments will be the same but still a shitty feeling), and also what if you guys were right and I've dealt with the bigger issues and now it might be smooth sailing. I think financially it would be safer to go with the new and reliable car even with the big negative equity hit, but its so hard to give up the m3 knowing that a q50 wont compare to it.

[SDPLV]

Best advice: Definitely spend time on this thread learning DIY repairs/fixes.

I'm not someone who gets "under the car", but to own an M3, at this stage in my life, I knew I had to learn to DIY some stuff.

I asked a friend who is a rocket scientist (literally a jet engineer) to show me once how to do brakes on his 335i and thats how it all started.

Recently, I had my rod bearings swapped for ~$1200 and the shop asked me if I wanted to swap the rear brakes/rotors as they were worn down. Quoted $800+ at a good indy shop for parts and labor on just the rears.

Instead, I found a set of new Hawk HPS front AND read pads for $185 (eBay) total. Rotors were all fine, so didn't need to worry about that.. Went to Harbor Freight bought a 1/2" drive torque wrench $10, 3/8" socket set $5, 1.5 ton car jack $50, 2 ton jack stands $20, laminate 17mm socket extension $10, wheel chocks $7, $5 anti-seize and brake quiet, borrowed breaker bar and caliper reset tool from AutoZone for free.

Watched DIY 5 minute brake swap and read 2 DIY brake threads. Took 6 hrs of my time on a Sunday while listening to NFL mobile in the garage. Saved $600+ and got new brakes for all 4 corners which will last for awhile.

[romemmy]

Originally Posted by SDPLV

Best advice: Definitely spend time on this thread learning DIY repairs/fixes.

I'm not someone who gets "under the car", but to own an M3, at this stage in my life, I knew I had to learn to DIY some stuff.

I asked a friend who is a rocket scientist (literally a jet engineer) to show me once how to do brakes on his 335i and thats how it all started.

Recently, I had my rod bearings swapped for ~$1200 and the shop asked me if I wanted to swap the rear brakes/rotors as they were worn down. Quoted $800+ at a good indy shop for parts and labor on just the rears.

Instead, I found a set of new Hawk HPS front AND read pads for $185 (eBay) total. Rotors were all fine, so didn't need to worry about that.. Went to Harbor Freight bought a 1/2" drive torque wrench $10, 3/8" socket set $5, 1.5 ton car jack $50, 2 ton jack stands $20, laminate 17mm socket extension $10, wheel chocks $7, $5 anti-seize and brake quiet, borrowed breaker bar and caliper reset tool from AutoZone for free.

Watched DIY 5 minute brake swap and read 2 DIY brake threads. Took 6 hrs of my time on a Sunday while listening to NFL mobile in the garage. Saved $600+ and got new brakes for all 4 corners which will last for awhile.

And no doubt you could do it in 1/3rd the time now! Changing brakes on an e9x M3 is definitely a DIY thing (designed to be fast, with track duty in mind), but I think many are scared to do it because it's a safety item. In reality very little you can do wrong though, so definitely nothing to fear!

Thanks!

S.

[spiderspider]

DIY, and also having another car so you don't have to rush on the DIYs, and also having an indy you trust for the bigger jobs...is a must IMO.

I drove an infiniti G37 for several years before this. nice quick car once i replaced the stock suspension and sway bars. Big though. and cheap paint.

[Rajmun340]

Originally Posted by SDPLV

Best advice: Definitely spend time on this thread learning DIY repairs/fixes.

I'm not someone who gets "under the car", but to own an M3, at this stage in my life, I knew I had to learn to DIY some stuff.

I asked a friend who is a rocket scientist (literally a jet engineer) to show me once how to do brakes on his 335i and thats how it all started.

Recently, I had my rod bearings swapped for ~$1200 and the shop asked me if I wanted to swap the rear brakes/rotors as they were worn down. Quoted $800+ at a good indy shop for parts and labor on just the rears.

Instead, I found a set of new Hawk HPS front AND read pads for $185 (eBay) total. Rotors were all fine, so didn't need to worry about that.. Went to Harbor Freight bought a 1/2" drive torque wrench $10, 3/8" socket set $5, 1.5 ton car jack $50, 2 ton jack stands $20, laminate 17mm socket extension $10, wheel chocks $7, $5 anti-seize and brake quiet, borrowed breaker bar and caliper reset tool from AutoZone for free.

Watched DIY 5 minute brake swap and read 2 DIY brake threads. Took 6 hrs of my time on a Sunday while listening to NFL mobile in the garage. Saved $600+ and got new brakes for all 4 corners which will last for awhile.

Good and i am planning the same except i would not trust Harbor Freight chinese knock off $20 stands with my life. And i know you didn't get under the car for now or maybe you did. By the way the car weight 1.7 tons for a 1.5 ton car jack.

[Z K]

Originally Posted by JoeM3SSII

Good and i am planning the same except i would not trust Harbor Freight chinese knock off $20 stands with my life. And i know you didn't get under the car for now or maybe you did. By the way the car weight 1.7 tons for a 1.5 ton car jack.

Harbor freight is fine. Their tools are not the best but they'll do the job. Just about everything is made in China, including Craftsman, Husky and Kobalt lines sold at retail store. Their "pro" line is better quality a well.

With the floor jack, it's fine as you aren't putting the full weight of the car on the floor jack, you're just jacking up one side and using jack stands after it's in the air. I had my a harbor freight aluminum floor jack for 15 years. I just recently regulated it to the junkyard after it started losing its lifting power. Never failed or have given me any issues.

A jack stand is a jack stand... harbor freight jack stands need to pass quality testing in the USA before it gets sold. As all their tools do.

http://www.dirtrider.com/features/on...sting_lab_tour

[SDPLV]

Originally Posted by JoeM3SSII

Good and i am planning the same except i would not trust Harbor Freight chinese knock off $20 stands with my life. And i know you didn't get under the car for now or maybe you did. By the way the car weight 1.7 tons for a 1.5 ton car jack.

I know, math can be hard. (Like I said, I learned from a jet engineer who I trust must be pretty decent with numbers.)

1.7 tons for TOTAL car weight.

How much does half the car weigh on a car that has near 50/50 weight distribution?

Magic!

[Rajmun340]

Originally Posted by Z K

Harbor freight is fine. Their tools are not the best but they'll do the job. Just about everything is made in China, including Craftsman, Husky and Kobalt lines sold at retail store. Their "pro" line is better quality a well.

With the floor jack, it's fine as you aren't putting the full weight of the car on the floor jack, you're just jacking up one side and using jack stands after it's in the air. I had my a harbor freight aluminum floor jack for 15 years. I just recently regulated it to the junkyard after it started losing its lifting power. Never failed or have given me any issues.

A jack stand is a jack stand... harbor freight jack stands need to pass quality testing in the USA before it gets sold. As all their tools do.

http://www.dirtrider.com/features/on...sting_lab_tour

99.99% of time those tools will do fine of course but you don't get a second chance when you are under a car. USA regulations does not mean the $20 stand item you got passed it, Chinese are masters of defeating regulation rules. What gets send to be inspected for regulation and what you buy later could be of very different quality. Regulators do not have the ressource to test more than one in thousands parts. Some Chinese companies will pass initial regulations then ship half quality while making their dough and wait for regulation to fail them then they re-open under a different company name which Harbor freight switches too and start over. Like i said i am fine to take chances with knock off tools but not when my life is on the line. If the stand cost $20 at HF you can be sure Chinese spend $1 or $2 to produce it. You life on one dollar.