My car hates me...

[upallnight]

Originally Posted by TiAgX5

I've not seen the chronic door handle carrier/window regulator failures too.

One carrier failure (drivers door) and one window regulator (left/rear) on my '03, with over 200k miles.

Find it crazy that some have spent over $10k to keep the X going.

I've put around $4k into my X getting from 100k to 200k miles , and that includes tires and brakes. Genuine BMW parts or better (Powerflex, StopTech, Cool Carbon, Vredestein, Bosch batteries.....).

Those are not the DIYer on this board. When you are paying a Mechanic anywhere between 100 to 200 dollars an hour, the repair bill starts to add up pretty quickly. A $8.00 part such as the OFHG can cost close to $500 to replace if you bring the X in.

[bcredliner]

How long have you had your X5, how many miles on it and how many miles on it now?

[TiAgX5]

Originally Posted by upallnight

Those are not the DIYer on this board. When you are paying a Mechanic anywhere between 100 to 200 dollars an hour, the repair bill starts to add up pretty quickly. A $8.00 part such as the OFHG can cost close to $500 to replace if you bring the X in.

I was going to include that I DIY everything, but forgot.

Most of those who don't DIY say their time is too valuable.

I guess the non-DIYers need to re-examine if their time is so "high value".

[Awntchi]

A friend of mine had an identical car to mine, same month/year, colour, interior....everything. While mine was working near perfect for the first 3 years (counting from the time we bought them) and only needed the annual service or tires, his was constantly coming up with faults, anything from body trim to electrics and mechanical. The poor guy was losing his mind, spending thousands, so I convinced him to sell it. He must have gotten the one bad apple that slipped through the line that year....

Having that said, the later got the Lexus RX 350 thinking he'd have a more reliable car but even that came with a fair amount of surprises.

IMO if you are not a handy person or don't have time for DIY then get rid of the car and find something more suitable.

[TiAgX5]

Non-DIYers need to find the RIGHT vehicle to purchase. Low owner count, full service history, clean PPI (with no indications of significant collision repair), no chassis rust, no hack installed electronics (seen a few vehicles with wire connections twisted and taped).

I DIY, and STILL walk away from vehicles that don't "check EVERY box" during inspection.

[upallnight]

Originally Posted by Awntchi

A friend of mine had an identical car to mine, same month/year, colour, interior....everything. While mine was working near perfect for the first 3 years (counting from the time we bought them) and only needed the annual service or tires, his was constantly coming up with faults, anything from body trim to electrics and mechanical. The poor guy was losing his mind, spending thousands, so I convinced him to sell it. He must have gotten the one bad apple that slipped through the line that year....

Having that said, the later got the Lexus RX 350 thinking he'd have a more reliable car but even that came with a fair amount of surprises.

IMO if you are not a handy person or don't have time for DIY then get rid of the car and find something more suitable.

Too many noobs who never owned a BMW prior and don't DIY shouldn't be buying a used 10+ year old BMW. That great deal they got on a BMW is only a deal to the seller who sold a BMW to a Noob.

Take for example this guy.

http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...ml#post1026647

Thought he got a great deal on his BMW and only posted once. Probably flipped it when the mechanics told him that the trans needed to be replaced.

Originally Posted by TiAgX5

I was going to include that I DIY everything, but forgot.

Most of those who don't DIY say their time is too valuable.

I guess the non-DIYers need to re-examine if their time is so "high value".

Kinda doubt that, unless they are making a 6 figure salary, but if they are making a 6 figure salary why are they buying a 10+ year old car with no warranty?

[squidzilla]

I have 4 older bmw's and the e46 xi just started to leak at the radiator neck. I am studying up for the next month or two on how to DIY (noob here) while I drive the other 3 cars. Or I can pay 486.00 with tax and have my indy replace the radiator for me. The other cars give me a window to fix this stuff myself with zero pressure or shop the repair to death. I only got into older BMW's because the new F platforms are noting like the previous E's. If I want a "real" bmw experience I have to drive the older ones since the new ones drive like Lexus or Mercedes. Which is not satisfying.

[BMWX5CHI]

Agree with everyone. First time owners with no DYI skills who buy their first BMW usually think, WOW I got a great deal. Well maybe you did, maybe you didn't. They think it's smooth sailing. Not the case most of the time. They end up with a huge repair bills and end up pulling out their hair. I've seen a few people junk there cars because of the cost of the repair. Transmission problems or timing guides or something of that nature.

[bcredliner]

I think that any vehicle with say, 65,000 miles or greater, even one with a complete history and great PPI is a shot in the dark as far as what will be the cost to keep it going. Certainly, if there is complete history, 1-2 owner, PPI checks out and it is low miles the risk is considerably less but I think a reasonable expectation of reliability of any vehicle of that age and with significant miles on it would be to spend less than the payments, depreciation, insurance. It's still a "some you win, some you lose".

If DIY is not in the cards, I would add to the best way to buy is to buy a newer model and a warranty that will cover at least the major potential repairs, for no other reason than labor cost. Not that many years ago labor cost was not as big a factor, not because price of labor was less, but because things were simpler and there was more room to work so less labor hours were warranted for work. Very seldom do I tackle a DIY project than I don't spend a considerable amount of time removing other stuff to get to what I want to replace.

[TiAgX5]

Originally Posted by upallnight

Too many noobs who never owned a BMW prior and don't DIY shouldn't be buying a used 10+ year old BMW. That great deal they got on a BMW is only a deal to the seller who sold a BMW to a Noob.

Take for example this guy.

http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...ml#post1026647

Thought he got a great deal on his BMW and only posted once. Probably flipped it when the mechanics told him that the trans needed to be replaced.........

Reminds me of one more detail pre-purchase, 90 day powertrain warranty.

I inspected my X, verified paperwork/history, PPIed, worked best price, THEN pushed for the dealer to throw in a 90 day warranty, was told no friggin' way with the price I got them down to, got up to walk from the deal and they threw it in!

Made sure I drove it hard those first 3 months.

Dealers seeing a serious buyer walk is a powerful negotiating tool for the purchaser!