Soldato
BMW from what I recall (I might be incorrect) deem life of a car 10 years or 100k miles.
It seems their cars do well at low mileage but they get old, higher mileage and they just develop faults.
So I was planning to take this to We buy any car tomorrow (with full disclosure of the EML/DPF issues), then as I drove it today disaster..another warning light showing electronics failure.
Guess I'm scrapping it...
What icon/message is that one? And does it still drive?
It was a picture of the car on like an upside down T shape. Indicating electronics failure.
Still drives but the manual says to end your journey so not sure if I should just take it down to We buy any car
BMW are no worse then other brands, Nissan for example , our local dealer charges £95 per hour, £120 diagnostic fee and crazy servicing rates. The service rates an an x35d are almost identical to a 1.6dci comparing X3 to Xtrail
It always pays to find a good indie, they will diagnose for a fraction of the cost and have more reasonable rates for any work that needs doing. Specifically with BMW the cheap access to good diagnostic tools means you can diagnose yourself with relatively little outlay, and the information is quite detailed, a breath of fresh air to diagnosing a Japanese brand.
A DPF on an older car I’d have considered having gutted and mapped out so it can’t happen again, plus you’d get more power, and that might only cost a few hundred in comparison.
10 miles a day? Get a petrol .I enjoyed this thread - enlightening.
I've seen a delightful 2012 BMW 3 Series 2.0 318d Touring. High Mileage though at 147k. Private sale at £2900 for what was a £30k car.
We've just let our ultra reliable 2008 Mondeo go - family runabout that was written off after the local bin lorry side swiped it on the street so I need to get it right. insurance firm paid market value so I'm royally knackered less the excess.
The BMW has had 2 owners, manual, documented FSH, claimed 80% motorway mileage and is up for £2900. Checked the MOTS and nothing but advisories on each test. It seems too good to be true, but I'd value peoples opinions on what I need to look out for when I take it out for a test drive on Sunday.
I've heard horror stories regarding timing chains and the engines eating themselves, but I only need the car for 10 miles a day and to last me 2/3 years.
I'm afraid our budget is firmly set at £3000 as I've had too many kids and my other cars a Range Rover.
Many thanks,
Richard
I'm sure a mate paid around £2k at a BMW specialist in Devon, albeit for a new turbo. I think the car had around 130k miles on it. I had a turbo fail on a 2002 3 series at around 48k miles, thankfully inside the BMW used car warranty. I remember it would have been over a grand even back then.Turbo shouldnt be a 2k repair, this is where a decent indy is worth their weight in gold, on RWD car its not a mega job and a used turbo is fairly cheap, and its easy to spot how worn they are.
Unless its a lease car or less than 3 years old or something special, it really makes no sense to use dealers for work.