[toymaker]

People keep telling me I don't want to own my 2009 328i sedan past warranty because it will get EXPENSIVE to maintain. My neighbor says the auto transmission has a nasty coincidence of failing after the warranty expires. Is this really true? That would suck because I will use up the warranty in less than a year and half if I keep driving 3000+ miles each month. Maybe a manual transmission would have been cheaper to maintain after warranty expiration? Is it possible to keep this car 7-8 years like I intended? I bought the car outright. . .

[SoCalTech]

You have no turbos, and I haven't seen too many trans failures on these cars...

[toymaker]

Since I put between 35k-40k miles on the car each year should I get an extended warranty in case the steptronic fails? I googled a bit to find that the steptronic is expensive and not very durable compared to the manual. I really wouldn't like a 7000$ transmission repair. ;-(

[persian54]

in my opinion, you shouldn't try to keep a car for too long just because maintenance will be a problem... if you want to keep a car for 7-8 years, I would recommend buying used so that the money you saved can go towards repairs...
any car, bmw, or not, will cost a lot
it's just that german cars cost a lot more than japanese ones..

[CollinsE90]

either buy the extended warranty or just purchase a new one every 3 years

[Noc57]

No one can predict what's going to happen to a car. Owning a 335 out of warranty wouldn't bother me either. Modern turbo technology is pretty reliable these days, regardless of what you might think.

Remember that all these issues you keep reading about on the forum represent a very small minority of BMW drivers.

If you're planning on putting 150K+ miles on the car and keeping it for 10 years, expect to shell out some $$ for maintenance. The same goes for any other car.

01 e46 325Ci 70K miles.....no issues whatsoever
03 e39 M5 90K+ miles....no issues whatsoever
06 e90 328i 35K miles.....no issues whatsoever
09 e92 335i 6K miles......no issues whatsoever

[roadkillrob]

The BMW transmissions seem to have a poor track record just north of 100k miles which a lot of people think is due to lack of maintenance (since BMW considers it lifetime fill)

If your going to keep it, I would have the fluid changed in the tranny and diff every 50k miles or so 35k if you want to be anal. People that have regularly changed the fluid seem to have better luck, but it isn't a sure thing.

[toymaker]

That's an excellent idea!
Lifetime fill my ass! I will change every 40K just like the VW DSG does.
Is there a DIY to change out the transmission oil for the Steptronic?
I couldn't find one.



I also plan on changing the crankcase oil with German Castrol 0W30 every 7500 miles just to be safe

[Aija]

Our Lexus 2005 ES330 120k.....Only thing that went dead was the window motor on the passenger side

Our old 1999 7-series 100k.... failed suspension, failed radio, and the list goes on....

As others have posted, get the extended warranty. It maybe less than 5% chance that your transmission will fail, but if it does...$$$ (and other components)

[F32Fleet]

The general feeling is that BMW A/T's have a tendency to fail at ~100k miles. It has been this way for decades and BMW has been known to do a 'good will' repair for A/T's which failed just outside the 4yr/50k mile factory warranty.

Some people who have been around BMW's for decades (ie, Mike Miller) expect the failure rates to remain unchanged since BMW's service interval is 100k miles which so happens is at the end of the maximium warranty available. This is why many, myself included, think people should be more worried about maintaining their A/T than the 15k mile year oil changes since the A/T will probably fail first.

Oh and as for a replacement to the A/T. Don't worry if it's a remanufactured A/T from BMW. The only thing that 'used' with those A/T's is the outer housing. The working parts are brand new.


Now I do know that some other manufactures have jumped on the "lifetime fill" for A/T's and I did see on this board where someone said ZF suggested a fluid change ~42k miles for cars which were actually driven and not just idled around town.

[Kilgore Trout]

Originally Posted by Aija

Our Lexus 2005 ES330 120k.....Only thing that went dead was the window motor on the passenger side

Our old 1999 7-series 100k.... failed suspension, failed radio, and the list goes on....

As others have posted, get the extended warranty. It maybe less than 5% chance that your transmission will fail, but if it does...$$$ (and other components)

Historically, the 7 series has been one of the least reliable of the BMW line, perhaps because it is always the vehicle with the most cutting edge technology.

My father bought and E46 years ago. It had the standard BMW cooling system issues, and like many other E46s, probably with the power window motors. Otherwise, it was pretty much flawless.

Meanwhile, his partner bought a 7 and then had to sell the thing a year or two later because it had so many problems.

[alam]

where or how I can buy the extended warranty? my car is at 49500 right now!

[roadkillrob]

BMW will sell you one before 50k, many 3rd parties offer them also, including AAA - lot's of posts on the board about what people have purchased, how much they have paid and what is included, do a quick search and you should find some good info!

[PoorMan]

Originally Posted by toymaker

People keep telling me I don't want to own my 2009 328i sedan past warranty because it will get EXPENSIVE to maintain. My neighbor says the auto transmission has a nasty coincidence of failing after the warranty expires. Is this really true? That would suck because I will use up the warranty in less than a year and half if I keep driving 3000+ miles each month. Maybe a manual transmission would have been cheaper to maintain after warranty expiration? Is it possible to keep this car 7-8 years like I intended? I bought the car outright. . .

LOL I remember the same nonsense in the back in the day.. Where GM used to be the butt of the same joke.

It's possible to keep anything, for as long as you want..if you have the money for it. Most (not saying all) who say otherwise simply don't have the extra cash.

Cost aside.. For myself the downtime (repair time etc) would be more of a burden than anything else.

[e90fanatic]

just do oil changes regularly and flush the tranny at 30-40k

[e90fanatic]

also depends on how hard u drive it....obviously more wear and tear if u drive it harder

[Bcube]

Hi guys, first post on this site, and thought I would throw out my current experience.

I have an 2007 E93 335i. Current mileage is 86,1XX miles.

I don't normally buy extended warranties but decided to do so with this car due to the hardtop and twin turbos. The top, so far, has been flawless and I do not have the hardtop issues some others are experiencing.

With regard to the sport steptronic, I am not detecting any transmission issues. The right steering wheel paddle is loose/sloppy and getting worn out, but that is wear and tear and not unexpected. Some people never touch the paddles, I use them 90% of the time.

Outside of oil changes and a few minor warranty issues, the car did not see the dealer for ~60K miles. But (and there is always a "but") my first HPFP finally went out and now ~25K miles later, I am on my third new HPFP, new injectors, new DME, wastegates, both VANOS solenoids, intake sensor and probably some other stuff I am forgetting.

These items fixed specific and individual problems and was not shotgun troubleshooting. The good news is that compression and leakdown checks were within specs and a visual camshaft bearing/ledges inspection showed no unusual/abnormal wear. The core motor is fine, it is just that a lot of the power ancillary items have/are failing.

Overall, the dealership has been great, and BMW has been and is involved in my issues, but truthfully, this car is becoming a disappointment, and after a decade of BMW ownership, this may be my last one.

[pruettfan]

I bought my car from Carmax and got an extended warranty that covers it for 6 years or 109,000 miles. I am generally not a extended warranty guy but for 2k compared to the cost of a major BMW component I figure it was a good investment. If the car doesn't fail before 109,000 I will consider the 2k worth the piece of mind.

[cstavaru]

Originally Posted by Bcube

But (and there is always a "but") my first HPFP finally went out and now ~25K miles later, I am on my third new HPFP, new injectors, new DME, wastegates, both VANOS solenoids, intake sensor and probably some other stuff I am forgetting.

Did you by any chance had a tune installed lately ?

[nhhiep]

to make you feel better. my roommate has the same 325i (as mine) and he has 117k miles right now. he has done nothing but oil change and whatever that the computer says.

[positiveions]

my friend used to own an AAMCO transmission shop. He has seen his share of transmission failure on E46 328, Audi A6s, X5s at around 60k mileage. So, I would purchase the extended warranty.

[Roowah]

All good advice on the maintenance of AT's. Is there anything special us folks with MT's should do to prevent any issues in the future?