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September 22nd, 2018, 09:33 PM
#181
German reliability....you know BMW makes... Nevermind
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September 23rd, 2018, 10:13 AM
#182
Driver
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September 23rd, 2018, 05:12 PM
#183
Director
Well, aren't the mechanicals of BMW's pretty damn reliable? Isn't it always the electronics that fail?
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September 23rd, 2018, 07:45 PM
#184
E36 are known for headgasket failures and/or cracked heads (I have personally done 3), VANOS failure, failed rear strut towers, failed front strut towers, and overall weak suspension attachment points
E39 is known to bake the ABS controller, which also affects the speedometer, odometer, cruise control, and other off and ends. E39 M5 is known to have expensive Vanos troubles, even when maintaned well. Let's not forget the thrust arms failing and creating massive toe changes under braking.
E46 is VERY well known for the rear subframe cracks and complete failures. They also have issues with vanos rattle and failures too. The frame is very similar to the e36 and similar troubles with shock mounts.
E90 are known for issues with the butterfly actuators for the ITBs for the M series V8s to break down and fail. Also have failures of the Idle Control Valves.
I could keep going, but honestly I stopped following BMW after all of my friends cars kept falling apart.
#SaltynotSalty
I still think they drive great, and overall like them, but the things that break....
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September 23rd, 2018, 07:50 PM
#185
Oh yeah, let's not forget the cooling system failures.
I won't get nit picky about each component, but just the overall fragility of the entire system as designed across the last 25+ years of vehicles.
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September 23rd, 2018, 08:30 PM
#186
Administrator
You speak like someone that (1) reads owner forums and reads requests for information on particular issues and accepts those issues as widespread, and (2) does high performance activities with your car with puts you at an ownership extreme.
For instance, the E46 subrame problem is an issue if the car is tracked, otherwise, meh. Same with the Z3, it was fine until they dropped the S54 into it and people flogged it.
My E46 is tracked, has 161k miles on the odo and still gets me to work everyday. I have ran it low on oil by four quarts and the only thing I have had to put into it is a new air intake boot, the rubber got old and tore at a seam after 16 years.
I am not saying you're entirely wrong, just that your experience represents a certain extreme not representative of the typical use case.
Of my E24, E36, E46xi, E60, E63, R56, and E46ci the biggest issue I ever had was when I nuked the E36 head gasket. Happened at something like 130k miles and was $1000 in parts to replace the entire motor.
Guess we're not friends.
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September 23rd, 2018, 08:32 PM
#187
Administrator
Oh, I will make one concession, they're reliable but horribly over engineered.
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September 23rd, 2018, 09:48 PM
#188
Expert daydreamer
Tim/Shmee has driven the new Supra, and has a good video of it. Some drifting in it too by some pro drifter dude.
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September 24th, 2018, 03:07 AM
#189
I'm merely speaking with my local friends and my personal experience. Not from owners forums.
YMMV
/me shrugs
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September 24th, 2018, 09:53 AM
#190
Driver
I hear about a smattering of problems from friends/acquaintances too. The number of things that have gone wrong with T's low mileage (whopping 46k now!) E46 M3 is unsettling. And the running joke with newer turbo BMWs is that you don't want to own one out of warranty.
BMWs seem like well engineered cars that aren't built to the generally more rigorous quality control or durability standards of the Japanese cars I grew up with and still own. I love German cars but every time I think about buying one with my own hard-earned I get cold feet.
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