| 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
2001 BMW 3-Series repairs by problem area
Engine (47%)
Transmission and Drivetrain (6%)
Brakes and Traction Control (1%)
Suspension and Steering (17%)
Electrical and Air Conditioning (19%)
Paint, Rust, Leaks, Rattles, and Trim (5%)
Other (4%)
Select a problem area
- Engine
- Transmission and Drivetrain
- Brakes and Traction Control
- Suspension and Steering
- Electrical and Air Conditioning
- Paint, Rust, Leaks, Rattles, and Trim
- Other
Chart based on 532 repairs.
2001 BMW 3-Series electrical repair cost distribution
$2500+ (2%)
$1000 - $2499 (21%)
$500 - $999 (19%)
$100 - $499 (27%)
< $100 (31%)
Chart based on 100 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.
2001 BMW 3-Series
Engine not specified
| 62000 mi US $600 |
Alternator failure. |
| 150000 mi US $160 |
Headlight stopped working, bulb replaced and wiring fixed |
| 155000 mi US $30 |
Passenger front signal light started working intermittently, then stopped all together due to lose wiring |
| 135000 mi US $630 |
Replace alternator |
2001 BMW 3-Series 4dr Wagon
184-horsepower 2.5L I6 5-speed shiftable automatic RWD
| 38000 mi US $1600 |
Glass hatch on wagon shorted and would not open at the hatch. Would trigger by itself though (shorted). |
| 39000 mi US $60 |
Low refrigerant in AC. Added refridgerant and hissing noise during operation stopped. |
| 56000 mi US $900 |
A/C compressor and dryer were leaking R134A. Replaced both units with OEM grade (not factory) parts and recharged system. |
| 56000 mi US $150 |
Replaced window regulator |
2001 BMW 3-Series 4dr Wagon
184-horsepower 2.5L I6 5-speed manual RWD
| 100000 mi US $240 |
Dead alternator |
| 170000 mi US $100 |
Rear wiper repeatedly opened on its own while driving. The exterior switch was bad due to water leakage. |
| 77000 mi | Two window regulators. |
2001 BMW 3-Series 4dr Sedan
225-horsepower 3.0L I6 5-speed shiftable automatic RWD
| 67000 mi US $1200 |
New blower motor and oil change. |
| 77000 mi US $310 |
Driver's side window regulator. Second time replaced. First replaced around 2005. |
| 79200 mi US $3995 |
Defective oil pressure sensor had to be replaced. Oil light was continuously lit. |
| 200000 mi US $590 |
Evaporator core leak. Too expensive to fix, so just charged the AC. |
| 209000 mi US $1450 |
Alternator light on. Could not hold a charge with new battery. Replaced alternator. |
| 247000 mi | Headlight electrical issue. |
2001 BMW 3-Series 4dr Sedan
225-horsepower 3.0L I6 5-speed manual RWD
| 152000 mi US $1100 |
HVAC fan |
| 110000 mi US $100 |
Window regulator |
| 118300 mi US $800 |
2 window regulators |
| 144000 mi US $60 |
Fan resistor replaced |
| 83000 mi | window regulator, used zip ties to hold metal piece in place due to plastic clips breaking. |
| 103000 mi US $680 |
Left front and left rear window regulators. |
| 103700 mi US $180 |
Driver side seatbelt pretensioner and wiring harness failed. Both were replaced. Second trip five days later. |
| 105000 mi | Two more trips for SRS light, pretensioner and wiring harness. Update: came back on two weeks later. |
| 117000 mi | Replaced worn bulb housings for running lights and turn signals. |
| 139000 mi US $1200 |
Replaced failed ignitor unit and xenon bulb. |
| 82000 mi | Turn signal short. |
| 149000 mi US $500 |
Alternator went at 148,000 miles. |
| 79000 mi | Passenger window regulator failed. Repaired window slider with cable ties. |
| 111000 mi US $25 |
Replaced Windshield Washer Motor |
| 119000 mi US $350 |
Broken rear window regulator |
| 200000 mi US $60 |
Windshield washer pump failed - leaking. Replaced pump. |
| 205800 mi US $60 |
Oil level sensor malfunction. Replaced sensor. |
2001 BMW 3-Series 4dr Sedan
225-horsepower 3.0L I6 5-speed manual AWD
| 165000 mi US $15 |
Turn signal socket burned out. Replaced with new. |
| 230000 mi US $50 |
Replaced lock relays in GM5 module. |
| 83000 mi US $650 |
driver's window won't go up and down - replace regulator |
2001 BMW 3-Series 4dr Sedan
184-horsepower 2.5L I6 5-speed shiftable automatic RWD
| 120000 mi US $11 |
Tail light ground wire corroded. |
| 118300 mi | airbag light on |
| 66000 mi US $1027 |
Windshield washer motor non-operational |
| 63000 mi US $250 |
Keyfob will not remember program to unlock doors. Keyfob needs to be replaced. |
2001 BMW 3-Series 4dr Sedan
184-horsepower 2.5L I6 5-speed shiftable automatic AWD
| 78000 mi US $236 |
Tail light carriers and connections needed to be replaced. Blinkers blinked too fast most of the time. |
2001 BMW 3-Series 4dr Sedan
184-horsepower 2.5L I6 5-speed manual RWD
| 120300 mi US $400 |
the aircon/heater fan turned on and wouldn't shut off unless I disconnected the battery. $400 later, the "final stage resistor" had to be replaced to fix the problem. |
| 154700 mi US $607 |
Driver's window regulator replacement, $450 |
| 145160 mi C $800 |
Alternator replaced. |
| 151900 mi | The BMW's door locks were a bit finicky and inconsistent (though officially undiagnosed). Beyond that it was ready for a new owner and was still pretty solid. |
| 179600 mi US $21 |
Replaced gauge cluster with used item from eBay. Replace window regulator slides. |
| 156300 mi US $935 |
Alternator failed. Alternator replaced. |
| 87000 mi US $2000 |
Replaced electric window operators for drivers and rear passenger windows, |
| 173600 mi R 100 |
Window regulator was replaced. |
| 175700 mi R 1200 |
Evaporator was replaced. It is a huge job that requires removal of the entire dashboard. |
| 186000 mi | Driver's seat not moving anymore. It happened after repeatedly attempting (and finally succeeding) to start car after replacing plugs. |
| 195300 mi R 40 |
Battery was not charging and alternator warning light was on. Replace assembly with voltage regulator and bushes. Problem fixed. |
| 197780 mi | Battery was replaced |
| 213900 mi R 100 |
Both front window regulators failed and were replaced, not for the first time. The one on the drivers side has since failed again and is awaiting replacement. Again. |
| 125000 mi US $850 |
had intermittent fast blinking of right rear blinker, coupled with occasional bulb-out warning lights. this was traced to a ground issue, which was repaired. |
| 130000 mi US $485 |
Replaced alternator |
| 162000 mi US $1212 |
Replaced failed LF window regulator. |
| 72000 mi US $1100 |
Windshield washer pump failure. |
| 76000 mi US $760 |
HVAC exterior sensor and wiring damaged. AC hoses worn - near failure. Resistor failure in HVAC control module. (brake system flush, Oil change service) |
| 79000 mi US $300 |
Passenger side window would not operate properly. window regulator motor replaced. |
| 118000 mi US $800 |
Replaced window regulator, brake fluid flush, oil service, wiper inserts, fan belts replaced. |
2001 BMW 3-Series 4dr Sedan
184-horsepower 2.5L I6 5-speed manual AWD
| 84000 mi US $2300 |
Turn indicator flashes faster than usual at first. |
| 91000 mi US $2000 |
Alternator failed. Power surge from failing alternator blew out all 4 headlight bulbs. |
| 93000 mi US $850 |
Failure of regulators for electric windows. |
| 100000 mi US $2000 |
Window regulators broke again. |
| 107000 mi US $2000 |
Battery died |
| 115000 mi US $950 |
Alternator went |
2001 BMW 3-Series 4-door
6-cylinder automatic 2WD
| 52080 mi $1172 |
Driver front window regulator broke. Window did not move at all. Had to pay for the new regulator. |
| 54560 mi $200 |
Passenger side front window regulator. |
| 69440 mi $1100 |
Rear passenger window regulator broke. Window cannot be moved. Dealer replaced regulator. |
| 71300 mi $850 |
Faulty instrument cluster. |
2001 BMW 3-Series 2dr Coupe
333-horsepower 3.2L I6 6-speed manual RWD
| 53000 mi US $120 |
Bad final stage resistor for control of HVAC blower. |
| 35000 mi US $150 |
One of two horns quit, sounded wheezy/weak. Replaced both. |
| 113000 mi US $1000 |
AC recharge |
2001 BMW 3-Series 2dr Coupe
225-horsepower 3.0L I6 5-speed shiftable automatic RWD
| 82000 mi US $256 |
BMW Battery went dead after exactly 3 years almost to the day. |
| 102222 mi US $422 |
Replace drivers side window regulator without motor |
| 112000 mi US $65 |
Battery went bad less than 3 years. Battery replaced under warranty. |
| 118122 mi US $123 |
Replace passenger side rear bulb carrier |
| 125000 mi US $1070 |
Window Regulator without Motor and Door Lock Actuator Replaced |
2001 BMW 3-Series 2dr Coupe
225-horsepower 3.0L I6 5-speed manual RWD
| 67000 mi US $1200 |
alternator |
| 133000 mi | Drivers side door must be unlocked with a key - the actuator failed around 105k and I never could stomach the $500 to fix it. Starting around 90k the heated seat elements had shorts in them that would overheat (burn you) even on the lowest setting. New seat covers about $2k and I could never stomach it. |
| 104000 mi US $50 |
Replaced window wiper wash pump |
| 76000 mi US $12 |
Front turn signal bulb socket had corroded terminals, replaced |
| 82000 mi US $900 |
Alternator failure |
| 150500 mi US $200 |
Windshield washer fluid pump broken |
| 144700 mi US $200 |
A/C evap/refill |
2001 BMW 3-Series 2dr Coupe
184-horsepower 2.5L I6 5-speed shiftable automatic RWD
| 192200 mi US $100 |
Passenger side window regulator. |
2001 BMW 3-Series 2dr Coupe
184-horsepower 2.5L I6 5-speed manual RWD
| 151000 mi US $100 |
The xenon bulbs were getting more purple and shutting off intermittently. I replaced both bulbs and now functionality is restored and light color has returned to factory tint (white-light blue) |
| 83000 mi US $55 |
Final stage resistor was failing, causing the a/c blower to be erratic. Replaced it myself and it's working fine now. |
| 89000 mi US $40 |
Speedometer stopped working after removing needles to change gauge face. Ended up replacing all cluster stepper motors with new motors purchased off eBay. |
2001 BMW 3-Series 2dr Convertible
333-horsepower 3.2L I6 6-speed manual RWD
| 105700 mi US $56 |
Passenger door window regulator failed. Replaced regulator and motor assembly. |
2001 BMW 3-Series 2dr Convertible
225-horsepower 3.0L I6 5-speed shiftable automatic RWD
| 75200 mi US $846 |
Electrical harness from trunk lid to car body spliced. |
| 136000 mi US $100 |
a/c was not cold |
2001 BMW 3-Series 2dr Convertible
225-horsepower 3.0L I6 5-speed manual RWD
| 48000 mi US $80 |
part that controls fan speed. had to remove glove compartment to get to part. |
2001 BMW 3-Series 2dr Convertible
184-horsepower 2.5L I6 5-speed shiftable automatic RWD
| 89000 mi US $90 |
Heater blower running uncontrolled. Replaced blower resistor. |
| 113200 mi US $40 |
replaced interior door lock/emergency flasher switch |
2001 BMW 3-Series 2dr Convertible
184-horsepower 2.5L I6 5-speed manual RWD
| 83300 mi US $45 |
Replaced broken window switch for DS front and back windows. |
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