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Chart based on 38 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.
2008 BMW 1-Series
Engine not specified
11000 mi
third taillight on the trunk, fell in (as reported by many)
5000 mi
Rear brake light fell off, entire center brake light had to be replaced.
Passenger side mirror dimming liquid leak, mirror replaced.
11000 mi
Broken 3rd brake light
36000 mi
US $50
The window slipped off the cable and fell into the door. It was stuck open and could not be closed.
2000 mi
seat latch to pull seat rest forward did not work
30300 mi
US $90
3rd brake light broke
105 mi
US $1500
Small piece of metal scrap in rode tore tore through under carriage cover with ease. Damaged power cables. $1500 repair 2 days after buying car. Car came with soft under carriage cover, hard plastic on replacement
18023 mi
Tail lights completely replaced for 4th time, recall was finally issued. Has worked since. Entire seat belt system was replaced for a recall
18023 mi
US $40
Nail in rear tire, called BMW's tire insurance company regarding replacement per tire warranty. Unable to reach anyone after repeated attempts and conversation w/ dealer. Feel ripped off on warranty. Paid patch repair
35000 mi
Side mirror mechanic fluid ruptured, mirror was replaced.
First odometer entry. Purchased car on Friday. Saturday evening the center brake light over the trunk lid cracked and fell out of the trunk. BMW made repair at 0 cost. Claimed there was some kind of known problem for that part.
12000 mi
center brake light fell out. Dealer replaced per TSB.
10000 mi
Cracked third brake light was replaced with the proper braces and torsion.
19000 mi
Center brake light had a crack. Dealer ordered the part and brought the car in for the replacement which took less than an hour.
16000 mi
scheduled Maintenance including replacement of cracked third brake light lens
5000 mi
Third brake light fell off. Install new third brake lens.
39000 mi
mounting clip broken on both headlights (same clip location on each: top of light, inboard side). caused headlight to droop slightly. 2 entire new headlights ordered without issue or dispute, will be installed next week (august).
Third brake light fell out for the 4th time since purchase. Had to inform dealer of their own TSB to correct the issue and pay out of pocket since warranty was up and they failed to fix it the other three times.
replaced sticking tank vent valve, R=R air box and throttle (covered under warranty) shop charges for repairs
47999 mi
Service engine lamp failure- found integrated fault error, could not clear- kept car 2 days determined to be software issue- reprogrammed computer (warranty covered)
50019 mi
service engine light diagnosis- (software previously reprogrammed)- found integrated fault memory- reprogrammed software again (covered under service warranty) Identified software issue- BMW is working on a permanent fix- meanwhile, instructed to clear codes and release car-subject to recall (covered under warranty) Replaced left high beam bulb (covered under warranty)
51534 mi
replace defective headlight bulb (was replaced on 8/30/10- determined to be under parts warranty)
57036 mi
US $106
High beam and marker light malfunction- replaced High Beam bulb shop charge to repair bulb
One of the rear defrost lines on my rear window was broken. They had to replace the entire convertible top in order to fix it. All under warranty.
11160 mi
Convertible top was rubbing on a gasket under the tonneau cover when going up and down. Needed to replace gasket and the fabric top needed to be re-stitched tighter so that it didn't rub.
18600 mi
The lock that keeps the passenger side seat upright (keeps it from flopping forward) was not working. Found a broken cable that was replaced.
20460 mi
TSB for rear light cover failures.
22000 mi
3rd brake light, replaced because the plastic broke in two.
29300 mi
3rd brake light assembly fell out again, this time just stuck it back on.
Passenger side mirror kept falling out. Turned out the plastic holder on the back of the mirror was not formed correctly (poor quality control by the parts supplier). A new mirror and backing was installed to fix the problem.
23000 mi
Hood release would not work. Pulling on the release handle would not pop the hood. There was too much slack in the front cable. I removed the front grills and tugged hard on the cable to effectively lengthen the tubing of the cable.
Third brake light cracked and fell off - a common problem with early 1 series. The brake light cover is too large for opening and eventually the brake light cracks or falls off. The replacement light cover is slightly smaller.
31620 mi
C $55
Drivers window bounced 1/2 way down everytime I tried to close it. This happened repeatedly over several days.
Dealer had to reset a program or reprogram to resolve problem,
Window working fine now
See our lemon odds and nada odds page to see vehicles with no repairs or vehicles with more than three repairs. To see how
frequently 2008 BMW 1-Series problems occur, check out our car reliability stats.