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2009 - 2011 BMW 3-Series
Member861

In 2014 i purchased a used 2009 BMW 328i with 41,000 mile on it. I now have approximately 86,000 miles on the car and was just quoted almost $6,000 in upcoming repairs and maintenance to the car (the bulk of it being a cracked lower front bumper and the tomahawk panel). in my research, I've come to learn that some of these problems are pretty common for this age of the car. I don't know whether to just suck it up and pay for the repairs or unload the car as a I don't know whether this will continue to be something I have to keep feeding. Note, this is my 2nd BMW and after my last one I swore I would never own another one because I put $10,000+ in repairs in two years on a 1998 540i with a Dinan Package. That was 3 cars ago and I thought I would give BMW another chance thinking maybe the last one was just a fluke.

48,281 miles - Oil Filter Housing Leaking. Installed new o-ring gasket.
59,302 miles - Maintenance - Performed oil change/replaced intake silencer
68,244 miles - Valve Cover Gasket leaking oil - Replaced all valve cover gaskets. SULEV emissions warranty.
68,244 miles - Replaced drive belt tensioner
85,656 miles - Upper coolant hose and bypass hose replaced

Upcoming Repairs:
Replace Oil Pan Gasket - $1,055
Replace Valve Cover gasket - $1,097
Front Bumper - $2,285 plus cost to paint
Tomahawk Panel - $241.00

With what i've paid in maintenance costs and repairs and with what I'm quoted for future repairs/maintenance, I'm at over !0,000 in just over 3 years. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

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Response from LectroFuel

7:02 pm February 13, 2018

These repairs are laughably expensive. My advice is to go to an independent shop, not a dealer. You should know that you will pay for many more repairs after your "upcoming repairs." BMWs are usually money pits. Independent shops are almost always cheaper and are not sleazy like the dealers.

With that said, you should dump it if your next car will not be notoriously unreliable or expensive to fix. There is no reason to dump this BMW if you will be buying another unreliable car like an FCA, Mercedes, VW, BMW, etc.

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Response from Member861

10:43 pm February 14, 2018

Thank you for taking the time to respond to my question. I appreciate your feedback.

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Response from LectroFuel

7:22 pm February 15, 2018

No problem. Good luck with your car search! I suggest driving a 2017 Mazda6 because that will be the closest car to a sports sedan while still staying reliable and cheap to maintain. Since the 2018 is getting a refresh, the 2017 will have some aggressive deals and now is the perfect time to buy a 2017. The 2018 Mazda6 will be a better car with a turbocharged engine and a slightly nicer interior, but the deals on the 2017 are tempting. The 2018 Mazda6 won't be available for another month or two.

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Response from ve3hzz

2:30 pm February 27, 2018

In my experience with dealing with BMW owners once one of them becomes over 5-6 years old they develop either NO issues (oil and filter changes and tires etc) or they need a HOST of repairs...especially ones that return to the dealers for repairs performed. So my advice is make it run and look good and DUMP IT! Trade it/ sell it but dump it. BMW stands for Bring My Wallet!! litterally!!! If you love love love the car...keep it but spend as much as a new car on repairs. If it was a 2nd car for weekends etc, like a classic maybe you can justify the expense. But if a DD well....it's your money!!!

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Response from nybblenut

4:11 am March 8, 2018

Bavarian cars most shops love them for the cost of repairs. I hate them because I know how expensive they are and how wonderful they drive but can put an average person in the poor house....let me see....the parts are crazy expensive and the labor is equally the same since they put those parts in such a way that I have to remove this and that just to get to it. When I see BMW I walk away = Money Pit like that movie with Tom Hanks, especially when I feel that some owners just cannot afford to fix it because if they do, something else will go wrong. Sometimes when I see the interior, I feel bad because the quality of workmanship is declining and lots of interior pieces failing or fading. electronics wiring harness dry up and kapoots in 10 years due to disintegration due to some Germany requirement of wiring harness must meet some environmental safety or friendly regulations so they can't use certain durable materials for electronic harness thus fail prematurely. I'm seriously sad that cars from BMW does not last or durable as decades ago. When brand new or within 5 years....excellent. But sometimes 5 years is stretching it. If you have deep pockets its no problem because driving it is extrordinary and one of the best handling out there.

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