Urgent advice needed about buying 2005 318ci - BMW Forum

bmwdxb · 07-24-2006, 01:55 PM

Hey all,

Am seriously considering getting a sweet looking, Alpine White 318ci (dont need the extra power at this point!).

First off, the price. The dealer is asking USD 27.500 for the car. It comes with the following:

It has 29,000 KM on it and is due for Service II at about 42,000 KM I think
Xenons
Beige Leather with Walnut Trim
6 CD Changer
Manual Seats
Sunroof
And the usual standard features I guess
Condition is immaculate inside and out
It is covered under warranty till Sept 2007 (since it was first registered in 2004)

I will be getting it checked at BMW prior to buying it, if I decide I really want it.

Now for my questions which I hope you can answer

1. I have read many posts here where users says never drive the BMW out of warranty. Since warranty runs out for me in a year, what do you suggest? I have heard other people also say that their cars run with any issues well into 6-7 years.. I hope to keep this car for about 7 years and then sell it, so would appreciate your advice.

2. I plan to service the BMW at an indep BMW garage after warranty so that should reduce cost

3. How often do the following need to be changed (assuming normal driving):

- Brake pads (about 40-60,000 KM depending on how car is driven)
- Rotors (mechanic told me about 100,000 KM + if cars driven normally)
- Shocks/Struts etc (was told after 125,000 KM)

4. What are expensive maintenance items to watch out for after the 60,000 KM mark (and after warranty expires)?

5. What is the recommended oil change interval by BMW users? I heard 10,000 KM is optimal? (though BMW says about 17000 KM)??

6. Is the 318 ci 4 cyl engine known to be trouble free and durable? My mech told me these engines go to 300,000 KM easily if taken care of...?

7. I have read posts about the tranny going on BMWs. Does that apply for the car I am considering? Again, mechanic said the tranny should last well into 225, 000 KM with good care and driving.

8. Are there any major troublespots with this car I should know about? I also assume that since its the last of the E46 model, they should have got most of the problems sorted?

Again, I would like your expert advice whether its worth getting this car or not. I dont mind higher than average car maintenance for a BMW, but I dont want to be stuck with huge repair bills after the warranty, thats not cool!!

Thanks for much for your help guys!

P.S. Other car I liked was the Audi A4 but gave that up considering its front wheel drive didnt allw BMW type handling and that new 7 speed tramsmission was weird and had a serious lag from stop.

If this BMW is not advisable, then I might just have to go in for a loaded Accord and then see what other coupes are on the market in a few years (not too impressed by the new 2007 BMW 3 coupe)
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bmwdxb · 07-24-2006, 05:35 PM

I also need your advice on which warranty to choose. The company offering it here has two plans as mentioned below. Will get the pricing tomorrow.

Can you let me know if I should go for the 3 Star or 5 Star plan considering th ecars mileage at 29,000 KM and I would drive about 25-30,000 KM per year and hope to keep the car for at least 4 years. I am covered till Sept 2007, so I guess I would be looking for coverage till Sept 2010 (3 years) by which time I should be at about 110,000 KM - 125,000 KM on the car. Do you suggest I go for 4 years if thats when the main things will need to be replaced?

Please let me know the main advantages of 5 star over 3 Star. I just noticed a new differneces in the transmission and A/C exclusions, but I probably missed a lot of stuff!

I heard about the transmission problem and hope that would be covered too!

Here is the warranty info:

Three Star

IMPORTANT
If the terms and conditions of this policy are complied with, the items specifically listed will be covered (subject to exclusions) against mechanical or electrical breakdown of the vehicle described on the Proposal Form/Policy Schedule. Each claim is up to the maximum stated in the Proposal Form/Policy Schedule. No limit to the number of claims.

Components Covered

Engine
Rocker assembly including hydraulic rockers, inlet and exhaust valves, (Excluding burnt valves), springs and guides, cylinder head (Excluding cracks and de-coking), push rods, camshaft and followers, timing gears and chains, oil pump, pistons and rings, cylinder bores, conrods, gudgeon pins and bearings, crankshaft and bearings, inlet manifold, flywheel and ring gear.

Manual gearbox
Failure of the following internal mechanical parts: Gears, synchromesh hubs, selectors, shafts, bearings, bushes and transfer gears.

Automatic gearbox
Failure of the following internal mechanical parts: Shafts, gears, clutches, brake bands, valve block, governor, oil pump, bearings and bushes, servo, drive plate and transfer gears.

Torque converter
Failure of any internal mechanical parts.

Differential
Failure of the following internal mechanical parts:
Crown wheel and pinion, gears, shafts, bearings, thrust washers and spacers.

Front wheel drive
Drive shafts including constant velocity joints, (Excluding gaiters) universal joints and couplings.

Rear wheel drive
Half shafts, rear wheel external drive shafts including constant velocity joints, universal joints and couplings, (Excluding gaiters).

Propshaft
Failure of the propshaft including universal joints and couplings.

Cooling system
Water pump, viscous fan coupling, thermostat and thermostat housing.

Fuel system
Mechanical and Electrical fuel pump and carburettor.

Steering (including PAS)
Steering rack and pinion, power steering rack and pump, (Excluding gaiters).

Brakes
Brake master cylinder, restrictor valve and brake caliper seals.

Electrical system
Starter motor and solenoid including pre-engagement mechanism and bendix drive, alternator, coil, indicator relay. Front windshield wiper and washer motors.

Working materials
Oils, oil filter and antifreeze are covered only where their replacement is essential as a direct result of the failure of a covered item.

Casings
Should failure of any of the components covered result in damage to the casings, then they will also be covered and will constitute part of the maximum claim liability.

----------------------

Five Star

IMPORTANT
If the terms and conditions of this policy are complied with, the items specifically listed will be covered (subject to exclusions) against mechanical or electrical breakdown of the vehicle described on the Proposal Form/Policy Schedule. Each claim is up to the maximum stated in the Proposal Form/Policy Schedule. No limit to the number of claims.

Components Covered

Engine
Rocker assembly including hydraulic followers, inlet and exhaust valves, (Excluding burnt valves), springs and guides, cylinder head (Excluding cracks and de-coking), cylinder head gasket, push rods, camshaft and followers, timing gears, belts and chains, oil pump, pistons and rings, cylinder bores, conrods, gudgeon pins and bearings, crankshaft and bearings, inlet manifold, flywheel and ring gear.

Manual gearbox
Failure of the following internal mechanical parts: Gears, synchromesh hubs, selectors, shafts, bearings, bushes and transfer gears.

Automatic gearbox
Failure of the following internal mechanical parts: Shafts, gears, clutches, brake bands, valve block, governor, oil pump, bearings and bushes, servo, drive plate, transfer gears and computer governor.

Torque converter
Failure of any internal mechanical parts.

Continuously variable transmission CTX
Failure of internal mechanical parts including clutches, planetary gears, reduction gears, shafts, variable pulleys, thrust link drives, internal seals, bushes and bearings.

Differential
Failure of the following internal mechanical parts:
Crown wheel and pinion, gears, shafts, bearings and bushes, thrust washers and spacers.

Front wheel drive
Drive shafts including constant velocity joints, universal joints and couplings (Excluding gaiters).

Rear wheel drive
Half shafts, rear wheel external drive shafts including constant velocity joints, universal joints and couplings, (Excluding gaiters).

4 Wheel drive vehicle
Cover as described above for Front and Rear Wheel Drive.

Propshaft
Failure of the propshaft including universal joints and couplings.

Wheel bearings
Failure of front and rear wheel bearings.

Engine cooling system
Radiator, oil cooler, viscous fan coupling, water pump, thermostat, thermostat housing and thermostatically controlled radiator fan.

Air conditioning
Air conditioning compressor.

Turbo charger (where factory fitted)
Turbo unit is covered.

Fuel system (Diesel and Petrol)
Carburettor, automatic choke, lift pump, mechanical or electrical fuel pumps (including fuel injection pump) and tank sender unit.

Front & rear suspension
Coil springs, leaf springs, upper and lower wishbones, ball and swivel joints.

Steering (including PAS)
Rack and pinion, steering box where applicable, power steering rack and pump, power steering reservoir and idler box, (Excluding gaiters).

Brakes
Brake master cylinder, wheel cylinders, restrictor valve, brake caliper seals and servo.

Anti locking system
The ABS system is covered.

Electrical system
Starter motor and solenoid including pre-engagement, mechanism and bendix drive, alternator/dynamo, coil, regulator, window and sun roof motors, centralized locking, heater fan motor, indicator flasher relay, distributor, front and rear windshield wiper and washer motors and electronic ignition amplifier.

Electrical management (ECU)
Engine Electronic Control Unit.

Working materials
Oils, oil filter and antifreeze are covered only where their replacement is essential as a direct result of the failure of a covered item.

Casings
Should failure of any of the components covered result in damage to the casings, then they will also be covered and will constitute part of the maximum claim liability.

bmwdxb · 07-24-2006, 05:37 PM

Also, please let me know if anything major is missing from these policies... Thanks a bunch guys!!

bmwdxb · 07-24-2006, 06:30 PM

Damn, Ive seen too many posts with the transmission failure problem. Is it that common? And if it happens after the 60 K mark, Im out 4-5 K arent I?! Does anyone know if this problem is there on the 2005 models? Maybe its too soon to tell even!

But given that the car was registered in Sept 2004, the build date had to be sometime in 2004 then, which puts it in the risky category

Any advice people?

drz · 07-24-2006, 07:03 PM

I will have to come back and read all of this once I get home from work. In general, I think you are worrying too much. That 4-cyl engine is a very good one. I think it should outlive my 6-cyl, which has about 311,000 km on it.

I suggest that you get the best warranty you can purchase. The more you can delay having to pay out of your pocket to fix a BMW, the better off you are (in most cases).

I'll come bck and reply again after reading all your posts.

bmwdxb · 07-24-2006, 07:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drz

I will have to come back and read all of this once I get home from work. In general, I think you are worrying too much. That 4-cyl engine is a very good one. I think it should outlive my 6-cyl, which has about 311,000 km on it.

I suggest that you get the best warranty you can purchase. The more you can delay having to pay out of your pocket to fix a BMW, the better off you are (in most cases).

I'll come bck and reply again after reading all your posts.

Thanks a bunch dude, really appreciate it

I will look into the warranty and costs tomorrow for sure, if you can let me know if the 3 or 5 star I posted is worth it and what I wouldnt be covered for.

One thing scaring me the most is the steptronic tranny problem/replacement ( I will check if the car I am looking at has the GM tranny as well tomorrow from BMW).

Look forward to your reply and thanks again...!

bmwdxb · 07-25-2006, 01:46 PM

Anyone??

bmwdxb · 07-27-2006, 01:14 AM

No one can help???

saltshaker185 · 07-27-2006, 01:43 AM

+1 to what drz said... buy what you can afford... if you arent confident enough that if the warrenty runs out you wont know how to fix anything on your own then buy as big of a warrenty as you can... labor is the thing that kills people... not parts...