BMW Ownership

By Chris Hovatter – True Automotive, Decatur GA

So you finally bought your first BMW, the ultimate driving machine. I agree with this statement. Compared to other brands, I have two myself. The only Euro brand that “drives” nearly as well as BMW is Audi. BMW = better driving experience, Audi = better styling with a nice drive. Mercedes = Neither in my opinion. This Blog is about BMW but the advice rolls into all Euro brands.

The Reality of BMW Maintenance

BMWs do have their problems as do all cars. The key to fewer surprises is keeping up with maintenance along the way so when a bigger issue pops up it’s not so overwhelming you feel the need to trade it in. BMW engineers have the task of making a great driving car that meets the requirements of fuel mileage and biodegradable standards. That said, they use a lot of plastic. They all do. But with plastic and heat cycles, these parts can fail and quite often do, which can be complicated and pricey to repair. The main issues that can cause bigger repairs are coolant and oil leaks, which are very common due to plastic warping, cracking, and splitting.

What happens often is that clients come in for a waiter oil service and may not want to or have time at the moment to do regular maintenance such as filters, spark plugs, or fluid services. Next thing they know 6 months later there's a coolant leak. Well, guess what, that maintenance is still due for service and now the tires and brakes are also due on top of that coolant leak. This can oftentimes put people over the edge and in some cases lead to them selling the car or trading it in. In some cases when it gets to this point I think it's justified. But had that maintenance been spread out or kept up with, it would still be a LOT cheaper than a car payment annually. The average car payment, not including insurance, adds up to about $9000 annually. Ridiculous.

Why Maintenance Timing Matters

Most European brands schedule maintenance so there is always another service due every oil change, while the other items like brakes and tires fall in there somewhere. Tires and brake wear are more determined by driving style. BMW brakes are very efficient for making quick and fast stops, and they achieve this by using softer compound pads and rotors. However, these can wear out much faster than say a Toyota Prius. Typically you can get about 20-25k miles on BMW brakes, but I’ve seen less than 10k out of some. So say this is the car's second or third oil service and it also needs brakes done. Now it is also due for a cabin filter and brake fluid service. This is the same scenario I see with all Euro brands. All that said, it's best to keep up with maintenance along the way. Now let's discuss the common repairs to BMW.

Common BMW Repairs

1. Coolant Leaks

The most common repairs on BMW and all European brands.

If you get a low coolant warning it is NOT OK to keep driving, and I recommend a tow to the shop. If you're having to add coolant, there is a leak in most cases, and the car may be overheating. Overheating is just as bad as driving without oil in the engine and will cause permanent damage to the car that you can’t always see. Get coolant leaks repaired ASAP.

Because coolant leaks can already be pricey, we can’t just replace all the plastic and rubber parts but we can replace what we know can fail. The problem with just replacing the one failed part is that the leak may find the next weak link and develop another leak down the road. But all that said, I can not stress enough how important it is to get the coolant leak fixed. And even more, I can’t stress how important it is to NOT DRIVE A BMW LOW ON COOLANT, or any car for that matter.

2. Oil Leaks

Oil leaks are common but at least you have severity levels you/we can monitor. All cars develop oil leaks, and some can be minor, moderate, or severe. Once moderate or severe it has to be repaired to avoid damage to those plastic and rubber parts. New BMWs seem to have few oil leaks but they still happen and can be repaired.

Note: If there is a leak, and the parts are made of plastic, REPLACE IT! It is impossible to tell if your plastic valve cover or oil pan is warped or cracked.

3. Tires and Suspension

BMW’s achieve the ultimate drive with aggressive camber/caster angles that in turn heavily rely on suspension bushings that, you guessed it, are made of rubber, and in some cases, are filled with fluid. Worn bushings or ball joints will change the alignment angles. Even minor wear to the bushings have drastic effects on an already very finicky alignment and WILL cause uneven tire wear.

Tires become more expensive for all cars every year and BMW likes to use run flat tires on most models. Those run flat tires are not cheap no matter where you buy them. So unless you just love buying tires, I recommend you replace those bushings when advised to do so. Additionally, it’s a very good idea to get an alignment performed annually and obviously any time a suspension component is replaced.

Final Thoughts

Overall, my main point is it’s best to schedule a time you can drop off your car for service knowing that something other than an oil change will be due at the time of service.

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