My Accord was totaled so I used my insurance money to purchase a 2011 328i. Unfortunately it's not a manual, but she has 6 cylinders and I like them although it decreases my gas mileage. I hose BMW because I love to drive!
i know Bimmers have a bad wrap, but any pointers to a newbie to help with preventative maintenance? I e already found myself tire shopping to replace the front ones and get a rotation with great tread.
A Euro specialty garage told me last week that if we wanted to get a baseline, we could do a brand new premium oil change, as we don't know what Carmax used, and start the record keeping from there. He said I should be able to go 10-15k (iirc) between changes, and that I shouldn't need too many repairs if I adhere to the maintenance schedule and don't drive like a race car every day. Should I get a car cover since I have a full garage? Any tips?
i do have 2k budgeted away for surprises, though.
I figured the 328i was a good starter model, I can always upgrade once I finish my pay off, or lease a stronger model. So far I'm loving it and this forum.
You'll find that BMW's are just like a 6 month old child...........and they stay that way ...as long as you own them. They always have a surprise for you ! Keep that 2K handy you never know when you have a surprise around the corner. Learn as much as you can about these cars; my current four (E46,2 ea E39's,E60) are as different as my kids,all individuals.
That being said, it still is the ultimate driving experience ! Do as much of your own wrenching as possible. Every BMW I've ever owned needs a lot of TLC and if you don't give them that they'll pay you back by leaving you on the side of the road usually with a busted expansion tank, broken serpentine belt due to a frozen idler or pulley or some part of the cooling system. The engines by and far are a lot stronger than most people would have you believe. My experience is from owning E34's,E46's;E39's and E60..........all six bangers.
Welcome to the club.
Welcome to the community. I have general found if you keep in mine that a BMW is not a Honda, stay away from one of the first ones produced in a new model, and keep up with maintenance then they treat you well.
I would suggest before doing any maintenance stop by your local BMW dealer and talk to a service adviser. With the last 7 of your vin, or your key, they should be able to look up any maintenance that was covered by BMW (should be the first 4 years worth). This should give you an idea what has been done. Will probably show a bunch of oil changes and maybe 2 brake flushes.
I also would change your oil more frequently then BMW suggests. I change mine every 5-7.5k miles on my daily - don't ask about the M3s.....Also, if you plan to change the oil yourself or have the option, I would upgrade the oil to Red Line for better protection.
Hope you enjoy the new car. They are tons of fun.
My Current Garage:
Thanks everyone I just saw these replies. I had fun with her this week and took her out to an airstrip in the country to test out the engine. We got to 115 mph and the car handled beautifully! I think that was definitely a check mark on the bucket list. On the highway, it got better gas mileage than I expected, and the engine was able to take 80 mph for long distances and just hummed as if it was going 40. I was pretty excited. The only car that raced me was a Dodge Charger, but I didn't attempt to beat it when the other driver floored it. I just coasted behind them to use them as a shield to any cops using radar out in the country![]()
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