First time buyer concerns

[desibeat]

Hello
I am planning to purchase my first ever BMW - a CPO 2015/2016 X3 with < 30k Miles on it. My annual mileage would be around $10k.
What kind of maintenance cost should I be looking at for the next 6-7 years or up to 100k miles - both wear and tear items (brakes/tires) or random maintenance (fuel pump, sensors)
I am not a handy guy so probably would end up bringing the car to a local shop or dealer.
This will be my first German car and any advice on maintenance costs would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks
Desi

[MarcoZandrini]

Welcome to the addiction!

Maintenance on a bimmer is crucial. So let’s run down what you’ll likely need:
- oil and filter changes need to be done every 7000 miles or so. Save money by doing them yourself. Buy only oil that has the “BMW LL01” logo on the bottle. Buy Mann oil filters for about $12 from amazon.
- the automatic transmission fluid and filter will need to be changed at least once, so figure $350 to have it done by a reputable indie shop (try www.bimrs.org to find one).
- while the car is in the air it’s a good idea to change the transfer case fluid at $75.
- BMW front half shafts seem to be a bit delicate so figure at least one half shaft replacement at $700 if you require the shop to install a factory half shaft made by KGN.
- the cooling system needs to be properly maintained so plan on at least 2 flushes using ONLY BMW coolant and distilled water at $200 a pop
- Boston streets are notorious for potholes so plan on at least one alignment at $150.
- also you’ll probably damage a wheel on those streets so add $150 to repair and repaint each wheel.
- these cars are rolling computers so plan on at least one battery replacement at $150.
- also your car may need to have the battery registered with the computerized charging system at $100 a shot as it takes specialized software.

I’m sure there are things that I’ve missed. But basically, find a reputable indie shop with all the right software. Repair issues when they occur as allowing them to fester can cause more serious problems. Lastly, buy the OBDFusion app for your smartphone or tablet. Then go to E46Fanatics and search for threads on OBDFusion in which jfoj has commented. It will tell you:
- which interface adapter to buy
- how to set up the app
- how to log data.
jfoj is the OBDFusion guru.