I'm considering purchasing an 328i coupe and just have a few questions for you experts out there. This will be my first BMW, so I'd like to have as good an understanding as I can of just what I'm getting myself into. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Aluminum Bolts
I understand most if not all of the bolts that screw into the engine block are made of aluminum in order to avoid corrosion with the magnesium block.
- What are the main issues with these bolts?
- How often do they break when being removed?
- Do they always need to be replaced whenever they are removed?
- Can replacements only be obtained from the BMW dealer?
Water Pump
I understand the electric water pump on these cars usually needs to be replaced every 60,000 miles or so.
- Can replacement water pumps only be sourced from BMW?
- Are there 3rd party manufacturers that offer a more reliable unit?
Gaskets
I understand it is common for the valve cover gasket, Oil Filter Housing gasket, and the oil pan gasket to fail on these cars.
Do replacement gaskets hold up better than the factory gaskets or do these gaskets just need to be replaced every 40K miles or so?
2010-2012 VersionsI know the E92 cars got a substantial update around 2010.
- Were any of the common issues mentioned above addressed on those cars?
- Were any new issues introduced with the update?
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