BMW 330d XDrive Luxury 2014 96k - future running costs??
Discussion
Hi All
First time poster but long time reader here.
I’ve had my BMW 330D XDrive Touring for 2 years and c 40k mikes (total 96k on the clock now). I love this car which fits the bill as a comfortable fast cruiser for the 70 mile daily commute, which can also hitch up it’s skirt at the flick of the Sports mode when the need or mood requires it. A very rapid practical and luxurious motor. Yes a 335 is the optimum example, but at 6k more to purchase second hand, I couldn’t justify the extra at the time. In addition with limited choices, I did well to find this one with pro media, xenon lights and adaptive suspension.
The problem/question I have for you guys is maintenance costs. So far I have had to replace a corner of the adaptive suspension and get the auto box resealed, at c.£700 each at a main dealer. This in addition to the usual items like tyres and brakes etc. It seems that my annual servicing / maintenance is costing £1,500 minimum as there always something “extra” that needs doing. Latest potential is another corner of the adaptive suspension which is “weeping” so I expect another £750 for that in 8-12 months. At this rate with c.£4-3k depreciation p.a. and £1-2k service/maintenance p.a., a brand new or nearly new PCP doesn’t look too bad value (450-500pm with my mileage).
Is it par for the corse with a premium car of this age and mileage to cost this much to run? Am I unlucky? Should I off load before the next big service bill in 6 months or can I run it for 2 more years with only standard (c£800) service costs?
Oh and btw, I switched to 4 Michelin Cross Climates (not run flats), which for my purposes are wearing very well, offer great traction and were fantastic in the snow last year. Much more comfortable and quieter than the old run flats.
Opinions please ! Thanks.
First time poster but long time reader here.
I’ve had my BMW 330D XDrive Touring for 2 years and c 40k mikes (total 96k on the clock now). I love this car which fits the bill as a comfortable fast cruiser for the 70 mile daily commute, which can also hitch up it’s skirt at the flick of the Sports mode when the need or mood requires it. A very rapid practical and luxurious motor. Yes a 335 is the optimum example, but at 6k more to purchase second hand, I couldn’t justify the extra at the time. In addition with limited choices, I did well to find this one with pro media, xenon lights and adaptive suspension.
The problem/question I have for you guys is maintenance costs. So far I have had to replace a corner of the adaptive suspension and get the auto box resealed, at c.£700 each at a main dealer. This in addition to the usual items like tyres and brakes etc. It seems that my annual servicing / maintenance is costing £1,500 minimum as there always something “extra” that needs doing. Latest potential is another corner of the adaptive suspension which is “weeping” so I expect another £750 for that in 8-12 months. At this rate with c.£4-3k depreciation p.a. and £1-2k service/maintenance p.a., a brand new or nearly new PCP doesn’t look too bad value (450-500pm with my mileage).
Is it par for the corse with a premium car of this age and mileage to cost this much to run? Am I unlucky? Should I off load before the next big service bill in 6 months or can I run it for 2 more years with only standard (c£800) service costs?
Oh and btw, I switched to 4 Michelin Cross Climates (not run flats), which for my purposes are wearing very well, offer great traction and were fantastic in the snow last year. Much more comfortable and quieter than the old run flats.
Opinions please ! Thanks.
If it is not under warranty why are you taking it to the main dealer?
For a start they don't 'fix' anything, they simply replace it with new parts, and worse than that they charge you £150+ an hour for any labour.
Weeping gearbox seal on that gearbox is £120 from my local guy, that is a hell of a difference to your £700 from BMW. I bet BMW changed the whole sump and charged you for a fluid change as well.
If you're going top use BMW buy a new one, however, at that age and mileage, swap oil every 10k miles at a decent Indi garage and don't pay main dealer prices. A used buyer would rather see regular oil changes done more often than BMW stamps (or idrive logs) IMHO.
The sooner out of BMW servicing the better imho, as long as done properly. 18k between oil changes is not good for these cars, as they get older it shows too.
For a start they don't 'fix' anything, they simply replace it with new parts, and worse than that they charge you £150+ an hour for any labour.
Weeping gearbox seal on that gearbox is £120 from my local guy, that is a hell of a difference to your £700 from BMW. I bet BMW changed the whole sump and charged you for a fluid change as well.
If you're going top use BMW buy a new one, however, at that age and mileage, swap oil every 10k miles at a decent Indi garage and don't pay main dealer prices. A used buyer would rather see regular oil changes done more often than BMW stamps (or idrive logs) IMHO.
The sooner out of BMW servicing the better imho, as long as done properly. 18k between oil changes is not good for these cars, as they get older it shows too.
It's a really good question, and thinking of the answers you could:
- Get an aftermarket warranty, prob possible as under 100k miles, read the T&C's well, and see how stacks up
- Accept the costs of fixing as you go
- Trade and get a new one
Really though, if you knew the sure answer, all of us would be asking you for lottery numbers....much of this is down to luck. Things do go wrong, you will only ever hear of horror stories on the web, you won't hear, as much, about the thousands of happy owners that cough up for a windscreen wiper and tyres and not much else
A good indie is essential, other than that, you have what was once a circa 40k complex 4wd car that is going to cost you something, it's just how much....
- Get an aftermarket warranty, prob possible as under 100k miles, read the T&C's well, and see how stacks up
- Accept the costs of fixing as you go
- Trade and get a new one
Really though, if you knew the sure answer, all of us would be asking you for lottery numbers....much of this is down to luck. Things do go wrong, you will only ever hear of horror stories on the web, you won't hear, as much, about the thousands of happy owners that cough up for a windscreen wiper and tyres and not much else
A good indie is essential, other than that, you have what was once a circa 40k complex 4wd car that is going to cost you something, it's just how much....
Thanks for the responses.
I think the good independent is essential to make running theses cars work on an economic basis. I have been a little lazy taking it to the main dealer - relatively close to work and able to fit into working day with free courtesy car - yes I know I pay for this through the expensive bills.
So on that note can you recommend a good Indy in the Worcestershire/south birmingham/Warwickshire area?
Unless I can find one, it’s likely I will trade in before 2020 having got some use out of the spanking new brake pads and discs and before tyres need changing.
Interesting point re oil changes (I did 6k changes on my Nissan 2.2dci back in the day to preserve turbo). I had assumed the new condition based servicing was cleverer and I had not thought of doing 10k changes - though much of my miles are motorway.
I think the good independent is essential to make running theses cars work on an economic basis. I have been a little lazy taking it to the main dealer - relatively close to work and able to fit into working day with free courtesy car - yes I know I pay for this through the expensive bills.
So on that note can you recommend a good Indy in the Worcestershire/south birmingham/Warwickshire area?
Unless I can find one, it’s likely I will trade in before 2020 having got some use out of the spanking new brake pads and discs and before tyres need changing.
Interesting point re oil changes (I did 6k changes on my Nissan 2.2dci back in the day to preserve turbo). I had assumed the new condition based servicing was cleverer and I had not thought of doing 10k changes - though much of my miles are motorway.
I was busy when I replied, I will add a bit more info.
The timing chain issues with BMWs is caused by excessive wear of the links, people say the chain stretches, it doesn't.
What happens is as the oil breaks down, it loses its viscosity over time and the protection it gives to moving parts is reduced.
When this is reduced the chain starts to wear, hence it gets loose, it is not actually stretching.
Changing oil every 12 months or 12k miles is a very good idea. using a friction modifier as well is even more protection.
If you are going to keep your car for the long term, replacing oils, using decent fuels, and using a fuel additive that reduces soot would be a very good idea.
For me, running a modern diesel I swap oil every 6 months or so, which is usually 8-10k miles, add in a friction modifier from Archoil and also add their 6200 fuel additive with every fill up.
This lowers soot by a huge amount.
Look at videos of cars running with it in, see how little carbon build up there is in EGRs etc.
Do you have any evidence that leaving oil in for 2 years and up to 18k miles does no harm? If so, share it. (sorry, but your posts come across as a bit silly more often than not.)
It has been discussed ad infinitum across the forums for over a decade, many of us were saying 18k between oil changes on these would cause issues when we have things like timing chains that need to be very well lubricated.
It is basic common sense for anyone that understands how these things work. For such a small outlay why would you not do whatever you can to mitigate the known risks?
The timing chain issues with BMWs is caused by excessive wear of the links, people say the chain stretches, it doesn't.
What happens is as the oil breaks down, it loses its viscosity over time and the protection it gives to moving parts is reduced.
When this is reduced the chain starts to wear, hence it gets loose, it is not actually stretching.
Changing oil every 12 months or 12k miles is a very good idea. using a friction modifier as well is even more protection.
If you are going to keep your car for the long term, replacing oils, using decent fuels, and using a fuel additive that reduces soot would be a very good idea.
For me, running a modern diesel I swap oil every 6 months or so, which is usually 8-10k miles, add in a friction modifier from Archoil and also add their 6200 fuel additive with every fill up.
This lowers soot by a huge amount.
Look at videos of cars running with it in, see how little carbon build up there is in EGRs etc.
Do you have any evidence that leaving oil in for 2 years and up to 18k miles does no harm? If so, share it. (sorry, but your posts come across as a bit silly more often than not.)
It has been discussed ad infinitum across the forums for over a decade, many of us were saying 18k between oil changes on these would cause issues when we have things like timing chains that need to be very well lubricated.
It is basic common sense for anyone that understands how these things work. For such a small outlay why would you not do whatever you can to mitigate the known risks?
Thank you for the responses to my original query on my BMW.
Imiminent service requirements forced me to make a decision and I ended up selling the car to a trader via an independent BMW garage. As expected, along with adaptive damping, rear diff fix and full service required, I ended up taking a c.£3k hit on the regular part ex price. It is still on his forecourt 10 weeks later.... Must admit it polished up well though.
So along with depreciation running a used 330d XDrive for c.20k miles a year cost me £550p.m excluding fuel. And yes I could have used an Indy mechanic - but would have likely had to take days off etc. due to location and lack of courtesy car.
Conclusion I came to was that I will likely never buy a used premium car as a high mileage daily driver again. Maybe as a weekend car some time in the future.
Anyway, I now have a 2019 Volvo T5 (2.0T) c250bhp on an 18 month lease. Getting 34-36mpg with mix of driving (can get 38-40mpg on a run quite easily) - but it is cheaper to lease than similar bhp diesel. Have decided this fixed cost motoring is the way forward.
Will make a separate post on my thoughts on the Volvo.
Imiminent service requirements forced me to make a decision and I ended up selling the car to a trader via an independent BMW garage. As expected, along with adaptive damping, rear diff fix and full service required, I ended up taking a c.£3k hit on the regular part ex price. It is still on his forecourt 10 weeks later.... Must admit it polished up well though.
So along with depreciation running a used 330d XDrive for c.20k miles a year cost me £550p.m excluding fuel. And yes I could have used an Indy mechanic - but would have likely had to take days off etc. due to location and lack of courtesy car.
Conclusion I came to was that I will likely never buy a used premium car as a high mileage daily driver again. Maybe as a weekend car some time in the future.
Anyway, I now have a 2019 Volvo T5 (2.0T) c250bhp on an 18 month lease. Getting 34-36mpg with mix of driving (can get 38-40mpg on a run quite easily) - but it is cheaper to lease than similar bhp diesel. Have decided this fixed cost motoring is the way forward.
Will make a separate post on my thoughts on the Volvo.
AlexRoberts95 said:
Conclusion I came to was that I will likely never buy a used premium car as a high mileage daily driver again. Maybe as a weekend car some time in the future.
I think a large part of the issue here was buying a car with fifty odd thousand miles on the clock to start with when you're doing 20k p/a. RE: Oil changes, from what I've read about BMW Diesels (N47 / N57) I'd certainly get those oil changes in a bit earlier.
gizlaroc said:
I was busy when I replied, I will add a bit more info.
The timing chain issues with BMWs is caused by excessive wear of the links, people say the chain stretches, it doesn't.
What happens is as the oil breaks down, it loses its viscosity over time and the protection it gives to moving parts is reduced.
When this is reduced the chain starts to wear, hence it gets loose, it is not actually stretching.
Changing oil every 12 months or 12k miles is a very good idea. using a friction modifier as well is even more protection.
If you are going to keep your car for the long term, replacing oils, using decent fuels, and using a fuel additive that reduces soot would be a very good idea.
For me, running a modern diesel I swap oil every 6 months or so, which is usually 8-10k miles, add in a friction modifier from Archoil and also add their 6200 fuel additive with every fill up.
This lowers soot by a huge amount.
Look at videos of cars running with it in, see how little carbon build up there is in EGRs etc.
Do you have any evidence that leaving oil in for 2 years and up to 18k miles does no harm? If so, share it. (sorry, but your posts come across as a bit silly more often than not.)
It has been discussed ad infinitum across the forums for over a decade, many of us were saying 18k between oil changes on these would cause issues when we have things like timing chains that need to be very well lubricated.
It is basic common sense for anyone that understands how these things work. For such a small outlay why would you not do whatever you can to mitigate the known risks?
The post above needs to be underlined. Twice. The timing chain issues with BMWs is caused by excessive wear of the links, people say the chain stretches, it doesn't.
What happens is as the oil breaks down, it loses its viscosity over time and the protection it gives to moving parts is reduced.
When this is reduced the chain starts to wear, hence it gets loose, it is not actually stretching.
Changing oil every 12 months or 12k miles is a very good idea. using a friction modifier as well is even more protection.
If you are going to keep your car for the long term, replacing oils, using decent fuels, and using a fuel additive that reduces soot would be a very good idea.
For me, running a modern diesel I swap oil every 6 months or so, which is usually 8-10k miles, add in a friction modifier from Archoil and also add their 6200 fuel additive with every fill up.
This lowers soot by a huge amount.
Look at videos of cars running with it in, see how little carbon build up there is in EGRs etc.
Do you have any evidence that leaving oil in for 2 years and up to 18k miles does no harm? If so, share it. (sorry, but your posts come across as a bit silly more often than not.)
It has been discussed ad infinitum across the forums for over a decade, many of us were saying 18k between oil changes on these would cause issues when we have things like timing chains that need to be very well lubricated.
It is basic common sense for anyone that understands how these things work. For such a small outlay why would you not do whatever you can to mitigate the known risks?
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