E90 Long term reliability

zenatek · 04-14-2008, 09:35 PM

Hey Guys,

I have a 2006 E90 and have recently taken a new job and am now commuting over 200 KM a day 6 days a week. That in combination with my regular life is over 6000KM a month.

I am nervous about reliability. My warranty is going to run out soon and I am nervous about BMW repair bills. I never planned to own the car outside of warranty. I have never had a car outside of warranty.

Any thoughts on BMW's long term reliability? Has anyone put more then 60,000KM on an E90? At this rate I will hit 150,000KM in just over a year. Anyone had an older BMW long term?

John

shift330 · 04-14-2008, 09:41 PM

I have 53500 miles on my 06 330i (March 2005 build date) (lots of road trips and used to commute 200 miles a day now only 10 miles a day round trip

) anyways, that converts to a little over 86,000km and it runs excellent. I've never had any problems except with the passenger seat air bag sensor and I've had it since 29k miles. If you can get a 100k warranty it's a good idea. You can probly get an extended warranty from BMW.

smellthebeans · 04-14-2008, 09:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shift330

I've never had any problems except with the passenger seat air bag sensor

54,500 miles here
Had my sensor replaced as well. along with a tweeter (too much logic 7 thumping); the TCU, & the door handles.

No extended warranty here.

BK · 04-14-2008, 10:35 PM

Wow, you do drive a lot! I don't have as many miles as the previous guys, but with 22K miles (around 35K km), it has been completely reliable so far. There's another reliability thread somewhere on the first page of the forum. Based on my random sample of "me and guys I know with an 06 E90," the 06 E90 seems pretty reliable. None of us have had any major problems and most have a lot more miles than I do.

epiphone3 · 04-14-2008, 10:43 PM

I wouldn't worry about the reliability in this case. BMWs tend to be most reliable when they are driven a lot. Driving makes the BMW very happy.

My father and I have tonne of mileage on BMWs and have rarely had problems.

My E90 currently has over 45,000km and I have only had one small issue with the steering lock that was fixed with a software reflash.

I wouldn't worry about it as long as you maintain it well.

As for BMW repair bills... in my experience, they aren't any more expensive than Honda repair bills and tend to be less than Toyota repair bills and SIGNIFICANTLY less the VW repair bills. Modern American cars have become much more expensive to repair than they used to be and more than people buying them expect.

dth656 · 04-14-2008, 11:18 PM

i have 30k miles on my e90 330i, and i'm worried about the same thing. my car had the ticking noise (see the sticky thread in the DIY/Maint forum) at around 12k miles, went in to the shop twice to have lifters/valves/camshaft changed. that solved the problem until recently, it seems to have come back (although very intermittently). i dont want to have to pay 5-6k each time the thing goes back into the shop when i'm out of warranty...

E90330iS · 04-15-2008, 12:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by epiphone3

I wouldn't worry about the reliability in this case. BMWs tend to be most reliable when they are driven a lot. Driving makes the BMW very happy.

My father and I have tonne of mileage on BMWs and have rarely had problems.

My E90 currently has over 45,000km and I have only had one small issue with the steering lock that was fixed with a software reflash.

I wouldn't worry about it as long as you maintain it well.

As for BMW repair bills... in my experience, they aren't any more expensive than Honda repair bills and tend to be less than Toyota repair bills and SIGNIFICANTLY less the VW repair bills. Modern American cars have become much more expensive to repair than they used to be and more than people buying them expect.

I beg to differ but from my previous experience my Camry was cheaper to maintain after warranty.

Thavash · 04-15-2008, 12:22 AM

My E90 was one of the first models - May 2005. It's got 66000 kms on it no and no issues. I had to replace a sensor early on , but that was covered by warranty. If you're worried about service bills then you can just extend the Motorplan ( If you guys get Motroplan in the US which pays for all servicing )

cburton · 04-15-2008, 12:30 AM

My 06 325i is approaching 40,000 and has had a couple of issues. One being the passenger side airbag light and then it had a really rough idle that threw the service engine soon light. Took the dealer about a week to fix that.

Dann902 · 04-15-2008, 01:27 AM

Sorry, I don't mean to hijack the thread, but what exactly is the passenger side airbag sensor issue? I have an '06 330i as well that is part of the 1st batch from March '05.
Oh, and I have about 35K miles with no problems.

epiphone3 · 04-15-2008, 08:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by E90330iS

I beg to differ but from my previous experience my Camry was cheaper to maintain after warranty.

interesting... last time I checked (a while now) a clutch job on a corrola was $1200 and one on a 330i was $700.

epiphone3 · 04-15-2008, 08:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dth656

i have 30k miles on my e90 330i, and i'm worried about the same thing. my car had the ticking noise (see the sticky thread in the DIY/Maint forum) at around 12k miles, went in to the shop twice to have lifters/valves/camshaft changed. that solved the problem until recently, it seems to have come back (although very intermittently). i dont want to have to pay 5-6k each time the thing goes back into the shop when i'm out of warranty...

BMW has issued a fix for this issue, I beileve. If I remember correctly, they change to a new cylinder head. Check it out with your dealer... or on the technical information service.

Only a few cars were affected overall.

dth656 · 04-15-2008, 09:16 AM

yeah, but unfortunately there have been members who have had the new cylinder head installed and this has led to other problems and/or the return of the ticking noise. am currently working with my SA to find a solution, so hopefully something will work out...

jngjng72 · 04-15-2008, 09:34 AM

my parents have an 2001 E46 330 and haven't had any problems with it. Bought it in Vancouver and now it lives in the harsher winter climes in Ottawa. Prior to that they had an 1992 E36 325i coupe and kept it until 2001. Neither had any problems aside from regular maintenance items like brakes.
I have a 2003 E46 and had a couple of problems in the last three months where I needed to replace the alternator and the camshaft sensor. My E92 is too new to know the long term reliability.

Huncowboy · 04-15-2008, 01:37 PM

My '06 330i has onyl one problem. The lights vibrate a bit too much. I am about to post a thread about it in a sec... other than that no problems but only 29k miles. My wife's 335i C has probably only 6-8k and also no problems but I am not driving it much and she will only know something is wrong if it stops, or a light comes on LOL. Actually I just remember now, once her car would not start for me. I had to exit and lock then try again... a few times... and it finally started. No idea what that was. I just keept pressing the start button and it powered on/off/on/off but no cranking. We will mention it when we bring it in next time.

However I had many problems with my last BMW, which was an '03 330Ci.

leitrim · 04-15-2008, 03:14 PM

I've got 46,000 on my 06 330i and it's been great. The only problem I've had was with the steering lock. It went in for the software update which they claimed "fixed" it, then 6 days later just as I was about to take my kids on a field trip (at the school, kids in the car, ready to go) it happened again. This time it wouldn't start at all. My wife rescued us in her XC70. hahah

Anyway, the dealer replaced the steering column and they told me they had 2 other E90's in for the same issue that day. While it was there, they replaced both front cup holders (1 was rattling when something was in it) and the driver side front door grab - interior piece. I didn't even notice that one, the SA pointed it out to me.

leitrim · 04-15-2008, 03:14 PM

Oh and my commute is about 100 miles a day.

NJANDY · 04-15-2008, 04:15 PM

I am just retiring my 2000 528 and have 190,000 miles on it. Not sure how many km that is but the car was a champ.

djsolution · 06-22-2008, 01:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dann902

Sorry, I don't mean to hijack the thread, but what exactly is the passenger side airbag sensor issue? I have an '06 330i as well that is part of the 1st batch from March '05.
Oh, and I have about 35K miles with no problems.

I know I'm raising this from the dead, but I had the same issue shortly after I bought my 06 330i. Whenever I had a passenger, the passenger seatbelt warning would illuminate on the dash and the airbag off light would turn on/off randomly. The dealer replaced a sensor in the passenger seat. Good as new!

TK-421 · 06-22-2008, 01:18 AM

i have about 60k from a 2006 330i and have had no major problems. just the brake squeak that everyone has and replaced the bridgestones with conti rfts

NaTuReB0Y · 06-22-2008, 01:21 AM

july 2005.........47k+ miles...............lots of minor issues.....but very annoying

ashtrays(front and rear) replaced
passenger airbag sensor replaced
gas door/spring replaced
logic 7 replaced
rear driver window motor replaced
and my passenger side sport seat has a giant piece of plastic that broke off......
i haven't decided what i'm going to do with it......

never had a new car with so many problems......

my lexus has over 72k miles......0 problems

e90fanatic · 06-22-2008, 01:26 AM

also take care of the car by using better fuel and also changing oil frequently and make sure all fluids are topped off at all times. Don't drive it hard and you should be fine

04-14-2008, 09:35 PM	#1
zenatek New Member 2 Rep 9 Posts Drives: 2006 BMW 325i - Premium Packag Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Parksville BC iTrader: (0)	E90 Long term reliability Hey Guys, I have a 2006 E90 and have recently taken a new job and am now commuting over 200 KM a day 6 days a week. That in combination with my regular life is over 6000KM a month. I am nervous about reliability. My warranty is going to run out soon and I am nervous about BMW repair bills. I never planned to own the car outside of warranty. I have never had a car outside of warranty. Any thoughts on BMW's long term reliability? Has anyone put more then 60,000KM on an E90? At this rate I will hit 150,000KM in just over a year. Anyone had an older BMW long term? John
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04-14-2008, 09:41 PM	#2
shift330 Blue Force Tracker 124 Rep 1,372 Posts Drives: 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Sierra Vista, AZ iTrader: (6) Garage List 2006 330i [0.00]	I have 53500 miles on my 06 330i (March 2005 build date) (lots of road trips and used to commute 200 miles a day now only 10 miles a day round trip ) anyways, that converts to a little over 86,000km and it runs excellent. I've never had any problems except with the passenger seat air bag sensor and I've had it since 29k miles. If you can get a 100k warranty it's a good idea. You can probly get an extended warranty from BMW. __________________ Stay safe 855th MP Company! Hosmer/Espinoza you're my boys!! Last edited by shift330; 04-17-2008 at 01:08 AM..
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04-14-2008, 10:35 PM	#4
BK Smiling politely 165 Rep 7,931 Posts Drives: 330i Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Washington DC iTrader: (0) Garage List 2006 330i [9.00]	Wow, you do drive a lot! I don't have as many miles as the previous guys, but with 22K miles (around 35K km), it has been completely reliable so far. There's another reliability thread somewhere on the first page of the forum. Based on my random sample of "me and guys I know with an 06 E90," the 06 E90 seems pretty reliable. None of us have had any major problems and most have a lot more miles than I do. __________________ E90 330i Black Sapphire 6MT \| 991.1 C4 Platinum Silver 7MT
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04-14-2008, 10:43 PM	#5
epiphone3 Lieutenant Colonel 112 Rep 1,772 Posts Drives: 2013 BMW X3 35i Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Calgary iTrader: (0)	I wouldn't worry about the reliability in this case. BMWs tend to be most reliable when they are driven a lot. Driving makes the BMW very happy. My father and I have tonne of mileage on BMWs and have rarely had problems. My E90 currently has over 45,000km and I have only had one small issue with the steering lock that was fixed with a software reflash. I wouldn't worry about it as long as you maintain it well. As for BMW repair bills... in my experience, they aren't any more expensive than Honda repair bills and tend to be less than Toyota repair bills and SIGNIFICANTLY less the VW repair bills. Modern American cars have become much more expensive to repair than they used to be and more than people buying them expect.
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04-14-2008, 11:18 PM	#6
dth656 First Lieutenant 36 Rep 395 Posts Drives: e90 330i Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: ASCII iTrader: (0)	i have 30k miles on my e90 330i, and i'm worried about the same thing. my car had the ticking noise (see the sticky thread in the DIY/Maint forum) at around 12k miles, went in to the shop twice to have lifters/valves/camshaft changed. that solved the problem until recently, it seems to have come back (although very intermittently). i dont want to have to pay 5-6k each time the thing goes back into the shop when i'm out of warranty...
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04-15-2008, 12:22 AM	#8
Thavash Private First Class 20 Rep 166 Posts Drives: F30 M-Sport 320i Red Join Date: May 2005 Location: Johannesburg, South Africa iTrader: (0) Garage List 2018 BMW 320M [0.00] 2005 320i [0.00]	My E90 was one of the first models - May 2005. It's got 66000 kms on it no and no issues. I had to replace a sensor early on , but that was covered by warranty. If you're worried about service bills then you can just extend the Motorplan ( If you guys get Motroplan in the US which pays for all servicing )
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04-15-2008, 12:30 AM	#9
cburton Private First Class 9 Rep 133 Posts Drives: 09 E90 M3 Join Date: May 2006 Location: Larkspur, CA iTrader: (2)	My 06 325i is approaching 40,000 and has had a couple of issues. One being the passenger side airbag light and then it had a really rough idle that threw the service engine soon light. Took the dealer about a week to fix that.
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04-15-2008, 01:27 AM	#10
Dann902 Second Lieutenant 5 Rep 257 Posts Drives: '15 Audi A3 TDI/Lotus Gray Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: PVE, CA iTrader: (4) Garage List 2006 330i [0.00]	Sorry, I don't mean to hijack the thread, but what exactly is the passenger side airbag sensor issue? I have an '06 330i as well that is part of the 1st batch from March '05. Oh, and I have about 35K miles with no problems. __________________ Past Bimmers: '09 550i Titanium Silver/Steptronic/Black Dakota Leather/Dark Poplar/ZMP/VP/ZCW/Sat Radio/Park distance/Power rear sunshade '06 330i Titanium Silver/Black Dakota/Light Poplar/6MT/ZPP/ZSP
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04-15-2008, 09:16 AM	#13
dth656 First Lieutenant 36 Rep 395 Posts Drives: e90 330i Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: ASCII iTrader: (0)	yeah, but unfortunately there have been members who have had the new cylinder head installed and this has led to other problems and/or the return of the ticking noise. am currently working with my SA to find a solution, so hopefully something will work out...
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04-15-2008, 09:34 AM	#14
jngjng72 Private First Class 16 Rep 193 Posts Drives: 335 Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: LI iTrader: (0)	my parents have an 2001 E46 330 and haven't had any problems with it. Bought it in Vancouver and now it lives in the harsher winter climes in Ottawa. Prior to that they had an 1992 E36 325i coupe and kept it until 2001. Neither had any problems aside from regular maintenance items like brakes. I have a 2003 E46 and had a couple of problems in the last three months where I needed to replace the alternator and the camshaft sensor. My E92 is too new to know the long term reliability. __________________ 2007 E93 335i Alpine White Auto/CPP/ZPP/ZSP 2012 CT200H 2009 X5 Workhorse/Kidmobile
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04-15-2008, 01:37 PM	#15
Huncowboy Private First Class 12 Rep 127 Posts Drives: '16 X5, '19 750i Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Lake Worth, FL iTrader: (0)	My '06 330i has onyl one problem. The lights vibrate a bit too much. I am about to post a thread about it in a sec... other than that no problems but only 29k miles. My wife's 335i C has probably only 6-8k and also no problems but I am not driving it much and she will only know something is wrong if it stops, or a light comes on LOL. Actually I just remember now, once her car would not start for me. I had to exit and lock then try again... a few times... and it finally started. No idea what that was. I just keept pressing the start button and it powered on/off/on/off but no cranking. We will mention it when we bring it in next time. However I had many problems with my last BMW, which was an '03 330Ci.
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04-15-2008, 03:14 PM	#16
leitrim Private First Class 4 Rep 103 Posts Drives: Barrique Red 330i Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: SF Bay Area iTrader: (0)	I've got 46,000 on my 06 330i and it's been great. The only problem I've had was with the steering lock. It went in for the software update which they claimed "fixed" it, then 6 days later just as I was about to take my kids on a field trip (at the school, kids in the car, ready to go) it happened again. This time it wouldn't start at all. My wife rescued us in her XC70. hahah Anyway, the dealer replaced the steering column and they told me they had 2 other E90's in for the same issue that day. While it was there, they replaced both front cup holders (1 was rattling when something was in it) and the driver side front door grab - interior piece. I didn't even notice that one, the SA pointed it out to me. __________________ 2006 E90 330i Barrique Red Metallic - 6MT - ZSP - ZCW - ZPP - CA - PDC - Sat Prep
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04-15-2008, 04:15 PM	#18
NJANDY Private 1 Rep 84 Posts Drives: 2008 335 E93 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: NJ iTrader: (0)	I am just retiring my 2000 528 and have 190,000 miles on it. Not sure how many km that is but the car was a champ. __________________ 2008 335i Convertible, Monaco, Saddle Brown, Premium, Sports, Cold Weather, Auto, Nav, Sat, HD, ipod, CA
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06-22-2008, 01:18 AM	#20
TK-421 Registered Sex Offender 573 Rep 4,759 Posts Drives: E46 M3 \| 1JZ S13 Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Tampa, FL iTrader: (0)	i have about 60k from a 2006 330i and have had no major problems. just the brake squeak that everyone has and replaced the bridgestones with conti rfts __________________ Stop putting stuff like painted reflectors and premium package in your signature. You're embarrassing.
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06-22-2008, 01:21 AM	#21
NaTuReB0Y Powered By 36DD 341 Rep 7,369 Posts Drives: 2006 E90 Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Inland Empire iTrader: (12)	july 2005.........47k+ miles...............lots of minor issues.....but very annoying ashtrays(front and rear) replaced passenger airbag sensor replaced gas door/spring replaced logic 7 replaced rear driver window motor replaced and my passenger side sport seat has a giant piece of plastic that broke off...... i haven't decided what i'm going to do with it...... never had a new car with so many problems...... my lexus has over 72k miles......0 problems __________________ 2006 E90 330i Jet Black \| 20" WORK VS-XX \| FK452 \| H&R Sport on Koni Yellow \| REMUS QUAD Last edited by NaTuReB0Y; 06-22-2008 at 01:42 AM..
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06-22-2008, 01:26 AM	#22
e90fanatic Absolute0 169 Rep 5,078 Posts Drives: Has a Roundel Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: TO/HK/NJ iTrader: (6)	also take care of the car by using better fuel and also changing oil frequently and make sure all fluids are topped off at all times. Don't drive it hard and you should be fine __________________ To procede or not to procede......
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