I thought this guy was hired by Toyota but watching more of his reviews, I have come to learn that he is brutally honest. And extremely knowledgeable too.. I have now subscribed to his channels
As an E46 owner, who knew full well what i was getting into when i purchased it and actually wanted the project aspect of the car, I have to say that this video is about 50/50. He missed a well known pattern failure in the engine, at least the M54 which is shown in this video, where the engineers decided to use a different style oil control ring on the pistons, which wears out faster than the traditional "crimped" oil ring that you see in 90% of other engines. The result is the engine starts to burn oil at a relatively young 150k miles or so, maybe longer if proper maintenance and oil change interval was observed by previous owners. Fortunately there is a workaround involving deleting the CCV system for an oil catch can to increase the vacuum in the crank case and force the rings to contact the cylinder walls, more or less completely stops the oil consumption, but its a 75-100k mile bandaid, the engine will need an overhaul at some point in the future. The M3 subframe issue can happen to any of the E46 chassis produced before 2002-2003, and it can still happen to later models, but its less likely. The rest of the stuff is spot on. Its a BMW, If its not leaking oil, buy a lotto ticket... the things leak on the showroom floor... lol. The headliner and pillar fabric issue is annoying but cosmetic and a pretty easy fix to even the most boneheaded grease monkey that's never set foot in a fabric store before. The interior plastics... look for a car thats had tinted windows for most of its life? UV is hell on all plastics. my 2012 GMC truck already has multiple cracks in the dash and exterior plastics turning gray. Its not really a unique problem for BMWs. Its a really solid car for the most part, but non-mechanics need not apply. If you have to take your car to autozone and have the 18 year old kid behind the counter come put new wiper blades on for you... STAY AWAY! If you can change a rocker cover gasket one handed while sipping a beer with the other... then its the right car for you!
@@associatedstress6453 cars since 2005 are made with plastics so any car you buy nowadays will never last another 31 years like your 88 ! (I'd be surprised if it lasts longer than 3+1=4 years!)
@@dkastil As a BMW owner and car enthusiast who has over a dozen mechanic friends I can attest that: That's not possible. Please see a neurologist at your earliest convenience to be evaluated for early onset of dementia. You will be in my prayers.
I put over 250,000 miles on an E46 328i and the only thing that ever needed to be replaced that wasn't just "wear and tear" maintenance was the AC compressor. I still have that thing. Still runs just fine. I feel like a BIG majority of problems that people run into with used cars in general is just the previous owner/s not maintaining them properly. The overwhelming majority of people know _nothing_ about cars and typically don't know how to take care of them. Most cars from the past 15-20 years will hit 300,000+ miles fairly easily if you just care for them properly.
mleindek In college I worked at a tiny little mechanic shop, and I was absolutely dumbfounded by some of the people coming in with their "shitty cars that always break man!!!!". Cars that had no coolant in them whatsoever, cars that hadn't had oil changes for 50,000 miles, cars that are being driven in third gear on freeways at 6,500 RPM for years on end. It's amazing how little the average person knows about _their own car_, especially considering that a car is typically the second largest investment people will make in their lives after buying a home. Car literacy is almost non-existent among the general population, so they fall apart, and it's always the CARS that get blamed for it! Most cars don't just break, they _are broken by idiot owners_.
True that, my daily is an e46 with 250.000 miles and it has been well taken care of, all the maintenance done on time and NEVER left me stranded. I've seen cars with 60.000 miles beaten up to dead and the same exact year/ model with 150.000 miles and proper maintenance running like a champ. Maintenance is KEY!
Oh how very right you are. I have a BMW 730d with 450.000km and it runs AND looks very good for it's 10 years. I'm really happy with it. But regular services, at leas engine and transmission oil change must be done. If you don't do that, you shouldn't blame the car. Any car.
Exactly. You clearly see that nobody has ever taken care of this car in the video. It looks like it was parked in the desert in Arizona for years with no shade and cats or little kids scratched the whole interior.
+pablo aracena How do you "maintain" a headliner? Or cloth covered A and C pillars? Or a rear view mirror? These things should last the life of the car with NO maintenance at all. There are millions of Hondas, Toyotas, Nissans, and American cars that cost a fraction of any BMW that never have these problems. I'm not saying they're better cars, I'm just saying that if those cheap cars can make a headliner or mirror that doesnt fail, I would expect a high priced BMW to offer at least an equal product, if not superior. Same with the window regulator. How do you "maintain" that? Disassemble the door every year and lube everything? And even if so, how is it that Asian and American cars can make them work with no maintenance?
Most of these problems come from excessive heat in a hot climate. The glue and plastics lose strength because of too much heat, the BMW badge loses it's color, various cracks because of drastic temperature changes. German summers don't get anywhere near hot as where you are living, these cars are not designed to endure that. Hope that clears some of the problems you had with this particular E46.
0riginal835 true but growing up in Chicago the Japanese and the Germans have the worst bodies but recently(year 2000 to present) it seems like the German cars are even worse than Japanese for 2 times the price of car and repairs
I bought a '99 328i e46 bavk in 2005. I must admit that most of the issues he mentioned are certainly small issues that I've dealt with more than once on some occasions. But it's now 2018 and I still own the vehicle, still on the road after 250,000mi and passed inspection with no problem. I love this car and only set foot in the dealer once for the overflow expansion tank.
$700 for a window regulator??? Try about $80. Another tip. Don't take your car to a BMW dealer for repair. They will charge an arm and a leg. A good mechanic will charge no more for a service.
Yea. I had some of these issues with mine but I am proud to say we have fixed most of the issues ourselves while spending very little. The only thing we are outsourcing to a pro is some light rewiring. (Electrical is not my thing.) But, Overall I love my BMW. It's a 2001 330i 5speed with about 220k miles. And runs great. I would definitely buy another.
Alexis Updegraff you got lucky. I had a 2004 325i for 10 years, 140k, dealer serviced. The thing became a overheating piece of shit. Never buying BMW again.
Catweasle I have a 2004 Pontiac Grand Am both my front regulator broke and those go for $250 each. So when he says $700 for a BMW I'd say that's about right
Indeed, only in the USA you hear people say BMW is an expensive car to maintain, but really the are not. If you service them how it is meant to be, and NOT go to the dealer, but a good BMW-specialist, the maintenance costs are no more then other cheaper brands. But from what I know, Americans are known for not being so strict on maintenance, like the Italians/French, here in Europe, so no wonder. I have driven a lot of brands, and every brand has their issues. Everything comes down to proper maintenance, get a good warrantee, and do your maintenance at a good BMW-specialist with good reviews >>> no money pit.
Funny, i've got a 330d touring M packet from 2003 and 201 km on the clock, some "minor issues" as the fuel pump under my seat, or a light that dies....so before saying E46 is crap, learn to use a car properly, like checking oil, and all fluids, tire pressure, listen to the noise that the car makes etc etc etc, like older guys do, and hooo miracle!! the car is fine. A car is not just a thing needing fuel to go A to B without a minimum a work on it.
Purchased my fully serviced E46 325ti two and a half years ago with 100k on it. It's cost me exactly £80 in maintenance over that time and still runs beautifully. Cheapest car I've ever owned.
I appreciate the time you put into your review. My 2003 BMW 325i, same color, package, 160k miles, have not seen any of these issues you bring up. Yes, I had to replace shocks/struts, power steering pump, battery, position sensors. Im no shade tree mechanic but was able to replace those items myself. You must have found someone who totally neglected that car.
My dad has a 330i 2000 model and everything that this guys has said is what his car is going through now. It only has 150,000km and the interior is exactly the same as described, the windshield cowling is turning to shit and he has replaced the window regulators several times. He has had it since 2003 and taken the up most care with it, but you cant help shit engineering and built. I also had a E39 525is 2002 model and that was an absolute nightmare. I personally believe any BMW prior to 2000 were fucking fantastic, anything after is past their golden era and rubbish
Do your e39 525i have any problems with the engine and/or transmission? Or there are problems only with the interior? I'm going to buy one in the near future.
I own a 15 year old E46 M3 cabrio, and before that I had an 18 year old E36 M3 Evolution cabrio. Both legendary cars and an absolute joy to drive. But I gotta admit, this guy is right. The E46 does have the faults he mentioned, and some can spring up no matter the mileage (low or high). They can be avoided by looking after the fucking thing though! Most wannabes are leasing these now and throwing them back after a few years for the new model without so much as an oil change. M-Sport models seem to be the only ones that last longer as most owners spend at least some money on keeping them right and own them for much longer. But the "Ultimate Driving Machine" is what really lets the brand set the benchmark. No other car feels like they do, even the good ones. No other car makes every drive feel like more of an event. This is why enthusiasts like myself dont mind spending our hard earned cash on them - it is all part of the ownership experience. Yes, it hurts when we learn the hard way that our machine is not immune to needing above average maintenance; anyone who thinks they can get away with buying one on the cheap and getting away without at least basic servicing doesn't deserve to own one in the first place as this is tempting fate and potentially dangerous. That said, I've seen much newer cars in a worse condition after only being a few years old - ford focus, nearly every vauxhall model, not to mention nearly all french cars. For reliability, the main manufacturers are japanese - they seem to run forever and are generally well built. But these cars have no real soul or pedigree. Picking a bad example and attempting to trash an entire model range because a typical owner failed to treat it with a modicum of respect does nothing for a business reputation. In fact after this drivel you should expect your street cred to go down as quickly as the oil level in the heap of crap you had on display here.
Someone told me once that German cars are built like nothing is ever gonna fail and it does, while Asian cars are built like everything is gonna fail, mostly it does not.
Greg Macke, you are spot on with problems on the E46 series. I personally owned a 2003 330i with 161,000 miles. All the issues you mentioned on this video matched 100% with my car, but I have about two dozens more issues I could add to this. It is a nice ride when new, but a money pit when aged.
Florida car maybe? I wonder what cleaning agent was used in the interior to attack the surface? The same one used on the badge probably. I'm not sure about Toyota's being any better at high mileage and not garaged. At least BMW owners pretty much know what they are getting into and do the maintenance. Toyota/Lexus owners pride themselves on not doing maintenance. All cars fail without maintenance so which one do you want?
I worked on BMW's in the UK for years and they have always been fabulous when under 5 years old, but after that the problems begin with tech that always fails, everything electrical starts to give up the ghost - aircon, windows. audio, door locks, alarm, engine electronics, dashboard, you name it it fails in the end. If you are not into repairing these items yourself then you're at the mercy of main agents and their astronomical labour charges.
This video is absolutely true. I've owned the 3 series for 14 years now and I bought this vehicle with 32,000 miles which was in new like condition. Today it has 147k. Overall It's been mechanically sound, however be advised the major inspection and mechanical issues will be pretty expensive from the dealership. I received a quote to replace the regulators in both front doors and was quoted a ridiculous $1000, so I ended up replacing them myself for about $80 each. Needless to say that was the last trip to the dealership and I started doing all repairs. Parts can be pretty expensive, but do your research as most parts can be purchased for a fraction of what the dealer charges. The car drives great, but every aspect of what Greg mentions is so true and common known problems. It's alarming how many internal and external components of the car are not made of materials that are long lasting. For the moment the door rain gutters and vehicle badges broke off and it's been a challenge to find inexpensive replacements. I've never seen these things just fall off on any car I've owned in the past. I think most people driving BMW's are leasing owners putting on a show. Therefore after 3 years or so they surrender the vehicles before maintenance agreements ends. If you aren't a "do it yourself mechanic", be prepared to put out heavy maintenance cost to be an owner of "The ultimate driving machine".
I have said this for years. If you ask a BMW owner they have nothing but great things to say. That's because the majority of them take the cars aon short term leases, 2-3 years and all maintenance and repairs are covered. The same is true for Mercedes. Audi and VW owners seem to have better luck...
Heh it's not just luck, it's good planning to get rid of them knowing they will get expensive out of lease. I would love to own any new German make of car short-term!
You are right about everything except the last sentence. As a prior owner of a VW, I can tell you whatever ailment was shown on this BMW, my VW suffered, a LOT more. Vacuum line failure, plastic vacuum valves crumples, brake ECU failure, endless ignition coil pack failures, etc... It got so bad that my mechanic felt bad for me and gave me a discount. And since VW owns Audi, they often share the same platform and interchangeable parts. So Audi has the same problem. Only lease German cars or buy extended factory warranties.
Holy crap!!! This video basically covered most of the stuff I had to replace with my e46 M3 (100k miles). Windshield cowl..peeling paints everywhere.. ripping leather stitches on seats... broken ashtray roller...weatherstripping...you name it.. everytime i touch something it breaks
I drive a Mercedes Sprinter (Erstzulassung 1999) and I had absolutely zero problem with it. I never even lift up the hood, and I don't even know what the engine looks like. But, I aways service the car at the required intervals at the Mercedes dealer. I am sure the car will outlive me.
i have 95' sprinter and the only thing that is still original is the altenator. Als the rest has bin replaced including the engine, gearbox and multiple clutches, and i laready did weld new metal sheets al arround and under it, because they are horrible rustbuckets too. So it's not even half the quality as the good old "dusseldorfer" and i'm affraid to buy a newer one, because parts do cost at least 50% more than from my old sprinter.
Here's a few more things he left out: transmission oil heat exchanger leak, crankcase ventilation valve hose clogging, DISA flap pin failing, steering rack leaking & pump failure. Moral of the story: run if there's no maintenance receipts available.
Good observation-they lose value rapidly, so a minor accident is enough to have them totalled by the insurance company. Then as you say, they fall into the hands of people who do not have the money to maintain them-so they deteriorate faster.
Agreed. We used Sprinters at FedEx. Had to replace the head because the EGR system is so poorly designed it plugged up all the ports, which it has done in all our units. Turbo went bye bye less than 100k. Bye Bye $2000. Then the wiring harness on top of the engine cracked and shorted itself out. Waited over a month for a replacement, because they had to make a new one in Germany. Finally crashed the vehicle, now we are using WorkHorses for the bigger stuff. Another rolling pile of crap.
One of the problems why these issues aren't being addressed by the manufacturer is because no matter how bad they are, people keep buying them. I'm pretty sure that if sales at BMW went into a slump then they would make some changes to their quality!!
Omg, I am looking at this video and pissed because my grill came off today. Lol, thats the first thing he shows. I purchased mine new but I've had it 10 + years and have gotten my use but trust me he's right. Still watching to see what else he shows. Lol he's talking about the cloth, so true again and on both sides. I don't know about others but if you have your Bimmer long enough you will know he's on point. Omg, the window regulators. All my regulators had to be replaced and I don't use the windows much because I'm the only one in my car. No kids or anything. He is on point people. Wow the rear view mirror is discolor end exactly like mine. Smh. My volume button is acting crazy.
Well, as my dad used to work for BMW Germany years ago, we probably had one of the largest amount of BMWs ever, since every 3 months they gave 1 to him, from Z1 (if he would have kept it..) to 7 Series. This was in the 80s's - 90's... And those BMW were tanks, built like tanks... The plastic prevailed, and 2000+ BMWs were not so well made as in the past... the e46, and I had 2 of them, are not bad cars, but damn.... do they leak oil, vacuum problems, VANOS, bushes to replace everywhere, clonking sounds from underneath, and countless other problems. Electrics on the other hand were PERFECT, as well as paint, rust problems, and generally mecanically. They are what they are: a mainstream brand, while many people think BMW is a luxurious brand. NO. Bmw is just a normal brand, with some nice touches here and there of lux, some nice rear-wheel drive, some nice touch materials... but it ends up there. Fun cars though to drive on snow!
Agree, but i`m pretty sure any car would last for a few months, the question here was what happens to a bmw after 10+ of ownership and regular usage. If Bmw gives you a free car every 3 months, you probably never kept one for more than a couple of years and more than 1-200.000 miles. Not to mention that not everyone can afford to service the car at the dealership, which in your case was free. So basically your personal experience has zero value in this scenario. Not everyone works at bmw.
My son purchased a used Beemer, I told him not to do it but........................ Anyway, not one electric window or moonroof will now work, opening the hood is a nightmare, trunk resists opening, electric seats quit, the list goes on and on.
I own a 2005 325i and my experience is a polar opposite of what the video describes. Its actually been the most reliable car I've ever owned. I do basic maintenance myself and take it to the dealer every 6 months for an inspection. The only thing I've had to change in 4 years is oil filters and tires.
I think this is pretty accurate. Note that the convertible doesn't have the a-pillar or headliner problems. The power steering reservoir is easily fixed by adding a filler cap gasket.
David McCombs both my e46s still leaked with a new gasket. That doesn’t always fix it. It likes to leak out of the blow off hole in the cap. There’s no fixing that.
How on earth BMW (or other Germans, English cars) is operating and surviving? Why it's consumers don't see those defects (on used cars) and does not complaint for what they pay for (in thousands)..
My BMW Z3 is just pure fun to drive. Toyotas are like driving refridgerators. Don't get me wrong. I appreciate my refridgerator. Keeps the milk cold. Never will fall in love with it. Just thinking about driving the Z3 makes me smile.
Because of advertising convinces people or brainwashes them to believe they are the ultimate driving machine. The automotive press always worship the BMW name but fails to mention the crappy reliability
My 1971 BMW R/75/5 'motorcycle' came with a tool kit under the seat capable of performing a full tune-up or dismantling the entire motorcycle. My 2006 K1200R BMW 'motorcycle' came with ONLY a single screwdriver in which to change the blinker light bulbs. And the owners manual didn't even instruct on how to change the engine oil. BMW sadly has taken planned obsolescence to a new level.
Or they more likely got sick of owners messing their cars up trying to perform simple maintenance and blaming the manufacturer. So they designed the cars to almost required a specialized shop to repair them. With the cars at least, dont know about the bikes ;) /BMW_Tech
I am a german - so I may be subjective. I am not addicted to BMW - I drive a mercedes. But I have never seen a interior as "used" as that. May be this happens when you live with 2 cats for two years in a car. E.G. whats is the cause of the scratches around the shift stick?? Haven't they cut the Fingernails 10 years? What do you have to do to produce such scratches?
Minimax i know this is hard for someone who lives out on the frozen tundra to understand, but it is hot and dry in Southern California. Dashboards dry and crack. Leather seats and trim dry and crack. Paint fades(then drys, cracks, and chips off). If the sun ever came out where you live I am sure you would get similar damage.
Americans and geography ;-) in the south of germany - where I live and most of our premium cars are coming from it was 40 Grad (104 Fahrenheit) last summer and it is about minus 5 Celsius (where I live) to minus 20 in Winter . And the so called tundra is in russia. No wonder you attacked the wrong country.
@@Cristian121212100 Not really. He just set his mind on a few Toyota's he knows are reliable . honestly a car with almost zero problems is a dream except those cars might not be pretty or cheap.
Larry Dutton lol means when u put three fingers on yo forehead it should fit perfectly without touching the tip of yo hairline and eyebrows ...or it means any normal human being
Agree! I have a 2013 acura mdx and perfect to this day. Still the original battery. I done nothing but oil changes, regular maintenance. Great cars! Acura all the way!
The Germans were amazing at innovation back in the day. And, the 80's 123 Benz is one of the best build cars I've ever had. Lately, though, these cars have gone from engineering marvels to backwards, clumsy, poorly-thought, nightmares. I've worked on a few Audi's, Merc's, and BMW's, and I've learned to avoid them at all cost. Some cars have different engineering principles (say, Subaru), but if they're Japanese, there's logic to the engineering. I can't say the same about the EU cars. Give me a 10/12/14/17mm bit and I can take most any Japanese car apart. German car? Get ready to park a Snap-On truck next to your workshop, you'll need it!
that's exactly what i thought. i got one with 188k kilometers and i don't have so much broken things like this one. also 325i but pre-facelift. my father's 320d had also not so much broken things. the e46 in the video was junk for the pre-owner.
I have a BMW from 2002 and its fine of course theres some wear but nothing as bad as whats in this video, it looks like its been mistreated and parked outside for the last few years in the heat causing the glue and trim to go to shit. I know if I didn't look after mine it would eventually look like this, also this looks like a very basic model in the clip.
I agree with some of your complaints. However, well maintained e46 with relatively low miles should be one of the best cars for college students if they want sporty driving and a little of luxury features. I myself own an e46 coupe. I do everything myself on my car. E46 is great for a person whos willing to get their hands dirty. It has so many instructions as to how to fix problems. Its forum members are knowledgeable and helpful. I myself did cooling system overhaul, brake jobs, finding vacuum leaks, and other modifications that people don't do themselves.I saved too much money doing it and the knowledge I get from it is irreplaceable. Well maintained e46 will last at least easily over 200k. those plastic pieces are easily replceable from junkyard e46s. Subframe cracks vastly apply to pre-03.However some known issues like high rev for a prolonged period of time could leading to oil pump nut failure, front Control arms prone to failure, and weak cooling system are not pleasant but once they are all taken care of, what a blast it is to drive. I have driven a few high performance cars out there but have yet to find anything as engaging as this except for a ferrari that i drove for fun:f430
Everything you said is entirely true. I have an e46 coupe also. I'm in college and it's a fantastic quick and fun little luxury car. I do all the work myself too. I've experienced and easily fixed a lot of things in the video. Most everything this guy in the video is saying is pretty easy to fix if you're willing to work on your car.
BMWs are great cars, as are Audis and VWs, however I will say that us Europeans get the best quality cars from the German manufacturers. Volkswagen cars sold in the USA are made in Mexico whereas Volkswagen cars in the UK, France or the rest of Europe, are made in Germany. BMWs sold in America (specifically this E46 3 series) is also made in Mexico. BMWs sold in the EU, are indeed, made in Germany.
so. according to this theory.... you guys are saying that every different assembly plants from BMW specially the Mexico division, who caters to the North, Center and South America, the Caribbean adheres to a different standards aside from the one in Germany? Manufacturing processes, parts suppliers, components, and quality control across the board is optional for this brand depending on the country of origin?
The original parts, no. However, the construction will definitely be worse. I've heard horror stories from USA based VW owners including the brand new Golf-R, having cars plagued with annoying & expensive problems meanwhile you hear nothing over here in the UK. I've obviously heard about issues common to cars such as the 1.9TDI engine breathing a lot, the VW Golf MK5 with its issues such as doors sometimes not opening, suspension degenerating etc but it's never as bad as cars from overseas in the USA. I think cars made in Germany will be put together much better because of workers being treated nicer and properly according to German law as opposed to Mexican workers who will no doubt, get treated worse and have lower morale. Plus, Germans are known for their excellent work ethic and their quality craftsmanship. Every car has its issues but I think Mexico-made cars have more.
Denis Sabljarić that's one side of te story and the other is bad mechanics....sve su to odavno totalna precenjena bezvredna govna ;) i japanci nisu što su bili....
Really simple. Wax your windows, inside and out. And don't buy luxury cars if you can't work on them yourself or if you can't afford to pay the piper. The guys who work on these cars and fix everything that you don't want to fix deserve to make a living just like everyone else.
Very true. All this issues were on mine as well at 140k miles. When it’s working it’s an awesome drive, very good handling. I had the 330ci convertible and that added even more issue. Sold it now and do not miss it
I had an E36 compact 316i without any problem for 25 months and after that an E46 sedan 318i who leaked a bit of oil which was fixed after I bought it, but after that it had no issue whatsoever, so 🤷🏻♂️
My brother too bought a 2001 BMW 330 and that car spent more time at the mechanic than my brother actually driving it. Everything was constantly breaking and inside out cheap plastics were used by BMW and these immediately disintegrated when exposed to engine heat and the UV rich sun as you can see in the video. One thing that wasnt mentioned in the video was the transmission cos my brother also had a ton of problems with his. He had it reworked twice, once when the lining broke down and then again when water got into the transmission via the transmission cooler coils which also is a piece of crap. The engine was replaced once and basically almost everything was already replaced or worked on except the ECU and the car was still breaking down on a regular basis. Piece of crap!
It was my dream car and finally bought used BMW X5, enjoyed it while working but suffer and spent a lot when overheating starts.It was painful and never look it back. Whatever mentioned in the video is 100 percent true.
YeAhmed Abat x5’s are trash. This isn’t a X5. I’ve seen these cars easily his 150-200k miles. Oh no a expansion tank? 40$ and 20 mins labour. Water pump? 65$ and 1hr labour. Valve cover gasket? 35$ 30mins labour. If you can screw in a bulb these E46 inline6’s are amazing engines.
I’m driving BMW cars 22 years now and went through many 5 series and I love them. Yes, cooling and some bits are done in plastic and it will fail in cars over 100k, but it’s worth fixing. Interior in my se class has been always nice. By the way, who would buy that car presented in this video? If you check second hand BMW, which has a keeper who loves taking care of their cars, you will be very pleased.
I drive a 2002 BMW e46 318i. Bought it for 2500€ two years ago. Over two years I invested 3500€ in Maintenance and repairs. It’s a great driving car if everything works. To be honest I drove over 50.000km since then. Sad to see such a car die a slow and painful death.
What Greg says is true in my experience. They drive great when in working order but it's hard to keep them in that shape and things that go south earlier than they should. I've inherited a BMW with 85k miles from my mother who took it religiously to BMW dealers for preventative maintenance and kept it in her garage but nevertheless it's starting to display the characteristic issues they all have. I got it for free, so I may keep it, but we shall see.
You mentioned the very small issues except for the rear suspension and cooling system failure , there's many more bigger issues , like oil leak from every where , vacuum leak due to made of cheap plastic .. also the moon roof is another issue ,the radio , the cluster , etc. I owned a 330ci , 325ci , 325i , 325i wagon and they're all the same shit...
So a car detailer bought ONE BMW lemon and advises not to buy any used BMWs??? Are you serious man??? You are just an amateur, I've owned used BMWs and never had an issue with them. But I did had problems with my new Ford... are all Fords shit? NO. Used cars can be amazing or can be a disasters depending on the care given by the previous owner. Generalizing is a ferry bad thing, you should know that at you age. How much did you paid for that car, did it came with a full service history? You are telling us that American cars are better made??? Unless you have a hidden agenda I will suggest that you keep wrapping your engine bays with burrito foul and power washing them... I guess then Toyota engines will be also crappie... or they can take it? Total amateur talk and approach.
BMW, VW/Audi, and Mercedes all went down in quality when they globalized their production. This started affecting build quality in a terrible way between 1998 and 2000 depending on model. As an example, the Mark IV VW Jetta was a great car until the mark IV and they moved some of the production to mexico. The mexican built cars were a travesty on quality control. There are similar stories with both mercedes and BMW. In order to compete in a global market, quality had to suffer to cut costs in production. That is why the resale value on used BMW, Merc, and Audi is so terrible. The worst being AMG cars. This is compounded with the fact that most German models require dealer specific fluids, tools, and maintenance parts. So you get a car that is barely built to last 80,000mi and unnecessarily expensive to repair. I would never own one at this point unless from new with warranty. I have owned 2 German cars in the last 10 years and I have learned from my mistakes. "German Engineering" is marketing bullsh*t
You have owned 2 German cars in the last 10 years... Well I've owned a few more than you as I live in Europe. I never had any serious problems with my VW or BMW. My brother in law only buys BMWs with more than 60.000 miles on them because they are super cheap here in Germany. NEVER had a single issue with them and the resale value is quite high. BMW engines and specially the non so popular in the States Diesel ones are built to last at least 300.000km (around 200.000 miles) without any major overhauling. Are American cars better? NO. Your crash test were the worst in the industry until late 90s. Only Chinese and Indian local manufacturers were worse. Are American cars today still so bad? NO (except the Mexican made ones [crash tests available all over UA-cam]). Yes, High Performance engines with super low emitions and high mileage per galon need specific tools and fluids in order to last long... And? i always take my vehicles to authorized repair centers, no gambling there. My BMW 520d burns 6.2 - 6.6 L of fuel per 100km on mixed conditions (that's around 1.6 Gallons per 60miles). Yet it reaches 240km (160miles) in the autoban without any concerns. Smooth... Amazing car. i believe generalizing after owning 1-2 cars is not very wise. You might just have been unlucky. I owned a Corvette once because I wanted to experiment the American dream. It was the worse car I've ever driven. Are all Corvetttes shit? Absolutely NOT. I love them. I salute you.
Konstantinos Anastasiou you missed a major point, you live in Europe. the cars sold outside the EU are of inferior quailty. german cars are bad buys in the states, for all the reasons stated above. In the states Japanese cars are hands down the most reliable, and us domestics are cheapest to repair comparitively. You also use some very faulty logic, because to dont need to own a car to learn enough to know its not a good buy. Even japanese cars quality has gone down over the last decade because most japanese firms manufacture cars stateside to reduce production and shipping cost.
fonque we are going to have to disagree on that one. One cool example is that BMW builds the X series in the United States and ships them Worldwide with top quality! BMWs made in USA are as good as the ones made in Berlin. Manpower is different but quality control is exactly the same if not better.
With the same - I had my e36 with 500.000km on it and it worked great, without any rebuild. I know many others who have bmw's with very high mileage and without any major problems. The things he talks about in the video is just bs... Waterpump etc? Well, it is common sense to follow the mileage and change the parts that wear down / get brittle with mileage. (looks like not so common sense)
Wow! I had a total of 8 Bimmers (wife & I) between 1987-2016. We didn’t have all those cosmetic issues, but instead had the sudden huge failures. My 2002 X5 had to have the complete wire harness replaced $800. Also the head gasket replaced $1500. The head gasket failure was nation wide here, all at once, hundreds of X5’s. A lot of us thought it should be covered out of warranty. But BMW said no. My wife’s 2009 X3 had the a/c evaporator fail at 95k miles $2500. We drive Lexus and Toyota now. I was half thinking about a used X5 to replace my Sienna van in the next few months. I used to be a Bimmer fanatic. Thank you for knocking sense back into my head. I was having weak moments. I am officially over Bimmers now.
You are 100% correct with this video. My boss has a 2000 E46 323CI. He has had every one of these failures and many many more. He overheated it once because of plastic failure in cooling system. Then I happened again a few years later. Engine did not survive the second time. Head gasket let go. $$$$1800. Then that stupid rubber gasket on the oil filter housing failed and it started leaking oil like crazy. (common failure on these) Then last summer the so called "D drum" failed in the transmission and boom, car won't move. Common failure on these $$$$4200. Control arms are garbage, as well as the rear coil springs. Common failure on these. Heater resistors also go bad on these often. Then, recently he lost compression in the number 1 cylinder due to carbon build up on the valves. $$$$. FYI, head bolts are known to pull the threads out during a head removal. Major pain in the rectum. And the list goes on and on. These cars are HORRIBLE. I know, I'm the guy that had to work on his shit box every time it puked.
I would indicate that your thumbnail needs to be modified because it is generalizing BMW completely which would not be correct. I have 1991 bmw 525i with 235,000 plus miles, 1994 bmw 530I with 260,000 plus miles, 1999 bmw 740il with over 221,000 plus miles and just purchased a 2007 bmw 328xi with 134,000 plus miles and I have not spent nowhere near what other people have said they have spent on just one bmw. This is being stereotypical which is ignorance.
ive had 2 bmw e46's with 265k miles and 280k miles, still good driving cars. they never left me stranded, also they were in a bit better shape than the bmw your showing.
@@camposjesus3725 it is about mileage when talking about a bmw 😂😂. You will never ever be able to convince me that you DID not get to 350k miles doing just maintenance on that bimmer. Nahhhh.
Obviously pretty hot where you live, because I don't see these problems on Canadian E46 (which I have one) The cooling system is cheap to replace, so that is not a problem for me. I find the one aspect that wears out too quickly is the suspension bushings. As long as they are fresh , the car drives as new. The plastics on mine are quite poor as you have pointed out. I love my 03 Wagon and it has been very reliable. I have about 170 K on it. Great motor, brakes and suspension, very comfortable seating and if you have the fake leather, seems to last a good long time. I'd take it over an Audi or Mercedes of the same vintage. I am driving a Subaru Forester as well. Cheap car that holds together pretty well. Just missing the BMW feel when you close the door. Not all aspects of the 3 series are POS, but some are.
kuladeeluxe dude is a moron. all used cars needs maintenance ...even a Honda. cooling system etc. needs to be replaced on all cars. it's a wear item,NOT lifetime . the most accurate complaint is the soft touch finish which is in real life. garbage.
I am glad to hear someone agrees with me about BMW. I had one of the first ones in the UK it was a company car and no one drove it apart from me. It looked great and I felt really privileged to have the company get one for me. That's when it all went wrong. The first week I was sitting in the car engine ticking over heater on to keep me warm while I had a drink when I noticed the engine temp was in the red, so I quickly drove off to get some air across the radiator and the temp came down ( the electric fan hadn't switched on ) I took it to the BMW dealer in Manchester. A young woman at reception said it will be an air lock sir ( mmm I don't think so ) the fans not working. An hour later a guy come to me you will have to leave the car with us the fans not working oh really you do surprise me Q do you have a curtesy car A no you are not entitled to one Q how do I get home A don't know You can collect the car tomorrow, I live 40 miles away. The best thing you can do is take the car ring in 2 miles down the road say you have broken down and we will bring you a curtesy car. Give me the car now Cant do that, Bonkers. The engine low oil light came on after 2000 miles topped it up then again after another 2000miles then again and again reported it to the dealer, they took the engine apart and horned the cylinders and fitted new rings made no difference is still use oil like there was no tomorrow but it did settle down after 30000 miles. The header tank blew I limped back to the dealer again, it used water from day one to the day it went back three years later they never found the leak. It was recalled twice. The windows would go down then jamb and not come back up two new motors fitted. The final straw - the clutch started shuddering it was so bad once the engine management through a wobbly ( that's a technical term ) and shut the engine down. I took it in the car was two years old with 30000 miles on it and it had a three year warranty young woman on reception oh it will want adjusting sir ( mmm Don't think so ) an hour later a guy comes out the clutch needs replacing- oh really - but it will be coved by the warranty. Two days later I get a phone call the car is ready do you have an order number for the repair its warranty no its not its chargeable why the clutch is burned. Hang on I want to see a clutch that I have burned in 30000 miles I am coming in to see it. The clutch showed no sign of burning or blueing it didn't even look worn. Its under tolerance sir its bound to be under tolerance its done 30000 miles but its not worn out. I complained to BMW but it made no difference we had to pay. Just to be clear how I drive a car I had a Ford sierra company car from new did 100,000 miles in three years apart from plugs and points oil never had a problem of any kind and was still on the original rear tyres when it went back. BMW what a load of crap.
Use heavier weight oil like 5w-40 (or 10w-40 in warmer climates). Heavier oil won't burn as much, and will protect the engine more especially in high heat. The thinner oils they use from factory are to meet government efficiency targets, they aren't ideal for the car.
I have a 2000 323i that I purchased new and it has had all of the problems described here plus more. I've also had radiator fan, suspension, front end alignment, A/C compressor and air bag issues. Fortunately, I can fix a lot of these problems. If you have an out-of-warranty BMW and you depend on the dealer to maintain it, it will send you to the poor house. However, when you drive to the poor house in your ultimate driving machine, you will have a smile on your face.
Good review and from bitter experience he's right, I now drive a Volvo S60, it's got 166,000 k on the clock and has been faultless and drives like new since I bought it 3 years ago with 108,000 k on the clock.
Yes but when something goes on your Volvo, and I'm not talking brake pads, you will be spending big if you don't repair it yourself. They are Bmw money in repair Dept. Do get me wrong, there's some nice and very sporty Volvo's, even fast Volvo's.
Poor Volvo, check out the low mileage models in the junk yard! And now they're owned by the Chinese. So sad, they were great cars in the 60's through 90's.
Before I watch the video. I owned a BMW E46 2001 Coupe, High Executive. Only has 120k kilometers on it, and it still cost me a fortune in repairs. Now I'ma watch what he has to say. Edit: recognize a lot of it. For those who wonder, my bmw cost me about 2000eur in repairs per year. See my UA-cam channel for a video with me and my dog in it as proof I had one.
I previously owned an e46 325i the rear diff went and it was nightmare, interior quality is trash as well. My 94 Lexus still looks fresh. Hands down Lexus is a better vehicle than BMW any day of the week. I also have a Z4 but that vehicle is on a whole different level.
Mexicans can't build shit. European built BMWs are better in literally every way, and the interiors are decent. for example, my E46 wagon's interior was soooo much nicer than a comparable Lexus IS200 interior.
Lexus??? Nothing more than a tarted up, re-badged and soulless Toyota Camry...'throw-away' Japanese appliances, every one. Wretched driving, unpleasant at best. Then there's their gruesome attempt at producing an Audi TT knock-off. Labeled as 'LS 400' or something...voted the most ugly car of all time by 'TOP GEAR', unanimously!...truly, just a passing, unintended glance of this steaming pile offends not only the hapless victim's eye..but his/ her very sensibilities as well! I find it amazing how it's possible to design a product with nary a single pleasing line or element. Every aspect of this steaming pile brings new meaning to the word 'UGLY'. Oh, and incidentally, my extremely hard driven E39 Sport Wagon..with Manual transmission..is at 150,000 miles, visits redline several times daily, endures high 'G' late apex braking/corning almost constantly, has given me not a single moment of anguish. Sure, one l/r window regulator ($60 and an hour of my time), a battery every three years (precautionary), Brake pads (EBC ultra Hi-friction Reds) and tires from time to time. (early inner outer front tread wear the payment for the joy of late braking and deep trail braking) all cheaper and more enjoyable than cigarettes of alcohol. Personally I often find driving the E39 more enjoyable than either my Porsche 993 C4RSr or Alfa-Romeo.. I've have been in the imported car service & repair business for 50 years (MOTODELTA) , owned more the 80 cars...even a few Toyota's, a Sube, and Isuzu truck tow cars as 'Throw away' utility items. With the only exception being the Subaru, all the other Japanese cars failed in disappointing ways...fragile motors, inadequate brakes..discs warp so easily..lousy 'seat of the pants' communication' , numb & vague road feel, mediocre steering feed back. OK I guess for 'mom & pop' or rental car types, but absolutely unacceptable for real DRIVER guys/girls.. This guy should stick to being a chartered accountant or hair dresser..
Bout my first Bimmer, M3 E-46 (2002) with 137,000 miles. Drove it around for two years only doing basic maintenance. Excellent car. I’m about to buy a low mileage 2004 E-46 330i next. These are GREAT vehicles. All makers have lemons and bad owners.
I've had my diesel 320 e46 for 7 years now and it's been a joy to own ..... loads of torque and good fuel economy....I just love the way yanks always dump on European cars when they can't make a car go round a corner,they make a big deal out of a v8 that has 350 bhp we can get that from a 2 litre....I love my BMW's I've had 2 now and I'll keep buying them.
It's not just Americans, so many, people expect great driving well engineered Euro cars to have Japanese reliability (part of that is because they are simple). Infiniti and to some degree a few Aciras have approached German performance- but there have been small issues there. Granted, Porsche does have that mastered which is amazing.
you are living in the 70s, right? exactly the same technical level in all today's cars. the fact some cars have multilink rera suspension while others don't, is not the reason for better durability. electronics is on th esame level everywhere from 5000 - 500 000 cars in dollars/euros
TheKenjoje he was talking about a car dating back to 90s/early 2ks. That said- even today, wouldn't you say a basic Corolla is vastly different than even a C class Mercedes which can have air suspension and drive itself (not to mention most cars still have traditional wiring vs. fiber optics)?
DFWs Cars not at all, in terms of equipment everyone is on a par, those times are gone when s-class was first car with abs....small cars get that electronics as well.... merc with air suspension is too expensive and the result is unimpressive in c class....besides, it is tech about half a century old and not that terribly expensive as final price tag is....merc is overrated crap....avensis is competitor of c class and it maybe is not as good, but for the moeny it is better....and differences are essentially small....back to the reliability - if merc c dorsn't have the air suspension, then it is comparable technologically with any toyota (not lexus, even toyota)....so, exactly the same amount of things to go wrong....
TheKenjoje good points, but in the US and other countries it's different. We don't have an "avensis" here. Example 1. Kia/Fords are good in US, but European Kias, Fords- kill them in performance, style, etc. Here many Asian imports are US built and rarely pioneer new technologies (there are exceptions in luxury brands like Infiniti, etc. The US market is all about low starting price, having a cheap lease payment-- Oh and space AND cupholders. VW even gave in- look no further how much worse the American Jetta/Passat is than the European ones. Drum breaks on the base Jetta? come on now. Heck even Audi is building cars in Mexico for the US market.
My 2004 325i still drives beautifully after 200,000 hard miles. Yes, it has all the interior cosmetic issues you mentioned here, but I still love the car and enjoy looking at it and the feel of driving it. Yes, higher maintenance than a Japanese car by a fair margin, but actual repairs on either one will be similarly expensive. These are old cars now. They need stuff. Just keep on top of maintenance and find a good reasonable reputable independent BMW shop and avoid the dealer like the plague, and you’ll be okay. ;)
All cars will have a lot of issues once the mileage clocks up regardless of brand unless it's a Honda or Nissan. Most problems come for poor maintenance once they fall into wrong hands, as long as you aren't a muppet you can catch problems such as coolant system failures before they become terminal. If you buy an E90 or newer then that's a different matter but the E36 & E46 are generally sound. My 2004 330cd is still on the original water pump, expansion tank and pipes at 182,000 miles. If you are worried about faded badges and odd scratches you aren't man enough to be driving such a car, get a Nissan Leaf. All the Fords, Vauxhalls, Volvo's and VW's I've had have been in much worst condition at less than 120,000 miles. This particular car has been left out in the blazing sun 24 / 7 and probably washed with chemicals that eat some of the rubber seals. The subframes usually only crack on the M3's and there are retro fit kits you can buy to avoid this. You do get particularly bad and good cars of each model. The biggest E46 problems actually centre around the suspension bushes and tie rods which usually need replacing at around 100,000 miles or the handling goes AWOL. Springs can also snap but I've had that on Fords as well. Don't buy pre facelift E46 because they have an odd steering rack which gives a vague feel when driving, later models use the same racks as the E36. I've only heard of interior liner problems on cars that are cleaned a lot possibly with shampoo's that affect the glue. I bought an unloved car complete with rust and lots of dog hair so all my liners are exactly where they should be. Parts are super cheap for these now as so many were made and they have a following, I can replace the wing ready painted for less than £100 delivered. A new pair of rear springs fitted was a mere £60. You deserve to be fleeced going to a BMW dealer just as you would be at any other dealer, none of them are cheap.
naa, have had some older bmws and they have worked great. had a 1999 e39 with 150000 miles on it, no faults while i had it. same goes with the e87 i had, and my latest e90. good reliable quality cars
That is due to high heat moron! As is the cracked plastic pieces in the engine. This is a European car and Europe does not get very hot. If you're driving this car in SoCal, Arizona, or Florida and you don't have a garage to keep it in you're going to have these problems.
I think that might well be the case. Here in the UK we don't see any of the interior issues from the video as it rarely gets hot enough for long enough. Good summer temperatures over here are 70 - 80 f for a few months only.. Saying that we have quite significant rust issues with the E46 - rear subframes and all wheel arches Oddly, French Cars - noticeably Peugeot and Citroen - despite their image, seem to last for 200 - 300,000 miles without any major issues or indeed falling apart.
the thing is, if you're into cars to some extent you will never have any of these problems. because you will be looking after your car, nothing breaks just because. it is always the driver that causes things to break.
mate sivric even bad designs can be easily kept running for years just by doing a simple maintenance every couple of months (5-6) my e39 2.5tds did not have a single problem with it in the last 2 years.
Where were you when I bought my used 2000 740i??? Radiator with PLASTIC side tanks split 5 days after I bought the car. Who uses plastic on a radiator? Window regulators, windscreen cowling cracks, 4 dead batteries in 3 years, that ATF fluid leak you showed, and many other issues. I finally had to give up on the car when the tranny took a dump. And then there were the 200+ codes causing the check engine light to be on forever. I finally understood that BMW stands for Bring My Wallet!! Never again.
there are no radiators without plastic tanks.......... except for race cars. most bmw problems stem from a lack of care up until e65, then its downhill.
The Power steering cap leak is due to overfilling, even slightly. The level must be checked with engine fully warmed up. It's the mechanic's fault. (Yes, even dealer techs make this mistake) But BMW engineers could have easily made a better overflow arrangement.
William Holt where is the logic behind that? The expansion tank will crack no matter what fluid you have in your radiator. The expansion tank is made out of plastic much like all cars regardless of brand. The BMW expansion tank is meant to expand and contract depending on the temperature of the fluid. Eventually it will crack. Plastic gets old and brittle and eventually cracks. Especially when exposed to high temperatures. I will admit that the expansion tank is the weak point in the cooling system of these cars and should be changed as preventative maintenance every 60000 miles or so. Using blue BMW fluid is recommended but wont prevent your expansion tank from cracking.
Most people overfill their coolant and leave no place for it to expand - and then it over pressurizes the system. Filling to the top of the expansion tank on a BMW is NOT recommended. The float will guide you (read the instructions - it's in pictures so even a dolt can follow them). Also: Most people don't ever replace their radiator cap until the radiator blows up. The radiator cap contributes to controlling the pressure of the cooling system as well. EVERY expansion tank is made out of plastic on run of the mill passenger cars and light trucks. Some are softer plastic, but plastic just the same. They all sit under the hood. They all are exposed to heat. Nothing to see here.
Give me break. From those of us that actually know BMWs, you have no idea how ridiculous you sound! I own 5 older BMWs, some were loved, taken care of, serviced, washed, and maintained, and they are aging quite well. Several are nearing 200k miles and going strong. A couple of my Bimmers were neglected, as this e46 obviously was, and yes, it takes love and money to save them.But NOTHING is as pleasing to drive as a BMW, or most German engineered cars for that matter. The thing is, you got burned on a pos used Bimmer in the past and now you go around showing your ignorance by dogging and dismissing ALL BMWs. A used BMW isn't for the average "drive it till it quits" kind of used car buyer. They are enthusiast's cars. If you are ignorant about automobile care, then I agree, don't buy (and ruin) a fine drivers car!
Not my car. Was a client who was finally done with pouring money into it. I personally love the way they drive and have very high regard for them when everything is fixed up.
Andrew Stanford, you're a BMW fan, he just pointing out issues with used bmw that you are not going to have with Japanese cars, not to say that Japanese cars don't have problems.
fanboy. immature. stupid. humiliating. the german premium trio is the trio of ruins. bmw's crapy quality is augmented with unruly driving. it's not the lack of maintanance that makes interior fall apart. btw. if you weren't ignorant fanboy, you'd know numerous bad experiences from bmw owners. statistics all over the world are against it. face it.... how it drives, it is different thing, and that's only fot the ones who don't care about ride quality
You don't have to call yourself names.. it's OK. I don't think you are a fanboy, immature or stupid, humiliating? Yes, a little.. but that's OK. I'm 55 and own my own repair/service shop. I know of what I speak. Lighten up on yourself. I am sure you are a good person at heart.
Andrew Stanford it's even worse to be so incompetent in that age and not having insight into things that much....then again, mechanics are mostly clueless working force, putting things into perspective is too intelectual for most of them, when they don't see something (by accident) they think it doesn't exist. you are a shame....
@@theuck5148 contact glue wears off with heat. Its used everiwhere when cloth is concerned. It will wear off everitime... On another note, the one in video looks like it was submerged. I also have a e46, and i only have 2 plastics worn out ( rear ashtray and wind blades cover) . When i bought it, its interior was filthy, last howner clearly didnt care about the car... and to this day, i had no problems. After proper maintenance, of course
As a BMW owner, this review is honest and spot on. I have an e46 with almost 182K miles on it and am not remotely interested in getting rid of it. If you as a car owner are not interested in the 'overhead' to own and drive a BMW, then buy a Toyota or Honda and ride. However if you want to drive, enter into the 'relationship' with the understanding of what you are buying and keep up with the issues. I have a tremendous BMW guy and we only see him for oil changes maybe twice a year. He gave us a list of items when we purchased the car a few years ago and we addressed them over time. Once we were out of that cycle, the car is on the road almost 100%.
Went to a used car dealership and I saw a 2000 BMW 323i model and fell in love with it. And idk if I wanna buy it if this stuff happens. It has 108k miles
You can find these for like 2500 bucks, so for a cheap commuter, the benefits of the reliable drive train outweigh the cons of the interior fit and finish issues.
I have a 2003 330ci with 147k on it and I have to admit the interior isn't bad. That said, I've replaced just about everything mechanical on the car (some things two or three times already), the tranny which went out at 130K and at 140k the cam needs to be replaced. There is nothing good about these cars.
In dubai every car that is older than 15 years is either toyota or Honda.there are endless camry's Lexus Corolla accords that are older than 15 years. You'll almost never see a German car that's 15 years or older
I bought a 7 years old e46 Diesel. I bought it cheap. Changed the complete cooling system plus using a SKF water pump. None of the problem above. Only the warning brake light going on occasionaly. Cheap to run. Must be 15 years old. Daily used with high mileage.Looks very fresh.
Looks like the previous owner just didn't give a shit about this car. This is probably the worst example of a used bmw. I used to have a 1996 e36 328is and put 250,000 miles on it. It was great! Of course I expected routine maintenance. Does anyone really expect things to just last forever in perfect condition? For example, if you use a drivers side window for 20+ years and roll it up and down 2 times a day, That's about 14,600 cycles total. I'd say that's pretty good life for a window regulator. Anything that has repetitive use is going to break down, so expect to replace it. With a window regulator, you have to grease the track because it will dry out over years and create friction that eventually puts strain on a regulator. "Preventative" maintenance is the key. And know your car.
Well said. What really annoys me about some of these luxury car buyers is that they will buy or lease a luxury car for a lot of money, but CHEAPEN OUT on basic maintenance, and worse expect spare parts and the service to be cheap. I will never understand these people who invest $ 50,000 in a luxury car but then don't have the money to buy the $50 recommended oil which it needs (opting instead for some $15 oil...).
Just remember BMW stands for Break My Wallet! The German sun is not as strong as that in, let's say, California. And if you garage your car, it should last longer too. On top of these small problems you have mentioned, I also had to change radiator twice over 10 years. The thin aluminum radiator develops pin holes even with the expensive BMW coolant.
I think my Toyota Highlander has the same thin radiator, needs replacing at 147k miles! Must be a junk car! Dude, all modern cars have thin aluminum and plastic radiators!
@@papatorr3669 My 2007 Toyota Prius has 210k miles with original radiator and original everything else other than the consumables. I had the BMW radiator replaced and a year leter, it the "new" one leaking again. Luck of the draw perhaps but annual radiator replacement should not be on my car's maintenance schedule.
@@hkredpill9661 oem radiators are passable, only after market high performance are worth bragging about. I've replaced them under 100k and had'em go well over 200k. Partly luck of the draw.
Greg, I'm a mechanic for BMW and what you say is 100% true. I worked for Subaru, Ford, and Audi. BMW is by far the worst in terms of reliability and longevity, and their plastic is the worst brittle shit I have ever come across. Money Pits.
anthony aguilar 100% true , and what’s just as bad as the maintenance , the resell value. It’s crazy how much depreciation even 5 years old , I wouldn’t touch one with a 10ft pole.
Lol, everything that Greg says about the E46 is true and yet, I love mine! I have a 2001 330Ci, which I bought used a few years back with 115K on the odometer. Since that time I've replaced the lower control arm bushings, DISA O-ring, door actuator, EVAP control valve, various vacuum hoses, radiator, water pump, thermostat, hoses, serpentine belt, pulleys & tensioner, etc. With the help of UA-cam and various forums, I did all the work myself. The parts aren't that expensive and easily purchased online. The E46 definitely isn't as reliable as a similar vintage Made-in-Japan Toyota or Honda, but, like Greg said, the 3-series is a blast to drive. If you're handy with a wrench or are willing to pay a mechanic named Dieter, you'll enjoy these cars. If not, stay away. Always a pleasure to watch YourCarAngel videos.
My headliner on my early Jetta would pull right down on me if I had the front DS window open a bit on the highway. Then it would pop back up. The trick was to open a back PS window to equalize the negative pressure! Had to do this because no CC.
I am a bmw user all my life and I have been using "used" bmws all my life too. I didn't get a chance to buy a brand new one yet but hopefully that happens one day. There are certain things in this video which are very correct especially for these E46 series. The poor finishing around the ash tray, cup holders, steering wheel spokes etc. The cracking problem on the wood interior trims, power steering fluid leak around the PS reservoir etc. But in my opinion, many other things such as the peeling head liner, stitching separation on the leather seats, malfunctioning window regulators and radiator cracking problems on the expansion tank are very specific for this particular car on the video. I never had many of these problems on my used bmws that I drove in the last 25 years. It's very informative video but my opinion is you shouldn't rely on it too much when you are planning to buy a used BMW. As long as the car is well maintained, you wouldnt have many of these issues that are outlined here.. Thanks for the work anyways Greg..
I have an 11 year old e90, with 69k on clock. I brought it about a year ago and it’s absolutely bulletproof and feels lovely to drive. There’s good and bad examples of all cars
I have a 330 ci with over 300.000 km. The engine never overheated, but I had to change the expantion tank after 11 year and more than 200.000 km. That time i changed my water pump which did not have a problem, just precautionary. Except from normal wear items like brakes, suspension parts and operating fluids (engine and gearbox oil) a had nothing else replaced. I think it's a very reliable car.
you know maybe I was lucky but I had a 1994 Saturn SL2 lol it was my little tank.. I had it from 120k to about 150k miles. only think it needed was the alternator .. that I put in my self.. (im proud of that) but it was a good car took me cross country about 3 times it burned oil but other then that I was lucky.. maybe I got a Saturn unicorn I know it's not the Vue but in just saying my Saturn was a good car
Its like a house, you have to maintain it. I had an 1999 e39 530d with 650dkm on it. Everything that fade away due to heat you can replace it! All things that broke on the video above is common!
Exactly, all of that you can get off eBay for real chap these days and you replace them for 15 mintues in your garage. Come on, it's a 16 year old car now.
kambo take for instance the e46 m3 or e46 m3 csl, it cuts chicanes like knife.... its a high rev car.. you have to maintain it! The BMW 6 in lines are the best 6 cilinders
My dad bought a used 2013 328i from our neighbors who were moving and no longer needed the car. It had a little over 80 thousand on it when we got it. My dad has since put another 90 thousand on it and it works great. Prior to this he had an 09 328i but there was a recall and we had to send it back.
I thought this guy was hired by Toyota but watching more of his reviews, I have come to learn that he is brutally honest. And extremely knowledgeable too.. I have now subscribed to his channels
Agreed.. stumbed on his channel as well.... He has a pony tail. so he's old school.
instablaster
As an E46 owner, who knew full well what i was getting into when i purchased it and actually wanted the project aspect of the car, I have to say that this video is about 50/50. He missed a well known pattern failure in the engine, at least the M54 which is shown in this video, where the engineers decided to use a different style oil control ring on the pistons, which wears out faster than the traditional "crimped" oil ring that you see in 90% of other engines. The result is the engine starts to burn oil at a relatively young 150k miles or so, maybe longer if proper maintenance and oil change interval was observed by previous owners. Fortunately there is a workaround involving deleting the CCV system for an oil catch can to increase the vacuum in the crank case and force the rings to contact the cylinder walls, more or less completely stops the oil consumption, but its a 75-100k mile bandaid, the engine will need an overhaul at some point in the future.
The M3 subframe issue can happen to any of the E46 chassis produced before 2002-2003, and it can still happen to later models, but its less likely.
The rest of the stuff is spot on. Its a BMW, If its not leaking oil, buy a lotto ticket... the things leak on the showroom floor... lol. The headliner and pillar fabric issue is annoying but cosmetic and a pretty easy fix to even the most boneheaded grease monkey that's never set foot in a fabric store before. The interior plastics... look for a car thats had tinted windows for most of its life? UV is hell on all plastics. my 2012 GMC truck already has multiple cracks in the dash and exterior plastics turning gray. Its not really a unique problem for BMWs.
Its a really solid car for the most part, but non-mechanics need not apply. If you have to take your car to autozone and have the 18 year old kid behind the counter come put new wiper blades on for you... STAY AWAY! If you can change a rocker cover gasket one handed while sipping a beer with the other... then its the right car for you!
what do you mean by engine overhaul?
@@TheMasterStudent engine rebuild basicaly
my left ear enjoyed this video.
It’s tingling my fucking ‘earshit’
😂
thank God my right earphone doesn't work
Thank you for confirming this. I thought I was the only one
But the 20 kbps music intro is of spectacular audio quality.
BMWs are made to last until the lease expires.
My daily driver is a 88 5 series. 354000.
@@associatedstress6453 cars since 2005 are made with plastics so any car you buy nowadays will never last another 31 years like your 88 ! (I'd be surprised if it lasts longer than 3+1=4 years!)
My e46 has over 350k on it and all I have changed his ignition coils spark plugs and hub bearings edit runs and starts perfectly every day.
Never buy a German car out of warranty, period!
@@dkastil As a BMW owner and car enthusiast who has over a dozen mechanic friends I can attest that: That's not possible. Please see a neurologist at your earliest convenience to be evaluated for early onset of dementia. You will be in my prayers.
I put over 250,000 miles on an E46 328i and the only thing that ever needed to be replaced that wasn't just "wear and tear" maintenance was the AC compressor. I still have that thing. Still runs just fine.
I feel like a BIG majority of problems that people run into with used cars in general is just the previous owner/s not maintaining them properly. The overwhelming majority of people know _nothing_ about cars and typically don't know how to take care of them. Most cars from the past 15-20 years will hit 300,000+ miles fairly easily if you just care for them properly.
THANK YOU!
mleindek In college I worked at a tiny little mechanic shop, and I was absolutely dumbfounded by some of the people coming in with their "shitty cars that always break man!!!!". Cars that had no coolant in them whatsoever, cars that hadn't had oil changes for 50,000 miles, cars that are being driven in third gear on freeways at 6,500 RPM for years on end. It's amazing how little the average person knows about _their own car_, especially considering that a car is typically the second largest investment people will make in their lives after buying a home. Car literacy is almost non-existent among the general population, so they fall apart, and it's always the CARS that get blamed for it! Most cars don't just break, they _are broken by idiot owners_.
True that, my daily is an e46 with 250.000 miles and it has been well taken care of, all the maintenance done on time and NEVER left me stranded. I've seen cars with 60.000 miles beaten up to dead and the same exact year/ model with 150.000 miles and proper maintenance running like a champ. Maintenance is KEY!
Oh how very right you are.
I have a BMW 730d with 450.000km and it runs AND looks very good for it's 10 years. I'm really happy with it. But regular services, at leas engine and transmission oil change must be done. If you don't do that, you shouldn't blame the car. Any car.
Exactly. You clearly see that nobody has ever taken care of this car in the video. It looks like it was parked in the desert in Arizona for years with no shade and cats or little kids scratched the whole interior.
Maintenance of the previous owner is a key factor on every car, no matter the brand.
+pablo aracena
How do you "maintain" a headliner? Or cloth covered A and C pillars? Or a rear view mirror? These things should last the life of the car with NO maintenance at all. There are millions of Hondas, Toyotas, Nissans, and American cars that cost a fraction of any BMW that never have these problems.
I'm not saying they're better cars, I'm just saying that if those cheap cars can make a headliner or mirror that doesnt fail, I would expect a high priced BMW to offer at least an equal product, if not superior.
Same with the window regulator. How do you "maintain" that? Disassemble the door every year and lube everything? And even if so, how is it that Asian and American cars can make them work with no maintenance?
There is no warranty if one buys from a private owner, it is a gamble, why gamble with hard earned money ?
pablo aracena indeed
Actually Brand + maintenance matters.
Thank you my sentiments exactly this guys hair is eating his brain
Most of these problems come from excessive heat in a hot climate. The glue and plastics lose strength because of too much heat, the BMW badge loses it's color, various cracks because of drastic temperature changes. German summers don't get anywhere near hot as where you are living, these cars are not designed to endure that. Hope that clears some of the problems you had with this particular E46.
This ^
+0riginal835 exacly
all cars rust from salt...
0riginal835 true but growing up in Chicago the Japanese and the Germans have the worst bodies but recently(year 2000 to present) it seems like the German cars are even worse than Japanese for 2 times the price of car and repairs
Quix BMW and Mercedes rust the quickest in Chicago. Where are you from?
I bought a '99 328i e46 bavk in 2005. I must admit that most of the issues he mentioned are certainly small issues that I've dealt with more than once on some occasions. But it's now 2018 and I still own the vehicle, still on the road after 250,000mi and passed inspection with no problem. I love this car and only set foot in the dealer once for the overflow expansion tank.
$700 for a window regulator??? Try about $80. Another tip. Don't take your car to a BMW dealer for repair. They will charge an arm and a leg. A good mechanic will charge no more for a service.
Yea. I had some of these issues with mine but I am proud to say we have fixed most of the issues ourselves while spending very little. The only thing we are outsourcing to a pro is some light rewiring. (Electrical is not my thing.) But, Overall I love my BMW. It's a 2001 330i 5speed with about 220k miles. And runs great. I would definitely buy another.
Alexis Updegraff you got lucky. I had a 2004 325i for 10 years, 140k, dealer serviced. The thing became a overheating piece of shit. Never buying BMW again.
Catweasle I have a 2004 Pontiac Grand Am both my front regulator broke and those go for $250 each. So when he says $700 for a BMW I'd say that's about right
Catweasle you are totally right, you can even search about how to instal a part and do it by your self, you can be your own mecanic.
Indeed, only in the USA you hear people say BMW is an expensive car to maintain, but really the are not. If you service them how it is meant to be, and NOT go to the dealer, but a good BMW-specialist, the maintenance costs are no more then other cheaper brands. But from what I know, Americans are known for not being so strict on maintenance, like the Italians/French, here in Europe, so no wonder.
I have driven a lot of brands, and every brand has their issues. Everything comes down to proper maintenance, get a good warrantee, and do your maintenance at a good BMW-specialist with good reviews >>> no money pit.
Funny, i've got a 330d touring M packet from 2003 and 201 km on the clock, some "minor issues" as the fuel pump under my seat, or a light that dies....so before saying E46 is crap, learn to use a car properly, like checking oil, and all fluids, tire pressure, listen to the noise that the car makes etc etc etc, like older guys do, and hooo miracle!! the car is fine.
A car is not just a thing needing fuel to go A to B without a minimum a work on it.
Purchased my fully serviced E46 325ti two and a half years ago with 100k on it. It's cost me exactly £80 in maintenance over that time and still runs beautifully. Cheapest car I've ever owned.
What about now?? BMWs are absolute money pits!
@@shanepatrick641 don't have it now but it was absolutely not a money pit whatsoever!
I appreciate the time you put into your review. My 2003 BMW 325i, same color, package, 160k miles, have not seen any of these issues you bring up. Yes, I had to replace shocks/struts, power steering pump, battery, position sensors. Im no shade tree mechanic but was able to replace those items myself. You must have found someone who totally neglected that car.
Agreed. A ton of these 3 series have had owners who park these cars in the sun all day.
My dad has a 330i 2000 model and everything that this guys has said is what his car is going through now.
It only has 150,000km and the interior is exactly the same as described, the windshield cowling is turning to shit and he has replaced the window regulators several times.
He has had it since 2003 and taken the up most care with it, but you cant help shit engineering and built.
I also had a E39 525is 2002 model and that was an absolute nightmare.
I personally believe any BMW prior to 2000 were fucking fantastic, anything after is past their golden era and rubbish
Do your e39 525i have any problems with the engine and/or transmission? Or there are problems only with the interior? I'm going to buy one in the near future.
JkandI BMW think about only money. They don’t care quality any more.
I own a 15 year old E46 M3 cabrio, and before that I had an 18 year old E36 M3 Evolution cabrio. Both legendary cars and an absolute joy to drive. But I gotta admit, this guy is right. The E46 does have the faults he mentioned, and some can spring up no matter the mileage (low or high). They can be avoided by looking after the fucking thing though! Most wannabes are leasing these now and throwing them back after a few years for the new model without so much as an oil change. M-Sport models seem to be the only ones that last longer as most owners spend at least some money on keeping them right and own them for much longer. But the "Ultimate Driving Machine" is what really lets the brand set the benchmark. No other car feels like they do, even the good ones. No other car makes every drive feel like more of an event. This is why enthusiasts like myself dont mind spending our hard earned cash on them - it is all part of the ownership experience. Yes, it hurts when we learn the hard way that our machine is not immune to needing above average maintenance; anyone who thinks they can get away with buying one on the cheap and getting away without at least basic servicing doesn't deserve to own one in the first place as this is tempting fate and potentially dangerous. That said, I've seen much newer cars in a worse condition after only being a few years old - ford focus, nearly every vauxhall model, not to mention nearly all french cars. For reliability, the main manufacturers are japanese - they seem to run forever and are generally well built. But these cars have no real soul or pedigree. Picking a bad example and attempting to trash an entire model range because a typical owner failed to treat it with a modicum of respect does nothing for a business reputation. In fact after this drivel you should expect your street cred to go down as quickly as the oil level in the heap of crap you had on display here.
Somebody's booty got hurt. Tell me about how awesome the 5 liter motor was.😂
Someone told me once that German cars are built like nothing is ever gonna fail and it does, while Asian cars are built like everything is gonna fail, mostly it does not.
You get the best when you plan for the worst
Genius.
Good one
Greg Macke, you are spot on with problems on the E46 series. I personally owned a 2003 330i with 161,000 miles. All the issues you mentioned on this video matched 100% with my car, but I have about two dozens more issues I could add to this. It is a nice ride when new, but a money pit when aged.
Has this car been parked under water?
Florida car maybe? I wonder what cleaning agent was used in the interior to attack the surface? The same one used on the badge probably. I'm not sure about Toyota's being any better at high mileage and not garaged. At least BMW owners pretty much know what they are getting into and do the maintenance. Toyota/Lexus owners pride themselves on not doing maintenance. All cars fail without maintenance so which one do you want?
EXACTLY. I never had issues like this on my 325i. This is bullshit.
I worked on BMW's in the UK for years and they have always been fabulous when under 5 years old, but after that the problems begin with tech that always fails, everything electrical starts to give up the ghost - aircon, windows. audio, door locks, alarm, engine electronics, dashboard, you name it it fails in the end. If you are not into repairing these items yourself then you're at the mercy of main agents and their astronomical labour charges.
Nope, but it should have been.
This video is absolutely true. I've owned the 3 series for 14 years now and I bought this vehicle with 32,000 miles which was in new like condition. Today it has 147k. Overall It's been mechanically sound, however be advised the major inspection and mechanical issues will be pretty expensive from the dealership. I received a quote to replace the regulators in both front doors and was quoted a ridiculous $1000, so I ended up replacing them myself for about $80 each. Needless to say that was the last trip to the dealership and I started doing all repairs. Parts can be pretty expensive, but do your research as most parts can be purchased for a fraction of what the dealer charges. The car drives great, but every aspect of what Greg mentions is so true and common known problems. It's alarming how many internal and external components of the car are not made of materials that are long lasting. For the moment the door rain gutters and vehicle badges broke off and it's been a challenge to find inexpensive replacements. I've never seen these things just fall off on any car I've owned in the past. I think most people driving BMW's are leasing owners putting on a show. Therefore after 3 years or so they surrender the vehicles before maintenance agreements ends. If you aren't a "do it yourself mechanic", be prepared to put out heavy maintenance cost to be an owner of "The ultimate driving machine".
Never seen or heard problem like this here in Europe. usually changing sensors: ABS, cam, temp etc.
DJjohar a lot of those problems come from sun damage the plastic starts to biodegrade
DJjohar the European cars are made with different factory specifications and usually more reliable also
Not anymore, I fear.
I have said this for years. If you ask a BMW owner they have nothing but great things to say. That's because the majority of them take the cars aon short term leases, 2-3 years and all maintenance and repairs are covered. The same is true for Mercedes. Audi and VW owners seem to have better luck...
Heh it's not just luck, it's good planning to get rid of them knowing they will get expensive out of lease.
I would love to own any new German make of car short-term!
You are right about everything except the last sentence. As a prior owner of a VW, I can tell you whatever ailment was shown on this BMW, my VW suffered, a LOT more. Vacuum line failure, plastic vacuum valves crumples, brake ECU failure, endless ignition coil pack failures, etc... It got so bad that my mechanic felt bad for me and gave me a discount. And since VW owns Audi, they often share the same platform and interchangeable parts. So Audi has the same problem. Only lease German cars or buy extended factory warranties.
Holy crap!!! This video basically covered most of the stuff I had to replace with my e46 M3 (100k miles). Windshield cowl..peeling paints everywhere.. ripping leather stitches on seats... broken ashtray roller...weatherstripping...you name it.. everytime i touch something it breaks
I drive a Mercedes Sprinter (Erstzulassung 1999) and I had absolutely zero problem with it. I never even lift up the hood, and I don't even know what the engine looks like. But, I aways service the car at the required intervals at the Mercedes dealer. I am sure the car will outlive me.
i have 95' sprinter and the only thing that is still original is the altenator.
Als the rest has bin replaced including the engine, gearbox and multiple clutches,
and i laready did weld new metal sheets al arround and under it, because
they are horrible rustbuckets too.
So it's not even half the quality as the good old "dusseldorfer" and i'm affraid
to buy a newer one, because parts do cost at least 50% more than from my old
sprinter.
Here's a few more things he left out: transmission oil heat exchanger leak, crankcase ventilation valve hose clogging, DISA flap pin failing, steering rack leaking & pump failure.
Moral of the story: run if there's no maintenance receipts available.
Good observation-they lose value rapidly, so a minor accident is enough to have them totalled by the insurance company. Then as you say, they fall into the hands of people who do not have the money to maintain them-so they deteriorate faster.
Agreed. We used Sprinters at FedEx. Had to replace the head because the EGR system is so poorly designed it plugged up all the ports, which it has done in all our units. Turbo went bye bye less than 100k. Bye Bye $2000. Then the wiring harness on top of the engine cracked and shorted itself out. Waited over a month for a replacement, because they had to make a new one in Germany. Finally crashed the vehicle, now we are using WorkHorses for the bigger stuff. Another rolling pile of crap.
One of the problems why these issues aren't being addressed by the manufacturer is because no matter how bad they are, people keep buying them. I'm pretty sure that if sales at BMW went into a slump then they would make some changes to their quality!!
Omg, I am looking at this video and pissed because my grill came off today. Lol, thats the first thing he shows. I purchased mine new but I've had it 10 + years and have gotten my use but trust me he's right. Still watching to see what else he shows. Lol he's talking about the cloth, so true again and on both sides. I don't know about others but if you have your Bimmer long enough you will know he's on point. Omg, the window regulators. All my regulators had to be replaced and I don't use the windows much because I'm the only one in my car. No kids or anything. He is on point people. Wow the rear view mirror is discolor end exactly like mine. Smh. My volume button is acting crazy.
Hahahaha... lot of BMW owners giving it the thumbs down.
Well, as my dad used to work for BMW Germany years ago, we probably had one of the largest amount of BMWs ever, since every 3 months they gave 1 to him, from Z1 (if he would have kept it..) to 7 Series. This was in the 80s's - 90's...
And those BMW were tanks, built like tanks...
The plastic prevailed, and 2000+ BMWs were not so well made as in the past... the e46, and I had 2 of them, are not bad cars, but damn.... do they leak oil, vacuum problems, VANOS, bushes to replace everywhere, clonking sounds from underneath, and countless other problems. Electrics on the other hand were PERFECT, as well as paint, rust problems, and generally mecanically.
They are what they are: a mainstream brand, while many people think BMW is a luxurious brand. NO. Bmw is just a normal brand, with some nice touches here and there of lux, some nice rear-wheel drive, some nice touch materials... but it ends up there. Fun cars though to drive on snow!
Agree, but i`m pretty sure any car would last for a few months, the question here was what happens to a bmw after 10+ of ownership and regular usage. If Bmw gives you a free car every 3 months, you probably never kept one for more than a couple of years and more than 1-200.000 miles. Not to mention that not everyone can afford to service the car at the dealership, which in your case was free. So basically your personal experience has zero value in this scenario. Not everyone works at bmw.
My son purchased a used Beemer, I told him not to do it but........................
Anyway, not one electric window or moonroof will now work, opening the
hood is a nightmare, trunk resists opening, electric seats quit, the list goes
on and on.
like any old car then? :'D
hood always go on BMWs, not that expensive to fix
your son bought a lemon , that's what happens when you are inexperienced .
jerry last . soak the whole car in WD40 then light it up.
It probably has so many crappy plastic parts, that the WD40 would be unnecessary and redundant.
Don't buy a used Mini either. They're also made by BMW.
Mini's are horrible!!
I own a 2005 325i and my experience is a polar opposite of what the video describes. Its actually been the most reliable car I've ever owned. I do basic maintenance myself and take it to the dealer every 6 months for an inspection. The only thing I've had to change in 4 years is oil filters and tires.
I think this is pretty accurate. Note that the convertible doesn't have the a-pillar or headliner problems. The power steering reservoir is easily fixed by adding a filler cap gasket.
David McCombs both my e46s still leaked with a new gasket. That doesn’t always fix it. It likes to leak out of the blow off hole in the cap. There’s no fixing that.
drummerdude if they aren’t over filled and proper fluid. And in static driving they won’t leak.
BMWs are absolute money pits! 💰
I am now inspired to buy 7 BMWs ... one for each day of the week. Thank you for convincing me, videomaker.
How on earth BMW (or other Germans, English cars) is operating and surviving?
Why it's consumers don't see those defects (on used cars) and does not complaint for what they pay for (in thousands)..
My BMW Z3 is just pure fun to drive. Toyotas are like driving refridgerators. Don't get me wrong. I appreciate my refridgerator. Keeps the milk cold. Never will fall in love with it. Just thinking about driving the Z3 makes me smile.
Because of advertising convinces people or brainwashes them to believe they are the ultimate driving machine. The automotive press always worship the BMW name but fails to mention the crappy reliability
@Yul Strokheet Al-Wauch lol
@Yul Strokheet Al-Wauch 😂😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣
@Yul Strokheet Al-Wauch Driving a Z3, a Miata, or a Boxster is not about "fast," they are quick, but they are fun great handling convertible cars!
My 1971 BMW R/75/5 'motorcycle' came with a tool kit under the seat capable of performing a full tune-up or dismantling the entire motorcycle. My 2006 K1200R BMW 'motorcycle' came with ONLY a single screwdriver in which to change the blinker light bulbs. And the owners manual didn't even instruct on how to change the engine oil. BMW sadly has taken planned obsolescence to a new level.
Or they more likely got sick of owners messing their cars up trying to perform simple maintenance and blaming the manufacturer. So they designed the cars to almost required a specialized shop to repair them. With the cars at least, dont know about the bikes ;) /BMW_Tech
I am a german - so I may be subjective. I am not addicted to BMW - I drive a mercedes. But I have never seen a interior as "used" as that. May be this happens when you live with 2 cats for two years in a car. E.G. whats is the cause of the scratches around the shift stick?? Haven't they cut the Fingernails 10 years? What do you have to do to produce such scratches?
Looks like serious water penitration into the interior from front to back. This vehicle must have been in an accident and poorly repaired.
Mine looks the same inside.
Flyg
Minimax
i know this is hard for someone who lives out on the frozen tundra to understand, but it is hot and dry in Southern California. Dashboards dry and crack. Leather seats and trim dry and crack. Paint fades(then drys, cracks, and chips off). If the sun ever came out where you live I am sure you would get similar damage.
Americans and geography ;-) in the south of germany - where I live and most of our premium cars are coming from it was 40 Grad (104 Fahrenheit) last summer and it is about minus 5 Celsius (where I live) to minus 20 in Winter . And the so called tundra is in russia. No wonder you attacked the wrong country.
You should do some videos with Scotty Kilmer. I know you know about him.
oilhammer04 lol
No one with 3 fingers of forehead knows that Scotty 50% of the time doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Honestly he’s a joke.
@@Cristian121212100 Not really. He just set his mind on a few Toyota's he knows are reliable . honestly a car with almost zero problems is a dream except those cars might not be pretty or cheap.
What the hell is 3 fingers of forehead????
Greg has commented on Scottys videos before. He told Scotty that the Lexus v8 is a great engine but Scotty always recommends v6s
Larry Dutton lol means when u put three fingers on yo forehead it should fit perfectly without touching the tip of yo hairline and eyebrows ...or it means any normal human being
planned obsolescence, Scotty Kilmer calls them endless money pit
I'm very happy I bought and still drive a 2001 Acura 3.2TL. With 211,000 miles, it has almost none of the issues as in this video.
itsmegp46 yep an Acura fan right here
Amazing cars. no squeaks, no rattles, still a tight body structure.
Same as my Toyota Celica. 👍
You got lucky you didn't get a bad tranny in that TL
Agree! I have a 2013 acura mdx and perfect to this day. Still the original battery. I done nothing but oil changes, regular maintenance. Great cars! Acura all the way!
The Germans were amazing at innovation back in the day. And, the 80's 123 Benz is one of the best build cars I've ever had. Lately, though, these cars have gone from engineering marvels to backwards, clumsy, poorly-thought, nightmares. I've worked on a few Audi's, Merc's, and BMW's, and I've learned to avoid them at all cost. Some cars have different engineering principles (say, Subaru), but if they're Japanese, there's logic to the engineering. I can't say the same about the EU cars. Give me a 10/12/14/17mm bit and I can take most any Japanese car apart. German car? Get ready to park a Snap-On truck next to your workshop, you'll need it!
what the fuck
That escalated quickly.
Wtf? Just because you bought a BMW that was probably treated like shit, doesn't mean every or most BMW's are like that. It's all about the Owner.
that's exactly what i thought. i got one with 188k kilometers and i don't have so much broken things like this one. also 325i but pre-facelift. my father's 320d had also not so much broken things. the e46 in the video was junk for the pre-owner.
right mine is from 2000 and is look much better
itsjustSchnitzel absolutely, how was the car treated?
I have a BMW from 2002 and its fine of course theres some wear but nothing as bad as whats in this video, it looks like its been mistreated and parked outside for the last few years in the heat causing the glue and trim to go to shit. I know if I didn't look after mine it would eventually look like this, also this looks like a very basic model in the clip.
Simon Phillips
I had an e46 320i,. Great car but bad childhood so it was forever breaking
Next was an E46 330ci with a good childhood and it’s a really nice ride
I agree with some of your complaints. However, well maintained e46 with relatively low miles should be one of the best cars for college students if they want sporty driving and a little of luxury features. I myself own an e46 coupe. I do everything myself on my car. E46 is great for a person whos willing to get their hands dirty. It has so many instructions as to how to fix problems. Its forum members are knowledgeable and helpful. I myself did cooling system overhaul, brake jobs, finding vacuum leaks, and other modifications that people don't do themselves.I saved too much money doing it and the knowledge I get from it is irreplaceable. Well maintained e46 will last at least easily over 200k. those plastic pieces are easily replceable from junkyard e46s. Subframe cracks vastly apply to pre-03.However some known issues like high rev for a prolonged period of time could leading to oil pump nut failure, front Control arms prone to failure, and weak cooling system are not pleasant but once they are all taken care of, what a blast it is to drive. I have driven a few high performance cars out there but have yet to find anything as engaging as this except for a ferrari that i drove for fun:f430
Everything you said is entirely true. I have an e46 coupe also. I'm in college and it's a fantastic quick and fun little luxury car. I do all the work myself too. I've experienced and easily fixed a lot of things in the video. Most everything this guy in the video is saying is pretty easy to fix if you're willing to work on your car.
Kyle Bybee cannot agree more. Great job DIYing. That skill is a life skill.
BMWs are great cars, as are Audis and VWs, however I will say that us Europeans get the best quality cars from the German manufacturers. Volkswagen cars sold in the USA are made in Mexico whereas Volkswagen cars in the UK, France or the rest of Europe, are made in Germany. BMWs sold in America (specifically this E46 3 series) is also made in Mexico. BMWs sold in the EU, are indeed, made in Germany.
so. according to this theory.... you guys are saying that every different assembly plants from BMW specially the Mexico division, who caters to the North, Center and South America, the Caribbean adheres to a different standards aside from the one in Germany? Manufacturing processes, parts suppliers, components, and quality control across the board is optional for this brand depending on the country of origin?
The original parts, no. However, the construction will definitely be worse. I've heard horror stories from USA based VW owners including the brand new Golf-R, having cars plagued with annoying & expensive problems meanwhile you hear nothing over here in the UK. I've obviously heard about issues common to cars such as the 1.9TDI engine breathing a lot, the VW Golf MK5 with its issues such as doors sometimes not opening, suspension degenerating etc but it's never as bad as cars from overseas in the USA.
I think cars made in Germany will be put together much better because of workers being treated nicer and properly according to German law as opposed to Mexican workers who will no doubt, get treated worse and have lower morale. Plus, Germans are known for their excellent work ethic and their quality craftsmanship.
Every car has its issues but I think Mexico-made cars have more.
you think the same as you go to take a shit....you presume, but experiences from europe tell that bmw and others are crap....
Denis Sabljarić mid-90s are border for good quality in most and in bmw as well
Denis Sabljarić that's one side of te story and the other is bad mechanics....sve su to odavno totalna precenjena bezvredna govna ;) i japanci nisu što su bili....
100% RIGHT ON OVERHEATING EXPANSION TANK ALSO WINDOWS NEVER WORK BUT WHEN ITS GOOD ITS GREAT!!!
Can't be great if it doesn't last lol
Juuuu/ghhh
Really simple. Wax your windows, inside and out. And don't buy luxury cars if you can't work on them yourself or if you can't afford to pay the piper. The guys who work on these cars and fix everything that you don't want to fix deserve to make a living just like everyone else.
How much to fix your broken CAPS LOCK key, Joey?
Very true. All this issues were on mine as well at 140k miles. When it’s working it’s an awesome drive, very good handling. I had the 330ci convertible and that added even more issue. Sold it now and do not miss it
I had an E36 compact 316i without any problem for 25 months and after that an E46 sedan 318i who leaked a bit of oil which was fixed after I bought it, but after that it had no issue whatsoever, so 🤷🏻♂️
My brother too bought a 2001 BMW 330 and that car spent more time at the mechanic than my brother actually driving it. Everything was constantly breaking and inside out cheap plastics were used by BMW and these immediately disintegrated when exposed to engine heat and the UV rich sun as you can see in the video. One thing that wasnt mentioned in the video was the transmission cos my brother also had a ton of problems with his. He had it reworked twice, once when the lining broke down and then again when water got into the transmission via the transmission cooler coils which also is a piece of crap. The engine was replaced once and basically almost everything was already replaced or worked on except the ECU and the car was still breaking down on a regular basis. Piece of crap!
It was my dream car and finally bought used BMW X5, enjoyed it while working but suffer and spent a lot when overheating starts.It was painful and never look it back. Whatever mentioned in the video is 100 percent true.
YeAhmed Abat x5’s are trash. This isn’t a X5. I’ve seen these cars easily his 150-200k miles. Oh no a expansion tank? 40$ and 20 mins labour.
Water pump? 65$ and 1hr labour.
Valve cover gasket? 35$ 30mins labour.
If you can screw in a bulb these E46 inline6’s are amazing engines.
I’m driving BMW cars 22 years now and went through many 5 series and I love them. Yes, cooling and some bits are done in plastic and it will fail in cars over 100k, but it’s worth fixing. Interior in my se class has been always nice.
By the way, who would buy that car presented in this video? If you check second hand BMW, which has a keeper who loves taking care of their cars, you will be very pleased.
I drive a 2002 BMW e46 318i. Bought it for 2500€ two years ago. Over two years I invested 3500€ in Maintenance and repairs. It’s a great driving car if everything works. To be honest I drove over 50.000km since then. Sad to see such a car die a slow and painful death.
What Greg says is true in my experience. They drive great when in working order but it's hard to keep them in that shape and things that go south earlier than they should. I've inherited a BMW with 85k miles from my mother who took it religiously to BMW dealers for preventative maintenance and kept it in her garage but nevertheless it's starting to display the characteristic issues they all have. I got it for free, so I may keep it, but we shall see.
There is a class action lawsuit against BMW for the current M5 for electrical and oil consumption problems.
Piece of shit.
You mentioned the very small issues except for the rear suspension and cooling system failure , there's many more bigger issues , like oil leak from every where , vacuum leak due to made of cheap plastic .. also the moon roof is another issue ,the radio , the cluster , etc. I owned a 330ci , 325ci , 325i , 325i wagon and they're all the same shit...
So a car detailer bought ONE BMW lemon and advises not to buy any used BMWs??? Are you serious man??? You are just an amateur, I've owned used BMWs and never had an issue with them. But I did had problems with my new Ford... are all Fords shit? NO. Used cars can be amazing or can be a disasters depending on the care given by the previous owner. Generalizing is a ferry bad thing, you should know that at you age.
How much did you paid for that car, did it came with a full service history? You are telling us that American cars are better made??? Unless you have a hidden agenda I will suggest that you keep wrapping your engine bays with burrito foul and power washing them... I guess then Toyota engines will be also crappie... or they can take it? Total amateur talk and approach.
BMW, VW/Audi, and Mercedes all went down in quality when they globalized their production. This started affecting build quality in a terrible way between 1998 and 2000 depending on model. As an example, the Mark IV VW Jetta was a great car until the mark IV and they moved some of the production to mexico. The mexican built cars were a travesty on quality control. There are similar stories with both mercedes and BMW. In order to compete in a global market, quality had to suffer to cut costs in production. That is why the resale value on used BMW, Merc, and Audi is so terrible. The worst being AMG cars.
This is compounded with the fact that most German models require dealer specific fluids, tools, and maintenance parts. So you get a car that is barely built to last 80,000mi and unnecessarily expensive to repair. I would never own one at this point unless from new with warranty. I have owned 2 German cars in the last 10 years and I have learned from my mistakes.
"German Engineering" is marketing bullsh*t
You have owned 2 German cars in the last 10 years... Well I've owned a few more than you as I live in Europe. I never had any serious problems with my VW or BMW. My brother in law only buys BMWs with more than 60.000 miles on them because they are super cheap here in Germany. NEVER had a single issue with them and the resale value is quite high.
BMW engines and specially the non so popular in the States Diesel ones are built to last at least 300.000km (around 200.000 miles) without any major overhauling.
Are American cars better? NO. Your crash test were the worst in the industry until late 90s. Only Chinese and Indian local manufacturers were worse. Are American cars today still so bad? NO (except the Mexican made ones [crash tests available all over UA-cam]).
Yes, High Performance engines with super low emitions and high mileage per galon need specific tools and fluids in order to last long... And? i always take my vehicles to authorized repair centers, no gambling there.
My BMW 520d burns 6.2 - 6.6 L of fuel per 100km on mixed conditions (that's around 1.6 Gallons per 60miles). Yet it reaches 240km (160miles) in the autoban without any concerns. Smooth... Amazing car.
i believe generalizing after owning 1-2 cars is not very wise. You might just have been unlucky. I owned a Corvette once because I wanted to experiment the American dream. It was the worse car I've ever driven. Are all Corvetttes shit? Absolutely NOT. I love them.
I salute you.
Konstantinos Anastasiou you missed a major point, you live in Europe. the cars sold outside the EU are of inferior quailty. german cars are bad buys in the states, for all the reasons stated above. In the states Japanese cars are hands down the most reliable, and us domestics are cheapest to repair comparitively.
You also use some very faulty logic, because to dont need to own a car to learn enough to know its not a good buy.
Even japanese cars quality has gone down over the last decade because most japanese firms manufacture cars stateside to reduce production and shipping cost.
fonque we are going to have to disagree on that one. One cool example is that BMW builds the X series in the United States and ships them Worldwide with top quality! BMWs made in USA are as good as the ones made in Berlin. Manpower is different but quality control is exactly the same if not better.
With the same - I had my e36 with 500.000km on it and it worked great, without any rebuild.
I know many others who have bmw's with very high mileage and without any major problems.
The things he talks about in the video is just bs... Waterpump etc? Well, it is common sense to follow the mileage and change the parts that wear down / get brittle with mileage. (looks like not so common sense)
Wow! I had a total of 8 Bimmers (wife & I) between 1987-2016. We didn’t have all those cosmetic issues, but instead had the sudden huge failures. My 2002 X5 had to have the complete wire harness replaced $800. Also the head gasket replaced $1500. The head gasket failure was nation wide here, all at once, hundreds of X5’s. A lot of us thought it should be covered out of warranty. But BMW said no. My wife’s 2009 X3 had the a/c evaporator fail at 95k miles $2500. We drive Lexus and Toyota now. I was half thinking about a used X5 to replace my Sienna van in the next few months. I used to be a Bimmer fanatic. Thank you for knocking sense back into my head. I was having weak moments. I am officially over Bimmers now.
Good. Although you may have had fun In the good old solid ones, BMWs are now absolute money pits! 💰
You are 100% correct with this video. My boss has a 2000 E46 323CI. He has had every one of these failures and many many more. He overheated it once because of plastic failure in cooling system. Then I happened again a few years later. Engine did not survive the second time. Head gasket let go. $$$$1800. Then that stupid rubber gasket on the oil filter housing failed and it started leaking oil like crazy. (common failure on these) Then last summer the so called "D drum" failed in the transmission and boom, car won't move. Common failure on these $$$$4200. Control arms are garbage, as well as the rear coil springs. Common failure on these. Heater resistors also go bad on these often. Then, recently he lost compression in the number 1 cylinder due to carbon build up on the valves. $$$$. FYI, head bolts are known to pull the threads out during a head removal. Major pain in the rectum. And the list goes on and on. These cars are HORRIBLE. I know, I'm the guy that had to work on his shit box every time it puked.
I would indicate that your thumbnail needs to be modified because it is generalizing BMW completely which would not be correct. I have 1991 bmw 525i with 235,000 plus miles, 1994 bmw 530I with 260,000 plus miles, 1999 bmw 740il with over 221,000 plus miles and just purchased a 2007 bmw 328xi with 134,000 plus miles and I have not spent nowhere near what other people have said they have spent on just one bmw. This is being stereotypical which is ignorance.
ive had 2 bmw e46's with 265k miles and 280k miles, still good driving cars. they never left me stranded, also they were in a bit better shape than the bmw your showing.
…. Said no one ever
@@chiefoso1428 mine was at 350k miles. 2010 328i. Never had any issued with it. Drove better than half the cars on the road.
@@camposjesus3725 350k miles no issues? Yeah ok… nice lie buddy. Even a toyota gets one or 2 at that much mileage.
@@chiefoso1428 its not about the mileage, it's about how well a car is maintained lol
@@camposjesus3725 it is about mileage when talking about a bmw 😂😂. You will never ever be able to convince me that you DID not get to 350k miles doing just maintenance on that bimmer. Nahhhh.
Obviously pretty hot where you live, because I don't see these problems on Canadian E46 (which I have one) The cooling system is cheap to replace, so that is not a problem for me. I find the one aspect that wears out too quickly is the suspension bushings. As long as they are fresh , the car drives as new. The plastics on mine are quite poor as you have pointed out. I love my 03 Wagon and it has been very reliable. I have about 170 K on it. Great motor, brakes and suspension, very comfortable seating and if you have the fake leather, seems to last a good long time. I'd take it over an Audi or Mercedes of the same vintage. I am driving a Subaru Forester as well. Cheap car that holds together pretty well. Just missing the BMW feel when you close the door. Not all aspects of the 3 series are POS, but some are.
kuladeeluxe dude is a moron. all used cars needs maintenance ...even a Honda. cooling system etc. needs to be replaced on all cars. it's a wear item,NOT lifetime . the most accurate complaint is the soft touch finish which is in real life. garbage.
I am glad to hear someone agrees with me about BMW.
I had one of the first ones in the UK it was a company car and no one drove it apart from me.
It looked great and I felt really privileged to have the company get one for me.
That's when it all went wrong.
The first week I was sitting in the car engine ticking over heater on to keep me warm while I had a drink when I noticed the engine temp was in the red, so I quickly drove off to get some air across the radiator and the temp came down ( the electric fan hadn't switched on ) I took it to the BMW dealer in Manchester. A young woman at reception said it will be an air lock sir ( mmm I don't think so ) the fans not working. An hour later a guy come to me you will have to leave the car with us the fans not working oh really you do surprise me Q do you have a curtesy car A no you are not entitled to one Q how do I get home A don't know
You can collect the car tomorrow, I live 40 miles away. The best thing you can do is take the car ring in 2 miles down the road say you have broken down and we will bring you a curtesy car. Give me the car now Cant do that, Bonkers.
The engine low oil light came on after 2000 miles topped it up then again after another 2000miles then again and again reported it to the dealer, they took the engine apart and horned the cylinders and fitted new rings made no difference is still use oil like there was no tomorrow but it did settle down after 30000 miles.
The header tank blew I limped back to the dealer again, it used water from day one to the day it went back three years later they never found the leak. It was recalled twice.
The windows would go down then jamb and not come back up two new motors fitted.
The final straw - the clutch started shuddering it was so bad once the engine management through a wobbly ( that's a technical term ) and shut the engine down.
I took it in the car was two years old with 30000 miles on it and it had a three year warranty young woman on reception oh it will want adjusting sir ( mmm Don't think so ) an hour later a guy comes out the clutch needs replacing- oh really - but it will be coved by the warranty.
Two days later I get a phone call the car is ready do you have an order number for the repair its warranty no its not its chargeable why the clutch is burned. Hang on I want to see a clutch that I have burned in 30000 miles I am coming in to see it.
The clutch showed no sign of burning or blueing it didn't even look worn. Its under tolerance sir its bound to be under tolerance its done 30000 miles but its not worn out.
I complained to BMW but it made no difference we had to pay.
Just to be clear how I drive a car I had a Ford sierra company car from new did 100,000 miles in three years apart from plugs and points oil never had a problem of any kind and was still on the original rear tyres when it went back. BMW what a load of crap.
derek evans you definitely had one of the lemon.
Use heavier weight oil like 5w-40 (or 10w-40 in warmer climates). Heavier oil won't burn as much, and will protect the engine more especially in high heat. The thinner oils they use from factory are to meet government efficiency targets, they aren't ideal for the car.
I have a 2000 323i that I purchased new and it has had all of the problems described here plus more. I've also had radiator fan, suspension, front end alignment, A/C compressor and air bag issues. Fortunately, I can fix a lot of these problems. If you have an out-of-warranty BMW and you depend on the dealer to maintain it, it will send you to the poor house. However, when you drive to the poor house in your ultimate driving machine, you will have a smile on your face.
Good review and from bitter experience he's right, I now drive a Volvo S60, it's got 166,000 k on the clock and has been faultless and drives like new since I bought it 3 years ago with 108,000 k on the clock.
Yes but when something goes on your Volvo, and I'm not talking brake pads, you will be spending big if you don't repair it yourself. They are Bmw money in repair Dept. Do get me wrong, there's some nice and very sporty Volvo's, even fast Volvo's.
Poor Volvo, check out the low mileage models in the junk yard! And now they're owned by the Chinese. So sad, they were great cars in the 60's through 90's.
Before I watch the video. I owned a BMW E46 2001 Coupe, High Executive. Only has 120k kilometers on it, and it still cost me a fortune in repairs. Now I'ma watch what he has to say.
Edit: recognize a lot of it. For those who wonder, my bmw cost me about 2000eur in repairs per year. See my UA-cam channel for a video with me and my dog in it as proof I had one.
My e46 has one of all the things you mentioned you just got a lemon man
And has the same engine and 150k miles
Low miles mine has 295,xxx and has some of the previous mentions problems the car in the video just hasn't been taken care of
I previously owned an e46 325i the rear diff went and it was nightmare, interior quality is trash as well. My 94 Lexus still looks fresh. Hands down Lexus is a better vehicle than BMW any day of the week. I also have a Z4 but that vehicle is on a whole different level.
Mexicans can't build shit. European built BMWs are better in literally every way, and the interiors are decent. for example, my E46 wagon's interior was soooo much nicer than a comparable Lexus IS200 interior.
Lexus??? Nothing more than a tarted up, re-badged and soulless Toyota Camry...'throw-away' Japanese appliances, every one. Wretched driving, unpleasant at best. Then there's their gruesome attempt at producing an Audi TT knock-off. Labeled as 'LS 400' or something...voted the most ugly car of all time by 'TOP GEAR', unanimously!...truly, just a passing, unintended glance of this steaming pile offends not only the hapless victim's eye..but his/ her very sensibilities as well! I find it amazing how it's possible to design a product with nary a single pleasing line or element. Every aspect of this steaming pile brings new meaning to the word 'UGLY'. Oh, and incidentally, my extremely hard driven E39 Sport Wagon..with Manual transmission..is at 150,000 miles, visits redline several times daily, endures high 'G' late apex braking/corning almost constantly, has given me not a single moment of anguish. Sure, one l/r window regulator ($60 and an hour of my time), a battery every three years (precautionary), Brake pads (EBC ultra Hi-friction Reds) and tires from time to time. (early inner outer front tread wear the payment for the joy of late braking and deep trail braking) all cheaper and more enjoyable than cigarettes of alcohol. Personally I often find driving the E39 more enjoyable than either my Porsche 993 C4RSr or Alfa-Romeo.. I've have been in the imported car service & repair business for 50 years (MOTODELTA) , owned more the 80 cars...even a few Toyota's, a Sube, and Isuzu truck tow cars as 'Throw away' utility items. With the only exception being the Subaru, all the other Japanese cars failed in disappointing ways...fragile motors, inadequate brakes..discs warp so easily..lousy 'seat of the pants' communication' , numb & vague road feel, mediocre steering feed back. OK I guess for 'mom & pop' or rental car types, but absolutely unacceptable for real DRIVER guys/girls.. This guy should stick to being a chartered accountant or hair dresser..
Bout my first Bimmer, M3 E-46 (2002) with 137,000 miles. Drove it around for two years only doing basic maintenance. Excellent car. I’m about to buy a low mileage 2004 E-46 330i next. These are GREAT vehicles. All makers have lemons and bad owners.
Good way to ruin a reputation, crap quality.
I've had my diesel 320 e46 for 7 years now and it's been a joy to own ..... loads of torque and good fuel economy....I just love the way yanks always dump on European cars when they can't make a car go round a corner,they make a big deal out of a v8 that has 350 bhp we can get that from a 2 litre....I love my BMW's I've had 2 now and I'll keep buying them.
It's not just Americans, so many, people expect great driving well engineered Euro cars to have Japanese reliability (part of that is because they are simple). Infiniti and to some degree a few Aciras have approached German performance- but there have been small issues there. Granted, Porsche does have that mastered which is amazing.
you are living in the 70s, right? exactly the same technical level in all today's cars. the fact some cars have multilink rera suspension while others don't, is not the reason for better durability. electronics is on th esame level everywhere from 5000 - 500 000 cars in dollars/euros
TheKenjoje he was talking about a car dating back to 90s/early 2ks. That said- even today, wouldn't you say a basic Corolla is vastly different than even a C class Mercedes which can have air suspension and drive itself (not to mention most cars still have traditional wiring vs. fiber optics)?
DFWs Cars not at all, in terms of equipment everyone is on a par, those times are gone when s-class was first car with abs....small cars get that electronics as well....
merc with air suspension is too expensive and the result is unimpressive in c class....besides, it is tech about half a century old and not that terribly expensive as final price tag is....merc is overrated crap....avensis is competitor of c class and it maybe is not as good, but for the moeny it is better....and differences are essentially small....back to the reliability - if merc c dorsn't have the air suspension, then it is comparable technologically with any toyota (not lexus, even toyota)....so, exactly the same amount of things to go wrong....
TheKenjoje good points, but in the US and other countries it's different. We don't have an "avensis" here. Example 1. Kia/Fords are good in US, but European Kias, Fords- kill them in performance, style, etc. Here many Asian imports are US built and rarely pioneer new technologies (there are exceptions in luxury brands like Infiniti, etc. The US market is all about low starting price, having a cheap lease payment-- Oh and space AND cupholders. VW even gave in- look no further how much worse the American Jetta/Passat is than the European ones. Drum breaks on the base Jetta? come on now. Heck even Audi is building cars in Mexico for the US market.
My 2004 325i still drives beautifully after 200,000 hard miles.
Yes, it has all the interior cosmetic issues you mentioned here, but I still love the car and enjoy looking at it and the feel of driving it.
Yes, higher maintenance than a Japanese car by a fair margin, but actual repairs on either one will be similarly expensive.
These are old cars now. They need stuff. Just keep on top of maintenance and find a good reasonable reputable independent BMW shop and avoid the dealer like the plague, and you’ll be okay. ;)
All cars will have a lot of issues once the mileage clocks up regardless of brand unless it's a Honda or Nissan.
Most problems come for poor maintenance once they fall into wrong hands, as long as you aren't a muppet you can catch problems such as coolant system failures before they become terminal.
If you buy an E90 or newer then that's a different matter but the E36 & E46 are generally sound.
My 2004 330cd is still on the original water pump, expansion tank and pipes at 182,000 miles. If you are worried about faded badges and odd scratches you aren't man enough to be driving such a car, get a Nissan Leaf.
All the Fords, Vauxhalls, Volvo's and VW's I've had have been in much worst condition at less than 120,000 miles.
This particular car has been left out in the blazing sun 24 / 7 and probably washed with chemicals that eat some of the rubber seals. The subframes usually only crack on the M3's and there are retro fit kits you can buy to avoid this.
You do get particularly bad and good cars of each model.
The biggest E46 problems actually centre around the suspension bushes and tie rods which usually need replacing at around 100,000 miles or the handling goes AWOL. Springs can also snap but I've had that on Fords as well. Don't buy pre facelift E46 because they have an odd steering rack which gives a vague feel when driving, later models use the same racks as the E36.
I've only heard of interior liner problems on cars that are cleaned a lot possibly with shampoo's that affect the glue. I bought an unloved car complete with rust and lots of dog hair so all my liners are exactly where they should be.
Parts are super cheap for these now as so many were made and they have a following, I can replace the wing ready painted for less than £100 delivered.
A new pair of rear springs fitted was a mere £60. You deserve to be fleeced going to a BMW dealer just as you would be at any other dealer, none of them are cheap.
Marcus Taylor yessir just bought mine. Excited
This is due to high heat and lack of maintenance.
no its due to cheap manufacturing, bmw is junk if you don't buy it new good luck with it
naa, have had some older bmws and they have worked great. had a 1999 e39 with 150000 miles on it, no faults while i had it.
same goes with the e87 i had, and my latest e90. good reliable quality cars
Lack of maintenance on the A-pillars, windshield cowl and roof liner? bahaahahahaa
That is due to high heat moron! As is the cracked plastic pieces in the engine. This is a European car and Europe does not get very hot. If you're driving this car in SoCal, Arizona, or Florida and you don't have a garage to keep it in you're going to have these problems.
I think that might well be the case. Here in the UK we don't see any of the interior issues from the video as it rarely gets hot enough for long enough. Good summer temperatures over here are 70 - 80 f for a few months only.. Saying that we have quite significant rust issues with the E46 - rear subframes and all wheel arches Oddly, French Cars - noticeably Peugeot and Citroen - despite their image, seem to last for 200 - 300,000 miles without any major issues or indeed falling apart.
the thing is, if you're into cars to some extent you will never have any of these problems. because you will be looking after your car, nothing breaks just because. it is always the driver that causes things to break.
Rokas Getautas Or bad designs
mate sivric even bad designs can be easily kept running for years just by doing a simple maintenance every couple of months (5-6) my e39 2.5tds did not have a single problem with it in the last 2 years.
I just wanted to add. people buy brand new cars nowadays and expect them to run for years without maintencance. Stupidity at it's finest.
Where were you when I bought my used 2000 740i??? Radiator with PLASTIC side tanks split 5 days after I bought the car. Who uses plastic on a radiator? Window regulators, windscreen cowling cracks, 4 dead batteries in 3 years, that ATF fluid leak you showed, and many other issues. I finally had to give up on the car when the tranny took a dump. And then there were the 200+ codes causing the check engine light to be on forever. I finally understood that BMW stands for Bring My Wallet!! Never again.
Bob Mackey Chevy for a start. I got through three radiators in five years in my camaro, plastic side tanks cracked every time.
there are no radiators without plastic tanks.......... except for race cars. most bmw problems stem from a lack of care up until e65, then its downhill.
The Power steering cap leak is due to overfilling, even slightly. The level must be checked with engine fully warmed up. It's the mechanic's fault. (Yes, even dealer techs make this mistake) But BMW engineers could have easily made a better overflow arrangement.
William Holt where is the logic behind that? The expansion tank will crack no matter what fluid you have in your radiator. The expansion tank is made out of plastic much like all cars regardless of brand. The BMW expansion tank is meant to expand and contract depending on the temperature of the fluid. Eventually it will crack. Plastic gets old and brittle and eventually cracks. Especially when exposed to high temperatures. I will admit that the expansion tank is the weak point in the cooling system of these cars and should be changed as preventative maintenance every 60000 miles or so. Using blue BMW fluid is recommended but wont prevent your expansion tank from cracking.
Most people overfill their coolant and leave no place for it to expand - and then it over pressurizes the system. Filling to the top of the expansion tank on a BMW is NOT recommended. The float will guide you (read the instructions - it's in pictures so even a dolt can follow them). Also: Most people don't ever replace their radiator cap until the radiator blows up. The radiator cap contributes to controlling the pressure of the cooling system as well. EVERY expansion tank is made out of plastic on run of the mill passenger cars and light trucks. Some are softer plastic, but plastic just the same. They all sit under the hood. They all are exposed to heat. Nothing to see here.
I was considering the purchase of a 2003 325 i but you have completely changed my mind. Thanks for a refreshing review of the TRUTH!
Give me break. From those of us that actually know BMWs, you have no idea how ridiculous you sound! I own 5 older BMWs, some were loved, taken care of, serviced, washed, and maintained, and they are aging quite well. Several are nearing 200k miles and going strong. A couple of my Bimmers were neglected, as this e46 obviously was, and yes, it takes love and money to save them.But NOTHING is as pleasing to drive as a BMW, or most German engineered cars for that matter. The thing is, you got burned on a pos used Bimmer in the past and now you go around showing your ignorance by dogging and dismissing ALL BMWs. A used BMW isn't for the average "drive it till it quits" kind of used car buyer. They are enthusiast's cars. If you are ignorant about automobile care, then I agree, don't buy (and ruin) a fine drivers car!
Not my car. Was a client who was finally done with pouring money into it. I personally love the way they drive and have very high regard for them when everything is fixed up.
Andrew Stanford, you're a BMW fan, he just pointing out issues with used bmw that you are not going to have with Japanese cars, not to say that Japanese cars don't have problems.
fanboy. immature. stupid. humiliating.
the german premium trio is the trio of ruins. bmw's crapy quality is augmented with unruly driving. it's not the lack of maintanance that makes interior fall apart. btw. if you weren't ignorant fanboy, you'd know numerous bad experiences from bmw owners. statistics all over the world are against it. face it....
how it drives, it is different thing, and that's only fot the ones who don't care about ride quality
You don't have to call yourself names.. it's OK. I don't think you are a fanboy, immature or stupid, humiliating? Yes, a little.. but that's OK. I'm 55 and own my own repair/service shop. I know of what I speak. Lighten up on yourself. I am sure you are a good person at heart.
Andrew Stanford it's even worse to be so incompetent in that age and not having insight into things that much....then again, mechanics are mostly clueless working force, putting things into perspective is too intelectual for most of them, when they don't see something (by accident) they think it doesn't exist. you are a shame....
I've never seen an E46 as bad as this. Excessive heat (more than usual in Europe I imagine) makes all the glue come off
It shouldn’t happen regardless of the area you live in
@@theuck5148 contact glue wears off with heat. Its used everiwhere when cloth is concerned. It will wear off everitime...
On another note, the one in video looks like it was submerged. I also have a e46, and i only have 2 plastics worn out ( rear ashtray and wind blades cover) .
When i bought it, its interior was filthy, last howner clearly didnt care about the car... and to this day, i had no problems. After proper maintenance, of course
The car was apparently owned by someone with a BMW taste but a Yugo budget.
As a BMW owner, this review is honest and spot on. I have an e46 with almost 182K miles on it and am not remotely interested in getting rid of it. If you as a car owner are not interested in the 'overhead' to own and drive a BMW, then buy a Toyota or Honda and ride. However if you want to drive, enter into the 'relationship' with the understanding of what you are buying and keep up with the issues. I have a tremendous BMW guy and we only see him for oil changes maybe twice a year. He gave us a list of items when we purchased the car a few years ago and we addressed them over time. Once we were out of that cycle, the car is on the road almost 100%.
Went to a used car dealership and I saw a 2000 BMW 323i model and fell in love with it. And idk if I wanna buy it if this stuff happens. It has 108k miles
Don't buy it if it's gonna be your only car i have a 2004 325i but i have 2 other cars
They also rust like crazy, love to drink oil, and everything leaks! Gearbox/coolant/engine/power steering. Absolute money pits.
drummerdude money pits but people chose to blow their whole savings on e46s for a reason
@@PasitAkkawat I didn't say they weren't fun!
You can find these for like 2500 bucks, so for a cheap commuter, the benefits of the reliable drive train outweigh the cons of the interior fit and finish issues.
is not just interior fits, also problems under the hood
I have a 2003 330ci with 147k on it and I have to admit the interior isn't bad. That said, I've replaced just about everything mechanical on the car (some things two or three times already), the tranny which went out at 130K and at 140k the cam needs to be replaced. There is nothing good about these cars.
In dubai every car that is older than 15 years is either toyota or Honda.there are endless camry's Lexus Corolla accords that are older than 15 years. You'll almost never see a German car that's 15 years or older
Hahahaha I love this man. I appreciate that he was completely raw and honest. R.I.P. to all the emotions of BMW fanatics.
YourCarAngel I think you hired somebody to damage our protagonist. In my BMW I had to replace a lot of parts but I just love it.
i like how the interview was mono and the music was stereo
I bought a 7 years old e46 Diesel. I bought it cheap. Changed the complete cooling system plus using a SKF water pump. None of the problem above. Only the warning brake light going on occasionaly.
Cheap to run. Must be 15 years old. Daily used with high mileage.Looks very fresh.
Looks like the previous owner just didn't give a shit about this car. This is probably the worst example of a used bmw. I used to have a 1996 e36 328is and put 250,000 miles on it. It was great! Of course I expected routine maintenance. Does anyone really expect things to just last forever in perfect condition? For example, if you use a drivers side window for 20+ years and roll it up and down 2 times a day, That's about 14,600 cycles total. I'd say that's pretty good life for a window regulator. Anything that has repetitive use is going to break down, so expect to replace it. With a window regulator, you have to grease the track because it will dry out over years and create friction that eventually puts strain on a regulator. "Preventative" maintenance is the key. And know your car.
Well said.
What really annoys me about some of these luxury car buyers is that they will buy or lease a luxury car for a lot of money, but CHEAPEN OUT on basic maintenance, and worse expect spare parts and the service to be cheap. I will never understand these people who invest $ 50,000 in a luxury car but then don't have the money to buy the $50 recommended oil which it needs (opting instead for some $15 oil...).
Just remember BMW stands for Break My Wallet! The German sun is not as strong as that in, let's say, California. And if you garage your car, it should last longer too. On top of these small problems you have mentioned, I also had to change radiator twice over 10 years. The thin aluminum radiator develops pin holes even with the expensive BMW coolant.
HkRedPill Did someone say my name ^_^
I think my Toyota Highlander has the same thin radiator, needs replacing at 147k miles! Must be a junk car! Dude, all modern cars have thin aluminum and plastic radiators!
@@papatorr3669 My 2007 Toyota Prius has 210k miles with original radiator and original everything else other than the consumables. I had the BMW radiator replaced and a year leter, it the "new" one leaking again. Luck of the draw perhaps but annual radiator replacement should not be on my car's maintenance schedule.
@@hkredpill9661 oem radiators are passable, only after market high performance are worth bragging about. I've replaced them under 100k and had'em go well over 200k. Partly luck of the draw.
Greg, I'm a mechanic for BMW and what you say is 100% true. I worked for Subaru, Ford, and Audi. BMW is by far the worst in terms of reliability and longevity, and their plastic is the worst brittle shit I have ever come across. Money Pits.
anthony aguilar 100% true , and what’s just as bad as the maintenance , the resell value. It’s crazy how much depreciation even 5 years old , I wouldn’t touch one with a 10ft pole.
Lol, everything that Greg says about the E46 is true and yet, I love mine! I have a 2001 330Ci, which I bought used a few years back with 115K on the odometer. Since that time I've replaced the lower control arm bushings, DISA O-ring, door actuator, EVAP control valve, various vacuum hoses, radiator, water pump, thermostat, hoses, serpentine belt, pulleys & tensioner, etc. With the help of UA-cam and various forums, I did all the work myself. The parts aren't that expensive and easily purchased online. The E46 definitely isn't as reliable as a similar vintage Made-in-Japan Toyota or Honda, but, like Greg said, the 3-series is a blast to drive. If you're handy with a wrench or are willing to pay a mechanic named Dieter, you'll enjoy these cars. If not, stay away. Always a pleasure to watch YourCarAngel videos.
I wouldnt expect for 16 year old glue to be good.
Sagging headliner - had it on my both Audi's. Something you gotta embrace having a German car. :)
My headliner on my early Jetta would pull right down on me if I had the front DS window open a bit on the highway. Then it would pop back up.
The trick was to open a back PS window to equalize the negative pressure! Had to do this because no CC.
Its not like only german cars have this 😂
Saw a youtube video of sometone swapping the fabric for suede. It was nice. Paying for someone to do it? Nope
@@adriangutierrez8177 May as well if you are going through troubble of replacing it.
@@theboogeyman5736 mostly yes.
I am a bmw user all my life and I have been using "used" bmws all my life too. I didn't get a chance to buy a brand new one yet but hopefully that happens one day. There are certain things in this video which are very correct especially for these E46 series. The poor finishing around the ash tray, cup holders, steering wheel spokes etc. The cracking problem on the wood interior trims, power steering fluid leak around the PS reservoir etc. But in my opinion, many other things such as the peeling head liner, stitching separation on the leather seats, malfunctioning window regulators and radiator cracking problems on the expansion tank are very specific for this particular car on the video. I never had many of these problems on my used bmws that I drove in the last 25 years. It's very informative video but my opinion is you shouldn't rely on it too much when you are planning to buy a used BMW. As long as the car is well maintained, you wouldnt have many of these issues that are outlined here.. Thanks for the work anyways Greg..
I have an 11 year old e90, with 69k on clock. I brought it about a year ago and it’s absolutely bulletproof and feels lovely to drive. There’s good and bad examples of all cars
if you want a good reliable used car, buy a Toyota. It is boring, but it works.
for 20 years dont thinks so and for the same price this douche bought a bmw it will be probaly in a worst state
MetaView7 I got 2006 Avalon and its not boring at all
No thanks
I had same car 2005 model for 5 years
He is damn right about everything
I love BMW but I feel so bad about all these issue in my favorite brand
Dfq are you talking about E46 is pronounced for best used car in Germany
E46 actually one of the most reliable models.
I would prefer an E39 over this tbh. Yes they are not in the same class but still it's overall a better car imo.
I have a 330 ci with over 300.000 km. The engine never overheated, but I had to change the expantion tank after 11 year and more than 200.000 km. That time i changed my water pump which did not have a problem, just precautionary. Except from normal wear items like brakes, suspension parts and operating fluids (engine and gearbox oil) a had nothing else replaced. I think it's a very reliable car.
Do not buy any used Saturn VUE! BEWARE!
Chaleco Salvavides no shit huh?
you know maybe I was lucky but I had a 1994 Saturn SL2 lol it was my little tank.. I had it from 120k to about 150k miles. only think it needed was the alternator .. that I put in my self.. (im proud of that) but it was a good car took me cross country about 3 times it burned oil but other then that I was lucky.. maybe I got a Saturn unicorn I know it's not the Vue but in just saying my Saturn was a good car
Its like a house, you have to maintain it. I had an 1999 e39 530d with 650dkm on it. Everything that fade away due to heat you can replace it! All things that broke on the video above is common!
The Rock ñ
Exactly, all of that you can get off eBay for real chap these days and you replace them for 15 mintues in your garage. Come on, it's a 16 year old car now.
I got BMW e46 330D touring with 410000 km! What a awesome car! This video sucks!
kambo take for instance the e46 m3 or e46 m3 csl, it cuts chicanes like knife.... its a high rev car.. you have to maintain it! The BMW 6 in lines are the best 6 cilinders
mustlane just drive it warm calm! Before you use al the power! Change the oil between 20-25k Not till the red inspection light begans to warn!!
There are no bad BMW's... Only people who doesn't care well for that car...
ahahahahaah you drive a bmw right?
That's silly and inaccurate.
Or those who dont want to spend a fortune on parts and maintenance.
Probably sells them lol.
My dad bought a used 2013 328i from our neighbors who were moving and no longer needed the car. It had a little over 80 thousand on it when we got it. My dad has since put another 90 thousand on it and it works great. Prior to this he had an 09 328i but there was a recall and we had to send it back.