Ever just feel sorry for a guy? BMW Wagon content

This poor dude. That list of repairs, man.

For sale is my 2003 BMW 325xiT

I have owned this since July of 2020 and I have put considerable time and money into restoring this bimmer since then. 

It still has some issues, but runs, drives, and stops without issue. 

Under my ownership I have:
Restored both headlights
Fixed the glove box latch
Replaced spark plugs
Replaced fuel filter
Installed an electric fan
Replaced both pre-cat oxygen sensors
Replaced all four pads and rotors
Repaired GM5 module
Repaired driver’s door lock cylinder 
Replaced both front control arms
Replaced both front axles
Replaced DISA valve
Replaced both intake boots
Replaced fuel pump
Replaced both front sway bar end links
Replaced shock absorbers 
Replaced handbrake shoes and actuators
Replaced windshield washer fluid reservoir and pumps
Replaced all belts and pulleys
Replaced water pump
Replaced thermostat 
Replaced entire CCV system
Replaced oil filter housing gasket with new hoses and sensors
Replaced upper and lower radiator hoses
Replaced alternator 
Replaced power steering fluid reservoir 
Replaced heater control valve
Replaced transmission fluid, filter, bolts, gasket
Replaced secondary air pump mounts
Various hoses, filters, and bulbs.

Known issues of this E46:
Transfer case bushing is bad. It is very difficult to replace. It causes vibrations while stopped and at speed. It does not otherwise impact driving. 

One of the post-cat oxygen sensors is bad, causing a check-engine light. This sensor simply checks the effectiveness of the cats. I have replacements for both sensors. 

The headlight washing system is currently disabled to avoid leaking fluid. This allows the windshield wipers to function without issue. I replaced most of the system and was unable to fix all of the leaks, so I resorted to disabling it. It is fixable with more time and money. 

The airbag light is currently on. It may clear if hard reset, as I have installed a passenger seat occupancy sensor kill switch which usually fixes the problem on E46s. It has been on during my entire ownership.

Rust is forming on the rear passenger fender, as well as two spots near the tailgate that I attempted to repair unsuccessfully. 

Recently it has had trouble with low idle after long periods of driving. I do not know the cause of this. It stays high enough not to stall, but sometimes dips low enough to cause a low oil pressure light. I have been unable to diagnose the cause of this.

Everything I have done to this has been done properly and with high quality parts. I have receipts for everything totaling more than I am asking for the car.

If you look up the vin on Vinwiki you will see over 100 posts from me about the car.

Feel free to text or email me with questions or to set up a time to see the car. 

Isn't that a typical experience with an older BMW? I don't see any references to window regulators, at least. 

As I mentioned in the other thread, this is why you stay away from cheap neglected BMWs. I have been that guy before. Deferred maintenance on a German car will eat you alive...

Floating Doc (Forum Supporter) said:

Isn't that a typical experience with an older BMW? I don't see any references to window regulators, at least. 

This is the reminder I need. As interesting as these seem, I'm not the guy to jump in and try to rescue one. 

I've always said you're buying the seller more than the car when you're looking at old German cars.  You have to buy from someone who either knows how to maintain them or pays someone else to do it.

Has he finally reached his breaking point, lol? 
Sounds like now it's rusty, needs converters, a transfer case, and the airbags don't work.

The cel should be an easyish fix (depending on the rust) especially if he already has the parts, if you believe his diagnosis.

My guess is the parts he has won't be fixing it.

I read up about the diff bushing replacement. That's enough to tip anyone over the edge.

And yes, thank you for the reminder about how old German cars are not to be in my future. I have one, that's plenty.

What is the cutoff date/era for used German cars when they became too complex and unreliable?  Late '90's?  Post-OBDII?

In reply to Nader :

As mentioned, basically any used German that hasn't had consistent maintenance is too complex and unreliable.  I think the least unreliable ones probably begin with electronic fuel injection and finish in... 1997? 2003?

In reply to Nader :

They are all expensive to run and will nickel and dime you to death going back to the early 80's, but IMO (as someone who has owned dozens), the early-mid 90's is when things really changed.

Basically, around the time the venerable old BMW and Benz single cam sixes got thrown out for twin-cam engines with variable valve timing and multi-stage intake manifolds and all that kind of thing.

10-15 years after that, when they started strapping turbos on, things got even worse by an order of magnitude...but that's a separate discussion.

I have been so lucky with my past BMWs, 88 M3 and 92 525i 5MT, that I picked up another one right from this forum.  2001 X5 3.0 5MT.

I'm still scared of them, but too dumb to stay away.

pointofdeparture said:

As I mentioned in the other thread, this is why you stay away from cheap neglected BMWs. I have been that guy before. Deferred maintenance on a German car will eat you alive...

I was just talking to my wife about this and realized I wasn't sure what you meant. What kind of maintenance do you mean-- as in "I know this boot is torn and I'm not going to replace it" or should someone proactively replace some of this stuff before it's gone bad? Like "after such and such miles you replace the CV boots and glove box latch"?

In reply to P3PPY :

Good example is that basically every piece of the cooling system, including the radiator, needs to be replaced every 100k miles like clockwork, or you run the risk of the water pump impeller shattering and taking out other critical components. Radiator will eventually blow the end tanks open if you don't do that too, etc.

Another one is that a suspension refresh (all new control arms and some bushings) is required every ~75-125k depending on how bad the roads are in your area. Costs about a thousand bucks in parts to do right each time. If you half ass it or cut corners, the parts you didn't replace put extra load on the ones you did, your new parts wear out, and you have to start all over.

DISA valve failure can take out your engine if you don't replace preemptively because the unit falls apart and bits get sucked into the cylinders.

These are just some examples. If you take care of all this stuff right away on the maintenance schedule before it outright fails, it's still expensive, but you can plan for it. If you defer the maintenance for too long, it becomes overwhelming, and so many parts are marginal or in need of replacement that you can invest 4x what you paid for the car to make it right. (Or the car just blows up and you're screwed.)

It is so, so, so much easier to buy a well-maintained one and keep it nice than it is to buy a neglected example and try to make it decent again.

To me, this is the rule on any car purchase, German or not.

docwyte said:

I've always said you're buying the seller more than the car when you're looking at old German cars.  You have to buy from someone who either knows how to maintain them or pays someone else to do it.

I don't get the hate on the maintenance, we know what the cars need so when buying them follow the checklist from bimmerforums and see what's been done and figure the cost of what hasn't been done into the price. I hate that my really good one got written off and miss it still

In reply to chandler :

Believe me, as someone who has owned about a dozen BMWs I generally like them (no thanks on the V8 stuff though), but it's important to know that if you have $3000 to buy a car and you're looking at a $3000 BMW that is way behind on deferred maintenance, you can't really afford it.

I had a 5-speed 528it myself but don't really miss it, my E46 is probably the only late model BMW I had that I really loved.