Owning BMWs out of Motorplan

[kickasskeegan]

I looked through the search and couldn’t find my exact question answered.

I wanted to find out if there was a higher costs involved with driving a BMW out of motorplan - if it’s a higher engine spec. (Regarding the F30 platform)
So for example if I had a 320D and a 330D. Would I spend more on preventative maintenance?
Same for 320d and a 335i. Would the 335i cost me an arm and a leg more to maintain and keep running.

I can maybe see cost difference between an Msport package and the base package. Obviously bigger tyres, brakes?

 

[cOlDFuSiOn]

My F30 335i came off plan in May.. I was lucky the head gasket blew and head valve cover warped in Feb which was covered under plan.. Meaning the car got a full oil change as well actually then.. So engine wise she is well again.

Since then I have done the following:
4 new RFT Tyres approx R17k (good deal on Contis)
ZF Gearbox Service R3k (special rate)
ZF Diff Service (no charge) OEM oil @ BMW R1.4k per liter
Downpipe R5k.

I want to do smaller items soon, new filters (cabin, air) and park plugs.
Larget items still to do soon as well will be Charge Pipe, Carbon Clean, New Battery. Will see when brakes come around what that will cost.

I am taking it as it comes, the car is doing well, I personally looked after my car for all the years so that 6 cyl was never abused which gives me the confidence to just jump in and drive! At 98k kms now and making a healthy 230wkw/477wnm so the engine is doing well!

 

[kickasskeegan]

How much do the charge pipes and batteries for BMWs typically go for?

From all my research people seem to have had a good reliability with the N55.

@coidfusion I’m impressed with your car! Thank you for the post

 

[Danny2]

There plastic chargepipes from BMW are expensive and they will blow up on you eventually.
You can however get the replacement aftermarket pipes made from Aluminum for around the 4k mark depending on vendor

Battery, doenst have to purchased from bmw as long as it's registered when fitted.
Battery depends on if you need a AGM battery or just a normal battery.

 

[kickasskeegan]

Oh wow. I was expecting the chargepipes to be way more expensive than R4k.

Thanks for the wisdom @Danny!

There plastic chargepipes from BMW are expensive and they will blow up on you eventually.
You can however get the replacement aftermarket pipes made from Aluminum for around the 4k mark depending on vendor

Battery, doenst have to purchased from bmw as long as it's registered when fitted.
Battery depends on if you need a AGM battery or just a normal battery.

 

[NtandoN]

These cars are very reliable when well looked after. My 330d motorplan expired in July and I didn’t renew. I have 105k km and all I’ve done is normal service and wear items, also replaced battery about a year ago. The rear tyres seem to not last

 

[Beemerbro]

Interesting question, and one that seems to come up frequently. I'm not an expert on BMW esp the newer models. But I've had many cars some with service plans, some without. Personally I think service plans are a rip off. They cover motorists at times when they are least likely to experience expensive repairs, and do so at extortionate costs. When motorplan comes to an end, it's usually a very scary time for most BMW owners and rightly so. A brokern beemer can be very costly to repair, unless you know about cars, parts and you can do some DIY. Even when not broken, preventative maintenance can be very pricey.
How much you will pay depends on where you buy the parts, and who does your work. If you're totally reliant on BMW then prepare for hefty bills for the most mundane of services like changing a switch. However, you can pay a fraction of BMW prices for parts and avoid their high labour costs if you use a reliable indy shop with people who know what they're doing. Speak to other enthusiasts and they'll tell you where to go for the best indy work, and where to source parts. Most BMW parts are not made by BMW; they're made by other companies. If you buy those branded parts like Bosch, Siemens, Corteco, Sachs and so on, then you'll pay substantially less at aftermarket parts dealers. They're not pirate parts but OE spec parts that are either the actual part used by BMW or one of the same spec by a reputable manufacturer. So how big your bill is going to be is determined by those factors.
In my experience, BMW parts have not been radically more expensive than ones of other cars. An example recently I paid more for an Opel astra water pump then one for my BMW, both from the main dealer.
Hope this helps :thumbs:

 

[kickasskeegan]

@NtandoN
Very nice. I can imagine the torque on your 330D would do that to your back tyres :fencelook::fencelook:

@Beemerbro
Such a well written post. I obviously wanted to do proper research and after speaking to a dealership and getting quite a scare. They were like "Your car's motorplan is ending soon, you should sell it and get another same spec car with another three years of motorplan. You don't want to own a car like this out of motorplan! If you don't have the finance for same spec we can even go down to a 316i."
So its good to hear some really decent advice.
P.S: My next threat will be along the lines of "Hey guys! Any Reputable indie dealers in JHB" :tiptoe::tiptoe:

 

[Beemerbro]

:ty: @kickasskeegan

Yes I'm sure people on here can point you in the right direction about indys in JHB.
I never leave my car at any shop to be repaired, only for a fault to be investigated. Once we know what is wrong, I always source the part myself so I know precisely what brand I fit. Otherwise dodgy pirate parts can find their way into your car and cause malfunctions or not last, but worse they could ruin a good car. BMWs are very strong durable machines that can go on forever if properly maitained with high quality parts, and that does not necessarily mean from BMW dealerships.
If you have deep pockets, you can buy a new beemer every 3-4 yrs like that salesman was advising you. But if you're like me you can keep your car and just do your research and spend a little every year to keep it on the road and it will give you many more years of reliable and comfortable motoring. What I like most about my BMW is that if properly maintained it drives like new regardless of age. I have two e46 coupes one 19 yrs and the other 15 and they're my most prized possessions and just never dissapoint after so many years. So that should give you some idea that your car is still just a teenager haha (in human terms), and has many more years of life in it. I can guess that a tidy R10 k maintenance a year roughly should keep it happy :thumbs:

 

[kickasskeegan]

Very nice post @Beemerbro

Will keep that noted!

 

[Luke 130i]

N54 335i best BMW I've ever owned maintenance bank on 10k a year

Sent from my ANE-LX1 using Tapatalk

 

[individj]

mgwaiting:

 

[Luke 130i]

mgwaiting:

Promise if It wasn't a 2 door I would keep it forever, I would replace the twin turbos for a single precision 6062 turbo, Dodson performance clutch and a quaife LSD

Super car killer and daily driver all in one

Sent from my ANE-LX1 using Tapatalk

 

[Ash777]

I think Beemerbro said it there.
certain jobs at the stealership would be insane.
As for your initial question...
I think of maintenance plans like an insurance company or casino as in if they did not take more money than they pay out, they would not exist.

 

[TurboLlew]

If you have a good service manager at BMW, he will advise you whether you on whether you should use an indy for a particular job. For some of the basic items, it is usually the same or only slightly more at BMW.

Mine is going to go to TuneTech once off plan though.

If you go in with both eyes open, some knowledge and the right independent workshop (or dealer willing to work with you on price), then you can absolutely have a car out of plan.

An x35 vs. x20 vs 20d vs 30d vs. M are always going to have different costs. This is just logical. The diesels don't need much in the way of preventative work either way. Of the petrols, if I was spending money anyway on preventative work, I would just get the most exciting one possible (x35/x40). I couldn't bring myself to spend effort and money on a 320i personally. There are cars that are worth investing time and money in relative to the thrill they give you or future value you foresee. eg: I would put up with all sorts of nonsense to have a V10, but with Nxx 316/318/320i, they are just appliances that need to 'just work' or else why bother with them (just IMHO - sorry if this offends anyone - just my view).

As to whether certain cars SHOULD be kept after plan? I think its up for debate

 

[kickasskeegan]

Some pretty great points.

Thanks dudes.

 

[Dragonman]

To answer your question about higher specc cars it is simple maths really. I believe most BMW's are very good cars. What I have found is that, like with all other manufacturers, the more power out of smaller the engine, the shorter the lifespan.

Typically the bigger the engine the more oil per service, the more plugs etc. Also the more powerful the car the faster the tyres and brakes will wear...

Also w.r.t the sports vs exclusive pack. Shocks and bigger tyres are certainly more expensive, and the suspension bushes etc. tend to work a lot more.

I also found that owning base or exclusive made the car more forgiving to curbs and pavements etc. which all rack up to costs in the end.

In terms of economy as a cost per km, the 20d's are by far the cheapest to run I found.

Like my fellow fanatics have already said, as with most things in life "eyes wide open" helps you in most situations like builders, insurance sales man, car dealers and service manager :smilebounce:

So knowing a little helps you not get ripped off, I don't think dealers are and better or worse than independents etc. Is the nativity of the customer they all prey on.