Questioning my 135i Purchase immediately...

[Marlbombs]

Just a little venting/PSA...these cars can be PRICEY to fix. I just bought a 2011 CPO 135i two weeks ago. I have about a year left on the CPO warranty. Over the weekend I got a "passenger restraint system malfunction" warning and two idiot lights on the dash. I took the car in to BMW and it is a seat pad sensor (that tells the car if it should turn the airbag on or off). According to the dealer, this is $2100 in parts alone, because the sensor is sewn into the upholstery. Luckily my CPO warranty will cover it. However, if a seat sensor is going to cost me that much in the future, what is a major mechanical problem going to cost?!

I know some of you will reply that I shouldn't go to the dealership because they are expensive, and I won't once I am out of warranty. However this part is over ~$1200 on the internet. I know you have to pay to play, but WOW!

That said, I love the car so far /rant over

[davis449]

Go extensively research extended warranties (i.e. EasyCare), pick one from a provider that covers EVERYTHING, and pre-empitvely spend $2-$3K on it a year from now when the CPO is up. Now, stop worrying and go enjoy your new purchase.

[mr.fabulous]

Personally, I share your concern. I can do simple maintenance... but for the harder stuff, I don't have an indie that can work on these cars and the closest dealer is 15 miles away. I have about 18mos of CPO remaining; I'll evaluate what to do before that time comes. No issues with the car so far (six months).

Regarding your seat sensor... is just that part available (without the seat cover)? Sewing a new one in is less work than you might think, a guy can get the cover off the seat bottom pretty easily (I outright replaced the driver leather on my previous car, it's surprisingly easy).

[MightyMouseTech]

Wow, glad I am having the dealer look at this. Had the same code couple of months ago.

Sorry to hear OP.

[Marlbombs]

From some quick internet searching, for our cars you have to buy the whole leather wrapped seat cushion. From get BMW parts...it was still like $1200.

[Fume]

Definitely. Every little electronic components worries me a little bit and sometimes I wish I didn't get the premium and tech packages. I got another 2 years on my warranty and although I probably won't be getting any extended warranty afterwards, I'll definitely be putting aside some money per month for possible issues that might come up.

[NorthernDancer]

Its definitely safety related and I'm sure the NHTSA would like to know about this. A simple seat switch shouldn't fail that quickly (read defect). Now, once the car is well out of warranty, the seat switch should be just a switch, most likely open when nobody in passenger seat and closed when there is. I know what I'd do.

[MightyMouseTech]

Just curious. Is it possible the seat got wet? That can trigger many seat pad sensors like that. Sometimes just letting it dry out and resetting the SRS computer is all that it needs.

[Marlbombs]

Originally Posted by MightyMouseTech

Just curious. Is it possible the seat got wet? That can trigger many seat pad sensors like that. Sometimes just letting it dry out and resetting the SRS computer is all that it needs.

I actually read that, but no. The seat hasnt gotten wet since I've owned it.

[potxoli]

At some point, especially when out of warranty, DIY and used parts are the way to go. A single used sport seat costs about $400-$500 shipped. I bought two of them to replace my non sports seats. This would have fixed the problem above. Dealership is stealership when there is no warranty

[Cavpilot2k]

Yeah, I can't imagine that it can't be replaced with a much simpler pressure switch. Weight on: closed. Weight off: open.
I'd be willing to bet you could build/buy a DIY substitute for $50 or less. Sure, it wouldn't be BMW OEM, but if you're like me, you didn't buy this car because it's a BMW, you bought it for the awesome machine that it is. If it had a Hyundai badge but was the exact same machine, I would still own it.

So, back to the point: a DIY pressure switch would be easy and inexpensive if you were out of warranty. (Plus it's under the seat-nobody would know its not original).

[EMWOLB]

Well you could pull the fuse on that sucker. Also don't let anyone ride shotgun!

[Swimjim]

i feel your pain. i just spent $2300 (down from $2500) to have oil filter housing, oil pan and valve cover gaskets changed; new oil; new spark plugs; coolant flush. the car just turned 90k so i knew it was coming.

i also had an issue with the passenger side seat, but warranty covered it. i then had an issue with the driver's side, but it was a wiring snafu and still cost me $600.

in the end, i guess its the cost to drive a bimmer!

[The Wind Breezes]

Car upkeep out of warranty is a gamble and the odds are not in your favor in the long run. You do have to pay to play, however, the cost can be a lot less if you're willing to perform sometimes difficult work on the car yourself and accept reduced functionality--such as would be provided by a simple switch or hard on / off of the passenger airbag.

[Vigilante375]

That is what happens when you buy a "high quality" German car.

[mike@x-ph.com]

I question my 335 purchase often, but as soon as i got WOT i know i made the right decision

[Black Prinz]

At this point you have to call a spade a spade.

BMW/Mini has had a continuing problem with the seat mat sensors; had it on my 09, known problem on E60's and recently:

http://www.edmunds.com/car-news/2005...g-problem.html

[mr.fabulous]

There is no issue if you have no friends

[KNS]

Originally Posted by The Wind Breezes

Car upkeep out of warranty is a gamble and the odds are not in your favor in the long run. You do have to pay to play, however, the cost can be a lot less if you're willing to perform sometimes difficult work on the car yourself and accept reduced functionality--such as would be provided by a simple switch or hard on / off of the passenger airbag.

I've got 191,000 miles on my '04 325i (141,000 miles out of warranty), doing all the work myself and avoiding the dealer - nothing has ever gone wrong with the car. Not even a check engine light. My 128i doesn't seem screwed together quite as well so we'll see how she holds up in the long run.

Edit: Just remembered, two of the window regulators failed - but other than that....

[mr.fabulous]

Originally Posted by KNS

I've got 191,000 miles on my '04 325i (141,000 miles out of warranty), doing all the work myself and avoiding the dealer - nothing has ever gone wrong with the car. Not even a check engine light. My 128i doesn't seem screwed together quite as well so we'll see how she holds up in the long run.

I got 177K out of my '96 E36. Car was touched by somebody other than me three times: oil separator (CPO), VANOS problem, one wheel bearing I didn't have a press to remove. All other maintenance was done by only me over all those years (bought the car in '99 at 18K). As cars grow increasingly computerized and otherwise tricked-up with electronics, however, I'm not so confident I'll have the same opportunity to keep my 1er rolling for that many miles. Plus such a large motor crammed into such a small space makes the thing look impossible. I know there are plenty of guys here who deal with that regularly, however, and so maybe I'm unnecessarily intimidated by the thing? That, and I'm just plain tired of working on cars (old age). Time will tell...

[KNS]

They say the E36 and E46 are the last of the analog cars - much easier to take care of and maintain. Very DIY friendly, mine certainly has been.

[bmw1racer]

Originally Posted by mr.fabulous

I got 177K out of my '96 E36. Car was touched by somebody other than me three times: oil separator (CPO), VANOS problem, one wheel bearing I didn't have a press to remove. All other maintenance was done by only me over all those years (bought the car in '99 at 18K). As cars grow increasingly computerized and otherwise tricked-up with electronics, however, I'm not so confident I'll have the same opportunity to keep my 1er rolling for that many miles. Plus such a large motor crammed into such a small space makes the thing look impossible. I know there are plenty of guys here who deal with that regularly, however, and so maybe I'm unnecessarily intimidated by the thing? That, and I'm just plain tired of working on cars (old age). Time will tell...

You said it.

I had my 1994 E36 for 18 years, 120K miles... The only major problem was a blown diff at around 70K.