High Mileage 128i Reliability

[desertman123]

Anecdotal evidence:

I bought at 80k with only a few maintenance records, and now I'm at 113k.

Here's my maintenance log.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...t?usp=drivesdk

[olds350]

Originally Posted by desertman123

Anecdotal evidence:

I bought at 80k with only a few maintenance records, and now I'm at 113k.

Here's my maintenance log.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...it?usp=sharing

Great maintenance log. Reminds me I need to change out the brake fluid. BTW, nice detective work on the OFHG by looking at the antifreeze. That's an easy thing to check. Will be looking in the a.m. at mine.

[desertman123]

Originally Posted by olds350

Great maintenance log. Reminds me I need to change out the brake fluid. BTW, nice detective work on the OFHG by looking at the antifreeze. That's an easy thing to check. Will be looking in the a.m. at mine.

You can see a few specs in the bottom of the pan.

[snub-nose 28]

Originally Posted by minirips2

Make sure they have two keys. New keys are only available at a BMW dealer, and they have to be coded to the car. They're not cheap, and only having one key is very risky. Like Northern Dancer said, maintenance records are like gold. They are also usually unavailable at a used car dealer, because most of them come from auctions. It seems like it's only genuine car guys who track maintenance. Take CarFax information with a grain of salt. I scraped up a friend's 'Vette once. He sold it with clean CarFax because I did the right thing and took care of it.

Misplaced one on a jobsite across country. Hotel $$ ?, key $253.00 as dealer orders it, fob gets coded in Cali and the old-school blade is laser cut...then overnighted to dealership. Lyft or rental unit $$?

Have to present NSA quality bulletproof ID associating you with the vehicle.

I had my spare so was only a $600 'event'.

[chris_flies]

A 182,600-mile valvetrain.

[rowsdower]

Originally Posted by chris_flies

A 182,600-mile valvetrain.

I know you haven't had the car for most of those miles, but what's your interval? I do 5k and mine looks like yours. I saw a few pics of others with pretty bad sludge buildup that were allegedly following the BMW interval.

Also is this an old pic from your valve cover job or did you get MILVs??

[chris_flies]

Originally Posted by rowsdower

I know you haven't had the car for most of those miles, but what's your interval? I do 5k and mine looks like yours. I saw a few pics of others with pretty bad sludge buildup that were allegedly following the BMW interval.

Also is this an old pic from your valve cover job or did you get MILVs??

That's an older-ish pic from when I did my valve cover. My interval is 5k miles, for the last 24k miles. Castrol 0w-40 Euro and a Mann filter. The oil and filter after I first got the car was pretty clean, so I'd hazard a guess that the PO did 5k mile intervals...

[Thunderguts]

The 128i will never be a Honda, but it's reliable for a BMW. I wouldn't get one with 120k miles if it's your only source or transportation. At that age, you're looking at some pretty costly wear items (I'm looking at you $1,200 flywheel!). I doubt you'll have any catastrophic failures at that age, but the basic maintenance bills will add up.

If I were 17, I would really want a 128i, but it wouldn't be a wise decision for me. When I was 17 I had a 280Z. It broke down fairly regularly, but it was cheap to repair. If you can be without it for a few days while you work on it, you'll be rewarded with one of the best driving cars you'll ever find.

Most of us don't care that our cars aren't exactly cheap to maintain, because it's worth it for the driving experience. Look at this thread: https://www.1addicts.com/forums/show....php?t=1534412. Almost no one is willing to replace their 1 with anything else made today. It's absolutely worth the maintenance costs if you have the funds to keep them running in peak form.

[MightyMouseTech]

Most important thing, do not follow factory OCI. Every 5000 miles (8000 km) minimum.

I see so many collapsed oil filters from people who follow the factory OCI.

[JimD]

I ordered mine and just turned over to 80,000 this weekend. The only time I've been towed was for an alternator that failed. If it had been one of my previous cars, I think I could have driven it to a Walmart to get a battery but because it was a BMW, it freaked out and died on the interstate. AAA was good and we figured out on the shoulder that it wasn't the battery, it was the alternator. So I had it flat bedded to a repair place (not dealer) who charged me $800 for a new alternator. Done in a day. I rented a car so I could get to work and back to the repair place.

I think one breakdown in 10 years is not so bad but the repair cost was high because it is a BMW. A flat with no spare is another opportunity for time/money wasting. I plan to keep mine and drive it as long as it is reliable and I enjoy it. But I can afford the AAA membership (although I might switch to something else with towing) and the repair bills. I don't think BMWs break down significantly more than other brands but they are not the best either. I think the significant thing is the cost of each breakdown will be 2-3 times what it would be on a high volume inexpensive car. You need to be sure you can handle that.

[Matticus91]

Originally Posted by russo414

Hey guys! First off, I'm Anthony and I am brand new to this forum (although I have been reading through it for awhile). I don't know if this is in the right spot, so i apologize in advance if it is!
So I am about to be 17 and I am looking for a car. I have wanted a 128i for a long time now and have done a good bit of research.
The 128i's that I have been looking at are all between 90k-120k miles. My concern would be getting one with such high mileage and have to constantly pour money into repairs.
So basically, how reliable are these cars past 120k miles, and how much more mileage can I expect to see. (Assuming all proper maintenance was done). Also are there any major repairs I should be looking out for to be done, or that I will have to do.

There's some great advice in here from the other guys so I'll just summarize from my own experiences.

Non-turbo BMW's are not at all off track of any other car when it comes to high mileage. You need to be just as careful buying a 100k Ford as a 100k 128i.

And regardless of any records or promises from the previous owner or dealership, PLAN FOR FAILURE. Don't get caught in a situation where you've purchased a car you can't afford to fix.

For example, my friend recently purchased a VERY clean 128i coupe, with full service records, a BMW PPI, and about 83k on the clock. Two weeks after he bought it the engine spun a bearing and $3,500 later he had another N51 dropped in. Shit happens to all cars, but BMW parts prices are higher than other brands and it's something worth thinking about.

[kaputt]

Originally Posted by JimD

I ordered mine and just turned over to 80,000 this weekend. The only time I've been towed was for an alternator that failed. If it had been one of my previous cars, I think I could have driven it to a Walmart to get a battery but because it was a BMW, it freaked out and died on the interstate. AAA was good and we figured out on the shoulder that it wasn't the battery, it was the alternator. So I had it flat bedded to a repair place (not dealer) who charged me $800 for a new alternator. Done in a day. I rented a car so I could get to work and back to the repair place.

I think one breakdown in 10 years is not so bad but the repair cost was high because it is a BMW. A flat with no spare is another opportunity for time/money wasting. I plan to keep mine and drive it as long as it is reliable and I enjoy it. But I can afford the AAA membership (although I might switch to something else with towing) and the repair bills. I don't think BMWs break down significantly more than other brands but they are not the best either. I think the significant thing is the cost of each breakdown will be 2-3 times what it would be on a high volume inexpensive car. You need to be sure you can handle that.

Had this exact same thing happen to me, except it was my 2010 Honda Accord.
Had it flat bedded and everything. Can’t exactly remember the repair cost, but think it was $600? Just proof that these things can even happen to “reliable” Honda’s. To date, my Honda is still the only car that’s ever stranded me.

And that’s not to knock Honda. I still have the car and outside of that it’s been great. So far no problems on my 128i as well. But I’ve only put 9,000 on it and only had it one year.

[bmw1racer]

Originally Posted by JimD

A flat with no spare is another opportunity for time/money wasting.

You said it.

I had my third flat in a year's time a couple of days ago. What a hassle.

[JimD]

Mine will be 10 in June and I have not had a flat that couldn't be plugged in it yet. My ex had a couple traveling the same routes I did (she also drives a e88). I carry a Viair compressor and plugging kit in the trunk but have only used the compressor on the bimmer. I used the plugging kit once on a Suzuki SUV I have now given to my son. Mostly I use the compressor when the air gets cool and I have the low pressure warning light on the dash. Happened in the mountains on a club drive this year. I think I've had a plug or two installed but they were slow leaks that I just pumped up until I got to the tire place. I prefer their patches installed from the inside but keep my kit with me to potentially get me home with a little big bigger leak.

[ulrichd]

My 09 128 is about to hit 96K miles. Below is my maintenance schedule. Most recently I've had some bigger repairs (a/c evaporator and next week valve cover gasket) but 6 years of no car payments adds up to about $28K

[Gray_Panther]

Great engines the N51/52 are.
But staying on top of maintenance is paramount. Oil changes, spark plugs, vanos, gaskets so on and so forth. Staying on top of maintenances should give you a relatively headache free owning experience.

[rowsdower]

Originally Posted by Gray_Panther

Great engines the N51/52 are.
But staying on top of maintenance is paramount. Oil changes, spark plugs, vanos, gaskets so on and so forth. Staying on top of maintenances should give you a relatively headache free owning experience.

I would have agreed with you 18 months ago, but my 2011 seems to be nickel and diming me lately. Every time I turn around it's something else relatively minor that needs to be addressed. My brake master cylinder went last week. $197 for a new one from FCP Euro (OEM, not OE - OE would be $400).

My ALL button no longer works and I haven't even looked into what that will take to get fixed. It doesn't matter that much but I almost always drive the 1er alone, so I end up setting the temperature twice each time I want to change it since I can no longer lock the 2 sides together with the ALL button.

I have a couple other minor things to eventually get to. These cars are reaching that age where they're going to need constant attention if you want them to operate 100%, or you live with small things being inoperative. I do agree that it isn't major component failures so that is a good thing.

[Thunderguts]

Originally Posted by rowsdower

These cars are reaching that age where they're going to need constant attention if you want them to operate 100%, or you live with small things being inoperative. I do agree that it isn't major component failures so that is a good thing.

Let's hope not. My Prelude made it 20 years before the constant maintenance became an issue. Even so, what else will give you as much joy when it's running? Worst case scenario: you pay $300 a month in repair costs. That won't even buy you an economy car these days and I hate most new cars anyway. I bought my 128i as a beater but I love it so damn much not that I don't think I'll ever get rid of it.

[ulrichd]

I look at the big picture. My 128 is 10 years old, paid off in 4. 6 years without car payments is about $30K. I recently had the a/c condensor go out and just did the valve cover gasket. Overall still ahead of the game money wise. Also still really enjoy the car.

[Esteban]

Originally Posted by ulrichd

I look at the big picture. My 128 is 10 years old, paid off in 4. 6 years without car payments is about $30K. I recently had the a/c condensor go out and just did the valve cover gasket. Overall still ahead of the game money wise. Also still really enjoy the car.

135i here. Had mine since October 2010. No payments for quite a while. No major problems yet and still love the car.

[chris82]

Posts about unreliability are rare here when it comes to the 128i. With standard maintenance you shouldn't run into any issues

Edit: Except whats expected: things such as the valve cover gasket, oil filter housing gasket, probably other stuff I'm forgetting, part just wear out! The intervals are high though. My original VCG and OFHG lasted til i got them replaced at 85k, and even then they were "advisable" to replace, I could have gone longer.

[chris82]

Originally Posted by rowsdower

I would have agreed with you 18 months ago, but my 2011 seems to be nickel and diming me lately. Every time I turn around it's something else relatively minor that needs to be addressed. My brake master cylinder went last week. $197 for a new one from FCP Euro (OEM, not OE - OE would be $400).

My ALL button no longer works and I haven't even looked into what that will take to get fixed. It doesn't matter that much but I almost always drive the 1er alone, so I end up setting the temperature twice each time I want to change it since I can no longer lock the 2 sides together with the ALL button.

I have a couple other minor things to eventually get to. These cars are reaching that age where they're going to need constant attention if you want them to operate 100%, or you live with small things being inoperative. I do agree that it isn't major component failures so that is a good thing.

I think what you're talking about isn't anything specific to the 128i. Lots of cars will have these small issues with age and higher mileage. I think the point OP is asking is, is it going to be mechanically reliable and not set him back hundreds and thousands of dollars every year. I think the answer is definitely a Yes. With normal maintenance this car should keep going. Having to fix a dash button for setting the temperature is not going to prevent the car from driving everyday