135i Maintenance Expenses

[JustAnotherSportsCar]

I’ll spare spelling out all of the details because you can search my prior posts for maintenance and mild upgrades done to my 2008 135i 6MT E88 with about 96,000 miles. I just calculated all of my parts and repair costs since purchasing in August 2021. I have spent about, $11,500, and I did about 95% of the work myself. I bought the car on Cars & Bids for $9,300 before fees and taxes.

This post is not intended to rag on BMW for being a very needy brand (I work at a BMW Dealership), but more for your realistic expectations on what it will cost to bring a 13 year old, 90,xxx mile BMW back to respectable running order.

The car is now in daily driver condition and should hopefully be good for another 75,000 miles. I do like the car, it is fun to drive, and my family really enjoys riding with the top down. That said, if I could go back, I’d probably not have bought an old BMW. I once bought a 2014 Camaro SS 1LE for $27,000 with only 27,000 miles. Two very different cars I know, but equal in fun factor. The 135i is a unique car in my area, I hardly ever see any, so it has that going for it, but at 37, I think this will be my last major overhaul for some time. BTW, I still need to put tires on it, fix the drivers heated seat issue, and fix the passenger seat airbag issue.

Anyway, the wife says I have to keep this thing forever now that I spent so much time and money on it. I’ll enjoy every mile, that’s for sure!

[fotontom]

Completely agree with what you said. I bought my own E82 128 M-sport at 89K miles, and paid $19K. It was a one-owner car, and well taken care of. I did spend $1K on a brake upgrade and $2K on preventative cooling system replacements. All OEM. I plan to spend another $4-5K soon on suspension replacements and upgrades, as miles are now at 110K. Hopefully that will give me an excellent, enjoyable, reliable car that will be good to 200K miles.

If one has the ability, get a BMW credit card. I've had one for 15 years now, and I've offset more than $9K in repairs for the different BMW's I own. There is more than one way to appreciate this brand without having to pay through the nose.

[GoRomeo]

Originally Posted by JustAnotherSportsCar

I’ll spare spelling out all of the details because you can search my prior posts for maintenance and mild upgrades done to my 2008 135i 6MT E88 with about 96,000 miles. I just calculated all of my parts and repair costs since purchasing in August 2021. I have spent about, $11,500, and I did about 95% of the work myself. I bought the car on Cars & Bids for $9,300 before fees and taxes.

This post is not intended to rag on BMW for being a very needy brand (I work at a BMW Dealership), but more for your realistic expectations on what it will cost to bring a 13 year old, 90,xxx mile BMW back to respectable running order.

The car is now in daily driver condition and should hopefully be good for another 75,000 miles. I do like the car, it is fun to drive, and my family really enjoys riding with the top down. That said, if I could go back, I’d probably not have bought an old BMW. I once bought a 2014 Camaro SS 1LE for $27,000 with only 27,000 miles. Two very different cars I know, but equal in fun factor. The 135i is a unique car in my area, I hardly ever see any, so it has that going for it, but at 37, I think this will be my last major overhaul for some time. BTW, I still need to put tires on it, fix the drivers heated seat issue, and fix the passenger seat airbag issue.

Anyway, the wife says I have to keep this thing forever now that I spent so much time and money on it. I’ll enjoy every mile, that’s for sure!

Wow 11k in repairs?? That sounds like a lot.

[JustAnotherSportsCar]

New stock turbos, M3 front suspension, BMW PPK2 & programming, all new coolant hoses, water pump, thermostat, Vanos solenoids, almost every sensor on the engine, most engine gaskets, B6 shocks, accessory belt & pullys, spark plugs, filters, coolant, oil, PS fluid, PS reservoir, rollbar sensor reset, various missing or damaged trim pieces, leak detection pump, bake pad sensors, antenna base & mast, satellite radio & install kit, convertible top rear glass seal repair, side indicator lights, O2 sensors, alignment, brake fluid flush, rear tow link bars…

I’m sure there is more, but like I said, modest upgrades and getting the vehicle to a place where it is a reliable daily driver. These cars are complex and expensive to maintain in top shape. While I didn’t need to replace everything that I did, while I had it apart, it was worth doing. I don’t plan on digging that deep again for a long time.

If you can’t DIY, and don’t have the means to pay for repairs, consider something more wallet friendly. (As I write this, I am sitting in the 135 in a parking lot with the Professional audio blasting and enjoying the car, about to drive home).

[GoRomeo]

Originally Posted by JustAnotherSportsCar

New stock turbos, M3 front suspension, BMW PPK2 & programming, all new coolant hoses, water pump, thermostat, Vanos solenoids, almost every sensor on the engine, most engine gaskets, B6 shocks, accessory belt & pullys, spark plugs, filters, coolant, oil, PS fluid, PS reservoir, rollbar sensor reset, various missing or damaged trim pieces, leak detection pump, bake pad sensors, antenna base & mast, satellite radio & install kit, convertible top rear glass seal repair, side indicator lights, O2 sensors, alignment, brake fluid flush, rear tow link bars…

I’m sure there is more, but like I said, modest upgrades and getting the vehicle to a place where it is a reliable daily driver. These cars are complex and expensive to maintain in top shape. While I didn’t need to replace everything that I did, while I had it apart, it was worth doing. I don’t plan on digging that deep again for a long time.

If you can’t DIY, and don’t have the means to pay for repairs, consider something more wallet friendly. (As I write this, I am sitting in the 135 in a parking lot with the Professional audio blasting and enjoying the car, about to drive home).

Wow. Thats a lot. Well lets enjoy the ride while we can ! 😂🤙

[JustAnotherSportsCar]

Here she is:

[GoRomeo]

Originally Posted by JustAnotherSportsCar

Here she is:

She looks happy ☝️😂. Wow look at all of those pics. Thanks for sharing!!!

[Lester]

Is that a 'Mary K' pink Thunderbird?

[JustAnotherSportsCar]

Originally Posted by Lester

Is that a 'Mary K' pink Thunderbird?

My Dad’s 63 Sahara Rose Thunderbird.

[demas]

Good information. I should calculate my spend too since getting the 135/6MT last year. But since I don't daily it, it wouldn't represent accurate cost of ownership.

On your costs, would you be able to break that into two categories - (1) for just keeping it nicely running as a daily and (2) the 'fun' stuff.

I'm guessing most of that 11K would still be in category 1 but interested to see the difference.

[JustAnotherSportsCar]

I’d say the fun stuff has probably cost me around $2,110. I never calculated true running costs, so fuel, insurance and such are missing.

Yes, just the maintenance and upkeep was quite pricey, and it’s not like it all went bad after I bought it. It came in the neglected condition. It still ran great though; I drove it back to Iowa from Miami.

[mkeiser]

I got very unlucky and had to do the VANOS gear bolt repair (out of warranty) less than a year after my purchase... although that gave me the opportunity to do the waterpump/thermostat, oil pan gasket, valve cover gasket, engine/transmission mounts, etc... parts weren't that bad but I haven't added everything up.

I'd estimate maintenance parts in my less than two year ownership to be between $3k-$4k. All DIY...

Car is sorted for a while though, I do want to refresh suspension and then brakes but neither are necessary at this moment.

edit; oops... completely glossed over you were asking about 135i my bad!

[demas]

Originally Posted by JustAnotherSportsCar

..It came in the neglected condition..

These cars are rare so glad to see them being kept up... she looks great.

[JustAnotherSportsCar]

Originally Posted by demas

These cars are rare so glad to see them being kept up... she looks great.

When I say neglected, I just mean it had been treated like anyone would treat your avarage older car above 75,000 miles. They kept up on oil changes, brakes and whatnot, and halfheartedly attempted other repairs. It feels good to have brought it back to life in the way it deserves. You just really have to be a 1’er to own one of these!

[fast1eddy]

I’ve owned my 08 135i for over 10 years now. I budget around $2500 a year for maintenance/upgrades. I’d say on average that’s probably what I’ve spent and I diy 90% of it. There’s very little of the car I haven’t touched. I’m done with upgrades now as I’ve done everything I wanted to the car but I’ll likely still spend that much on maintenance. It’s a never ending battle if you want to maintain your car in top condition.

[Eyeman]

I'm the original owner of my full bolt on modded 2008. I think I have 138k miles. After they figured out our warranted fuel pump problem I've had very few issues. Not quite like a Toyota, etc, but not bad. I might have had most of my injectors replaced. The water pump to the turbos went out (the only time the car left me needing a tow). I had an oil leak issue I think around the oil filter area. The passenger side window mechanism failed. Some relay etc caused my fan to not come on properly so the car would run hot in traffic. My driver's side mirror housing had issues and now that autodimming mirror is getting distorted.

For sure the car is prone to radio not working sometimes. I can't see the radio display in the summer heat. The top paint did not hold up well. Dash keeps getting funkier looking. With all my mods the car is pretty prone to going into limp mode mainly as I'm just getting going in the summer. But overall it's been a pretty economical and fun car.

[zx10guy]

I have to say I can't really complain about the experience with my 135i after getting the DCT drivability issues sorted. My thread on this is a sticky in one of the subforums. The issues I've had with my car are the OFHG, water pump, and recently the plastic charge pipe just went. I'm the original owner and the car is a 2013 with about 102k miles on it.

Car still looks showroom new as I've kept it in the garage under a car cover. This car was my daily until I got my Toyota C-HR in 2019. Prior to that, the car was driven daily to include through winter weather (snow/ice).

[135mass]

Nice car!! I have a 2008 135i coupe with now 155,000 miles. Imagine how much you would have spent to get it in that condition having a shop or dealer doing the work. You would definitely be underwater from a cost/value perspective. I love the car but it’s been a bit ridiculous the number of things that have gone sideways. Poor engineering decisions abound for the level of performance gained in my opinion. Injectors, fuel pumps, turbos, three separate leaking oil gaskets all dreadful choices from what is supposed to be a world class manufacturer. When it is in good nick it is a joy but cmon guys!! Enjoy the car!

[JustAnotherSportsCar]

Originally Posted by 135mass

Nice car!! I have a 2008 135i coupe with now 155,000 miles. Imagine how much you would have spent to get it in that condition having a shop or dealer doing the work. You would definitely be underwater from a cost/value perspective. I love the car but it’s been a bit ridiculous the number of things that have gone sideways. Poor engineering decisions abound for the level of performance gained in my opinion. Injectors, fuel pumps, turbos, three separate leaking oil gaskets all dreadful choices from what is supposed to be a world class manufacturer. When it is in good nick it is a joy but cmon guys!! Enjoy the car!

How many miles did it have when you bought it? I agree with everything you said.

[Wazowski]

I was a VW guy when I went out on a financial limb and bought my 2008 E88 135 6M. It just turned 194k miles today. Although I’ve never added up the receipts in my folder, I don’t have a sense of the car being a money pit. Plugs, media blast, fluids and tires are the constants. Shocks, gaskets and soft top replacement the outliers (turbos replaced under warranty about 12 years ago). Fun stuff like short shift, stage1 Dinan, and front seat reapolstered leather are by choice. This car’s driving satisfaction is still a 9 out of 10.

[GoRomeo]

Originally Posted by Wazowski

I was a VW guy when I went out on a financial limb and bought my 2008 E88 135 6M. It just turned 194k miles today. Although I’ve never added up the receipts in my folder, I don’t have a sense of the car being a money pit. Plugs, media blast, fluids and tires are the constants. Shocks, gaskets and soft top replacement the outliers (turbos replaced under warranty about 12 years ago). Fun stuff like short shift, stage1 Dinan, and front seat reapolstered leather are by choice. This car’s driving satisfaction is still a 9 out of 10.

Awesome car right? Thanks for sharing your car experience. I just bought my e88 back in April. 112K miles on the clock. Its more like a project/weekend car. My daughter loves it too. ☝️😊

[JustAnotherSportsCar]

Originally Posted by Wazowski

I was a VW guy when I went out on a financial limb and bought my 2008 E88 135 6M. It just turned 194k miles today. Although I’ve never added up the receipts in my folder, I don’t have a sense of the car being a money pit. Plugs, media blast, fluids and tires are the constants. Shocks, gaskets and soft top replacement the outliers (turbos replaced under warranty about 12 years ago). Fun stuff like short shift, stage1 Dinan, and front seat reapolstered leather are by choice. This car’s driving satisfaction is still a 9 out of 10.

Boy does the E88 look nice every time I see one! I’d say I stop short of calling it a money pit, but for those who think they are getting a smoking deal on a sub $10k modern BMW, think again (I understood what I was getting into, though I had figured like $5-6k in repairs and upgrades). It is great to see these cars can be enjoyed up to and past 200,000 miles! Had I only picked the car up a few years earlier, I could have had the turbos replaced under warranty. Oh well, I learned so much about the car completing the job myself, and was able to address other items a technician would have looked past.

I’m in a town of about 60,000 people and in the last few years, I have only seen one other 135, I do see a 128 E88 from time to time. Are these cars just as rare in the larger metros?