Is maintenance cost of BMW 5 much more than 3?

[Benny]

Could anyone tell me the maintenance cost of a 2001 BMW 530i with about 100K? The owner said it was always serviced and in a good condition, and timing belt didn't need to be changed. The owners also said 100K tune up had just been done.  There is a problem mentioned: the control bushing? at rear wheel (not sure if I explained correctly) need to be replaced.

Generally, Is maintenance cost of BMW 5 much more than 3(both labor and parts)?

Thanks!

[gearnofear]

Here's the deal about BMW's, Most shops will not touch them simply because most times the parts are either unattainable, to expensive, or they don't want to liability of the BMW. I would shop around and find out if the dealer is your best option or if you can find a shop who has a reasonable labor and price for work and repair on BMW's. In the area where I live, the shops that DO handle BMW's have different rates for repair on BMW's simple because of the labor and cost involved with them. I don't touch them here in my shop do to an incident that happened 10 years ago. But for the repair your talking about. 3K is a good start for what it will cost for the repair. I would also get a second opinion on the timing belt. If it have 100K and the belt has never been replaced. It should be done. Most manufactures recommend 70-100K on their timing belts.

[georgem]

Dear benny,

Gearnofear is correct.

The parts for BMW are little more expensive but durable.

Most workshops dont want to repair BMW,coz they may not be specialised in these cars.or the cannot find the original parts in local spare parts shops.

When buying from dealers,they cannot make much profit on the spares.

So some will avoid all this hassle.

In your case,if u compare 5 series and 3 series,it will be little difference in price for maintainace and repairs.

the 2001 -530i with 100k miles which u had mentioned,can serve u another 200k miles provided you maintain it and renew the bushings and carry out minor repairs in time.

BMW cars are reliable,luxurious and durable.

U can try one.Good luck.

[deautophile]

the 5 costs slightly more, but not a lot. you wont really notice a difference.



but honestly, you shouldnt be buying a bmw if you cant afford to keep it up ; )

[keeptheuroalive]

In general no the up keep is not much more. The bushing I think you are talking about is the rear trailing arm bushing. This is a fix that is pretty easy and helps keep the rear end from feeling sloppy. The repair is around $400 including parts if I recall. If you are handy though go buy a Bentley manual and spend a weekend wrenching. Personally I do not let anyone work on my car but myself. But to answer the original question the upkeep is not much different between the 3 and 5 series both use many of the same parts for the engine and a few of the same for the suspension.