Tonight, I just browsing on E46fanatics and looking for ne deals but then this thread draw my attention since I got that problem too.
http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthr...145540&page=11

And from that thread bring me to another forum that someone was so freaking sick of BMW and decide to come to the bright side... TSX.
http://bimmer.roadfly.com/bmw/forums/e39/7615742-1.html
See how many replys with the same problem and yes I got the same problem too and paid $1400 to fix it. Please all the German cheer leader only come here to praise the inline, RWD, paint...etc on German but dun try to say German is reliable over here and give us a good entertainment.

 

That link to those threads isn't very clear. Kind of confusing because too many people replied. I used to have an E39. Which specific problem are you referring to? The gasket problem? radiator? water pump? resevoir? pixels going out in dash? rear camber wondering out of spec often?

 

Bwhahaaaaa, isn't one of those enough?!

 

hahah good one!

To buy a bmw is to have sex (ruberless) with a hot girl with a STD.

If enough blood can go to your brain, you will realize it's the dumbest thing to do.

 

No, it is not the tear off sub frame, control arm bushing, famous x'mas effect, all those crappy sensor, sucks tranny...etc. It is the vanos issue that cause the car rough idle or stall ne time during cold weather. And it is not only on E39, it happened on every BMW with double vanos such as E36, E46...etc.

 

Yeah confusing but I hear alot of angry bimmer dudes screaming about idle issues...

 

You know electrical bugaboos and the like are one thing, but when a car stalls while moving, that's incredibly dangerous. I love Bimmers, but I'd have to think hard about buying one right now.

 

You know, before I started shopping for my first car, I just thought that all lux brands were inherently better, more reliable, etc. Being a "car noob", I am still learning a lot, but now I know better. And the more I read about Bimmer and Benz, and also Audi, man, I am just glad I bought my TSX! I had looked at A4's, C230's, and 3 series not knowing how unreliable and high maintenance they can be. It's a miracle they are still around considering some of the horror stories I've heard.

BTW, what is vanos? (sorry for the noob question)

 

VANOS is an automobile variable valve timing technology developed by BMW.

 

more technology equipped in a car, the more complex the car will be, the more likely for bugs/issues to happen.

some manufacturers introduce brand new technology into a vehicle too, which can also be a factor.

all brands/models have their problems though. it just depends on what the buyer is looking for, i guess...

 

I was seriously considering a E90 325i but after browsing a few BMW forums, it really scares me off. It seems that most BMW owners either lease their car or replace it every four years to stay in warranty. $1200 break jobs, $1,500 to replace the tires....scary. I have just about ruled out the BMW at this point. My wife prefers the TL but I am still leaning towards a TSX.

 

I think a majority of BMW/Benz customers are people who are looking for a status symbol. These companies have done a great job marketing and so people feel they are getting a modern marvel of technology when they overpay for one. There is a bit of an arrogance factor that comes along with these cars (I'm sorry but 8 out of 10 owners drive like the rules of the road don't apply to them) In my personal experience anyway.

No doubt, these cars can perform... but why pay all that $ for a little symbol on the hood when it's going spend alot of time on a flatbed after a few years. (not unlike VW/Audi products)

I have known a few people with BMW's. The best one I have seen is my friends 94 318 sedan he picked up for 7 grand with well over 100k on it. He drove it regularly from FL to Chicago on business. Sold it to another friend of mine with 250,000 on the clock and he commutes to NYC with it.

Reliability has suffered greatly in the past 5-10 years. And maintenance is an arm and a leg. Why do you think you see so many 4 year old bimmers for sale?... once the free service and warranty wear off... who needs the headache...unless you can afford it.

Honda products have yet to let me down so I'll keep buying them And the TSX is one of the best well rounded sport/lux cars on the road IMO.

 

Looks like you'll be getting the TL.

Another thought I had while considering the 330i: If/when I got the "mod bug," these cars are TONS more expensive. Wheels, exhaust, headers, etc ALL will cost you big time. And after all that's done, I'll still wish I had an M3.

In the real world, my TSX has the best blend of luxury, sport, and of course, reliability.

My brother's E46 325i is in the shop so often, he knows the advisors at Shelly BMW (SoCal) by first name! I asked him, "Isn't maintenance free?" He replied, "Yeah. But who's going to pay you for your time and inconvenience?"

 

hmmm....note too self that M6 I was dreaming about someday...stay away hahaha

 

My opinion on this, is that BMW are fun cars to drive, I was honestly looking at one, but reading about electrical issues scared me away from one. Plus, to me, the 3 series seems to have that "sorority girl" car image to them. The Mercedes C-class just didn't seem fun to me and was in my opinion overpriced for what you get. I wasn't really looking for the status symbol when purchased my next car, but I did want a semi-luxury vehicle, that was somewhat decent on gas, with a stick shift (most important). But I was actually looking at the Mazda 3s, and almost decided on buying one, if the driving experience in the TSX didn't blow me away.

The surprising truth is that they hold their resale value very well. So apparently there still is a demand for them, one of which I know, my co-worker.

Dude is just ignorant and he won't listen to me about BMWs and their mechanical failures. Then he recently has been considering a Jetta, , I think the boy needs some of that "school of hard knocks" experience to listen to me about researching a car more before purchasing and not just buying something because it's luxury or looks good.

 

Oh yea... i forgot to mention the control arm issue. lol
On my E39 i think i was getting close to the same problem. The car would sort of sputter sometimes in the winter time when you are starting her up. Sounded like a lawn mower starting up at times if the conditions were just right. It started to warm up that year so everything seemed to be fine. I later on ended up selling it since i had a feeling everything would just go haywire and it'd cost me mucho dinero to get repaired right again. The guy that bought it says thanks and that he loves the car. So... we'll see...

But yea, that vanos is a real problem. I had a 540 if that makes any difference. it was a 99 with barely 70k miles on it and it already had the radiator, control arms, water pump, resevoir, and all of that good junk mentioned above that had already been replaced. Now the vanos?

 

Oh yea... one more thing to add. The afternoon i was delivering the car to be sold, the A/C control unit had a problem. for example if i were to leave the temperature to "86" on both sides and "fanspeed 2" and i left it there. The next time i started it up, i'd hit the "max" button to try and cool the car down, the lights on the dash would light up but the A/C physically wouldn't do anything. It would just stay there. I had to go out and grab lunch once from work earlier that afternoon and when i came back in the 100 degree summer afternoon it looked like i had taken a shower with my work clothes still on.

 

I'm a bit older than most of the people who post here, so I've outgrown (some of) the urge to try out lots of different cars. Don't get me wrong - it's nothing I regret or would try to discourage in others. If you are jonesing for a BMW, well, you've just got to do it - only go 'round once, and all that stuff. But from here on out, it will probably be only Honda or Toyota products for me: I don't know of any kind of car I could want that I can't get from them.

 

Oh yeah, I aggree, it is good to try new and different things like cars. I am 31 and I have had 24 cars already since 17. The TSX is my 1st really nice car (aside from the WRX I had) but the rest were beaters/under $10,000 cars for the most part, sometimes I had 2 at a time, a commuter and a weekend beater. Acuras, Hondas, Toyotas, VW's Audi's, Jeeps, Subaru's, and I had the least amount of trouble with the Hondas. My sister still has my 1st car out of college (95 accord EX with well over 200k on it (we did alot of hand me down cars in our family)

But now, at this stage of my life, I wanted 1 car that I could keep for 10 years and have no car payments after 5 yrs (and as few repairs as possible). My friend is an acura mechanic which also helps keep me in the honda family...parts and service discounts...

BMW is a nice car, and it may be a good fit for some people, but for others who want a reliable, sporty, luxury, efficiant, and so so sweet looking ride... there is only one choice... TSX

 

In before Saintor.

 

Now that's an extremely dumb statement. I came from a 330ci about 6 weeks ago. Yes there were things that my 2002 BMW had that my 2004 TSX doesn't have. Sure the overall build quality was more solid that the TSX. Every car has it's quirks. To say that buying a BMW is dumb is purely inexperience with that brand of auto manufacturers.

BMW @ 4 years of maintenance free maintenance with zero cost = 4 years of regular maintenance on a TSX.

Sure the BMW oil change is $75, but for every 15k miles, thats at the least 4 trips to the Acura dealer at $30 (cheapest) a change. It's all really relevant to me...

 

Um...no...TSX oil change is every 10k for normal schedule, 5k for severe - that does not equal "at least" 4 trips to the dealership for oil changes in just 15k miles. RTFM!

After 4 years, when BMW "free maintenance" is up, it's going to cost you WAY more than a TSX which has less reliability problems than BMW. Sure, BMWs are fun to drive when they're working, but they'll eat you out of house and home once the problems start.

 

Just wondering why you traded your 02 in after 4 years? Did you have any problems with it?

 

I disagree with your statement that most BMW/Benz customers are looking for the status symbol. People buy cars for lots of reasons, and I bought my 325xi because I loved the handling and the sport seats were the most comfortable and supportive seats I have ever owned in a car. I agree with you that owning a German car out of warranty is a nightmare and that's why I am now driving a TSX. However, I never had any problems with the BMW, it was my wife's Audi that forced me to abandon the 3-series. My experience with my BMW was great, I just couldn't risk having the repair issues that I have with my wife's car. Everything is a trade-off. I bought the TSX for the luxury and reliability, but there is no way that the handling and "fun to drive" factor of the TSX is greater than the BMW.

 

LOL, okay my bad, instead of 4, then 3

Maintenance package for another 4 years through BMW is $1,300, so in 8 years you will pay $1,300 for maintenance to own a BMW, outside of the car costs.

 

Nope, ran great. Insurance difference in a 330ci and a TSX is $1k for me.

I basically wanted a car with 4 doors, navi and xenons, and the TSX had that fit. I will also be moving into the city (chicago) and the BMW was lowered with a body kit, and I already bottomed out several times driving into and out of places in the city.

 

While the TSX steering is good, no car company can compare to the steering and handling of a BMW. It's in it's own class.

 

I have to aggree after driving my friends 328 convertible on some back roads that BMW's do handle exceptionaly well, actually better than any car I have ever driven (except for my 91 civic hatch lowered on H&R's...j/k )

It really all depends on what you are looking for I guess. I prefer front wheel drive for the bad weather as opposed to rear wheel drive handling, as I don't push my car that hard. The TSX is more than enough for me.

 

If you really follow the 15k miles maintaince schedule, you better return the car after the lease end. I change my oil every 10k km on my bimmer and the oil already darker than my sh*t. And all the tranny oil, coolant, brake fluid, power steering fluid are not on the list of maintaince and if you not change it by yourself.... same thing... it better you can return the car when the lease is end.

 

Yeah that did seem like a long time between oil changes. Maybe BMW does that on purpose so even though you are getting "FREE" oil changes, they only have to see you about 4 times before your warranty is up. Then your car is so screwed up on the inside from running dirty oil, it breaks down a year after the warranty is over, then they are able to screw you on the service costs... I think I cracked the code, lol