Considering a lightly used e90/92

[SK8NIG]

Hey Gang,

First time poster, long time M owner. I had an e46 for 8 years which was one year too long, as the last year of ownership nicked me for $13K (5 of which was expected wear & tear, but the VANOS replacement at 85k broke the proverbial camel's back), and I went running into the arms of something I knew would be a bit more reliable, an Infiniti G37. It's been a good car with similar hp to my old M, but it's a machete vs. a scalpel. They both make a cut, but one is a lot more precise. After 3 years in the "Macheti", I've got the itch and I dig the V8 in this gen.

The plan is to find something less than 3 years old, warranty it up and then move it after the warranty expires. That's what I SHOULD have done with the e46, I'd be posting in this forum as an owner rather than a wannabe. My question to the group is whether there are any eccentricities of this gen that I should be aware of in my search? With my e46, the biggies were the subframe and connection rod bearings, thankfully issues I never had.

Thanks in advance for your feedback. Hopefully here in the not too distant future I can contribute as an owner.

[8600RPM]

Lol . Do I need to even say it? Most would say times haven't changed and same fears remain.

[MachinesWithSouls]

There is nothing wrong with the e9X generation. Ignore the crap that everyone puts up.

For realsies, it's throttle actuators (A few grand to fix if bought new), and bearing issues.

My advice? Whatever M you get, make sure it has a flawless service record. Then, DO NOT WORRY ABOUT ANYTHING AND DRIVE.

Good luck!

[yongj]

Originally Posted by SoManyBlueCars

There is nothing wrong with the e9X generation. Ignore the crap that everyone puts up.

For realsies, it's throttle actuators (A few grand to fix if bought new), and bearing issues.

My advice? Whatever M you get, make sure it has a flawless service record. Then, DO NOT WORRY ABOUT ANYTHING AND DRIVE.

Good luck!

Couldn't agree more. Understand that there are PLENTY of e9x owners out there that do not actively partake in these forums. The horror stories you hear and see here about the infamous rod bearings issue is legitimate, however, extremely rare. As long as you buy an e9x that has flawless service history, upkeep that flawless service history yourself, and take care of your car (I.e. Don't track it everyday) you'll be just fine.

[burtonsbs5114]

The most common issues are the throttle actuators (there 'seems' to be cheap fix, search), a/c evaporator and the infamous rod bearings (which i feel is rare).

Aside from those, drive your baby like and ///M should be driven!

[ksa]

Is there a particular year that the throttle actuators are an issue on? Hopefully it has no 'known' or blatant issues in its later years?

[burtonsbs5114]

Originally Posted by ksa

Is there a particular year that the throttle actuators are an issue on? Hopefully it has no 'known' or blatant issues in its later years?

From my understanding its from 2008-2013 . It is believed to be the gears inside the actuator. The theory is you can buy after market gears to replace the stock gears for a few hundred buck and it solves the problem.

[ksa]

Any idea how much the fix is if it breaks? And is something like that covered under warranty? What is the tell tale that you've had this issue? In other words, how do you tell if that's the issue your car is having? Thanks a ton! I am getting a 2012 E92 and I am trying to find out as much as I can about it.

[gimmethemuumuu]

Or, get an extended warranty, like I have for both of the last two cars I've purchased (including the one I now have for sale--see below ). Then, if anything significant breaks, you're covered. Also, you don't have to shell out extra dough for a car that's still under the factory warranty. It's win-win!

[dparm]

Even if the service record isn't flawless, just make sure that whatever has gone wrong was nothing major and that it wasn't a recurring thing (i.e. was in the dealership four times for the same thing). No car is perfect.

The M3 is pretty solid and overbuilt to take the high-performance driving it was designed to do. A lot of dealership techs and service writers will unofficially tell you that it's one of the more reliable cars that BMW has built. Just budget some money for things like tires and routine maintenance, as it isn't exactly cheap.

[burtonsbs5114]

Originally Posted by ksa

Any idea how much the fix is if it breaks? And is something like that covered under warranty? What is the tell tale that you've had this issue? In other words, how do you tell if that's the issue your car is having? Thanks a ton! I am getting a 2012 E92 and I am trying to find out as much as I can about it.

I want to say its about $1-1.5k to get the throttle actuator replaced. If you change out the internal gears, the new gears are about $2-300, I believe. The replacement of the throttle actuators would be replaced under warranty if they fail. You will pop codes for failing/failed actuators, do a search for more info.