[bimmie4373]

Hello guys I recently bought a used 2016 BMW X1 XDrive28i that has 20K miles on it. I am a girl who does not know much about cars and so many people around me has been telling me that BMW is going to cost so much to maintain and repair. So it's been making me rethink about the purchase.

Since I bought a used car and do not have a maintenance warranty, should I consider getting a warranty? Also, any tips for me to prevent from having major issues? Thank you

[stein_325i]

Originally Posted by bimmie4373

Hello guys I recently bought a used 2016 BMW X1 XDrive28i that has 20K miles on it. I am a girl who does not know much about cars and so many people around me has been telling me that BMW is going to cost so much to maintain and repair. So it's been making me rethink about the purchase.

Since I bought a used car and do not have a maintenance warranty, should I consider getting a warranty? Also, any tips for me to prevent from having major issues? Thank you

This is true, BMW is a german brand and is considered some of the most expensive cars when it comes to repair and maintenance costs. While they have become much better over the years, there is still always the risk. While I don't own the car, I do subscribe to consumer reports, and overall the reliability for 2016-2017 X1 (F48) seems to be pretty good.

First, do you know if the car came with a factory warranty? If so it should be up to 50K miles I believe, if it doesn't have a warranty, I always say find a mechanic or shop that specializes in BMWs, and is able to repair and/or update anything in the car, at a price that is less than the dealer.

The main tip to keep a car out of a shop is just to do regular checkups, make sure to check oil levels (your car should most likely have an electronic oil level sensor rather than a traditional dipstick, which can be checked throughout the idrive system (check owner's manual)) and overall just keep an eye out for anything that seems odd, such as shutters, leaks, or anything that isn't normal.

If you are financially stable to afford a warranty, and since you don't know too much about cars, it might be beneficial for you to get a warranty, especially if you are taking the car to the dealer. I always say extra protection is nice, but some people come out good without a problem, and others don't have the same luck, so its always a gamble. Most of the time problems start to occur usually after 50K to 100K miles, but again, anything can happen.

My final advise would be to find some more information online through research. I believe your car has the N20 (2L Turbo I4) engine, and would overall just keep googling and reading articles about your car overall.
Good luck!

[bimmerdriver2]

The most important thing you can do for your car is take care of it. It should get regular changes of all fluids. This is contrary to what BMW recommends. Also, don't drive it hard when it's not warmed up. Depending where you live, you may be able to find an independent shop that services BMWs at a more economical price than BWM will charge.

[jmhumr]

I bought a used 2017 and understand that we have to pay a fee of like $100 to transfer the remaining BMW maintenance into our name. Haven’t done it yet though. Based on your years/miles it might be worth it, assuming the fee is really only $100.

[bimmie4373]

Originally Posted by jmhumr

I bought a used 2017 and understand that we have to pay a fee of like $100 to transfer the remaining BMW maintenance into our name. Haven’t done it yet though. Based on your years/miles it might be worth it, assuming the fee is really only $100.

Oh really? That would be great! I would totally pay $100 if this is true.

[bimmie4373]

Originally Posted by joshuastein55

This is true, BMW is a german brand and is considered some of the most expensive cars when it comes to repair and maintenance costs. While they have become much better over the years, there is still always the risk. While I don't own the car, I do subscribe to consumer reports, and overall the reliability for 2016-2017 X1 (F48) seems to be pretty good.

First, do you know if the car came with a factory warranty? If so it should be up to 50K miles I believe, if it doesn't have a warranty, I always say find a mechanic or shop that specializes in BMWs, and is able to repair and/or update anything in the car, at a price that is less than the dealer.

The main tip to keep a car out of a shop is just to do regular checkups, make sure to check oil levels (your car should most likely have an electronic oil level sensor rather than a traditional dipstick, which can be checked throughout the idrive system (check owner's manual)) and overall just keep an eye out for anything that seems odd, such as shutters, leaks, or anything that isn't normal.

If you are financially stable to afford a warranty, and since you don't know too much about cars, it might be beneficial for you to get a warranty, especially if you are taking the car to the dealer. I always say extra protection is nice, but some people come out good without a problem, and others don't have the same luck, so its always a gamble. Most of the time problems start to occur usually after 50K to 100K miles, but again, anything can happen.

My final advise would be to find some more information online through research. I believe your car has the N20 (2L Turbo I4) engine, and would overall just keep googling and reading articles about your car overall.
Good luck!

Thank you so much for spending your time to answer my questions!! I do still have 2 years of basic warranty and 3 years of powertrain warranty!

[bimmie4373]

Originally Posted by bimmerdriver2

The most important thing you can do for your car is take care of it. It should get regular changes of all fluids. This is contrary to what BMW recommends. Also, don't drive it hard when it's not warmed up. Depending where you live, you may be able to find an independent shop that services BMWs at a more economical price than BWM will charge.

Thank you!! I will try to look for an independent shop! So they can do all the system thing and make the alarts go away too?

[jmhumr]

Originally Posted by bimmie4373

Oh really? That would be great! I would totally pay $100 if this is true.

I think it’s called the “Refresh” program and I assume you buy thru the dealership. I’ve seen some posts on the internet indicating that the dealership will try to upcharge to make a profit, so haggling may be required. That’s why I’ve put it off, haha.

[bimmerdriver2]

Originally Posted by bimmie4373

Thank you!! I will try to look for an independent shop! So they can do all the system thing and make the alarts go away too?

I might be able to help you find a good indy shop. I would ask on M3Forum, where the owners are very fussy about who touches their cars. Message me offline if you want.

[spitpilot]

Originally Posted by bimmie4373

Oh really? That would be great! I would totally pay $100 if this is true.

Unfortunately it is not...

https://www.bmwusa.com/explore/bmw-v...onditions.html

BMW used to have a 4 year 50K mile maintenance program that included almost everything (clutch lining excluded)...but they've trimmed that way back..first by limiting items covered ,then by cutting time period from 4 years to 3....
Most important to change fluids..brake fluid every other year...coolant, rear axle, tranny at about 50K miles or so. Dirty or degraded (from moisture or temperature) fluids can lead to big and expensive issues!!! Plus don't rely on long interval oil changes..these are driven by European environmental regs and the marketing dept that wants the "cost of ownership" shown in car mags and Consumer Reports to be as low as possible...NOT long term reliability for a "buy it keep it" owner (like me)...many if not most BMW owners are 3 and out lessors...who don't give a %@#$^#$ for what happens longer term! Especially if you do a lot of short trips where oil never gets up to a temp high enough to burn off moisture and combustion blow by contamination..change oil by time not miles...a turbo doesn't do well with dirty or broken down oil! Oil changes are $$ to $$$ items..turbo replacements are $$$$ items..saving a few $100's on oil changes vs spending upwards of $3-4K for a turbo isn't a good deal in my book!

[OldCharlieRum]

I ordered my 18i two weeks ago. How long should I expect to wait before I receive a delivery progress report from my dealer? Thanks.

[Pganders]

Well I ordered mine mid February and was given a delivery date of 1 June. I’ve now been told after chasing up the dealer that it has slipped to 6 July. I suppose at least it will come with any of the recently announced updates.

In my experience they will only contact you if they have good news.

Good luck.

[bimmie4373]

Since I do short drives and do not drive many miles, should I not depend on the electronic oil level sensor embedded in my car?

And just change oil every year?

[bimmerdriver2]

Originally Posted by bimmie4373

Since I do short drives and do not drive many miles, should I not depend on the electronic oil level sensor embedded in my car?

And just change oil every year?

If you're doing only short drives, the oil needs to be changed more often than if you're doing long drives. When the drive is short, particularly when the engine does not get to completely warm up, moisture and fuel build up in it. Neither are good for the engine. It takes much longer for the oil to get up to operating temperature than the coolant. It's difficult to know when the oil is completely warmed up unless the car has an oil temperature gauge.

[The Beast]

Whilst I understand what people here are saying about more regular servicing, there’s an element of scaremongering going in here.

This is a run of the mill engine for BMW with millions of units being produced. It’s not a highly tuned performance engine as you will find in something like say an M3/5.

The long term benefits people are talking about are only really going to bear fruit if you are planning on keeping the car for 10-15 years.

So my first question is how long are you keeping the car? I have run 7 BMW’s on long life servicing over the last 15 years without a single issue. Some have done quite a few miles others have just been used by my wife as a city run around and barely done 6k miles a year.

If you are keeping it 3-7 years just go with what the car tells you it needs, don’t spend an unnecessary amount on extra servicing. Forums tend to have a large proportion of petrol heads as members who go over the top and baby their cars a little too excessively....

Btw if you scroll through the displays in the instrument cluster using the button on the indicator stalk, you will find a display that shows engine temperature. The X1 heats up to normal engine temperature very quickly

[bimmie4373]

Originally Posted by The Beast

Whilst I understand what people here are saying about more regular servicing, there’s an element of scaremongering going in here.

This is a run of the mill engine for BMW with millions of units being produced. It’s not a highly tuned performance engine as you will find in something like say an M3/5.

The long term benefits people are talking about are only really going to bear fruit if you are planning on keeping the car for 10-15 years.

So my first question is how long are you keeping the car? I have run 7 BMW’s on long life servicing over the last 15 years without a single issue. Some have done quite a few miles others have just been used by my wife as a city run around and barely done 6k miles a year.

If you are keeping it 3-7 years just go with what the car tells you it needs, don’t spend an unnecessary amount on extra servicing. Forums tend to have a large proportion of petrol heads as members who go over the top and baby their cars a little too excessively....

Btw if you scroll through the displays in the instrument cluster using the button on the indicator stalk, you will find a display that shows engine temperature. The X1 heats up to normal engine temperature very quickly

Thank you for your response! I would like to keep the vehicle for a long time as I could unless it gives me problems. I drove mini cooper right before this and it gave me too many problems hence why I changed my car (but it was 11 years old).

[bimmerdriver2]

Originally Posted by The Beast

Whilst I understand what people here are saying about more regular servicing, there’s an element of scaremongering going in here.

This is a run of the mill engine for BMW with millions of units being produced. It’s not a highly tuned performance engine as you will find in something like say an M3/5.

The long term benefits people are talking about are only really going to bear fruit if you are planning on keeping the car for 10-15 years.

So my first question is how long are you keeping the car? I have run 7 BMW’s on long life servicing over the last 15 years without a single issue. Some have done quite a few miles others have just been used by my wife as a city run around and barely done 6k miles a year.

If you are keeping it 3-7 years just go with what the car tells you it needs, don’t spend an unnecessary amount on extra servicing. Forums tend to have a large proportion of petrol heads as members who go over the top and baby their cars a little too excessively....

Btw if you scroll through the displays in the instrument cluster using the button on the indicator stalk, you will find a display that shows engine temperature. The X1 heats up to normal engine temperature very quickly

I'm going to call BS on your post.

My M3 puts out 333 hp with 3.2 litres. That's 104 hp/litre. The X1/X2 puts out 231 hp with 2 litres. That's 115 hp/litre. The S54 engine in my M3 uses 10W60 oil. The B46 engine in the X1/X2 uses 0W20. BMW did not design the engine to use 0W20 because 0W20 is better or because it would make the engine last longer. They did it for one reason: fuel economy. Everything else was compromised for fuel economy.

BMW also extends the service interval for as long as possible for one reason. Not because it will make the cars last longer, but to save money. All BMW cares about is that the cars last through the warranty. They don't give a sh*t what happens after that. This is also the reason behind "lifetime" fluids.

If you know anything about the BMW N54 and N55 engines, they have very light piston rings for - you guessed it - fuel economy. These engines are notorious for accumulating fuel in the oil, due to blow-by. BMW shortened the oil change interval a few years ago due to problems with the oil not lasting through the oil change interval due to fuel contamination.

Another unintended consequence of the drive for economy and low emissions is the requirement to media-blast the carbon that builds up in the intake ports due to the use of direct injection instead of port injection which continuously washes the carbon from blow-by through the engine. Every direct injection engine will require this procedure 2-3 times over the life-time. (Good thing the intake manifold is accessible on the X1/X2. Hot-v turbo-charged V-8 engines must be dropped for this procedure.) Dirty oil will cause worse carbon build-up in the intake ports.

BMW is not alone doing this. It's typical and it's the unintended consequence of the drive for reduced fuel consumption (and lower emissions).

Finally, your claim that the engine is warmed up when the temperature gauge says so is also wrong. If you ever had a car with an oil temperature gauge, you would know that oil takes substantially longer than coolant to warm up. An engine is not fully warmed up until the oil is up to operating temperature. (That's 90-100 C on my car, which is probably typical.)