my 318 is killing me right now $$$

[///m42 sport]

all started about 2 months ago with a rusted muffler.  I replaced with a OEM. Then one day I was driving on the highway, the waterpump belt shredded leaving me stranded on.  Had it towed to the nearest autozone to put a belt on in the parking lot.  Then the upper oil pan started to leak really bad.  So that was replaced. Then what i thought was throwout bearing started going bad.  a couple days later I found I couldnt even shift into gear, leaving me stranded again. On top of that one of the calipers was sticking on the passenger side. Ordered some parts and waiting for them to arrive now. I think my 318 has been hit with a curse!  This latest clutch and break job is gonna be breaking my bank in just parts alone.

[bmwman91]

There are indeed times that these cars seem cursed. Honestly, it is just sort of what you have to live with when you drive a 20+ year old vehicle. Everything on them is on the verge of wearing-out at this point, and you will probably end up replacing all wearable items over the course of 2-4 years. At least at that point, having paid enough money for a much newer car to keep the old one running, everything should be relatively new and reliable on it again!

These are NOT good primary vehicles, as I have learned in similar ways to your tribulations. There are some folks that are still lucky and have hassle-free ownership, but most E30s need work to be as reliable as a primary car should me. If my commute to work was not a 6 minute bike ride, I would have either gotten rid of my E30 or bought some sort of newer econobox as a second car years ago.

[keflaman]

These are NOT good primary vehicles (unless you devote $5-10k in parts and maintenance and every weekend for about a year), as I have learned in similar ways to your tribulations.

Hear, hear! According to my wife, I have poured way too much money and time into my car for it not to be a reliable DD. My neighbor stopped by last night while I was changing the O2 sensor and asked me if I was ever going to be done with this car.

The short answer is "no," but for what I use it for it suits my purpose; it's a hobby car.

[///m42 sport]

yeah, up to this point in my life i've been pretty poor and so have justified owning e30s as DD.  So I drive one when the other has downtime.  I dont know if the cost of maintenance of my 2 e30s is equal to a payment of a newer car.  I still cant justify owning a newer vehicle though because I do like tinkering with these cars from time to time haha

[bmwman91]

I recommend getting a ~2003 Civic LX. Used ones are pretty cheap, generally. My wife has one and in 180k miles, it has cost a total of $1800 in maintenance (excluding tires and oil changes). $600 to have the dealer do the timing belt at 110k miles, $1200 to have a shop replace all 4 shocks/struts and the front control arm bushings. It runs on 87 octane, gets 30-35MPG in traffic, ~40MPG on the highway and is pretty mechanically sound overall. The door lock cylinders are sort of dead, and I think that a tie rod end is on its way out, but that's pretty good compared to an E30 at 180k miles! It is boring as hell and sort of slow, but it is a PERFECT daily driver. Keep one E30 for tinkering and fun.

[///m42 sport]

latest update

so I finally got my tranny out and found out why I couldnt shift. :mad:

[keflaman]

Well...that sucks. But at least you know what happened.

[318lotis]

I drove my mother's new 2012 Maxima the other day;  oh my god, its was the most boring
experience, you cannot hear or feel the road.

[DesktopDave]

Once you get all this stuff replaced you'll be good for thousand of miles, I'll bet.  You did get hit with a lot at once, that's for sure.

Having two E30's is a great way to have one reliable car at all times.  Not to mention...while a new car might be more reliable...you're saving a lot of money by not paying for new-car depreciation.  The value of an E30 might even grow as the years pass by.

I've been lucky so far - the car was cheap to buy, cheap to run (31mpg overall), cheap to insure, and I have a good number of spares.  Even at 288K she really hasn't needed much work.   She tends to run a bit warm, leaks a bit of oil, has a few electronic gremlins.    Those Bavarians build a heck of a car, don't they?  

I also got *really* lucky at work.   I take the train every day so I don't have to destroy the car driving through rush-hour traffic.  Even better, my job pays out ~$0.50/mile for occasional business trips.   So, unbelievably, they paid me to drive all over Pennsylvania instead of coming into the office.     Best of all, those reimbursement checks really add up over three years.  They ended up paying for the car and then some.  

[Nick_318is]

I'm with the others as you replace things it will help.  At this point over the last few years I have replaced almost all suspension components so I'm not too worried about that.  Next step will be an engine refresh (gotta stop the oil leaks) and then hopefully I won't have to worry about any big issues for a while and maybe save up for a fresh coat of paint since the car is more pink than red these days.  Keep with it and you'll still have a great car to drive.

[deansweet]

So I can share the 'love' here and try to make you feel better...
Our 318is currently has the following issues I need to fix:
Leaking gas tank; have replacement tank. Need to get driveshaft off.
Leaking steering rack; Rebuild or replace.
Steering end links(Passenger side is seriously loose); deal with when replace steering rack.
Passenger half shaft clicking.
Rough Idle is back when its really cold out.
Lower Pan gasket leaking; bought gasket, just waiting for it to be warmer.

So for now he is driving our 2011 Impreza which he hates...

[Dreed76]

Haha.  Well i've owned my e30 for about 4 years and have put well over 5grand into it.  I drive it 60 miles a day and for awhile I used to drive over a 100 miles a day.  It leaks oil,  idles erratically, and the suspension makes alot of noise.  But It has never left me stranded...knock on wood.

[cyborgben]

I too have fallen into the multiple e30 syndrome, however if i had to cut down from the 20 or so cars in my barn to just a few, I might combine the e30 with the old beater pickup with 4wd for the snow days and for the general usefullness of a truck and the ability to tow your own e30 home if bad things happen. You may have X grand into it, but you are having more fun, have a distinct style, know what is and isn't fixed and reliable.  And remember, cars that you buy for 3-5 grand will often need thounsands in repairs too. you are not getting a 100k mile  warranty for 5grand.

[deansweet]

Me again...
Finally got the old gas tank out and swapping over parts from old to new I have a problem.
The hose that connects the short and tall tank basins is locked so tight that it starts to twist the pipe so. I need one. I come home and google away and...

There is no freaking was  I am paying $50 for this 'Connection Hose'?!
PN4: Connection Pipe.
BMWFans shows the part being $21 but when I do a search to buy one I get this:
http://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-20704-16111177925-genuine-bmw-part.aspx

$42 for it?! I'm thinking of making my own if I am forced to spend this kind of money... I only paid $146 shipped for complete tank!

If you have some time to spend some time finding me one that would be appreciated? I am going to call BMW dealer on Monday and see what they say.

Oh! and I just spent another $240 at Pelican for control arms, bushings and stabilizer bar links. Yeah me.

[romkasponka]

I do not know what is the thread there but you can try hydraulic shop so they probably can produce you one. Try also official BMW dealer.