Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, the company more commonly known as BMW, came to life in 1916 as a manufacturer of aircraft engines and has evolved over the past century into a luxury automotive brand with a storied motorsports history. Their vehicles have become aspirational and revered, embodying the heritage behind the company’s famous slogan, “The Ultimate Driving Machine”. However, as noted in our most recent blog article, German luxury and performance cars, while certainly offering excellent driving experiences as rolling showcases of cutting edge engineering prowess, are no longer the pinnacles of reliability that they once were. Ownership can potentially be saddled with high maintenance needs and expensive repairs. The best ways to avoid unwanted issues and wallet-draining repair costs is by becoming informed of the common issues, important maintenance needs and finding a trustworthy and knowledgeable independent local BMW mechanic. In this article we will explore common maintenance and repairs for the modern incarnation of one of BMW’s most popular models, the 3 Series. Certainly not every BMW 3 Series will exhibit these foibles, but there is some general guidance that can be gleaned from the collective experiences of BMW owners and mechanics.
Are You Up to Date With Maintenance & Recalls?
The F30 generation BMW 3 Series (2012-2020) is generally known to be an overall reliable vehicle, coming standard with a 4 year/50,000-mile warranty, sophisticated computer monitoring with driver alerts, and 10,000 mile (or longer) service intervals. While these attributes are excellent for owners of newer vehicles and seemingly require less concern for monitoring maintenance needs, a more cautious approach should be taken when the warranty expires and don’t let the long periods between scheduled maintenance lure you into a false sense of complacency. These are high tech machines that need to be properly cared for and keeping a closer eye on your vehicle will only help you in the long run. Many owners and BMW mechanics have speculated that some of the recommended service intervals are too long and suggest that fluids and filters should be changed more often to keep your BMW in top form.
An easy way to avoid potentially serious issues with your BMW 3 Series is to make sure that you are up to date on all Recalls and aware of Technical Service Bulletins, which are manufacturer issued guidance for issues that have repeatedly arisen. Check your records, purchase a vehicle history report or call a dealership to make sure all applicable recalls (based on VIN number) have been performed on your car. If any recalls are unresolved, the dealership will fix the issues for free at a scheduled appointment.
What’s That Strange Fluid Under My Car?
Don’t be surprised if at some point you look under your 3 Series and find some drops of unidentified fluid pooling under your car. While not necessarily cause for serious alarm, this is a consistent theme among owners as parts like valve cover gaskets and engine seals with tight tolerances can wear out over time and being to leak oil. The most important things as an owner are to follow BMW’s Maintenance Schedule, to keep an eye out for the telltale signs of issues, and when a problem is identified, to not procrastinate getting those parts repaired or replaced.
Another common leak for many BMW models over a certain age or mileage is for issues to arise with the cooling system, usually in the form of cracked and leaking radiators or even seized water pumps that work to keep your engine from overheating. Your 3 Series cooling system should be checked regularly by a professional mechanic and if you do find a coolant leak or notice a ‘sweet’ burning smell while the engine is running, you should immediately check your coolant levels and top off the fluid if needed, pay close attention to engine temperature levels as you drive, and have a mechanic take a look as soon as possible. Even if your engine overheats only briefly, it can cause very serious damage.
It is also a good idea to have a local BMW mechanic inspect your automatic transmission for signs of a transmission fluid leak. This is a fairly common issue that’s easy to detect and ignoring this leak can lead to transmission damage. The usual cause is a failed seal where an electrical connector passes into the main body of the transmission.
Keeping Your Bavarian Engine Roaring
All of the engines found in the F30 generation of the 3 Series use a timing chain, which is considered more reliable than a rubber timing belt and usually does not require replacement over the vehicle’s life. However, it is still worth keeping your ears honed for any ticking metallic sounds coming from the engine, which might stem from a faulty chain tensioner. Should a tensioner fail, the fast moving internal parts of your engine will fall out of sync and could result in mechanical carnage. The 2011 to 2015 models are known to have a high rate of faulty timing chain guides, although most cars should have had these addressed under warranty by now.
The biggest potential for financial grief down the road is the variable valve-timing mechanism (VANOS, in BMW-speak) which is vital to the engine’s efficiency and performance, but can suffer if the engine has not been properly maintained. The tiny oilways that help make up the VANOS system can become clogged with dirty oil and can lead to labor intensive and expensive repairs. Early F30 3-Series with the six-cylinder engine were actually recalled over VANOS issues. The oil-feed line to the VANOS unit on these engines could become loose, leading to a loss of oil pressure and sending the car into ‘limp mode’. You unfortunately wouldn’t see an obvious oil leak in this case, as the leak is internal. Regular oil changes will help prevent this clogging from occurring.
A few other guidelines to note around modern BMW 3 Series engines include that turbocharged engines tend to statistically have more issues than their naturally aspirated brethren, issues with fuel pumps and injectors have been noted by many owners, and engine starter motors commonly fail earlier than expected. Many owners also report damaged climate control condensers, often due to exposure to damage from small rocks while driving.
The Double-Edged Sword Of Complex Electrical Systems
With modern luxury and performance comes increasingly complex electric systems and a dizzying amount of computer controls that are responsible for managing and monitoring virtually every aspect of a vehicle. As complexity increases, so do the chances of something going wrong.
Common electrical issues for the BMW 3 Series include the positive battery connector and corresponding fuse box terminal corroding over time, a defective steering column or computer problem preventing the car from starting and a faulty tail lamp bulb connection triggering a “Check Rear Lamp/Brake Lamp” message on your dashboard. A large number of owners report unwanted activation of the safety feature that protects your hand from getting pinched in the side windows as they close. This problem is avoided by cleaning and lubricating the window seals and in some cases a factory reset of the function is needed.
Earlier model BMW F30’s had problems with the multimedia system causing the screen to go black, the system to freeze and the parking assistant to not work. The problems are usually solved with a factory system reset. The Bluetooth has also been known to be temperamental, but this might be fixed with a software upgrade.
The air conditioning systems can also be hamstrung by faulty sensors which incorrectly read temperatures and cause the system to shut off prematurely.
Staying Connected to The Road
The most common issue found in the BMW 3 Series related to the suspension and steering is for the steering wheel to shake or vibrate while braking. If this is happening, there may be something wrong with one of your Thrush Arm Bushings. These rubber units are a critical component of your suspension system and they have been known to fail around 75,000 miles.
You should also be aware that the factory issued ‘run-flat’ tires can experience problems when encountering angry potholes and generally wear out quicker than traditional types of tires.
Keep the Surprises & Your Expenses To A Minimum
By being aware of these common issues, adhering to the recommended maintenance schedule, and finding the right independent local BMW Mechanic will save you time and money down the road. A knowledgeable independent mechanic will be able to help identify warning signs before they turn into more serious issues and free you up to simply enjoy the wonderful driving machines that BMW builds for the world.
