Shared Knowledge
“BMW X5: 7 Year Dealer Maintenance
Cost”
28 May 2007
On
Now, 7 years later, the car
has 90,600 miles on it.
In the 7 years between taking
delivery and this date, I have had all repairs and normal service done by my
local BMW dealer to include:
-
-
Driver’s side
window motor (3 times)
-
Receiver for
wireless door locks
-
Front CV shafts
-
Idler arm (twice)
-
Water pump
-
Front pads and
rotors (3 set just installed)
-
Complete
instrument cluster (LED’s segments missing)
-
Oxygen sensor
-
Transmission
position switch
-
Heating\AC blower
switch
-
Tires (on second
set and soon to need third)
-
Left and right
control arms (Left one twice)
-
Passenger side,
front door lock
-
Remote entry keys
-
Fuel pump (twice)
-
Driver’s side
turn signal lamp (dealer had to do this!)
-
Coolant reserve
-
Drive belts
-
Rear pads and
rotors
-
MAF sensor
-
Oil separator and
hose
-
Left front turn
signal assembly
-
Water hoses
-
Rebuilt
transmission (70,000 miles!)
-
Driver’s side
window switch
-
Valve cover
gaskets
Total cost for all service
and repair costs: $15,575.67 or about $5191 for each year since the 4 year
warranty expired.
Would I have been better off
leasing than buying the car?
I paid $58,867 in 2000 plus
the maintenance costs of $15,575 for a total ownership cost of $74,442.
To lease a new 2007 X5
equivalent to what I have, BMW wants about $29,000 for three years of service
and 30,000 total miles. Each additional
mile over 30,000 is at a $.20\mile rate. In my case, I have been averaging
90,000\7 years = 12857 miles a year for a total of 38,571 over a 3 year lease
period for an additional charge of $1714. Thus my first 3 year lease would have
cost me about $30714 and the second about the same for a total of $61428 and I
would be working on my third lease at $825 a month for a total of $9900 more
for a grand total if I had lease for 3 terms of $71,328.
Where I sit right now, I am in
the hole having bought the car. If I had leased for a full 3 year term this
last renewal, the total cost of the car leased over a 9 year period would be
$87000. Will I spend $12558 in the next 2 years on car maintenance? If I stick
to my yearly maintenance costs of $5191, I will be close.
Lease or buy? The car does
have some value at this point and my car taxes are getting lower by the year
because of the age of the car which would not be true of a newer leased car but
as you can see, it is a pretty close match up. I do know of folks that lease a
new car every 3 years and pay the entire lease when they sign up for the lease.
The bottom line: if you did not already know it, BMW parts and service is expensive and because of all the parts I have had to replace, some several times, I can not say that BMW cars are all that reliable. Fun to drive, yes. All that well made? Not especially. A transmission required at only 70,000 miles?