Ownership Cost for 1998 BMW M3 Base
Estimated: $54426 over the next 5 years
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Depreciation | $5682 | $2728 | $2387 | $2159 | $1932 | $14888 |
| Insurance | $1650 | $1708 | $1768 | $1830 | $1894 | $8850 |
| Fuel | $1625 | $1674 | $1732 | $1802 | $1883 | $8716 |
| Maintenance | $2763 | $2912 | $1834 | $2459 | $2291 | $12259 |
| Repairs | $977 | $1138 | $1298 | $1417 | $1627 | $6457 |
| Taxes & Fees | $2200 | $2200 | $2200 | $2200 | $2200 | $3258 |
| Total Ownership Costs | $14897 | $10410 | $9337 | $9871 | $9911 | $54426 |
| Model year | COMPONENT | Complaint |
| 2003 | POWER TRAIN | WHILE DRIVING ON A RELATIVELY HOT DAY (92 DEGREES F), MY VEHICLE'S SMG (SEQUENTIAL MANUAL GEARBOX) MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LIGHT TURNED ON AND I BEGAN HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE RANDOMLY DROPPING OUT OF GEAR INTO NEUTRAL OR "0" FOR 6-15 SECONDS AT A TIME. WHEN OUT OF GEAR, THERE WAS A COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER. ON ONE INSTANCE OF DROPPING OUT OF GEAR, I WAS TURNING RIGHT AT AROUND 10-15 MPH WHEN I FOUND I COULD NOT ACCELERATE AND AN ONCOMING VEHICLE ALMOST RAN INTO ME. SINCE THE FIRST OCCURRENCE OF THIS, THIS TYPE OF "STALLING" HAS HAPPENED MUCH MORE FREQUENTLY WHEN THE AMBIENT TEMPERATURE REACHES ABOVE 90 DEGREES, AND NOW I CANNOT DRIVE LONGER THAN 30 MINUTES WITHOUT THE SMG MIL TURNING ON AND GEARS START DROPPING. I'M CONCERNED THAT THIS MAY HAPPEN AT HIGHER SPEEDS AND LEAVE ME STRANDED ON A HIGHWAY OR EVEN IN STOP-AND-GO TRAFFIC, WHERE IT SEEMS TO OCCUR VERY FREQUENTLY. I'VE RESEARCHED MANY FORUMS FOR THIS AND HAVE FOUND THIS TO BE A COMMON ISSUE WITH OTHER M3 SMG OWNERS. THERE IS SOME INDICATION FROM OTHER OWNERS THAT THE ISSUE MIGHT BE LINKED TO A HYDRAULIC TEMPERATURE SENSOR LOCATED ON THE MAIN SMG HYDRAULIC PUMP BUT I HAVE NOT FOUND ANY INFORMATION FROM BMW DETAILING A REPAIR FOR THIS TYPE OF ISSUE. THE ONLY OPTION SEEMS TO BE A FULL REPLACEMENT OF THE HYDRAULIC PUMP, WHICH HAS ALREADY BEEN DONE ON MY VEHICLE ONCE BEFORE FOR A SIMILAR ISSUE. THIS TYPE OF REPLACEMENT COSTS ALMOST $4000 AS QUOTED BY THE DEALER. I THINK BMW SHOULD GET SERIOUS ABOUT THIS ISSUE AND CONDUCT AN INVESTIGATION ON POTENTIAL CAMPAIGN REMEDIES. *TR |
| 1998 | TIRES | ON OCTOBER 13TH AT APPROXIMATELY 1800HRS THE LEFT REAR TIRE OF MY 1998 BMW M3 "RAPIDLY DEFLATED" RESULTING IN A ROLLOVER CRASH. APPROXIMATELY 1/4 OF THE INNER SIDEWALL WAS LEFT SHREDDED. WEATHER WAS SUNNY AND WARM, WITH NO DEBRIS OR CONTAMINATION ON THE ROAD SURFACE(SR-62). THE TIRE WAS INSTALLED BY A BMW SERVICE CENTER 5/7/08 AT 68,814 MILES, ACCIDENT OCCURRED AT 82,943 MILES. THE DUNLOP 8080E P245/40 ZR-17 DOT# DMC903Y1607 WAS DETERMINED TO HAVE GOOD TREAD AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT BY THE CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL AND THE TIRE PRESSURE WAS CHECKED THREE DAYS PRIOR. *TR |
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