Greetings!
I currently own a 2007 BMW 328i with the N52 engine. Just got 148,000kms (91,963 miles). Probably the 3rd/4th owner.
I shared this video with my mechanic and he says your head gasket is leaking. He recently did a water pump and thermostat job on my car and while doing that he told me something about "bubbles by the head" not sure what he said it's vague in my memory.
Firstly, I would like to confirm this with you. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Nybe-Tn0medtHlBsAbodiahcN-g0zSyQ/view?usp=sharing
Closer look. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NbI4mys3Y6HKg7YptDWVeAqudT1ZR3td/view?usp=sharing
Had a valve gasket leaking past 2 months.
Bought it in the 3rd week of May 2020 and since then it's been a saga of repairs.
Jobs done to the car:
1. Recently done Water Pump (Pierburg) and Thermostat (Mahle) like not even 100kms on it.
2. New Mann air filter not even 40 kms on it. I also deleted the Carbon filter while replacing the air filter.
3. Replaced Radiator and upper rad hose by BMW.
4. New rear passenger right window regulator replaced by BMW.
5. New battery and Alternator done somewhere in the first week of June.
6. Did 2 oil changes, first when I replaced my alternator and battery. The second I recently did in Mid September but did not change the oil filter as it was still new.
7. Replaced OEM faded HIDs with BrightSource 6000k HIDs which are in 2 years warranty.
Mechanics are asking me $3k(CAD) onwards in repairs.
This was my daily and running out of time, I decided to sell it but no luck yet. The body and the interior of the car is fabulous with little signs of age. Very well taken care off vehicle but sadly it's sitting duck right now costing me insurance and had to borrow a friend's car.
Now my first question is, IS IT WORTH THE REPAIR? I've already spent 3k in repairs since I bought it. Almost everything that fails on a N52 engine has been replaced. I love this car but I can't just go dumping my salary every month.
Tricky part here is money involved. It's gonna take me a while to cash up 3-4k just for the gasket. Combine the total I've spent on it, we are reaching to more than 70% of car's value.
Should I try a sealant?
BIG QUESTION- There's this 2019 Audi A3 (Turbo 4 cylinder) with just 21,000kms on it available for finance. My mind's like, rather than spending 3k on the BMW, I can probably pay 7 installments for the Audi as I desperately need a daily car. If not the Audi, which used car would you recommend in the 18k-23k range but should REALLY match my BMW at least in creature comforts? I wanted the Lexus IS300 F sport but it's very overpriced. Really want performance first but also the same features as my BMW, if not more. My route to work is an equal highway and city drive
Not sure what to do!
Please Help!
Thanks!
@abbysfit
I am a BMW fanboy. But get rid of that car! I know you probably like nice sports cars but I don’t wouldn’t get an Audi they are just as bad as your BMW I know from experience. If you want a car like that get a 2015 BMW 340i. Reasonably reliable and fun!
@bclaud8977 I was actually looking at this 2015 340i Touring with M sport package but nah. Idk if I really want to risk it as a daily plus all the available within the 500kms radius have high mileage.
@abbysfit
Don't spend another penny on it, sell it as-is and buy a reliable car. Cut your losses and move on otherwise you will be in the same situation when something else goes wrong with this car which is guaranteed to happen sooner rather than later.
Answer to your question once a bmw has problem start off small and it keep going unless you know how to work on it.
Get rid of it and buy that lexus .
Give the audi a miss it will turn into a money pit later.
I own bmw and Audi but love to work on them . And they can be very painful to fix and parts are $$$ and time consuming.
I am a jack pass scotty put up with the endless money pit log but love the cars
🙂
@klob
There's a big difference in the payments of the Lexus and the Audi. Roughly 150 pm. How my gasket blew up? Well the pump is supposed to spin at 250 rpm. As soon as you idle it should fall back down. My poor water pump was still at 250 rpm even after letting the throttle off 2 mins ago :/
Pushed more coolant into the head, well. That's the consequence.
Still open to more car recommendations.
I highly doubt that is why your head gasket went bad.
@HillBilly Then what could be the culprit? Problem is that the last owner gave me little to no information. My mechanic mentioned something like bubbles by the head when he was fixing the water pump and t-stat. He ain't picking up the phone anymore, which is weird or he just doesn't want to work on this car.
@Abby
My guess<<< would be it over heated in the past. Plus the fact that it's a sports car (likely driven hard), 13 yo and (sorry) a BMW. I too am a fanboy in I luv how they drive/handle. My above statement that an electric water pump stuck on max did not cause a head gasket failure as it's a normal rate/pressure designed for it and the pressures ain't nothin compared to what the head gasket experiences. I have purchased and owned 2 BMW's and if your not a mechanic, I wouldn't recommend them unless you trade before warranty expiration. With that said, I got my satisfaction and won't buy another one.
@Hillbilly I planned on working on it when I purchased the car but due to continuously moving houses I just couldn't afford to setup a garage. But you're absolutely correct. I honestly don't want this car to go but yes, it's a liability right now just sitting outside. For sure I'll be buying a proper M car but NEVER as a daily.
Thank you!
I'll try my level best to score a good deal for that Lexus. If not, well, we'll see my options. GTI? or I'll look for the 86/BRZ/FR-S whatever.
I think you are making a good decision. Personally I like the M3 over the GTI (play cars only).
@HillBilly So shall I go for that Audi and trade my car + cash? I have no idea about these B5 Audi. Interior is shitty but of course performance or comfort? I'd choose performance any day even if I have to drive a 1000HP car on a stool lol.
I'll try to negotiate a little bit and will just go for it.
But after driving an I6 back to 4 cylinder is a little sad lol
Lol. I know what ya mean. However, if ya want to drive a 1000hp car, you need money, time and knowledge to work on it as you'll be doing so a lot! Which on the flip side is your problem, time and money!
With that said... let's keep looking for something else...not an Audi because it'll fit into the above statement (without the hp).
Get rid of that car. If you fix all the current issues, it is still a relatively old BMW with lots of cheaply plastic parts which will. Break soon and give you headaches and empty your pocket.
@yaser
umm.. Fixing is the issue man. 3k on tab.
Yea, your questions. "is it worth repair" will likely be 110% no from mechanics.
@HillBilly Coincidently, the mechanic who fixed my water pump and T stat ain't picking up my phone past a week xD
Alrighty, any more suggestions for new cars? Similar performance to BMW and at least heated seats and folding mirrors lol
Well I do understand, BMW's are fun to drive and that 3 series corners like on rails. A mod'ed up manual civic can be a lot (more) of fun (similar). And SC400 was decent but finding one without a lot of miles or put up wet...
Now if new and you like BMW's, get a new one... just trade them before warranty expires ; )
@HillBilly Yep. I agree with you. I thought of the M340i but the lease is high for me right now. We are looking at 700-1000 depending on the down payment. Just freshly finished my MBA. So I would save the M cars for later. For sure, I'll get back to them.
My actual goal is find a fun performance daily driver that I'll probably own for max 3 years. Nothing more. I'll try my level best to get a deal on that lexus but the payments are 2x of the Audi A3. But that lexus is brand new. Just 10,000kms on the odo. And we all know that lexus will survive easy 120,000kms even in Snow.
Get a Lexus.
@yaser
Yep. I'll try my level best to score that deal. So the A3 is out of the equation then?
My mind shifted towards jeep unlimited as well of a second cause it's a good car these Canadian roads but again, money pit and the jeep fanatics scare me away 😆
Like I said before I would get rid of that car and get if you want a BMW get one with a B58 engine same engine that is in the Supra. This is BMW’s most reliable engine any car with 40i at the end made in the past 6 years will have the b58. Lexus IS or GS are both great options also. Good Luck!
Also are sure the leak is not from water coolant bottle they are know to age and crack from the video
@klob
The anti freeze stains came after Bleeding the coolant and running the car.
Two things,
1. There is NO performance lag. I mean, none. No codes no nothing.
2. No exhaust smoke. Just the regular smoke you get during winters. The leaking smoke by the gasket smells like burning oil.
The only thing I can think of would be pcv value gone bad.
I never worked on n52.
On my n63 I change the air and broke the tube for the pcv and it was smoking oil and leaving a puddle .. I did not notice it till I felt around.
@klob
Thanks! I'll have to check with some other mechanic. If it's the PCV valve or the gasket.
@klob @HillBilly
So after waiting for a month the best repair quote I'm getting is $1600 CAD and the person doing the job will take a week to get it done.
On the other hand, I have a gentleman who made me a Trade Offer to me which involves his 1998 Audi A4.
220,000kms, on the clock. 5 Speed Manual. Has a lot mods.
Mod list: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1O4KdtstMRoFHCA7_WLMoMQpuX6D4ULFd/view?usp=sharing
Car pic: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wdQ8OJUpgO0R50wOr2HOsoP_15g7qKiB/view?usp=sharing
It kinda fits my needs but at the same time the car lacks a lot luxury stuff especially folding mirrors lol.
Please advice if I should trade my car with his?
The person is asking for My car (5,000) + 1,000 cash to which I said "500 plus beers" but he isn't agreeing that much.
Should I do it for that price?
Please let me know!
My fate lies in your hands! Thanks a ton!!!
Can I have a third choice? Given the 2 and if that mech is good, that's a good price (taking his time is a good thing in doing right but also saving you money), I'd fix the bimmer. Is there a third choice?
@HillBilly Nothing as such. Shovel the snow? {black}:laugh:
lol, yep.
I owned a 2007 BMW X5 from 2016 onward. Same N52 engine. I got it as a hand me down, and I knew there it was going to be expensive, but not yeah expensive to upkeep!
I spent at least $1,200 per year since owning, on maintenance and repairs. At least.
It ran great, but it was just too damn expensive to keep up. If I were a little more experienced with DIY.
What frustrated me most was in order to replace a relatively cheap PCV valve, I had to replace an expensive valve cover, since the PCV was built in to the damn valve cover.
Also, are you sure it is the head gasket or valve cover gasket? Valve cover gasket it relatively cheap (for a BMW), but head gasket is another thing altogether.
@Kaizen It is a confirmed head gasket. A mechanic did check it. He said the exhaust smells a little sweet as well to which I said "it smells normal dude"