BMW vs Prius: The Verdict

Having literally repaired over a thousand convertible lift motors, if you think those items you mentioned were expensive, just wait until that top malfunctions!!

 

Maintenance on a BMW? Change the oil more often than recommended. Use the oil that BMW dealers use. Use top tier gas. Keep a healthy bank account balance.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

my brother has a mercedes 500sl something or other. he loves the acceleration, cool factor, handling, etc.
but yeah, dealer maintenance is averaging 10k a year. it's a love affair only understood by owners.

just watching what bob wilson went through with his i3 was enough to send me running.

i had a midlife miata, got it out of my system for cheap

 

post this on bmw forums and copy paste their replies back on here.

 

This.

Or OP might use other metrics to make the BMW better on the BMW forums. Lol

 

this also! It’s just like political people attempting to win votes in townhall meetings.

 

How kind of you to refer to them as people!

 

I would imagine the 435 uses an electric motor for the latching mechanism at the front. That's probably in the $350-450 range, so no big deal. If it's the same style as other BMWs, it probably has a plastic gear inside that fails and cracks in half. A DIYer can replace it for less than a hundred.

The main top mechanism is probably a hydraulic motor/pump assembly with a dozen or so small hydraulic hoses that route throughout the rear of the car on both sides to activate 6 or 8 different cylinders to move the top through each of several coordinated steps, with each step usually having a position sensor that provides feedback to the body ECM. That pump is typically $2.5-4k range new from dealer. $700 ish on ebay for a salvaged one. The good news is those pumps have been getting more and more reliable. They're permanent magnet motors, but some have electronics inside that I've had fail. I've also seen the magnets crack or come loose, likely due to heat cycles. The motor/pump assembly also likely has a handful of solenoid valves bolted to it to direct fluid to the correct cylinders in the correct order. Each of these solenoids has a very fine mesh filter, which I've seen become clogged and it totally jacks up the roof sequence. Most dealers have no idea what's going on and will just recommend replacing the pump assembly, if they can even figure it out that far. Very few dealer techs have significant experience with convertibles.

Sensors and wires tend to fail or break because the wires are routed along the convertible frame. I've seen similar wires on Volvo C70s get worn through, fracture just from repeated cycles and just plain cut in half by falling into a pinch point. I've also seen hydraulic hoses separate from cylinders, spraying hydraulic fluid. And last time I looked, they're only available for purchase as a full set. Just like any car, crap happens and the more complicated the car is, then there's more crap to break. Unfortunately, when a convertible top has a failure on one side, it can sometimes lead to twisting the top frame and then the problems just never go away. You think the problem is fixed , but then the top won't settle correctly into its hide-away or something.

 

THIS!!!!!

 

I feel like a lot of car owners that choose luxury vehicles develop this mentality of "oh, I've already put 10k into the car, it can't get rid of it now. I've already invested too much into it." And it becomes a cycle.

I had a buddy who had a higher mileage Audi a4 that he was constantly repairing. I never asked how much it was costing him, but when he put it up for sale after a couple years it became abundantly clear that it was sucking the life out of his wallet.

It's the toxic relationship of the car world.

 

BMW's all over the place here. I'm 3 miles from the factory. They lease them at a discount to employees as an incentive.

I'll stick with my Prius.

 

I apologize if you felt offended. Meant it as a joke.

 

years ago on another thread someone commented that a BMW comes with a manual that is titled;
Your Car, and the road you now own.

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