BMW has some of the most powerful, stylish, and well-made cars available today. Aside from the design, most of the cars they make are great options for everyday drive. However, you may want to consider one of the essential things – maintenance. Thus, you may ask:
Are BMWs expensive to maintain? Accordingly, BMW cars are one of the most expensive units to maintain. In general, most of the cars have a 10-year cost of $17,800. Like all other luxury brands, the BMWs are expensive to own in the long run. Aside from the unit as a whole, both the maintenance and parts are also expensive.
In short, the replacement parts and the labor costs are generally higher than others. For this reason, it’s something you need to consider and prepare should you go for this brand. In this article, we’ll cover other essential things you need to know about BMW and its maintenance.
Without further ado, let’s get into it!
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Is a BMW expensive to maintain?
As I said earlier, BMW is expensive to maintain, as it has an average maintenance cost of $17,800 over ten years of use.
If you compare it to other brands, the next one would be Mercedes-Benz, but it only costs around $12,900 on the same timeline. The least expensive would be Toyota units since they cost only around $5,500 to maintain in a decade.
The primary and apparent reason for this is that luxury cars like BMWs also have expensive parts. It would also be best to consider that such maintenance’s labor costs wouldn’t be the same as the other brands.
If you’re thinking of getting a BMW, it would be best to prepare yourself for high maintenance costs.
This way, you won’t get surprised by every expense that that car may require in the future.
What Is the Average Cost of Yearly Maintenance?
The cost of yearly maintenance of BMWs can vary on the mileage. For instance, BMW owners’ average costs with every 10,000 miles driven would be between $150 to $400 per service.
With such a calculation, you can expect an average yearly maintenance cost of around $1000 to $1700. It includes both maintenance and repairs. Such a yearly cost is relatively higher than most brands would have.
Standard BMW Maintenance and Repair Costs
BMW offers what they call ultimate care. However, this maintenance program is only for the original car owner. Such a maintenance and repair service includes the following items:
- Engine filter
- Engine oil
- Cabin microfilter
- Brake fluid
- Spark plugs
- Engine air filter
- Vehicle check
- Remote control and key battery
- Fuel filter (diesel only)
According to RepairPal, the standard BMW maintenance and repair costs an average of $968 per year. Below is an average expenditure for every repair or service you can get for your BMW:
- Engine filter – $88 to $116
- Oil change – $149 to $174
- Spark plugs – $144 to $295
- Wheel hub assembly replacement – $235 to $595
- Windshield wiper motor replacement – $612 to $679
- Turbocharger assembly replacement – $2,328 to $2,481
Are BMWs Expensive to Fix?
Yes, BMWs are expensive to fix. On average, the repair costs of BMWs are higher than the average cars and brands.
Since the repairs themselves would be expensive, it adds up to the cost of overall maintenance.
BMWs have expensive parts, and the labor costs on repairs aren’t something you can take lightly.
Of course, if you’re an original owner, you can have the ultimate care offered by BMW. However, second-hand owners wouldn’t have it.
In general, the repairs, including the maintenance, would cost an average of $17,800 for every ten years of use.
Moreover, these luxury cars are also prone to chronic issues. For instance, the average BMW is four times more likely not to start compared to average cars.
Further, some parts of these cars need replacement 18 times more often than an average car. In short, we can conclude that BMWs are pretty expensive to fix.
Cheapest BMW Cars to Maintain
If you’re searching for the cheapest BMW cars to maintain, the brand got two units among all brands’ top ten. Below are the eight cheapest BMW cars to maintain with their average maintenance cost per year:
- BMW 325i ($304)
- BMW Z4 ($348)
- BMW 318i ($283)
- BMW 528i ($329)
- BMW i3 ($247)
- BMW 750i ($423)
- BMW X3 ($337)
- BMW M4 ($369)
As always, BMWs remain one of the highest costing cars when it comes to repairs and maintenance. You can check our article about the cheapest BMW cars to maintain for more details.
Most Expensive BMW Cars to Maintain
Now, when it comes to the most expensive BMW cars to maintain, we got three to get included among the top 20 rankings of all brands. According to Motor1, these BMW units are three of the 20 most expensive cars to maintain.
- BMW X3 – $17,878 (% Of New Price: 36.4%)
- BMW X2 – $17,764 (% Of New Price: 40.8%)
- BMW X1 – $17,691 (% Of New Price: 44.6%)
The good thing is that, of all BMW units, they offer three years or 36,000 miles of free service or maintenance, whichever comes first.
Thus, if you would get the car brand new, you’ll enjoy that maintenance for a while before you start worrying about it on your own.
Why Are Bmws so Expensive to Maintain?
As said earlier, BMWs are so expensive to maintain because of two main reasons: replacement parts and labor costs.
The replacement parts are pretty expensive, which means you can spend more than average car owners when a part needs replacement.
Second, labor costs in repairs and maintenance aren’t the same as other cars’ costs.
Another thing to note is that BMWs come as German luxury cars. With this in mind, these units have significantly more bells and whistles that can fail.
Lastly, despite being luxury cars, BMWs suffer from chronic issues as well. For instance, BMW units are four times more prone to not starting than the average car.
Moreover, some parts need 18 times more replacement than an average car.
All these things add up in making BMWs quite expensive, not only in its overall price but also in its repair and maintenance.
Summary
BMW cars are undeniably one of the best cars you can get in the market today. For this reason, it’s no wonder why many people like to get one.
However, like a smart car buyer, you shouldn’t only think of the car’s price. Instead, you also need to consider the price of such in the long run, which means maintenance costs.
BMWs are pretty expensive to maintain, indeed. However, it will also depend on how you take care of it and how you use it.
In the end, maintaining a car doesn’t only depend on the machine itself but the user as well.
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Image credits – Canva