Aslan

Thank you, I received your reply.I asked for your and everyone else's advice, I do appreciate it. I would also just like to make sure that I'm making the right decision, it may be the case that the vehicle needs some work, but if I can get a reasonable effort from the dealer and if I can fix other things bit by bit that aren't so urgent, then I see no problem in purchasing this vehicle. Is that so wrong?

That is approximate and inclusive of labour. The rest was:Brake fluid flush due 80 +gst Fuel filter due 200 +gst A/C micro filter dirty 75 +gst A/c low on gas / hissing 150 +gst Brake shudder on motorway Rear brake pads low / all discs low Front brake hoses perished 250 +gst Front brake pads and discs 430 +gst Rear brake discs and pads 570 +gst (to check handbrake shoes) Recommend wheel alignment 70 +gst Engine sump gasket leaking ~ 500 +gst Left front and rear rim buckle / all rims curb damage $ ?

Radiator discolored and starts to leak 700 +gstTop radiator hose discolored 100 +gst with radiator Lower coolant return hose swollen 80 +gst with radiator Water pump developing play 280 +gst Coolant weak 80 +gst Power steering hoses from reservoir leaking 380 +gst Main drive belt cracked 110 +gst Spark plugs worn 200 +gst Oil dip stick breather hose split 50 +gst Battery 10 years old / load test borderline 230 +gst I spoke to a repair shop who said it just sounded as if it requires a very good service.

I've sent a quote for the most important things to fix according to BMWorkshop to the dealer and requested they look it over and get back to me with what they're prepared to fix. I'll let you know what they say.

The handbook said Manuwatu European or something like that. I can't recall the exact name unfortunately.

That's something interesting that I found also. This vehicle has a handbook that came with the vehicle that shows that it has had servicing regularly. Though only once a year it appears and with something with as many kilometers as this, it probably should have had it twice a year. I'll let you guys know what BMWorkshop says and also what the dealer says. Thanks, Aslan

There are warranties available, both Autosure and Janssen warranties will cover it.

Agreed. But as I've already paid for the inspection, there's no harm whatsoever in seeing what the dealer will fix. If the dealer is willing to fix the major issues then I will take the vehicle. I don't see any harm in that.

Hi everyone, thanks for your advice. I'm going to get BMWorkshop to email me a quote of how much it should be to fix the most important parts and then I'll take that quote to the dealer and ask them what they're willing to do in terms of repairing the vehicle or lowering the price, if they're willing to repair the major stuff then I'll still get the vehicle and fix the smaller things up later that don't require immediate attention. I like the 330i and I appreciate advice not to purchase the vehicle, but actually, I will, as you all suggested, take the advice of the BMWorkshop who are the experts and stated that the condition of the vehicle is expected for something this age and that it just requires some things to be fixed before using it. If those things can be fixed by the dealer then I will take it. Thanks, Aslan

Thank you Palazzo, but unfortunately my finance only goes through dealers and so I can not purchase a vehicle from a private seller.

Hi everyone, I hope you're all well. I have got a vehicle checked out, it's different than the one I had an AA inspection for so I thought I'd email you all and seek your advice as to how to proceed. The BMWorkshop pre purchase inspection indicated the following: Battery 10 years old / load test borderline Main drive belt cracked Spark plugs worn Brake fluid flush due Fuel filter due A/C micro filter dirty A/c low on gas / hissing Coolant weak Radiator discolored and starts to leak Top radiator hose discolored Water pump developing play Lower coolant return hose swollen due to P/S leaks Power steering hoses from reservoir leaking Brake shudder on motorway Rear brake pads low / all discs low Passenger wing mirror adjustment not working Front tyres worn on edges Recommend wheel alignment Left front and rear rim buckle / all rims curb damage Diff mount cracked Left rear window regulator noisy Left rear carped damp - water leak inside ? Oil dip stick breather hose split Front brake hoses perished Engine sump gasket leaking Right front sway bar link play Diff side seal weeping - minor Some board tools missing Normal wear and tear on body and interior (Small dents, etc) Wheel speed sensor and interface faults in ABS - Not present CAN wheel speed faults in Transmission control unit - Not present Road test in wet condition Any advice at all for me on how to proceed? On how much it might cost to fix the major things etc? Thanks, Aslan

Wow really? Interesting.. I like the cream colored one it just seems more elegant.

Please put me down too I have a 330i 2000

Well this is not the same car, the car I initially talked about is different. I'd love to have the interior from the other vehicle, it was nice and cream color.

Hi everyone, Just a quick question, I have a Black leather interior to the BMW 330i and I'd like does anyone here have any idea how much it would cost roughly to change it all into a creamy leather color? Thanks in advance, Aslan

It's at 198,000kms. So it doesn't really need it yet? Yes, but the most recent one in there. The black one from Precision Automobiles.

Hi everyone! As mentioned earlier I may have found a 2000 BMW 330i SE that I would like to buy, its mileage is quite high so I thought I'd check if anyone knew a rough estimate to recondition the engine. Thanks in advance, Aslan

Hi everyone! Okay, so I found another vehicle that I'm interested in. This is from a much nicer and more polite dealer named Kevin at Precision Automobiles. It is a Black 2000 BMW 330i SE with 198,000km on the clock. It is NZ New with 3 owners. It looked very tidy inside and was a pleasure to test drive. My father gave me a list of things to check on the vehicle. Including the coolant for the right colors, the oil for stickiness, the exhaust for blue smoke and revving to see if it has any problems. All the checks that I did looked pretty good, it has the full service history until 2008 in the service book and since then it's got stickers on the windscreen. It all looked very nice so I came to an agreement with the dealer. $9,000 including a grooming and a full tank of fuel and subject to a satisfactory pass at the BMWorkshop (which I might add he was happy to have it checked at, in fact his staff will even drive the vehicle there). So providing that there are no serious problems with the vehicle found at BMWorkshop I'll soon be the happy owner of a BMW 330i SE. I hope it all goes well! Thanks, Aslan

Hi everyone, thanks for your replies. They're going to refund my $200.00 deposit. As they should.

It was my first time dealing with a dealer. I didn't buy the vehicle and didn't bend to the pressure not to get it done. So I think I did quite well actually.

Hmmm true.. I'm going to ask for the money back I spent on the inspection. They were obviously aware that it had these problems, hence their reluctance to firstly get the AA check done and their horror at the possibility of a BMWorkshop inspection.

I think it goes a lot further than they didn't know. I'll elaborate more if they don't accept it.

Hmmm it might not be worth it. I guess it depends on what the BMWorkshop says. Is there any way to hold dealers accountable for lying to people?

I like the look of the vehicle but you are right, I am very concerned about whether it's a lemon or not. I spoke to the lovely people at BM Workshop and they told me that just doing the head gasket could be more than $1800. I might get the vehicle looked at tomorrow but only on the condition that the dealer is prepared to fix the expensive and more urgent problems or discount it further so that I can get the problems fixed. I suspect that the dealer will not be prepared to do either and in such a case, I'll ask for a full refund of my deposit which they used for my AA inspection and if they refuse, I'll take further steps to show how this dealer preys on people to the public.

Hi everyone. I had the AA Inspection done first, I couldn't cancel it unfortunately as I needed to give much more notice. Nevertheless, it had some interesting information including a long list of faults. I spoke to the AA Inspector and he said that it requires some extra checks by the BMWorkshop so that's what I plan to do. I'll upload pictures of the report just so you guys can give your advice too. Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8