Q: Old BMW 318s....

[rs73]

Does anyone know what would the maintenance cost would be on a regularly serviced BMW 318 from around the mid 1980s (84-89) model... Cars in particular interest were regularly serviced with log books, clocking about 200,000-225,000kms....

[Jordan]

Is it an E30 or older? (My bro has an E30)

[rs73]

Yes, I believe it is an E30 generation.

[DRFT33]

depends on where you take it... BMW dealership will cost alot more. anyways.. it only gets really expensive when things go wrong - genuine parts are expensive.

[pontiff]

Does anyone know what would the maintenance cost would be on a regularly serviced BMW 318 from around the mid 1980s (84-89) model... Cars in particular interest were regularly serviced with log books, clocking about 200,000-225,000kms....

Heya,

Simple answer is not much.

Detailed answer is like any car it all depends on how it was / is looked after. If you are interested in doing it yourself then you NEED to get yourself a copy of the Robert Bentley service manual for the E30 ...

http://www.bmwe30.net/cgi-bin/datacgi/data...0&finalrecord=9

The engine is an M10 and was designed by Baron Alex von Falkenhausen BMW's premier engine designer. An interesting note is that the M10 was the same engine that went into the Brabham F2 car and made over 1000 HP... so if you want a block that can handle 1000HP then the M10 is for you

From 1990 onward the M42 was used and was carried over into the E36.

But back to servicing. There are not many serious known faults with the E30, the M10 is solid as a rock, BMW Thermostats can cause problems but at about $70 from a Dealer they are not overly expensive.

Coolant Temp Senders (standard BOSCH item) can cause problems but are easily fixed, and the standard radiator can block up.

On the later cars (M20's are prone for this) the Idle Control Valve can get stuck and cause a rough idle, but on an M10 thats not so much of a problem as it does not use Bosch Motronic DME ECU's but its precursor in K-JetTronic.

http://www.bmwworld.com/engines/m10.htm

Btw... If you are in Melbourne, a good friend of mine works at a BMW Dealership and completes servicing on the weekend, so if you want a fussy BMW trained tech to service your car let me know.

Cheers,

Aaron