PPI results are in; Need help explaining it all

[Milano]

Found a nice 04 330Ci and recently had the car taken in for an inspection, but I'm not the most knowledgeable when it comes to cars and was hoping someone could help me out by explaining what everything means and their opinion on whether the car is a good purchase.


Front suspension lower control arm bushings worn and loose
Fault code for oil level sensor
Valve cover gasket and seals starting to leak
Brake fluid flush
Transmission output seal and selector shaft seal leak
Breather hose soft and deteriorating
Rear differential fluid service


The car has just over 70k miles on it. Are these normal things for a car with that mileage? Anything there a deal breaker? Thanks in advance

[Marcus-SanDiego]

1. Normal. Wear and tear item. You'll need to replace (if you're not having the owner replace)
2. Not knowledgeable enough to answer
3. VCG gaskets and seals wear out. My friend owns a shop here in San Diego. Sees that every day. Don't know how much the job costs, though.
4. The car is in need a brake flush. I did mine at 60K miles.
5. Not knowledgeable enough to answer but it's going to cost $$.
6. Not knowledgeable enough to answer but it's going to need replacing apparently.
7. Your diff needs new fluid.

Not sure if any of the items are deal breakers (especially as it relates to item 5). Others will need to weigh in.

[az3579]

It entirely depends on how much the seller is asking for it. I can easily see you spending over $1k in labor to fix all of these issues, not including parts and depending on how much the shops charge.

[mimalmo]

Found a nice 04 330Ci and recently had the car taken in for an inspection, but I'm not the most knowledgeable when it comes to cars and was hoping someone could help me out by explaining what everything means and their opinion on whether the car is a good purchase.


Front suspension lower control arm bushings worn and loose Extremely common
Fault code for oil level sensor A new sensor is a little over $100 and can be replaced on your next oil change. Two screws hold it in.
Valve cover gasket and seals starting to leak I would just replace the VANOS seals on the car and put a new VC gasket on there when you do that job.
Brake fluid flush Every car, regardless of make should have this done every 60k or so
Transmission output seal and selector shaft seal leak Not sure on this one
Breather hose soft and deteriorating is he talking about intake boot or crankcase breather hose? Both parts are cheap
Rear differential fluid service Every car, regardless of make should have this done every 60k or so


The car has just over 70k miles on it. Are these normal things for a car with that mileage? Anything there a deal breaker? Thanks in advance

See above in bold type

[Len013091]

The trans shift and output seals probably aren't leaking much more than enough to make the case a little wet. Honestly I wouldn't worry about them, just keep an eye on the fluid level. However, the transmission does not have to come out to change these two seals, though it's not easy with it in the car.

[BCS_ZHP]

To help you figure out some of this from your wallet's perspective, some estimates:
1. $150 in parts, 3-3.5 hours labor for each side, so at $100/hr (very conservative for a BMW) that's $750-850
2. Believe this oil sensor cost me about $125, and as mimalmo said, it should be no extra labor with your next oil change
3. Valve cover gasket & seals, I had this done under warranty on one of my cars and the dealer told me it was a $400 repair (probably $100 in parts and 2 hrs labor @ the dealer @ $150/hr)
4. Brake fluid flush is a liter of brake fluid at about $15/liter plus half an hour of labor to pressure bleed it
5. The transmission output shaft seal can likely be replaced with the transmission mounted, don't know about the selector seal, if its on top of the transmission the transmission will have to be lowered. The seals are likely fairly inexpensive, its the labor that will bite you on this repair.
6. Again as Mimalmo said, both inexpensive and do-it-yourself if you're mechanically inclined even a little bit.
7. Rear end fluid is about $15-20 per liter plus half an hour to change it.

Hope these numbers help you in your negotiation.
Bruce

[Milano]

Thanks, everyone.

To help clarify, I did receive quotes from the repair shop for each thing listed, but they didn't say whether that was parts only or if it included labor.




Front suspension lower control arm bushings worn and loose $420
Fault code for oil level sensor $300
Valve cover gasket and seals starting to leak $250
Brake fluid flush $120
Transmission output seal and selector shaft seal leak $400
Breather hose soft and deteriorating $85
Rear differential fluid service $85



The negotiated price is currently $15.8k, before seeing the inspection. That was already close to 700 lower than what was posted. Besides what the inspection has shown, the exterior could use minor work, but the interior is in really good condition.

@mimalmo
6. The inspection didn't specify if it's the intake boot or crankcase breather hose

@ Len013091
The shop said that the transmission leaks were moderate and that they'd suggest having those seals replaced soon.

I asked the seller about it and he said that he was aware of a small leak, but that it was more of a twice a week drip on the garage floor and nothing severe enough to cause any harm to the transmission.

[mimalmo]

Yeah, those shop quotes are ambiguous. Call them and ask if those quotes are parts and labor. Also ask about the breather hose.

$300 for the oil level sensor is ridiculous, even if it includes parts, labor and an oil & filter change.


Who did the PPI?

[Milano]

On the inspection invoice, it's written exactly as: "Fault code for oil level sensor, replacement $300 plus oil, best to do in conjunction with oil and filter service."

So I'm guessing that $300 is for the sensor, the oil, and the service...

The shop is already closed. It was done at Elite AutoCare Inc. in Seattle. Anyone here had experience there or recommend any other shops in that area? I'm out of state and they were one of the nearest ones to the seller.

[az3579]

In my opinion, $15.8k for a car that needs that kind of work is too much. Personally I would pay around $14k, tops, for it as is...
You all may say that the leak is nothing to worry about now, but keep in mind that it isn't going to get any better. In fact, it's going to get worse, as leaks almost always do. So, either you can pay now to get a minor leak fixed or pay more later to fix a potentially disastrous leak.

I'm no expert when it comes to these particular kinds of leaks, but a leak is not good no matter how you slice it, and if it was my car I would find it unacceptable.

The way I would judge how bad something is is this: is it safe to go on the track with?
If the answer is no, then it should be fixed, regardless of whether or not you actually do track it. It's a pretty good measure as to how it could potentially compromise safety. Imagine for a second the leak gets worse. OK, now you're leaving a trail of oil on the road behind you. Not good! :)