Maintenance question/ financial advice

[f82mw]

Hi guys,

This is my first BMW owned vehicle. I have a few questions.

Historically, do BMW typically have a lot of maintenance or vehicle breakdowns/issues down the line? Are they known for having the best and most reliable car, after purchase?

I currently have a 2015 m4 and it has 13k miles on it. I dont track or beat my car. I take care of my car. I understand that there will be issues down the line but what should I be expecting? My previous car was a Honda Civic and service and maintenance was pretty cheap. I know for a fact that BMW is obviously way more expensive. I love my M4 and want to keep it but I just want to prepare for what is ahead of me or maybe start thinking about selling my car.

[damageprone]

From what I have been gathering that "the internet" has been saying, the S55 has been the most reliable platform thus far.

This is no Honda Civic, and parts will of course be more expensive, but as long as you maintain it like your Civic, you should be fine. Just buy from reputable online sites.

[BzsBimmer]

Yes, this is no Honda Civic but if you’re that worried and already contemplating selling your car, you might as well.

The M tax down the road along with just normal maintenance etc. is going to be higher than the overall total cost of ownership for a Civic regardless.

[Poiseuille]

As damageprone said above evidence is mounting that the S55 and both gearboxes are pretty stout with no indication of future unreliability as a total package.
Opinions regarding maintenance are going to vary, especially as related to how long you expect to keep the car. I tend to keep mine a very long time. Assuming you also hope to keep the car a long time while suffering the least number of repairs, my advice would be to do this: Google "Mike Miller's Old School Maintenance Schedule", read the most recent version of the schedule, but also look carefully at all the various hits you get in that search and read those that seem to make the most sense.
I used Mike's schedule on an M62 that was my daily driver for 13 of the 17 years I owned it. Guy I sold it to is still driving it. I've used the schedule on all the BMW's I've owned.

[Poiseuille]

Just noticed that I didn't answer your question regarding "what to expect". So far for F8X the answer to that question is unknown. Not saying that something won't appear down the road, just that so far nothing has. In my experience all BMW platforms have their little quirks, some quirks not so little. A few that come to mind are M50/52 water pumps, M62 valley pans, Sachs struts, all BMW expansion tanks, and so on. Trick is to learn the weaknesses, fix them before they break. For the car you have right now, you're in the right place. Read as much as you can.
btw, welcome to the forum.

[TTGator]

Originally Posted by Poiseuille

As damageprone said above evidence is mounting that the S55 and both gearboxes are pretty stout with no indication of future unreliability as a total package.
Opinions regarding maintenance are going to vary, especially as related to how long you expect to keep the car. I tend to keep mine a very long time. Assuming you also hope to keep the car a long time while suffering the least number of repairs, my advice would be to do this: Google "Mike Miller's Old School Maintenance Schedule", read the most recent version of the schedule, but also look carefully at all the various hits you get in that search and read those that seem to make the most sense.
I used Mike's schedule on an M62 that was my daily driver for 13 of the 17 years I owned it. Guy I sold it to is still driving it. I've used the schedule on all the BMW's I've owned.

Googling... is the 2013 version the latest? Was hoping for a refresh with the s55 engine.