Which COE car should I buy?

[inlinesix]

1 minute ago, Sdf4786k said:

https://blog.fcpeuro.com/bmw-lifetime-transmission-fluid-isnt-lifetime

So why am I being told my transmission is "lifetime fill"?

If you're wondering why a service adviser at a BMW dealership would inform you that the transmission is a "lifetime fill" and doesn't have a service interval the answer is simple—they don't know any more than what their computer screen is telling them. BMW dealerships, in general, are not servicing these transmissions as they're out of the maintenance timeline that BMW is responsible for addressing during the warranty period. However, BMW does have technical information in their own TIS on how to refill and service the transmission in the case of component replacement, essentially discrediting the claim that the transmission cannot receive a drain and fill service.

Lifetime fill => Life of Transmission.

It does not discredit their claims as you are already said component replacement.

Even Aisin GB in my Mini has no service interval from the factory.

[Toeknee_33]

Its lifetime of the car? Or lifetime of the transmission unit? 

Maybe the GB is designed to last only 100k km, so no need to change fluid until it breaks?

[macrosszero]

1 hour ago, Sdf4786k said:

https://blog.fcpeuro.com/bmw-lifetime-transmission-fluid-isnt-lifetime

So why am I being told my transmission is "lifetime fill"?

If you're wondering why a service adviser at a BMW dealership would inform you that the transmission is a "lifetime fill" and doesn't have a service interval the answer is simple—they don't know any more than what their computer screen is telling them. BMW dealerships, in general, are not servicing these transmissions as they're out of the maintenance timeline that BMW is responsible for addressing during the warranty period. However, BMW does have technical information in their own TIS on how to refill and service the transmission in the case of component replacement, essentially discrediting the claim that the transmission cannot receive a drain and fill service.

****

So if somehow u happy go and change the gearbox oil at 60,000 for piece of mind and at 80000KM the GB uplorry. Is it cliamable or you totally screwed ?

 

As the guy just before me said, the "lifetime" isn't your lifetime or my lifetime. It is the lifetime of that gearbox - in other words, if you maintain the car as the manufacturer recommends, you will need to change the whole gearbox in order to keep the car going.

And the manufacturers would like you to do that - instead of spending $200-500 on transmission fluid changes every so often, you will come back to them after warranty to spend upwards of $10,000 on a whole new gearbox. 

The question that you pose is actually too complex to answer simply due to the amount of variables involved - whether the car was clocked, whether the correct fluid was used, whether the correct procedures were carried out, so on and so forth. 

Its fine by me if you still think that it is ok and inconsequential to buy over and continue maintaining a car for which you don't know what's going wrong next - but hey, that's what most used car buyers go through for a period of time until they have replaced enough parts to have some degree of reliability, or they give up totally and sell the car on again, thus creating the 5-owner C-class with less than "100,000km".

[keechiu]

On 1/27/2021 at 12:50 AM, Ct3833 said:

You ask your workshop if he could find a spare ecu to swap out for a few days for you to test it out,  that may help isolate the cause. 

 

On 1/27/2021 at 1:12 AM, Hamburger said:

Afraid not gonna be that simple. 

Swapping of ecu needs to be programmed and not plug and play. 

There are ways to test the ecu for different ports on the ecu by measuring the individual impedance. 

At least that's how I saw the mechanics work on my ex car. 

 

On 1/27/2021 at 10:14 AM, Roh96 said:

I can understand your anxiety to fix the problem. Why not give C&C service dept a call and ask if you can pay them a fee to diagnose your car. 

If you later decide to let them repair for you, request them to waive off the consulting fee. This is what i did with my previous car many years ago.

Outside WS give me all sorts of 2nd guessing and i was not ready to try and error because it wasn't cheap. 

 

Just to recap especially those who're only just finding this thread. The latest error code which occurred during the second week of January 2020 was 'the throttle valve actuator does not reach the specified position'. 

The dealer's workshop in Defu Lane is charging $500 inclusive of labour. I got a second opinion from Elite Car Ventures and they advised me to change the manifold throttle body and supercharger throttle body at $1580 inclusive of labour. I then got a third opinion from Kee Yong who was recommended to me by someone from the SG Merc FB group who apparently had the same problem. Kee Yong said to replace the Bosch throttle body for $620 with installation. I will go to the dealer's workshop to change the throttle for $500. If after the change, the problem still persists then I will send it to Cycle and Carriage. 

On 1/27/2021 at 1:05 PM, Toeknee_33 said:

I feel sorry for TS. What is supposed to be a happy first time car buying experience and joyful acquisition of a set of wheels has somewhat turned sour.

However, I think it was a missed opportunity for him. He chose rightly to come here to seek advice and many of us here has advised caution and offered useful tips and information over several pages here. I said in this same thread to avoid COE cars and against buying prestige Conti marques as a first timer. I also suggested a 5-year old BnB car with his then $45k budget. I even PM him to offer my help to guide him along, seeing that he seemed like a genuine guy that needed help. Unfortunately TS decided to go his own way and make his own choices based on his own limited information and knowledge.

I am sorry if I sound like I am rubbing salt into a wound, but I would say again that TS did not listen enough to us despite all the well-being advice that we have all taken time to share with him. 

We would have never said it's ok to buy a COE C180k with 5 owners and 120k km mileage. We would have smelt a rat from here.

I would have spent the $65k on a 5-year old Mazda 6 and be very happily driving it around.

 

 

On 1/28/2021 at 3:13 PM, uglyguy said:

I'm also looking to buy a used car and have read all 15 pages of this thread. Basically most of the advices are:

- Jap/ Kor make and the known reliable models
- Lowest transfer count possible
- Beware of mileage tampering 
- Look out for dents, stains and spills when inspecting the car 

And then... TS decided to ignore all that and went for the badge.

10 hours ago, Vinceng said:

For the almost $70k paid for the 10 yr old C180, can also get you a brand new Hyundai Accent, Mitsubishi Attrage, Nissan Note or Perodua Bezza with 5 yrs warranty and free servicing thrown in for worry free Motoring.

But of course none can give you the "I have arrived" feel good factor, snob appeal & prestige, envy and "Wah" from peers, like the C180 does. Some may even look down on you, form a negative impression and perceive you to be financially challenged to be able to afford only a bread and butter mass market  tin can.

Enjoy your C180 and the elite social status it brings along. It is a German engineered Mercedes after all - The best or nothing!  😊

 

 

It wasn't my decision to purchase a Mercedes at all. I was compelled to purchase it😳 This C180k doesn't feel all that wow and jazz and shebang. and yes I know.I know it's prevalent here in our society but I'm not that sort of guy that is into flashy stuffy, conscious of face value or social status etc. if you read this thread from the beginning you would know that I was looking at 5 year COE cars such as Civic. 

On 1/28/2021 at 3:33 PM, kumquat said:

To be fair, TS has been very open about his mistakes and give back a lot to this thread on his lessons learned. He took the gamble and did not come out as well as he had hoped for but he isn't sour so hats off to him actually. 

 It is my hope that future first-time buyers do not commit the mistakes I've made. Hence my detailed but clear posts. 

On 1/29/2021 at 9:36 AM, ferrytales said:

One of the ocatvias sold in sgcarmart is an accident car (almost total loss) but the dealer bought it over and did it up, now its in the market. 

Used cars are legit scary. 

Are you able to provide the link? 

On 1/30/2021 at 4:19 PM, Macrosszero said:

I will never trust the odometer reading without a stack of dated receipts backing it up. 

A single service label on the windscreen is not good enough. The car can be clocked before going back to the AD for a cursory oil change to try to legitimize the mileage. 

I have traded a 250+k km car in before and asked the dealer if he wanted my service receipts which I had meticulously kept. He said no, not necessary, I will throw it away anyway. My guess is as good as yours why he doesn't need them!

Any COE car especially the B&B types will have accumulated their share of scrapes, dings and dents. The easiest way to "low mileage" a car is a quick putty job and an even quicker paint job so it looks good on the shop lot. And that new interior? They won't do it unless the original interior was full of holes and tears. 

Used car dealers try their best to give their customers the buy-new-car feeling for everything they can see, but beauty is only skin-deep. Customers also want to believe they are getting a wonderful deal, so they deserve each other. 

 

On 1/30/2021 at 4:37 PM, Old-driver said:

I don't believe most of the mileage advertised. If you browse thru a 2010, 11 or 12 vehicles, almost all of them are around 100k plus or minus. How can that be that all these

few hundred cars can clock the same distance over a 10-year period?

Look at the 2015-16 cars, most of them are in the 80k range already....  and i'll say it's likely to be genuine. So for all the 10 year olds,  most of them has to be in at least 150k and above, save a few rare ones.

 

 

 

On 1/30/2021 at 6:45 PM, Mkl22 said:

 On sgcarmart you do see many 2-5 owner cars with the default “only 100k+ km” at 10years. 😂

I've messaged several dealers on fb and sgcarmart asking them whether they have tampered with the odometer or why all the c180k listed on these platforms seems to all have the magical mileage of 120,000km. none of them were able to provide with a proper answer.  

On 1/30/2021 at 5:40 PM, Jamesc said:

I got some low mileage cars if anyone interested.

Car broke down so often stuck in workshop

owner drive his other cars. 

whats the name of your dealership?

 

On 1/30/2021 at 9:38 PM, Comage said:

Yeah, agree with this - a "quick putty job" and a fresh coat of paint all round for around $2k (?) (if it REALLY is that bad) and the dealer is ready to mark up the car by +$10-12k above dereg value and sell it to the next unsuspecting customer.

Interior detailing workshops does a pretty decent job of vacuuming the upholstery and/or carpet, but one thing I know for sure is that they NEVER do under the interior panels or unbolt the seats to get at every nook/cranny.

I unbolted the seats to my COE car and found a trove of trash which indicated that it was heavily abused (apart from the usual dust/dirt/hairballs):
- Hairpins (from a girl or woman)
- Small change amounting to a few dollars
- Pre-paid cards
- A fistful of melted and dried-up chocolates, along with a whole colony of cockroaches dug in deep into the sound-proofing foams
- a bunch of colorful beads (like those used by a little kid in their school art lessons)
- and so on...
 

And one day, while loading up stuff into my boot in a basement carpark, lights from a certain angle caught on the rear windscreen and revealed a "watermark" of a PHV label/sticker. All this, with me as the 3rd owner (2 prior owners; I was deceived by the dealer into thinking I was gonna be the 2nd owner), I bought the car right at the end of the 10th year with 98,000+ km. 

Do I believe the mileage? Hell, no!

great points. I'll ask the technicians to do this when i send the car for its first servicing.

 

[macrosszero]

I give you a like for being factual when sharing your experience without justifying your actions defensively. Good information for other new car buyers.

[Toeknee_33]

2 hours ago, keechiu said:

 

It wasn't my decision to purchase a Mercedes at all. I was compelled to purchase it😳 This C180k doesn't feel all that wow and jazz and shebang. and yes I know.I know it's prevalent here in our society but I'm not that sort of guy that is into flashy stuffy, conscious of face value or social status etc. if you read this thread from the beginning you would know that I was looking at 5 year COE cars such as Civic. 

 

I've messaged several dealers on fb and sgcarmart asking them whether they have tampered with the odometer or why all the c180k listed on these platforms seems to all have the magical mileage of 120,000km. none of them were able to provide with a proper answer.  

 

Hope your upcoming visit to the workshop can resolve the issues that you face. Update us if you can.

I am curious about the "compelled" bit. Do share if its related to the actions of the dealer, and if its not too personal. 

No self-preserving dealer will admit to odo tampering, and neither will they dare to say that the odo is not tampered. Hence the non-committal answers you got. 

[uglyguy]

On 11/8/2020 at 8:38 PM, keechiu said:

hi all. I'm looking to buy a COE car. my budget is $40 to $45. I don't mind getting a car with a few years COE left and then renew it for another 5 or 10 years depending on the durability of the car etc. I was hoping to get advice as to which car I should purchase and what should I be wary of. If you were me, which of these 5 cars would you consider buying. If you have a preference out of these 5 cars I've listed below, please also state what changes I need to do to the car and the rough pricing for them at the workshop. If you feel that there is another COE car either Audi, BMW or Lexus on sgcarmart that I should look at instead, please provide the link. I am open to suggestions. Thank you all. 

1) Audi A4 2.0A TFSI (COE till 10/2024)

https://www.sgcarmart.com/used_cars/info.php?ID=914799

2) Audi A3 Sedan 1.4A TFSI Ambiente

https://www.sgcarmart.com/used_cars/info.php?ID=933358

3) Lexus IS250

https://www.sgcarmart.com/used_cars/info.php?ID=940232&DL=1000

4) BMW 3 Series 320i (COE till 12/2023)

https://www.sgcarmart.com/used_cars/info.php?ID=936256&DL=2349

5) BMW 5 Series 523i XL (COE till 10/2022) @$29,999

https://www.sgcarmart.com/used_cars/info.php?ID=942128&DL=3804
 

@RogerNg_185295 @Victor68 @MarkHotchner @Qaz20 @bearbearbear @No_worries @Hamburger @Blueray @Samlimlp @Rickster @CloudWan @Passion @M3ngl4ng @inlinesix @Bjory @Fatfatpanda @littlecar @kobayashiGT

 

 TS started thread with only BMW, LEXUS, and AUDI in mind. Just a reminder.

[Vinceng]

@keechiu

Are you in sales , or does your job or lifestyle require you to flash some status?

[Mkl22]

39 minutes ago, uglyguy said:

 

 TS started thread with only BMW, LEXUS, and AUDI in mind. Just a reminder.

ya lor..... where is "CIVIC" in that post? 😁

[Toeknee_33]

4 minutes ago, Mkl22 said:

ya lor..... where is "CIVIC" in that post? 😁

He did lah, a few pages later. 

[Mkl22]

7 minutes ago, Toeknee_33 said:

He did lah, a few pages later. 

ok... give chance... 😊

[Sugimoto]

18 hours ago, Vinceng said:

But of course none can give you the "I have arrived" feel good factor, snob appeal & prestige, envy and "Wah" from peers, like the C180 does. Some may even look down on you, form a negative impression and perceive you to be financially challenged to be able to afford only a bread and butter mass market  tin can.

Enjoy your C180 and the elite social status it brings along. It is a German engineered Mercedes after all - The best or nothing!  😊

 

If one owning a w204 can have so called elite social status & feel prestige, I feel pity for that individual because he must have inferiority complex. Those peers who "wah" at his mercedes w204 are those "never seen a big snake shit before"

No one even care a hoot on my car (c218) when I reached any 5-stars hotels or country clubs, let alone a 10 year-old w204🙄

[Rskc]

It is the society that we are in. We can say until cow comes home that it does not matter but it DOES matter to many others in the street even the guy who purchases it does not.

When I bought a 4.5 yr old bimmer from ppsl many years back (was wow-ed by the no-body-roll feeling drive), I was amused by my colleagues who congratulated me like i struck toto.

I drove to some condos in a bimmer, the security guard waved me thru! I was actually quite stunned.

It is a reality of scoiety whether one likes it or not!

Just being frank here.

[Hamburger]

I owned beemers and MB as I wanted to enjoy the drive it offered. 

 

What other thinks I care less. Now I drive a Kimchi car as I feel it suited my need most!! My first 7seater suv. 

 

 

[Jamesc]

Some people I dare not show they sushi or worse still kim chi cars

or they think I see them no up and walk next door to my competitors.

I only show then Conti!

Then I tell them they worked hard and have a de glee

and as they have arrived they always borrow a lot

and buy an atas car.

 

[Jamesc]

Why look down on people that buy an atas car?

I respect these kind of people.

They are my best customers.

If buy 318 I can even put a 320 or 323 badge for you if you like

180 can be 200 or 220 at no extra cost.

 

Edited February 2, 2021 by Jamesc

[Rskc]

1 minute ago, awhtc said:

Many condo security guards also waved me through even though I drove a Vios.

It is a matter of perception. As long as you are happy 😄

 Ya some condos' securities are non existent.😄 But some of the condos' security I know take down particulars selectively...

[macrosszero]

37 minutes ago, awhtc said:

Many condo security guards also waved me through even though I drove a Vios.

It is a matter of perception. As long as you are happy 😄

Yes, matter of perception, nowadays if you got PHV label or you got Lalamove stickers on the side, you also get waved through.