Hi Sifus...

Got any 320d or 520d or diesel passenger car owner?

Would like to know more about maintaining budget before getting one......

Traditional diesel engines are cheap to maintain but Euro crap tends to add stupid electronics and sensors to the mix. These are very troublesome and expensive to fix.

Workshop i always go advise me go for petrol.

True diesel can get more mileage over a litter of fuel, but maintaining it and spare parts somehow more difficult to get hence expensive.

if your place got mechanics well versed in diesel cars, then should not worry much.

Set aside around RM5k-RM10k for maintenance each year if the car is >8 years
Set aside around RM3k-RM7k for maintenance each year if the car is between 5-7 years old

Korean or Japanese are cheaper to maintain, that's for sure.

Must you get a BMW diesel?

why not 4x4 since u at it?

idk but when i see bmw with diesel im like mehhhhhhh (coz diesel used to be cheaper mah)
but now diesel slightly expensive than ron95 right?

p/s: ayam used to drove my dad's Opel Gemini diesel.

9 years no mechanical issues to engine .. just speed sensor need replace every few years

E90 2010 320d LCI - No mechanical issues until today, only hand & pocket itchy after 10 years do overhaul and change all wear stuff used around 10k budget. After that yearly just do normal maintenance like change engine oil & etc which cost only average around 2~3k per year (including tires & battery over the 10 years period)...

BTW i not using run-flat so it is cheaper & battery also non-AGM.. This is why my family kept the e90 until today. Even my mechanic also feedback it is one of the least maintenance BMW he ever encountered.. Those mechanic that did fix diesel BMW before for sure will know how least problem compared to similar petrol engine at the same model & range. A simple OBD scan can tell how much sensor for a Petrol engine need to look out compare to Diesel..

This post has been edited by littlefire: Apr 14 2022, 09:02 AM

Older models easier to maintain, modern ones abit harder coz involve a lot of electronics, also older ones used solid iron heads insted of aluminium on newer ones, so durability is excellent. Used to be cheaper to run a diesel car but nowadays fuel prie difference with petrol is not so much. The only advantage is diesel still have more torque compared to petrols. Please note that road tax for diesel vehicles are significantly more expensive than petrol variants. I bought a used W123 diesel many years ago as a project car. Kononnya I wanted to experiment with home-made biodiesel. Project didn't work coz i didn't have time for it.

Maintenance discussion aside..

I recalled walking beside a Peugeot 408 diesel and BMW 320d.

Damn the car engine idling sound.. very loud

I might disagree with the road tax diesel is expensive nowadays. Maybe those 20~30 years back complain of it, but since 10 years ago during the ownership with the BMW there is no difference and even more cheaper compare to my Subaru Xv 2.0L as road tax is even higher due to SUV rated (320d also 2.0L). This is for normal ownership not company.

Older generation diesel the noise insulation mostly for internal cabin area, for newer BMW F10/F30 the noise reduced quite a lot due to implementation of noise damping material around the engine. Even latest petrol engine with direct injection also got noise, just they also minimize with the foam damping material especially on the engine top cover and near the high pressure pump area. The noise usually is from the high pressure fuel pump & injector.

I was looking at a BMW 320d earlier this year then changed my mind to look for a BMW X1 x20d or a Peugeot 508 SW GT.

In the end bought a 2013 VW Touareg 3.0d, has 8 years of VW full service history and done 210,000km. Bought it direct from owner who told me the 1st owner of it was the manufacturer as it was a company car and after that he owned it since 2016 when it had only done 27,000km.

It is a relatively rare model in Malaysia and that engine is not that common either only other vehicle it is used in is a Porsche Cayenne and some Audi Q7s.

I drove it to Penang and back, no issues but decided to get the following replaced :-

Tyres RM920 per piece. Yes the diesel variant's tyres are more expensive than the petrol variant as it is a 265/50R19 vs 255/55R18 for the petrol.

All radiator and heater core hoses. RM1,250 for all.
Oil pan gasket. RM190
Crankcase seal. RM180
All the suspension bushes RM90 each.
4 shock absorbers (full set) RM950 for the front and RM760 for the rear.

All the above would cost the same whether it's a diesel or a petrol.

The following are unique parts for the diesel that I replaced.

Glowplugs. RM290 per piece.
Intercooler hose. RM380.

Tips : Buy a well maintained example ideally direct from its 1st owner.

Try to buy a higher mileage example as diesel engines don't do well if it was frequently used for short distance journeys. If it has lots of long distance highway driving that means these cars would have relatively low wear and tear on the engine as diesels don't rev all that high at speed limit.

Avoid any diesels with a DPF unless you know the owner has religiously used Euro5 B7 diesel. This is especially true for Mazda diesels.

Full service history and the car must show evidence of being well maintained.

320ds are fairly easy to find in good condition and plenty of them about therefore you can take your time to find a good one.



Roadtax for diesel and petrol is the same now, no longer any differences like yesteryears.

Once you go diesel, you don't go back!

the bmw diesel models are very reliable and cheap to maintain

one of my friend has done almost 350k km with the E90
standard wear and tear
gearbox refurb once

watch outs for E90/F30/F10 2.0 turbo diesels
some interior can be sticky

Interior plastic are prone to be sticky due to use of bio-degradable plastic but can be swap out or upgrade using China OEM parts.
Is not that expensive nowadays, even lazada & shopee can be bought easily.