Big Bangle Booty - 635D
Discussion
Its been a little while since I made a thread on here, I had a brief stint in an SL500 last summer - and then sold that and had just been smoking about in my E350 which was getting up there on the mileage. Having very fond memories of my 335D a few years ago, and having spent quite some time browsing the classifieds - I remembered the 635D was a thing! And then started looking, convinced myself that I actually quite like the looks of the LCI.
Lots of mega mileage ones out there, a few dodgy examples and then I found this one. Low mileage at 58k, and a really nice spec with some choice extras - its got the night vision camera (which is a bit useless), the heads up display and all the usual goodies. Its also got the obligatory remap and goes very nicely! The seller unfortunately lived in the ULEZ expansion zone, which was ultimately a win for me. Its also got a Viper alarm system which I've decided to leave be, as its very panic-y when enabled - one trick feature of the system is remote start via the Viper remote though which works!
So far so good, its probably no where near as exciting as a lot of the cars on here - but I've chucked 4000 miles on it in about 2 months and I absolutely love it. I want to use this thread to document how much the little bugger costs me, I've had a couple of classic M57 niggles - and a specific E63 issue so far.
First week of ownership, oh dear - wet rear footwell. No pictures of this but it transpires the scuttle panels can become clogged with leaves (which mine had) and then water pools up, and runs through a firewall grommet into the cabin. Leaves duly removed and everything dried up, and we were back in business. Second week of ownership, both of the thermostats replaced as I found that the coolant was only reaching 65 degrees on a run - again this is super common on BMWs, but its particularly problematic on these as there is no coolant gauge to alert you of the fact, and also the car won't do a DPF regen with those temperatures. Then last month, all 6 glowplugs replaced plus a new controller.
Running tally:
Thermostats - £180
Glow Plugs & Controller - £690(!)
Wet carpets - £Free
Couple of pictures, it must be my age as I used to hate light interiors but this is now a bit of me:
Forgive the mess on the interior.
Plans for the near future -
Get it on a dyno to see where the remap stands.
Service the gearbox and rear diff.
Possibly a little touch with the lowering stick, and a front lip?
Lots of mega mileage ones out there, a few dodgy examples and then I found this one. Low mileage at 58k, and a really nice spec with some choice extras - its got the night vision camera (which is a bit useless), the heads up display and all the usual goodies. Its also got the obligatory remap and goes very nicely! The seller unfortunately lived in the ULEZ expansion zone, which was ultimately a win for me. Its also got a Viper alarm system which I've decided to leave be, as its very panic-y when enabled - one trick feature of the system is remote start via the Viper remote though which works!
So far so good, its probably no where near as exciting as a lot of the cars on here - but I've chucked 4000 miles on it in about 2 months and I absolutely love it. I want to use this thread to document how much the little bugger costs me, I've had a couple of classic M57 niggles - and a specific E63 issue so far.
First week of ownership, oh dear - wet rear footwell. No pictures of this but it transpires the scuttle panels can become clogged with leaves (which mine had) and then water pools up, and runs through a firewall grommet into the cabin. Leaves duly removed and everything dried up, and we were back in business. Second week of ownership, both of the thermostats replaced as I found that the coolant was only reaching 65 degrees on a run - again this is super common on BMWs, but its particularly problematic on these as there is no coolant gauge to alert you of the fact, and also the car won't do a DPF regen with those temperatures. Then last month, all 6 glowplugs replaced plus a new controller.
Running tally:
Thermostats - £180
Glow Plugs & Controller - £690(!)
Wet carpets - £Free
Couple of pictures, it must be my age as I used to hate light interiors but this is now a bit of me:
Forgive the mess on the interior.
Plans for the near future -
Get it on a dyno to see where the remap stands.
Service the gearbox and rear diff.
Possibly a little touch with the lowering stick, and a front lip?
Thanks for the kind words chaps, and its nice to see one kicking about at 222k! My old 335D was much the same, I ran it to 197k - it felt fine at that mileage but had a few big jobs coming up. RE build quality, it does seem solid - the interior is lovely actually, this ones got the newer CIC IDrive which looks very modern to my eyes (not sure if I'd feel the same, if I climbed in a brand new BMW and compared it mind you...). I think these don't need a huge brave pill to own (hopefully), the engine and gearbox are well proven at least - reading the forums it looks like its more likely to be death by electrical niggles if anything does happen!
I gave the interior a bit of a spruce today, as I'm off work burning a bit of leave! Vacuumed, plastics cleaned with some AG Interior Cleaner spray, and leather treated.
The only let downs are the seatbelts, and the carpets in some places look a bit grubby. I'm thinking of investing in a little spotwash carpet shampooer for the carpets - not sure on what to do with the seatbelts though? Even got a lint roller on the little felt trims around the doors!
Of course, a shade under £9k is what I paid, which I think is (hopefully) not bad given the low miles on it and the condition. I reckon you'd still get £4k at the mileage if it's in good nick (any pictures of yours? How's the interior held up?)
The only let downs are the seatbelts, and the carpets in some places look a bit grubby. I'm thinking of investing in a little spotwash carpet shampooer for the carpets - not sure on what to do with the seatbelts though? Even got a lint roller on the little felt trims around the doors!
Of course, a shade under £9k is what I paid, which I think is (hopefully) not bad given the low miles on it and the condition. I reckon you'd still get £4k at the mileage if it's in good nick (any pictures of yours? How's the interior held up?)
So with the previous owner mentioning an 'eco map' in the advert when I bought that car, I'd wondered if the car had been mapped - and how aggressively. He also mentioned it was only active when in sport, which I wasn't sure about.
So - down to Charlie at Surrey Rolling Road for one of his Saturday sessions to see what's up!
It transpires that yes - mildly remapped to 332hp! And no, it doesn't toggle on the sport button as suspected, it's always there. I could if I wanted push to high 300s from what I've seen on the stock turbos, but I'm going to leave it here and not stress things.
In other news, new battery fitted and coded due to a 'High Power Consumption' error in the mornings, which hasn't fixed the issue. For you 6 series owners, is this likely a duff IBS cable?
So - down to Charlie at Surrey Rolling Road for one of his Saturday sessions to see what's up!
It transpires that yes - mildly remapped to 332hp! And no, it doesn't toggle on the sport button as suspected, it's always there. I could if I wanted push to high 300s from what I've seen on the stock turbos, but I'm going to leave it here and not stress things.
In other news, new battery fitted and coded due to a 'High Power Consumption' error in the mornings, which hasn't fixed the issue. For you 6 series owners, is this likely a duff IBS cable?
I suspect it is, the IBS isn't giving me and error code (yet) but so far I've had the following -
Battery drain test overnight - nothing untoward found, but advised battery is getting tired.
Battery replaced and coded - quicker cranking and no funny business when I start the car, barring 'high power consumption' alarm each start.
So I reckon the IBS is the next port of call, not sure if it needs coding or how DIY'able it is?
Battery drain test overnight - nothing untoward found, but advised battery is getting tired.
Battery replaced and coded - quicker cranking and no funny business when I start the car, barring 'high power consumption' alarm each start.
So I reckon the IBS is the next port of call, not sure if it needs coding or how DIY'able it is?
One new tyre later this week and back in action - I do think the battery alert is the little unit in the boot, it seems common enough, a job for next time it's in at the garage.
A little job this sunny weekend was to tart up the calipers a bit, only a small job but these things tend to add up to a big difference! The alloys really need refurbishing to go in hand with this next. Looks good to me though...
Grubby before:
And fresh after:
And at Thruxton for some lunch - memories of my 996 blowing a power steering line a few years ago are still in my mind
A little job this sunny weekend was to tart up the calipers a bit, only a small job but these things tend to add up to a big difference! The alloys really need refurbishing to go in hand with this next. Looks good to me though...
Grubby before:
And fresh after:
And at Thruxton for some lunch - memories of my 996 blowing a power steering line a few years ago are still in my mind
Edited by CornedBeef on Sunday 9th April 15:53
A bit of polishing done this weekend by hand (how much does a machine polish cost these days?). You can really see the blue in BMWs 'carbon black'. Also, air conditioning duly topped up, 33g of gas removed and 700g of gas put back in! Hopefully it was just low and had never been topped up, and I don't have a leak - something to monitor.
9000 miles so far since purchase last year.
9000 miles so far since purchase last year.
The car continues to be a rebellious partner, the wiper arm bearing has separated today! I suspect the chap who replaced the windscreen last week was heavy handed?
Off to the handy man on Monday for -
Air conditioning leak diagnosis/fix
Sheared locking wheel bolt removal
New wiper linkage mechanism
Off to the handy man on Monday for -
Air conditioning leak diagnosis/fix
Sheared locking wheel bolt removal
New wiper linkage mechanism
And fixed! The wiper linkage was a pain, but it was ultimately a DIY job on the driveway with a £25 part from Amazon. Wipers back and functioning fine.
Then it was off to my trusted garage for the air conditioning and broken wheel bolt. A dye test was carried out which found a hole in the condenser, all standard stuff. New condenser fitted, system regassed and wheel bolt extracted for £360 which I think is decent.
Saturday new front tyres, then Sunday drive it to Belgium!
Then it was off to my trusted garage for the air conditioning and broken wheel bolt. A dye test was carried out which found a hole in the condenser, all standard stuff. New condenser fitted, system regassed and wheel bolt extracted for £360 which I think is decent.
Saturday new front tyres, then Sunday drive it to Belgium!
Sitting pretty (IMO of course) outside our bnb in Ghent. No dramas on the journey over, really happy I invested in the air conditioning fix!
I totted up my bills since November and I've spent around £2k somehow on this - it feels really good to drive though. A chunk of that is servicing and tyres, but also a larger chunk is deferred maintenance - things like the glow plugs, holed condenser etc. Still, hopefully with those addressed I'll not need to touch them again
I totted up my bills since November and I've spent around £2k somehow on this - it feels really good to drive though. A chunk of that is servicing and tyres, but also a larger chunk is deferred maintenance - things like the glow plugs, holed condenser etc. Still, hopefully with those addressed I'll not need to touch them again
Court_S said:
Looks grand.
I’m hoping the AC leak in our E91 330i is something nice and easy like the condenser rather than one of the pipes buried at the back of the engine. I know which one it’s going to be though….
I was worried I'd have something else on top of the condenser, classic paranoia on my part - but its all resolved thankfully with just this, hopefully yours is nice and easy too!I’m hoping the AC leak in our E91 330i is something nice and easy like the condenser rather than one of the pipes buried at the back of the engine. I know which one it’s going to be though….
Trip to Belgium completed successfully and in loads of comfort - I rounded the week off with a trip to Goodwood this Sunday with a few mates. An eclectic mix of cars - definitely more soulful then mine, but I thoroughly enjoyed the early morning enthusiastic drive up. Really happy with the car now everything is tip top - I still want to get the wheels refurbished and a touch of lowering, but funds are allocated elsewhere at this moment in life!
Thanks chaps. I've done 10k in it so far since purchase, and it's great for the task. It's not the most PH of engine choices being the diesel, but the power delivery does remind me of a torquey V8 in that it's so instant - it's like my old SL500, but with double the economy. None of that glorious sound though, can't have everything!
Glad it was just the condenser - I've been following the 330i thread with interest. They did a dye test on mine and it was a nice hole created by a stone.
Glad it was just the condenser - I've been following the 330i thread with interest. They did a dye test on mine and it was a nice hole created by a stone.
Life continues, I've just carried out another service at the 70k mark. I'm aiming to service it roughly every 10k, which is every 6-7 months.
Everything bought off of Opie Oils, Millers Oil for the oil and Bosch for all of the filters - a bargain at £130 and a few hours on the driveway. Oddly I enjoy DIY servicing but can't do much else!!
Everything bought off of Opie Oils, Millers Oil for the oil and Bosch for all of the filters - a bargain at £130 and a few hours on the driveway. Oddly I enjoy DIY servicing but can't do much else!!
What I'd really like next is one of the Maxton splitters. Officially they only fit pre-lci cars, but I've seen a few people fit them with (apparently) minor modification. These are about £200 and I think help the front end out a bit -
I might get some spacers and refurb the wheels, but what I've really wanted is some BBS LMs. I have a choice of £800 reps or horribly expensive but lovely genuine ones and suspect I'll probably be naughty and purchase some reps and hope for the best...
IMO this looks great:
I might get some spacers and refurb the wheels, but what I've really wanted is some BBS LMs. I have a choice of £800 reps or horribly expensive but lovely genuine ones and suspect I'll probably be naughty and purchase some reps and hope for the best...
IMO this looks great:
Advantage was taken over the weekend of the nice weather, and I fitted some new spacers I was recommended the Bimecc ones, they're a bit more pricey but the quality seems very high. They also come with longer wheel bolts, and longer locking wheel bolts which is a nice touch.
All fitted without any dramas, I forgot to take any before / during photos sadly. A little snap at work today, the wheels are nicely up against the arches now - I went with 12mm front, and 15mm rear for reference.
I was recommended the Bimecc ones, they're a bit more pricey but the quality seems very high. They also come with longer wheel bolts, and longer locking wheel bolts which is a nice touch.All fitted without any dramas, I forgot to take any before / during photos sadly. A little snap at work today, the wheels are nicely up against the arches now - I went with 12mm front, and 15mm rear for reference.
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