Hello from London! Aspiring to be a 530d owner

Hello from London! Aspiring to be a 530d owner

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th3h1ghlander

Original Poster:

38 posts

102 months

Tuesday 22nd September 2015
quotequote all
Calm down chaps, no need to get yer feathers ruffled.

ZX10R NIN: I did actually see your original post of potentials and I replied with the following earlier in the day:
th3h1ghlander said:
ZX10R NIN: Cheers. I already have a few of those saved already for further investigation and am reviewing a full AutoTrader search every day for new listings. Majority of LCI models are out of my current budget except for a few 520d and higher mileage 525/530d. So I would rather go for a lower mileage 05/06 . Sticking with Auto models so the missus can drive it.
I admit that I misunderstood the spirit of your last line about the naturally aspirated petrol engined cars and otherwise large repair bills, apologies. Your points are most welcomed and I appreciate the time you took to provide suggested motors. These are on my list of considerations.

RWD cossie wil: Glad to see you have had good experiences with the 530d thus far, good luck with your search (I did chuckle at "bellendery" XD ) I have always been fond of the E46 M3, 3 contractors I work with all have one, but I would never convince the missus it was the right choice for us (I can cream though). I am far more likely to be able to (quietly) mod the car I get to put it over the "fun" line.

rb5er: As I said before, your points are noted, but I am still interested in what empirically you think will incur the hefty bills (see my previous post)? If you read my previous posts, I am planning to put aside £600-750/year for parts and maintenance, if repairs outstrip this I will not be happy but I accept the possibility (most people it comes to as a complete shock). If repairs in the 1st 2yrs outstrip the £2k mark you can reserve the right to quote "Told ya" and we can all go on with our lives happy that you can give The Pythia a run for her money. Owzat?

dave_s13

13,813 posts

268 months

Tuesday 22nd September 2015
quotequote all
If you have good independent nearby, a bit of diy skill and I touch of good luck it'll be fine.

One thing to Google is e60 running temperature, there is a hidden menu where you can check these out. The engine has two stats and they don't last. I diy swapped both mine and it's pretty simple. Diesels don't like running cool hence these need to be working for longevity.

BMWland used to be an absolute gem for anything related to these but was sadly shut down. I know it's been resurrected in some form or other but not following progress myself as not currently in a bmw.

Edited by dave_s13 on Tuesday 22 September 12:51

Smuler

2,286 posts

138 months

Tuesday 22nd September 2015
quotequote all
I would budget more than £600-750 unless you get a real gem which won't need wear and tear items such as tyres, break pads & discs (front/rear) in year 1. Given that you could do (maybe a lot) more than 'average miles,' the current set up of any of these could be 'consumed.'

I'd say respect to you, for getting a car you want within such a budget, but at the time you buy the car, it is a high mileage car, even if it has accrued its miles at an average yearly pace.





th3h1ghlander

Original Poster:

38 posts

102 months

Tuesday 22nd September 2015
quotequote all
dave_s13: Nice one, thanks for the tip. The other day when I had a look at one I tried to get some more in depth diag info but couldn't find it, guess this is why.

Smuler: I guess I should think of initial wear and tear part replacement separately: £800 for tyres (non-crappy-run-flats), £200 for brake pads (front/back), £200-300 for other buts and bobs like fluids and filters. After this is taken into account, then I should set aside the £750/yr for unexpected. I guess I can mitigate my own wear and tear.


to3m

1,226 posts

169 months

Tuesday 22nd September 2015
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For whatever it's worth, repairs for my E46 330d have come to 9.7p/mile (servicing, unexpected repairs, tyres, rust).

If you exclude rust and tyres, it's 5.5p/mile.

If you exclude routine servicing, it's 3.5p/mile.

rb5er

11,657 posts

171 months

Tuesday 22nd September 2015
quotequote all
to3m said:
For whatever it's worth, repairs for my E46 330d have come to 9.7p/mile.
Wow, £10k over 100k miles before fuel, tax etc. As far as I know the 5series is much heavier on consumables but probably lighter on rust issues.

to3m

1,226 posts

169 months

Tuesday 22nd September 2015
quotequote all
For the later models, you may be right about the rust. If it's an E39, I wouldn't bet on it.

As for other costs, since you mention them, and I know you'll enjoy drawing your own conclusions: fuel has been £6,017.84 over 32,098 miles, so £0.187/mile.

Tax+MOT fee+insurance has been £4,911.36. I don't count those per mile.

I've had the car 1,686 days.


RWD cossie wil

4,295 posts

172 months

Wednesday 23rd September 2015
quotequote all
rb5er said:
Well its obvious tou have never driven one and likely never will. Common they are not (maybe 200 left) and lengendary to drive they are ( see every review EVER). But then this thread is nothing to do with my car so not sure why that gets brought up.

Hurling insults is pathetic child play so feel free to continue if that suits you.

The fanboys for VAG and BMW always love to hurl insults eh...mature. rolleyes
Oh the irony!

RWD cossie wil

4,295 posts

172 months

Wednesday 23rd September 2015
quotequote all
rb5er said:
Well its obvious tou have never driven one and likely never will. Common they are not (maybe 200 left) and lengendary to drive they are ( see every review EVER). But then this thread is nothing to do with my car so not sure why that gets brought up.

Hurling insults is pathetic child play so feel free to continue if that suits you.

The fanboys for VAG and BMW always love to hurl insults eh...mature. rolleyes
Oh the irony!

rb5er

11,657 posts

171 months

Wednesday 23rd September 2015
quotequote all
I can only assume you don't know what irony is as I have not hurled petty insults like you have.

But hey ho you just keep thinking it means whatever you think it means.

th3h1ghlander

Original Poster:

38 posts

102 months

Wednesday 23rd September 2015
quotequote all
to3m: Actually that is really quite useful to know. I would love to see how you have recorded everything to come to those numbers. Not drawing any conclusions until I have been through the experience myself wink

Smuler

2,286 posts

138 months

Wednesday 23rd September 2015
quotequote all
th3h1ghlander said:
to3m: Actually that is really quite useful to know. I would love to see how you have recorded everything to come to those numbers. Not drawing any conclusions until I have been through the experience myself wink
When you're giving my regards to them up Yorkshire, 9k was your budget wasn't it? Pop across Pennines and see this one, lad wink

An AU car gives you warranty so apart from wear n tear, you should have a cheaper year 1

http://www.sytner.co.uk/car-search/4893570-bmw-5-s...

Tonberry

2,078 posts

191 months

Wednesday 23rd September 2015
quotequote all
I've had a 2004 E60 530i, 2009 E91 330d and currently a 2006 E65 730d.

I've noted your budget but as the car is a keeper I would hold out for an LCI car if you can.

Nothing to do with mileage as that isn't too important - the key is the LCI is a far better car.

Pre LCI E60 is compromised and doesn't compare well to my old 1998 E39 528i. The engines aren't as good as they could be, the suspension is ste and the interior build quality is ste.

All of this was addressed in mid 2007 with the LCI.

The 530d is the one to go for as the 525d is essentially the same lump but without the power. Fuel economy remains the same.

That said, if you can stretch to an LCI 525d then I would take that above the pre LCI 530d every day of the week.

Make sure it's an Auto. It's well suited to the engine and the box was updated (much needed) in the LCI car.

Running Costs

A lot has been said but it's pretty simple.

You'll either buy a decent car which won't need much spending on it. An absolute st heap which will bankrupt you or something in between.

The key is test driving a few and buying on condition. Look for lots of receipts and invoices. Do not be fobbed off with sellers stories about missing history and other such nonsense. Look for proof yourself and walk away if something isn't right.

Despite some previous suggestions, the petrol engines are not dramatically more reliable than the diesel engines.

Items of note on the diesels;

Swirl Flaps
Turbo
Injectors
EGR / EGR Cooler
Inlet Manaifold
Glow plug module
DPF

That being said, these items are not destined for failure. It's simply a combination of luck of the draw and the type of use and care the car has received.

On the flip side. The petrol V8s suffer from pretty nasty oil leaks. The M54 530i suffers from CCV issues which causes poor running and oil leaks and the LCI 530i from coil pack and HPFP issues.

Things which you will need to replace (if you want to experience the car the way it was intended) are suspension components. These will need looking at around 120k miles depending on symptoms. Control arm bush failures are common.

The whole lot from front to back should run you about £1500 from a good indy. Use OEM or equivalent quality parts.

The electronics also fail on these. Minor items such as parking sensors etc. The DSC mechanism on my 530i also use to throw intermittent failure warnings which could have been expensive. I-drive system could fail but pretty rare.

Thermostats will need to be replaced. Diesels have 2.

Finally the auto gearbox is not sealed for life. They require regular fluid and filter changes. Sadly most haven't been touched.

Thankfully on the ZF 6 speed box it's usually only the torque converter that needs attention as it starts to slip. Can be replaced for circa £700.

In summary;

Don't touch the pre LCI SE cars - the suspension is terrible
If going pre LCI make it an M Sport and a 530d
If going LCI, try for 530d but 525d is a decent halfway house
Make it an auto unless it really must be a manual (manuals are much cheaper as they aren't wanted)

th3h1ghlander

Original Poster:

38 posts

102 months

Wednesday 23rd September 2015
quotequote all
Smuler: my budget is up to £7k but I can push that envelope if absolutely necessary. I am looking at M-Sport models and am going to stick to the 525/530d unless I see something really worthwhile. I am probably being dumb here but what is a AU car and why would it come with a warranty? (Something like an approved affiliate BMW dealer some comes with BMW extended warranty?) Cheers for the sytner link!

Tonberry: Great post, extremely useful for me. I will try to stick to LCI models if possible but then the budget becomes quite tight, but from the sounds of everyone's advice this may save some maintenance costs. Thanks for the "items of note" list, this is useful to verify what I have read elsewhere. I will try to find some sort of workshop manual (Haynes?) for them and have a good ol' read to see what I can and cannot do myself realistically. I am avoiding SE cars and am primarily looking at only M-Sports, and I am only looking at Autos.
What I have read on the items of note:
Swirl flaps- Get them removed ASAP,not a difficult job
Turbo- Failure due to lack of oil/filter changes, swirl flap components, expensive to replace. Listen for noise or whistling that indicates failure, or excessive smoking from exhaust (will most likely kill the DPF
Injectors- not read about this yet
EGR- Some people bypass them,as they cause soot build-up in the inlet and exhaust manifold as well as chucking more crap into the engine and oil, I would probably leave it
EGR Cooler- not read about this yes
Inlet Manifold- these get coated in thick soot due to EGR, require cleaning. These also crack, people have to replace with a cast inlet manifold. I would take it off and clean it out with a steam/pressure cleaner
Glow plug module- not read about this yet
DPF- People doing short mileage kill these, this will not be an issue for me although I will need to keep an eye out for issues. Would probably attempt a DPF clean or replacement myself.

Smuler

2,286 posts

138 months

Wednesday 23rd September 2015
quotequote all
Oops, i thought up to 9k. I would agree on M Sport Models.

AU= Means Approved used so sold by a main dealer with an excellent 1 year warranty, roadside recovery and MOT Cover.

http://usedcars.bmw.co.uk/bmw-approved-benefits.as...

Sadly the one I linked was the cheapest AU car of 525/530d variant listed.

Might be worth keeping an eye on the site purely because if there's a AU M Sport LCI in your neck of the woods, you could go see as it should give you a drive of a good quality one, thus a useful benchmark against any others you test??


to3m

1,226 posts

169 months

Wednesday 23rd September 2015
quotequote all
Regarding my numbers, I keep a spreadsheet. Each time I spend something car-related, I add it in. Each time I fill the car up, I note the mileage on the receipt, then when I've got a moment I enter the receipt into the spreadsheet. I put costs into 3 buckets: fuel, insurance/tax/MOT fee, repairs/servicing. (The finer breakdown of repairs/servicing costs above came just from me eying the list and totting up figures, so it's approximate.)

Definitely worth doing, I'd say, and it doesn't take long to set up and keep it up to date. Some people do like to scoff though.

dave_s13

13,813 posts

268 months

Wednesday 23rd September 2015
quotequote all
Good posts smuler but I disagree a bit about the manuals not being wanted.

I had no trouble at all selling my E61 525d M sport manual.... In fact they were virtually lining up to buy it. The manual box is sweet as a nut btw.

God I miss that car frown

Wills2

22,669 posts

174 months

Wednesday 23rd September 2015
quotequote all
rb5er said:
Well its obvious tou have never driven one and likely never will. Common they are not (maybe 200 left) and lengendary to drive they are ( see every review EVER). But then this thread is nothing to do with my car so not sure why that gets brought up.

Hurling insults is pathetic child play so feel free to continue if that suits you.

The fanboys for VAG and BMW always love to hurl insults eh...mature. rolleyes
Well stop trolling the sub forums then, go back to that pot noddle before it gets cold...

th3h1ghlander

Original Poster:

38 posts

102 months

Thursday 24th September 2015
quotequote all
to3m: Spreadsheet is a great idea. If I can be bothered (and find the time) I will bash together a quick phone app/mobile web page to easily log mileage, cost, rate and item (fuel/part/labour), something that can output to a spreadsheet afterwards

dave_s13: Perhaps you will get another one again some day? I am considering the Tourer model as well (for some reason they seem to be the same price second hand as the saloon but seem to have higher specs (more bells and whistles). Tourer is better for convenience but I think the saloon looks better. (I am not looking at getting big dogs as well, if I was the Tourer would be my choice)


rb5er

11,657 posts

171 months

Thursday 24th September 2015
quotequote all
Wills2 said:
Well stop trolling the sub forums then, go back to that pot noddle before it gets cold...
I'm not quite sure what the pot noodle reference is. But I will continue to add wisdom wherever it is required thanks.