Viewing a F83 M4 on Saturday with intent to buy...
Discussion
Hi all,
I have reserved a 65 plate DCT Mineral White F83 being sold by the Stratstone network. I will be travelling down on Saturday to view/test drive the car and hopefully drive it back the same day.
This will be my first M car and I am hoping to get some pointers/advice on things that I should look at from fellow M4 owners.
I had asked for brake pad and disc wear numbers, and it all seemed OK. The tyre wear is even but the rears were at 3.5/4mm which is close to the AUC limit, but sadly BMW said they will not replace them for me.
Also, I've been told any pre-66 reg car should have their gearbox, traction, etc software updated for better performance? Does anyone have any input on that?
Anyway, the car ticks my boxes and seems to have a reasonable spec. It has done about 12k miles, run in service at 1100 miles and another service done at 11500 miles. It also has the 5 year service pack which is a nice bonus, additional spec is as follows:
Mineral white
Sakhir orange leather
Full adaptive LED
HUD
Speed limit warnings
Comfort access
Air collar
Wind deflector
Harmon Kardon sound
High beam assist
Heated steering wheel
Any advice/things I should look out for on the day is greatly appreciated!
I have reserved a 65 plate DCT Mineral White F83 being sold by the Stratstone network. I will be travelling down on Saturday to view/test drive the car and hopefully drive it back the same day.
This will be my first M car and I am hoping to get some pointers/advice on things that I should look at from fellow M4 owners.
I had asked for brake pad and disc wear numbers, and it all seemed OK. The tyre wear is even but the rears were at 3.5/4mm which is close to the AUC limit, but sadly BMW said they will not replace them for me.
Also, I've been told any pre-66 reg car should have their gearbox, traction, etc software updated for better performance? Does anyone have any input on that?
Anyway, the car ticks my boxes and seems to have a reasonable spec. It has done about 12k miles, run in service at 1100 miles and another service done at 11500 miles. It also has the 5 year service pack which is a nice bonus, additional spec is as follows:
Mineral white
Sakhir orange leather
Full adaptive LED
HUD
Speed limit warnings
Comfort access
Air collar
Wind deflector
Harmon Kardon sound
High beam assist
Heated steering wheel
Any advice/things I should look out for on the day is greatly appreciated!
Edited by Sbm007 on Wednesday 9th August 22:34
Sbm007 said:
Hi all,
I have reserved a 15 plate DCT Mineral White F83 being sold by the Stratstone network. I will be travelling down on Saturday to view/test drive the car and hopefully drive it back the same day.
This will be my first M car and I am hoping to get some pointers/advice on things that I should look at from fellow M4 owners.
I had asked for brake pad and disc wear numbers, and it all seemed OK. The tyre wear is even but the rears were at 3.5/4mm which is close to the AUC limit, but sadly BMW said they will not replace them for me.
Also, I've been told any pre-66 reg car should have their gearbox, traction, etc software updated for better performance? Does anyone have any input on that?
Anyway, the car ticks my boxes and seems to have a reasonable spec. It has done about 12k miles, run in service at 1100 miles and another service done at 11500 miles. It also has the 5 year service pack which is a nice bonus, additional spec is as follows:
Mineral white
Sakhir orange leather
Full adaptive LED
HUD
Speed limit warnings
Comfort access
Air collar
Wind deflector
Harmon Kardon sound
High beam assist
Any advice/things I should look out for on the day is greatly appreciated!
I don't know much 'bout the F80 generation, M3/4, but I wouldn't have bought my E46 M3 with 3.5mm on rear!! I have reserved a 15 plate DCT Mineral White F83 being sold by the Stratstone network. I will be travelling down on Saturday to view/test drive the car and hopefully drive it back the same day.
This will be my first M car and I am hoping to get some pointers/advice on things that I should look at from fellow M4 owners.
I had asked for brake pad and disc wear numbers, and it all seemed OK. The tyre wear is even but the rears were at 3.5/4mm which is close to the AUC limit, but sadly BMW said they will not replace them for me.
Also, I've been told any pre-66 reg car should have their gearbox, traction, etc software updated for better performance? Does anyone have any input on that?
Anyway, the car ticks my boxes and seems to have a reasonable spec. It has done about 12k miles, run in service at 1100 miles and another service done at 11500 miles. It also has the 5 year service pack which is a nice bonus, additional spec is as follows:
Mineral white
Sakhir orange leather
Full adaptive LED
HUD
Speed limit warnings
Comfort access
Air collar
Wind deflector
Harmon Kardon sound
High beam assist
Any advice/things I should look out for on the day is greatly appreciated!
3mm is a generic standard, but thus that includes a 116d or whatever crap they sell.
There should be flexibility on that standard for performance cars, not just my opinion but my dealer Sytner CV said they took this approach.
Smuler said:
There should be flexibility on that standard for performance cars, not just my opinion but my dealer Sytner CV said they took this approach.
That's quite a good argument, I will mention exactly that next time I speak to the sales rep. The car is quite reasonably priced, so I don't know if that leaves me with enough room for negotiation.pattyg said:
The car sounds great but if it was me I'd insist on new rears or look elsewhere. Plenty out there.
Sadly though, if you have a look on other ones out there in the AUC network, there really isn't anything else of the same spec and price, except for one in Black (£500 more) but I'm not so keen on the interior.Thermobaric said:
Yeah, I would try and push on the tyres. If they've got any more M4s at their location, they could just swap wheels over from another car with decent tread in 10 mins. Buyer of the car swapped to might not be bothered.
JMBMWM5 said:
New rear tyres a must they are low, look on the IDrive under service and go to brakes it will tell you how many miles left on each axle , you do not mention price?.
Maybe I have just been too soft with them. They will call me later today, so I will insist on new tyres or no deal… thing is that I have already paid a reservation fee of £200, which is refundable to be fair.The car is down south and I am up in Glasgow, so can't check but thanks I will ask the sales rep to let me know how many miles are left on each axle.
Priced at £44.5k
Only caution on swapping tyres from another M is I would want 4 good tyres of the exactly same type on a performance car.
Spot on , whoever said interpret I Drive to see status on pads etc.
But also ask to Approved Used report as that shows status on discs and , well, everything they check
You never know , you might learn it came in with tyres on 6mm and some other customer asked to swap with theirs !!
Okay , that's probably not the case, but arm yourself with a much info as possible before sealing deal.
Spot on , whoever said interpret I Drive to see status on pads etc.
But also ask to Approved Used report as that shows status on discs and , well, everything they check
You never know , you might learn it came in with tyres on 6mm and some other customer asked to swap with theirs !!
Okay , that's probably not the case, but arm yourself with a much info as possible before sealing deal.
Is it normal for an M car to eat its rears in 12k miles?
I ask as if not I'd want to know how often launch control has been used, it must surely be easily read by a dealer if not in iDrive
My 335d has launch and it's very addictive
Especially on a lease car
Interestingly and /or worryingly the page in the manual describing how to activate it also mentions something about wear and lack of mechanical sympathy
I'm away from home at the moment so don't have the exact wording but if I were you I'd insist on knowing how often it's been launched, they can definitely tell you, and I'd also want absolute assurance that any AUC warranty on drive train will be honoured
Good luck
I ask as if not I'd want to know how often launch control has been used, it must surely be easily read by a dealer if not in iDrive
My 335d has launch and it's very addictive
Especially on a lease car
Interestingly and /or worryingly the page in the manual describing how to activate it also mentions something about wear and lack of mechanical sympathy
I'm away from home at the moment so don't have the exact wording but if I were you I'd insist on knowing how often it's been launched, they can definitely tell you, and I'd also want absolute assurance that any AUC warranty on drive train will be honoured
Good luck
Thanks for the input guys. I managed to track down the previous owner through m3cutters (can link to thread for interested). A very decent chap who has reassured me the car is absolutely mint and only sold because he bought a 17 competition pack.
He has reassured me has always warmed the car up and let it cool down before switching off. He has never abused it. Never used launch control, not once! Which is quite impressive! Always washed it properly and looked after it.
So this is a big win, I'm convinced that this the car for me and can't wait for Saturday to come.
PS: It has indeed been on original tyres since new
Also, it's actually a 65 plate not 15* and it has the heated steering wheel option too
He has reassured me has always warmed the car up and let it cool down before switching off. He has never abused it. Never used launch control, not once! Which is quite impressive! Always washed it properly and looked after it.
So this is a big win, I'm convinced that this the car for me and can't wait for Saturday to come.
PS: It has indeed been on original tyres since new
Also, it's actually a 65 plate not 15* and it has the heated steering wheel option too
Edited by Sbm007 on Wednesday 9th August 22:35
Result !
FWIW, I reckon to have not worn out the rears after 12k means he was gentle.
My lowest was 6mm and I went to just under 3mm in about 5k miles
No track work , but a lot of mountain road blasts ; that's what they're for
Expecting better wear from my Michelins 4S though.
Mine's an E46 M3 , but I don't think the new ones are that forgiving : D
FWIW, I reckon to have not worn out the rears after 12k means he was gentle.
My lowest was 6mm and I went to just under 3mm in about 5k miles
No track work , but a lot of mountain road blasts ; that's what they're for
Expecting better wear from my Michelins 4S though.
Mine's an E46 M3 , but I don't think the new ones are that forgiving : D
Excellent, thanks all! Glad to hear positive news about the car.
The dealer is a being a bit slow in getting back to me which is kind of annoying, but it should be all good for collection this Saturday.
@f1ten: That is what I was told, I'm not sure myself, but apparently the latest software makes everything that little bit smoother.
The dealer is a being a bit slow in getting back to me which is kind of annoying, but it should be all good for collection this Saturday.
@f1ten: That is what I was told, I'm not sure myself, but apparently the latest software makes everything that little bit smoother.
I ran a pre LCI F80M3 AUC last year. As part of buying I requested full software updates on all systems. Dealers reticent as it costs some workshop time and apparently ties up hardware while it's being done. But insist. Bloody cars are so electronic nowadays. Just say if you bought an IPhone 6 would you still be running the 2 year old OS minus patches etc. No you'd update. Likewise cars, as they are certainly tweaking software during production and especially across upgrade cycles.
All this talk of refusing to buy the car unless they put new tyres on it - lol.
It seems like you've found a good one and being able to chat to the previous owner is a huge plus!
I got my rears (same car) down to the wear limit in less than 7000 miles and the fronts were changed a few weeks later so this guy can't have been to hard on it... I wasn't even driving hard most of the time (launch control used once).
Sounds like a good buy.
It seems like you've found a good one and being able to chat to the previous owner is a huge plus!
I got my rears (same car) down to the wear limit in less than 7000 miles and the fronts were changed a few weeks later so this guy can't have been to hard on it... I wasn't even driving hard most of the time (launch control used once).
Sounds like a good buy.
physprof said:
I ran a pre LCI F80M3 AUC last year. As part of buying I requested full software updates on all systems. Dealers reticent as it costs some workshop time and apparently ties up hardware while it's being done. But insist. Bloody cars are so electronic nowadays. Just say if you bought an IPhone 6 would you still be running the 2 year old OS minus patches etc. No you'd update. Likewise cars, as they are certainly tweaking software during production and especially across upgrade cycles.
You're right, however I have a feeling it won't happen because I really don't want to wait another week, I'd like to just go down south and pick it up this weekend. If it's really causing issues, I'll just book it in with BMW to get updated.. or take the hit and pay them to do it.Timbuktu said:
All this talk of refusing to buy the car unless they put new tyres on it - lol.
It seems like you've found a good one and being able to chat to the previous owner is a huge plus!
I got my rears (same car) down to the wear limit in less than 7000 miles and the fronts were changed a few weeks later so this guy can't have been to hard on it... I wasn't even driving hard most of the time (launch control used once).
Sounds like a good buy.
To be entirely honest, I'm not super fussed about the tyres, it would have been a nice extra but to me having spoke to the previous owner is much more valuable. At least it's not a complete stab in the dark now.It seems like you've found a good one and being able to chat to the previous owner is a huge plus!
I got my rears (same car) down to the wear limit in less than 7000 miles and the fronts were changed a few weeks later so this guy can't have been to hard on it... I wasn't even driving hard most of the time (launch control used once).
Sounds like a good buy.
Just a quick question, can these cars be tracked via the BMW app? Or is that usually an extra you have to pay for?
Yes you can see its location as well as lock/unlock it via the app.
On 65 plate on the cars had different dampers (same as Comp Pack cars) to the original which was meant to be skittish and have traction problems.
Mine has them and I've never had any problems, obviously if you're trying to boot it in the wet the light will be flickering away but its a 400bhp rwd car so what would you expect.
There is a video on youtube of someone talking about the traction "issues" and showing how if you turn TC off then you can see how it handels with no intervention, obviously not recommended for beginners in the wet!
I think the later software updates actually limited torque in the lower gears hence the perceived better traction.
On 65 plate on the cars had different dampers (same as Comp Pack cars) to the original which was meant to be skittish and have traction problems.
Mine has them and I've never had any problems, obviously if you're trying to boot it in the wet the light will be flickering away but its a 400bhp rwd car so what would you expect.
There is a video on youtube of someone talking about the traction "issues" and showing how if you turn TC off then you can see how it handels with no intervention, obviously not recommended for beginners in the wet!
I think the later software updates actually limited torque in the lower gears hence the perceived better traction.
Timbuktu said:
Yes you can see its location as well as lock/unlock it via the app.
On 65 plate on the cars had different dampers (same as Comp Pack cars) to the original which was meant to be skittish and have traction problems.
Mine has them and I've never had any problems, obviously if you're trying to boot it in the wet the light will be flickering away but its a 400bhp rwd car so what would you expect.
There is a video on youtube of someone talking about the traction "issues" and showing how if you turn TC off then you can see how it handels with no intervention, obviously not recommended for beginners in the wet!
I think the later software updates actually limited torque in the lower gears hence the perceived better traction.
Fantastic! Thanks for for the info.On 65 plate on the cars had different dampers (same as Comp Pack cars) to the original which was meant to be skittish and have traction problems.
Mine has them and I've never had any problems, obviously if you're trying to boot it in the wet the light will be flickering away but its a 400bhp rwd car so what would you expect.
There is a video on youtube of someone talking about the traction "issues" and showing how if you turn TC off then you can see how it handels with no intervention, obviously not recommended for beginners in the wet!
I think the later software updates actually limited torque in the lower gears hence the perceived better traction.
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