E61 550i

[asimmalik]

After many months of lusting after a V8 barge and weighing up the pros and cons and various options, I obviously went and bought possibly the most unreliable of the lot, an N62 engined 550i.

Other contenders were a Jaguar XF 5.0/SV8, Lexus GS 460 or Merc E500 (with the later 5.5 engine). Scrolling through the classifieds of all the usual websites I found it really difficult to find the Lexus of Merc at all and when I did, they didn't fit the bill. Whether they had faults, not the spec I wanted or too keenly priced.

I'd put the hunt on hold until a few days ago when a friend showed me lovely X5 with the same N62 4.8 engine. To which I replied, "I'd rather have the 5 series touring." An estate was always my preferred choice, one of the reasons I never pulled the trigger on the Lexus or Jag. Which led me back to the ads to find my now new car.

I'll get it out early, it's not without faults. A few niggly electricals which I'll get to when I can but the main issue being the good old valve stem oil seals. At least I think it is, blue smoke on startup when engine is up to temp etc. I'm going to give the PCV a go first to see if that solves it but if not then it'll be going for the valve stem oil seals. Any suggestions for someone reasonably priced would be appreciated.

Anyway enough waffling here's some pics, taken in the dark on the way home.

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|https://thumbsnap.com/3iySsKdZ[/url][url]

|https://thumbsnap.com/9ZmbSfwN[/url]

[Mr Tidy]

That's lovely, and so much better looking than an X5!

I hope any problems are minor.

[d_a_n1979]

Lovely stuff...

Get it booked in and get the valve stem seals done, it's not worth faffing. They will have failed or they will be failing...

PCV can be done at the same time and new rocker gaskets etc...

Do it now and you've solid peace of mind then and you can enjoy the touring for what it is

[Court_S]

Looks good OP - I think the E61 has aged really well. Once the engine is sorted, it should be a great car.

What wheels are they?

[Altrezia]

I really miss my E61. Lovely cars. Always wanted a petrol but it was a tow-car so a 530 made a lot more sense (at the time).

[E63eeeeee...]

That's very nice. When I was looking for my 550i I really wanted an estate but they didn't come up for sale much and when they did, they sold within days. There's definitely something about a fast but stealthy estate.

[asimmalik]

Court_S said:

Looks good OP - I think the E61 has aged really well. Once the engine is sorted, it should be a great car.

What wheels are they?

M359 I think, E92 M3 Competition pack wheels. Undecided if they suit it or not really so I'm already thinking about swapping them for something else, possibly style 95s off a 7 series if I can find some that aren't cracked to bits.

[asimmalik]

E63eeeeee... said:

That's very nice. When I was looking for my 550i I really wanted an estate but they didn't come up for sale much and when they did, they sold within days. There's definitely something about a fast but stealthy estate.

Yup this didn't hang about. Luckily I was able to get in there early as we were visiting my wife's family over the weekend in Oxford. This wasn't too far so gave me a good excuse to get away from them

[Court_S]

asimmalik said:

M359 I think, E92 M3 Competition pack wheels. Undecided if they suit it or not really so I'm already thinking about swapping them for something else, possibly style 95s off a 7 series if I can find some that aren't cracked to bits.

I like them although my favourite wheels for the E6x are the style 172's.

[mattyprice4004]

What a marvellous bit of kit!
I'm a serial E6x owner - having had 1x M5 and three Tourings with the glorious 6 pot tractor engine. A fantastically capable chassis for munching miles and lugging loads.

Glad to see you're much braver than me, and have gone for a proper engine!

[asimmalik]

Court_S said:

I like them although my favourite wheels for the E6x are the style 172's.

The spiders do suit these really well but are a factory option and quite common. Wanted to be a bit different, could have just bought a 535d after all.

[Jhonno]

asimmalik said:

Court_S said:

Looks good OP - I think the E61 has aged really well. Once the engine is sorted, it should be a great car.

What wheels are they?

M359 I think, E92 M3 Competition pack wheels. Undecided if they suit it or not really so I'm already thinking about swapping them for something else, possibly style 95s off a 7 series if I can find some that aren't cracked to bits.

I don't know if it is fitment or tyre size, but I'm not keen on the wheels.. A 550i E61 however, is a big yes!

[Jhonno]

Court_S said:

asimmalik said:

M359 I think, E92 M3 Competition pack wheels. Undecided if they suit it or not really so I'm already thinking about swapping them for something else, possibly style 95s off a 7 series if I can find some that aren't cracked to bits.

I like them although my favourite wheels for the E6x are the style 172's.

Very heavy, weak, over rated imo.. They do look alright, but common and dynamically not very good.

[cerb4.5lee]

I've always really liked these and I had the same engine in a X5 4.8iS. I've also had an E61 too...but it had the depressing 20d engine in it though!

I'd love to experience the N62 in one of these for sure.

[asimmalik]

mattyprice4004 said:

What a marvellous bit of kit!
I'm a serial E6x owner - having had 1x M5 and three Tourings with the glorious 6 pot tractor engine. A fantastically capable chassis for munching miles and lugging loads.

Glad to see you're much braver than me, and have gone for a proper engine!

Quite! First 5 series of any guise for me after many 3 series'. It's a big old brute that's for sure so will take some getting used to!

First impressions are the engine is bloody marvelous. Effortless power everywhere from any revs. Those dodgy valve stem seals certainly don't appear to have affected the performance.

I've always been a die hard manual fan and a manual really would have been the perfect car for me, but they truly are unicorns. In any case, the ZF auto suits the character really well, it's a prefacelift so it's the earlier iteration but it seems to be behaving perfectly, certainly a lot better than my old 330d did. BMW manuals have never been the greatest either in my experience (compared to some JDM cars I've had) so don't think I'm missing out too much.

Might go down the XHP route and get the gearbox mapped just to liven it up a little bit, heard nothing but good things about them. Would a gearbox service be advisable before this? I know BMW say they're sealed for life which is rubbish as ZF themselves recommend a service at some point, can't remember the interval exactly. Cars currently on 117k miles.

[asimmalik]

Jhonno said:

I don't know if it is fitment or tyre size, but I'm not keen on the wheels.. A 550i E61 however, is a big yes!

Yes I think I agree, there's something a little off with them. Previous owner did have to fit spacers and longer bolts and they do fill the arches okay. Just don't think they quite suit the lines of the E61. Could always chuck them on my E92!

[Jhonno]

asimmalik said:

Might go down the XHP route and get the gearbox mapped just to liven it up a little bit, heard nothing but good things about them. Would a gearbox service be advisable before this? I know BMW say they're sealed for life which is rubbish as ZF themselves recommend a service at some point, can't remember the interval exactly. Cars currently on 117k miles.

Yes I would get the box serviced asap. Including sleeves.

[Budleigh]

Lovely - the E6x in V8 guise is a brilliant machine. I think the reputation for reliability is not fair. I'd certainly run one before something like an E500 or a 5.0 litre Jag. The 4.8 is such a beautiful motor, with bags of power. Valve stem seals aren't a death sentence, and I took one to 150k miles with no issues, probably because I reduced the oil change intervals rather than sticking with the CBS.

[Ruskie]

Great car and pretty rare. The alloys don’t suit it at all though.

[M1C]

Agreed, nice car.....don't like the alloys.