Experience(s) of the BMW E63 coupe - 630i, 650i or 635d
Discussion
I'm considering one of the above cars (probably the 630i over the 650i, followed by the 635d) - as I know both the N52 and M57 engines well
Plus their reliability is solid compared to the N62 and its habits of leaking like a sieve, smoking from burning oil etc
Does anyone on here; have experience of any of these and of so, how did you fair with the car and any issues etc?
I'm fairly spanner friendly having worked on all my own cars since I started driving late 90s and more recently have owned an F31 touring since Dec 2022 and alongside had a few BMW E39s, an E81 130i LE as well etc; plus I've got my pals that have Grinspeed too etc
I think the 635d appeals more due to how late a car I can find compared to the 630i which all seem to be around the 2006-2007 years; the 635d I can find quite a few late 2009 into 2010 etc - and with better specs too, and the later CiC iDrive, which for me is a must
The idea, for any of the E63s I choose would be to overhaul the cooling system, brakes and suspension ASAP for peace of mind and then enjoy it
I work from home so cars tend to only get used at the weekends, unless I need to nip out or of my body's healthy enough (which currently it isn't); then maybe going down to the gym etc
But for longer drives it'll be down to Anglesey or up to The Highlands etc
Cheers for any advice/experiences 👍🏼
Plus their reliability is solid compared to the N62 and its habits of leaking like a sieve, smoking from burning oil etc
Does anyone on here; have experience of any of these and of so, how did you fair with the car and any issues etc?
I'm fairly spanner friendly having worked on all my own cars since I started driving late 90s and more recently have owned an F31 touring since Dec 2022 and alongside had a few BMW E39s, an E81 130i LE as well etc; plus I've got my pals that have Grinspeed too etc
I think the 635d appeals more due to how late a car I can find compared to the 630i which all seem to be around the 2006-2007 years; the 635d I can find quite a few late 2009 into 2010 etc - and with better specs too, and the later CiC iDrive, which for me is a must
The idea, for any of the E63s I choose would be to overhaul the cooling system, brakes and suspension ASAP for peace of mind and then enjoy it
I work from home so cars tend to only get used at the weekends, unless I need to nip out or of my body's healthy enough (which currently it isn't); then maybe going down to the gym etc
But for longer drives it'll be down to Anglesey or up to The Highlands etc
Cheers for any advice/experiences 👍🏼
A good mate of mine has the 645i and I know you aren't looking at that engine but engine aside it's been a very solid reliable car, he's had it a few years now and it's been pretty much faultless other than the engine issues.
Electrics have been good and it's a pretty nice place to be, big boot but limited back seats is a good summary of it.
Electrics have been good and it's a pretty nice place to be, big boot but limited back seats is a good summary of it.
Jamescrs said:
A good mate of mine has the 645i and I know you aren't looking at that engine but engine aside it's been a very solid reliable car, he's had it a few years now and it's been pretty much faultless other than the engine issues.
Electrics have been good and it's a pretty nice place to be, big boot but limited back seats is a good summary of it.
Cheers for thatElectrics have been good and it's a pretty nice place to be, big boot but limited back seats is a good summary of it.
Yeah the back seats look next to useless; but there are only the 2 of us and we've got the F31 if we need to carry passengers etc
The boot does look massive on these cars; that's never a bad thing!
I had the 645 2004. A lovely car is every way. I regretted selling it. I went onto an e220 Merc which was dull as dishwater. I've now gone back to a 640d which is lovely.
The 645 had various leaks. The b
d was an oil cooler which was blanked off and not used (but was used in the 745) this was a £5 part and £600 in labour as it took so long to get to it. In the end I sold it as the valve stem seals needed doing. It also had an issue with the ECU where it would go into limp mode and the sat nab would flash on and off. This also affected if you turned the engine off and back on again, it wouldn't start until the engine had cooled down.
A friend had a 630i and had none of these issues, the 630 also doesn't suffer from the leaks in the 645 does.
The 645 had various leaks. The b
d was an oil cooler which was blanked off and not used (but was used in the 745) this was a £5 part and £600 in labour as it took so long to get to it. In the end I sold it as the valve stem seals needed doing. It also had an issue with the ECU where it would go into limp mode and the sat nab would flash on and off. This also affected if you turned the engine off and back on again, it wouldn't start until the engine had cooled down. A friend had a 630i and had none of these issues, the 630 also doesn't suffer from the leaks in the 645 does.
I had an older 2006 630i for awhile. Loved it but the idrive failed and the oil cooler started to leak. It went to we buy any car for about £1000 and I bought a 640i.
Somebody on here bought it from an auction and was running it. Hopefully we might get an update on its health.
Just checked the Reg and it’s still MOT’d ! So someone is using it!
Somebody on here bought it from an auction and was running it. Hopefully we might get an update on its health.
Just checked the Reg and it’s still MOT’d ! So someone is using it!
Edited by oldaudi on Sunday 7th June 09:32
Was a very happy 630i owner for around 5 years on a 2005 car from 64k miles to 95k miles or so. Only thing that failed was thermostat/water pump (pretty common).
I was and still am surprised how nimble that car was - very light engine block and chassis with some really smart engineering from BMW. The 3 litre petrol was a very robust engine. I would not say it was particularly economical, high 20s is all I ever really got. It absolutely ate rear tyres too. Cavernous boot and ridiculously well upholstered rear seats even if they are basically unusable.
Otherwise, great car and still miss it.
I was and still am surprised how nimble that car was - very light engine block and chassis with some really smart engineering from BMW. The 3 litre petrol was a very robust engine. I would not say it was particularly economical, high 20s is all I ever really got. It absolutely ate rear tyres too. Cavernous boot and ridiculously well upholstered rear seats even if they are basically unusable.
Otherwise, great car and still miss it.
shiversaint said:
Was a very happy 630i owner for around 5 years on a 2005 car from 64k miles to 95k miles or so. Only thing that failed was thermostat/water pump (pretty common).
I was and still am surprised how nimble that car was - very light engine block and chassis with some really smart engineering from BMW. The 3 litre petrol was a very robust engine. I would not say it was particularly economical, high 20s is all I ever really got. It absolutely ate rear tyres too. Cavernous boot and ridiculously well upholstered rear seats even if they are basically unusable.
Otherwise, great car and still miss it.
How good is the back for someone 5'2"?I was and still am surprised how nimble that car was - very light engine block and chassis with some really smart engineering from BMW. The 3 litre petrol was a very robust engine. I would not say it was particularly economical, high 20s is all I ever really got. It absolutely ate rear tyres too. Cavernous boot and ridiculously well upholstered rear seats even if they are basically unusable.
Otherwise, great car and still miss it.
Fred Smith said:
How good is the back for someone 5'2"?
They are occasional/emergency seats only for adults, leg room a no go if the driver or passenger are tall. Children and pets could manage of course but don't kid yourself into thinking they are usable regularly. Getting in and out is pretty hard with the positioning of the pillar.shiversaint said:
They are occasional/emergency seats only for adults, leg room a no go if the driver or passenger are tall. Children and pets could manage of course but don't kid yourself into thinking they are usable regularly. Getting in and out is pretty hard with the positioning of the pillar.
If you were a 5'2" adult, sat behind the passenger seat, passenger seat pushed fairly far forward, how happy would you be to do the odd 200 mile journey (a few times a year)? Doable? Horrible and claustrophobic?I fancy one, one day... the two things that put me off are how few are manual, and the lingering feeling that it's a bit to big to be fun and if it's more classy cruiser than fun then it should be decent for family duties every few months.
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