£2k E61 535d - what could go wrong?
Discussion
GriffTorque said:
Ian Geary said:
I can recommend buying a OBD2 to usb cable and getting familiar with inpa (which can be downloaded for free)
It took me hours of effort to set up, but when it's working it will lift the lid on loads of error and diagnostic information.
Where did you download INPA from? Definitely something I'd like to get set up sooner rather later, no doubt it'll come in handy. It took me hours of effort to set up, but when it's working it will lift the lid on loads of error and diagnostic information.
I got off the train in Christchurch (UK, not NZ
) where the seller had agreed to meet me in the car and let me 'test drive' the couple of miles to his house to exchange funds and paperwork.'How long have you had it?'
"Around 12 months."
'When was it last serviced?'
"I don't know, I've never had it done since I've had it." Great start.
Cosmetically, it needs a good clean and there are lots of scuffs and dings to sort out, so I'll have to befriend a painter... and replace various trim pieces. Mechanically, it drove okay, and the ZF box shifted up and down smoothly. The suspension felt pretty tight and, although a little crashy, there were no clear knocks or bangs.
The seller presented two keys, a service book showing the last service in August 2022, 10k miles ago
, and a stack of historic Park Lane BMW main dealer invoices and history from 2008-2016. So, it had been loved at some point in its life, at least while in Central London.It was now 2 pm, so I promptly handed over my £2k and hit the road back North before rush hour. With 20 miles of range showing on the trip computer, the first job was to fill up with some overpriced diesel. That's when I realized I couldn't get the fuel flap open. Five minutes later, after a quick Google search and a firm whack to the door, I was on my way and made it home in one piece.
I had enough time after work to give it a quick clean outside last night, and it didn't scrub up so bad.
Now, I need to start working my way through the initial obvious niggles. First, I'll replace a parking sensor to get the PDC up and running again – cheap enough on eBay and already painted in the right color. I also need to look into the passenger seatbelt tensioner error. Both wing mirrors are cracked. These are self-dimming, but I may well do away with them. Are they worth the cost over standard mirror glass?
Unsurprisingly, given when it was last serviced, it's showing a code for a clogged fuel filter. There were also codes for glow plugs on each cylinder, including the glow control unit. Is this likely to be just the control unit gone bad, or is it worth changing all six? H
Hopefully, I'll get time over the weekend to get it up on jack stands, give it a service, and see what's left of the air suspension. If the lines and compressor are still in situ, I'd like to reinstate it – it just doesn't sit right on coils!
I'll keep this updated as and when I get around to things... just the start of a long road ahead, I think.
It's scrubbed up pretty well in the pictures.
I think tourings do seem to get a much harder life for obvious reasons (my wife's 330i is testament to that; good from a few feet away but has kept me busy). They get to a certain value and things maintenance gets deferred.
Sounds like you're going to get stuck in yourself which will certainly take the sting out of owning an older BMW!
I think tourings do seem to get a much harder life for obvious reasons (my wife's 330i is testament to that; good from a few feet away but has kept me busy). They get to a certain value and things maintenance gets deferred.
Sounds like you're going to get stuck in yourself which will certainly take the sting out of owning an older BMW!
outnumbered said:
"Tailgate wiring" would be my answer to the question in the thread title. Causes central locking issues as well as intermittent lights/wipers etc.
Tailgate electrics all good. When I looked through the paperwork, there was an invoice from BMW main dealer to investigate, to which they found the wiring had been rubbing. Can only imagine they'd added extra protection in the form of additional fabric tape... Limited100 said:
Good deal, proper bargain! I recently paid £6k for an 89k mile E61 535d LCI 2008..
Has it had the gearbox serviced? Swirl flaps removed?
Look forward to seeing pics.
No evidence of a gearbox service, so that's on the do list - I'll have to find a local ZF specialist, failing that it'll go to a BMW indy. I'm sure the swirl flaps will still be there. I'm going double check when I've got the engine cover off for servicing, should be able to spot the blanks. Has it had the gearbox serviced? Swirl flaps removed?
Look forward to seeing pics.
Court_S said:
It's scrubbed up pretty well in the pictures.
I think tourings do seem to get a much harder life for obvious reasons (my wife's 330i is testament to that; good from a few feet away but has kept me busy). They get to a certain value and things maintenance gets deferred.
Sounds like you're going to get stuck in yourself which will certainly take the sting out of owning an older BMW!
Totally agree I think tourings do seem to get a much harder life for obvious reasons (my wife's 330i is testament to that; good from a few feet away but has kept me busy). They get to a certain value and things maintenance gets deferred.
Sounds like you're going to get stuck in yourself which will certainly take the sting out of owning an older BMW!
- get within 6 feet and you'll notice almost every panel has some sort of defect 
GriffTorque said:
Both wing mirrors are cracked. These are self-dimming, but I may well do away with them. Are they worth the cost over standard mirror glass?
If it's anything like the E70/E71, you can get a pair on AliExpress for <£30 if you loGriffTorque said:
There were also codes for glow plugs on each cylinder, including the glow control unit. Is this likely to be just the control unit gone bad, or is it worth changing all six? H
If your in there to do the controller, you might as well do the plugs as well. And the thermostat is probably knackered to boot...ok hard enough, so might as well keep the dimmers.
The controllers are famous for going on these so probably needs replacing. On the later engines in the F10/F11 it is in a sod of a place down near the throttle inlet but I think on these it is easy to get to.
If you put it on the diagnostics check what temperature it gets to. Just because the needle goes to the middle doesn't mean it is getting up to temp. The thermostats fail and then the car doesn't get hot enough to trigger a DPF regen.
I wouldn't go too mad on it, it's a £2k smoker, just get it running right and use it.
If you put it on the diagnostics check what temperature it gets to. Just because the needle goes to the middle doesn't mean it is getting up to temp. The thermostats fail and then the car doesn't get hot enough to trigger a DPF regen.
I wouldn't go too mad on it, it's a £2k smoker, just get it running right and use it.
confused_buyer said:
The controllers are famous for going on these so probably needs replacing. On the later engines in the F10/F11 it is in a sod of a place down near the throttle inlet but I think on these it is easy to get to.
If you put it on the diagnostics check what temperature it gets to. Just because the needle goes to the middle doesn't mean it is getting up to temp. The thermostats fail and then the car doesn't get hot enough to trigger a DPF regen.
I wouldn't go too mad on it, it's a £2k smoker, just get it running right and use it.
Yeah, will plan for the for controller too then as well as the plugs. Knowing how notorious the thermostats were for failing unnoticed, I checked the temp on the run home through the hidden menu and it was fine sat around 90c so that's one less thing to worry about. If you put it on the diagnostics check what temperature it gets to. Just because the needle goes to the middle doesn't mean it is getting up to temp. The thermostats fail and then the car doesn't get hot enough to trigger a DPF regen.
I wouldn't go too mad on it, it's a £2k smoker, just get it running right and use it.
It should be easy enough to reinstate the air on the rear. Well worth it. Nice to know it was looked after at some point, which will hopefully help it now.. I'd say the dimming glass is a decent feature, just quite spendy when the glass needs replacing! £200 a mirror if my mum's 120d is anything to go by! Paying so keenly for it, gives some room to get bits and pieces sorted on it.
I've got an e92 with the same engine, expect:
Vacuum issues, lots of small hoses going to turbo actuators, engine mounts, swirl flaps.
Egr thermostat fails, then the engine only gets to around 60 or 70 degrees.
Inlet manifold seals go hard and brittle causing leaks.
If your handy with spanners, you can do the lot above with a swirl flap and egr delete for a couple of hundred quid.
Gearbox service, £250ish?
Xhp software on the gearbox makes way better if you have another couple of hundred to spare.
I wouldn't worry about the glow plugs, mine has had codes for I think 3 plugs and the controller since I got the car, never had an issue even in the coldest Scottish winters. There is also a high risk of snapping them on removal which leads to a world of hurt.
Vacuum issues, lots of small hoses going to turbo actuators, engine mounts, swirl flaps.
Egr thermostat fails, then the engine only gets to around 60 or 70 degrees.
Inlet manifold seals go hard and brittle causing leaks.
If your handy with spanners, you can do the lot above with a swirl flap and egr delete for a couple of hundred quid.
Gearbox service, £250ish?
Xhp software on the gearbox makes way better if you have another couple of hundred to spare.
I wouldn't worry about the glow plugs, mine has had codes for I think 3 plugs and the controller since I got the car, never had an issue even in the coldest Scottish winters. There is also a high risk of snapping them on removal which leads to a world of hurt.
Had a day to myself on Monday while the OH & kids were away to the in-laws, so I got round to giving the Beemer a full service. Oil, oil filter & air/fuel/pollen filters. I usually aim for around 6k miles between oil changes so will keep that up with this one.
I'd noticed coolant seeping from the joint where the EGR thermostat connects to the EGR cooler, new O-ring fitted & that's cured the leak. While I was in there, I stripped off the EGR and gave it a good clean up. Long term, I plan on removing/blanking the EGR valve & blanking off the swirl flaps, of course this will go hand in hand with a remap
It had a recall outstanding for a battery cable check. Now seen as BMW is approx. 100 yards from the office, I thought it'd be a no brainer even if just for the free wash
Off she went yesterday and of course they put it through the obligatory 'health check' to try and swindle some cash from me. They advised new discs/pads as the discs are slightly lipped front & back (I knew that anyway, will do this when it's time for new pads) & also that the exhaust flexi has failed. For BMW to supply & fit the flexi pipe? £1800! 
Obviously, I declined
Instead, I'll remove the flexi section myself and have the flexi cut out with a new one welded in for around 10% of what the stealers wanted to charge! They also noticed some 'strange' cabling tucked up in the wheel well and advised I investigate to find out what it's for. It's the original air line for the factory air suspension. Now, was that just a vain attempt to have my pants down or what?
Picked it up from the dealer yesterday afternoon and had a journey down the M6/M5/M4 from Crewe to Cardiff to join Lady Griff at the in-laws so it was a good chance to settle into the E61. The twin turbo setup impresses how it pulls hard pretty much all the way to 5k rpm, you don't get the initial torque surge before the power drops off as with most diesels. Over the 170 miles or so, mainly with the cruise control set at 70-75, I averaged 39.7mpg. I'm looking forward to putting it through its paces when I head back to North Wales - A470 & A483 should make for a fun run north!
I'd noticed coolant seeping from the joint where the EGR thermostat connects to the EGR cooler, new O-ring fitted & that's cured the leak. While I was in there, I stripped off the EGR and gave it a good clean up. Long term, I plan on removing/blanking the EGR valve & blanking off the swirl flaps, of course this will go hand in hand with a remap
It had a recall outstanding for a battery cable check. Now seen as BMW is approx. 100 yards from the office, I thought it'd be a no brainer even if just for the free wash
Off she went yesterday and of course they put it through the obligatory 'health check' to try and swindle some cash from me. They advised new discs/pads as the discs are slightly lipped front & back (I knew that anyway, will do this when it's time for new pads) & also that the exhaust flexi has failed. For BMW to supply & fit the flexi pipe? £1800! Obviously, I declined
Instead, I'll remove the flexi section myself and have the flexi cut out with a new one welded in for around 10% of what the stealers wanted to charge! They also noticed some 'strange' cabling tucked up in the wheel well and advised I investigate to find out what it's for. It's the original air line for the factory air suspension. Now, was that just a vain attempt to have my pants down or what?Picked it up from the dealer yesterday afternoon and had a journey down the M6/M5/M4 from Crewe to Cardiff to join Lady Griff at the in-laws so it was a good chance to settle into the E61. The twin turbo setup impresses how it pulls hard pretty much all the way to 5k rpm, you don't get the initial torque surge before the power drops off as with most diesels. Over the 170 miles or so, mainly with the cruise control set at 70-75, I averaged 39.7mpg. I'm looking forward to putting it through its paces when I head back to North Wales - A470 & A483 should make for a fun run north!
The twin turbo diesels do seem to have a much wider usable rev-range than the single turbo engines.
I really noticed the difference when I replaced my 320td with a 123d!
I never got as far as a remap as it had a 5 years Service Pack so I didn't want any issues with that, and I sold it not long after the pack expired. It would have been interesting though.
I really noticed the difference when I replaced my 320td with a 123d!
I never got as far as a remap as it had a 5 years Service Pack so I didn't want any issues with that, and I sold it not long after the pack expired. It would have been interesting though.
Mr Tidy said:
Jakg said:
Mr Tidy said:
I really noticed the difference when I replaced my 320td with a 123d!
Neither of those are twin turbo (iirc 123d is a "twinpower turbo" which just means variable vanes)Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff