Previous shape 645Ci or 650i reliability

[volvos60s60]

Hi

I am thinking about a previous shape 645Ci or 650i convertible, but am concerned about reliability. I hear they suffer from oil leaks & also auto gearbox issues around 70000 miles due to the plastic sump leaking out the oil.

Any informed opinion about these issues & any others would be most appreciated

Thanks

[milu]

Mines on 90k and doesn't have a leaky sump. I have however got a small oil leak which is common. Mines been reliable apart from a fried battery which was replaced under warranty.

[Jayyylo]

I did a bit of research on this before and discovered that the main oil leak issue can now be fixed with an expanding pipe rather than having to strip and rebuild the engine. I think the expected bill is around £2-300 rather than over £1k that I had previously seen posted.

The 645ci is a lovely car to drive and live with if you are wanting a big cruiser with a lot of grunt and I highly recommend at least a test drive if you are seriously considering one. Although more is always better, on the road the amount of times 380hp will actually make a noticeable difference over 330hp is minimal. Find the best condition car you can for your budget.

I don't think reliability is a big issue with these cars and I found there was a lack of forum topics about them which is generally a good sign. Most people only start topics about their car when they have issues as it gets boring writing that your car is still running faultlessly.

Edited by Jayyylo on Sunday 19th October 00:37

[milu]

The expanding pipe is for a coolant leak,not oil.
There are a couple of areas where oil leaks can occur,often just messy more than trouble.

[DanL]

I have a 650 coupe - history in my profile. Mechanically it's been fine, but I have had problems with:

Heated steering wheel - failed and was replaced under warranty.
DVD drive for nav - failed and was replaced under warranty.
Alarm sensor - failed and replaced under warranty.
New headlight bulb - failed, I bought the bulb, other bits replaced under warranty.

I think there was another thing - new battery, maybe? I forget, but if would all have added up quite quickly if I had to pay for it!

The BMW warranty costs me £82 a month, and I'm happy to pay it. I've not had to claim much this year, and (touch wood) I hope not to have any claims while I own the car. However, there's so much that could go expensively wrong (iDrive for example) that I'm happy to pay it for peace of mind.

I should note most stuff went wrong in the first year I owned it, and was fixed under the AUC warranty. Battery wouldn't have been covered by the "normal" BMW one.

[ronaldo342]

Have had my 645 for 4 years done 30k miles in that time, lovely machine, I did have the leaking gearbox plastic cover, got the local gearbox shop to put a new one on c/w filter and oil £150, also the water pump bearings got a bit noisy, new one at euro car parts £80 fitted myself in a couple of hours, noticed a small leak at the oil pressure switch so fitted a new one, think it was about a fiver.
So nothing major, fantastic car

[Herbs]

Brilliant cars and pretty reliable so buy on condition. There are known oil leaks so be aware of that IfOf you can, get one under 60k miles and you can have the extended warrantywwhich I have done and gives compete peace of mind. Pay close attention to the options as they make a big difference to the car.

Unfortunately, due to a change of circumstances it has to go soon but probably the best all round car I have owned and I've found it even more enjoyable than a vantage roadster.

[quavey]

I have a 650i Coupe on a 55 plate (cheap tax!) its by far the best car I have ever had. It's as fast as the E39 M5 I had before (power to weight is basically the same) it also sounds much better than the M5, looks amazing, its still a "modern" bmw with proper nav etc. Mine is fairly poorly specced, no heated seats (sadly!), no CD changer etc but it does have the professional Nav which is a MUST IMHO. With regards to reliability I've only had it a few months but we covered 2500 miles through Europe in September without any mishap at an average of 33mpg which for a 4.8 V8 is amazing.

One thing I have discovered is that the "sport" models are not mechanically different to normal models, where as on E60's, E90's etc they have sport suspension this is not the case on the E63/E64.

Differences with the "sport" pack are Ash wood trim, Sports Seats, 19" style 218's, Chrome exterior trim becomes shadow black and some silver trim on the steering wheel becomes black. Mine already had the sports seats and the ash wood trim as original options so I bought the wheels and now its pretty much the same.

[Jayyylo]

OP the bang for your buck with these cars is astonishing considering they were about £60k and they remain relatively uncommon despite being 10 years old. In the short time I've owned mine I've only ever had positive comments. If you are considering one then remember they are a luxurious sporting gt, not a sports car. My car is pretty well specced but it does have the active steering which I'm not sold on. If you're going to test drive them then I would suggest this is something to look out for. Admittedly I've never driven a 6 series without the active steering but I think I would prefer not to have a messed up steering ratio.

[volvos60s60]

Really helpful replies so far thanks. Maybe my concerns are unfounded

[gizlaroc]

DanL said:

I have a 650 coupe - history in my profile. Mechanically it's been fine, but I have had problems with:

Heated steering wheel - failed and was replaced under warranty.
DVD drive for nav - failed and was replaced under warranty.
Alarm sensor - failed and replaced under warranty.
New headlight bulb - failed, I bought the bulb, other bits replaced under warranty.



The BMW warranty costs me £82 a month, and I'm happy to pay it.

If it were me I wouldn't bother.

So far the things you have had done may cost thousands at BMW but can all be sorted pretty cheaply these days.

Alarm sensor is only around £40 and fitting takes 30 minutes.
DVD drive can fail, but you can buy a new one for £76+vat before discount now.
Headlight bulb is a regular H1S at no more than £50 online.

The heated steering wheel is the most expensive bit, as all steering wheels are, but the cables bend and loose connecrion, if you take the wheel off you can attach new cable for pennies.

Not saying you are wrong for paying it, peace of mind and all that.
But as a new buyer I would say they are cars that have been around 10 years now and because of that there are lots of parts out there you can pick up cheap if buying used.

[DanL]

That's fair enough, and good advice. Personally, I'm not that handy with tools and like the full BMW history my car has, and will continue to have. If I were a bit more practical maybe I would not bother with the warranty, although to be honest it's there in case I have problems with the engine, gearbox or seats / iDrive. Pretty sure these must be big ticket items on this car, and I'm happier not caring about them.

[Herbs]

2 months in, my heated seats element broke and rocketed the seat up to 60+ degrees burning my arse cheeks. They replaced the whole seat free of charge at a costoof nearly £3k plus a further £500+ for the cm changer so I was quids in from the off

[milu]

I let my warranty lapse mainly because they won't cover the oil leaks. Fair enough regarding tech but without the leak cover it seemed pointless.

[gizlaroc]

Herbs said:

2 months in, my heated seats element broke and rocketed the seat up to 60+ degrees burning my arse cheeks. They replaced the whole seat free of charge at a costoof nearly £3k plus a further £500+ for the cm changer so I was quids in from the off

But that is my point, BMW changed the whole seat, that is what they do, however, the Webasto seat pad for a 6 series is £31+vat and takes about 2 hours to change as a DIY.

I don't know what a CM changer is? Something to do with the seat or CD Changer?
If the later they are on eBay for peanuts, but I would have used it as an excuse to put a decent iPod MOST unit in for £150 so I could browse my iPod through the iDrive.

[gf15]

I bought my 55 plate 650 in July 2011 @ 47k miles. Now on 120k miles. Reliability has been spot on.
Non service items that I have had done at my BMW indy (who are superb) who uses genuine BMW parts:
Rear wheel bearing £120
Gearbox seal - replaced with modified part £200
Track rod end £70
Rear brake pipe (one rusty / one fine) replaced both as it was a big job £200
Genuine BMW battery a couple of weeks ago for £118

Now at 120k miles, car is rock solid, no squeaks or rattles and wears it's miles well. Car also qualifies for value line parts, which are the same parts as normal parts, they even have the same part numbers, but cost about 60% of full price (Front discs and pads cost £330 instead of £560), but you have to ask for "Value Line" parts.
Spec varies wildly on these, the must haves (in my view)
Sat Nav (yes, it is an option) HUD, upgraded leather, logic 7.
Nice to have: comfort access,active cruise control (brakes & accelerates on it's own) to maintain a constant distance to the car in front, heated seats, CD changer, Ipod connection, cup holder (at least I wish I had one).
Novelty extras: adaptive lights (turn with steering wheel) high beam assist, voice control.
Typical spec;
650i sport £54870
auto 1450
active steer 850
active cruise 1280
adaptive headlights 430
hud 925
high beam assist 95
airbag de-activate 30
lumbar 235
heated seats 285
comfort access 675
comfort glass 270
interior lights 215
mirrors 260 260
bluetooth 465
telematics 465
prof radio 285
cd changer 295
logic 7 550
sat nav 1950
pearl leather 1120
Total £67000

Researching on Google you will be told that if the car has a sunroof, check in the boot where the spare wheel should be, it is full of relays and fuses and if sunroof drains are blocked, this is where the water ends up.

Finally, I found the steering wheel uncomfortable on long journeys, so had it recovered by Jack @ Royal steering wheels, who added extra padding and nicer leather, best money I have spent on the car, highly recommended.
It really is a wonderful machine. Good luck.

[greghm]

Let's see if we can re-animate this thread.

I bought a '04 645 convertible with 92k mls in December and enjoy it a lot.
It has not cost my much apart from new tyres at the front (i took some run flat again, though they are hard to ride).
I had the issue with the soft top but in the end it is not such a big issue.

The pros:
-comfort
-growl of the V8
-equipment

The cons:
-the soft top has the common issues that are listed on internet.
-I seem to have the common "transmission Fault". After some research I think I might have to change the Mechatronics - Valve Body.

[pvogue]

650i Manual would be nice

[eliot]

Search this section for N62 valve stem seals which is a common and potentially costly fix.
DIagnose by leaving the car idling for a couple of minutes and the blipping the revs - cloud of smoke = stuffed seals.

[greghm]

eliot said:

Search this section for N62 valve stem seals which is a common and potentially costly fix.
DIagnose by leaving the car idling for a couple of minutes and the blipping the revs - cloud of smoke = stuffed seals.

thanks for this, I'll have a look.