Previous shape 645Ci or 650i reliability

[Theophany]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Seat bolster - I used some elephant wax. Sorted mine out a treat and brought back some of the deep chateau red colour.
Heating - may be as simple as tinkering with the airflow settings in i-drive
Might be worth having a look at getting the steering wheel retrimmed - Jacek at Royal Steering Wheels does a spectacular job and I'm well pleased with mine.

I just ticked over 80k miles in my 04 645Ci, I've done 10k since I bought it in October. Valve stem seals need doing, but given the vast majority of my miles are motorway it's not a pressing issue.

[jboy72]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

My e61 550i used to start off in 3rd. It suited it though, first is quite an "alarming" gear on those cars... especially if your passenger is not expecting it!

[gf15]

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.

Ok, mine has blotted it wonderful reliability record with the valve stem seal issue (well all the symptoms are there) . Full BMW SH to 47k miles and full specialist history there after. All was well to about 135k miles, when I noticed that in heavy traffic after idling for about 5 minutes, when I gave it some revs, it produced a rather large plume of smoke from each exhaust..............bugger.

Oil consumption has increased from a litre every 15k miles to a litre every 3k miles and rising. I love the car and everything else seems spot on, so currently pondering on whether to get it done or just live with it.

Only planned to keep it for 3 years, but I have had it for over 5 years and cannot think of anything to replace it with at a reasonable budget.

[greghm]

gf15 said:

and cannot think of anything to replace it with at a reasonable budget.

Totally agree. Nothing seems to come close at this price (V8, convertible)...

eliot said:

Search this section for N62 valve stem seals which is a common and potentially costly fix.

Had a look at your website, and you definitely know your field! I had it looked by a BMW specialist, he recommended -if it happens again- to change the gear selector and he is pricing it with hours at 750 GBP roughly.

[eliot]

gf15 said:

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.

Ok, mine has blotted it wonderful reliability record with the valve stem seal issue (well all the symptoms are there) . Full BMW SH to 47k miles and full specialist history there after. All was well to about 135k miles, when I noticed that in heavy traffic after idling for about 5 minutes, when I gave it some revs, it produced a rather large plume of smoke from each exhaust..............bugger.

Oil consumption has increased from a litre every 15k miles to a litre every 3k miles and rising. I love the car and everything else seems spot on, so currently pondering on whether to get it done or just live with it.

Only planned to keep it for 3 years, but I have had it for over 5 years and cannot think of anything to replace it with at a reasonable budget.

Smoke after 5 mins isn't too bad - mine was after a couple of minutes, then after 10k it was after waiting for the lights changed!

Oil consumption varied - if wasn't stuck in traffic idling it was in the 1L / 2k range or so.
I dont think service history makes much difference - the seals i took off were rock hard, especially the exhaust valves.

The guy I sold the tool to is offering the service for about £1100 - i'll update my site with his details.

[rswift]

So how cheap is a 'cheap, 645Ci.

I'm toying with the idea of maki g a low offer on a 2004 645Ci, is just over 80k miles.....the disadvantage (for the owner) is that's it's a uk RHD car, but in the South of France....I quite like the idea of using on holiday in a couple of weeks time, then driving it home (after dropping the family at the airport) for a slow drive home, try and sell it and not lose money !

I have a mate who will look it over, it's been for sale for over a month now at around £6k (exchange rate dependant as its in Euros).....the WBAC valuation......the lowest I would expect to re-sell it for is just over £5k.....

Crazy idea ??....I can get a bus from the airport for €20....but where is the fun in that

[Herbs]

rswift said:

So how cheap is a 'cheap, 645Ci.

I'm toying with the idea of maki g a low offer on a 2004 645Ci, is just over 80k miles.....the disadvantage (for the owner) is that's it's a uk RHD car, but in the South of France....I quite like the idea of using on holiday in a couple of weeks time, then driving it home (after dropping the family at the airport) for a slow drive home, try and sell it and not lose money !

I have a mate who will look it over, it's been for sale for over a month now at around £6k (exchange rate dependant as its in Euros).....the WBAC valuation......the lowest I would expect to re-sell it for is just over £5k.....

Crazy idea ??....I can get a bus from the airport for €20....but where is the fun in that

Coupe or Convertible?

[eliot]

rswift said:

So how cheap is a 'cheap, 645Ci.

I'm toying with the idea of maki g a low offer on a 2004 645Ci, is just over 80k miles.....the disadvantage (for the owner) is that's it's a uk RHD car, but in the South of France....I quite like the idea of using on holiday in a couple of weeks time, then driving it home (after dropping the family at the airport) for a slow drive home, try and sell it and not lose money !

I have a mate who will look it over, it's been for sale for over a month now at around £6k (exchange rate dependant as its in Euros).....the WBAC valuation......the lowest I would expect to re-sell it for is just over £5k.....

Crazy idea ??....I can get a bus from the airport for €20....but where is the fun in that

I paid a little over 5k for my 2005 750, with 110k miles on it though - after i bought it he told me the dealer offered him just over 4k for it.

So i would aim for 4k for the 645i

[rswift]

It's a cabriolet.....I'll try and stick a photo up on here later.

[rswift]

Here we go.....

[greghm]

I have again the rooftop blinking and not opening. I will have a look inside the trunk as I suspect it is one of the sensors there because it only happens when I put some luggage there (knowing of course there is this lever that makes some room that needs top be down before opening the soft top).

So make sure the one you are going to get has no problem with this otherwise it will kill a bit of the fun of the convertible.

[jayemm89]

A BMW 645/650 is the best value car on the market today, in my opinion.

My car was an 05 645, went from 107K to around 120K in less than a year with me. Zero faults. Previous owner had replaced the sump and done the gearbox oil as a precaution.

[eliot]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Litre of oil over 600 miles is a bit keen. Does it smoke after idling?

[eliot]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Ah right - that's really good!

[aarondbs]

Thread revival!! I've had my 645ci for a year now. Wasn't expecting to use it every day but circumstances changed. I did a full four corner refresh, had a number of oil leaks sorted, new JURID discs and pads all round and its been a joy to own.

I bought it on 120,000 miles, its now done 140,000 miles up and down the M1.

I love it, its cheap motoring at 30mpg and zero depreciation so why not enjoy a v8 while you can....

[g3org3y]

Glad to hear you're enjoying the car.

Which oil leaks did you suffer out of interest? (I know there are a few the N62 is famous for).

Any valve stem seal issues so far?