E61 V8 Bearding

[ATM]

ATM said:

Ignition switch or the key recepticle is playing up on mine. I had to force it a bit to get the key out and now I have to force it a bit to get the key in. Result being the car does not recognise the key present and refuses to start.

Turned out the car was in Drive and therefore nothing wrong with it after all.

[mondeoman]

ATM said:

ATM said:

Ignition switch or the key recepticle is playing up on mine. I had to force it a bit to get the key out and now I have to force it a bit to get the key in. Result being the car does not recognise the key present and refuses to start.

Turned out the car was in Drive and therefore nothing wrong with it after all.

OOPS

As an aside, I was getting around 24-25mpg on a 50 mile commute - 10 miles side-roads / country roads, 40 miles on M40/42. so you're numbers are pretty good.

[mondeoman]

{sigh}

I fixed the alternator gasket oil leak, took about 6 hours in total, reckon it could be done in about 4 if the car was up in the air:
drop the roll bar, remove serpentine belt, PAS pump (new hose clip required), alternator, jack up engine a bit, remove LHS engine mount, remove alternator bracket, replace gasket, replace all parts vvvrooommmm!

Only to find that the PAS cooler has a leak ....

And its u shaped and in front of the radiator. Wont come out backwards or forwards without getting the radiatot, condenser, trans oil cooler, etc... all disconnected and out of the way.

Or is there a way to lift the entire cooling pack up and back a bit to let you get at the PAS cooler? Cant find any vids or write-ups on it, but the rads all sit in a frame that should just sit on rubber dampers.

Any ideas?

I really want this car fixed and sold now, its getting silly.

[ATM]

Cant help you sorry. I tried removing my radiator and gave up. The hoses are all seized solid and the drain plug snapped off the bottom of the rad. I suspect I'd need a new rad - even though the old one works fine - and all new hoses so I could cut the old ones off. So I decided to just leave it.

[mondeoman]

ATM said:

Cant help you sorry. I tried removing my radiator and gave up. The hoses are all seized solid and the drain plug snapped off the bottom of the rad. I suspect I'd need a new rad - even though the old one works fine - and all new hoses so I could cut the old ones off. So I decided to just leave it.

Probably a wise move.

[ATM]

mondeoman said:

ATM said:

Cant help you sorry. I tried removing my radiator and gave up. The hoses are all seized solid and the drain plug snapped off the bottom of the rad. I suspect I'd need a new rad - even though the old one works fine - and all new hoses so I could cut the old ones off. So I decided to just leave it.

Probably a wise move.

Maybe I'll circle back round to it but there are other cars needing my attention here.

[ATM]

Winter boots on

[Armchair_Expert]

Generally, how reliable are these? What sort of costs are expected for good examples on the second market - do these suffer with the same awful reliability as the V10 M5 engine?

[ATM]

Armchair_Expert said:

Generally, how reliable are these? What sort of costs are expected for good examples on the second market - do these suffer with the same awful reliability as the V10 M5 engine?

They are nothing like the M car. I would say the engine is quite robust. Remember 15 years ago this was the most common engine produced for cars in USA as they all had v8 in their x5, 5, 6 and 7 series. I've had mine 6 years. It's been through periods of daily use and recently I left it 11 months without even starting it. Still runs fine although mine has a little hesitation or uneven idle. It's been doing that for around 3 years and doesn't really bother me. Mine has had zero engine work in the whole time just oil and filters and the expansion tank for the radiator. Absolutely nothing else under the bonnet, oh except the bonnet catches jamming or snapped release cable which actually broke by the lever I think. Maybe I should treat it to some new spark plugs because they have never been changed while I've had it. The valve stem oil seals go hard and then the car smokes a bit on idle when hot. Mine has also been doing this for the whole time I've owned it. Obviously it uses a little bit of oil too. I had my gearbox serviced which made it much better. I'm now swapping out some tired suspension arms. I can't be bothered listing all the little bits and bobs. I think mine has cost me about £3000 over the 6 years or maybe £3600 tops for stuff including Bilstein suspension kit and new discs and pads. It just keeps on trucking. Mine is over 16 years old now and will be 17 soon if not already. Only failed MOT for suspension bushes worn or play and worn tyres. Only broke down once due to the expansion tank failure mentioned above. Only just replaced the original BMW battery after leaving it unused for 11 months. Not sure what else you need to know?

[mondeoman]

Pretty good really - I put about 30k on mine and apart from oil / filter /pad changes, I only had small things to deal with, which given that its 11 years old now doesn't seem unreasonable.

Changed the coolant temp sensor, electric water pump for the cabin heating and the 4 way valve, coolant reservoir, alternator bracket oil seal, vac pump oil seals, cornering light control module and the last thing to fix is the PAS cooler and a rear PDC sensor.

If I spent £300 on those parts I'd be surprised.

Edited by mondeoman on Tuesday 23 November 10:24

[ATM]

The massive refurbishment programme continues

[trickywoo]

Armchair_Expert said:

Generally, how reliable are these? What sort of costs are expected for good examples on the second market - do these suffer with the same awful reliability as the V10 M5 engine?

Oil leaks are likely to be your biggest problem but plenty can and does go wrong.

I spent about £4K fixing bits on a 70k mile fsh one over 10k miles and two years.

There was still plenty wrong when I got rid.

You either need to be lucky or happy to drive with faults / issues if you don’t want to spend a lot on maintenance.

[ATM]

trickywoo said:

Oil leaks are likely to be your biggest problem but plenty can and does go wrong.

I spent about £4K fixing bits on a 70k mile fsh one over 10k miles and two years.

There was still plenty wrong when I got rid.

You either need to be lucky or happy to drive with faults / issues if you don’t want to spend a lot on maintenance.

Yes I have a little weep from the vacuum pump I think it is called. I've seen a little vid from Meerkat showing how to fix it. I just ignore these little foibles. They add character.

[Armchair_Expert]

Interesting thanks. I noticed some nice 550is from 2010 > 2013 on AT yesterday. Do these all have LSD's as standard?

I just wonder about the size / weight / performance compared to my 2 series. And the running costs - tax looks hefty.

[ATM]

Armchair_Expert said:

Interesting thanks. I noticed some nice 550is from 2010 > 2013 on AT yesterday. Do these all have LSD's as standard?

I just wonder about the size / weight / performance compared to my 2 series. And the running costs - tax looks hefty.

No LSD on these from BMW. My little 225 winter tyres have been struggling today. You can get one side spinning quite easily. There are aftermarket options obviously.

[Jules Sunley]

Previous owner of my B5 had a Quaife LSD fitted by Birds in Iver (just got her back yesterday from annual service and MOT and new rear tyres there). Handling is sublime and I've given her some stick during the 2 years now owned.

Pic from a show in the summer.

[mondeoman]

Armchair_Expert said:

Interesting thanks. I noticed some nice 550is from 2010 > 2013 on AT yesterday. Do these all have LSD's as standard?

I just wonder about the size / weight / performance compared to my 2 series. And the running costs - tax looks hefty.

Stick them in sport and use the paddle change and they move along quite nicely with 370PS and 490Nm, so they move when you want them to, 0-60 in 5.3 isn't exactly slow!

Obviously wont ultimately be as nimble as a 2 series, the laws of physics dont work that way, but they can still hustle along B roads and you can get past 2-3 slower cars in no time at all (subject to the road being clear, of course!)

[ATM]

mondeoman said:

Armchair_Expert said:

Interesting thanks. I noticed some nice 550is from 2010 > 2013 on AT yesterday. Do these all have LSD's as standard?

I just wonder about the size / weight / performance compared to my 2 series. And the running costs - tax looks hefty.

Stick them in sport and use the paddle change and they move along quite nicely with 370PS and 490Nm, so they move when you want them to, 0-60 in 5.3 isn't exactly slow!

Obviously wont ultimately be as nimble as a 2 series, the laws of physics dont work that way, but they can still hustle along B roads and you can get past 2-3 slower cars in no time at all (subject to the road being clear, of course!)

This

The only time you might feel like you need more power is if you are seriously trying to prove a point over 70 .. or motorway speeds. You need a serious amount of power to really out gun another car once nearer to 100.

In the lower range of say 30 / 40 / 50 the car just takes off.

You can easily go for gaps with time to spare.

I've never found myself thinking it needs more power.

[Armchair_Expert]

I'm used to 430 bhp and 630nm in the 2 series though, and I regularly exploit every drop of it, so although I don't doubt the 550s capability I just think I would find it felt a little heavier and docile to what I am used to.

[ATM]

Armchair_Expert said:

I'm used to 430 bhp and 630nm in the 2 series though, and I regularly exploit every drop of it, so although I don't doubt the 550s capability I just think I would find it felt a little heavier and docile to what I am used to.

Of course

Its a big car. And the gearbox is a bit sleepy in normal mode. You can't expect it to be any different.

If you want something more capable you need to be looking at an RS audi or AMG merc or the M5 v10. All of these will still be big and heavy and you will feel that if you try to throw them around. But you may get another 100bhp in the mix. You will be spending twice as much money too.

I occasionally look at the E63 and think thats whats I want but for occasional use there is really no point for me. I only use mine once or twice a week if that. Like this one - below - for example which gives me sleepless nights.

You would probably be better off with a C63 but my big car needs to be bigger, I think.

E63 AMG
Ceramic Brakes
LSD
2010
64,531 miles

£22,490

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202109237...