Discussion
I owned a 2005 630i coupe for around 2 years. Lovely thing, although a tad thirsty. My wife loved it, except the fuel economy,
Pan roof is a must, makes it a much nicer place to be.
Things to look out for are.
Cracked alloys
Make sure it’s had the oil cooler changed, pig of a job and they can fail miking coolant with oil.
Rocker cover gasket scan leak
If it’s using oil or burning oil it’ll likely be the Nikasil bores which is a big job to fix.
A cause of the above can be leaky injectors allowing to much fuel in, washing the honing off, some engines were replaced under warranty.
Heated seats can fail, best to avoid.
Otherwise apart from needing bushes it was ace. Oh and tyres are f expensive for decent ones, think I paid £170 each for rear Dunlop’s.
You won’t regret it.
£5-6k will you get you an ok early car.
Pan roof is a must, makes it a much nicer place to be.
Things to look out for are.
Cracked alloys
Make sure it’s had the oil cooler changed, pig of a job and they can fail miking coolant with oil.
Rocker cover gasket scan leak
If it’s using oil or burning oil it’ll likely be the Nikasil bores which is a big job to fix.
A cause of the above can be leaky injectors allowing to much fuel in, washing the honing off, some engines were replaced under warranty.
Heated seats can fail, best to avoid.
Otherwise apart from needing bushes it was ace. Oh and tyres are f expensive for decent ones, think I paid £170 each for rear Dunlop’s.
You won’t regret it.
£5-6k will you get you an ok early car.
Bertrum said:
I owned a 2005 630i coupe for around 2 years. Lovely thing, although a tad thirsty. My wife loved it, except the fuel economy,
Pan roof is a must, makes it a much nicer place to be.
Things to look out for are.
Cracked alloys
Make sure it’s had the oil cooler changed, pig of a job and they can fail miking coolant with oil.
Rocker cover gasket scan leak
If it’s using oil or burning oil it’ll likely be the Nikasil bores which is a big job to fix.
A cause of the above can be leaky injectors allowing to much fuel in, washing the honing off, some engines were replaced under warranty.
Heated seats can fail, best to avoid.
Otherwise apart from needing bushes it was ace. Oh and tyres are f expensive for decent ones, think I paid £170 each for rear Dunlop’s.
You won’t regret it.
£5-6k will you get you an ok early car.
Never heard of the oil cooler failing on the N52, all the gaskets, yes, but not the cooler itself. Also never heard of fuel injector issues on them. I have a friend with a 2007 N52 730i, original water pump, over 200k miles. Lots of oil leaks. Runs well apart from that. Pan roof is a must, makes it a much nicer place to be.
Things to look out for are.
Cracked alloys
Make sure it’s had the oil cooler changed, pig of a job and they can fail miking coolant with oil.
Rocker cover gasket scan leak
If it’s using oil or burning oil it’ll likely be the Nikasil bores which is a big job to fix.
A cause of the above can be leaky injectors allowing to much fuel in, washing the honing off, some engines were replaced under warranty.
Heated seats can fail, best to avoid.
Otherwise apart from needing bushes it was ace. Oh and tyres are f expensive for decent ones, think I paid £170 each for rear Dunlop’s.
You won’t regret it.
£5-6k will you get you an ok early car.
g3org3y said:
Bertrum said:
Pan roof is a must, makes it a much nicer place to be.
Does look a great feature but doesn't seem all that common (esp on the 630s). 
There are plenty with pano roofs, maybe not in abundance but certainly not rare.
When I was looking for my first 630i, it was really surprising to me that the 635d's were very nicely spec'd. Most of the diesels had pan roof and HUD so finding a 630i with both was very hard!
I guess the E63/4 was developed at a time when big diesel GT cars were popular hence them getting a pretty good spec over most 630i's.
Pan roof is definitely great if you can get it in a petrol.
I guess the E63/4 was developed at a time when big diesel GT cars were popular hence them getting a pretty good spec over most 630i's.
Pan roof is definitely great if you can get it in a petrol.
g3org3y said:
Do any of the 6 Series have isofix on the front passenger seat (with airbag disable)?
I can see the rear seats don't (and I think there wouldn't be much space to fit an isofix base + rear facing seat regardless).
None on the front seats, but every one has them on the rear. Front pass airbag disable was an option , I have seen a few cars with it specced on vin decoder when hunting around. I can see the rear seats don't (and I think there wouldn't be much space to fit an isofix base + rear facing seat regardless).
fastbikes76 said:
g3org3y said:
Do any of the 6 Series have isofix on the front passenger seat (with airbag disable)?
I can see the rear seats don't (and I think there wouldn't be much space to fit an isofix base + rear facing seat regardless).
None on the front seats, but every one has them on the rear. Front pass airbag disable was an option , I have seen a few cars with it specced on vin decoder when hunting around. I can see the rear seats don't (and I think there wouldn't be much space to fit an isofix base + rear facing seat regardless).
Normally the isofix fixings are held under little plastic cover things (at least they have been on my previous BMWs)
On the 6 are they hidden in the gaps?
Yes the hoops sit between the seat base and back rests. Standard across all models and all years. 
If anyone looking or thinking about buying one and is in Kent, you are welcome to have a look at mine and insurance depending take it for a drive etc. They are a fantastic car for the money now, but I would warn the rear seating is laughable. The leg room is very limited and due to sloping roof, anyone taller than 5’10 will rub their head against the roof. My 11 year old kids fit in the back fine though and love it !
If anyone looking or thinking about buying one and is in Kent, you are welcome to have a look at mine and insurance depending take it for a drive etc. They are a fantastic car for the money now, but I would warn the rear seating is laughable. The leg room is very limited and due to sloping roof, anyone taller than 5’10 will rub their head against the roof. My 11 year old kids fit in the back fine though and love it !
fastbikes76 said:
Yes the hoops sit between the seat base and back rests. Standard across all models and all years.
If anyone looking or thinking about buying one and is in Kent, you are welcome to have a look at mine and insurance depending take it for a drive etc. They are a fantastic car for the money now, but I would warn the rear seating is laughable. The leg room is very limited and due to sloping roof, anyone taller than 5’10 will rub their head against the roof. My 11 year old kids fit in the back fine though and love it !
Ah thanks, I wasn't aware of that and I don't think I ever noticed isofix on the VIN spec sheet.If anyone looking or thinking about buying one and is in Kent, you are welcome to have a look at mine and insurance depending take it for a drive etc. They are a fantastic car for the money now, but I would warn the rear seating is laughable. The leg room is very limited and due to sloping roof, anyone taller than 5’10 will rub their head against the roof. My 11 year old kids fit in the back fine though and love it !
Not sure how helpful the seat shape is for fixing an isofix base anyway.
g3org3y said:
Ah thanks, I wasn't aware of that and I don't think I ever noticed isofix on the VIN spec sheet.
Not sure how helpful the seat shape is for fixing an isofix base anyway.
Yeah they do strange things on the spec sheet. They all have auto lights and auto wipers but none list it on the spec either. Not sure how helpful the seat shape is for fixing an isofix base anyway.
I have the original sales books and spec sheets thanks to a kind PH member. I will try upload them later so you can see what is standard across the range .
fastbikes76 said:
Yeah they do strange things on the spec sheet. They all have auto lights and auto wipers but none list it on the spec either.
I have the original sales books and spec sheets thanks to a kind PH member. I will try upload them later so you can see what is standard across the range .
I've got an early brochure (only covers the 645Ci iirc), if anyone is interested I can also upload.I have the original sales books and spec sheets thanks to a kind PH member. I will try upload them later so you can see what is standard across the range .
I would appreciate the upload please. I can see what options were available which may help me with my search. I’ve noticed the gear lever is different in some, the newer ones have lights and a sleeker looking lever. Was this part of the facelift, together with the location of the centre brake light?
A good looking one near me has come up for sale but it’s a 635d. Probably another Bristolian looking to off load a diesel!
One in Yate too, nearby. 2009 24k miles but £12k!
2006 630i convertible in grey 103k miles for £5k looks too good to be true
A good looking one near me has come up for sale but it’s a 635d. Probably another Bristolian looking to off load a diesel!
One in Yate too, nearby. 2009 24k miles but £12k!
2006 630i convertible in grey 103k miles for £5k looks too good to be true
Edited by oldaudi on Thursday 28th May 12:12
Standard equipment on 2004-2007 cars
And additional Spec for Sport models, don’t be confused by Sport button, they all have that. The only real benefit is the much more supportive sport seats with bigger bolsters and thigh supports, and the shadowline exterior trim. Apart from that you wouldn’t tell them apart.
And additional Spec for Sport models, don’t be confused by Sport button, they all have that. The only real benefit is the much more supportive sport seats with bigger bolsters and thigh supports, and the shadowline exterior trim. Apart from that you wouldn’t tell them apart.
I'll get some pics up of the brochure I have when I get home from work this evening.
Regarding models and spec, the one with the light up shifter is an LCI (facelift) car. There are a lot of pro’s to the LCI cars and one massive con (2 if you count the lack of front splitters available for LCI cars)
The later car has a slightly newer gearbox, my ‘older’ gearbox is flawless and changes smoothly and correctly Although I’m sure the newer SAT box with be somehow ‘better’
The 3rd brake light moves from inside the top of rear screen down to rear boot lid
Front and rear bumpers redesigned slightly.. very hard to tell apart tbh. The front bumper on the LCI is slightly different at the bottom and as such there are pretty much no splitters available apart from the CSR snowplough replica, and these cars really do need a splitter to finish off the strange front bumper. It sits very high underneath and points slightly upwards !
Biggest change is engine, the later cars around October 2007 came with the N53 engine producing 258hp rather than the 2004-2007 N52 with 255hp. Both engines have a few oil leaks to deal with, nothing mega or overly expensive like its V8 rivals. The one and only real con of the later LCI cars is sadly the same improved later engine. The N53 moved to High pressure fuel pumps and injectors, which are prone to failure and issues. A set of injectors is roughly £1300 for the parts and around a couple of hours DIY labour, then some coding in with INPA. Despite N53 fans saying they are great and N52’s are just as bad... they are not. On the various pages when ever there are running issues on a 630i, it’s almost always an N53 with injectors going. Don’t get me wrong, both engines have coil packs that can/do fail along with VANOS seals and DISA valve issues. The N53 just has the added issue of potential injector or HPFP replacements.
The V8’s, well that’s a whole new level of craziness there. Oil leak after oil leak after oil leaks. All fairly laborious and all fairly costly.
Again the offer stands if anyone local is looking for one I’m happy to let you have mooch about mine .
The later car has a slightly newer gearbox, my ‘older’ gearbox is flawless and changes smoothly and correctly Although I’m sure the newer SAT box with be somehow ‘better’
The 3rd brake light moves from inside the top of rear screen down to rear boot lid
Front and rear bumpers redesigned slightly.. very hard to tell apart tbh. The front bumper on the LCI is slightly different at the bottom and as such there are pretty much no splitters available apart from the CSR snowplough replica, and these cars really do need a splitter to finish off the strange front bumper. It sits very high underneath and points slightly upwards !
Biggest change is engine, the later cars around October 2007 came with the N53 engine producing 258hp rather than the 2004-2007 N52 with 255hp. Both engines have a few oil leaks to deal with, nothing mega or overly expensive like its V8 rivals. The one and only real con of the later LCI cars is sadly the same improved later engine. The N53 moved to High pressure fuel pumps and injectors, which are prone to failure and issues. A set of injectors is roughly £1300 for the parts and around a couple of hours DIY labour, then some coding in with INPA. Despite N53 fans saying they are great and N52’s are just as bad... they are not. On the various pages when ever there are running issues on a 630i, it’s almost always an N53 with injectors going. Don’t get me wrong, both engines have coil packs that can/do fail along with VANOS seals and DISA valve issues. The N53 just has the added issue of potential injector or HPFP replacements.
The V8’s, well that’s a whole new level of craziness there. Oil leak after oil leak after oil leaks. All fairly laborious and all fairly costly.
Again the offer stands if anyone local is looking for one I’m happy to let you have mooch about mine .
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