San! Another wagon! BMW F11 5 Series 520d
Discussion
So, once again I find myself in another BMW wagon. My third consecutive touring actually (San means 3 in Japanese and is a nod to my last car being an import) but a 5 Series this time after enjoying two E91's in N52 325i flavour. Sadly, poor fuel economy for town driving and finding them too small as a family car meant I had to scale up to a bigger boat.
Link here for previous E91 thread!
Took a couple months of browsing before we settled on what was the best example locally to us in central Scotland. We've actually owned this since June last year but I'm only getting around to creating a thread for it now. Mostly using it as a record but also because I find other owner threads so useful for information and fault-finding that it's only right to give a little back to the community I plunder from.
Here's when we collected it from Park's Honda Hamilton - it had missed a service by a few hundred miles so didn't qualify for FBMWSH hence why it wasn't being sold by Douglas Park BMW over the road. It also meant it was a grand or so cheaper than it ought to have been. With the knowledge and my experience of BMW's I was fairly happy to crack on with the sale even if collection day was the first time I had seen the car. Initially, I had sent my parents along to view and test drive it for me since my old dear used to drive for a living and can be a lot less emotionally-driven to purchases than I am (I trust her judgement implicitly).
M-Sport with black leather interior and the widescreen sat-nav which was still on the same maps from when it rolled off the production line. Although only 520d it's more than enough for what I need now with a baby on board. Fuel economy was starting to annoy me with the previous 325i and I've found the diesel has been significantly better even with the amount of town driving I am doing. I reckon it's saved me £100-150 a month since I've bought it. Funny what two missing cylinders can save you...
Home and parked up next to the outgoing E91 which ended up being sold to my brother and is still running well, sailing through its last MOT.
Not much planned in the way of modifications but one of the essential items was some form of shading for the little one in the back. A friend had recommended Car Shades and since they were a much more agreeable price than genuine BMW items, I wasn't shy in getting them ordered ASAP. They've been perfect and I forget they are even there most days.
The only other changes so far have been fitting the private plate and swapping out the chrome grilles for black ones, some genuine BMW ones I picked up on eBay for a cracking price but what a hassle to fit them. Looks much better though!
Fear not, the hedge has since been tamed!
Another essential purchase was a Travall dog guard with a split section to separate our dog from the pram and all the other bits a baby comes with - does it ever end?! This was another shrewd purchase from eBay and probably half the RRP of a brand new item from Travall. I must say Travall customer services are excellent as when I enquired about some replacement fixtures they promptly posted some out to be at no cost.
An image to give some perspective, still plenty of a space for a 35kg Bullmastiff mix on the right and the boot is deep enough to lie the pram lengthways when folded up. And then... I used it. And used it. And used it. It's turned out to be a cracking buy and I've racked up 10k miles almost within the first 8 months so it's had the odd clean.
Regrettably, I've had no time to properly polish and wax it but it does get a regular clean of the interior and wipe down with leather products. What has surprised me most is just how comfortable it is to drive. I had a job interview down in Loughborough last October and drove 6 hours from Edinburgh without stopping once. Alright, I was a bit stiff once I got out at the hotel car park but I did the same back up to Edinburgh the following day! Happily bagged 600+ miles to a full tank too. Still managed 50mpg at reasonable speed despite carrying a kayak that my colleague asked me to collect from Deeping St James via Facebook Marketplace. A beautiful thing so it was and apparently as aerodynamic as it is aquadynamic!
Alas, I didn't get the job... shame as it was right up my street too. Anyway, up until February this year the car has required nothing except some rear discs and pads and regular screenwash top-ups. Then I noticed the back end looked a bit odd a couple weeks back.
To be continued...
Link here for previous E91 thread!
Took a couple months of browsing before we settled on what was the best example locally to us in central Scotland. We've actually owned this since June last year but I'm only getting around to creating a thread for it now. Mostly using it as a record but also because I find other owner threads so useful for information and fault-finding that it's only right to give a little back to the community I plunder from.
Here's when we collected it from Park's Honda Hamilton - it had missed a service by a few hundred miles so didn't qualify for FBMWSH hence why it wasn't being sold by Douglas Park BMW over the road. It also meant it was a grand or so cheaper than it ought to have been. With the knowledge and my experience of BMW's I was fairly happy to crack on with the sale even if collection day was the first time I had seen the car. Initially, I had sent my parents along to view and test drive it for me since my old dear used to drive for a living and can be a lot less emotionally-driven to purchases than I am (I trust her judgement implicitly).
M-Sport with black leather interior and the widescreen sat-nav which was still on the same maps from when it rolled off the production line. Although only 520d it's more than enough for what I need now with a baby on board. Fuel economy was starting to annoy me with the previous 325i and I've found the diesel has been significantly better even with the amount of town driving I am doing. I reckon it's saved me £100-150 a month since I've bought it. Funny what two missing cylinders can save you...
Home and parked up next to the outgoing E91 which ended up being sold to my brother and is still running well, sailing through its last MOT.
Not much planned in the way of modifications but one of the essential items was some form of shading for the little one in the back. A friend had recommended Car Shades and since they were a much more agreeable price than genuine BMW items, I wasn't shy in getting them ordered ASAP. They've been perfect and I forget they are even there most days.
The only other changes so far have been fitting the private plate and swapping out the chrome grilles for black ones, some genuine BMW ones I picked up on eBay for a cracking price but what a hassle to fit them. Looks much better though!
Fear not, the hedge has since been tamed!
Another essential purchase was a Travall dog guard with a split section to separate our dog from the pram and all the other bits a baby comes with - does it ever end?! This was another shrewd purchase from eBay and probably half the RRP of a brand new item from Travall. I must say Travall customer services are excellent as when I enquired about some replacement fixtures they promptly posted some out to be at no cost.
An image to give some perspective, still plenty of a space for a 35kg Bullmastiff mix on the right and the boot is deep enough to lie the pram lengthways when folded up. And then... I used it. And used it. And used it. It's turned out to be a cracking buy and I've racked up 10k miles almost within the first 8 months so it's had the odd clean.
Regrettably, I've had no time to properly polish and wax it but it does get a regular clean of the interior and wipe down with leather products. What has surprised me most is just how comfortable it is to drive. I had a job interview down in Loughborough last October and drove 6 hours from Edinburgh without stopping once. Alright, I was a bit stiff once I got out at the hotel car park but I did the same back up to Edinburgh the following day! Happily bagged 600+ miles to a full tank too. Still managed 50mpg at reasonable speed despite carrying a kayak that my colleague asked me to collect from Deeping St James via Facebook Marketplace. A beautiful thing so it was and apparently as aerodynamic as it is aquadynamic!
Alas, I didn't get the job... shame as it was right up my street too. Anyway, up until February this year the car has required nothing except some rear discs and pads and regular screenwash top-ups. Then I noticed the back end looked a bit odd a couple weeks back.
To be continued...
Shame estate cars are going out of fashion as family cars, everyone seems to want one of these Quashai things (no offense to anyone who runs one of course) they are perfect for the job estate cars, ah well more makes them cheaper for us who want them.
Always quite fancied a 5 series touring, looks great this!
I am still running a late '12 E91 318d (145,000 miles) - can't justify the swap/upgrade, just does the job brilliantly, the roofbox comes out if it's too tight with the kids paraphernalia.
Always quite fancied a 5 series touring, looks great this!
I am still running a late '12 E91 318d (145,000 miles) - can't justify the swap/upgrade, just does the job brilliantly, the roofbox comes out if it's too tight with the kids paraphernalia.
Great car... 
It was a silver F11 530D M Sport I was seriously considering in Yorkshire before we bought out F31 325D touring... Only got voted against due to the stupidly tight parking spaces at the Uni my wife works at otherwise we'd have had it on the drive now
Have you got the rear bags replaced now?
It was a silver F11 530D M Sport I was seriously considering in Yorkshire before we bought out F31 325D touring... Only got voted against due to the stupidly tight parking spaces at the Uni my wife works at otherwise we'd have had it on the drive now
Have you got the rear bags replaced now?
Fills me with fear. I have a 520D touring, and the suspension has so far played the game. The wife's E350 merc however is being a proper pain. I don't need me with more than that!
Fuel consumption is interesting. I've never found mine great. Sticks in the 40's no matter how nice I am to it.
Fuel consumption is interesting. I've never found mine great. Sticks in the 40's no matter how nice I am to it.
TurboRob said:
Just my type of Readers' Cars thread. Back in the day I had an e39 530d Touring in the same colour combo, and it was the most used/useful car we had - sold on at 227k miles and still going strong out there.
Wow, what is the mileage recorded at last MOT? Like you, I like the odd check on an old registration to see if a car is still on the road!7 5 7 said:
Shame estate cars are going out of fashion as family cars, everyone seems to want one of these Quashai things (no offense to anyone who runs one of course) they are perfect for the job estate cars, ah well more makes them cheaper for us who want them.
Always quite fancied a 5 series touring, looks great this!
I am still running a late '12 E91 318d (145,000 miles) - can't justify the swap/upgrade, just does the job brilliantly, the roofbox comes out if it's too tight with the kids paraphernalia.
I often drive my Mum's X3 and can't get on with it at all. The touring is just a perfect all rounder for me and after a handful I think I would be hard pushed to have a saloon again. We viewed some Skoda's before we bought this and the wife still laughs at the face I pulled when a dealer staff member suggested the Octavia hatchback was pretty much the same thing and worth looking at.Always quite fancied a 5 series touring, looks great this!
I am still running a late '12 E91 318d (145,000 miles) - can't justify the swap/upgrade, just does the job brilliantly, the roofbox comes out if it's too tight with the kids paraphernalia.
Late E91 sounds great, I truly thing the E91 at certain angles is one of the best looking estate profiles around. We may be moving house this year and might have a need for a second car, I'd easily push for another E91 since I know them inside and out well enough by now. Your comment reminds me I need to browse for a roofbox myself soon...
d_a_n1979 said:
Great car...
It was a silver F11 530D M Sport I was seriously considering in Yorkshire before we bought out F31 325D touring... Only got voted against due to the stupidly tight parking spaces at the Uni my wife works at otherwise we'd have had it on the drive now
Have you got the rear bags replaced now?
Your wife ain't wrong with the parking situation! I find any excuse I can to take kiddo with me and utilise parent and child parking if I'm going anywhere! Reverse camera helps a tad but the car is so big that when the passenger mirror dips in reverse it renders it useless when I'm trying to ensure I'm between the lines and then some from next car. University parking is a nightmare at every establishment, thankfully I work nights when no one else is around plus I have the keys to the car park gates so lock them up at night!It was a silver F11 530D M Sport I was seriously considering in Yorkshire before we bought out F31 325D touring... Only got voted against due to the stupidly tight parking spaces at the Uni my wife works at otherwise we'd have had it on the drive now
Have you got the rear bags replaced now?
Bags were replaced last monday. Driver side was well gone but the passenger side was nearly undetectable - bubble test and images showed they were definitely past their best. I would have replaced both sides anyway but didn't appreciate the £802 bill from the independent, especially since I have found that the driver's side is still dropping down when parked up. From a browse on various forums it seems that replacements not being up to the job is not a rare occurrence - will bell the garage up in the morning, I'm sure they will rectify it at the earliest chance.
£500 for rear brakes and pads a few months ago and now £802 for replacement rear airbags. I suspect the exceptionally poor state of Edinburgh roads has accelerated the car towards that window of reasonably expected wear and tear.
surveyor said:
Fills me with fear. I have a 520D touring, and the suspension has so far played the game. The wife's E350 merc however is being a proper pain. I don't need me with more than that!
Fuel consumption is interesting. I've never found mine great. Sticks in the 40's no matter how nice I am to it.
Haha, 40's to me is quite good coming from the 325i! I just checked the trip history and seems I am averaging 39mpg over the last 5000 miles.Fuel consumption is interesting. I've never found mine great. Sticks in the 40's no matter how nice I am to it.
Hoping for a quick turnaround with the car this week and then hopefully get a deep clean now we are springing out of winter. Don't know when I'll find the time though as I'm absolutely slammed for time between work, baby, internship and now possibly a house move to prepare for!
If the replacement bags were good quality and she's still dropping then it's most likely to be the solenoid valve in the pump itself. 2nd most common failure after the bags themselves.
Its about a 1 to 2 hour job DIY and quite enjoyable really.
This is the part you need......
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/203504621603?mkcid=16&a...
Its about a 1 to 2 hour job DIY and quite enjoyable really.
This is the part you need......
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/203504621603?mkcid=16&a...
Reindeer said:
If the replacement bags were good quality and she's still dropping then it's most likely to be the solenoid valve in the pump itself. 2nd most common failure after the bags themselves.
Its about a 1 to 2 hour job DIY and quite enjoyable really.
This is the part you need......
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/203504621603?mkcid=16&a...
Yup. Duff airbags mean the pump has to move more air than the drier can handle, so it gets saturated, moisture gets past and corrodes the solenoid valve, which sticks.Its about a 1 to 2 hour job DIY and quite enjoyable really.
This is the part you need......
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/203504621603?mkcid=16&a...
beambeam1 said:
d_a_n1979 said:
Great car...
It was a silver F11 530D M Sport I was seriously considering in Yorkshire before we bought out F31 325D touring... Only got voted against due to the stupidly tight parking spaces at the Uni my wife works at otherwise we'd have had it on the drive now
Have you got the rear bags replaced now?
Your wife ain't wrong with the parking situation! I find any excuse I can to take kiddo with me and utilise parent and child parking if I'm going anywhere! Reverse camera helps a tad but the car is so big that when the passenger mirror dips in reverse it renders it useless when I'm trying to ensure I'm between the lines and then some from next car. University parking is a nightmare at every establishment, thankfully I work nights when no one else is around plus I have the keys to the car park gates so lock them up at night!It was a silver F11 530D M Sport I was seriously considering in Yorkshire before we bought out F31 325D touring... Only got voted against due to the stupidly tight parking spaces at the Uni my wife works at otherwise we'd have had it on the drive now
Have you got the rear bags replaced now?
Her Uni car park is tight; but it's generally the knobbers that open doors onto your car or walk through the cars with loaded bags and scratch the s
t out of every panel etc...!Well, pleased to report that was indeed the end of the rear suspension issues. Even better, that's the car successfully MOT'd for another year with just a rear tyre advisory so I'll probably swap both rears since they are mixed brands. I left the car with Klasse on Monday morning and advised that as well as the scheduled servicing (big one?) and MOT I had also been notified in the last week that the front pads and discs needed replacing so asked for that to be carried out too - got it back Tuesday morning with a pretty reasonable bill and a general condition report.
As far as courtesy cars go, I was quite taken with this 320d which I think has been remapped as it packed enough of a punch to be a fun commuter wagon. We're likely going to need a second car by the end of the year so I could be tempted by something of a similar flavour.
Anyway, MOT sorted, servicing sorted with just some deteriorated ARB's at both ends and bushes brought to my attention that I'll look at dealing with in a few months. A lot going on just now and simply too busy to spend any time having a go at these jobs myself even if I am moving to a house with garage! The only consolation is the fact I have a trusted independent that I can rely on and that's across the ownership of three different cars now.
Of course, it's not all good news...
Something, something, pulled into the middle of three empty parking bays and in a second of distraction scuffed the white lamppost even though I was well aware of its presence. I had an order of some car cleaning products to pick up from Halfords which seemed pointless by then. I was seething so much that it wasn't until I nearly joined the Edinburgh Bypass that I found out my rear passengers had left the car for a quick shop in ALDI.
It won't polish out any better than the image and it's not too expensive to repair. It's just incredibly frustrating.
The non-scuffed side after a quick cleaning session during the week. Really ought to set aside a day or so and give it a proper wash/polish/wax but for now I'll make do with these new wipers I'm about to fit during a quiet spell at work. Sigh.
As far as courtesy cars go, I was quite taken with this 320d which I think has been remapped as it packed enough of a punch to be a fun commuter wagon. We're likely going to need a second car by the end of the year so I could be tempted by something of a similar flavour.
Anyway, MOT sorted, servicing sorted with just some deteriorated ARB's at both ends and bushes brought to my attention that I'll look at dealing with in a few months. A lot going on just now and simply too busy to spend any time having a go at these jobs myself even if I am moving to a house with garage! The only consolation is the fact I have a trusted independent that I can rely on and that's across the ownership of three different cars now.
Of course, it's not all good news...
Something, something, pulled into the middle of three empty parking bays and in a second of distraction scuffed the white lamppost even though I was well aware of its presence. I had an order of some car cleaning products to pick up from Halfords which seemed pointless by then. I was seething so much that it wasn't until I nearly joined the Edinburgh Bypass that I found out my rear passengers had left the car for a quick shop in ALDI.
It won't polish out any better than the image and it's not too expensive to repair. It's just incredibly frustrating.
The non-scuffed side after a quick cleaning session during the week. Really ought to set aside a day or so and give it a proper wash/polish/wax but for now I'll make do with these new wipers I'm about to fit during a quiet spell at work. Sigh.
Edited by beambeam1 on Saturday 22 April 03:29
Thanks for writing this up. 5 years ago I bought a 100k e91 318i Touring. It’s now on 150k and despite lots of wear related work and the most asthmatic powertrain (economy engine and manual box) I’ve ever driven, it has served us really well.
I’m now in a position where I need a bigger car so the F11 is my priority. I’ve never had a diesel and don’t really want one but for my budget, don’t really have a choice.
How do you find the powertrain? Is yours M or AT and what do you recommend? In hindsight the 318 motor I had makes mine pretty unpleasant to drive (even unloaded!!) so I am cautious about going for the smaller motor in anything - especially an 1800kg estate.
I’m now in a position where I need a bigger car so the F11 is my priority. I’ve never had a diesel and don’t really want one but for my budget, don’t really have a choice.
How do you find the powertrain? Is yours M or AT and what do you recommend? In hindsight the 318 motor I had makes mine pretty unpleasant to drive (even unloaded!!) so I am cautious about going for the smaller motor in anything - especially an 1800kg estate.
Can't believe it's been almost a year since the last post! New car arriving soon so this will be going up for sale in the next month. Private plate to be removed, wheels refurbished and a fresh MOT before it heads off. It's been a great family car but between the dog, toddler and a newborn we are in need of something else.
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