640d M sport coupe, a good purchase?
Discussion
Hello all, firstly I'd like to say hello, long time browser, first time poster.
I am considering purchasing a 2012 640d, but are they a good buy?
More specifically, one with 83k, 2 owners and and a full dealership history - private seller. I had an F11 520d before and sold that at 91k miles and that ran as good as it did when I bought it. But I know a lot of people, myself included, have a phobia of cars near 90k and above.
Does anyone know of any major problems that might be common?
I've had a browse and they seem relatively reliable but wanted to know your thoughts.
Many thanks.
I am considering purchasing a 2012 640d, but are they a good buy?
More specifically, one with 83k, 2 owners and and a full dealership history - private seller. I had an F11 520d before and sold that at 91k miles and that ran as good as it did when I bought it. But I know a lot of people, myself included, have a phobia of cars near 90k and above.
Does anyone know of any major problems that might be common?
I've had a browse and they seem relatively reliable but wanted to know your thoughts.
Many thanks.
Took a 2012 640d from 15k miles to 85k miles in a little under three years and it was a great cruiser, only got rid for something a little more practical.
Also took a E90 330d from 3k miles to over 150k miles and it was completely faultless just sticking to scheduled servicing, I'm sure the 640d will do the same easily.
Also took a E90 330d from 3k miles to over 150k miles and it was completely faultless just sticking to scheduled servicing, I'm sure the 640d will do the same easily.
Thanks for the replies,
I've spoken to the guy who is selling and he tells me the gearbox fluid has been changed recently, the air con isn't working fully and that the undertray is missing, from when they did the fluid change I believe but he was told it doesn't effect the protection for under the car.
The tyre pressure monitor light is on also, he says one of the valves is faulty and he has the new one, but not fitted onto the tyre.
Does this all sound normal for an 80k 640??
I know my 5 series auto box had done more miles, but BMW never mentioned it needed changing or anything.
And on last month's MOT the tyres on the front were wearing more on the outside shoulders, driven hard maybe?
Thanks
I've spoken to the guy who is selling and he tells me the gearbox fluid has been changed recently, the air con isn't working fully and that the undertray is missing, from when they did the fluid change I believe but he was told it doesn't effect the protection for under the car.
The tyre pressure monitor light is on also, he says one of the valves is faulty and he has the new one, but not fitted onto the tyre.
Does this all sound normal for an 80k 640??
I know my 5 series auto box had done more miles, but BMW never mentioned it needed changing or anything.
And on last month's MOT the tyres on the front were wearing more on the outside shoulders, driven hard maybe?
Thanks
I've recently had a gearbox service on my 650 at c70,000 miles, prompted by a seal weep but I was advised it's good practice.
Purely an observation but the seller is marketing quite a new car with non functioning air con and needing a new tyre valve fitted? Not exactly making an effort is he?
Purely an observation but the seller is marketing quite a new car with non functioning air con and needing a new tyre valve fitted? Not exactly making an effort is he?
Yeah, the only reason I'm interested is because I've been waiting a long time to find one with the HUD, comfort seats, adaptive drive and adaptive led headlights, and this is the first one in my budget I've seen for a long time.
Im curious to see the BMW health report as it was serviced by them last month.
He's got it up for 19,995 but with these niggles and the added fact it's private, I wouldn't pay that much.
The options list is massive, though, and I'm a sucker for technology.
Though he did say he'd get the AC sorted as it slipped his mind.
Im curious to see the BMW health report as it was serviced by them last month.
He's got it up for 19,995 but with these niggles and the added fact it's private, I wouldn't pay that much.
The options list is massive, though, and I'm a sucker for technology.
Though he did say he'd get the AC sorted as it slipped his mind.
Edited by Nat562 on Tuesday 10th October 12:46
Edited by Nat562 on Tuesday 10th October 12:55
Nothing wrong with that logic! We all like toys 
I set out looking for an '06 ish XKR which at the time would have got me a 4.2 for about £14k. By accident I came across the '6' which in 650 guise at the same age and low miles was almost half the price! Similar power and size albeit with Marmite styling. All this for less than £8k? Madness.
As others have suggested, there's plenty of scope for depreciation here so buy with care.
I set out looking for an '06 ish XKR which at the time would have got me a 4.2 for about £14k. By accident I came across the '6' which in 650 guise at the same age and low miles was almost half the price! Similar power and size albeit with Marmite styling. All this for less than £8k? Madness.
As others have suggested, there's plenty of scope for depreciation here so buy with care.
Nat562 said:
Thanks for the replies,
I've spoken to the guy who is selling and he tells me the gearbox fluid has been changed recently, the air con isn't working fully and that the undertray is missing, from when they did the fluid change I believe but he was told it doesn't effect the protection for under the car.
The tyre pressure monitor light is on also, he says one of the valves is faulty and he has the new one, but not fitted onto the tyre.
Does this all sound normal for an 80k 640??
I know my 5 series auto box had done more miles, but BMW never mentioned it needed changing or anything.
And on last month's MOT the tyres on the front were wearing more on the outside shoulders, driven hard maybe?
Thanks
In my experience Bmw's tyres do seem to wear uneven, mine did on the 640d even after I'd had the alignment done, regards the auto gearbox I never changed the oil in the 330d and had it 3 months old to 154k miles and it was completely fine, yet most say it needs changing. I've spoken to the guy who is selling and he tells me the gearbox fluid has been changed recently, the air con isn't working fully and that the undertray is missing, from when they did the fluid change I believe but he was told it doesn't effect the protection for under the car.
The tyre pressure monitor light is on also, he says one of the valves is faulty and he has the new one, but not fitted onto the tyre.
Does this all sound normal for an 80k 640??
I know my 5 series auto box had done more miles, but BMW never mentioned it needed changing or anything.
And on last month's MOT the tyres on the front were wearing more on the outside shoulders, driven hard maybe?
Thanks
Nice E63, I do like the grey!
Yeah, I had an E31 840Ci before with the auto, it had done 141k miles and the auto box was silky smooth, never been changed and my Z4 fronts wore oddly too come to think of it.
I'm going to look at it tomorrow.
It has VDC, is this a reliable system? I've heard it makes the car a lot better to drive?
Yeah, I had an E31 840Ci before with the auto, it had done 141k miles and the auto box was silky smooth, never been changed and my Z4 fronts wore oddly too come to think of it.
I'm going to look at it tomorrow.
It has VDC, is this a reliable system? I've heard it makes the car a lot better to drive?
Nat562 said:
I'm going to look at it tomorrow.
It has VDC, is this a reliable system? I've heard it makes the car a lot better to drive?
Mine didn't have VDC but I've read lots of positive things about though, I had it on my E92 M3 and I liked how you could tailor the ride to suit your mood. It has VDC, is this a reliable system? I've heard it makes the car a lot better to drive?
Yeah, I heard good things about it.
It does seem overpriced, especially as it's private, it's also the only one I've seen with literally every option, but with these small issues I don't think it's worth what they want, but it's hard to tell as I've not seen one with that kit before, close spec ones from dealers are like you say, 2k or so more and mostly with lower miles.
It does seem overpriced, especially as it's private, it's also the only one I've seen with literally every option, but with these small issues I don't think it's worth what they want, but it's hard to tell as I've not seen one with that kit before, close spec ones from dealers are like you say, 2k or so more and mostly with lower miles.
Some of the issues I am aware of generally with the F06/12/13
Number 1 - Check the seats for ANY form of rattles - there are countless instances of owners having issues with seats rattling and subsequently replaced by BMW it seems to make no difference whether it is sports or comfort seats.
Number 2 - Check for any vibrations around 70mph-80mph. The big 20's more so as they really can suffer with issues like buckling and poor balancing with RFT's is VERY common.
Number 3 - I do not know many that have this issue, but I now have three times. The boot "drip rail" just appears to come way from the boot for fun (whether it being composite causes more issues lord knows), but the double sided 3M tape BMW use just seems incapable of holding it in place for more than a year.
Wheels/Tyres and Ride....
VDC (and the even rarer adaptive drive) will help make the ride better. It is "firm" (and mine is just the standard springs and dampers), but I have come from something even firmer so it feels soft.
Tyres - yes big issue with wear pattern - the rears wear the insides, driving more dynamically I have found the front tyre outer shoulders to wear more aggressively as well. Is it an issue? It depends, many manufacturers are "guilty" of using more aggressive tyre settings which in many cases cause a degree of uneven tyre wear to hit aims to "increase grip over the previous model".
Many cases this is achieved by introducing more negative camber (more so at the rear) and as you turn effectively the wheel is pushed from a negative moment to a more positive one enhancing grip, downside is as you drive in a straight line clearly the car is not riding entirely evenly on said tyre.
Regarding the front wear I think some of that is down to the tyre design and some of the alignment settings which are still slightly aggressive.
I have spent a lot of time discussing alignments and my 640GC has had 2 very different ones during the just under 30k it has done. One was by a BMW dealer with KDS aiming for a neutral setting, granted the tyres wore evenly, however the car was far far less enjoyable to pilot and the turn in was poor and more easily upset. I then went to visit my MX5 specialists with the car and had it set to slightly more aggressive settings on their Hunter...turn in was far far better and the car more enjoyable, downside comes back to the tyre wear which is not 100% even with the insides wearing slightly more than the outsides.
I think everyone believes any form of "uneven" tyre wear is bad. Reality is that manufacturers want (or should that be customers pushing them to) more dynamic handling traits or more grip then they tend to utilise more aggressive settings to achieve this. Unfortunately, for said owner the inner tyre wear used is a) less obvious and not as "easy" to spot in a few minute tyre check b) as tyres get ever larger, more low profile (and in some cases specific to manufacturers and models) then clearly cost and availability come more of an issue.
Focusing specifically on the 20 inch 245/35/20 and 275/30/20 setup on the 640's for a moment (irrespective of design) then availability has got better with more manufacturers providing non RFT and RFT in said sizes. When I first bought mine you had very little real choice if sticking to the RFT version (Dunlop or Bridgestone). Recently though the Pirelli and a few others are now available. If going down the non RFT route then the obvious answer is the Pilot Sport 4S.
The one final issue on tyres with the 640...is sadly bulges, I have now had two with bulges and they are an absolute bugger to spot on 20's. The fronts despite being slightly higher profile than the rears seem to suffer far far more.
Earlier cars had the rubber tyre valves with no sensors in the wheels, since 2013 they all have sensors (depending on year they very between about 120-150 per sensor from memory).
Adaptive LED headlights were a pricey option on pre LCI so are rare. LCI cars it seems more common with LED's being standard and optional adaptive setups for a very small optional cost. Be careful though it seems some earlier pre LCI cars with the adaptive LED headlights are suffering with LED module ring dipped beam failures, unfortunately in BMW (or more precisely Automotive Lighting's wisdom - choose either the supplier or BMW) these main rings are non serviceable i.e. you have to replace the whole headlight to resolve the issue, most of the other elements on the headlight ARE replaceable bar the most used bit considering the cars now run DRL's. Said headlight well about £1400/1500 + VAT fitted....
HUD I love mine and miss it when I drive a car without. Just watch if you need a windscreen replacement the myriad of options can mean that they are slower to get.
You could just look for a car with the M Sport pack if looking at M sports for most of what you are after (not sure if this was thing on earlier pre LCI cars). But the VDC/adaptive bit will be difficult to find sadly
.
Regarding engines then it is an N57 throughout the lifetime of the 640, it might be wise to at least get the timing chains checked.
Number 1 - Check the seats for ANY form of rattles - there are countless instances of owners having issues with seats rattling and subsequently replaced by BMW it seems to make no difference whether it is sports or comfort seats.
Number 2 - Check for any vibrations around 70mph-80mph. The big 20's more so as they really can suffer with issues like buckling and poor balancing with RFT's is VERY common.
Number 3 - I do not know many that have this issue, but I now have three times. The boot "drip rail" just appears to come way from the boot for fun (whether it being composite causes more issues lord knows), but the double sided 3M tape BMW use just seems incapable of holding it in place for more than a year.
Wheels/Tyres and Ride....
VDC (and the even rarer adaptive drive) will help make the ride better. It is "firm" (and mine is just the standard springs and dampers), but I have come from something even firmer so it feels soft.
Tyres - yes big issue with wear pattern - the rears wear the insides, driving more dynamically I have found the front tyre outer shoulders to wear more aggressively as well. Is it an issue? It depends, many manufacturers are "guilty" of using more aggressive tyre settings which in many cases cause a degree of uneven tyre wear to hit aims to "increase grip over the previous model".
Many cases this is achieved by introducing more negative camber (more so at the rear) and as you turn effectively the wheel is pushed from a negative moment to a more positive one enhancing grip, downside is as you drive in a straight line clearly the car is not riding entirely evenly on said tyre.
Regarding the front wear I think some of that is down to the tyre design and some of the alignment settings which are still slightly aggressive.
I have spent a lot of time discussing alignments and my 640GC has had 2 very different ones during the just under 30k it has done. One was by a BMW dealer with KDS aiming for a neutral setting, granted the tyres wore evenly, however the car was far far less enjoyable to pilot and the turn in was poor and more easily upset. I then went to visit my MX5 specialists with the car and had it set to slightly more aggressive settings on their Hunter...turn in was far far better and the car more enjoyable, downside comes back to the tyre wear which is not 100% even with the insides wearing slightly more than the outsides.
I think everyone believes any form of "uneven" tyre wear is bad. Reality is that manufacturers want (or should that be customers pushing them to) more dynamic handling traits or more grip then they tend to utilise more aggressive settings to achieve this. Unfortunately, for said owner the inner tyre wear used is a) less obvious and not as "easy" to spot in a few minute tyre check b) as tyres get ever larger, more low profile (and in some cases specific to manufacturers and models) then clearly cost and availability come more of an issue.
Focusing specifically on the 20 inch 245/35/20 and 275/30/20 setup on the 640's for a moment (irrespective of design) then availability has got better with more manufacturers providing non RFT and RFT in said sizes. When I first bought mine you had very little real choice if sticking to the RFT version (Dunlop or Bridgestone). Recently though the Pirelli and a few others are now available. If going down the non RFT route then the obvious answer is the Pilot Sport 4S.
The one final issue on tyres with the 640...is sadly bulges, I have now had two with bulges and they are an absolute bugger to spot on 20's. The fronts despite being slightly higher profile than the rears seem to suffer far far more.
Earlier cars had the rubber tyre valves with no sensors in the wheels, since 2013 they all have sensors (depending on year they very between about 120-150 per sensor from memory).
Adaptive LED headlights were a pricey option on pre LCI so are rare. LCI cars it seems more common with LED's being standard and optional adaptive setups for a very small optional cost. Be careful though it seems some earlier pre LCI cars with the adaptive LED headlights are suffering with LED module ring dipped beam failures, unfortunately in BMW (or more precisely Automotive Lighting's wisdom - choose either the supplier or BMW) these main rings are non serviceable i.e. you have to replace the whole headlight to resolve the issue, most of the other elements on the headlight ARE replaceable bar the most used bit considering the cars now run DRL's. Said headlight well about £1400/1500 + VAT fitted....
HUD I love mine and miss it when I drive a car without. Just watch if you need a windscreen replacement the myriad of options can mean that they are slower to get.
You could just look for a car with the M Sport pack if looking at M sports for most of what you are after (not sure if this was thing on earlier pre LCI cars). But the VDC/adaptive bit will be difficult to find sadly
.Regarding engines then it is an N57 throughout the lifetime of the 640, it might be wise to at least get the timing chains checked.
Edited by Ninja59 on Wednesday 11th October 14:32
Air con could be the condenser that's gone. A lot of F10 5 series and 6 series (that use the same part) had faulty condensers that were replaced under warranty, there were many thousands on back order for months. I've heard that some of the replacements also fail. Worth checking out but the seller should fix it.
No excuse for a missing under tray. If it was 'lost' by a garage they should replace it. The seller should fix it.
Tyre pressure sensors have a non replaceable battery that should last 5 years, if one has gone the remaining 3 are likely to go soon, as posted above they are about £150 each, so factor this into the price or agree with the seller that they all get all 4 replaced.
No excuse for a missing under tray. If it was 'lost' by a garage they should replace it. The seller should fix it.
Tyre pressure sensors have a non replaceable battery that should last 5 years, if one has gone the remaining 3 are likely to go soon, as posted above they are about £150 each, so factor this into the price or agree with the seller that they all get all 4 replaced.
I have a 2011 640d, I’ve had it 18months or so and done 30k miles, it currently sits at 73k.
amongst some other decent options It has adaptive drive (personally I think its a bit of a fad).
Soround View is hand, it’s a big car
Leather Dash is also nice and adds a bit of class
20” wheels make the car IMO
I’d liked to have Adaptive Cruise in hindsight.
I love mine, however, I’d certainly not consider one outside of a BMW warranty. I’ve had about £7k worth of warranty repairs. Most have been niggles but everything on this car is very expensive.
I think £20k seems too much for the car above, especially with the faults, the AC is a weak point and expensive fix it out of warranty.
I ditched the run flats and have fitted Falcon they’re reasonably priced and avavaible in front and rear sizes.
For £20k I’d be buying from a main dealer.
amongst some other decent options It has adaptive drive (personally I think its a bit of a fad).
Soround View is hand, it’s a big car
Leather Dash is also nice and adds a bit of class
20” wheels make the car IMO
I’d liked to have Adaptive Cruise in hindsight.
I love mine, however, I’d certainly not consider one outside of a BMW warranty. I’ve had about £7k worth of warranty repairs. Most have been niggles but everything on this car is very expensive.
I think £20k seems too much for the car above, especially with the faults, the AC is a weak point and expensive fix it out of warranty.
I ditched the run flats and have fitted Falcon they’re reasonably priced and avavaible in front and rear sizes.
For £20k I’d be buying from a main dealer.
Thanks for all the detailed replies.
I went to look at the one for sale privately, although it was a nice car, there were obvious issues that it had, there was a panel gap on the front left side of the bonnet, the tyre really was badly worn on the shoulder and he gave out a story of how this was actually a new gearbox. He also conviently lost the BMW health report the day before I came to view, and there was something not right with the V5, it was in someone elses name and he just said oh yeah, I never really sorted that.
As soon as I saw the panel gap, i knew I wasn't going to buy it but took the chance to view it, it certainly had nearly every option you could think of but was way too dodgy to even consider.
Following that, on my way home I stopped off at Synter in Chigwell as there was an Imola red one for sale within budget and even though it had only done 30k less miles(50k) than the private one, it was pristine inside and out. It didn't have all the extras I wanted such as the LED headlights, but it had the comfort seats and HUD and with the warranty they give you with the car, I bit the bullet and purchased it. I pick it up on Wednesday
The difference between the 2 cars were really night and day, despite all the goodies the first one had, it really was obvious it had been in some form of accident and that the seller was hiding something and it really shows how people look after cars, even that old.
I went to look at the one for sale privately, although it was a nice car, there were obvious issues that it had, there was a panel gap on the front left side of the bonnet, the tyre really was badly worn on the shoulder and he gave out a story of how this was actually a new gearbox. He also conviently lost the BMW health report the day before I came to view, and there was something not right with the V5, it was in someone elses name and he just said oh yeah, I never really sorted that.
As soon as I saw the panel gap, i knew I wasn't going to buy it but took the chance to view it, it certainly had nearly every option you could think of but was way too dodgy to even consider.
Following that, on my way home I stopped off at Synter in Chigwell as there was an Imola red one for sale within budget and even though it had only done 30k less miles(50k) than the private one, it was pristine inside and out. It didn't have all the extras I wanted such as the LED headlights, but it had the comfort seats and HUD and with the warranty they give you with the car, I bit the bullet and purchased it. I pick it up on Wednesday
The difference between the 2 cars were really night and day, despite all the goodies the first one had, it really was obvious it had been in some form of accident and that the seller was hiding something and it really shows how people look after cars, even that old.
As with all cars; the servicing and maintenance is key not the actual figure on the odometer.
My daily smoker (e60 535d) has done over 140k - it's been meticulously maintained and it drives fantastically well. It's a right hard b
d in the performance department too.
I've had a X3 3.0 sd years ago with 30k miles at the time and had endless issues with transfer box, oil leaks, turbo hose, vac hoses
I'd also get the 'carly' app for BMW as it offers a wealth of info on faults, driving profile, dpf status and also internal analysis of the mileage recording for signs of clocking. Worth every penny imho
My daily smoker (e60 535d) has done over 140k - it's been meticulously maintained and it drives fantastically well. It's a right hard b
d in the performance department too.I've had a X3 3.0 sd years ago with 30k miles at the time and had endless issues with transfer box, oil leaks, turbo hose, vac hoses
I'd also get the 'carly' app for BMW as it offers a wealth of info on faults, driving profile, dpf status and also internal analysis of the mileage recording for signs of clocking. Worth every penny imho
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