2013 530d Advice

[phattbelly]

A while back I purchased a 320d, one owner low mileage 58 plate and only after a couple of years the timing chain went and killed the car.

I'm now looking at a 2013 530d SE with 56k miles and wondered if there is anything in particular I should be looking out for?
https://www.carshop.co.uk/used-car/BMW/5%20SERIES/...

I'm not that au fait with cars so thought I'd ask here. Appreciate the feedback.

[BFleming]

Looks like strong money; it has some nice things like folding mirrors, wide nav, enhanced instruments, power boot (allegedly) and memory drivers seat. But it also has basic 17in wheels, basic seats (memory aside), beige everywhere inside (like mine, beige boot carpets need a liner) and no pan roof. It probably also doesn't have adaptive damping, but it's hard to say. Not a colour i'm keen on either - but if you like it, go for it.
Mine has the comfort seats which are amazing, pan roof that allows so much light & air into the cabin, and adaptive damping that is good (but I don't use Sport enough to make full use of it). Comfort mode is particularly wafty!
I had the same steering wheel as this, but swapped it for the M Sport one with paddles. A big improvement.
Mine (for comparison), on about 100k more miles than the one you're looking at!

[d_a_n1979]

phattbelly said:

A while back I purchased a 320d, one owner low mileage 58 plate and only after a couple of years the timing chain went and killed the car.

I'm now looking at a 2013 530d SE with 56k miles and wondered if there is anything in particular I should be looking out for?
https://www.carshop.co.uk/used-car/BMW/5%20SERIES/...

I'm not that au fait with cars so thought I'd ask here. Appreciate the feedback.

If not already; join the BMW 5 forums and ask on here; wealth of info and knowledge from fellow owners; this is the Fx series tech section, a good place to ask:

https://forum.bmw5.co.uk/forum/103-f07f10f11-2010-...

[phattbelly]

d_a_n1979 said:

If not already; join the BMW 5 forums and ask on here; wealth of info and knowledge from fellow owners; this is the Fx series tech section, a good place to ask:

https://forum.bmw5.co.uk/forum/103-f07f10f11-2010-...

Will do. As I said I'm a newbie and to this forum too.

[phattbelly]

[quote=BFleming]

Yours looks great! Appreciate sometimes it is luck of the draw but do intend to have regular servicing etc.

That sunroof does look great. Might have to do some more searching.

[bumrar]

For comparison, last year I bought a 2012 535d m sport touring on 107k miles in good condition with loads of options for £12,500. I also had a 320d previously. The 5's a much more refined car and hard to beat if you look at other brands. Really happy with mine.

Favourites of the options on mine would be - comfort seats, HUD, active xenon's and pro nav.

The one linked looks about the right price, maybe a little strong, considering the mileage if it's been well looked after.

I'd check for vibrations at motorway speeds, and ensure it's had regular oil changes. BMW say the gearboxes don't need servicing, but ZF who manufacture them recommend oil and filter every 60k, at a cost of around £500-600.

[phattbelly]

bumrar said:

For comparison, last year I bought a 2012 535d m sport touring on 107k miles in good condition with loads of options for £12,500. I also had a 320d previously. The 5's a much more refined car and hard to beat if you look at other brands. Really happy with mine.

Favourites of the options on mine would be - comfort seats, HUD, active xenon's and pro nav.

The one linked looks about the right price, maybe a little strong, considering the mileage if it's been well looked after.

I'd check for vibrations at motorway speeds, and ensure it's had regular oil changes. BMW say the gearboxes don't need servicing, but ZF who manufacture them recommend oil and filter every 60k, at a cost of around £500-600.

Thanks! Just found out it has been serviced every year at BMW. Only 3-5000miles added per year for the first 5 years and then 30k in the last 2 years.

[twokcc]

Not an expert but isn't the timing chain problem mainly on the 4 cylinder diesels.
I've got a e91 325d with the 6 cylinder M57 engine seem to recall a previous thread saying that although a bit agricultural (tractor like on start up) its a very strong engine.
Completely different driving experience to the 4 cylinder diesel

[bumrar]

twokcc said:

Not an expert but isn't the timing chain problem mainly on the 4 cylinder diesels.
I've got a e91 325d with the 6 cylinder M57 engine seem to recall a previous thread saying that although a bit agricultural (tractor like on start up) its a very strong engine.
Completely different driving experience to the 4 cylinder diesel

the M generation engines are bulletproof, the timing chain issues are on the N generation engines, and yes, mainly on the 4 cylinders, but it's a very similar timing chain arrangement on the 6 cylinders too

Edited by bumrar on Thursday 29th April 14:00

[helix402]

N57. Timing chain and main bearing problems.

[BFleming]

Like others above, I had a 320d (2010) before my 525d. The 5 series is leagues ahead of the 3 series in terms of refinement, space, build quality.
If you join bmw5 forum and ask for advice, the main players will tell you the silky smooth 6 cylinder is the way to go, preferable petrol at that! Some facts though...
90%+ of F10s & F11s sold were the 520d.
A 530d is more expensive than a 525d or 520d.
A 535d is more expensive than the 530d.
A 535i is more expensive again, will generally have a lower mileage, and is very rare.
A 550i is near-single numbers rare.
The early 525d's were 6 cylinder, the newer ones (from 2011) are 4.
Not all diesels shed their timing chains. Mine hasn't. My old 320d hasn't. They have a lot of miles between them.

So basically it depends on your budget, imposed mileage limit, and must-have spec. For me I'd need Comfort Seats (like mine) and a Pan Roof. The electric bootlid became standard after the 2013 facelift. I'm not an audiophile nor do I generally use in-car-nav, so a wide screen expensive sound system would be wasted on me. I would have loved a 530d 3 years ago when I bought mine, but it was a lot more money.
Oh, get Xenons too. I didn't, and the halogens are rubbish. Again, Xenons became standard with the facelift.

bumrar said:

the M generation engines are bulletproof, the timing chain issues are on the N generation engines, and yes, mainly on the 4 cylinders, but it's a very similar timing chain arrangement on the 6 cylinders too

You'd need to buy what is generally considered an old car now to find a M47 or M57* engine (the M57 engine survived longer), so you're back to keeping on top of those fallible thermostats, the older sluggish ZF gearboxes, rust... and just keeping on top of things wearing out. More reliable chains, older & therefore less reliable everything else.

Edited by BFleming on Thursday 29th April 15:15

[naturalaspiration]

Yep - it occurs later as 6 cyl engine runs smoother - lower pull forces on the chain sprocket. The chain itself is identical to the chain used on N47. I would suggest frequent oil changes (one additional halfway through - leave oil filter), add one bottle LM Ceratec with every oil change, and code away stop/start. Ask for service history - ideally, the chain would have been replaced. The last revision was made in mid-2014 or so - this revision is now in B47/B57 engine.

New BMW engines are made to be light and have lower CO2 - at the expense of longevity.