F11 2010 530d se
Discussion
Well after the dealer renewing the glow plug module, all 6 plugs and replacing and coding number 5 injector the problem is still there. I’ve elected to collect the car and run it for a few days to see what happens. Yesterday the misfire from cold was still there quite prominently but this morning after a fill with Esso super (£1.99 a litre 
) the hesitancy seems quite a bit less; could be anything though.
So off it got dropped to BMW
for one last ditch attempt at a diagnosis. £50 for a final answer. If BM come back with anything inconclusive / expensive i’ll have the get out of jail free card of returning the car for a full refund and off it will go to auction.
As you can probably tell I still want the car, it’s lovely but i’m not blind to the possibility of keeping a problem and spending good money after bad trying to find this phantom fault.
Update Monday i guess
) the hesitancy seems quite a bit less; could be anything though. So off it got dropped to BMW
for one last ditch attempt at a diagnosis. £50 for a final answer. If BM come back with anything inconclusive / expensive i’ll have the get out of jail free card of returning the car for a full refund and off it will go to auction.
As you can probably tell I still want the car, it’s lovely but i’m not blind to the possibility of keeping a problem and spending good money after bad trying to find this phantom fault.
Update Monday i guess
well, sadly the 30d has gone back to the dealers and i’ve had a refund. BMW although booked in for 9:30 yesterday hadn’t looked at the vehicle when I went to collect at 2pm. I wasn’t going to wait any longer so back it went.
The replacement is on the drive
Sorry, was dark when I got home
This is going to take some explaining as it has one major issue, but it’s ok, i got this. Will update over the next few days
The replacement is on the drive
Sorry, was dark when I got home
This is going to take some explaining as it has one major issue, but it’s ok, i got this. Will update over the next few days
So, the 30d is no more as I said and I’ve picked up this 520d dec/10 for quite a good price. It’s pretty immaculate inside and out, with full BMW service history and 2 owners. No bad smells and lots of little pointers that it’s been cared for. Leather cleaner in the glove box, both keys present, 4 matching Pirelli Sottozero 3 winter tyres (quite expensive!) I also love the cashmere-silver metallic paint. Beige/sometimes, silver, pink. Proper old man spec with the beige interior 
The catch is there’s a small rattle on start up which we all know by now is the timing chain on its way out. This doesn’t bother me too much as a) any N47 equipped BM in my price range could already/in the near future suffer with this problem (as soon said this 20d has full BMW S/H with most intervals less then the 18k suggested) so at least it’s not a surprise and more impotently b) getting it done (at Dragon Autoworks in Llandow) means i’ll have a very clean car with a new timing chain fitted giving complete peace of mind to do euro jaunts in etc. With the spend for the chain kit £1,150 the car will still be around market value so I shouldn’t lose when i come to sell and it’ll have the bonus of the chain being done to give the next owner assurance. I’ll be changing the oil every 8k with BMW oil/filter in my ownership.
It’s quite basic in spec with candle in the wind headlights, no heated seats and small nav screen but it does have the multi-contour comfort seats which are amazingly comfortable and an electric steering column. DAB radio and … can’t think of anything else to brag about. I’m very pleased with it overall
It’s going to DAW for the chain kit next week and they’ll also inspect the clutch. There’s a little judder on pull off so they can advise when the engine is separated from the box, the clutch feels like it has lots of life left in it so we’ll see on that. I’m also considering a walnut blast but again will see when it’s taken apart.
The catch is there’s a small rattle on start up which we all know by now is the timing chain on its way out. This doesn’t bother me too much as a) any N47 equipped BM in my price range could already/in the near future suffer with this problem (as soon said this 20d has full BMW S/H with most intervals less then the 18k suggested) so at least it’s not a surprise and more impotently b) getting it done (at Dragon Autoworks in Llandow) means i’ll have a very clean car with a new timing chain fitted giving complete peace of mind to do euro jaunts in etc. With the spend for the chain kit £1,150 the car will still be around market value so I shouldn’t lose when i come to sell and it’ll have the bonus of the chain being done to give the next owner assurance. I’ll be changing the oil every 8k with BMW oil/filter in my ownership.
It’s quite basic in spec with candle in the wind headlights, no heated seats and small nav screen but it does have the multi-contour comfort seats which are amazingly comfortable and an electric steering column. DAB radio and … can’t think of anything else to brag about. I’m very pleased with it overall
It’s going to DAW for the chain kit next week and they’ll also inspect the clutch. There’s a little judder on pull off so they can advise when the engine is separated from the box, the clutch feels like it has lots of life left in it so we’ll see on that. I’m also considering a walnut blast but again will see when it’s taken apart.
Yea can see what you're saying, the auto def suits the 5 more but having had both in the last 2 weeks im happy to have the manual if not only for the savings.
My 320d gave me over 60mpg on a run so interested to get this one back from Dragon Autoworks and give it a run to see what it does
My 320d gave me over 60mpg on a run so interested to get this one back from Dragon Autoworks and give it a run to see what it does
That's pretty impressive. If I get 55 plus I'll be super happy.
One thing that may make an incremental difference (def not) is removing the tow hitch iron from the rear cross member. The ball hitch is removable and in the garage atm but guessing the bracket weighs between 10-20kg so I'll whip that off on the weekend which should lighten it a little.
One thing that may make an incremental difference (def not) is removing the tow hitch iron from the rear cross member. The ball hitch is removable and in the garage atm but guessing the bracket weighs between 10-20kg so I'll whip that off on the weekend which should lighten it a little.
I always thought that BMWs *should* have six cylinder engines but after having a 320d for a while, I've come around to the four cylinder ones. I can't believe how much space there is in the engine bay! Basic maintenance (thermostats, aux belt, tensioners, radiator etc) is just so easy.
216k miles on mine now, but it is an early one with an M47
216k miles on mine now, but it is an early one with an M47
I always thought that BMWs *should* have six cylinder engines but after having a 320d for a while, I've come around to the four cylinder ones. I can't believe how much space there is in the engine bay! Basic maintenance (thermostats, aux belt, tensioners, radiator etc) is just so easy.
216k miles on mine now, but it is an early one with an M47
216k miles on mine now, but it is an early one with an M47
Edited by EthanSmale on Saturday 19th March 15:28
jackcactii said:
Wouldn't have been able to go from a well-equipped six-pot to a 20d with no options bar comfort seats (bizarre spec), but I understand the move. Also had an E91 LCI and miss it loads. Peak 3 Series.
I know what you're saying but tbh I don't really miss the 530d. The spec was much better on the 30d but it had its issues so I didn't trust the car (which incidentally was up for sale again the very next day after taking it back to the dealer 
) I'll miss the xenons and stereo of the blue one but that's about it. I got 47 mpg on a run today down to Llantwit Major which was welcome also. One thing i'll 100% agree on though, my e91 was bloody awesome in hindsight, I quite regret selling it now.EthanSmale - I've had quite range of them too and generally I'm quite apathetic about the number of cylinders, pros and cons to both. Liking yours though, brings back memories of mine
Well the BM has gone down to Dragon Autoworks to have mainly the TC done and new clutch / DM. I’ve asked for a walnut blast/de-coke also. In addition i’ve asked for a few little things like; if necessary replacing the gear linkage bushes as the change feels a little sloppy to me and even updating the nav to the latest version, why not 
My courtesy car is this
and it is HILARIOUS. It’s been mapped and goes like a little m3, i love it! The e46 chassis is still impressive and the steering is so much more nicely weighted in comparison to the F. Proper little (scruffy) cat that is. We spoke about a DPF delete and map for mine but one thing at a time, let’s get it back to standard and all good first, although I probably won’t go for DPF delete etc, I have to remember it’s a beige 4 pot estate
My courtesy car is this
and it is HILARIOUS. It’s been mapped and goes like a little m3, i love it! The e46 chassis is still impressive and the steering is so much more nicely weighted in comparison to the F. Proper little (scruffy) cat that is. We spoke about a DPF delete and map for mine but one thing at a time, let’s get it back to standard and all good first, although I probably won’t go for DPF delete etc, I have to remember it’s a beige 4 pot estate
After a long conversation with Dragon Autoworks today we've formulated a plan. Quite pleased so far with the feedback from them and the thoroughness of their initial inspection. They've been right through the car noting things like brake disc / pad wear, minor faults etc as well as a fault code list which is absolutely enormous. Thankfully most of the errors on there seem to stem from low voltage as the AGM battery is knackered. We'll put a new battery in, register it and clear the codes an re-read in a few weeks.
The big ticket items are as follows, 2 I knew about, 1 was a small surprise (along with the battery)
The timing chain kit which consists of:
All 3 chains, guides and tensioners
New oil / filter, coolant
Re-gas of the air-con system
£1,150
New clutch and flywheel consisting of:
Flywheel £492.52 (eff)
Flywheels bolts £12.98
Clutch kit £186.09
£691.59
The next item listed I hadn't planned for but as the engine is out it makes more sense to bare down and change it now rather than having to spend out more on labour later. The turbo has gone. It would point toward or at least contribute to the up-until-now lackluster performance and a re-con; fitted unit is a prudent £447.
The walnut blast and egr clean will unfortunately have to wait for now as I'm not Mr Moneybags but will get done in the near future. The bill for the above comes to £2,485.78. A not inconsiderate sum; especially for a 12 year old 520d but I'm comfortable with that knowing that the main mechanical components of the car are sorted. As I may have said before this car will be going back and forth to Poland / France so 100% (or a close as I can get to it for 2.5k) is essential.
One small saving grace may (but probably won't be) the warranty I have on the car from the dealer. DAW are going to submit a claim for the turbo and battery and see what they come back with. We all know what they'll come back with but if they agree even to cover the turbo that would be something.
So there we have it, cheap BMW turns out to be expensive, mad isn't it..
The big ticket items are as follows, 2 I knew about, 1 was a small surprise (along with the battery)
The timing chain kit which consists of:
All 3 chains, guides and tensioners
New oil / filter, coolant
Re-gas of the air-con system
£1,150
New clutch and flywheel consisting of:
Flywheel £492.52 (eff)
Flywheels bolts £12.98
Clutch kit £186.09
£691.59
The next item listed I hadn't planned for but as the engine is out it makes more sense to bare down and change it now rather than having to spend out more on labour later. The turbo has gone. It would point toward or at least contribute to the up-until-now lackluster performance and a re-con; fitted unit is a prudent £447.
The walnut blast and egr clean will unfortunately have to wait for now as I'm not Mr Moneybags but will get done in the near future. The bill for the above comes to £2,485.78. A not inconsiderate sum; especially for a 12 year old 520d but I'm comfortable with that knowing that the main mechanical components of the car are sorted. As I may have said before this car will be going back and forth to Poland / France so 100% (or a close as I can get to it for 2.5k) is essential.
One small saving grace may (but probably won't be) the warranty I have on the car from the dealer. DAW are going to submit a claim for the turbo and battery and see what they come back with. We all know what they'll come back with but if they agree even to cover the turbo that would be something.
So there we have it, cheap BMW turns out to be expensive, mad isn't it..
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