Facelift W211 estate vs E61 LCI reliability

[shea89]

Hi Folks,

Given similar miles (say 120k), servicing and care what would you expect to be more reliable, a 2008 E61 LCI 530d or a facelift 2008 W211 E220 cdi with the 5G gearbox? I'm strictly concerned with reliability between the two here

Thanks!

[AppleJuice]

Why not an E280 CDI / E320 CDI?

[shea89]

I read the v6 had issues and it also can only be had with the 7g gearbox which also has issues. The the 3l in the e61 seems to be more reliable than the 2l diesel (timing chain isuees), that's why I'm looking at them. From what I've gathered the e220 and 530d are the most reliable engines in the model line up for each car.

[clockworks]

Sample of 1, but my E61 525d LCI (same engine, smaller turbo) was bought with 94 k miles on the clock, sold 3 years later just under 130k. Engine and gearbox never missed a beat.

[HelldogBE]

E61:

• engine: very solid if you remove the swirl flaps, can be done DIY. (if looking at 530D's this gen M57 might be a bit more coarse and prominent sounding than the V6 in the Merc)
• transmission: needs to be flushed, torque convertor can act up with dirty oil. tricky if it's high mileage and has never been flushed since the electronics need to compensate for the wear of the valves.
• rear air suspension: bags will fail, possibly taking the compressor with it. Easy DIY replacement (do it at the first sign of the vehicle not staying level as you can't hear the compressor compensating for a leak and burning out).
• rear tailgate: wiring loom will fail. replacements exist, but a bit of work

I personally really like the OEM parts availability (you can just browse the ETK on several shops selling OEM parts) and acces to the ISTA diagnostic software for a very low fee.

[shea89]

Thanks folks, that's two for the BMW, I did the swirl flaps on my old e39 530d so shouldn't be a problem. I've had a few old BMWs at this stage, e39 530d & e46 M3 were both completely reliable and my e39 540i had engine failure so a mixed experience. Tempted to see what the merc is like for a change, it also looks like a e61 530d, 2008, 130k miles is around £5.5k and a E320 cdi with similar year/mileage is around £3500. The E220 with similar year/mileage can be had for around £3k

[braddo]

Are 5-series used as taxis as much as the E-class in Germany? That might help inform your decision (I don't know the answer!).