F11 520d - any experience?
Discussion
Looking at semi-shed estates.
Budget £5-8k
Auto a must, diesel preferred cos, you know, torque for the auto.
160 mile round trips twice a month, otherwise a mixture of short journeys and the odd 30 miler. Not averse to going for a blat to help the DPF but Adblue not ideal as too many short trips in between.
Performance under 10s to 60 and handling not disastrous if at all possible.
Tax not too important but ideally £300 and below (Scoobies seem to be out).
With these criteria I'm getting Peugeot 508's, VAG with dodgy dual clutches, Mercs, Audi's (no ta), or stuff that's too depressing to consider (Kia etc in this range not for me, sorry).
F11 520d's pop up quite often and there are a couple near me that might fit the bill but mileage is on the seemingly higher side (130k+).
Any opinions on considering one and does anyone have any experience of them?
They seem to be very well made compared to the E60 and the equivalent 3 series are about £1k more and apparently not as well screwed together.
I'm aware of the potential timing chain and rear air suspension issues. I'm looking at 2014 and beyond - the later lumps seem better on the timing chains and have the bonus of Euro 6.
One near me has had the rear airbags done but the early history shows around 20k miles between oil changes, after that around 15k. Should that be a concern?
The nearest ones are around £6k and I'm thinking a higher miler with more margin in the budget for expenses might be better than a fresher one where bills could be more of a challenge.
Anyone have any experience of taking these to >160k miles?
And did you get used to the size of them?
Budget £5-8k
Auto a must, diesel preferred cos, you know, torque for the auto.
160 mile round trips twice a month, otherwise a mixture of short journeys and the odd 30 miler. Not averse to going for a blat to help the DPF but Adblue not ideal as too many short trips in between.
Performance under 10s to 60 and handling not disastrous if at all possible.
Tax not too important but ideally £300 and below (Scoobies seem to be out).
With these criteria I'm getting Peugeot 508's, VAG with dodgy dual clutches, Mercs, Audi's (no ta), or stuff that's too depressing to consider (Kia etc in this range not for me, sorry).
F11 520d's pop up quite often and there are a couple near me that might fit the bill but mileage is on the seemingly higher side (130k+).
Any opinions on considering one and does anyone have any experience of them?
They seem to be very well made compared to the E60 and the equivalent 3 series are about £1k more and apparently not as well screwed together.
I'm aware of the potential timing chain and rear air suspension issues. I'm looking at 2014 and beyond - the later lumps seem better on the timing chains and have the bonus of Euro 6.
One near me has had the rear airbags done but the early history shows around 20k miles between oil changes, after that around 15k. Should that be a concern?
The nearest ones are around £6k and I'm thinking a higher miler with more margin in the budget for expenses might be better than a fresher one where bills could be more of a challenge.
Anyone have any experience of taking these to >160k miles?
And did you get used to the size of them?
I have just purchased an F11, and I think they are bargain buys at the moment.
For serious mileage cars I would be more comfortable with something like a 30d, but that's not to say the 20d wouldn't be reliable for that.
I actually ended up with a JDM 528i which is a petrol N/A N52 which is mega reliable and performance is good too considering. See my recent readers ride thread for more info.
They are big cars, but easy to drive and hides it barge status pretty well I think, drives nicely. For the money they are hard to beat as an all round daily car.
For serious mileage cars I would be more comfortable with something like a 30d, but that's not to say the 20d wouldn't be reliable for that.
I actually ended up with a JDM 528i which is a petrol N/A N52 which is mega reliable and performance is good too considering. See my recent readers ride thread for more info.
They are big cars, but easy to drive and hides it barge status pretty well I think, drives nicely. For the money they are hard to beat as an all round daily car.
In theory the newer engined ones are the B47 4-cyl which started around july 2014. This replaced N47 (I think). 4-cyl BMW engines never get much love but the B series (petrol and diesel) seem to have rectified some of the late 00s engine woes.
These should be Euro 6 and therefore ULEZ (but always check TFL/your local city) and don't need AdBlue.
BMW uses condition based servicing and the engine oil can not ping you for a service till 20k miles. Given most people only service when the light comes on you can get some big intervals
If you shop around / wait for the right one could be perfect for your needs
These should be Euro 6 and therefore ULEZ (but always check TFL/your local city) and don't need AdBlue.
BMW uses condition based servicing and the engine oil can not ping you for a service till 20k miles. Given most people only service when the light comes on you can get some big intervals
If you shop around / wait for the right one could be perfect for your needs
I bought my 2015 20d F11 back in 2020 and have done getting on for 100,000 miles in it so far.
Engine is fine, nothing amazing but has been absolutely trouble free in that 100,000 miles. Only normal service items.
Rear suspension. I had an issue with the pump which I originally misdiagnosed as leaking airbags, so they were replaced. Turned out to be a small solenoid on the pump that had failed (£20 part)
It's had a few suspension parts over the years, and I did renew the "sealed for life" gearbox fluid at ~115,000 miles (on 133,000 now)
As it's now on 133,000 miles there are more suspension parts required, lower front arms and rear shocks were advisories on the MOT last month.
Overall I've been very happy with it. My plan currently is to own it until it dies, and a change of job means I do many many less miles now, so the oddo won't be rolling over as fast going forward.
Engine is fine, nothing amazing but has been absolutely trouble free in that 100,000 miles. Only normal service items.
Rear suspension. I had an issue with the pump which I originally misdiagnosed as leaking airbags, so they were replaced. Turned out to be a small solenoid on the pump that had failed (£20 part)
It's had a few suspension parts over the years, and I did renew the "sealed for life" gearbox fluid at ~115,000 miles (on 133,000 now)
As it's now on 133,000 miles there are more suspension parts required, lower front arms and rear shocks were advisories on the MOT last month.
Overall I've been very happy with it. My plan currently is to own it until it dies, and a change of job means I do many many less miles now, so the oddo won't be rolling over as fast going forward.
M.F.D said:
I have just purchased an F11, and I think they are bargain buys at the moment.
For serious mileage cars I would be more comfortable with something like a 30d, but that's not to say the 20d wouldn't be reliable for that.
I actually ended up with a JDM 528i which is a petrol N/A N52 which is mega reliable and performance is good too considering. See my recent readers ride thread for more info.
They are big cars, but easy to drive and hides it barge status pretty well I think, drives nicely. For the money they are hard to beat as an all round daily car.
Ah yes, I remember seeing that - lovely! For serious mileage cars I would be more comfortable with something like a 30d, but that's not to say the 20d wouldn't be reliable for that.
I actually ended up with a JDM 528i which is a petrol N/A N52 which is mega reliable and performance is good too considering. See my recent readers ride thread for more info.
They are big cars, but easy to drive and hides it barge status pretty well I think, drives nicely. For the money they are hard to beat as an all round daily car.
chocolatefingers5000 said:
In theory the newer engined ones are the B47 4-cyl which started around july 2014. This replaced N47 (I think). 4-cyl BMW engines never get much love but the B series (petrol and diesel) seem to have rectified some of the late 00s engine woes.
These should be Euro 6 and therefore ULEZ (but always check TFL/your local city) and don't need AdBlue.
BMW uses condition based servicing and the engine oil can not ping you for a service till 20k miles. Given most people only service when the light comes on you can get some big intervals
If you shop around / wait for the right one could be perfect for your needs
Yep - I'm looking at the post-2014 Euro 6's without Adblue. These should be Euro 6 and therefore ULEZ (but always check TFL/your local city) and don't need AdBlue.
BMW uses condition based servicing and the engine oil can not ping you for a service till 20k miles. Given most people only service when the light comes on you can get some big intervals
If you shop around / wait for the right one could be perfect for your needs
Interesting on the servicing, thanks for that. I'd seen a few a while ago with regular 10k 1yr intervals from the start so they must have been fleet cars.
CoolC said:
I bought my 2015 20d F11 back in 2020 and have done getting on for 100,000 miles in it so far.
Engine is fine, nothing amazing but has been absolutely trouble free in that 100,000 miles. Only normal service items.
Rear suspension. I had an issue with the pump which I originally misdiagnosed as leaking airbags, so they were replaced. Turned out to be a small solenoid on the pump that had failed (£20 part)
It's had a few suspension parts over the years, and I did renew the "sealed for life" gearbox fluid at ~115,000 miles (on 133,000 now)
As it's now on 133,000 miles there are more suspension parts required, lower front arms and rear shocks were advisories on the MOT last month.
Overall I've been very happy with it. My plan currently is to own it until it dies, and a change of job means I do many many less miles now, so the oddo won't be rolling over as fast going forward.
Great stuff, thanks for the detail. The local one I'm looking at has had rear shocks, an advisory on the front and will need gearbox oil. Did you do it yourself or if not was it expensive?Engine is fine, nothing amazing but has been absolutely trouble free in that 100,000 miles. Only normal service items.
Rear suspension. I had an issue with the pump which I originally misdiagnosed as leaking airbags, so they were replaced. Turned out to be a small solenoid on the pump that had failed (£20 part)
It's had a few suspension parts over the years, and I did renew the "sealed for life" gearbox fluid at ~115,000 miles (on 133,000 now)
As it's now on 133,000 miles there are more suspension parts required, lower front arms and rear shocks were advisories on the MOT last month.
Overall I've been very happy with it. My plan currently is to own it until it dies, and a change of job means I do many many less miles now, so the oddo won't be rolling over as fast going forward.
I too have had a 2015 520d for 6 years. Just about to hit 150,000 miles. I've done 110,000 of those. Over the 6 years apart from general maintenance and tyres, I've had the following:
Rear suspension airbags and pump replaced.
Front Upper and Lower arms replaced.
Rear diff support bush replaced.
When the next service is due, I'll get the gearbox oil done.
No plans of replacing it any time soon as its a perfect load lugger and dog mobile.
The only other thing I've done is replace the screen with a Andream headunit. Gives wireless Carplay / Android Auto, whilst keeping all the original functions.
Rear suspension airbags and pump replaced.
Front Upper and Lower arms replaced.
Rear diff support bush replaced.
When the next service is due, I'll get the gearbox oil done.
No plans of replacing it any time soon as its a perfect load lugger and dog mobile.
The only other thing I've done is replace the screen with a Andream headunit. Gives wireless Carplay / Android Auto, whilst keeping all the original functions.
ydraheel said:
I too have had a 2015 520d for 6 years. Just about to hit 150,000 miles. I've done 110,000 of those. Over the 6 years apart from general maintenance and tyres, I've had the following:
Rear suspension airbags and pump replaced.
Front Upper and Lower arms replaced.
Rear diff support bush replaced.
When the next service is due, I'll get the gearbox oil done.
No plans of replacing it any time soon as its a perfect load lugger and dog mobile.
The only other thing I've done is replace the screen with a Andream headunit. Gives wireless Carplay / Android Auto, whilst keeping all the original functions.
Thanks for that - very useful. Rear suspension airbags and pump replaced.
Front Upper and Lower arms replaced.
Rear diff support bush replaced.
When the next service is due, I'll get the gearbox oil done.
No plans of replacing it any time soon as its a perfect load lugger and dog mobile.
The only other thing I've done is replace the screen with a Andream headunit. Gives wireless Carplay / Android Auto, whilst keeping all the original functions.
If I get this one I might ask to pick your brains about the Andream if that's ok
Going to see it tomorrow
We got rid of our 2013 520d Touring having owned it from 2016 to 2020. Did about 55k miles in that time. Checking its MOT history it's had a hard life with its new owner(s) but has still clocked a total of 160k miles.
I note there's an active recall at the moment so be worth checking if the one you're looking at has been done.
Like others, we replaced both rear airbags and had the air compressor repaired.
I note there's an active recall at the moment so be worth checking if the one you're looking at has been done.
Like others, we replaced both rear airbags and had the air compressor repaired.
skyebear said:
We got rid of our 2013 520d Touring having owned it from 2016 to 2020. Did about 55k miles in that time. Checking its MOT history it's had a hard life with its new owner(s) but has still clocked a total of 160k miles.
I note there's an active recall at the moment so be worth checking if the one you're looking at has been done.
Like others, we replaced both rear airbags and had the air compressor repaired.
Thanks - looks like this one has had the recall sorted I note there's an active recall at the moment so be worth checking if the one you're looking at has been done.
Like others, we replaced both rear airbags and had the air compressor repaired.
Slightly different but i had a F10 530d for a couple of years and loved it. In terms of the size, i had my doubts as it was replacing my Focus. I was looking for one with a reversing camera as, being the F10, it was even harder to tell where the back of the car was than the F11. In the end mine only had parking sensors but you do indeed get used to the size quickly enough. Plus you just make a few allowances like parking 10 yards further from the supermaket so you've got more space. What i loved about the F-gen 5 series was:
1. The looks. It's right up there for me as one of the best looking 5 series.
2. The interior as there're no blanks in there. Mine was roughly average spec and unlike Porsche and some other brands, there was no evidence of missing equipment. Plus it was just a very nice place to be.
3. The drivetrain. With the ZF 8 speed mated to an electronic handbrake plus switchable hold assist it was damn near perfect. Honestly you hear people carping on about manuals and traditional handbrakes but it took all of 5 mins in the 5 series to realise those comments are wildly misleading.
4. The engine. Mine was a pre-LCI 2012 car. At that time the 520d was 184bhp / 280lb ft whereas the 530d was a 254bhp / 398lb ft straight six. So quite big increases and absolutely worth it IMO. If you're doing motorway miles that's where you really notice it as you can cruise at high speed with low revs and instant torque when you want it. Go back and watch the Top Gear review of the F10 M5 and you'll see that one of the first comments when they go back to the studio is 'have you driven the 530 diesel, it's stupendously good' (see here from 2min40 : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZ3R_S_hyew ).
This F11 would work just fine for me:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202507204...
1. The looks. It's right up there for me as one of the best looking 5 series.
2. The interior as there're no blanks in there. Mine was roughly average spec and unlike Porsche and some other brands, there was no evidence of missing equipment. Plus it was just a very nice place to be.
3. The drivetrain. With the ZF 8 speed mated to an electronic handbrake plus switchable hold assist it was damn near perfect. Honestly you hear people carping on about manuals and traditional handbrakes but it took all of 5 mins in the 5 series to realise those comments are wildly misleading.
4. The engine. Mine was a pre-LCI 2012 car. At that time the 520d was 184bhp / 280lb ft whereas the 530d was a 254bhp / 398lb ft straight six. So quite big increases and absolutely worth it IMO. If you're doing motorway miles that's where you really notice it as you can cruise at high speed with low revs and instant torque when you want it. Go back and watch the Top Gear review of the F10 M5 and you'll see that one of the first comments when they go back to the studio is 'have you driven the 530 diesel, it's stupendously good' (see here from 2min40 : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZ3R_S_hyew ).
This F11 would work just fine for me:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202507204...
VSKeith said:
m3cs said:
Check for corrosion on the leading edge of each door where it meets the window trim. Common issue, so avoid those out of the 12 year corrosion warranty that are showing the signs
Top tip - many thanks I have had 2 LCI 520d and they are great till they hit around 140k miles.
By that time the long life servicing starts to catch up with them.
Oil feeds to turbos start to get blocked up with gloopy oil etc.
I changed my oil every 8k miles max, and they both let go of turbos around 140k miles. Refurbed turbo with new oil feed line and good for another 40k miles but then lets go again.
Injectors can start to be an issue around the 150k mile mark too.
Obviously EGR coolers are rubbish, but BMW will replace them for you.
Starting to see loads of gunked up intake manifolds, and the intakes can crack too leading to vacuum leak errors and hard to find.
But overall, good cars, and I preferred them to the 530d, hence why I had a second 520d. Feel much lighter on its feet and seems to ride over our crappy road surfaces because of that.
By that time the long life servicing starts to catch up with them.
Oil feeds to turbos start to get blocked up with gloopy oil etc.
I changed my oil every 8k miles max, and they both let go of turbos around 140k miles. Refurbed turbo with new oil feed line and good for another 40k miles but then lets go again.
Injectors can start to be an issue around the 150k mile mark too.
Obviously EGR coolers are rubbish, but BMW will replace them for you.
Starting to see loads of gunked up intake manifolds, and the intakes can crack too leading to vacuum leak errors and hard to find.
But overall, good cars, and I preferred them to the 530d, hence why I had a second 520d. Feel much lighter on its feet and seems to ride over our crappy road surfaces because of that.
P700DEE said:
Had 2011 F11 from 90K miles to 200K miles. Had new suspension pump, both rear bags replaced the DMF replaced as a manual and the crank pulley fell off. Very impressed with the car and would of had another but instead went 2019 G31 525D
If your arse drops, replace the rear springs asap, otherwise you will fill the silicone balls in the compressor with moisture and it will knacker the pump. The amazon springs work exactly the same as the BMW ones at £60 a pair, and better than the Dunlop or Arnotts ones.
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