2013/14 530d Saloon, advise please
Discussion
Evening all,
First time posting in the BMW sub fora, so take it easy if I make any faux pas
Situation is as thus.
Our lease car went back last month, we were planning to run our SLK and Corsa tip car as our only two cars for a while, but it’s become quickly apparent we need something with a bit more legs and comfort for the wife’s daily commute (80mile round trip x 2 per week) and longer journeys if needed (Jaunts down south to see the family).
Casually browsing the stock list from the local dealer where we bought our SLK from and spotted a 2013 330d saloon so figured “why not” and took it for a test drive on Wednesday..
In summary, I liked the car, but not the one I test drove.
Something felt “off” with the front end, it needed a deep clean (not a huge issue per se), but it also juddered under braking, had a different Ling Long spec tyre on each corner and also had a warning symbol on the dash saying “battery discharging when stationary”.
So, it went back, but, I was quite taken with it.
Car was on 94k and for sale at £8500.
Anyway, very long intro, apologies.
TLDR: is a 2013/14 era 530d (auto) a reasonable bet at circa 80k miles or more..
What to look out for, what spec is advantageous and any hints or tips on purchasing would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks all,
First time posting in the BMW sub fora, so take it easy if I make any faux pas
Situation is as thus.
Our lease car went back last month, we were planning to run our SLK and Corsa tip car as our only two cars for a while, but it’s become quickly apparent we need something with a bit more legs and comfort for the wife’s daily commute (80mile round trip x 2 per week) and longer journeys if needed (Jaunts down south to see the family).
Casually browsing the stock list from the local dealer where we bought our SLK from and spotted a 2013 330d saloon so figured “why not” and took it for a test drive on Wednesday..
In summary, I liked the car, but not the one I test drove.
Something felt “off” with the front end, it needed a deep clean (not a huge issue per se), but it also juddered under braking, had a different Ling Long spec tyre on each corner and also had a warning symbol on the dash saying “battery discharging when stationary”.
So, it went back, but, I was quite taken with it.
Car was on 94k and for sale at £8500.
Anyway, very long intro, apologies.
TLDR: is a 2013/14 era 530d (auto) a reasonable bet at circa 80k miles or more..
What to look out for, what spec is advantageous and any hints or tips on purchasing would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks all,
CTO said:
Evening all,
First time posting in the BMW sub fora, so take it easy if I make any faux pas
Situation is as thus.
Our lease car went back last month, we were planning to run our SLK and Corsa tip car as our only two cars for a while, but it s become quickly apparent we need something with a bit more legs and comfort for the wife s daily commute (80mile round trip x 2 per week) and longer journeys if needed (Jaunts down south to see the family).
Casually browsing the stock list from the local dealer where we bought our SLK from and spotted a 2013 330d saloon so figured why not and took it for a test drive on Wednesday..
In summary, I liked the car, but not the one I test drove.
Something felt off with the front end, it needed a deep clean (not a huge issue per se), but it also juddered under braking, had a different Ling Long spec tyre on each corner and also had a warning symbol on the dash saying battery discharging when stationary .
So, it went back, but, I was quite taken with it.
Car was on 94k and for sale at £8500.
Anyway, very long intro, apologies.
TLDR: is a 2013/14 era 530d (auto) a reasonable bet at circa 80k miles or more..
What to look out for, what spec is advantageous and any hints or tips on purchasing would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks all,
Service history; proof of servicing, maintenance and basically being well looked after - this is paramount... Ignore the iDrive, look for physical paperwork/receipts/invoices etcFirst time posting in the BMW sub fora, so take it easy if I make any faux pas
Situation is as thus.
Our lease car went back last month, we were planning to run our SLK and Corsa tip car as our only two cars for a while, but it s become quickly apparent we need something with a bit more legs and comfort for the wife s daily commute (80mile round trip x 2 per week) and longer journeys if needed (Jaunts down south to see the family).
Casually browsing the stock list from the local dealer where we bought our SLK from and spotted a 2013 330d saloon so figured why not and took it for a test drive on Wednesday..
In summary, I liked the car, but not the one I test drove.
Something felt off with the front end, it needed a deep clean (not a huge issue per se), but it also juddered under braking, had a different Ling Long spec tyre on each corner and also had a warning symbol on the dash saying battery discharging when stationary .
So, it went back, but, I was quite taken with it.
Car was on 94k and for sale at £8500.
Anyway, very long intro, apologies.
TLDR: is a 2013/14 era 530d (auto) a reasonable bet at circa 80k miles or more..
What to look out for, what spec is advantageous and any hints or tips on purchasing would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks all,
Without that, IMO, walk away & keep looking
The N57 is a superb engine and very reliable/solid - but it still needs to have regular oil & filter changes and overall be well looked after
The F10 is a superb car; as is the F11 touring and a BMW I'd absolutely own
Other than that; make sure all the gadgets work as they should as well as memory seats (if fitted with them) etc and that there are no knocks when driving slowly (front lower arms, drop links etc) - if there are any wobbles when braking, it'll be the front main thrust arms that have failed, rarely its the brakes (unless old & worn); brake discs do not warp
my dads got a low mile F11 530d
Only things I can think of that he's had done that i'd class outside routine maintenance are:
1) He's just had to have the two rear suspension air bags and valves changed as one failed;
2) The halogen main with LED DRL are very prone to fogging up, they're eyewatering to replace if resealing fails again.
I've driven it a few times, drives lovely - ZF8 gearbox suits that engine and model really well.
Only thing that grates me is that his has a few nice options, but not folding mirrors - it's quite a wide car so not having them as standard is a pain.
Finally, brakes - his did have warped gen original disks, that were also very corroded, I think TBH it had been standing for some time. The arms mentioned above were changed first, but the oscillation continued afterwards. New disks/pads fixed it, can't recall what brand he had.
Only things I can think of that he's had done that i'd class outside routine maintenance are:
1) He's just had to have the two rear suspension air bags and valves changed as one failed;
2) The halogen main with LED DRL are very prone to fogging up, they're eyewatering to replace if resealing fails again.
I've driven it a few times, drives lovely - ZF8 gearbox suits that engine and model really well.
Only thing that grates me is that his has a few nice options, but not folding mirrors - it's quite a wide car so not having them as standard is a pain.
Finally, brakes - his did have warped gen original disks, that were also very corroded, I think TBH it had been standing for some time. The arms mentioned above were changed first, but the oscillation continued afterwards. New disks/pads fixed it, can't recall what brand he had.
CTO said:
Thanks both, very helpful.
Assume they are generally good for extended mileage, with paper history to back up servicing?
Absolutely; they go on and on - as said, the paramount thing for any of these engines, is sensible oil and filter changes, yearly as a minimum IMO - anything more than that I'd be very wary; any that's stuck to the daft BMW recommended intervals, keep walking...Assume they are generally good for extended mileage, with paper history to back up servicing?
Wills2 said:
Don't get one with halogen lights they are like candles in jam jars, I've had 2 F10s they are lovely cars and very well built, one was an SE on 19" with VDC the other an M sport on 18" on passive dampers, the M sport rode much better.
thanks for the tip, v helpful, VDC: summat damping control I assume
Jakg said:
danb79 said:
The N57 is a superb engine and very reliable/solid
Debatable. Anecdotally many spares-of-repairs BMW's on eBay are N57-powered.There are lots of N57s (as well as N47s etc) out there with very high miles, due to being well looked after
Wills2 said:
Don't get one with halogen lights they are like candles in jam jars, I've had 2 F10s they are lovely cars and very well built, one was an SE on 19" with VDC the other an M sport on 18" on passive dampers, the M sport rode much better.
THIS IN SPADESThe halogen lights are terrible, and will still cost you a fortune when they inevitably leak. Avoid, regardless of the rest of the car condition and spec imo.
Some more weak spots for f10/11...
Rear diff bush, get underneath and look and see if its cracked, negotiating point perhaps
Headlights lights fog up and need resealing or replacing before they destroy the light control modules which are inside the headlights.
Check back seats for wetness - it'll be the "yellow grommet" leaking.
Overall very good cars. HUD is great.
sortedcossie said:
Finally, brakes - his did have warped gen original disks, that were also very corroded, I think TBH it had been standing for some time. The arms mentioned above were changed first, but the oscillation continued afterwards. New disks/pads fixed it, can't recall what brand he had.
Another theory, as it happened to my cars old car, before he stopped driving. Pad deposit after cleaning the car and not moving it, his sat around alot.I used to have a F10 530d when I was doing 25k-30kyr and it was faultless - the car hides miles very well, the interior had next to no signs of wear when i sold it
Oil Change every 10k miles and using premium diesel kept it running well
I was averaging between 40-45mpg
I did have issues with brake judder after tyre change or wheel refurb - my specialist said it was a combination of over torqued wheel bolts that deformed the aluminium bell covers on the discs and powder coating over the mating surfaces of wheel and hub (heat dissipation gets reduced) new discs / pads and removing the power coat from mating surfaces solved the issue and never returned while i had the car (further 20k miles)
I took the car to almost 90k miles and i just checked the MOT history - now approaching 200k with very few advisories, so serving the new owner(s) well!
Get one with Pro Nav, HK and DAB, ride on 18s is far better than 19s
Once bought, as mentioned above, regular maintenance (ie not every 20k/2yrs per the idrive) is key to keeping these running well - not expensive via an indy
Oil Change every 10k miles and using premium diesel kept it running well
I was averaging between 40-45mpg
I did have issues with brake judder after tyre change or wheel refurb - my specialist said it was a combination of over torqued wheel bolts that deformed the aluminium bell covers on the discs and powder coating over the mating surfaces of wheel and hub (heat dissipation gets reduced) new discs / pads and removing the power coat from mating surfaces solved the issue and never returned while i had the car (further 20k miles)
I took the car to almost 90k miles and i just checked the MOT history - now approaching 200k with very few advisories, so serving the new owner(s) well!
Get one with Pro Nav, HK and DAB, ride on 18s is far better than 19s
Once bought, as mentioned above, regular maintenance (ie not every 20k/2yrs per the idrive) is key to keeping these running well - not expensive via an indy
CTO said:
Wills2 said:
Don't get one with halogen lights they are like candles in jam jars, I've had 2 F10s they are lovely cars and very well built, one was an SE on 19" with VDC the other an M sport on 18" on passive dampers, the M sport rode much better.
thanks for the tip, v helpful, VDC: summat damping control I assume
I have a one of the very last F11 530d M Sport tourings, a Feb 2017 car. Bought it almost 5 years ago with around 32k miles now on 75k miles. Longest I've owned any of my previous ~28 cars. In that time I've only had to replace one rear suspension airbag which failed and just last month I changed discs and pads on all four corner (which got ride of the vibration) plus two rear shocks as proactive maintenance. I plan to run it for at least another 3 or 4 years, nothing comes close on the value for this type of car. When I think I paid £20.5k for it when it was just 3.5 years old, the equivalent 3.5 year old 530D G31 is £30-35k, which would mean putting another £18k+ into one, just not worth it IMO.
Morning all,
So, I spoke to the dealer yesterday, as I say, same chap I bought our SLK from. Thread below for reference
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Long story short, they have checked it over and are fitting a new front arm, new front discs and pads, and have offered to lend it me for the day once done to see how I get on with it.
Will be interesting to see the difference….
Re servicing: Main Dealer until about 62k (I think) and then it seems to go vague until current date. Likely to be a sticking point for me, allied to the four different tyres on each corner, I am a bit sceptical.
They know the previous owner though and strongly reccomend the car, having sold it once already, so I will keep an open mind and see if the service history issue can be resolved..
If not, there are plenty of them out there and I’ll probably bide my time…
So, I spoke to the dealer yesterday, as I say, same chap I bought our SLK from. Thread below for reference
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Long story short, they have checked it over and are fitting a new front arm, new front discs and pads, and have offered to lend it me for the day once done to see how I get on with it.
Will be interesting to see the difference….
Re servicing: Main Dealer until about 62k (I think) and then it seems to go vague until current date. Likely to be a sticking point for me, allied to the four different tyres on each corner, I am a bit sceptical.
They know the previous owner though and strongly reccomend the car, having sold it once already, so I will keep an open mind and see if the service history issue can be resolved..
If not, there are plenty of them out there and I’ll probably bide my time…
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