View Full Version : FAO BMW experts! (Nick J?)
Dad is currently look at an 08~ BMW 520d, anything we should know about them? Apparently the turbo's are troublesome, which is odd for a derv? Already found out about the efficient dynamic something or other special engine upgrade which is the one to go for.
Rich (novasport) is ya man for beemers too, iirc he worked there till just before chrimbo
Royston
22-04-11, 09:27 PM
Rich (novasport) is ya man for beemers too, iirc he worked there till just before chrimbo
seconded;)
Thread isn't closed to just Nick J, he can reply too :d I shall PM him and point in this direction though lol
Royston
22-04-11, 09:32 PM
Thread isn't closed to just Nick J, he can reply too :d I shall PM him and point in this direction though lol
I'm sure Nick J will also assist;)
No use asking me as I prefer lots of other cars over BMW'slol
I'm leaving this thread now lol
I'm sure Nick J will also assist;)
No use asking me as I prefer lots of other cars over BMW'slol
Same, I was asked if I was the BMW pro when we were viewing them earlier, I was like uhhh, if I had one it'd be an E30 lol
Novasport
23-04-11, 09:18 AM
520d's are a great car and reasonably quick for such a big car with a 2.0 engine.
Turbos are fairly reliable tbh, they used to have issues with the actuator levers siezing but most had a repair kit that sorted it fairly quickly. The later efficient dynamic ones are fine and I don't know of any issues plus they are about 188bhp iirc.
Suspension is robust, only get the odd track rod end go and that's it. Can be prone to damage from people sliding into kerbs etc in snow but that should be obvious.
Tyre do wear quick if you drive hard plus most BMW drivers never check their tyre pressures. Fronts go on the shoulders and rears in the centre and on bigger wheeled 5's on the inner shoulder.
Electrics can be an issue if they go wrong but they are mostly reliable. Water can get in the boot where there are a few control units and cause damage especially on tourers. The looms on the tailgate hinges on tourers are prone to wires breaking mainly on older cars. Also the glass switch under the wiper on tourers can pack up.
On the whole they are pretty reliable and the 520d is a nice car, especially with M-Sport spec and leather. 530d auto is a fabulous car if you can stretch to it.
Did see a 530d that looked good, but more miles and not in the colours/options etc he wanted, one he's looking at atm is a 520d that's just had a new turbo on it, brake pads/discs all round and has leather interior, multimedia pack (still not sure what this actually is lol) electric heated/lumbar support seats and another option I forget, might be thinking of the efficient dynamic engine tbh. We did find the road noise in it was surprisingly loud for a big high end/exec car, I figured this was a combination of the run flats and harder suspension than the current boat like 307 he's got?
w_wall_2001
23-04-11, 11:25 AM
sorry to hijack the thread but what are peoples opinions on e39 m5's? curious as ive read that they have issues with vanos etc
Novasport
23-04-11, 04:50 PM
Cannot remember an M5 having a Vanos replacement in all the time I worked at BMW. Not sure the V8's had them TBH and they are pretty solid engines. Vanos were troublesome on E36 M3's.
I would not worry about miles on a 3.0d engine, they are bomb proof and go on for ever.
w_wall_2001
23-04-11, 05:13 PM
just curious about the m5 thats all, the e39 5.0 v8 ones. mine keeps eating afm's
Novasport
23-04-11, 07:43 PM
Check the breather diaphragms, they can chuck oil back into the inlet system and contaminate the AFM
Well he's actually put an offer in today for that 520d, just wondering if standard tyres (It has run flats atm) would kill off a lot of the road noise?
Novasport
23-04-11, 10:20 PM
Quite possible. Did it have Goodyears fitted? If so they have a tendancy to wear in a stepped/saw tooth pattern. Run your hand flat around the tyre tread, if its smooth going forward and tread edges catch/dig into your hand when going backwards it will be the tyres.
Get good quality tyres for it like Michelins or Bridgestones, they should be star marked if they are BMW approved
Quite possible. Did it have Goodyears fitted? If so they have a tendancy to wear in a stepped/saw tooth pattern. Run your hand flat around the tyre tread, if its smooth going forward and tread edges catch/dig into your hand when going backwards it will be the tyres.
Get good quality tyres for it like Michelins or Bridgestones, they should be star marked if they are BMW approved
I'll check that out when he picks it up, the fool has a cheque written out by the bank rather than cash though so no more bartering besides the £2.50 he bargained off for the fact he can have one half the mileage for the same price, he really does suck at this game lol
w_wall_2001
24-04-11, 06:10 AM
cheers fella much appreciated, ill have a look at weekend +1 :thumb:
Check the breather diaphragms, they can chuck oil back into the inlet system and contaminate the AFM
Hi fella,
Its not really my speciality as you know however I could have found out but Im guessing it would be no different to the info Rich has given. One thing I can say Is they are a lovely drive and seem to just glide along. If your father racks up plenty of miles It would be a great choice of car to own. My personal preferance are the space grey m sports. Best colour and easily kept for a win win situation! ;)
Nick.
Hi fella,
Its not really my speciality as you know however I could have found out but Im guessing it would be no different to the info Rich has given. One thing I can say Is they are a lovely drive and seem to just glide along. If your father racks up plenty of miles It would be a great choice of car to own. My personal preferance are the space grey m sports. Best colour and easily kept for a win win situation! ;)
Nick.
He doesn't do a lot of miles but does go short distance a lot, and long trips up to liverpool, hence me swaying him towards the diesel. I actually thought it was surprisingly loud road noise and engine noise wise for a BMW/executive car but he seems happy.
One area you can maybe shed some light on is the paint finish down the sides is shocking for a BMW imo! My dad can't tell the difference and wouldn't care if I told him, but I wasn't particularly impressed, which I thought was odd, I tapped around the panels and there's definitely no filler etc in them so it's not an accident cover up, and I noticed it on quite a few we looked at in a dealer tbh.
Novasport
24-04-11, 04:39 PM
If its used for a lot of shorter journey expect the 'high rate of battery discharge' warning to come on at some point. Because they are power hungry with all the electrics they do not get chance for the alternator to recover the battery charge level quickly enough on short journeys. The warning is displayed when the battery drops to a certain charge level, about 50-60% iirc. If you continue to do short journeys or sap the battery power it will start shutting down none essential items like the heater, sat-nav and radio etc so it can reserve enough power for a few more restarts. It will need a good run or the battery charging. Check the battery tray for water aswell and make sure the IBS + battery terminal(intelligent battery sensor) is not damaged as this can cause all sorts of issues and the above light to display. Often damaged when the battery is replaced and terminal over tightened by some moron at Halfords.
I'll let him know, by short journey we're talking about 10 minutes twice a day?
Novasport
24-04-11, 06:20 PM
Yep
Hoping it'll be fine since he does longer runs at the weekend to various places and the odd long run to liverpool, but thanks for the heads up :thumb: I checked the tyres and they do indeed wear in that saw tooth pattern, michelins on there atm which we were told were run flats (and there's no spare, so we assume this is what the car came with and it would have been replaced with such since it's a lease car that was maintained by BMW all it's life) He's decided it's not worth the hassle etc in changing them and risking getting stuck with a flat for the sake of road noise though.
my dad runs a 530d (54 reg) and he removed the run flats cos the ride was hard. he runs hankooks & raves over them, but he's just worn his rears out..i got my love of driving from him...
Novasport
24-04-11, 06:33 PM
The 5 series can run a spare if you want to go back to standard tyres.
my dad truly hated them. he used to drive wagons, so has done 3 million odd miles, and he likes a vehicle that he can trust.. he reckoned the run flats would put him in a ditch if they stayed on the car. i've never tried them so i can't say for myself.
The 5 series can run a spare if you want to go back to standard tyres.
That is true, if it was my own car I would run without the spare even tbh, but he seems quite set on sticking with the run flats after looking at the prices of tyres/what would be involved.
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