Harg

Hi guys, this is a great forum, a lot of good info and pics of E61s. I wish the US wasn't so anti-wagon, I'm jealous of all the wagon options in Europe...

I have my eye on this one, and will hopefully be test driving it tomorrow morning: 2008 535xiT

My wife and I have been on the hunt for a while, and this one is the right color, has the sports package, and is local. The only drawbacks I see are that it is out of warranty miles, and it's from a used car dealer (with the associated higher price). The CARFAX doesn't list any fuel pump related work, but does mention some bulb replacements, which I find strange with such low miles: CARFAX

This is the first time for me buying from a dealer... do you think I have a chance at getting it for $29k before taxes? If it drives well and we agree on a price, I will have a PPI performed with careful attention paid to the sunroof drains and anything else you guys recommend. Maybe clogged sunroof drains lead to the bulbs fuse shorting? I will also call BMW Seattle and have them run the VIN for service history. Maybe the HPFP will come up...

1. Is their asking price acceptable for being out of warranty?
2. Is there anything I should look out for other than the sunroof drains and HPFP?
3. Any other input is appreciated.

I have to remember to stay logical and be prepared to walk away if something isn't right. Hopefully everything works out and I will be joining in more discussions here. Wish me luck...

TLO03

Love the color, service history is most important. You can inspect the spare wheel well yourself tell them u wanna look at the spare.. I spill water in the sunroof drains . Hopefully there's a few more oil changes in there.. your price suggestion seems doable.

luigi524td

I seem to recall e61 rear suspension issues ... and certainly obtain an equipment inventory from a BMW dealer. Many times BMWs have extended warranties (including the extended maintenance package) bought and paid for by the original owner. If that's the case, the warranties follow the car - not the owner. The car spec sheet, based on the VIN, would note that. Good luck to you!

Theo

Not sure whether you have tested it already by now but here we go

Points of attention when I look at E61's:

- Test pano roof drains (pour water in front & rear drains holes, all 4)
- Empty the whole cargo compartment, take out stowage bins/covers, tools/first aid etc. If applicable spare wheel. Then examine the spare wheel well, battery compartment and surrounding areas for signs of moisture, old or fresh.
- Start the car and listen for the air suspension in the rear, does the humming sound of the compressor last long, does it sound irregular.
- Repeat this with your wife (and children if available) sitting in the cargo compartment so the air suspension must compensate for the added weight.
- Open and close the tailgate a few times, then check all functions associated with the wiring within the tailgate hinges: rear lights, rear wiper, (automatic) luggage cover, tailgate lock and tailgate window.
- Check both front footwells and rear passenger foot areas for signs of moisture, fungi etc. Lift mats where possible. Your nose will help here as well...
- All the non-E61 specific stuff: engine, under the hood tubing, suspension, steering wheel vibes etc.

Good luck

Harg

Thanks for the info guys. We almost lost it to another buyer, but fortunately they backed out, and we drove it home today to evaluate it overnight. Tomorrow I will make the decision.

1. It still had the original battery, which the dealer said wouldn't hold a charge. They replaced it with an Interstate brand before our test drive. The check engine light came on for the first few times it was started after the new battery, but now there is no check engine light. Dealer said this was normal. I don't have the owner's manual, but I did see something in the battery tray saying "reinitialize" something... any thoughts?

2. I briefly looked in the battery tray while he was replacing it, couldn't see any signs of water. But it has been rain-free here for the last month or so. I will pour water down the drains later tonight.

3. The car pulls to the right. Feels like a typical alignment will fix. Dealer agreed to pay for an alignment.

4. There is also slight vibration at 60-70. When I got home, I looked at the tires. The front right's wear pattern shows more wear to the outside, much more than the other three tires. Measured tread, they are all fairly low, between 5/32 and 8/32. My big question that my google-fu didn't answer: Are there limits for tread depth variation with x-drive? I know Subaru's differentials require tread depth to be almost identical to prevent damage. Does x-drive have similar standards? I may request new tire(s) along with the alignment if this is the case.

Theo, thanks for your tips, I'm gonna go out there and load up the back and listen to the suspension. What is normal?

Sorry for the frantic post, I have a lot going through my head...

vanos

Check the tire pressure, are they all the same? Is the car on run-flats? If yes, that may explain the sub-par drive. I had to get rid-off my run flats (for other reasons) and the car rides much better since.

By the way, the night I signed for mine I was the first of 3 buyers (all were waiting on me to take my decision).

I would take the car to a non-contact high pressure wash (or do it yourself at home) and check for any water leaks. My drains had to be cleaned after I took delivery (I wish I had found 5series.net prior to signing, it would have saved me a trip to the dealer for the drains).

TLO03

BMW dealer claims a battery must program when installed. Some believe it others don't . Search its been disscused .I use a Bavarian tech tool to do battery adaptations. Must have if you plan on tinkering and check codes.

Battery tray is not where you'll find water.. Water gathers where the spare tire is stored..

I'd check for some kinda damage in regards to the misalignment / uneven tire wear. Are the tire original? Maybe they were slapped on and never aligned.
X drive system is much more tolerant of uneven tire wear many guys run staggered setups on xi models..

Lotus99

HPFP is warranted up to 10 years and 100,000 miles IIRC. So I wouldn't worry about it. Plus there was a recall on them last year, so you could always have it fixed even if out of warranty I'd think.

I have heard that battery needs to be initialized in the system so it knows there's a new battery, based on the various tests the system does.

I know BMW recommends you don't rotate the tires - don't think they have a specific recommendation in terms of differences in tread depth. I did read an article on Tire Rack about the various mfr's that have a guideline, and BMW wasn't one of them. So it would fall withink the standard guidelines which I think are within 2 or 3/32 of each other. New tires can be shaved to match the others if need be also. Mine after 15,000 miles has exactly the same wear on all 4 tires.

Good luck!

Harg

Thanks guys. Last night I tested all 4 sunroof drains and they all worked fine. When I started the car to turn it around, the rear hatch window popped open randomly. So I shut the window and tested the drains, didn't think it was a big deal. Then I start it up to go on a drive, and the window pops open again. This time it's hard to get it to latch. Finally I just held it down and the latch engaged. Then my wife noticed that her side bolsters adjusted themselves about 30 seconds after I started the car. Both passenger and driver seat side bolsters adjusted themselves just fine during our test drives at the dealer (relax upon shut down, revert to previous setting upon start up). Now the passenger side either doesn't do adjustments at all, or does them sometime after the car is started.

I told this to the dealer and they said to bring the car down, they'd get it checked out and give us a loaner. When I get down there, they tell me that I'd be on the hook for any repairs if we decide to buy it... I think this is crazy since we just took the car to evaluate it overnight. We found a bunch of problems within 12 hours of driving it off of the lot. Needless to say, I'm not pleased, and will likely not get this car due to the way the dealer handled this and the fact that this car seems to have some weird issues which could indicate further problems down the road.

Oh, by the way, when the dealer replaced the battery, they did not hook up the vent tube. I peeked in there today and saw the vent on top of the new battery facing out, and the BMW vent tube resting on the forward side of the battery, where the the OE battery's vent is. I mentioned this today, and the guy who installed it said that the battery was a sealed type. I've had enough. Thought you guys would like an update.

So, I'll drive this crappy loaner Jaguar S Type with pulsating brakes, a bad wheel bearing, and a broken radio until they call me to get it back.

If anyone knows of a trouble-free E61 for sale, preferably still under warranty, let me know. I'll be back on here when the next one comes along.

TLO03

Did they mention what the repairs were? Dead battery can cause so screwy things..