paran

In the US, cars are expected to be automatics regardless of engine displacement or vehicle class.

Europeans prefer smaller vehicles for many reasons and Bavarians drive BMW's like we drive Fords. But they drive sitck shift; even in an Audi or BMW. But the charts do show that they are trending towards automatics from the higher end mfg'r.

It does appear that BMW has become a lot more like Mercedes over the last 10 years. When you compare Mercedes to BMW from 2002 - 2004 you see very clear differences in their approaches to designing an automobile. Today, MB and BMW are not that different. With BMW making dramatic changes to become more "Mercedes" like.

Mercedes has lost a lot of its prestige and allure as it became more and more Americanized. BMW seems to be heading down that same path all in the name of US market share.

Checkout this chart on the 535i over the years:



It's getting much bigger, and more bloated, just the way the Americans like it. But then, the 5 series really is designed for the American market.

The engineering of the 5 series is awesome however, while the size and weight has bloated, the speed, handling and torque have increased even more. Amazing!

I think that the 5 series is the best of both worlds.

Excession

Or in other words, in the US, manuals are just poverty spec specials
Unless things have changed in Europe most BMW’s, etc are business lease vehicles for middle management with sub 3 ltr diesel powerplants. Try selling those here as the ultimate driving machines.
MB’s post Chrysler merger quality problems have killed them. MB needs to stop being an every niche type brand (really an A & B class?) and return to the aspiration brand they always were; kill the Maybach/Pullman branding and develop a volume brand to support the entire company. BMW is going the same route with the new FWD models.

JWMich

It's a good engine - I'm out to 120,000 with no problem from the engine ever. Hopefully, yours has been well cared for and driven reasonably.

I did a cooling system refresh at 100,000 and over-maintain fluids compared to factory specs. It's a BMW, stuff wears out - but if you maintain ahead and replace the known problems before they cause an event, you'll be happy.

The internet BS level on this engine is way overblown. Don't let it get to you.

paran

The BMW F10 is becoming a "boat". 4300+ lbs!

That's big!

The Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham of the 1970's is the epitome of a "boat" in USA parlance.



Well, in 1977, its wheelbase was 121.5" vs the 2013 BMW F10 at 116.9" That's only a 4.6" difference!

Also, the Fleetwood weighed between 4300 - 4500lbs depending upon options. The BMW F10 weighs: 4350 lbs.

BMW is following Mercedes into the American based "bigness abyss".

paran

Wow! That's amazing!

My 545i came from the original owner, always garage kept, and really, sincerely, looks like brand new inside and out. No dings, dents, peeling, etc on this car.

But that 545i engine is a mess when it comes to anything made out of rubber, plastic, or non-metallic compounds. I am 100% certain that if you buy a 545i you WILL have major repair issues relative to gaskets on that engine and associated reservoirs made of plastic (unless the previous owner replaced all of this stuff recently).

If you're not DIY inclined, then RUN away from the 545i or expect that FAT WALLET to get a whole lot slimmer.

JWMich

Ummm...yeah, that's the stuff that wears out - rubber, plastic, non-metallic compounds. If you want a BMW, you have to know to replace these ahead of a failure event and change fluids more frequently than factory spec.

My indy has always told me the N62 is no better and no worse than any other BMW engine, and they'd be buyers if the engine was maintained that way and reasonably driven. I don't think my experience is all that amazing, really. I think there are plenty of us out there.

If you really think needing care and maintenance makes a high performance engine a mess, or you just can't get comfortable with paying for that reality, you should get out of the game - you need a Toyota.

OP, good luck to you, suggest you get hold of a copy of Mike Miller's (the Roundel columnist) old school maintenance schedule for BMWs.

paran

The 545i is NOT a high performance engine at 330 hp. You can get that from any comparable Jap box all day long. As a matter of a fact, it's pretty paltry at 330hp but the 5 series is a midsize, family sedan. I could argue that it's FULL size but leave it at what the BMW marketing folks tell us.

And "high performance" has nothing to do with premature gasket failure. It is all about "bio-degradable" as the primary engineering focus when choosing gasket materials. 330 hp has no affect on this decision.

Proper maintenance is not the reason either. I seriously doubt there is a cleaner, 100% original, single owner, 2005 545i in this country than the one I own. Single owner, day and night time garage kept, never hit; spotless. Ditto on the engine where I was told that my internal engine looks better than BMW's that are 5 years newer. "Pristine" is how it has been put to me.

Yet, because of the engineering choice of focusing on bio-degradable gaskets, the "clock" is ticking, and not the maintenance, nor mileage, though they may have some limited affect.

BMW's choice in gasket, trim, and plastic compounds sucks. Period. It sucks. Had they not focused on being bio-degradable, these BMW's would be competing with Lexus, Acura, Honda on reliability. But, sadly, they were FORCED to choose the "Green Path", and therein lies the ACTUAL issue on BMW reliability.

JWMich

Seriously? OK, I give up, you win. I take it all back - all N62s should be sold immediately, preferably to hated enemies, before they explode. No one should ever buy any BMW, ever. Everyone should buy a damn Camry, hell of a lot better than replacing degradable parts like gaskets, bushings, hoses, etc. Happy, troll?

Probably should have done the same thing with my 1970 Mustang convertible this last weekend, instead of wasting that time changing the valve cover and transmission gaskets that were leaking at 78,000 and planning for my shock absorber, ball joint and suspension bushing replacements. Now I know better. Thanks for correcting my world view. I owe you.

Gatriel

This has been throughly entertaining to read/watch.

First, I have got to say Paran is one of my favorite posters on here as, from what I've read, he does copious amounts of research and then promptly destroys most of the rest of the forums pre-concieved notions, anecdotal evidence, and derp.

He is not saying to "not" buy a BMW -- in fact, I have seen him say on quite a few occasions that they truly are the ultimate driving machine, and are well engineered, etc., etc.,

What he is lamenting (from what I have read) is most of this superb engineering is wasted because of BMW (and most other German car companies) "commitment" to being green. This green commitment does nothing save make the restless suburban German Hausfrauen feel good about themselves when they pickup a v8 or v12 BMW or Mercedes, because, after all, its recyclable. If only they (German cars in general, but specifically BMW in the case at hand) would use the same type of rubber and plastics that the Japanese or we Americans use 95% of the reliability problems with these cars would disappear.

Then again, the Germans might not want that as the MB longevity of the late 70s early 80s (when American cars were making nothing but high quality products and the largest Japanese car was the size of a 1 series) was legendary. Its a sad thing really -- the Germans had the plastics and rubber things figured out until the early 90s when Bündnis 90/Die Grünen came to power.

These eco-fascists have a soviet style "slash and burn" mentality to being environmentally friendly. Destroying the reliability of Germany's largest export industry is necessary to save the planet. There is an election in Germany in September, and one of their goals is to rid Germany of the Autobahn and place a 130 KPH speed limit on it, equivalent to about 75 MPH. The Socialist party who is usually the Green's party coalition partner in many Bundisländer is also committed to the killing of the Autobahn.

They are pushing for Euro6 emissions standards which will effectively kill off the v8 world wide (save for a few American cars that aren't exported to Europe, Mustang, Camaro, etc., etc.,).

Lastly, if Paran was bitching about having to replace seals and gaskets on a 70s BMW I would think he is ridiculous. However, he is bitching about having to replace seals and gaskets on a 7 year old car. I seriously doubt your Mustang needed new seals and gaskets in the late 70s early 80s.

Check your attitude.

JWMich

Yes, they did, actually. Along with valve stem seals, suspension bushings, and everything else, just like every other vehicle. I was there, 40 or 50 engines ago.

That's the point. Rubber, plastic, non-metallic compounds are consumables. They degrade and have to be replaced. That doesn't make an engine a "mess".

OP - the life span of this stuff on the N62 is well-known. Maintain ahead of the known failure points, keep the fluids fresh and you can be happy running with it for a long time. Maybe look for an information forum where the members offer more helping and less political ranting and overwrought "destroying". Xoutpost is a BMW X forum, but there are experienced wrenches there and lots of discussion on N62 issues in the E53 section - you might find some helpful reading in past threads. Good luck to you.