marklp

Hi guys

I am a 1-series-er who might jump ship and become a 5-series-er....

Am going to view a 3 year old 530d SE with 47k miles on the weekend.

Is there a list of common faults/problems that I should check for? (I have searched the forum but haven't come up with anything)...

Thanks,
Mark

colejl

Is it auto or manual?

From honest John:

What's Bad
Looks are a bit of an acquired taste, but could grow on people. Comparatively poor 4 star NCAP crash safery rating and 1 star for pedestrian impact safety. 530i made comparatively poor showing against MB E320i and Jag S Type 3.0 in Autocar comparison test (issue 19-8-2003). Reports of I-Drive system malfunctions, which have lead to at least one successful rejection, but sorted by late 2003. Reports of faults with puncture warning system. Many problems with low profile runflat tyres giving poor ride and handling and losing pressure. Best to avoid big wheels, early 18" runflat tyres (new Bridgestone runflats much improved) and 'Active' steering. 163bhp 520d is least powerful in the range and though adequate feels like a big car with a small engine. One report of double turbo failure on 535d after 50k miles.

What to Watch Out For
See above. Check all systems before buying. Check front screen for stress fractures. Check runflat tyres, especially if Dunlops. Problem of cracking of sidewalls due to a fault with the tyres. Dunlop compensates according to the mileage the tyres have done.

General Warning about Automatic Transmissions: Many BMWs have "sealed for life" automatic transmissions. Regardless of whether you have a full BMW service history, the dealer will never change the auto fluid. Many of these boxes are failing around the 120-150k mark - often well outside of warranty and to a cost of ?3.5k plus VAT. A good independent or automatic transmission specialist can and will change the fluid for you (and any good BMW independents will recommend this anyway). This is
commonplace in the US and means the 'box should last the life of the car rather than being the cause of it being written off. General advice is ensure the fluid is flushed out every 60k or more preferably at each Inspection II.

marklp

Auto box. Rest of spec is pretty much same as yours by the looks of it, mate.

Have already clarified with dealer that it will be serviced as part of the sale and I've got a print out showing all of the visits made to the dealer over the last 3 years - 11 visits, three of which I assume are for routine servicing. Unfortunately, I don't have the details of the visit, just the date & mileage....

the-oneil

Get ready to know your SA pretty well.

i-Drive WILL fail. It is a matter of when? I owned 3 E60s so far and it failed on all 3 of them. It could happen at any stage between 200 and 60K miles and will happen again & again.

When that happens, you have no audio, no bluetooth, no Sat Nav, No warning or error messages, No Traffic info...etc.

hmc

So, i-Drive also failed on your 2006 530i you currently own? at what mileage?

colejl

Better check the garage to see if it's still there!

I think the major thing to confirm is the CIP (iDrive) updates received. The very early ones were riddled with bugs, things like the CD player restarted at Track 1, the Aircon didn't work automatically, steering wheel/seat adjustments lost... Check that the eyebrow lighting is working! Also, tyres wear very quickly, especially if runflats... (Don't expect more than 15k miles out of them unless you are pounding the motorway)

For reference, how much is it going for?

the-oneil

Failed at 8500 miles

marklp

Yeah know what you mean about runflats - the fronts on my 120d have done 9k miles and I don't think they'll see more than 12k.

It's sticker price is a smidge under ?21k.

colejl

Yeah, and tyres for 124's aren't cheap! Although my PS2's seem to be doing a fantastic job compared with the old Dunflaps!

?21k sounds about right considering the kit... But of course you'll be pushing hard...

marklp

It's actually got 123s, but don't suppose they are cheap either.