Newbie need some advice
08-20-2010, 08:06 AM
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I have just put a deposit down on a 530d, after months of looking for the one I wanted, I was after a 6 six speed manual, with visibility pack, and finally found 2: I went for the one from a dealer which was more expensive, but thought the Genuine BMW warranty and lower mileage was worth it.
The car is a 2005 with about 40k on the clock. What types of things should I look out for or make sure the dealer does before accepting the car, I have read various comments about compressors and hoses for the suspension and even wiring harnesses, and panoramic roof issues (this car has one) should I be concerned about any of these things and should I ask the dealer to explicitly check them out.
Secondly it has the iDrive without SatNav, I would like to integrate my Blackberry Phone and an iPod, in the most elegant way possible is it possible to retrofit an elegant solution at a reasonable cost and does anyone have any recommendation: Bury, Parrot or other.
Any advice to a new BMW convert would be much appreciated, I am formally a longtime Audi owner and for one reason or another have decided to switch from an A4 Avant 2.0 FSI to a 530d Touring out of possible A6 3.0 TDI or A4 3.0 TDI did I make the best choice?
Thanks
The car is a 2005 with about 40k on the clock. What types of things should I look out for or make sure the dealer does before accepting the car, I have read various comments about compressors and hoses for the suspension and even wiring harnesses, and panoramic roof issues (this car has one) should I be concerned about any of these things and should I ask the dealer to explicitly check them out.
Secondly it has the iDrive without SatNav, I would like to integrate my Blackberry Phone and an iPod, in the most elegant way possible is it possible to retrofit an elegant solution at a reasonable cost and does anyone have any recommendation: Bury, Parrot or other.
Any advice to a new BMW convert would be much appreciated, I am formally a longtime Audi owner and for one reason or another have decided to switch from an A4 Avant 2.0 FSI to a 530d Touring out of possible A6 3.0 TDI or A4 3.0 TDI did I make the best choice?
Thanks
08-20-2010, 11:04 AM
#2
You say panoramic roof therefore I assume it's an E61 Estate.
Points to check:
1) Panoramic roof slides, and tilts all the way then closes OK
2) Exhaust manifold for cracks - though probably OK at 40k miles
3) If it's got self-leveling suspension get the compressor hose checked
4) And I would say DVD drive - but you haven't got the sat nav
5) When the oil separator was last changed - should be every 3rd oil change
The above points can be problems, but in most cases probably won't be.
Essentially make sure it has warranty then if anything shows up you can get it fixed - the BMW warranty is pretty good in my experience they just take the car and fix it.
Points to check:
1) Panoramic roof slides, and tilts all the way then closes OK
2) Exhaust manifold for cracks - though probably OK at 40k miles
3) If it's got self-leveling suspension get the compressor hose checked
4) And I would say DVD drive - but you haven't got the sat nav
5) When the oil separator was last changed - should be every 3rd oil change
The above points can be problems, but in most cases probably won't be.
Essentially make sure it has warranty then if anything shows up you can get it fixed - the BMW warranty is pretty good in my experience they just take the car and fix it.
08-21-2010, 07:58 AM
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08-21-2010, 11:27 AM
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tiff, very important:
check for any moisture in the trunk, and traces of it (smell of the carpet panels in the trunk). if there is moisture,
a) check the bottom (i mean bare metal) of the spare tyre well, as thats where the water collects, and thats where the electronics of this care are located, and - you guessed it - if there's water in there, electronics burn and it gets expensive (and often the warranty does not cover it).
b) clean the rear panoramic roof drains, which exit just behind the rear wheels under the upper part of the bumper. there are flaps there which get blocked with dirt and in heavy rain water overflows inside the car. or get the dealer to do this
If you have no moisture at this point, be aware if you notice some in the future. this problem has become really expensive for quite a few cars I know of.
rear suspension compressor hose - this has to be replaced even if its ok at the moment, with the new breaded hose, or similar. when yours cracks (not if..) you wont notice and by the time the compressors starts having problems, it will be too late. or if your warranty runs long enough, better do nothing as they will get you a new compressor when this fails.
wiring harness - probably too early for problems at 40k miles, unless the rear gate has been used extensively
check for any moisture in the trunk, and traces of it (smell of the carpet panels in the trunk). if there is moisture,
a) check the bottom (i mean bare metal) of the spare tyre well, as thats where the water collects, and thats where the electronics of this care are located, and - you guessed it - if there's water in there, electronics burn and it gets expensive (and often the warranty does not cover it).
b) clean the rear panoramic roof drains, which exit just behind the rear wheels under the upper part of the bumper. there are flaps there which get blocked with dirt and in heavy rain water overflows inside the car. or get the dealer to do this
If you have no moisture at this point, be aware if you notice some in the future. this problem has become really expensive for quite a few cars I know of.
rear suspension compressor hose - this has to be replaced even if its ok at the moment, with the new breaded hose, or similar. when yours cracks (not if..) you wont notice and by the time the compressors starts having problems, it will be too late. or if your warranty runs long enough, better do nothing as they will get you a new compressor when this fails.
wiring harness - probably too early for problems at 40k miles, unless the rear gate has been used extensively
08-23-2010, 12:14 AM
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Thanks for all the advice so far, it?s a great help and good reference for anyone else about to purchase.
I test drove the car over the weekend, very nice!
Moisture test:
I had not had a chance to check all the comments prior, but I did look in the spare wheel well compartment, I don?t' remember seeing bare metal, I think it was covered in carpet, but I did happen to put my hand in to check for moisture and it seemed dry. There was no perceptible smell of damp, before I pick it up I will double check this.
Panoramic Roof:
When I drove I did notice a wind noise from the panoramic roof, the sound was like when you have a small opening in a rear window. I made sure all windows were closed, but the noise persisted. I mentioned to the Sales guy and he said that panoramic roofs produced more road noise, I pushed him a bit and he said that he would get the guys doing the prep to check the seals. Does anyone know if roof noise akin to a small opening in a rear window is normal? (Sorry not very scientific)
Hose:
Checking the hose was a problem, I did not really get an opportunity to do this mainly because of the difficulty in inspecting, the sales guy again said the mechanics will check this during prep, I want to push this week that they just change it anyway as part of the prep, was there ever a recall notice on this for a ?new breaded hose?? (re: comment from mmitev)
I test drove the car over the weekend, very nice!
Moisture test:
I had not had a chance to check all the comments prior, but I did look in the spare wheel well compartment, I don?t' remember seeing bare metal, I think it was covered in carpet, but I did happen to put my hand in to check for moisture and it seemed dry. There was no perceptible smell of damp, before I pick it up I will double check this.
Panoramic Roof:
When I drove I did notice a wind noise from the panoramic roof, the sound was like when you have a small opening in a rear window. I made sure all windows were closed, but the noise persisted. I mentioned to the Sales guy and he said that panoramic roofs produced more road noise, I pushed him a bit and he said that he would get the guys doing the prep to check the seals. Does anyone know if roof noise akin to a small opening in a rear window is normal? (Sorry not very scientific)
Hose:
Checking the hose was a problem, I did not really get an opportunity to do this mainly because of the difficulty in inspecting, the sales guy again said the mechanics will check this during prep, I want to push this week that they just change it anyway as part of the prep, was there ever a recall notice on this for a ?new breaded hose?? (re: comment from mmitev)
08-23-2010, 11:38 AM
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- some noise from panoramic roof seal is absolutely normal, but it should almost disappear with the sun shade under the glass closed. dunno how much noise you had. having the seals checked cannot hurt.
- i said bare metal in the spare wheel well, because the foam mouldings with electronics and potentially any water are all under this "carpet" you saw there. it also a pretty solid carpet, so there may not be any signs of moisture on it. mine had no trace there. its a 10 min job to remove the carpet, but best done by someone who has done it before. the mechanics sure know how to do it - when I had water in there, I saw a spanish mechanic do this in like 20 seconds. could not believe my eyes, like one of those KGB guys disassembling and reassembling a kalashnikov with their eyes tied.. his face had the expression "yet another one of those cases". i guess you can always say to the sales guy "i know of some cars with such a problem, I'd like to have a look just for peace of mind". there is a topic here in the E61 section, something like "panoramic roof water drains" - you can get a feel there how many people are affected.
- the reinforced breaded hose was used I think from early 2006. there is lots of info and pics of the hoses here in the E61 section. the facelifted cars all have it, and AFAIK also an improved compressor.
but dont let all this scare you - still love my car, particularly with this awesome panoramic roof - i never close the sun shade, and open the glass whenever I can
as a friend said, thats as close to a cabrio as it gets 
- i said bare metal in the spare wheel well, because the foam mouldings with electronics and potentially any water are all under this "carpet" you saw there. it also a pretty solid carpet, so there may not be any signs of moisture on it. mine had no trace there. its a 10 min job to remove the carpet, but best done by someone who has done it before. the mechanics sure know how to do it - when I had water in there, I saw a spanish mechanic do this in like 20 seconds. could not believe my eyes, like one of those KGB guys disassembling and reassembling a kalashnikov with their eyes tied.. his face had the expression "yet another one of those cases". i guess you can always say to the sales guy "i know of some cars with such a problem, I'd like to have a look just for peace of mind". there is a topic here in the E61 section, something like "panoramic roof water drains" - you can get a feel there how many people are affected.
- the reinforced breaded hose was used I think from early 2006. there is lots of info and pics of the hoses here in the E61 section. the facelifted cars all have it, and AFAIK also an improved compressor.
but dont let all this scare you - still love my car, particularly with this awesome panoramic roof - i never close the sun shade, and open the glass whenever I can
as a friend said, thats as close to a cabrio as it gets
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