norsecarnut

I think these are all rather minor things to be concerned.

I have an 08 and so far there have been only a few things, all under warranty though and I have coverage up to 100,000 miles / end of 2013. I'm at 72,000 (bought with under 30k) so I'm more concerned right now with trying to use up the brake rotors in order to cash in on a full new 4x4 set before the end of the service term (I have the 6/100 service contract as well as the 6/100 warranty).

I think with the roof drains, you just need to be a thoughtful responsible person and not let your car go to crap due to neglect. Regular cleaning, having a trained tech look into the drains or be sure you know how, check them just like you would other things periodically.

Maybe when I have an air compressor or something major fail after 100k I'll start groaning but by that time the expense will be small relative to buying another vehicle to replace it.

Bingle

I guess a little more info regarding my roof drain issues are in order: my car was not garage-kept by the previous owner and I had the first incident within 2 months of ownership. I asked the BMW service adviser about maintenance and was told there was no need as long as the car was garage-kept (which mine is now). Subsequently reading through this forum I learned about checking them, which I periodically began to do. But 14 months later I found damp carpet in the rear and immediately took the car back in. I won't bore you the details but in the end they fried the modules and blamed it on clogged drains (even though they originally said they needed to replace a seal on the sunroof)...obviously I will not take the car back there again. And FWIW, I consider myself thoughtful, responsible and have never let a vehicle go to crap due to neglect.

norsecarnut

well that sucks.

Did you get to see where the crud collects in order to block a drain?

assuming it's random crud from trees, etc, this should be easy for other people to keep clear.

Bingle

yeah...it must have been in the lines because I've kept the whole area completely clean since day one...I'm a neat freak who is now paranoid as well...

Lotus99

There are 4 drain pipes and holes in the sunroof cassettes, one in each corner. If you search, there's a big thread on how to check your drains are free. You just pour water (make sure it's in the right spot though, otherwise, it will go inside the headliner) with the roof open, and watch the water (hopefully, if your drains are clear!) drain quickly out of that corner of the car's drain pipe.

IIRC, the front two drain by the front doors, when you open them you can see the drain pipes, and the rear ones drain above the wheels. The rears are the dreaded pipes with the stupid plugs on the ends, that many have just removed, because they would gunk up. I know on the later models (I have a 2010, not sure when they revised the end of the rear drain pipes) they removed the plugs at the end of the rear pipes and revised the pipes, so I didn't need to actually pull the plugs off.

Then I'd think if you just periodically test the drains by pouring water thru them and seeing they work, you should be good, and if not, blow compressed air (I think that's how others unclogged theirs) thru the pipes.

Good luck.

carlova78

anyone else?

crewzer

Our MY2006 E61 with 6MT was built in September, 2005. We stumbled across this rare U.S. combination at Carmax and bought it in September, 2011, when it was five years old and had 40,180 miles on the odometer. It's now approaching 50K miles, and, based on the work described below, I feel we have a good maintenance baseline.

Between last fall's purchase and this past June (~47,500 miles), my older son and I (unless otherwise noted) performed the following maintenance and repair services on the car:
The tires are Velozza ZXV 225/50R17 98W XL 360 AA A directional. I think they're made by Sumitomo. They appear to be the cheapest 225/50R17 V- or W-rated tires available. They're noisy, and they're pretty uncomfortable when the car's lightly loaded, which may be characteristic of the "98 XL" load index. A load index of 94 to 95 seems to be more common for this wagon (ref OM); I'm currently researching replacements.

I also need to do some sort of iPod and/or AUX input retrofit. The coding requirement is annoying...

The N52B30 engine seems to burn a little oil, so I'll probably switch from GC 0W-30 to slightly heavier Mobil 1 0W-40 at the next change. IIRC, the engine's normal operating temperature is ~100C, so this change might make sense anyway.

I've bought service and replacement parts online from Bavarian Autosport and ECS Tuning. Both provided very good service. My son has provided some parts and fluids via his shop accounts.

Shameless plug.

All in all, the car is running quite well, if not better. I've checked all four sunroof drains, and all run freely. The tailgate lift, rear suspension, electric water pump, adaptive headlights, air conditioning, heated seats and steering wheel, and service reset systems all seem to be functioning nominally. We really like the sunroof's "comfort" setting. Highway fuel economy on Shell 93 AKI (~97-98 RON) has been as high as 31 mpg (~7.6 liters/100km; ~37 mpg UK).

All in all, we're pretty happy with the car. And, if we need them, BMW of Asheville is literally just down the road from our new home.

HTH,
Jim / crewzer

neil.d

My work 530d has 123k miles and this gets a very hard life.

My own 535d is on 93k and has had no major parts replaced but good maintenance.

Swirl flaps removed
Crank case breather replaced
Sunroof seal replaced
Fuel filter
Air filter
Both Thermostats and coolant replaced
Oil changes twice as often as required
Sure clog drain valves removed
Remap to 340bhp 480lbs

So far it's been perfect!

Number6

Hi, My 2004 525d has 182,000miles on it. I bought it with 139,000 showing.

The guy that had it before me did a few bits.
Inlet manifold
New DPF (pattern)

I have done a few bits in the 40,000 miles of owning it on top of oil and filter changes, I try and do the oil every 10k.
From memory and in no particular order.
Remap
New discs all round
New front wheel bearings
Crankcase breather filter
Gutted the DPF(it started rattling)
Suspension air pump
Repaired the wires on the right hand side of tailgate (repairing the wires on the left this weekend)
Replaced the load cover as the net part had broken (second hand part from a breakers)

Bodyguard911

My e60: 2005 545iMiles: 13800Maintenance: Standard BavAuto suggested maintenance guide
Vast E60 longevity can be achieved with proper maintenance, and from my experience, going above and beyond the standard BMW recommended maintenance.