DitrasetMan

As many of you know, I am about to purchase a 2013 528i. I have two quick questions before I buy it:

Thanks!

turboawd

bmw wont do a body change mid-life cycle, but they may do little changes like in previous models....usually maybe a slight change in the interior, or different lighting, or different options.

the earlier turbo motors were plagued with high pressure fuel pump issues, and sometimes injector or turbo issues. i would think they have those issues worked out by now.

HDEddie1

Have you bought your care yet?
If so, wondering which way you went.

If not, I'd like to comment on your question.
I've had several BMW's (since 1994) and currently have still have two (a 2008 528i and a 2012 550i). I just sold a 2008 Lexus GS which I had new for 5 years.
Yes, BMW NEVER impressed me from a reliability standpoint when compared to Toyotas, Nissan, Honda. But, I make that statement relative to other things.
Depending on what you're looking for in a car, my comment can change considerably. If you're looking for a dependable daily driver, little engine and drivetrain drama, and keep your cars for more than 50K, stick with the Japanese brands Toyota Avalon, Lexus GS, Honda (Acura RS). As Consumer reports show, higher reliability ratings short and long term. What Consumer reports don't reflect are enthusiast ratings (which is why you might be reading this forum or Car and Driver/Automobile magazine instead). The BMW just sound and handle differently (when pushed hard) than their Japanese counterparts. The newer F10 is quite different from the previous generations (e60 and e39) and is very much mirroring their luxury 7 Series. This may be good or bad, depending on your taste (I'm getting older now and that's what I'm liking).
So yes, the Lexus and Nissans I've owned in the past were very carefree. You had to pay for more frequent maintenance though (were as BMW maintenance is free up to 50K). For everyday driving, grocery getter, work commute, they were quite uneventful.
I wouldn't be too concerned about the mid cycle refresh since BMW typically runs a model 6-7 years and mid cycle refresh have always been very modest. Reports have shown that the F10 has been doing better than BMW expected so radical changes are not expected (except for the slow selling GT model being dropped).
The BMW is also uneventful for the first 60K or so. My earlier BMW had problems with water pumps/hoses/radiators during the warranty period, but have not experienced that in my recent models. This forum as well as other are full of owner experience with their respective models.
Essentially, a new BMW has been relatively care free for me to about 60K... thereafter, parts seem to wear out and require replacement sooner than their Japanese counter parts.
What can't be explained is the driving. Drive them back to back and at their limits (safely of course). If you don't feel/hear the difference, the choice becomes easy.
I don't autocross, race, or drift. I test drove the new Lexus, GS Audi A6, Audi S4, Mercedes C63, but against all logic ended up with a new BMW F10.
....your milage may vary.
Good luck

mubeenkhan

In reply to the reliability question, there is a difference in philosophy when it comes to comparing the Japanese car manufacturers with the Germans. Japanese cars are engineered for reliability, first and foremost. I still drive a 1992 Honda Accord with 275k mi on the clock 15k mi every year.

The German cars on the other hand are engineered for driving experience. That however comes at the cost of long term reliability. Aiming for a 50-50 (or close to 50-50) weight distribution means that some plastic has been chosen in the manufacture of components where metal would have served better (E.g. the connectors on bmw expansion tank hoses are plastic, which tends to become brittle with age and then eventually crack). There are numerous other examples as well. Long term BMW ownership is not for the faint of heart, that is for certain.

The other thing that needs to be understood is that these days car's are no longer spec'd/manufactured my sound minded engineers, rather they are designed by an army of greed driven MBAs. Alas this is something that is true for all car manufacturers I suspect. Saving a few dollars here and a few dollars there, all this saving in manufacturing cost is eventually inherited by the consumer who is seduced into buying these cars and manifests ultimately as cost of ownership, normally for the second owner if not the first.

Rudy

I agree that the body style "refresh" will likely happen about 3 years in but it usually is a minor change.

As far as reliability, I can only say that I've leased five 5 series cars (2 E39, 2 E60, and 1 F10) since 1998 and not one of them was ever towed-in or left me stranded. Sure, they had service issues but nothing serious. The early E60 (2004) was probably the one that had the most software updates to fix minor issues and by the 2008 E60, things had settled down quite a bit.

Keep in mind that my cars were all V8s so I never had to deal with the high-pressure fuel pump issues seen on the 6-cylinder cars...

Ricracing

I would say a F10 LCI is do in spring ´14. BMW does small or even bigger tech improvements all the time.

geobmw

My F10 is most unreliable among all V8s I owned including X5s:
1. Fuel pump and EKPS module were replaced a week ago.
2. Side view camera and cabling were replaced a couple of times.
3. Grinding noise at low speed.

Gene

have all the issues been resolved after repair or were there continuous attempts to repair the same problem?

geobmw

#1 required three trips to the dealer, #2 was fixed once then it came back, and they replaced the faulty cable. #3 disappered on its own in 4-months after delivery.
The car is problem free now but my F10 sat at the dealership longer than all my other cars combined.

Gene

looks like your f10 was one of the "early builds" (11/2010), glad everything for the most part has been resolved..