5 series diesel

[chief]

starting to like the look of 530d & 535d 1999 and newer

had a 535d fly past me the other day on the motorway, came out of nowhere and accelerated from 80 - whatever like a rocket.

anyone know about the pitfalls of these and what to look for, maybe theres a forum like this one out there for them

[darkchild]

starting to like the look of 530d & 535d 1999 and newer

had a 535d fly past me the other day on the motorway, came out of nowhere and accelerated from 80 - whatever like a rocket.

anyone know about the pitfalls of these and what to look for, maybe theres a forum like this one out there for them

Fantastic when new but a money pit waiting to happen when past 100K mainly due to BMW's over ambitious servicing schedule for them and owners switching them off immediately rather than letting the turbo wind down. IIRC, depending on age the 530d can be anything from 184bhp to 231bhp. They are fantastic cars but big $$$$ to fix if (when?) the turbo lets go. Personally I'd go for a 530i (more reliable and cheaper to buy which will make up the for the economy you lose assuming you don't do big miles).

535d is only available on the newer E60.

[gazm3]

Can only second that.
The Wife has just found out that the fuel pump is on the way out, on her 525tds.
Looking at 1k repair.
I have just spent £600 on electrical faults with airbag, window motor and switch pack.
121k these things need service. I dont believe the previous owner has kept on top of this. (He is my farther)

Probably trade it in now

[darkchild]

Can only second that.
The Wife has just found out that the fuel pump is on the way out, on her 525tds.
Looking at 1k repair.
I have just spent £600 on electrical faults with airbag, window motor and switch pack.
121k these things need service. I dont believe the previous owner has kept on top of this. (He is my farther)

Probably trade it in now

Ouch! The fuel pump is about the worst thing that can happen on the old tds.

[Andyboy]

They're really good cars. A few minor issues - turbos let go either/or getting bits of impeller into the cylinders and/or soaking the first catalyst with oil and the inlet manifold with oil and turbo bits, air mass meters fail, fuel pumps fail, ECU;s can hold an injector open and hydraulic the engine, injectors leak, swirl plates fall into the engine destroying it but apart from that, they're fine. You might not have all of these issues but you will have one or two. Open the wallet and prepare to spend, spend, spend if you do. Any money you saved over a petrol car will soon be gobbled up.

If you want a diesel, buy an Audi or a Merc. BMW stuff is impressive when new but they don't always stand high miles well and the repair costs are frightening. The fact that the E39 isn't a particularly great car doesn't help - a lot of stupid niggling electrical problems plus autobox and head gasket problems the E34 didn't have.

[chief]

great feedback fellas

thanks a lot