2011 535i Motorsport

[Gert Moller]

Good day.

I want to ask if the 535i is a reliable car. I know I need to specify more information. All I know is that it is a 2011 535i Motorsport, and it has a full service history. Currently, 296,000 km on the clock. I want to know if it is worth it to have a look at it? I am not sure due to the high milage. I need basic advice if it is worth it. I am not sure which maintenance items have been done.

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[sash]

That would be the n55 motor. The motors do need maintenance and become troublesome if maintenance has not been done. If kept stock all this time then chances of issues are lower.

I think knowing about the history is quite important unless you plan on doing the common things. I will let the n55 owners give more info on the common items

 

[cRed001]

How much is the car selling for and what would your annual maintenance budget be? What would the car be used for and would this be a second or third car?

In general though it's a bad idea to buy an N54/N55 at that mileage

 

[Gert Moller]

How much is the car selling for and what would your annual maintenance budget be? What would the car be used for and would this be a second or third car?

In general though it's a bad idea to buy an N54/N55 at that mileage

The selling price is R110 000. I am not sure what to buget for maintenance on an annual basis. The car would be used as a daily car.

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[AshG108]

The selling price is R110 000. I am not sure what to buget for maintenance on an annual basis. The car would be used as a daily car.

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Many inputs on the forum on this topic but given the mileage, rather look for much lower if you going N55, for me personally the mileage is too high to know what the history was behind the car's maintenance and could end up becoming a money pit.
Generally, the 5 series is a series with much more mechanical sympathy BUT the N55 engine is the N55 engine and at the end of the day will require the same amount maintenance across all platforms.
Unless an FSH is given with details and you know the previous owners...rather look for something just one 90000kms or just over 100k mileage.

 

[Kyle]

I assume the only reason you're considering this car is the price, F series BMWs in general do not age well unless they are well taken care of. Personally I wouldn't consider any "modern" BMW with close to that mileage, but I can understand the attraction given the price.

Unless there is meticulous service history as well as maintenance records it could end up costing as much, if not more than just buying a lower mileage one. Remember it's not just the engine to think about, every component in the vehicle has done 296000km (gearbox, suspension, electrical components). All of these have the potential of being very expensive fixes. If you have the money lying around to deal with these potential issues, then my advice would be to just buy a lower mileage example. If budget is the reason you're considering this car, then I would say rather look at something like an E90 320d.

 

[cRed001]

The selling price is R110 000. I am not sure what to buget for maintenance on an annual basis. The car would be used as a daily car.

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The engine itself is fairly reliable, it's the peripheral components that are known to fail such as the water pump, HPFP, vanos solenoids, injectors, valve cover gasket etc. Also at that mileage you may run into issues with bearings and the car is likely to have a carbon build up. You would also be looking at a suspension refresh as well as gearbox refurb or replacement.

I would think you would need to have car fund of around R100k.

At R110k a better buy would be an E90 320d. Unfortunately there are no cheap performance BMW's.

 

[TurboLlew]

People are mentioning the N55 issues which is true.

Additional considerations for a high mileage F10 platform:

Airconditioning system: requires removal of most of the front interior including dash to repair. R30K-ish if it goes wrong.

Front wheel bearings are a common item and do not come as a loose bearing (not in the 7 years I had my F10 anyway). You have to replace the hub. This is not a cheap exercise when it happens. You can TRY to have the bearing matched and replaced by YMMV with how good those come out and you're paying for labour anyway.

Cooling system elements: check and double check for botched repairs. Towards the end of their depreciation cycles, these cars end up with people who want a fast and comfortable car but are also of the attitude of "a pipe is a pipe" or that cutting and joining high pressure pipes is 'just fine'.

You also have no idea when last the coolant was changed, when last the brake fluid was changed/system bled (both can result in situations that could easily have been avoided if they were changed on time)

Every single rubber mount and bushing will need some form of attention at that mileage if there is no history of these being done.

If gearbox and diff servicing was not carried out according to schedules then they are most definitely beyond the point where you should even change the oil. Rather just wait for failure and then brace for a new gearbox and diff at some point.

There are various bits of electronics that can give you issues, notably central gateway (ZGW), Footwell module (FRM) and the clock spring (SZL) that can throw the strangest of errors. People have even replaced harnesses chasing down issues rather than just diagnose and replace these modules. Also where unscrupulous guys tell you "well we will start diagnosing and see" while billing you for the journey of discovery...

Simply having a bad battery (and wrong spec battery) as well as broken or faulty IBMs can also cause electronic issues that result in a long and convoluted "journey of discovery" at your expense (usually when they already know the answer LOL). For the last two items - find a trusted workshop or dealer (but you need this anyway even for cars on plan!)

Soft touch interior plastics CAN end up gummy especially if the car is not taken care of or garaged. These require replacements or removing the top layer which leaves a cheap looking surface beneath. Replacements are not cheap to take this into account if the car generally presents as tired. It's easy, but not cheap, to bring it back. For reference, I replaced one of my door panel trims due to scratches prior to selling it and it was like R1000 for just the plastic surround around the door controls (like 5 years ago).