Are E60 M5's reliable

[Massimot]

Hi Guys

As the topic says are E60 M5's reliable - it's my dream car and you can get them at very reasonable prices today. I heard so many horror story's of the car breaking down and costing a fortune to fix.

Hoping that E60 M5 owners can chime in and give there perspective on this topic...

Thanks for your input..

 

[OppositeLockMT]

The SMG box is the main issue with these cars, could cost a fortune when the inevitably break.

 

[444YYY]

The answer to the question is No (compared to previous M5's)
BUT I'd still love one!
Do your homework, keep about 30 to 60k for emergency repairs should something moderate on the SMG box break... And Enjoy the glorious F1 inspired V10 symphony!!!

 

[Massimot]

The answer to the question is No (compared to previous M5's)
BUT I'd still love one!
Do your homework, keep about 30 to 60k for emergency repairs should something moderate on the SMG box break... And Enjoy the glorious F1 inspired V10 symphony!!!

Wish BMW made the spare parts more easily accessible and be able to get the gearboxes repaired - ZF can't fix the SMG box - if it breaks it's $$$ to replace..

I think the general consensus is that it's not if the the smg box gives problems it's more like when it will give problems - also have you guys noticed how many M5's are on there 2nd and 3rd motor...

I know the V8 M3 6 speed gearbox can work with this motor - I wonder if anyone had tried a gearbox swop.., I know E46 M3's with V10 engines so I suppose it's possible...

 

[Gary57]

I've just bought one and did a lot of homework on these cars.

SMG pumps give kak on the early models but was sorted out in any replairs or 07 and newer cars.

Clutches are the biggest concern and around R27k at dealers to replace, but you can buy them elsewhere for around R10k plus labour.

Service intervals are too far apart, do oil changes more often. Oil is R220/lt and it uses 9.3lt for a change.


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[Massimot]

I've just bought one and did a lot of homework on these cars.

SMG pumps give kak on the early models but was sorted out in any replairs or 07 and newer cars.

Clutches are the biggest concern and around R27k at dealers to replace, but you can buy them elsewhere for around R10k plus labour.

Service intervals are too far apart, do oil changes more often. Oil is R220/lt and it uses 9.3lt for a change.


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What year is your car? What are the big things to look out for? I notice that there are many 05 models for sale - I hardly see any 07+ models - even though I think the last models were up to 09 or 2010?

Is the problem the smg pump itself or the actual gearbox?

Please share your research with us... It would be greatly appreciated also where do you get clutches installed for that price?

 

[Ga-3M]

Hey bud, have a look under the M section where 2 fanatics have just purchased M6's, there was quite a bit of discussion about them and they are mechanically the same as you know so there is quite a bit of info there.:coolShake:

 

[terrencem5v10]

hi ,parts are expensive having said that il say diagnosing issues with this car seem to be the biggest cost and headache,too many time the wrong parts are changed and cost shoots up,mine has been trouble free ,dont use it much,had a error code twice n never showed again, Great car and not an everyday car

 

[Gary57]

I've just bought one and did a lot of homework on these cars.

SMG pumps give kak on the early models but was sorted out in any replairs or 07 and newer cars.

Clutches are the biggest concern and around R27k at dealers to replace, but you can buy them elsewhere for around R10k plus labour.

Service intervals are too far apart, do oil changes more often. Oil is R220/lt and it uses 9.3lt for a change.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

What year is your car? What are the big things to look out for? I notice that there are many 05 models for sale - I hardly see any 07+ models - even though I think the last models were up to 09 or 2010?

Is the problem the smg pump itself or the actual gearbox?

Please share your research with us... It would be greatly appreciated also where do you get clutches installed for that price?

I bought an 06 with 86000km.

Biggest thing is clutch and gearbox issues. The pump packs up and the gearbox gives in due to this.

The engine problems seem to come from the oil level sensor giving problems and false reading. Preventative maintenance would be to change this sensor as I plan to.

Check eBay from clutch kits, LUK and SACHS are the OEM supplier. There are a few DIY vids online for the clutch change, it doesn't look very special, sure any decent Mech could do it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Massimot]

I've just bought one and did a lot of homework on these cars.

SMG pumps give kak on the early models but was sorted out in any replairs or 07 and newer cars.

Clutches are the biggest concern and around R27k at dealers to replace, but you can buy them elsewhere for around R10k plus labour.

Service intervals are too far apart, do oil changes more often. Oil is R220/lt and it uses 9.3lt for a change.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

What year is your car? What are the big things to look out for? I notice that there are many 05 models for sale - I hardly see any 07+ models - even though I think the last models were up to 09 or 2010?

Is the problem the smg pump itself or the actual gearbox?

Please share your research with us... It would be greatly appreciated also where do you get clutches installed for that price?

I bought an 06 with 86000km.

Biggest thing is clutch and gearbox issues. The pump packs up and the gearbox gives in due to this.

The engine problems seem to come from the oil level sensor giving problems and false reading. Preventative maintenance would be to change this sensor as I plan to.

Check eBay from clutch kits, LUK and SACHS are the OEM supplier. There are a few DIY vids online for the clutch change, it doesn't look very special, sure any decent Mech could do it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

First off .... Merry Christmas and Happy New year guys!!!

Thanks for everyone who participated in this thread - I feel that sometimes a few disgruntled owners plaster the Internet with their problems and give a decent car a bad reputation...

I assume a good regim of preventative maintenance can prolong the life of the car considerably - regular oil changes , replacing the oil sensor every few services , proper driving protocol etc... Can help a lot!

Can the SMG pump be maintained or diagnosed as going out - driving the car in a less vicious gear changing mode so as not to overly stress the pump and gearbox (did that with my E46 M3 and didn't have any faults up to 100k - sold it on 100k - one of my regrets in life... Before the motor plan expired I took the car to RGM and they only found 3 things that needed to be replaced - BMW attended to it - sold the car knowing that their was nothing to be spent on the car)

Out of interest I have driven a few M5's some felt quick some felt sluggish - no 2 M5's felt the same.... Is this normal?

 

[Maljan]

You can find out more but hunting on the interwebs for reliability surveys. This site has quite a lot of data. Note that you _might_ have to register to see all that there is, but it is free.

This page is a good start as there a few M5s listed. You can browse around to other model years for more data.

http://www.truedelta.com/BMW-5-Series/problems-20/2008

There are two M5s listed. One of them had a gearbox replacement and another had an engine replacement. Of course this is not representative of what you can expect. The sample size is too small for that.

Just my R0.02...

 

[bac]

Don't stress, get a well looked after one and enjoy the car, don't fear to push it hard, just do your reg maintenance and you fine. If you do run into any crap like clutchs/smg box/engine parts etc iv got tons of parts. But it's a solid car if serviced, a tip have your oil level sensor replaced with a new one, they tend to misread and that kills engines .

 

[Massimot]

Don't stress, get a well looked after one and enjoy the car, don't fear to push it hard, just do your reg maintenance and you fine. If you do run into any crap like clutchs/smg box/engine parts etc iv got tons of parts. But it's a solid car if serviced, a tip have your oil level sensor replaced with a new one, they tend to misread and that kills engines .

Thanks for your input... I see on your sig that you did a engine swap to a S62 in your e46 - how did that turn out and was it worth it? I have owned both the E46 and E39 M's so I have experience in both... The E46 was the better sounding car (std) and was nicer to drive in general - E39 was only nice after I chipped and decat and changed the exhaust - then it was nice! E39 was deceptively quick whereas the M3 felt quicker and more nimble after the mods on the E39 then I would say it was quicker... Probably quicker than the E90 M3 as I test drove 2 and the M5 carried a higher speed at certain points I made mental notes on while test driving the E90 M's...