bmw 520d 06/08

shawnee

I am considering buying one of these. Anyone got any feedback on the difference in the models and on their reliability. Or indeed any suggestion of a good value one on the net would be appreciated.

ongarite

You should be looking at a mid 07 model on, LCI update.
It has redesigned dashboard and door cards, revised front and rear bumpers and lights too.

Think there may also have been some changes made to the 520d engine too.

alexlyons

IIRC they have a load of electrics under the boot floor, where the spare tyre normally is. So don't spill to much liquid in the boot or you'll cause an unholy amount of trouble for yourself

swhyte027

I work and fix these cars for a living and I can confirm that they are prob the best in the market today.for the money you pay they are a serious car.any way I no every thing that has and does go wrong with them so if u need any advice I'm at ur disposale

bazz26

2006 520d uses the M47 engine which had 163bhp. It is recommened to have the crank breather filter changed every second oil change otherwise it gets blocked and starves the turbo of oil meaning a new turbo. The swirl flaps in the inlet manifold were also a known problem where they could break off and get ingested into the engine and destroy it but it didn't seem to as common in the E60 or E90 as the manifold was redesigned.

The facelifted or LCI E60 from March 2007 had as mentioned trim changed including redesigned rear LED lights. The M47 engine was also replaced with the N47 unit which had 177bhp and included Efficent Dynamics. This engine was more fuel efficent, had stop/start technology, energy regenerating brakes and both the crank breather filter and swirl flap issues were no longer a problem

nightster1

shawnee wrote: »

I am considering buying one of these. Anyone got any feedback on the difference in the models and on their reliability. Or indeed any suggestion of a good value one on the net would be appreciated.

cheap tax on the '08 model

mfceiling

Got ours (2007 520d estate) in April 2007.

Reliability - no.
New flywheel after a couple of months.
Eats bulbs - going down n7 today and control panel beeps to say sidelight is gone even though I hadn't any lights on. Going back tonight the message had disappeared and lights were fine.
Middle of this year the turbo, clutch and flywheel (again) went...full BMW history and after some arguing they covered nearly 5 grand of the repair cost.
Back window wiper gone (common fault).
Eats tyres.
Sore on diesel around town - good on motorway.
Expensive to service.

Will we buy another - eh that'll be no.

staker

mfceiling wrote: »

Got ours (2007 520d estate) in April 2007.

Reliability - no.
New flywheel after a couple of months.
Eats bulbs - going down n7 today and control panel beeps to say sidelight is gone even though I hadn't any lights on. Going back tonight the message had disappeared and lights were fine.
Middle of this year the turbo, clutch and flywheel (again) went...full BMW history and after some arguing they covered nearly 5 grand of the repair cost.
Back window wiper gone (common fault).
Eats tyres.
Sore on diesel around town - good on motorway.
Expensive to service.

Will we buy another - eh that'll be no.

:eek:

That was a bit unlucky.

bazz26

nightster1 wrote: »

cheap tax on the '08 model

But the 07 will be alot cheaper to buy over a 08 which will buy you alot of tax.

166man

A friends parents have an '09 520d and have had nothing but problems with it. I don't know the specifics of what the problems were but it was off the road for a good 3 months and they were given an Audi A3 Sportback instead.

Rolli

In my opinion and experience, they're way too common and troublesome

shawnee

swhyte027 wrote: »

I work and fix these cars for a living and I can confirm that they are prob the best in the market today.for the money you pay they are a serious car.any way I no every thing that has and does go wrong with them so if u need any advice I'm at ur disposale

Interesting , what are you'r views on the later comments ?

shawnee

mfceiling wrote: »

Got ours (2007 520d estate) in April 2007.

Reliability - no.
New flywheel after a couple of months.
Eats bulbs - going down n7 today and control panel beeps to say sidelight is gone even though I hadn't any lights on. Going back tonight the message had disappeared and lights were fine.
Middle of this year the turbo, clutch and flywheel (again) went...full BMW history and after some arguing they covered nearly 5 grand of the repair cost.
Back window wiper gone (common fault).
Eats tyres.
Sore on diesel around town - good on motorway.
Expensive to service.

Will we buy another - eh that'll be no.

No surprise there ! Anyone any good experiences with mileage put up on these motors.

swhyte027

shawnee wrote: »

swhyte027 wrote: »

I work and fix these cars for a living and I can confirm that they are prob the best in the market today.for the money you pay they are a serious car.any way I no every thing that has and does go wrong with them so if u need any advice I'm at ur disposale

Interesting , what are you'r views on the later comments ?

My views on this cars are the are excellent for the money as stated before make sure u change the turbo filter on them otherwise u will defo be getting a turbo done sooner rather then later.they give slight trouble with the front suspension arm wearing the forward arm and the rear pivot bearings and also the rear banna arm also.apart from that they are good seriously.but as stated keep them out of water all the electronics is under the carpet on the floor

shawnee

swhyte027 wrote: »

My views on this cars are the are excellent for the money as stated before make sure u change the turbo filter on them otherwise u will defo be getting a turbo done sooner rather then later.they give slight trouble with the front suspension arm wearing the forward arm and the rear pivot bearings and also the rear banna arm also.apart from that they are good seriously.but as stated keep them out of water all the electronics is under the carpet on the floor

Couple of interesting points there , particularly the water aspect

swhyte027

Yes well after the floods between e39 the e60 and x5 we had about 25 of them in with water damage and a lot of the newer ones were wrote off as all the electronics under the floor.but that's not a problem if u don't drive in floods.but the e39 the older 5 series where all nearly ok so just avoid the floods lol any way if u want any more info on what to check r look out for just ask me.

teednab-el

swhyte027 wrote: »

Yes well after the floods between e39 the e60 and x5 we had about 25 of them in with water damage and a lot of the newer ones were wrote off as all the electronics under the floor.but that's not a problem if u don't drive in floods.but the e39 the older 5 series where all nearly ok so just avoid the floods lol any way if u want any more info on what to check r look out for just ask me.

Seriously why some people drive diesels into floods and especially driving a nice car like a BMW DIESEL into water is beyond me? If I had a nice car like that, I would do anything to mind it. Some people must have a lot of money.

swhyte027

teednab-el wrote: »

swhyte027 wrote: »

Yes well after the floods between e39 the e60 and x5 we had about 25 of them in with water damage and a lot of the newer ones were wrote off as all the electronics under the floor.but that's not a problem if u don't drive in floods.but the e39 the older 5 series where all nearly ok so just avoid the floods lol any way if u want any more info on what to check r look out for just ask me.

Seriously why some people drive diesels into floods and especially driving a nice car like a BMW DIESEL into water is beyond me? If I had a nice car like that, I would do anything to mind it. Some people must have a lot of money.

People don't relies how low the intakes are on them.and then others was just bad look.but il be honest they are a great car and they are so reliable apart from the odd wear and tear parts.

veetwin

mfceiling wrote: »

Got ours (2007 520d estate) in April 2007.

Reliability - no.
New flywheel after a couple of months.
Eats bulbs - going down n7 today and control panel beeps to say sidelight is gone even though I hadn't any lights on. Going back tonight the message had disappeared and lights were fine.
Middle of this year the turbo, clutch and flywheel (again) went...full BMW history and after some arguing they covered nearly 5 grand of the repair cost.
Back window wiper gone (common fault).
Eats tyres.
Sore on diesel around town - good on motorway.
Expensive to service.

Will we buy another - eh that'll be no.

Just for the sake of comparison I have a 2009 520D estate..have it 2 years and put up 40K kms. Car has 48K now

Reliability has been generally excellent.
It has blown 2 headlamp bulbs. (not too bad in 48K kms)
Rear tyres were replaced at 25K.
Front tyres at 40K (expensive run flats but ordinary will do from now on!)
39 mpg according to OBC in predominantly city driving with the odd motorway run when it improves considerably.
Main dealer servicing very cheap because I bought the service pack at the 1st service. (€400 for 5 years servicing)
Cost over €500 to replace a headlight unit due to a crack caused by a stone - that was painful.

Would I buy another? Absolutely..no other car offers the same package IMHO. BTW auto is a must in these cars. My sister has a manual saloon and its not half the car. Also saloons are very common, Tourings look nicer and are rarer.

Normally after two years of ownership of any car I start getting bored with it and start looking around for something else in year 3. This is the one car I've had that I still look forward to driving after 2 years. Will keep it for at least 2 more years and then buy another.

Just my €0.02.

alexlyons

Just remember if it came with run flats and you go to ordinary tyres you'll need a spare wheel.

Blazer

alexlyons wrote: »

Just remember if it came with run flats and you go to ordinary tyres you'll need a spare wheel.

And by the time you cost the spare wheel + tyre you'll end up paying the same as if you'd have gone the runflat route.
Camskill in the UK are the best place to source tyres and cheaper than here in Ireland.

I love my 520D. It's the 07 LCI model , however it's still the 162hp version as that BMW N47 engine didn't come in till September 2007.
I only have it about 4 months but luckily I have a 2 year warranty so peace of mind. Previous car was a 1.6L nissan primera which I bought new in 2005 but there's a world of difference in comfort and power

Car tax for mine is €614 I think so unless I was keeping the car for 10 years or more it wasn't worth my while to upgrade to the 08 which carry about a 8k premium over the 07 model. (going the dealer route).
And as someone said...get the auto version...sorry I didn't.
No issues so far with the car and I really love driving it...but at Scotty says " I need more power Captain"

pale rider

I've had an ' 07 520d and traded up to the facelift 08 520d auto from new, I've recently sold my 08 with 120,000 happy kms done, I had it serviced according to the schedule and apart from wear and tear I replaced a bulb, I loved the car and am searching for a new model.

Just on the run flats, yes very expensive but I rotated the tyres and changed the last two of the original tyres at 80,000 kms, the guys in Fast Fit couldn't believe it !, the originals seem to suit the car, rotate them and extend their life, as they get close to the min thread depth they do become useless on wet roads so change them before then, I'm quite fussy and tend to get bored with a car but not with the 520d and imho do buy an auto, incomparable to the manual..

pjmn

Have an '07 520d (Auto) saloon - 70k (miles) done - no problems to report (keeping fingers crossed as I say that) - intend to hold...

hunggar

I have a BMW 520d 08 for sale. I only have it 5 months. It's an auto and I hate it. The car is great and comfortable but I just hate the auto box. Give me a manual any day. Dsg gearbox from audi/vw is way better. I'm stuck with it now so maybe it'll grow on me. Tax is also higher on the auto 302 rather than 156 for the manual.

Rob C

Well I traded in my 2006 520D Auto M Sport a couple of weeks back for a 2010 E60 520D Business Edition Manual.

Delighted with the change. Newer engine is a quieter and more efficient plus I get the much cheaper car tax. Very, very smooth car and currently have 50 MPG which is great. Auto's are very good indeed but my commute is M50 daily so never got the full benefit of the Auto and am not missing it at all. If I was city driving then it would be a totally different story and I would have gone for a good 08/09 Auto. The Business Editions are nice end of cycle editions, a nice bit of kit with the Sat Nav, Heated Seats etc.

very impressed with the car I have to say, much more then I figured. I did it becuase my 06 was getting on and plummeting in value plus I've saved a nice amount on monthly car loan payments. Went with BMW Finance and they really are open for business. BMW are killling Mercedes because of this.

The Goodyear Eagle NCT5's runflats can be a pain, but they really do last years, I had a couple of flats on them but otherwise, no need to change...

The advantage as well going with a BMW dealer. 2 year warranty which included BMW breakdown assist and my motor had the 5 yr service plan which is cool.

MercMad

My SIL has a 520d manual, business edition, its a lovely car but I have had to replace several bulbs on it. It only has 26000km's on it but did have to have the dual mass flywheel replaced. Thankfully it was under warranty.

The run flats are expensive and despite not being an M-Sport I find the ride is choppy.

Lovely car though and I would have a brand new one, in auto, over an E-Class saloon any day !

Bigcheeze

What rates are BMW finance offering ?

Rob C

Bigcheeze wrote: »

What rates are BMW finance offering ?

A good bit lower then the banks.

Take a loan of €25,600.

With BMW it works out at €538 a month repayment. Interest of €6,809

With Ulster Bank say you'd be looking at €560. Interest of €8,009.

A bit of a difference...

AIB you'd be looking at repayments of €540 a month,

The problem is of course the banks just are not lending! BMW have their own Finance division based in Santry, I understand they're one of the biggest consumer lenders in Ireland now full stop.

bazz26

hunggar wrote: »

I have a BMW 520d 08 for sale. I only have it 5 months. It's an auto and I hate it. The car is great and comfortable but I just hate the auto box. Give me a manual any day. Dsg gearbox from audi/vw is way better. I'm stuck with it now so maybe it'll grow on me. Tax is also higher on the auto 302 rather than 156 for the manual.

You spent €20k+ on the car and one of your gripes is that it costs €302 to tax per year as opposed to €156?

MidnightQueen

Drove the GT version of one of these the other day. Fantastic smooth car to drive!

Jimdagym

Rob C wrote: »

A good bit lower then the banks.

Take a loan of €25,600.

With BMW it works out at €538 a month repayment. Interest of €6,809

With Ulster Bank say you'd be looking at €560. Interest of €8,009.

A bit of a difference...

AIB you'd be looking at repayments of €540 a month,

The problem is of course the banks just are not lending! BMW have their own Finance division based in Santry, I understand they're one of the biggest consumer lenders in Ireland now full stop.

If I may go off topic slightly, this has been bugging me. Between this and Volkswagon bank (and others), how are these lending so much when the backs are giving so little? Are they into reckless lending or what? Or are they only lending to who the bank should be lending to but aren't?

Rob C

Jimdagym wrote: »

If I may go off topic slightly, this has been bugging me. Between this and Volkswagon bank (and others), how are these lending so much when the backs are giving so little? Are they into reckless lending or what? Or are they only lending to who the bank should be lending to but aren't?

Not reckless lending at all. Remember, it's secured lending. The car is the collateral. Miss payments and they simply repossess the car and will not be at a loss. They will do their due diligence on you, get your income details, run the credit report etc. It's basically lending that the banks should also be engaging in but just aren't. Their German parents are of course in far better shape then our pathetic banks. Sad but true.

shawnee

bazz26 wrote: »

You spent €20k+ on the car and one of your gripes is that it costs €302 to tax per year as opposed to €156?

That is the mind set of many Irish motorists at present , perfectly good 05 to 07 cars are being traded at a cost of 12 to 15 grand to reduce the road tax from 650 odd to 300 . Doesn't make a lot of sense to me but try selling an 06 or 07 2 litre and you'll hear all about it :D

Rob C

shawnee wrote: »

That is the mind set of many Irish motorists at present , perfectly good 05 to 07 cars are being traded at a cost of 12 to 15 grand to reduce the road tax from 650 odd to 300 . Doesn't make a lot of sense to me but try selling an 06 or 07 2 litre and you'll hear all about it :D

Yeah, it really is consumer mentality these days. The difference in perceived value between a 07 and 08 car can be huge. Above the 1 year difference and mileage the tax issue comes into play. In reality your bog standard 2.0 Litre diesel has a €500 circa difference in tax from 07 to 08 so a 500 Euro premium is of course justified but often there's a multiplier effect in buyers minds and that 500 Euro can translate into 1K no problem.

It's the times we live in, a saving of a few hundred really matters in buying behaviour even when spending 20K+

The president of SIMI was on Newstalk last night and on another note, they're pushing for reg changes so there will be two parts to the year, Jan and July and that can be signified on the car reg. They are desperate to spread things out over the year and everything is obviously currently geared to Jan and Feb. Those months he estimated are worth 700 Million + to the government in the VRT/VAT.

Consumer behaviour can be a funny thing. What's the difference in reality between buying a new car in December as opposed to January? Its all about perceived value and that is reflected in the market.

kingstown

Just came on this thread now and read where the guy only got 25k out of rear tyres and 40k on the front - cant believe it..

I bought a 520d in July 2010 and just changes the rear tyres yesterday after 62k. Front still good and the guy in Fast Fit said come back maybe the first week in Feb and we can see about the front pair then. Mine is fitted with Goodyear 225/55 17v run flats which cost €210 balanced & fitted yesterday. I had a Volvo XC90 before this car and again got over 60k on the tyres.
I do about 3500km per month and get slightly over 50mpg which is great compared to 30mpg with the XC90
I opted for the Auto transmission and Xenon light pack when I ordered the car and also included the electric tow bar which was a little exp at €1200 but proved handy once or twice. I also went with the service pack of €1300 to include all service costs except tyres. Already have had 2 services. No pads fitted yet - still 6mm on them
I am very please with the 520d and at 156 to tax takes the sting out of the running costs. If asked today i would buy another one
Again my 2p worth

Voodoomelon

KittyKat wrote: »

Drove the GT version of one of these the other day. Fantastic smooth car to drive!

In fairness, the GT couldn't be any more different to the E60 5 series.

bandit14

bazz26 wrote: »

You spent €20k+ on the car and one of your gripes is that it costs €302 to tax per year as opposed to €156?

+1

Rob C

kingstown wrote: »

Just came on this thread now and read where the guy only got 25k out of rear tyres and 40k on the front - cant believe it..

I bought a 520d in July 2010 and just changes the rear tyres yesterday after 62k. Front still good and the guy in Fast Fit said come back maybe the first week in Feb and we can see about the front pair then. Mine is fitted with Goodyear 225/55 17v run flats which cost €210 balanced & fitted yesterday. I had a Volvo XC90 before this car and again got over 60k on the tyres.
I do about 3500km per month and get slightly over 50mpg which is great compared to 30mpg with the XC90
I opted for the Auto transmission and Xenon light pack when I ordered the car and also included the electric tow bar which was a little exp at €1200 but proved handy once or twice. I also went with the service pack of €1300 to include all service costs except tyres. Already have had 2 services. No pads fitted yet - still 6mm on them
I am very please with the 520d and at 156 to tax takes the sting out of the running costs. If asked today i would buy another one
Again my 2p worth

That's great going on the tyres. Those Goodyear Eagle's are expensive but they really do last a very long time and they're fairly low resistant tyres so it adds to the MPG. That's great MPG you're getting on the auto, I have a manual 2010 520 and I get just over the 50mpg as well. Very pleased with that. Mine came with the service pack which is great. It's shrewd by BMW as they definitely make a nice margin from it. Standard servicing within the service pack timeframe might typically only add up to 400, if that and the basic pack is 600.

This is my 2nd 520D and I'm extremely happy with them. never had an issue (touch wood) bar suffering two punctures on the runflats which was strange. But never any mechanical, electrical issues. Lovely car to drive and the cabins are top class and really well put together.

Andrew33

I quite like the estate but I think the saloon is barely half a step up the CHAV ladder after the Passat.

jsd1004

kingstown wrote: »

Just came on this thread now and read where the guy only got 25k out of rear tyres and 40k on the front - cant believe it..

I bought a 520d in July 2010 and just changes the rear tyres yesterday after 62k. Front still good and the guy in Fast Fit said come back maybe the first week in Feb and we can see about the front pair then. Mine is fitted with Goodyear 225/55 17v run flats which cost €210 balanced & fitted yesterday. I had a Volvo XC90 before this car and again got over 60k on the tyres.
I do about 3500km per month and get slightly over 50mpg which is great compared to 30mpg with the XC90
I opted for the Auto transmission and Xenon light pack when I ordered the car and also included the electric tow bar which was a little exp at €1200 but proved handy once or twice. I also went with the service pack of €1300 to include all service costs except tyres. Already have had 2 services. No pads fitted yet - still 6mm on them
I am very please with the 520d and at 156 to tax takes the sting out of the running costs. If asked today i would buy another one
Again my 2p worth

Did you factor in the 10k per annum depreciation in the running costs?

Blazer

Andrew33 wrote: »

I quite like the estate but I think the saloon is barely half a step up the CHAV ladder after the Passat.

Audi driver by any chance?:rolleyes:

kingstown

All cars depreciate and new cars depreciate faster and by a larger amount - fact.

You have to weigh it up - pay for what you get and get on with it.

I tend to go for the most economical running cost type car in the sector I like to drive.
I cover big millage and have done for 30 years, I put up over 40k / 42k per annum currently (used to do over 60k) so a car thats reliable is important to me. I don't do downtime and in all the years never had any issues (except a manual transmission in a brand new 2001 A4) but for the usual services etc and a loan car always provided for the day.
I used to change every 2 years and have done for the last 28 years (14 new cars in that time period) but with the 520D I'll keep her for 3yrs or about 125k
Suppose I'm not a ''crafty consumer'' if i didn't factor in the 10K as you suggest - but I'll trade her again next year (2013) and I'll see what i can afford at that stage...........;)

tw0nk

kingstown, thanks for putting up your purchasing history, makes interesting reading, a few questions for you if you don't mind....

1. Since you do a lot of mileage, presumably you devalue the car quite a bit by the time you go to trade in, so your monthly repayments (500 or whatever) do not equate to much when you go to trade in. This leads me to wonder if you have looked at leasing as a viable option instead?

2. Out of all the different cars you have had, which brand was the best to deal with? From your post it looks like BMW are doing a pretty decent deal for a commuter (I travel 140km per day)

Thanks in advance

Andrew33

Blazer wrote: »

Audi driver by any chance?:rolleyes:

Definitely not!:rolleyes:
I don't "do" so called prestige brands that are more common than a Ford Focus.

Blazer

Andrew33 wrote: »

Definitely not!:rolleyes:
I don't "do" so called prestige brands that are more common than a Ford Focus.

reason they're so common is right now they're incredible value for your money.
I bought a 07 520d recently for 19.5k (can be got for cheaper but I plumped for 2 yr warranty etc) and it's a hell of lot of car for that money...
So a lot of people are taking the plunge and getting one of them.
In comparison to my last car that I bought new (2005 nissan primera) the 520D is miles ahead on power and more importantly comfort. Worlds apart in fairness.

kingstown

I bought 5 A4 Audi's over the years and found both the dealer and the car to be outstanding. Before that had 3 Mitsubishi Gallants and before that had 2 Ford Sierra's & 1 Escort.
I have no problem recommending Audi to anybody, but I just felt after 5 Audi's a change was needed.

Then went to Volvo, S60 2.4d SE Auto lovely car and then changed for a XC90 Exc Auto which again was a lovely car and keep it for 3 years. Not an ounce of bother from either model.

I suppose with the introduction of the lower car tax and the cost of fuel, I was going to change for a S80 but was invited to test drive the 520d at a dealer open day in March 2010 and liked it over the 1.6d S80 and ordered one that day. Had to wait until July before it was in stock but found the BMW dealer OK to deal with.

Andrew33

Blazer wrote: »

reason they're so common is right now they're incredible value for your money.
I bought a 07 520d recently for 19.5k (can be got for cheaper but I plumped for 2 yr warranty etc) and it's a hell of lot of car for that money...
So a lot of people are taking the plunge and getting one of them.
In comparison to my last car that I bought new (2005 nissan primera) the 520D is miles ahead on power and more importantly comfort. Worlds apart in fairness.

And in order for them to be quite common now???? They were quite common when they were new!! As I said, I quite like the Touring but every council estate has a hape of 520d saloons.

Benny Cake

Andrew33 wrote: »

I quite like the estate but I think the saloon is barely half a step up the CHAV ladder after the Passat.

You must have very fancy "chavs" round your area!!

Gumbo

Andrew33 wrote: »

And in order for them to be quite common now???? They were quite common when they were new!! As I said, I quite like the Touring but every council estate has a hape of 520d saloons.

Every council estate has a house in it too, doesnt stop people buying them :rolleyes:

Are you really gona take your narrow minded opinion into a motoring forum?

Andrew33

Andrew33 wrote: »

............ As I said, I quite like the Touring but every council estate has a hape of 520d saloons.

So only chavs live in council estates? Aren't much of the houses in so called "council estates" privately owned these days anyway?

Gophur

Andrew33 wrote: »

........ every council estate has a hape of 520d saloons.

That's not true!

(I assume you were trying some sort of put-down, with your derogatory use of "council estates" term?)