Are BMW 3 and 5 series reliable?

lightspeed

Hi all

i currently have a 06 vw golf at high miles with 192,000 milles on her now.

Not giving me much trouble even now and its been quite reliable.

Given the high mileage and higer tax etc i thinking of getting new car and im looking at bmw 520 D.

i read mixed reviews as some say they are fine if serviced and others that they give some trouble and expensive to fix.

my question is if i buy 520 2015 onwards which i understand should avoid N47 timing chain issues and get it serviced reguarlly is it likely to be still less reliable than some like VW Golf?

Are they unreliable and costly to maintain after 100k miles?

I know i took the golf to main dealer and they wanted a fortune to fix some issues that local garge did for less than half the price. ive always gone to local mechanic without issue.

Can same be done with a BMW and keep costs to service a lot less?

I should mention i recently started new job and wont be driving as much so not expecting to put huge miles throughout the year.

id consider 3 series but i like leather seats on 520 which dont seem to come on 3 series.

Heres Johnny

Plenty of 3 series have leather, but not all as you have seen. I've had 3 and 5 series and I much prefer the bigger interior and more impressive cabin in the 5 over probably the more nimble 3 series.
I've a 5 series now and it's relatively fresh, 2014 with just 70k kms but it hasn't missed a beat in the 10k kms I've had it for.
I wouldn't say it's any more or any less reliable than a golf but will be a bit more to service and repair but not ridiculously more once you stay away from main dealers.
Would recommend but also if you want to stay in the volkswagen group I'd wholeheartedly recommend the A6 too, missus has one also a 2014 and has an even more impressive interior than the 5 series.

lightspeed

Heres Johnny wrote: »

Plenty of 3 series have leather, but not all as you have seen. I've had 3 and 5 series and I much prefer the bigger interior and more impressive cabin in the 5 over probably the more nimble 3 series.
I've a 5 series now and it's relatively fresh, 2014 with just 70k kms but it hasn't missed a beat in the 10k kms I've had it for.
I wouldn't say it's any more or any less reliable than a golf but will be a bit more to service and repair but not ridiculously more once you stay away from main dealers.
Would recommend but also if you want to stay in the volkswagen group I'd wholeheartedly recommend the A6 too, missus has one also a 2014 and has an even more impressive interior than the 5 series.

Good to hear but 10k isnt a lot and just hearing a lot of negativity around bmw even from mechanics. Im not sure though if that is due to timing chain issue on earlier models and just tarnished them all forever in the minds if some people,

i more worried that they are much more prone to big costly issues to be fixed than other cars. Yes id probably say i like the bmw inside and out more than audi but audi a6 or A4 especially from 2016 onwards has an exceptional interior.

2016 onwards is probably outside my budget but i would consider Audi if i didnt opt for bmw.

bazz26

The newer B47 engine appeared in the 5 Series towards late 2014 and will be listed as 190bhp rather than the N47's 184bhp. The B47 520d is also €200 to tax v €270 for the older N47.

None of these type cars are going to be cheap to fix if something big goes wrong - BMW, Audi, Mercedes are all the same in this regard. Remember that these cars cost around 40k to 50k when new and just because they cost a fraction of that price now doesn't mean they cost a fraction to repair too. Also things like tyres can be expensive enough and regular oil servicing is important. In saying all that if you buy the right one they can be as reliable as any other car. A comprehensive warranty is always a good investment though. I'm on my 3rd 5 Series and never had any major problems with any of them and my current 530d is just over 4 years old now.

lightspeed

bazz26 wrote: »

The newer B47 engine appeared in the 5 Series towards late 2014 and will be listed as 190bhp rather than the N47's 184bhp. The B47 520d is also €200 to tax v €270 for the older N47.

None of these type cars are going to be cheap to fix if something big goes wrong - BMW, Audi, Mercedes are all the same in this regard. Remember that these cars cost around 40k to 50k when new and just because they cost a fraction of that price now doesn't mean they cost a fraction to repair too. Also things like tyres can be expensive enough and regular oil servicing is important. In saying all that if you buy the right one they can be as reliable as any other car. A comprehensive warranty is always a good investment though. I'm on my 3rd 5 Series and never had any major problems with any of them and my current 530d is just over 4 years old now.

Can the warranty be bought for any used bmw including if i import from UK or is it only available if buying new from BMW garage?

Theboinkmaster

lightspeed wrote: »

Can the warranty be bought for any used bmw including if i import from UK or is it only available if buying new from BMW garage?

you can extend the BMW warranty no problem. Think they all come now with 3 years new or 2 years used and you can extend them across UK/Ire.

bazz26

lightspeed wrote: »

Can the warranty be bought for any used bmw including if i import from UK or is it only available if buying new from BMW garage?

You can buy an extended warranty from here - www.bmw-warranty.ie. They have a few different levels of warranty depending on price. The top level of warranty is pretty much the same as what a BMW dealer will give you. If extending a warranty on a car that has the BMW warranty approaching it's end then it's normally cheaper to just roll over but if the car is already out of BMW warranty then taking out the new warranty is expensive in the first year as the risk is higher for them as they don't know what was done to the car in that time frame.

nogoodnamesleft

I have the B47 engine and it hasn't missed a beat. Stay away from the manual gearbox the step auto is the only way to go with either the 5 or the 3 series. Professional idrive is also worth it. I also personally prefer the luxury variant over the M sport. They don't come with split fold rear seats in the saloon (its an option).

Regards costs, big issue for me is the run flats and the cost of replacement. Servicing costs from the dealer are eye watering (I was quoted 400 GBP) for a 60km service. In the Uk the aftersales for BMW is generally woeful (I have experience of this) as many others have detailed their experience.

https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/bmw.co.uk?page=4

I am used to working on my own cars and since mine is now out of warranty. I have recently picked up the service items to do mine (Bosch/Mann OE quality) approx 117GBP . So reasonable if your handy on the tools.

Badger2009

I've a 2014 320d just over 2 years now and I have put up approx 50k miles on it.

I've had to do nothing with it bar service and tyres. I get it serviced every 10k miles or less. I ignore the BMW service intervals which are crazy.

As others have said run flats are expensive. I recently replaced mine for €800.

Other than that it's a nice car to drive if a bit firm (18" wheels and run flats). It eats motorway miles with ease.

lightspeed

Badger2009 wrote: »

I've a 2014 320d just over 2 years now and I have put up approx 50k miles on it.

I've had to do nothing with it bar service and tyres. I get it serviced every 10k miles or less. I ignore the BMW service intervals which are crazy.

As others have said run flats are expensive. I recently replaced mine for €800.

Other than that it's a nice car to drive if a bit firm (18" wheels and run flats). It eats motorway miles with ease.

Thanks can you confirm do Bmw 5 or 3 series need run flat tyres?

ive seen others mention replacing run flat tyres particuarlly more for bmw. What advantage do they have other than giving you greater driving distance to get tyre replaced?

Would non run flat tyres work about the same and cost less?

The cost of €800 is that for an expensive brand and was that for all 4 tyres?

LillySV

lightspeed wrote: »

Thanks can you confirm do Bmw 5 or 3 series need run flat tyres?

ive seen others mention replacing run flat tyres particuarlly more for bmw. What advantage do they have other than giving you greater driving distance to get tyre replaced?

Would non run flat tyres work about the same and cost less?

The cost of €800 is that for an expensive brand and was that for all 4 tyres?

I have massive wide Goodyear tyres on my 19” alloys that I got online for around 160 each... so you have to pay to get someone to fit and align them too...so that price probably isn’t far off. In regard to run flats.... I’d say you would find it hard to find a used car where someone left them on ....theyre crap

nogoodnamesleft

lightspeed wrote: »

Badger2009 wrote: »

I've a 2014 320d just over 2 years now and I have put up approx 50k miles on it.

I've had to do nothing with it bar service and tyres. I get it serviced every 10k miles or less. I ignore the BMW service intervals which are crazy.

As others have said run flats are expensive. I recently replaced mine for €800.

Other than that it's a nice car to drive if a bit firm (18" wheels and run flats). It eats motorway miles with ease.

Thanks can you confirm do Bmw 5 or 3 series need run flat tyres?

ive seen others mention replacing run flat tyres particuarlly more for bmw. What advantage do they have other than giving you greater driving distance to get tyre replaced?

Would non run flat tyres work about the same and cost less?

The cost of €800 is that for an expensive brand and was that for all 4 tyres?

You can fit non run flats but the cost difference is only about 30 odd quid for premium branded tyres for run flat vs non run flat for the same brand and variant of tyre.

If you go non run flat you will need a spare unless you like the prospect of walking and there is place to accommodate the spare as the recess in the boot which can store a sparse has been repurposed to house the very large battery in the F10.

MetzgerMeister

I've had my F30 330d for 4 years now. . I bought it from Colm Quinn in Athlone and here's what I had to get fixed up to now:

- The horn in behind the front bumper had to be replaced - Covered by Warranty
- Front brake discs delaminated due to lack of use before I bought it. I bought the parts (OEM BMW discs and pads) and Colm Quinns covered the labour.

That's it apart from normal servicing.

I had a 2007 E92 335i before that and it cost me an absolute fortune to fix - both turbos replaced, door seals replaced, discs and pads all round and a few more bits. No warranty at all. I bought it from Sarsfield Motors and the Mapfre warranty it came with was only for "sudden failure" items.

LillySV

MetzgerMeister wrote: »

I've had my F30 330d for 4 years now. . I bought it from Colm Quinn in Athlone and here's what I had to get fixed up to now:

- The horn in behind the front bumper had to be replaced - Covered by Warranty
- Front brake discs delaminated due to lack of use before I bought it. I bought the parts (OEM BMW discs and pads) and Colm Quinns covered the labour.

That's it apart from normal servicing.

I had a 2007 E92 335i before that and it cost me an absolute fortune to fix - both turbos replaced, door seals replaced, discs and pads all round and a few more bits. No warranty at all. I bought it from Sarsfield Motors and the Mapfre warranty it came with was only for "sudden failure" items.

How did u find sarsfield motors ? Would u recommend or would you question the quality of cars on offer? Seen a car advertised there a week or two and wondering what they like

Heres Johnny

I was in sarsfield motors last week and they have some lovely stuff. However, buy the car not the dealer! Get it checked out yourself for peace of mind I've nothing further to add than they had nice cars on the forecourt.

maddness

I put 160,000 Kms on a 2014 520d (n47) in two and a half years and it never needed anything apart from routine servicing. I’m in a 435d now and so far so good.
My wife had a 2007 120d and it also never needed anything in over 100,000 kms and currently has a 2013 320d and again no issues whatsoever.
I’m sure plenty of posters here can give you horror stories about 3 and 5 series but my experience has been all positive so far.

LillySV

Heres Johnny wrote: »

I was in sarsfield motors last week and they have some lovely stuff. However, buy the car not the dealer! Get it checked out yourself for peace of mind I've nothing further to add than they had nice cars on the forecourt.

Yea I know nothing about them other than I like the look of afew cars they selling ...

In regard to considering the car and not the dealer...
Unfortunately some dealers are known to sell cars with continuously bad luck!! Lots of garages have been buying ****e in Uk and selling them here...clocked crashed ****e...hence my caution!

lightspeed

MetzgerMeister wrote: »

I've had my F30 330d for 4 years now. . I bought it from Colm Quinn in Athlone and here's what I had to get fixed up to now:

- The horn in behind the front bumper had to be replaced - Covered by Warranty
- Front brake discs delaminated due to lack of use before I bought it. I bought the parts (OEM BMW discs and pads) and Colm Quinns covered the labour.

That's it apart from normal servicing.

I had a 2007 E92 335i before that and it cost me an absolute fortune to fix - both turbos replaced, door seals replaced, discs and pads all round and a few more bits. No warranty at all. I bought it from Sarsfield Motors and the Mapfre warranty it came with was only for "sudden failure" items.

Would you be able to advise can you get BMW warranty for cars at 100,000 miles or above?

I did go onto the BMW warranty website and tried putting in vehicle registration for some BMW 520d models i seen for sale which were as recent as 2015 and it said it was not possible to provide quote. It did list number to call but ive not called them as of yet.

Just wondering if I do import BMW 520d can i get a warranty and typically for what price range and what is covered?

Does a mapfre warranty cover much more or less than BMW warranty?

bazz26

You have to ring them for a quote if it's a UK import and the reg doesn't show up on the site. Could be expensive to cover a car with 100,000 miles on it, if they will cover it at all.

MetzgerMeister

lightspeed wrote: »

Would you be able to advise can you get BMW warranty for cars at 100,000 miles or above?

I did go onto the BMW warranty website and tried putting in vehicle registration for some BMW 520d models i seen for sale which were as recent as 2015 and it said it was not possible to provide quote. It did list number to call but ive not called them as of yet.

Just wondering if I do import BMW 520d can i get a warranty and typically for what price range and what is covered?

Does a mapfre warranty cover much more or less than BMW warranty?

I'm not sure if you can even get a warranty for a car with such mileage.

A Mapfre warranty isn't something I would advise getting. From my experience of it it's something that dealers put on a car just to have a warranty and you'd be lucky to ever make a claim from it.

LillySV wrote: »

How did u find sarsfield motors ? Would u recommend or would you question the quality of cars on offer? Seen a car advertised there a week or two and wondering what they like

I bought 2 cars from them in the past - a 2007 Mazda6 MPS and a BMW 335i. The Mazda was fine apart from a slight knocking from the gearbox which was the clutch release bearing. Not their fault and a common issue. The BMW on the other hand was a nightmare. There was a loud ratchet type clicking noise coming from the engine which turned out to be the famous turbo issue. Sarsfields tried to tell me it was the heat shield. How they thought that would make sense is beyond me. I bought it anyway thinking it was no major deal but ended up costing me €2,000.00 to buy replacement turbos and have them fitted. The Mapfre warranty was absolutely useless.

Yes they do have nice stock but from the stories going around about them (none of which I will mention here) I would say caveat emptor.

Badger2009

The €800 was for 4 Bridgestone potenza run flats

LillySV

Sorry, hope I’m not hijacking thread... but just wondering if Bmw’s petrol are worse/as good/better than their Diesel engines? I was considering a petrol Bmw next time but see a lot of lads that have trouble with bmw seem to be with the petrol engines?

pale rider

I had a new 520d in 2007, changed it in 2008, both had timing chain failure before 100k miles, I know this as I put an extended warranty on both and the buyers came back to me for me to help with verifying the cars were serviced properly, they were, BMW washed their hands in both cases.

We also had a few mini's, the last petrol one had Timing chain failure at 60k miles cost me €1100, BMW/Mini not interested.

Lovely cars in warranty do not buy one outside warranty, there will never be a BMW in my drive again.

LillySV

pale rider wrote: »

I had a new 520d in 2007, changed it in 2008, both had timing chain failure before 100k miles, I know this as I put an extended warranty on both and the buyers came back to me for me to help with verifying the cars were serviced properly, they were, BMW washed their hands in both cases.

We also had a few mini's, the last petrol one had Timing chain failure at 60k miles cost me €1100, BMW/Mini not interested.

Lovely cars in warranty do not buy one outside warranty, there will never be a BMW in my drive again.

Do u mind me asking what u got since and what they like?

Peatys

My wife has an 08 320 coupe.
About 160kms on it.

Great car. And still love it as much as the day she bought it. Car hasn't skipped a beat.

In saying all that, there's not much point in taking a person's experience. There'll always be good and bad cars no matter the make. Bmw's attract the begrudger type as they're a bit more expensive, so they'll latch onto the horror stories.

If bmw's were generally unreliable, they'd be gone out of business by now.

pale rider

LillySV wrote: »

Do u mind me asking what u got since and what they like?

E250 in 2010, still have it, zero repair costs, just preventative maintenance.

My issue with BMW is that these chain faults were a known issue that they did not fess up to, fool me once.

bazz26

Audi/VW,Skoda/Seat had chain faults with some of their TSi petrol engines. Mercedes had terrible chain faults with their petrol Kompressor engines also so it's not unique to BMW as you are trying to suggest. I'm on my third BMW in a row and no major faults with any of them. I had a VW before that which required more expensive work than all three BMWs that followed it.

To summarize, if you have a bad experience with a particular brand then your not going to buy another one or recommend them. If you have a good experience then chances are you will stick with it and recommend it. Not everyone has the same experience.

LillySV

bazz26 wrote: »

Audi/VW,Skoda/Seat had chain faults with some of their TSi petrol engines. Mercedes had terrible chain faults with their petrol Kompressor engines also so it's not unique to BMW as you are trying to suggest. I'm on my third BMW in a row and no major faults with any of them. I had a VW before that which required more expensive work than all three BMWs that followed it.

To summarize, if you have a bad experience with a particular brand then your not going to buy another one or recommend them. If you have a good experience then chances are you will stick with it and recommend it. Not everyone has the same experience.

Yea I had a Passat petrol and broke my heart, my friend had a petrol golf and same thing, they made ( or still make?) **** petrol cars ... in the early noughties anyways. That’s why I’m wondering what the bmws are like in petrol form? They make great diesels but are their petrols as good ?