Looking very hard at a 2008 535xi touring - What do I need to know?

[Chubblez]

2008 535xi touring
78,xxx miles
Listed as premium and sport package

I'm already aware of the HPFP issues. What else should I know? I'm coming from a 2000 540iT w/ 190,xxx miles.

With the E39 / M62 I've done cooling system, alternator, vcg, diff, rear air suspension, and a double din installation on a DSP system (It's a pain in the ASS, don't do it). How "owner serviceable" is the E61?

Compared to the E39 / M62, how reliable is this car going to be?

~Chubblez

[Georgere]

(3/5)35 engine is known for wastegate issues, injector issues, and turbo issues, and of course HPFP. if it is N55, it is less issue prone. wastegates need to be cleaned (~60K miles), injectors replaced (100Kmi), turbos replaced (120Kmi), HPFP - it depends. Now this is of course not for every 535 but it is what I've seen reported by some forum people. IMO, these cars are even easier to keep then older generations (partscost aside of course). Way more sensors tell you about issues right on your dash. If you buy a diagnostics tool, you good to go.

[Chubblez]

What is the cost on the turbo's? I have no experience w/ FI, but the Bently manuals are useful. RealOEM lists the turbo at ~$2K. If I have to put $2K into it, and be down a week, I'm not sure I can do that, let alone get the wife to sign off on it.

Of course, no matter which route I go, it's getting a PPI.

~Chubblez

[Georgere]

What is the cost on the turbo's? I have no experience w/ FI, but the Bently manuals are useful. RealOEM lists the turbo at ~$2K. If I have to put $2K into it, and be down a week, I'm not sure I can do that, let alone get the wife to sign off on it.
~Chubblez

I've heard reports of $4-5K for dealer to do the work. Now, it is possible that Turbo issues are related to how the car was used or modded. Some people reported 150K+ without issues. Regardless, I would not buy x35 car for the reason of possible turbo failure. Hopefully BMW will improve the design in the now new/next generation of motors...

[ss109]

I've had two cars with N54s. The first car I had the turbos replaced around 10k miles. The second car (current) they were just replaced at 93k miles. Both times were covered under warranty. BMW is aware of the issue and extended the warranty coverage to 86k miles on them. I wouldn't hesitate to buy one. Honestly, I'm more scared of the transmission than I am the turbos.

[Chubblez]

I've had two cars with N54s. The first car I had the turbos replaced around 10k miles. The second car (current) they were just replaced at 93k miles. Both times were covered under warranty. BMW is aware of the issue and extended the warranty coverage to 86k miles on them. I wouldn't hesitate to buy one. Honestly, I'm more scared of the transmission than I am the turbos.

Turbo warranty? Or total warranty? My concern is that I'm going to be putting ~700 miles / week on it for at least the next 3 months. Beyond that, it'll still be my daily driver.

I've done some digging on Edmunds.com and the 2008/2009 5 series tend to be decent from what I'm seeing. How are the N54's / E61's for owner repair? Any better / worse then an M54 / E39?

[Georgere]

I've had two cars with N54s. The first car I had the turbos replaced around 10k miles. The second car (current) they were just replaced at 93k miles. Both times were covered under warranty. BMW is aware of the issue and extended the warranty coverage to 86k miles on them. I wouldn't hesitate to buy one. Honestly, I'm more scared of the transmission than I am the turbos.

Extended warranty on HPFP and turbos (1st time I hear about turbos though) is only upto certain mileage (and I think there is limited number of times it would be replaced during that time I believe). Anyway, what will you do with the car at 100K miles (rethorical question)? sell it? imagine how the price will drop when a buyer calculates turbo replacement cost into the price... N54/5 are great engines but to own a high mileage/age one, owner must either be lucky, have a little extra cash for maintenance/repair, or be mechanically inclined. my .02

[ss109]

Most buyers of the car are not on a BMW forum and will therefore known nothing about the turbo failure issues unless the seller notifies them. Having the turbos recently replaced would, naturally, be a selling point. Most buyers of this car would never factor in turbo replacement and probably don't even know the car has turbos.

[Proteus007]

We've owned a 2008 535xiT for the last two years. It has 96k KM on it right now, and we bought it off CPO. Since it was one of the first twin-turbos, it seemed to have some challenges.

The dealer history noted the HPFP change. However, we've had no issues with it since we bought it. We had one recall notice about a battery cover. I also had the spark plugs changed under the original warranty.

Issues I had researched before buying it were the ones mentioned earlier in this thread - clogging of the sunroof drains (requires regular maintenance), tailgate wiring.