'08 550, hit 100,000 mile mark, quick review

I thought I would chime in and give a quick review of my 08 550 since I just crossed the 100,000 mile mark. All I can say is that this car has been a dream to own. It still runs incredibly strong and is still rock solid. not a cabin sqeak or a rattle. I bought the car as a certified pre-owend at 32,000 miles back in December of '10. Included in the deal was free maintenace and warranty up to 100k miles. I followed BMW's maintenance program and my dealer performed all work. 14-15k mile oil changes, brake fluid changed once, air filter change, in cabin filter change, scope and inspect car at every visit. 3 sets of rear tires and 2 sets of front. Replaced DLR with stock halogens. Both rear tail lights changed out. Just replaced spark plugs at 99,800 covered under maintenance plan. Oh, and i averaged 22.8 MPG (majority of my driving is highway). I plan on keeping this car another 100k miles. Sorry I don't have anything else to report but I guess that is a good thing. The last 68k miles for me have been rather uneventful but very fun at the same time

Good Job RED99HT.... Bimmers can cross 100K if well maintained and serviced.

Keep rocking!!

Excellent! Congratulations! It's good to know the 550 has been reliable. You drive a lot!

That's both awesome and reassuring to hear that you've had almost no issues up to 100K miles! Since those are very easy highway miles you're putting on it, 200K should be a cinch. I hope to have the same result as my mileage is mostly highway as well. I think I'm going to change my oil every 7500 out of fear of the potential issues with the valve stem seals, though..

Awesome!

Originally Posted by RED99HT

I thought I would chime in and give a quick review of my 08 550 since I just crossed the 100,000 mile mark. All I can say is that this car has been a dream to own. It still runs incredibly strong and is still rock solid. not a cabin sqeak or a rattle. I bought the car as a certified pre-owend at 32,000 miles back in December of '10. Included in the deal was free maintenace and warranty up to 100k miles. I followed BMW's maintenance program and my dealer performed all work. 14-15k mile oil changes, brake fluid changed once, air filter change, in cabin filter change, scope and inspect car at every visit. 3 sets of rear tires and 2 sets of front. Replaced DLR with stock halogens. Both rear tail lights changed out. Just replaced spark plugs at 99,800 covered under maintenance plan.

Must be a miracle, lot of folks here including myself at least change control arms much earlier than 100K. Not to mention various leaks from transmission, dynamic drive, engine, cooling system - especially following "BMW's maintenance program". Not to mention your shocks at 100K are dead for sure.

Originally Posted by hooch999

Must be a miracle, lot of folks here including myself at least change control arms much earlier than 100K. Not to mention various leaks from transmission, dynamic drive, engine, cooling system - especially following "BMW's maintenance program". Not to mention your shocks at 100K are dead for sure.

My thoughts exactly. . Good on you OP.


The 528i is supposed to be my economical DD, but I realize I'm going to be replacing a good amount of things before it hits 100k. Shocks will hopefully be the only thing outside of the warranty/maintenance plan though.

Originally Posted by hooch999

Must be a miracle, lot of folks here including myself at least change control arms much earlier than 100K. Not to mention various leaks from transmission, dynamic drive, engine, cooling system - especially following "BMW's maintenance program". Not to mention your shocks at 100K are dead for sure.

Well, I guess I'm just lucky, as for the shocks, their perfectly fine. I run around on mostly smooth NC highways and don't have to deal with potholes like you guys do up north.

Great to hear! You sure have put on some miles since you bought it. I bought my 2008 550i in July 2010 w/ 28k miles, and haven't even hit the 50k mile mark!

I'm kind of shocked that your car doesn't squeak or rattle...my door seals creak all the time, even on smooth roads! The seals have been replaced before, and I often maintain them with Gummi Pflege, but it hasn't done much good.

I haven't had any major issues, other than a faulty wiper control module which was replaced, a quirky SAT transmission, and rough idling. My services were handled by the dealer when needed, but I changed the oil with Mobil 1 0w-40 and OE filter in between the 15k miles OCI.

Originally Posted by RED99HT

, as for the shocks, their perfectly fine. I run around on mostly smooth NC highways and don't have to deal with potholes like you guys do up north.

Highly doubt they are fine, my car has been driven in south-east since imported from Germany, yet shocks are definitely out - they rarely survive past 70K miles especially on V8 cars.
Most likely you just got used to them since they loose dumping ability gradually.
To really test shocks you need special equipment which even dealers rarely have in this country.

Originally Posted by hooch999

Highly doubt they are fine, my car has been driven in south-east since imported from Germany, yet shocks are definitely out - they rarely survive past 70K miles especially on V8 cars.
Most likely you just got used to them since they loose dumping ability gradually.
To really test shocks you need special equipment which even dealers rarely have in this country.

I rode around in a 2012 528 as loaner for a day when the dealer changed out the plugs two weeks ago. When i first started driving in the 528 I immediately thought that my car rode and felt just as good. When I got my car back I concluded that my car my car felt just as comfortable and handled much better. This is why I know my shocks are fine.

My '05 545i has 92K miles and doesn't squeek or rattle.
I do have an occasional drip here and there.
I have been thinking about replacing my shocks as I figure they are probably worn, but I can't really tell as the car is so stiff it doesn't bounce at all.
If I go with an aftermarket performance shock how does the "sport" button stiffen them? Or does it?

Thanks for your testomony. I bought my 1999 528 in 2003 with just under 50K miles, for about 27K. Now at 180K with very minimal (and reasonable) replacement and maintenance. Wonderful car. Best investment I ever made.

Originally Posted by etip

My '05 545i has 92K miles and doesn't squeek or rattle.
I do have an occasional drip here and there.
I have been thinking about replacing my shocks as I figure they are probably worn, but I can't really tell as the car is so stiff it doesn't bounce at all.
If I go with an aftermarket performance shock how does the "sport" button stiffen them? Or does it?

I don't think the sport button has anything to do with the shocks. I believe it has to do with transmission shift points (holds gears longer), the aggressiveness of shifts, and throttle response.

Originally Posted by RED99HT

I don't think the sport button has anything to do with the shocks. I believe it has to do with transmission shift points (holds gears longer), the aggressiveness of shifts, and throttle response.

OK, thanks! For some reason I thought it stiffened the shocks too...
Glad to hear I can swap shocks and not impair the sport mode.