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2010 E61 535xi..what would you do?

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e61 turbo.
3K views 18 replies 10 participants last post by  smaglik 
#1 ·
2020 marks 20 years I have been driving 5 series wagons. My 2010 535xi is my 3rd. I love wagons and it fit's my lifestyle, hauling music gear perfectly and so much fun to drive.

My current 535xi will be turning 200K miles soon and the car runs great except for the turbo wastegate issues that plague these models. I would readily invest in another 5 series wagon, but as you know, they won't be coming to the USA as far as I know.

I am somewhat of a DIY but not when it comes to big engine stuff (i've replaced the wiring harnesses to the tailgate, the multi-antenna, refilled the hatch hydraulics, etc). I have a decent indy but he doesn't want to rebuild the turbo due to offering his personal warrantee so he and/or the dealer only want to do a full turbo replacement. The dealer actually looked me in the eye and said $7K to replace the turbo.

So I am asking what you think my options are...should I just move on from 5 series wagons to Mercedes or BMW X4/X5? Do you think the wastegate adjustments I've read about (spacers, adjusting the nut 3 turns, etc) are worth trying? Would you try to find an indy who would rebuild the turbo? Pay for turbo replacement and hope for another 100K miles?

It might be time to move on the next big failure/repair. Thanks in advance for your opinions
 
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#2 ·
Maybe just me...my wife had a 2009 X5 and I have a 2006 530xi sedan with 6 speed MT. The X5 was fine and it had more room. My wife preferred the X5. It never was as much fun as my 530xi. We sold the X5 recently even though my 530xi was several years older.
 
#3 ·
I'm not sure the X5 has more room in any meaningful way, though. We were looking at X5s but found a nice 530xiT, and it seems "functionally larger". It's certainly got more cargo room with all the seats up (about 34 cubic feet vs. about 21 for the X5). The passenger compartment feels pretty similar - I suspect the difference is in the vertical height above the seats, which can be important if you're really, really tall... but there's plenty of room in my E61 for my average noggin. ;-)

The fact the 530xiT handles so much better and gets significantly better gas mileage made it a no-brainer, though finding a good one for sale is like finding a unicorn...
 
#4 ·
Is it your only car? I took my turbos out last year and had a local shop press out the wastegates and put in replacements. I don't mind turning a wrench. I did it in my own garage on jack stands. I'm happy to help if you have questions or anything. It was just lots of bolts to remove, wasn't really anything too tricky. Took a fair bit of time but I did it with 2 kids that were 3 and under. Took 2 days off work to take it apart. Right now with Corona is a great time (for me at least) as I just did a ton of work on my E46.
 
#9 ·
Everyone, thanks for your input on this, much appreciated. kd7iwp, no this is not my only car and I could afford to not have it running for a couple of weeks. I would be very interested in an general overview of how you removed the turbos and anything to look out for or new parts that would be required for installation (i.e. things that cannot be reused) or any special tools required.

Thanks so much in advance.
 
#6 ·
Really unrelated, but this is why I looked for the "boring" model (the 2006 530xiT) for my wagon. 90% of the miles on the car are interstate-style road miles, and as much fun as a V8 (or 10!) or turbos can be, it's just not worth it for me. I'd listen to kd7iwp's advice and consider a DIY turbo swap on your car. If you can get another 100,000 miles out of it, it's all gold.

FWIW, I did have a Volvo V70 T5 (the high pressure turbo with lower-profile tires and better suspension), and it was fun to drive. It was a lot more of a sleeper than an E61, which was fun, too. My grandkids (sub-10 at the time) loved the tailgunner seats. But they outgrew those (small) seats, so we moved on to a 7-passenger SUV. We don't need that many seats any longer, so the 530 wagon is the perfect solution.
 
#7 ·
2020 marks 20 years I have been driving 5 series wagons. My 2010 535xi is my 3rd. I love wagons and it fit's my lifestyle, hauling music gear perfectly and so much fun to drive.

My current 535xi will be turning 200K miles soon and the car runs great except for the turbo wastegate issues that plague these models. I would readily invest in another 5 series wagon, but as you know, they won't be coming to the USA as far as I know.

I am somewhat of a DIY but not when it comes to big engine stuff (i've replaced the wiring harnesses to the tailgate, the multi-antenna, refilled the hatch hydraulics, etc). I have a decent indy but he doesn't want to rebuild the turbo due to offering his personal warrantee so he and/or the dealer only want to do a full turbo replacement. The dealer actually looked me in the eye and said $7K to replace the turbo.

So I am asking what you think my options are...should I just move on from 5 series wagons to Mercedes or BMW X4/X5? Do you think the wastegate adjustments I've read about (spacers, adjusting the nut 3 turns, etc) are worth trying? Would you try to find an indy who would rebuild the turbo? Pay for turbo replacement and hope for another 100K miles?

It might be time to move on the next big failure/repair. Thanks in advance for your opinions
I wouldn't spend more money on this car unless you kept everything else in top shape. Meaning all new suspension, newish cooling system, no engine leaks, 6k oil changes and so on.

I would check out the 6 series GT. It has a big trunk with fold down seats, like the wagon. I enjoy driving the X5 as well.
 
#8 ·
There are certain problems with the engines. On the 535 model, this is especially noticeable. In the production of M62, a nickel coating was also used, but in parallel with it, a coating with alsil was also used - a stronger and more reliable material that sulfur did not act on. Some believe that these are the best sedans that were. Unfortunately, this is probably true, because then it was at a high level.
 
#11 ·
I would fix it but I really like the E60/E61 cars. Our 2008 535xi is over 220k miles now. We bought it at 160k and the turbos are fine. I can't tell what work was done before we got it. A good BMW indy could replace turbos for less than the dealer. Our wagon is a 530xiT and I do miss the N54 but it still goes zoom and is a delight to drive. As mentioned above, there's a **** 100k left in it.
 
#14 · (Edited)
These cars can be money pits. It might be time to trade up unless you're willing to put in some work.

In my wagon, with the rear seats folded down, I have six feet of usable space from the back of the seats to the tailgate, about 3 ft wide and 30" high, IIRC. It's a bit smaller than an SUV would be, but it's certainly a very utilitarian vehicle. It all depends on your needs. Personally I don't like the interior on the X5's and that's enough for me to never own one. I'd rather get a Honda Odyssey, or whatever they're making these days that can fit some 4x8's in the back.

Consider upgraded turbos if you want to speed it up: https://www.rbturbo.com/products/535i/535i
 
#15 ·
following.

I just plunked $6800 for a 101,000 2008 535xi wagon and brought her to the shop yesterday to get an inspection after registration.

Indy noticed the usual leaks, oil pan, filter housing, I have a bill for ~$6K to fix everything (includes new transmission pan and fluids that was also leaking, front control rods, and coolant reservoir tank that had some oil mixed in with the coolant).

It my first BMW and went into this eyes wide open and expected large repair bills, but man, spending ~90% of the purchase price right off the bat does hurt.
 
#16 ·
I'd ask them to prioritize repairs. Coolant reservoir has a tendency to split and dump coolant quickly which is very bad for a N54. The transmission should be attended to as well. If the leak is not severe I'd advise draining and refilling first. Drive 1,000 miles or so and then drop the pan. The seal around the electrical connector should be replaced when you do that. The oil filter housing leaks and drops oil onto the front of the engine. Sometimes the belt will slip off and drop behind the damper and get chewed up. Then the chewed bits enter the engine and screw loads of stuff up.

Prioritize and do the worst stuff first. Meanwhile read forums and get a Bentley Manual for it. Lots can be done as DIY if you have the time.

Your price seems very reasonable - so that is a good thing.
 
#17 ·
thanks man, I plan to do DIY all the easy/moderate tasks found in the "So you just brought an E60...." pdf. Appreciate the comment on pricing, I feel better knowing that it's a reasonable price considering that 1 week in, i already spent close to the purchase price... With a bit of luck and some preventive maintenance here on out, hope this will be the last of the expensive repairs for at least few years.
 
#18 ·
Yeah, I think you'll be able to do plenty of that. If you want to get to know your engine a little bit you can do the oil filter housing gasket (I personally don't think it's that hard, just have to remove a number of items. I think the front control arms (commonly called tension struts) should be quite easy for you as well.
 
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