[redheep]

Gentlemen,

Looking for a little help with a car purchase. I'm looking at a 08 535xi with an auto at a local dealership owned by a friend of mine. The VIN is WBAPT73588CX02077. It has 72k miles.

I've read the pdf and poked around the forums a bit, so I know most of the obvious things I should be looking for. My wife owned a R53 MINI for 10 years, so I have some experience poking around body control modules and other BMW things. I already own a Bavaria Technic scanner.

Is there anything specific I should be looking at with the scanner besides diagnostic codes? I've seen a few posts about electric water pump flow, etc. Like I said, the dealer is a friend of mine and I know where the car has been, but there's not a lot of information on servicing, so I know I'm in for a chunk of change when I bring the car home. I'm not looking for boring and slow, I'm looking for a luxury performance family car, so I'm willing to do the preventative maintenance that it needs.

I'm an aircraft mechanic by trade and I've been in the jeep/offroad hobby for a long time, so most of the maintenance will be DIY. Just trying to learn from you guys about specific things I should be looking for before I pull the trigger.

Thanks
Josh

 

[twh]

That car will be a great car to drive. And, you already know what may or may not be in store and you can do most of it yourself and even if you can't, you know were to go. I think that year has two turbos.

 

[skrelnik]

Nice, a wagon as well. The car is really fun to drive and just a general look around to determine if anyone messed with it. I would take the engine cover off to see how it looks underneath there, any oil stains/spills. Also the valve cover and oil filter housing areas to see if any oil is present.

If you do plan on keeping the car for a while, I refinanced my car through Pen Fed Credit Union so I could get the RT 66 warranty.

I would also recommend looking for a model which has the CIC instead of the CCC. There is a huge difference there.

Here is a link to see what came with the car - just type in the last 7 of the VIN - http://bimmer.work/

 

[kaane]

I would avoid the AWD version unless you really need AWD. Maintenance is a total pain on the Xi versions.

 

[skrelnik]

I would avoid the AWD version unless you really need AWD. Maintenance is a total pain on the Xi versions.

How is maintenance different than the non-awd? I have an AWD and haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary? It is more difficult to mod the car if you have an Xi due to the lack of available parts, but that is the only downside I see relative to the non-Xi.

 

[kaane]

How is maintenance different than the non-awd? I have an AWD and haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary? It is more difficult to mod the car if you have an Xi due to the lack of available parts, but that is the only downside I see relative to the non-Xi.

Try to replace the water pump or the turbos on the Xi version.

 

[skrelnik]

The space is a little tighter if you have AWD, or active steering, but those are not maintenance items, they are actual repairs. When I think of maintenance I think of a tune-up or changing gear oil.

 

[kaane]

The space is a little tighter if you have AWD, or active steering, but those are not maintenance items, they are actual repairs. When I think of maintenance I think of a tune-up or changing gear oil.

This is the N54, Water pump, Injectors, Walnut Blasting, Oil Cooler Gasket is Maintenance lol

 

[skrelnik]

This is the N54, Water pump, Injectors, Walnut Blasting, Oil Cooler Gasket is Maintenance lol

I hear ya but these items, Walnut Blast, Injectors and OCG, are not more difficult to upkeep on the N54 AWD vs non-AWD.

The N54 requires maintenance, but I don't believe the AWD is more difficult at all. The water pump adds a little bit more time, but that's all. The turbos, well, that job sucks regardless.

 

[twh]

I have a 2006 xi. Maintenance is not bad. Did the water pump myself. It was tight, but not that bad. xi is really nice in snow and rain.

 

[chamilun]

definitely tight in there, but nothign terrible. I would get the rwd if awd is not needed tho.

honestly, the 528 is probably a much simpler engine

 

[redheep]

Appreciate the responses.

I live in NC right now, but I'm moving home to Ohio when I retire from the USMC next spring. AWD isn't a necessity, but I don't think the extra couple of hours doing maintenance will deter me from it. I really want a wagon (3 kids) and they're not very plentiful where I'm at, so finding one that's right down the road for sale from a friendly dealership is a big plus.

I don't know how to tell the difference between a CIC and a CCC, so if someone could point me in the right direction that would be cool. There's a whole new set of acronyms I have to learn.

I also own a 6.0 Powerstroke, so if you really want to talk about pain in the ass maintenance . . .

 

[chamilun]

I retire from the USMC next spring.

c'mon red, no one ever retires from the marine corp

 

[InsipidMonkey]

Did you read the comprehensive guide in this stickied thread?
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=731460

 

[wyb]

Did you read the comprehensive guide in this stickied thread?
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=731460

I believe that's what he means by 'read the pdf':

I've read the pdf and poked around the forums a bit, so I know most of the obvious things I should be looking for.

...
...

Thanks
Josh

hth

 

[InsipidMonkey]

I believe that's what he means by 'read the pdf':

Bah, I specifically looked to see if he mentioned the pdf and still missed it. My bad. It really is a great resource though.

This thread is also a good read: http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=380619

 

[redheep]

c'mon red, no one ever retires from the marine corp

You're probably right, although going from 70 hours a week to 40 hours a week as a civilian is basically like quitting my second job :thumbup:

Did you read the comprehensive guide in this stickied thread?
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=731460

I did and it's a good product. We need to put something together like that for our jeep club. It's a good example of a lot of information published so that the layman can understand it. It probably doesn't cut down on the new guy questions, but it's way better than members screaming "Search!" at new folks.

Bah, I specifically looked to see if he mentioned the pdf and still missed it. My bad. It really is a great resource though.

This thread is also a good read: http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=380619

Thanks for the link. I feel pretty confident that I can identify anything potentially catastrophic, but it's still a german car, so it needs routine love

 

[redheep]

Brought this car home yesterday. There's a few gremlins in it and it needs a serious detailing, but it's in very good shape and it's a southern car with no rust.

Thanks to everyone for the advice. I'll be sticking around to contribute as an owner.

 

[Norskie]

I don't know how to tell the difference between a CIC and a CCC, so if someone could point me in the right direction that would be cool.

You probably the CCC; the CIC didn't come along until 2009-2010.

http://www.sfbmwcoding.com/how-to-tell-if-you-have-a-bmw-ccc-or-a-cic-navigation/

There's a whole new set of acronyms I have to learn.

https://www.bmwsections.com/info/abbreviations.php

My other cars are 2005 and 2001 vintages; my 2010 535ix has so many gadgets and computer thingies that I'm sort of happy I didn't get all the bells and whistles. It's a brave new world....