I just left a deposit on a CPO 2010 535i xDrive wagon (29k mi) and had not done my homework thoroughly. This HPFP issue that is out there is really giving me second thoughts about purchasing it. I really feel like it's a crap shoot. Coming off a 2004 325xi wagon. Had my eye on two other CPO 2010 & 2011 328i xDrive wagons, but thought I'd go for the extra room and give myself a little luxury and power with the 535. Any thoughts/advice would be much appreciated. -Mike in NJ
Mike I wouldn't worry to much about the HPFP issues, BMW's recall for the pump has updated design that is a lot less likely to fail. And if it does fail there is a extended warranty on the pump and the turbo waste gate failures from BMW. CPO is really nice to have and covers over 10,000 items on your car. That car is quite fun to drive as well enjoy it.
Charlson Thanks for your quick and reassuring response. I was able to meet with a sales advisor at a separate dealership who is a friend of a friend and consequently the same dealership that the 535ix was originally leased through. Via my car fax vin, we were able to drill down deeper into the service history and spoke about the HPFP and the extended warranty on that part as you indicated. It also happens to be the dealership that I had regularly brought my 325xit to. So while they're not getting the sale, they will get my maintenance business. Looking forward to dialing everything in and picking up the car Thursday.
Charlson, Wondering if you could lend your two cents here... 1. I noticed that when (very) slowly coming to a stop, once stopped, the car feel as if it bounces front to back ever so slightly. I don't find the overall ride bouncy (my E46 '04 325xit had ACS springs & Koni sports so I'm probably used to a stiffe ride) and the E61 '10 535xit is a different animal which I'm just getting to know it as the days go by, but the only thing I could attribute it to is the rear "self-leveling" suspension. I just learned that the E61 wagon does not use traditional coil springs in the rear as the E60 sedan, but rather a pneumatic springs w/compressor. 2. Need to do something about the throttle lag. Prior car had the same issue for which I added Dinan auto trans as well as Stage 1 & 2 software. It sounds like the software Dinan has for the E60/E61 really adds punch, but at a price of approx. $1300-$1400. Do you know anyone whose utilizing the Sprint Booster to alleviate throttle lag or has installed the Dinan Stage1/2 software on their E60/61 and their general impressions? Thanks, -Mike
Mike, First your question about the lag issue. Yah that sounds like a Dinan price for software and they don't offer trans software for your vehicle. BMW does program there vehicles to be unresponsive in the low ranges so customer have that nice smooth ride that most demand. But you like the rest of us on here bought the car for the performance end of it compared to other vehicles out there. Sadly we get the short end of the stick on this unless you have an M with a sport button that changes the throttle mapping. There are really two directions you could go here depending on what your plans are with the vehicle. First is just fix the lag issue and the sprint booster will help in that department on the lower end and take off from a stop making the pedal more responsive and leave it the same as stock in the high end. This is done by modifying the accelerator pedal module signal to the DME (digital motor electronics). This does not increase any horse power at all just modifies the accelerator pedal signal to make the car more responsive. I personally have not driven one with it in there to my knowledge but I know some people who say they work awesome. Plus it only costs around 300 a fraction of what dinan is and it does come with a sport mode to make it even more responsive. Now the second option is of course dinan software which by all means isn't bad but what are you really getting for that high of a price. But with this option you will get your throttle mapping changed and the lag will be gone. But you will also get a HP increase because the software also remaps the other maps in the DME to help with boost and actually making more power. Plus it does come with a warranty and will work with any BMW warranty with out question. So like I said it really depends on if you want more power out of the N54 or just want the lag gone. Second is your bouncing issue. Can you explain this bounce a little more and some more details like how slow are you going? So when you come to a stop are you feeling the car jerk forward then backward slightly? Hope this helps and let me know if I can help in any other way Charlson
Charlson, Thanks for the great feedback on the software. I was aware of the unavailability for Dinan auto trans software for the car. I love the idea of better performance, but now with a little one, that's probably not the most wise decision. Definitely, a want rather than a need. If this was sub $1K I believe I'd be more willing to go for it. Maybe it's in the cards down the road somewhere. The throttle lag for me is plain frustrating. I'm not necessarily one to jam the pedal, but out of the driveway, from a stoplight, etc. it makes for a very uneven acceleration...like the car/trans is not responding to (subtle) changes in pedal input. With respect to the bounce, I had noticed it when I was creeping to a stop at a light and applied the brakes more forcefully than normal. They brakes are touchier than my old car, so I'm getting used to this also. The car seemed like water (not literally) was swishing back and forth. The kind of feeling you get when you carry a tray of water (for lack of a better analogy). It's only for a moment and then dampens out. I don't notice it any other time.
Mike For the bouncing issue I would make sure my thrust arms are not worn or leaking. These can basically make the vehicle feel when you come to a slow stop and do a quick jab on the brakes the chassis of the vehicle has stopped but the body is still moving forward. This of course depends on how bad the bushing are and if they are leaking oil then they will be covered by your CPO. Another thing is at slow speeds when coming to a stop there is a slight jerk from vehicles with your transmission this is normal basically what your feeling is the transmission decoupling itself so it doesn't cause drag on the engine and thus saving fuel and reducing emissions. I don't believe your having a issue with suspension mainly because the rear air ride is a monitored component from a control module and you would most likely have a fault. And if anything in the front was bad your ride quality would be bad all the time. Let me know what you decide with the lag issue interested in the hearing about how it changes the car. Charlson
Charlson, Is the hub bore different on an E60/61 than on an E39? I have a set of BBS RG-R 734 8.5Jx18 ET:38 and wondered if they could work on my car. I believe there is an offset difference, but a tech said that the bore was also too small on my BBS. They seem to be about 72mm. With respect to the rocking back and forth we discussed prior, going to address that at the next oil change, but I had read about something called auto soft stop which the E60/61 5 series has. Not sure if that has anything to do with it. Thanks Mike
Mike, The tech you talked to is correct the e60 hub is smaller than the e39. The auto stop feature that you mentioned is called NIC (neutral idle control) and I belive on your year vehicle that has already been programmed out but I will have to check to make sure on that. Thanks, Charlson
Carlson, Would the hub size on the E60/61 be equal to that on an E46? This is where I had the wheels mounted prior. Thought I'd be a shame not to use them, but if there's a safety/drivability concern using them on my E61, then maybe best to try and sell them and replace with proper fitting wheels. Mike
Mike Yes e60 and e46 wheels can fit each other but the size of the wheel that you are using may be and issue. But the hub and bolt pattern are the same. Here is a link with good info on hub size for all BMW's. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nUUNQyoesA Hope this helps Charlson
Charlson, Interesting link, though I'm not sure if it's what you intended. Nothing about wheels...per say. I looked into the wheels on my 535ix now. According to the 2010 5 Series Sorts Wagon Brochure for 535 i/ix, they're Style 277 7.5x17 ET:43, but www.realoem.com lists them as 8x17 ET:43. Either way, if my BBS are the same hub bore diameter as these OEMs and only 1/2" wider, 1" larger diameter and +5mm difference in the offset, would you feel these would be a poor choice to keep/not work on the car at all? -Mike
Mike Sorry about that wrong link not sure how that happened. Here is the correct link I meant to send you. The rear would fit ok with that offset but the fronts I'm not sure about with the 1/2" wider track and the positive offset you may have a rubbing issue while turning. Try a test fit on the fronts and turn the wheel lock to lock and see if they hit any of the wheel well plastics. As for safety of using larger wheels on this vehicle of course not but proper fitment is of course needed. Any time you use larger wheels it helps stability, braking, power delivery since there is more contact surface to the road. If you can use them I would highly recommend them BBS are some of the strongest designed rims out there and the improved item above are big bonus plus they just look cool. Like I said though not sure about fitment in the front with these. But there is talk on a lot of forums of people running 9.5 on there e61 and not having an issue but I have not seen this in person to confirm. http://www.bimmerforums.co.uk/forum/f83/bmw-wheel-hub-sizes-hub-centre-bore-sizes-et-offset-t7759/ Sorry about that mix up Charlson
Charlson, Thanks for the offset chart link 5 Series E60/61 = PCD 5x120 centre bore 72.5mm and M12x1.5 bolt thread. ET 15-32 Based on the above, it seems interesting that the OEM 277 wheels on my car are ET: 43. Knowing this, makes me more comfortable to try the BBS RG-R 734 18X8.5" ET:38 that I currently have. Just need shoes on them. http://www.bbs-usa.com/application-guide.cfm According to the BBS application guide the rims will fit. -Mike
