Perfectly Fine M5 Thread

[MjThind]

Originally Posted by ACG

Well that all depends on when a person purchased the car for example just after the warranty period expires of the previous owner who traded it in as that is when issues can arise.

I see many new owners come on here and in the first couple of weeks a symbol shows up and they freak out. Just give yourself time with the car, I am sure you will join the 1+ problem club

I wish I could join the problem club. I've been actively searching for the perfect beast for me, and what the problem is know every time I go to a dealer, once I find car that might be perfect for me, either the salesman(if one actually comes to me) tries to shoo me out of the car and/or the car has a elephant in the corner that wasn't mentioned in the ad. The next problem is when I look at a beast a salesman rarely approaches me with polite manner asking if I was looking to purchase a car, it usually "In your dreams kid" and then they go inside and lock the beast I was looking at, and its not like I'm wearing a hoodie/nike shirt of some sort and pair of gym shorts(nothing wrong with that's actually my preferred clothing), I'm usually wearing skinny jeans, some sort of collared shirt and either a gold or black watch. So lets when the perfect dealer and beast cross my way...

[gjs]

I purchased my car with 30k on the clock, now 143,000 miles. The only things I have had done is one clutch at 80k and regular servicing+ mainteneance untill recently where it has developed an issue.

[Fiftytwoeighty]

No warranty and no problems here at 62,xxx. I got her last July/August as my hwy "commuter" with 32,xxx, with full records from another board member.

Needless to say, in the last 11 months and 30,000 miles, she's been driven hard as a commuter and seen some track days, but she's always put away clean. I'm due to flush the diff and transmission the next time I'm in to see my Indy. I'm anal about her regular 3,000 mile oil changes. At 45,xxx I flushed the power steering and replaced the hoses. I've been through a couple sets of tires, which is normal. I just did a full brake job (pads and rotors) after my last track day. My control arm bushings took a beating at the track, so the mono balls are going in soon...but that's to be expected after 30,000 miles in 11 months.

She's not the most fuel efficient (like we care), but she sure makes my commutes to NorCal, Vegas, and Phoenix so much more fun. I'm on a plane about six months a year to all points of the compass, so when I have business within a days drive, I'm usually in the e60 flying low across the desert or carving my way through to Monterey and San Jose. The seats in the m5 are better than any First Class seat on any US domestic airline. My back loves me for that!

No Red or Yellow cog, because I have no SMG. I love my problem free after thought transmissionThree pedals and a 6 speed for me. Everything has been normal wear and tear. I did my due diligence before I bought my e60; the previous owner was just as anal about maintenance.

I couldn't be happier with my e60...well maybe if I had a larger gas tank...I know I know, 50/50 weight distribution, yada yada yada...

My e39 m5...same story as above...I'm knocking on 200,000 on the clock. Heck, I trust my e39 so much that I gave her to my retired parents to drive across the country.

[Iand112]

Originally Posted by MjThind

I wish I could join the problem club. I've been actively searching for the perfect beast for me, and what the problem is know every time I go to a dealer, once I find car that might be perfect for me, either the salesman(if one actually comes to me) tries to shoo me out of the car and/or the car has a elephant in the corner that wasn't mentioned in the ad. The next problem is when I look at a beast a salesman rarely approaches me with polite manner asking if I was looking to purchase a car, it usually "In your dreams kid" and then they go inside and lock the beast I was looking at, and its not like I'm wearing a hoodie/nike shirt of some sort and pair of gym shorts(nothing wrong with that's actually my preferred clothing), I'm usually wearing skinny jeans, some sort of collared shirt and either a gold or black watch. So lets when the perfect dealer and beast cross my way...

Well, I'm 23 and I know exactly what you mean. The only time I went to go look at one in person...(I swear the salesman was my age) kept giving me faces like "I know you cant afford this". He knew nothing about the car. He didnt even know it was a V10.

It was like an '06 with like 40k miles and was like 39k. I was well dressed and everything. it just pissed me off. I swear im about to buy mine sight unseen and just trust a respected dealer and PPI and ship it home. Or if something local comes up, secure it, then come to the dealership so I don't have to deal with that.

Are you young also? Honestly, I get treated the same way in the workplace. I work in the public sector and there is always atleast one person giving me a hard time for no reason besides to personally, what i feel, as being in a good place for my age.

[alpinamotorsport]

My 06 has 24k miles and it has honestly been the most reliable car I have ever owned. The only thing that was ever an issue was a rubbing noise that would occur when I turned right at slow speeds (parking lots) which thanks to this forum I discovered to be a differential fluid problem. I changed the diff fluid and the noise resolved within 300 miles. other than that--car is bullet proof.

[Jetpilot718]

108K on the clock and daily driven, pullin hard like a freight train. 00 E39 M5

[Sharpie12]

18k miles and 12 months later I'm happy to report that the beast is running healthy as ever. Much different when you buy your car new (my MY10 had 1900 miles when i bought it, it was a demo) and when you buy it used. I was the 3rd owner of my 2006 when my motor blew a few thousand miles into it.

[g_force_alt]

I bought my late '06 in '09, and now have 63k miles. Other than tires, fluids and other maintenance, the only thing that's been replaced (by me or the PO) is the alternator, battery and the steering angle sensor (which really didn't get replaced, but rather got cleaned and began working again). It's been a pretty reliable car.

When I bought it, I'd also looked at AMG E63s, and the AMGs I looked at had all had a bunch of repairs listed in their service history. Therefore, comparitvely, I think the M5 is more reliable.

I read the posts of people having gone through multiple SMG units, multiple clutches, or their car having been in the shop for weeks, and I can't help but think they've been the victim of incompetent sevice. Occasionally, someone is going to get a bad SMG, but if the tech is sharp enough to 1) correctly identify the problem and 2) correctly repair it, including correctly install the replacement part, the car should be fixed and on its way rather quickly and painlessly and should be unlikely to have the problem again. However, if the tech misdiagnoses the problem or whilly nilly replaces parts in an attempt to fix a problem he can't figure out, it makes the car look unreliable. Moreover, even if the tech is good the service advisor may be vapid and cannot meaningfully communicate the problem to the tech and the resolution to the owner. Combine a weak service advisor and tech, and you have a recipie for an unhappy owner. Unfortunately, I suspect that finding good techs who are smart enough to work on these cars and good service advisors who can communicate well is tough.

[Infamous Q]

I have owed my M5 Since April 25 at 1445 and had no issues with it. the only thing is I took off tyhe trim which trigger the airbag sensors...but out side of tghat she runs fine and sexy!!!!

[Sean_Mojadedi]

i purchased my late '06 in Jan. 2010 @ 41k miles, now at 57k miles and i havent had a single issue .
Actually, just last weekend i came back from a 600+ mile road trip with my family in the beast. I couldn't be happier!