[786forLife]

Alright,

I have made up my mind. The next car I want to get myself into is the E60 M5. I am 26 and single and have no need for so much car. But, I simply cannot think of another ride that I would want to be in for $60. When buying something so expensive, what is it that I should look out for?

1. Production Date: General consensus says post 3/06 builds are relatively problem free. Given that my budget is $60k, I cannot touch the '07 / '08 models. Will it be safe to get the late '05 or early '06 builds?

2. Service Records: What do I look out for in this department? Basically to see where the car has been and what probs its had? Whats a red flag to look out for?

3. SMG Recall: If this has been done, great. If not should I call local dealer and give them VIN to see if they'll do it?

4. Extended Warranty: This comes into play after 4yr/50k warranty right? Is the dealer warranty best here?

 

[Gustav]

Welcome!

 

[786forLife]

HI Gustav,

how do you do? i believe u are the moderator/admin. nice to meet ya.

 

[JoeClothing]

Well, your not going to find an 05 unless your in europe. Shop around and you should be able to find a car for $60K. Just realize that it will be coming out of warranty soon and you will have to find an aftermarket company to deal with. A warranty is an absolute must with this car.

 

[786forLife]

Joe,

Can you recommend good after market warranty companies?

 

[MRichmond]

Any dealer should be able to tell you exactly what bulletins/recalls have been done on any car using the VIN. As long as the (1) Vanos oil line and (2) SMG hydraulic pump services were done, there is no reason to stay away from early '06 models. My September 2005 production has been bulletproof for over 31,000 miles. Welcome and enjoy.

 

[JoeClothing]

unfortunately I don't know of any other after market warranties. Do a search though because I believe a few others purchased them.

 

[shinderdp]

get the m5, its sick. Im 22 and I love it. I just got exhaust and now its super sick. Do know that the gas mileage totally sucks though...

 

[jasdad]

same here

I went through the same experience. I just leased an 06/M5. actually I just drove it home from the dealer last night. mine was produced 09/2005 and very clean with out any history of mechanical or transmission failures. The dealer provided full service history and all recalls were done (vanos, smg pump, optical sensor). I was a little worried after searching this forum specially SMG failures. This is why i leased it under full warranty until the day i return it. I am not worried, I am sure there are a lot of satisfied 06 M5 owners out there. I think the car is great and you will enjoy it just like me and I am 36. I am just a little disappointed that today and tomorrow are going to be so bad weather wise in chicago preventing me from enjoying her right away.
good luck anyways

 

[tonyracerX]

Any dealer should be able to tell you exactly what bulletins/recalls have been done on any car using the VIN. As long as the (1) Vanos oil line and (2) SMG hydraulic pump services were done, there is no reason to stay away from early '06 models. My September 2005 production has been bulletproof for over 31,000 miles. Welcome and enjoy.

I picked up a 9/05 production M5 last week, but none of the service records reflect the Vannos oil line or SMG pump serviced. The car was trouble free for the the previous owner for 13,000 miles and was in the dealer only twice over two years.

Are these open campaigns that I should go to the dealer to demand have performed? Should I be worried?

Thanks
Tony

 

[JoeClothing]

^ Yes, those are recalls that should have been performed under warranty.

 

[tonyracerX]

^ Yes, those are recalls that should have been performed under warranty.

If they were not performed by the original owner, will they remain open recalls until I bring the car into the dealer and covered under warranty up until the factory 4/50k expires? Did all early 2006 M5's have the same recalls?

The reason I ask, is because I am waiting for a service to be required before i bring it in and then give them a laundry list of things to perform at the same time including any open recalls. Shouldn't the dealer have insisted these recalls be performed when the original owner took the car in for an oil service last year?

Do you feel I need to take the car in immediately for the recalls or can I wait for until it needs service?

Thanks!

 

[JoeClothing]

you can probably wait. The original owner should have done it. Oil change intervals are spread far apart so the owner may have disregarded the service bulletins and not taken care of it.
Best thing to do is just call your SA and ask him.

 

[MRichmond]

If memory serves, the Vanos line was a bulletin that should be performed on each car within the affected VIN range. The SMG issue started as a bulletin that called for repair only when the car showed a cog warning and after the dealer ran through an extensive diagnostic procedure under BMWNA's direction. Later, I think this changed when BMWNA sent out a letter to owners, but here is where my memory gets faint. I think the bulletins are posted here. The best thing is to find them and present them to the dealer.