2005 E60 BMW M5 1-year review
Discussion
So, I have had a 2005 BMW E60 M5 for one year (the launch blue colour with the white inside, exactly like the one Tiff Needel reviewed on 5th gear) and I thought I would share what I have learnt and give and honest view of the car. I felt like sharing this info as I have looked at many forums where you tend to get the two extremes of views, ranging from “It’s the worst car ever, and absolute money pit don’t buy it”, to people saying “Mine has 150k miles on it and only ever done the normal serving and its fine, don’t know what people are worried about”. I think the truth is not so extreme, but certainly in my case more towards the latter is true, which is a good thing.
I know on this forum I know most of what I am about to say is obvious, but hopefully it will help somebody.
So, for reference mine is a 2005 pre face lift E60 M5, now with 81k miles on it, and when I got the car it had something like 76k miles on the clock.
The buying experience: So to be clear I ended up getting mine from http://www.pescaracars.com/ they were amazing and I would 100% recommend them.
My purchase logic, so a brand-new fiesta ST is something like £22/24k for the topped-out version, my M5 cost me much less than that with enough left in the back for some serious slap in the face service costs, and guess what, the M5 will still be the same price in a year assuming I keep it serviced and maintained properly.
Ok so when looking for an M5, my god I saw some dodgy examples, from dealers saying yeah its got a full service history and me turning up to look at a car to only find a stamped log book with no other receipts at all, to the other side of things where I eventually found a car with literally a full log book, and no joking and inch of paper work for everything the car had over its life, so here are my top tips for M5 purchasing:
If you only read one thing here:
Verified service history is king, if it the choice between a car with less miles on it lets say 50k at £20k or a car with 80k miles on it even at the same price, if the car with 80k miles has all the service history to back it up, all things being equal go for that one. There are some big service costs between 40k miles and 70k thousand, don’t be tempted by the lower mile car with limited service history.
Second thing to read:
It’s a big powerful car, you WILL get some high service costs at some point. Yes, it is a performance bargain, but with great power comes some big costs. Don’t be an idiot and complain you need to spend £200 on an oil change, or over £1k on brakes, guess what no sh*t sherlock it’s not a fiesta ST.
• Tyres, if when you even first turn up to look at the car it has let’s say Kumho tyres on it turn around and walk away. The M5 is a big heavy powerful car, if the previous car owner could not afford something better than this, odds on they have not done things like oil changes properly. I am not saying the car need the ubber expensive Pilot Sports etc, but it does need something half decent.
• Normal break lip and SMG checks. Ideally start the car from cold, and trying setting selecting reverse and 1st. Listen for any noises you may notice from under the bonnet. I don’t care what anybody says, it should be silent.
• Check the oil level, its easy from the left driver stalk using the electronic system (more on this later), it should be in the middle of the level ideally, ask the previous owner how much oil it uses. This car will use oil, they should know what it is off the top of their head as they will be buying it once a month with normal usage and know how to top it up.
• Ask the owner about launch mode, if they are eager to show you, walk away. This means they have used it more than once, and this puts a high strain on the SMG, and drive train. By now the M5’s are old cars, and the old girls need to be treated with a bit of respect.
• Check the service schedule from the iDrive, although be warned all these are easy to reset. So if not buying from a garage, ask to see proof of work carried out. Actually, even if buying from a garage ask to see proof of work carried out.
• Check the sunroof works correctly and see if there is excessive wind noise at speed. Yes there will be a little noise, but if it sounds like a force 9 storm it needs to be sorted out.
• If you can afford it get a car pre check at BMW (or where you trust), beyond the normal checks for an M5 I have recently found that the rear bushes on my car may need replacing, this is not cheap. So if you can and are able get the underside of the car checked for excessive play in this area do so.
• All electrics should be fine, if not, walk away. There are plenty examples where everything should work, again I think if the previous owner has not bothered to fix something what else have they missed.
• I think that is it really, if you are confident in the dealer, and the car is clean with a good service history that is as much as you can hope for.
Although I would say, if you can get a 6 or ideally 12-month warranty on your car, that would not be a bad thing, see below:
One year review:
To start with the car is amazing, full stop. She is an amazing girl, I do not regret getting it at all and neither will you, but that said they are getting old.
Things that have gone wrong:
• Ignition coil for the key meaning the car would not start with the key, and it would take several attempts to start the car, this needed a new ECU and starter motor replacement
• The bonnet alarm sensor (common to the 5 series in general from this era) basically the alarm would go off all the time, it turned out BMW used a crappy switch for the bonnet alarm. This was an easy fix and replacement.
• I was getting all sorts of strange issues and error messages on iDrive, with the car actually at one point losing all electrical systems as I was driving. This turned out to be a battery issue, so I replaced this and it has been fine ever since.
• I think I am going to need new bushes on the rear of the car based on wear and tear, and excessive movement taking place. She is an old heavy powerful car, this comes with the territory from what I have read.
Things I have learnt:
• Do not use the SMG in auto mode for several reasons:
• The system will ride the clutch all the time causing excessive wear and tear, drive the car on the paddles as you would drive a manual car.
• SMG in auto is rubbish full stop, its not smooth and based on how SMG works it gets confused and reports all sorts of horrible looking errors on the dash. DON’T DRIVE THE SMG IN AUTO.
• The car will use oil and this is normal, I do many short trips and I get through about 1 litre a month like clockwork.
• Don’t try and upgrade the iDrive and entertainment system for iPOD connectivity, this means dash out job, and all sorts of potential issues with the system itself. The iDrive is between the older versions, and the new systems and as such is not fully compatible, best listen to the radio or use the CD aux input and leave well alone for anything else.
• If you drive like a tit, you will get big service costs, don’t really know how to say that any better TBH. Be kind to the old girl and she will be kind to you.
• The electronic dip stick, I have read so many forums with people complaining about this, and I don’t know why, it makes it really easy. Basically, you get a digital display showing how much oil at a certain level is in the car. If you drop towards 0.3/0.2 litres stick oil it to take it back up to 1Litre, but please note, you WILL need to drive the car for about 15/20 mins for the new level to register. Other than that, its easy, it really is.
Eyes wide open costs:
Ok so based on all I have read I AM expecting to do this between now and 100k miles:
• Clutch and fly wheel, this will need replacing at some point.
• Spark plug and oil changes
• Diff oil
• Tyres as normal
• SMG Pump (if I drive like a tit)
This is an M5, you need to be honest with yourself, its not a Fiesta, don’t complain about these, there are plenty of forums and posts that cover “My God costs” but as I said at the start, don’t be a tit and complain about known costs.
The fun bit, the YouTube videos that cost me a fair amount of wedge:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmPsViUGf8Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnZVkdzXzFQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXCMiYKAwyY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCp5y8LJRrc&t=...
I know on this forum I know most of what I am about to say is obvious, but hopefully it will help somebody.
So, for reference mine is a 2005 pre face lift E60 M5, now with 81k miles on it, and when I got the car it had something like 76k miles on the clock.
The buying experience: So to be clear I ended up getting mine from http://www.pescaracars.com/ they were amazing and I would 100% recommend them.
My purchase logic, so a brand-new fiesta ST is something like £22/24k for the topped-out version, my M5 cost me much less than that with enough left in the back for some serious slap in the face service costs, and guess what, the M5 will still be the same price in a year assuming I keep it serviced and maintained properly.
Ok so when looking for an M5, my god I saw some dodgy examples, from dealers saying yeah its got a full service history and me turning up to look at a car to only find a stamped log book with no other receipts at all, to the other side of things where I eventually found a car with literally a full log book, and no joking and inch of paper work for everything the car had over its life, so here are my top tips for M5 purchasing:
If you only read one thing here:
Verified service history is king, if it the choice between a car with less miles on it lets say 50k at £20k or a car with 80k miles on it even at the same price, if the car with 80k miles has all the service history to back it up, all things being equal go for that one. There are some big service costs between 40k miles and 70k thousand, don’t be tempted by the lower mile car with limited service history.
Second thing to read:
It’s a big powerful car, you WILL get some high service costs at some point. Yes, it is a performance bargain, but with great power comes some big costs. Don’t be an idiot and complain you need to spend £200 on an oil change, or over £1k on brakes, guess what no sh*t sherlock it’s not a fiesta ST.
• Tyres, if when you even first turn up to look at the car it has let’s say Kumho tyres on it turn around and walk away. The M5 is a big heavy powerful car, if the previous car owner could not afford something better than this, odds on they have not done things like oil changes properly. I am not saying the car need the ubber expensive Pilot Sports etc, but it does need something half decent.
• Normal break lip and SMG checks. Ideally start the car from cold, and trying setting selecting reverse and 1st. Listen for any noises you may notice from under the bonnet. I don’t care what anybody says, it should be silent.
• Check the oil level, its easy from the left driver stalk using the electronic system (more on this later), it should be in the middle of the level ideally, ask the previous owner how much oil it uses. This car will use oil, they should know what it is off the top of their head as they will be buying it once a month with normal usage and know how to top it up.
• Ask the owner about launch mode, if they are eager to show you, walk away. This means they have used it more than once, and this puts a high strain on the SMG, and drive train. By now the M5’s are old cars, and the old girls need to be treated with a bit of respect.
• Check the service schedule from the iDrive, although be warned all these are easy to reset. So if not buying from a garage, ask to see proof of work carried out. Actually, even if buying from a garage ask to see proof of work carried out.
• Check the sunroof works correctly and see if there is excessive wind noise at speed. Yes there will be a little noise, but if it sounds like a force 9 storm it needs to be sorted out.
• If you can afford it get a car pre check at BMW (or where you trust), beyond the normal checks for an M5 I have recently found that the rear bushes on my car may need replacing, this is not cheap. So if you can and are able get the underside of the car checked for excessive play in this area do so.
• All electrics should be fine, if not, walk away. There are plenty examples where everything should work, again I think if the previous owner has not bothered to fix something what else have they missed.
• I think that is it really, if you are confident in the dealer, and the car is clean with a good service history that is as much as you can hope for.
Although I would say, if you can get a 6 or ideally 12-month warranty on your car, that would not be a bad thing, see below:
One year review:
To start with the car is amazing, full stop. She is an amazing girl, I do not regret getting it at all and neither will you, but that said they are getting old.
Things that have gone wrong:
• Ignition coil for the key meaning the car would not start with the key, and it would take several attempts to start the car, this needed a new ECU and starter motor replacement
• The bonnet alarm sensor (common to the 5 series in general from this era) basically the alarm would go off all the time, it turned out BMW used a crappy switch for the bonnet alarm. This was an easy fix and replacement.
• I was getting all sorts of strange issues and error messages on iDrive, with the car actually at one point losing all electrical systems as I was driving. This turned out to be a battery issue, so I replaced this and it has been fine ever since.
• I think I am going to need new bushes on the rear of the car based on wear and tear, and excessive movement taking place. She is an old heavy powerful car, this comes with the territory from what I have read.
Things I have learnt:
• Do not use the SMG in auto mode for several reasons:
• The system will ride the clutch all the time causing excessive wear and tear, drive the car on the paddles as you would drive a manual car.
• SMG in auto is rubbish full stop, its not smooth and based on how SMG works it gets confused and reports all sorts of horrible looking errors on the dash. DON’T DRIVE THE SMG IN AUTO.
• The car will use oil and this is normal, I do many short trips and I get through about 1 litre a month like clockwork.
• Don’t try and upgrade the iDrive and entertainment system for iPOD connectivity, this means dash out job, and all sorts of potential issues with the system itself. The iDrive is between the older versions, and the new systems and as such is not fully compatible, best listen to the radio or use the CD aux input and leave well alone for anything else.
• If you drive like a tit, you will get big service costs, don’t really know how to say that any better TBH. Be kind to the old girl and she will be kind to you.
• The electronic dip stick, I have read so many forums with people complaining about this, and I don’t know why, it makes it really easy. Basically, you get a digital display showing how much oil at a certain level is in the car. If you drop towards 0.3/0.2 litres stick oil it to take it back up to 1Litre, but please note, you WILL need to drive the car for about 15/20 mins for the new level to register. Other than that, its easy, it really is.
Eyes wide open costs:
Ok so based on all I have read I AM expecting to do this between now and 100k miles:
• Clutch and fly wheel, this will need replacing at some point.
• Spark plug and oil changes
• Diff oil
• Tyres as normal
• SMG Pump (if I drive like a tit)
This is an M5, you need to be honest with yourself, its not a Fiesta, don’t complain about these, there are plenty of forums and posts that cover “My God costs” but as I said at the start, don’t be a tit and complain about known costs.
The fun bit, the YouTube videos that cost me a fair amount of wedge:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmPsViUGf8Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnZVkdzXzFQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXCMiYKAwyY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCp5y8LJRrc&t=...
Good summary. I’ve had an M6 now for 6mo & no issues to date.
One query though - you say adding ipod is a pain? There’s an OEM alpine converter kit that replaces the cd-changer in the glovebox. Took me about 40 minutes to do.
OK, it isn’t the best conversion ever - it thinks it’s still a cd changer, so cd1 = playlists, cd2 = album, cd3 = artist, etc... but it’s better than having to swap discs - imo.
If I ever get around to buying a second ipod, I’ll do it on my 7-series too.
Are the M5 / E60 that different that it’s not the same thing? I’m curious.
In terms of oil usage, I topped up about 100miles after buying, and it’s now at the 0.3l level, 2400 miles later. Maybe I’m lucky in terms of it not using much oil? A sample size of one isn’t representative anyway...
Absolutely right about the auto mode, it’s all kinds of rubbish. I didn’t buy this car to sit in traffic though, that’s what the 7 is for...
One query though - you say adding ipod is a pain? There’s an OEM alpine converter kit that replaces the cd-changer in the glovebox. Took me about 40 minutes to do.
OK, it isn’t the best conversion ever - it thinks it’s still a cd changer, so cd1 = playlists, cd2 = album, cd3 = artist, etc... but it’s better than having to swap discs - imo.
If I ever get around to buying a second ipod, I’ll do it on my 7-series too.
Are the M5 / E60 that different that it’s not the same thing? I’m curious.
In terms of oil usage, I topped up about 100miles after buying, and it’s now at the 0.3l level, 2400 miles later. Maybe I’m lucky in terms of it not using much oil? A sample size of one isn’t representative anyway...
Absolutely right about the auto mode, it’s all kinds of rubbish. I didn’t buy this car to sit in traffic though, that’s what the 7 is for...
Good write up.
I’ve got the E61 M5 and I’ve done just shy of 10k in 2 years and in that time I’ve only topped up the oil once with 2litres as the oil light came on whilst I was in Baden-Baden and luckily there was a BMW dealer there.
I had the clutch and flywheel replaced at 57k and it transformed the car in terms of responsiveness, at the same time it was taken into the dealer for 4 vanos solenoids - all done under warranty which cost £5300.
It also had matching Michelin tyres but I put 4 Michelin PS4S on and it grips like hell and very reassuring when giving it beans down the autobahn.
Overall a great car if looked after and even better if it’s got the warranty on.
I’ve got the E61 M5 and I’ve done just shy of 10k in 2 years and in that time I’ve only topped up the oil once with 2litres as the oil light came on whilst I was in Baden-Baden and luckily there was a BMW dealer there.
I had the clutch and flywheel replaced at 57k and it transformed the car in terms of responsiveness, at the same time it was taken into the dealer for 4 vanos solenoids - all done under warranty which cost £5300.
It also had matching Michelin tyres but I put 4 Michelin PS4S on and it grips like hell and very reassuring when giving it beans down the autobahn.
Overall a great car if looked after and even better if it’s got the warranty on.
Thanks for the comments.
On the audio front I took the car to an audio specialist near Winchester, and I was looking at an interface dock from CarCommunications (Dension Gateway) and they were reluctant to do it. Their advice was that if you are not having issues with the Logic 7 amp its probably best to leave it. They would do it if pushed, but I got lots of huffing about no guarantee to work fully, and it could potentially be a pain in the bum if there was a problem, so I thought you know what Radio 1 is not that bad, I will leave all alone. But I am certainly open to being educated about other options.
On the oil front, mine does ease off if I do longer trips. But I do lots of small journeys, and given what I have read across lots of forums it seemed par for the course TBH.
Also, on the list of work mine has had done before I took ownership it had a full diff overhaul etc around 65k miles, this was dealer done and was around £7k for the effort, and apparently got the software updated to the latest available version at that time for the SMG box. Again, I am no expert I saw the receipt and the software update sounded plausible to me.
I would ask though, does anybody have a recommendation for a decent BMW specialist garage in the Hampshire area, it does appear not to be a simple task to find a good one, I am playing softly softly catchy monkey with BMW UK for the rear bushes to be replaced under warranty, they should apparently be good for 100k miles (not my words, the BMW dealer I have gone to) but if this falls through I don't want to have to pay dealer price to get these replaced if I can avoid it.
On the audio front I took the car to an audio specialist near Winchester, and I was looking at an interface dock from CarCommunications (Dension Gateway) and they were reluctant to do it. Their advice was that if you are not having issues with the Logic 7 amp its probably best to leave it. They would do it if pushed, but I got lots of huffing about no guarantee to work fully, and it could potentially be a pain in the bum if there was a problem, so I thought you know what Radio 1 is not that bad, I will leave all alone. But I am certainly open to being educated about other options.
On the oil front, mine does ease off if I do longer trips. But I do lots of small journeys, and given what I have read across lots of forums it seemed par for the course TBH.
Also, on the list of work mine has had done before I took ownership it had a full diff overhaul etc around 65k miles, this was dealer done and was around £7k for the effort, and apparently got the software updated to the latest available version at that time for the SMG box. Again, I am no expert I saw the receipt and the software update sounded plausible to me.
I would ask though, does anybody have a recommendation for a decent BMW specialist garage in the Hampshire area, it does appear not to be a simple task to find a good one, I am playing softly softly catchy monkey with BMW UK for the rear bushes to be replaced under warranty, they should apparently be good for 100k miles (not my words, the BMW dealer I have gone to) but if this falls through I don't want to have to pay dealer price to get these replaced if I can avoid it.
I'm near Snows in Portsmouth; they've actually been pretty good to me and more often than not charge the warranty or "Plus 4" labour rate of £65+VAT per hour. They have at least one M trained technician.
That said Iridium Engineering near Soton seems to get good reviews but I have no personal experience.
That said Iridium Engineering near Soton seems to get good reviews but I have no personal experience.
AW10 said:
I'm near Snows in Portsmouth; they've actually been pretty good to me and more often than not charge the warranty or "Plus 4" labour rate of £65+VAT per hour. They have at least one M trained technician.
That said Iridium Engineering near Soton seems to get good reviews but I have no personal experience.
Sean at IE knows his stuffThat said Iridium Engineering near Soton seems to get good reviews but I have no personal experience.
Will give those a look, I am assuming my conversation with BMW UK will come to nothing, but if you don't ask you definitely will not get, especially in this case.
Another question, if I am getting the rear bushes done and the car is up on a ramp, is there anything else worth getting sorted whilst it is there?
Cheers
Another question, if I am getting the rear bushes done and the car is up on a ramp, is there anything else worth getting sorted whilst it is there?
Cheers
An interesting review for sure! I'd agree with the lot of that!
The SMG is auto is a fair point. The riding is only a problem in auto if you let it ride the clutch excessively; most people here would hear the slur and back off. A manual car would have a degree of slip in use if you listened out for it.
I take it the clutch would be ridden/slurred in the M5 if you were in say D5 manual, but didn't select the car at 5MPH to go into 1st?
My dad is terrible for riding it and once I got him out of the car to switch sides, albeit in my E46 M3 in D4 IIRC. He may not see it as an expensive fix and me overreacting but it's not his money or his clutch and DMF! All he had to do was put the car into 1st instead of going up the hill in 2nd at 5-10mph as he was admiring a building! But he's ridden manual car clutches for years like that, yet somehow gets decent figures out of the clutches!
I guess his mentality is a clutch is cheaper than an engine, but for cars that are alot older/cheaper of course.
The SMG is auto is a fair point. The riding is only a problem in auto if you let it ride the clutch excessively; most people here would hear the slur and back off. A manual car would have a degree of slip in use if you listened out for it.
I take it the clutch would be ridden/slurred in the M5 if you were in say D5 manual, but didn't select the car at 5MPH to go into 1st?
My dad is terrible for riding it and once I got him out of the car to switch sides, albeit in my E46 M3 in D4 IIRC. He may not see it as an expensive fix and me overreacting but it's not his money or his clutch and DMF! All he had to do was put the car into 1st instead of going up the hill in 2nd at 5-10mph as he was admiring a building! But he's ridden manual car clutches for years like that, yet somehow gets decent figures out of the clutches!
I guess his mentality is a clutch is cheaper than an engine, but for cars that are alot older/cheaper of course.
Thanks for the write up, I'm 3 years into my E61 M5 impulse purchase and I still love it, I've covered about 12k miles I think so it's not used too heavily.
Oil consumption seems pretty reasonable and I've had a few expensive jobs done under warranty as well as some lumpy regular service bills.
Most annoying was replacement of the antenna type thingy in the rear spoiler for the remote control and radio due to water ingress, not covered under warranty which is a joke as nothing should suffer water ingress if it has a decent seal and is in an exposed area. I put up a bit of a fight but in the end just had to agree to get it done and pay for it. the part was just under £500 I think so not the end of the world but some things irk me out of principle.
Biggest concern is the shell bearings and what happens if these let go under warranty as from what I've read the cost of the engine can be more than the car value so you end up paying the difference. Seems crazy to me and equally crazy I should have to pay for shell bearing replacement as a precaution on a car with a warranty. Still not decided what to do on this yet.
Yes auto mode is shockingly bad and I never use it. I suspect I'm due a clutch at some point as I do get some judder sometimes. Manoeuvring in car parks gets a bit frustrating sometimes as it doesn't flip between D and R quick enough for me but I think being in M mode speeds it up, or at least makes the clutch engagement better than in non-M 400ps mode.
Interesting comments on the hifi, I've dumped a ton of mp3's onto a large memory stick and it's plugged into the USB port under the centre armrest. This works well for me with the only real downside being the scrolling through far too many folders in alphabetical order. I also find the iDrive is slow to boot up (if that's the right term) and you have to give it a couple of minutes before it;'s connected to my phone or I can start changing music etc.
Not planning on parting with her anytime soon and in fact I can see her being a very long term own if values keep creeping up, as long as BMW can service her!
Oil consumption seems pretty reasonable and I've had a few expensive jobs done under warranty as well as some lumpy regular service bills.
Most annoying was replacement of the antenna type thingy in the rear spoiler for the remote control and radio due to water ingress, not covered under warranty which is a joke as nothing should suffer water ingress if it has a decent seal and is in an exposed area. I put up a bit of a fight but in the end just had to agree to get it done and pay for it. the part was just under £500 I think so not the end of the world but some things irk me out of principle.
Biggest concern is the shell bearings and what happens if these let go under warranty as from what I've read the cost of the engine can be more than the car value so you end up paying the difference. Seems crazy to me and equally crazy I should have to pay for shell bearing replacement as a precaution on a car with a warranty. Still not decided what to do on this yet.
Yes auto mode is shockingly bad and I never use it. I suspect I'm due a clutch at some point as I do get some judder sometimes. Manoeuvring in car parks gets a bit frustrating sometimes as it doesn't flip between D and R quick enough for me but I think being in M mode speeds it up, or at least makes the clutch engagement better than in non-M 400ps mode.
Interesting comments on the hifi, I've dumped a ton of mp3's onto a large memory stick and it's plugged into the USB port under the centre armrest. This works well for me with the only real downside being the scrolling through far too many folders in alphabetical order. I also find the iDrive is slow to boot up (if that's the right term) and you have to give it a couple of minutes before it;'s connected to my phone or I can start changing music etc.
Not planning on parting with her anytime soon and in fact I can see her being a very long term own if values keep creeping up, as long as BMW can service her!
Ooo this car sounds familiar! 
Glad to hear you're enjoying it, I'll let you in on a couple of secrets - it's mapped by DMS and has a 2 pipe mod from PCW so it's a little quicker and louder than standard!
I know you had some unfortunate issues just after picking it up, glad to hear they're all sorted. I think the fact that the car was sat for several months (it was on SOR) messed up some of the electrics.
The clutch was replaced around 55k, I bought the car at 59k and have taken care to not slip it, always use manual mode and let it warm up. So as long as you do the same, there's no reason to think it will need replacing any time soon. Diff/SMG oil change is every 3 oil services so it's probably due one next service, but it's not actually that expensive (£200-300).
I had the car for 3 years and never had any major issues, all the expensive work was done under warranty just prior to my ownership! The only preventative maintenance you might want to consider around 100k miles is the big end bearings (rod bearings in American speak). Also the throttle actuators are basically a service item every ~50k miles so keep an eye on those as you get to 100k.
Glad to hear you're enjoying it, I'll let you in on a couple of secrets - it's mapped by DMS and has a 2 pipe mod from PCW so it's a little quicker and louder than standard!
I know you had some unfortunate issues just after picking it up, glad to hear they're all sorted. I think the fact that the car was sat for several months (it was on SOR) messed up some of the electrics.
The clutch was replaced around 55k, I bought the car at 59k and have taken care to not slip it, always use manual mode and let it warm up. So as long as you do the same, there's no reason to think it will need replacing any time soon. Diff/SMG oil change is every 3 oil services so it's probably due one next service, but it's not actually that expensive (£200-300).
I had the car for 3 years and never had any major issues, all the expensive work was done under warranty just prior to my ownership! The only preventative maintenance you might want to consider around 100k miles is the big end bearings (rod bearings in American speak). Also the throttle actuators are basically a service item every ~50k miles so keep an eye on those as you get to 100k.
Duke2007 said:
Thanks for the reply, you def kept her clean :-), can you let me know what you mean by a two pipe mod?
The car has 4 back boxes, within each of them is a perforated pipe passing through and some stuffing to muffle the sound. To make it a bit louder, you can cut open a back box and wrap the perforated pipe so it effectively becomes a straight through pipe. A 2 pipe mod means doing this to 2 of the 4 pipes (the middle 2 ones in your case). If you search for PCW 2 pipe mod on M3Cutters you'll see plenty of pics of what's being done.If you ever wanted to reverse it you can just open the boxes again, remove the wrapping around the pipe and weld it shut.
I have to agree with op . These are not cheap to run but nothing with a v10 is going to be . The exhaust mod is worth doing but I do regret not fams remap. I not long traded mine in , in great condition with lots of recent work done I think it’s still for sale .
Enjoy these car while u can as they are a complete one off
Enjoy these car while u can as they are a complete one off
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