530D Running Costs

[GlenMH]

All

I have seen the various debates on here about the merits or not of an oil burner and have decided to some more investigations in to the running costs before getting one. I do 2-2.5k/month on the motorway and rarely get a good X-country hoon so that is why the diesel is looking good. And I want a manual because I cannot abide autos.

I have a couple options for this: get a 3yr old/50-60k miler later this year for about £20k, leasing a new one or getting one as a company car (with a suitable level of contribution....). I don't think I could stretch to a 535D
Now bearing in mind the stealer servicing costs etc, I am looking for some information about how much it is likely to cost to run one of these for 4 years and about 80k miles if I chose to buy/lease one. So:

How much are tyres etc and how long do they last?
How much are front disks/pads and how long do they last?
How much is BMW servicing and how often does it need to be done, on average?
How long do the turbos/injectors last for?
Anything I should be looking out for (such as smokey turbos) etc?

Any help would be appreciated so I can come up with a total cost of ownership figure and work out which is the cheapest way of doing this,

Thanks

Glen

[dcb]

GlenMH said:

Now bearing in mind the stealer servicing costs etc, I am looking for some information about how much it is likely to cost to run one of these for 4 years and about 80k miles if I chose to buy/lease one. So:

This is getting to be a FAQ.

GlenMH said:

How much are tyres etc and how long do they last?

My tyres are about £110 a corner and last about 25K miles.

GlenMH said:

How much are front disks/pads and how long do they last?

Dunno how much they cost. My car is on the same set for
the last 40K miles.

GlenMH said:

How much is BMW servicing and how often does it need to be done, on average?

Three levels of service:

Oil inspection
Inspection 1
Inspection 2.

The pattern is Oil, 1, Oil, 2, Oil, 1, Oil, 2 ...

Start at about £200 for the basic Oil, about £300 if I remember
right for the Inspection 1 and about 400 for Inspection 2 at
a BMW main dealer.

Service intervals are variable - I get 15,000 to 17,000 between
services.

GlenMH said:

How long do the turbos/injectors last for?

Very long lasting. 200,000 miles or so ?

[slippydiff]

GlennMH said:

And I want a manual because I cannot abide autos.

Are you sure ? Personally I wouldn't touch a big capacity oilburner with a manual box, what bit of lag the 3.0 TD engine has is very effectively masked by the auto. If you haven't done so already I'd have an extended roadtest of both manual and auto box before deciding.
Tyre costs depend on how you drive and what make you have fitted, but I'd agree at £110-120 per corner.
As regards servicing costs my car (a 52 330D Sport Auto) came with a 60,000 mile "service pack" which meant no servicing costs whatsoever (I think you're allowed one set of pads and discs front and rear and two sets of wiper blades within the 60K !) either way it didn't cost a penny to run (I've not lifted the bonnet to check the oil since the first big service bacause it never uses any )
I'm not sure if this package is still available but it's certainly worth asking about
Turbos do fail (and when they go, they can deposit swarf all through the inlet system which can cost a huge amount to fix) I seem to recall a technician telling me that the turbo change is quite difficult (not a lot of room) and can result in broken/stripped exhaust manifold securing bolts/studs which then require cylinder head removal, thus a straightforward turbo replacement can end up costing a lot of money. Put another way, get one with a warranty if you don't want any nasty surprises.

[Carbon Black]

The auto box is the best option on most cars nowadays.
(With the 535d in particular, turbo lag is zero, because of the auto box masking what tiny lag there is to start with.)

Years ago manual ruled, but the autos are so good now there is nor reason for a stick shift.

Even the most expensive supercars have done away with conventional manual change.

[GlenMH]

Thanks for that - I can do some maths now! I agree with the FAQ comment - may be we could do with a common FAQ sticky?

I will take another look at the auto option but I nudged things when driving them in slow traffic in america. Manual habits die hard! Sad though it is, MPG is important and I know that the manual is a good bit more economical than the auto.

I owe you a !

Glen

[olf]

"I've not lifted the bonnet to check the oil since the first big service bacause it never uses any"

?! errr, how do you know it's not using oil if you don't check?

Thats like bricking up your windows and assuming that your grass has stoppped growing!

[slippydiff]

Not at all, thrashed mercilessly up to its first big service (when oil consumption would be at its highest) and it hadn't used any at all, it doesn't leak any oil, no reason why it should start burning it, no mechanical clatter when started, oil light goes out straight away on start up, turbos not noisy QED the oil doesn't need checking hence no point in checking it. But then again I don't check my tyre pressures, brake fluid, and antifreeze levels every week either...................do you ? (Actually as you purchased your Merc with remote roof operation you most likely do )
Tis true what they say about the cobblers children being worst shod (I'm an ex diesel fitter )

[olf]

Now now that remote roof option promised great things - didn't deliver them though. You have to be within about 3 feet to use it. I had great hopes of being able to do it as I walked towards the car. Save that awkward 20secs with people staring at you while you sit in the car looking like dumpling! Ho hum.

To be fair I'm not a once a week man - more once a month for oil and tyres.