E39 535i Service Intervals?

[CommanderJameson]

I'm pondering getting one of these but am a bit clueless regarding the servicing regime - are they expensive to run?

I run my 318ti about 15K between services (basically, I get it serviced annually regardless of mileage) - would this be appropriate for the 5?

[Laingy]

I have a 530 , and this is consistent with mine, done 26k and had 2 services

[Bill Carr]

Looking at the service book of my 535, intervals are between 12-18k!

[dcb]

CommanderJameson said:

I'm pondering getting one of these but am a bit clueless regarding
the servicing regime - are they expensive to run?

Ring your local BMW dealer and ask.

I imagine a 535, with it's three litre engine, and twin turbos,
isn't going to be cheap to service.

[Bill Carr]

dcb said:

CommanderJameson said:

I'm pondering getting one of these but am a bit clueless regarding
the servicing regime - are they expensive to run?

I imagine a 535, with it's three litre engine, and twin turbos,
isn't going to be cheap to service.

In fact, it's a 3.5ltr n/a V8!

(530d = 3.0 twin turbo?)

[off_again]

I have a 535i and its not that bad to service at all. Ok, be aware that it take a LOT of oil (best to stick with premium quality) and its got 8 spark plugs so the consumable part of the service is quite a lot. Additionally, the hours can be a little more than you might expect - getting access to the sparks for example means taking the plastic cover off the engine which is a pain as you need to get in / around the engine.... but other than that its pretty simple - BMW even kindly placed a remote oil filter to make changes quick and simple.

Other consumables are competitively priced too - disks and pads are not ruinous and tyres are reasonable too. Electrics are pretty reliable too - though odd problems can result of a seemingly unconnected issue. A couple of post on the BMW forums have shown that CD changers can cause the dash to stop working!!!! But thats rare and not a major issue. Aircon costs a bomb to fix (I know rather painfully) but other than this its pretty competitive. Be warned though, on a few things BMW are actually cheaper!!! So buying from GSF or EuroCarParts might seem a good idea, check with BMW first.

Oh, and service intervals? About 12k-15k but I am aiming for 10k at the moment as I am a high motorway mileage driver and I want the engine in top notch....

[silverback mike]

dcb said:

CommanderJameson said:

I'm pondering getting one of these but am a bit clueless regarding
the servicing regime - are they expensive to run?

Ring your local BMW dealer and ask.

I imagine a 535, with it's three litre engine, and twin turbos,
isn't going to be cheap to service.

Bugger, I've lost 500cc and gained two turbos...


I don't find mine that expensive to run considering the engine size, even with my lead foot.