Need Advice! New to this forum!

[guanaco51]

Hello Everyone!

I have just joined the club and it's my first input since i have started reading this forum a year ago.
I don't own a BMW yet, but plan is underway :)

The problem is whenever i mention to friends i am looking to buy a 5 series 2011-2012 people would jump from their seats trying to warn me from taking that wrong step!
I am no longer trusting any car seller of the authenticity of his car.
Members i would like to have your opinion about the 5 series (new design 2011-2012) is it really bad in terms of reliability regarding the engines and electronics that accompany the car?
I have read awful things also about the dealership in Dubai and their supposedly free service, is it always the case?

My intent is to get a luxury sedan good enough for my family and comfortable enough for my daily commute to work. No racing, no tuning and no aggressive driving! (although i miss the days i used to rally in my home country) :)

Appreciate your help!

[Bruno]

all what i heard is good things about this new car.. i drove a couple and loved them. just get a non-turbo version and you will be happy

[guanaco51]

all what i heard is good things about this new car.. i drove a couple and loved them. just get a non-turbo version and you will be happy

Thank you bruno for your reply! Honestly i heard this turbo story from an employee in the dealership! It seems serious, but the problem turbo and twin turbos are the new trend for German cars to cut their fuel consumption while keeping the same or smaller displacements.

So if you rule out the turbo engines (520,528,535,550) you end up with only one engine 530i available as a straight six normally aspirated.
Any members have any more experience with the new 5 series? let me know about it!
By the way, i have driven the 530i and its a very good balance btw power and comfort! the only remark i have, paddle shifters don't react as quick as you engage them specially when your downgrading from high speeds.

[guanaco51]

Where are the club members? Nobody is here to give advice regarding the new 5 series. Come on guys ! :)

[M_Powerholic]

It's summer mate, everyone is either travelling or busy with some other "summer" stuff.

But I'm sure some answers will pop up really fast ! ;)

[Wazif]

My dad owns a 528i 2012 model. Has run about 10,000kms so far (courtesy me :P) ... the new 5 series is a bliss to drive! The ultimate luxury cruiser....have had no complaints what so ever..... but then again it is still relatively new.... as of now, my experience has been amazing and i would recommend it to anyone who is planning to buy it :)

[Ayham]

Electronics are much more compact now, none of that mess in the E60. I've driven the 550i and the 535i, if money is no object it's the 550i for me. But the 535i is proper fast. The best all rounder from BMW in dogs years.

[Wazif]

+1 to what Ayham said....i'd say go for it!

[jeanloup]

I really do believe you should go for that car, it look awesome, drives well, etc...

What other car you have in mind? Maybe we can help compare ;-)

[guanaco51]

Thank you all for your replies.
@jeanloup I am hesitating between the F10 and the E class 300 same year model.

@ayham the 550 is gorgeous and beastly powerful :) but the pricing is over inflated! I would rather get a descent sedan for everyday and pay on the side for an E36 M3 for some adrenaline rush. But beware I got inside information from an engineer in the dealership that the twin turbo v8 is having some problems. And I suspect that in this summer season, the overheating of engine parts and the unintentional mishandling of turbo engines by customer is what is causing these problems.

@wazif the 528 is turbo engine also. I have tested the 528 and the 530 and they are very similar but maybe the 528 will have better fuel economy.

Compare all that to Mercedes, well also you hear bad experiences on the other front. E class going caput! And stuff like that!
So I guess both are the same pool.
Ultimately people I have seen move back to the Japanese sedans. A lot of people are recommending the new GS Lexus. It seems the net is full of good reviews about its comparison with the German competitors.
Let's have your thoughts on that.

[jeanloup]

Well I like both of them too, hard choice indeed. But I m pretty sure you will get more support for the BMW club than any other club ;-).

Good luck and let us know your decision.

[aantar]

I would like to suggest the 535i f10... regarding handling and suspension , once u mention bmw then you should fully trust its handling and suspension since bmw is well known over the years for having the best handling over all other brands.
for the engine , 535i carries N55 3.0L twin turbo charged engine... which is an upgrade of N54 engine ( N54 was released on 335i from 2007- 2010) knowing that the N54 had one problem @ 2007 which is high pressure fuel pump and was immediately fixed for 2008 models.. so as a result i think N55 should be trusted since its an upgrade of N54 . and not to mention that its efficient compared to the power you have beneath your feet once u need it.

for the electronics , it depends on the options you'll order but you will simply be amazed by the options bmw offers like comfort riding , sport , sport + , night vision , headup display side/rear view cameras, cooling and comfort seats and much more to mention.. and you'll enjoy it even more if u have an iphone , since it will be fully integrated with your car .. it will read you the emails and text messages even !

in the end i wanna say if you took a good care of ur car be sure it will never let you down any day ... all what it requires is a look at the engine bay from time to time, check everything, be up to service on time, have an idea about what's mentioned in the owners manual , and to have a small idea about the parts or oils being replaced during maintenance and choosing the best of them referring to ur driving conditions

Good luck choosing ur future car :)

[guanaco51]

I would like to suggest the 535i f10... regarding handling and suspension , once u mention bmw then you should fully trust its handling and suspension since bmw is well known over the years for having the best handling over all other brands.
for the engine , 535i carries N55 3.0L twin turbo charged engine... which is an upgrade of N54 engine ( N54 was released on 335i from 2007- 2010) knowing that the N54 had one problem @ 2007 which is high pressure fuel pump and was immediately fixed for 2008 models.. so as a result i think N55 should be trusted since its an upgrade of N54 . and not to mention that its efficient compared to the power you have beneath your feet once u need it.

for the electronics , it depends on the options you'll order but you will simply be amazed by the options bmw offers like comfort riding , sport , sport + , night vision , headup display side/rear view cameras, cooling and comfort seats and much more to mention.. and you'll enjoy it even more if u have an iphone , since it will be fully integrated with your car .. it will read you the emails and text messages even !

in the end i wanna say if you took a good care of ur car be sure it will never let you down any day ... all what it requires is a look at the engine bay from time to time, check everything, be up to service on time, have an idea about what's mentioned in the owners manual , and to have a small idea about the parts or oils being replaced during maintenance and choosing the best of them referring to ur driving conditions

Good luck choosing ur future car :)

Thank you Aantar for your comprehensive explanation. I am sorry for my late reply. I've been caught by some heavy work load.
Luckily I got the chance to talk to one of the engineers at BMW dealership in Dubai regarding the F10 and told me to stick to the 530i engine and stay away from the other turbo engines. And he advised me to always fill my car from a new petrol station and avoid any old pumps. It seems dirt is causing some issues.
Now I had people driving the F10 528i and told me they lost power once and they had to restart the car to get back the engine to its normal power curve. They mentioned to the dealer the incident and they them in peak summer heat don't take your revving to the redline! Turbos generate excessive heat and could make the engine take emergency power down !!!! Is this something true??
I was wondering is it really the case or the dealer is hiding the fact that he doesn't know what happened to it! Anyways I can't expect somebody driving a BMW and the dealer tells him don't rev it too high!
Your thoughts gentlemen!

[aantar]

well, too bad what you've said is true ! ( regarding the loss of power) ... i've just read some threads for people suffering from the same issue in hot regions in US . but i still want to point @ something which is, people should know the capabilities of their cars. at the end 528i f10 is a 2.0L 4 Cyl with 2 small turbo chargers loaded to a "HEAVY BODY" , what would you expect if u drove it heavily @ 50 degrees celsius , LOL ... as i told u before you need to take a good care of ur car , i really wonder , why would people rev so high at noon's day time traffic ....you won't even enjoy it ! they have all night to do so. even though the cars are gulf specs and have larger radiators but they are still machines at the end. and actually i found it a good point to block the power for short period of time if that might save the engine !

keep in mind that bmw, and even mercedes, and previously porsche , mitsubishi , subru , are going to complete switch towards turbo technology. and that's for more significant power VS more fuel efficiency, like the new bmw m5 f10 , m6 f12 , m3/m4 f30/f32 which are going to be released in a couple of years .. i don't think bmw ain't knowing what they are doing but the difference is that they built their cars in categories , some for racing , like M cars , others for moderate everyday driving 528i/520i/328i, others for sport driving 550i/535i/530i. again this is where you should know the capabilities of your car and what you have bought.

for the fuel issue , if the fuel had any kind of impurities they will settle down at the bottom of the reservoir. so , I THINK , its enough to keep the fuel needle away from 0.

one more thing , at the end for everything there is a solution , if u want i can make u drive all day long @ 7000 rpm without damaging anything :P if you're interested i can explain further how .. remember its all about cooling the oil flowing through the turbos .. of course your warranty will remain valid but too bad you'll pay a bit of extra money . and that only if u want high revs all the time , but if your after moderate driving and a bit of fun from time to time you won't even need to edit anything.