[Petrolhead1209]

Little did I know I would be posting here at this point in time. So here goes my first ever post on Team BHP.

A little bit of background story-

In 2017 a 2010 Fiat Linea entered my life as a surprise addition to the garage. My dad brought it home out of the blue without any forewarnings. Turns out it was a distress sale, the man was leaving India on a very short notice and needed to get rid of it and was offering it for a very very low price. This is when my dad swooped in and got it for a steal. We owned that for just around 2 years which was when construction of our new home was in progress and it wasn't being used much. A buyer came around nearing the end of 2019 and offered us the same price that we'd paid for it 2 years prior. And boom - she was gone!
At the time we had our Zen - the daily and a 2005 Hyundai Accent - A spare vehicle which was used very occasionally. Now the Hyundai Accent became the Mile Muncher in place of the Linea. Worlds apart but got the job done.

Fast forward to the end of 2022, nearly 3 years later and no car, dad felt the itch for a new-old car. (He has this itch every couple of years ). Me and my younger brother were tasked to finding the next Mile Muncher. Dad gave us a budget and genre of cars to look for. He gave us the category - Sedans, German Sedans, no ordinary German Sedans but the 3 big boys - Audi, Mercedes Benz, BMW. Initial plan was a either a 3er, C Class, A4. The search begun. Found some suitable candidates and went for a test drive. And there was the first hiccup. Not enough space. For context my dad and my brother are just shy of 6ft tall, me being 6ft. My mum would've been fine, she's around 5ft 4". Considering that one of us has to be in the back seats, these options simply didn't suffice.

The next was a slight stretch in the budget and new candidates - F10 or a E60 5er, W212 E class, C7 A6(2011-14). This time the hiccup was the budget. The only option available at that price point were the E60 and the W212 4th Gen, E class. Dad said it would suffice, it's just an entry into this segment, we will swap it out for a newer version down the line. Cool. But my heart was still on the F10 and C7. But nonetheless Candidates were chosen, Test drives were taken. Space was more than sufficient.
Narrowed the search down to a 2010 Titanium Silver 520d. Really good condition. Run around 90k at the time. Well maintained and checked the boxes. Decision made. In 2 weeks time we pick up the car with full cash payment. Dad was in Coorg for a project completion hence the delay.
3 days after this my brother comes rushing to me with mum's phone in his hands with a huge grin on his face "Let's get a F10, there's one for sale somewhat in our budget." I was ecstatic. Called my dad and he said he'll be back in 2 days, let's go see it.

We go to see the vehicle, turns out he was a mutual friend. Trust went up but didn't let our guard down. Got a full comprehensive scan, and checked for everything that was recommended by the folks on Team BHP forum for buying a pre owned car. Everything checked out. Only small issue was it was driven 1 lakh kms, and it was MH registered. Negotiated on the price, got it down a bit and finalized it, with an advance paid. He said his new vehicle was to be delivered in a week or so and he needed the car to get around. We were all bustling with excitement on this acquisition. We didn't tell mum about this by the way. 10 days later, we got the call. Couldn't contain the excitement when I was in college and dad told me we'll go pick it up today. I rushed home, took a quick shower and we hopped in a cab.

And there she was, our new F10 520d, finished in this beautiful shade of Space Grey Metallic, being washed and cleaned at a Washing Centre.




Absolutely gorgeous car, very timeless, I'm in love.

Next came the interiors, me being an avid viewer of AMMO NYC, decided to detail the interiors fully. Yes fully, with the seats out of the car. Gave a little love to the wheels with Turtle Wax Wheel cleaner. And a polish on the exterior.


WHAT I LIKE
•The buttery-smooth, insanely refined 2.0 diesel engine from BMW. The engine can barely be heard on startup it gets a little vocal under heavy acceleration. This paired with the ZF-8 gearbox is insane!! I've driven DSGs and those are the fast. ZF-8 is really good even at low speeds with no jerking at all. Throw it in manual mode and the shifts are crisp and rapid.

•Amazing suspension: Took all of the irregularities on the Indian roads like a champ.


•Performance: The 185hp/380 nm really comes to its own league on the highways. Coming from a Fiat Linea and a 2004 Camry, my dad says this is rapid for the size. City driving is very easy, power is always on tap.

•Very spacious with a huge boot at 520 litres, extremely practical.

•Unlike every other Indian, dad was not very concerned about the age old question 'Kitna deti hai?" Since it's only for longer drives. Surprised to report I've gotten a minimum of 17 kmpl with the car sitting happily at 120 to 140 and an occasional spirited overtake. Get around 13 14 in the cities with the AC on full blast


1. EXTERIOR

• The front is pretty iconic, F10 and the F90 pre lci have to be my favourite body styles of all time in the 5er lineup. Long hood with strong masculine creases, with the luxury line bumper is sophisticated and understated. Bi-xenons on the outer projectors with the iconic angel eyes. Light output is fine, does the job. Fog Lamps are HID, done by the previous owner.


The welcome lights. Have coded only the angel eyes to come on

• The side profile is nothing short of spectacular. Strong body line running from the front fenders and meeting with the sculpted tail lamps. Sitting on 17" alloys from the luxury line variant. Looks good. It's currently on Tubeless Tyres, with a puncture repair kit and a compressor in the boot.


• The rear is instantly recognisable from a distance, the dual tips are a nice touch. Subtle crease connecting the 2 reflectors on the bumper.
A very squatted look to it with wide haunches.



• All things considered, it's a beautiful car with a very understated, elegant look about it.

2. INTERIORS


• Centre console
Centre console has a well cushioned arm-rest opens like a clamshell of sorts. Iconic BMW. Next comes the Electronically operated Parking Brake with the gear lever just ahead of it. Easy to use and requires some amount of getting used to.
To the left of the gear lever on the passenger side is the iDrive controller, again has a small learning curve but is excellent once you get used to it. Fun Fact - This is borrowed out of the F01 7 series.
To the right of the gear lever is the TCS button and the toggle for parking sensors at any given point in time. Comes on automatically when the car is put into reverse.
2 cup holders under a retractable wood panel. Also has a slot for the key to sit in.



• HVAC system

Pretty straight forward to use. Dual zone controls, has a sync option which puts the driver in control of passengers side. Haven't had to use the heating system, Air Conditioning is sufficient and cools the car down in a relatively short time period.

• Infotainment system and Speakers.

The system itself is a very straight forward system. Has Bluetooth, AUX, USB, CD options. Does the job for me.
Also neat trick, you can set the numbers to do specific actions. I've set mine to jump directly to the settings, Bluetooth connection, trip computer, vehicle status etc. Shows you what it's assigned to when you hover over the numbers.
Provision for Profiles are given. Again I have 2 profiles assigned. Memory seats are bound to specific profiles.
Vehicle Status shows the engine oil level, Low Tire Pressure warning and if the Brake Pads need changing.
Speakers are good for me. I'm not an extreme audiophile but do appreciate the difference in the quality when compared to other vehicles. 1 speaker and 1 tweeter in each of the front door cards, 1 speaker in the centre of the dashboard, 2 speakers behind the headrests of the rear passenger seats. 2 subs under the front seats. A good output to say the least.

• Glove Box
Decently sized glove box, has one of the 2 fuse boxes of the car behind a door. Fully lined with felt so no rattling.

• Door cards
Lined with leather. Bins are lined with felt. Kind of small for the sheer size of the Doors.

• Sunshades - decently sized with a vanity mirror, has automatic lights

• Sunroof Control unit and sunroof
Houses the reading lights and a set of orange lights as part of the ambient light system. Sunroof is large and gives an airy feel to the cabin


• Ambient lights
The Pre LCI comes with orange ambient lights and is observable at night but not distracting. Folks with darker interiors may not notice it as much


3. SEATING AND COMFORT

• The seat you want to be in - the drivers seat. Well bolstered, mine has the optional lumbar support allowing for even more adjustment. You can get a good driving position very easily. Comes with 2 memory slots. No.1 for my dad and No.2 for me.
+ A good view out with ample size for the ORVMs. IRVM also does the job quite well. All the mirrors are auto dimming. The hood is a tad bit longer for shorter folks.
+ Looking straight at you is a analog-digital cluster with the speed on the left and the rpm on the right. Small digital part on the bottom for the odo, time and other details. Shows you how much longer until next service-quite neat!!
+ Indicators and high/low beam on the left stalk. Feels nice and premium, has a button on the end to cycle through the various data displayed on the instrument cluster. Stalk is easy to use, do not know why the running joke of BMW drivers not using turn signals due to the difficulty.
+ Right stalk for wipers, has a button to toggle for the automatic wipers.
+ Door card has controls for the power windows, memory seats and the orvm adjustment. Beautiful wood trim all accross the dash. Soft touch materials everywhere.

+ The steering is nice and thick especially when compared to the W212. Has your usual media controls and cruise controls. Also has a voice command system - very finicky and needs specific prompts.


•Passenger seats is identical to the drivers seat, except for the memory seats.


•Rear seats - I would say the 520d is best suited for 4 individuals. Haven't been in the backseats yet. But from my brother's perspective - they are very comfortable but could use a bit more of legroom for stretching out a bit more but not cramped by any means. But considering the sheer size of the vehicle, I expected quite a bit more. Mother is very happy with the space back there. Door cards have manual sunshades. Even one for the quarter glass!! Neat touch. Rear sunblind is automatic and operated by the driver. Central armrest with cup holders. Rear AC vents also present. Huge centre tunnel giving a sense of seclusion in the rear seat when 2 are seated. A folding headrest for the third passenger, best suited for children. Manageable by adults for short runs.


•Suspension is nice and supple, albeit the Ground Clearance is not the best, need some snaking over certain speed breakers. Eats up road imperfections with no hesitation.

PRACTICALITY

Insane Boot Space. 520 litres. More than enough for us. Kind of a boat to drive around on Bangalore roads at first but it's easily manoeuvrable.

DRIVING DYNAMICS - MY FAVOURITE SEGMENT

•Mine is powered by the in-line 4 2.0 diesel engine from BMW, producing 185hp and 380 nm of torque. It's found on a variety of BMWs. In city situations, the engine is very manageable with power on tap anytime. The gearbox is smooth and not noticeable. Feels like a petrol car at the lower end.

•On the highway, this is a different animal altogether. With a slightly heavy foot, it reaches 3 digits in no time and quite happy sitting there.
•Throw it in the manual/sport mode and you have all 185 horses at your disposal with the tiptronic system if you'd like. My favourite time to use this is when there's work going on on the highway, and there's a speedbreaker.
•Slow down, take the speedbreaker and start creeping forward at around 20 kmph. Once I see a clear line in the fast lane, push the gear lever into sport/manual and the GB instantly drops a gear and sits at 2.5k rpm, and a firm push on the pedal shoves you in the back of the seat. The rear squats down, and hood rises ever so slightly. The engine is now vocal and pulling the nearly 5 metre long, 1.7 tonne Bavarian Machine to 3 digits in 6 seconds. The gearshifts are straight up violent for a Luxury Sedan of this calibre. The pull is relentless and soon I end up doing insane speeds without realising it. Needless to say, the enthusiast within me is very satisfied with how this drives.
• Did take it on a drive in the hills, very agile for the size, steering is very direct and puts you where you want to be. Turn of TCS and floor it in a corner, you'll feel that rear end step out a bit and with a little counter steer the tyres do their work and grip up, propelling you out of the corner. The torque that this engine provides is excellent for the winding roads. Is very planted for what it is and is not skittish by any means.



Safe to say, I think I'm very happy with this car. Only thing I would like instead of this is the M Sport trim instead of the Luxury Line purely for the looks, that front bumper is something I love along with the other small touches that the M Sport has.

Thanks for Reading!!
Attaching some photos that I love.

Groom Squad at Cousins Engagement,missing the W212




The shopping for the engagement, with the said W212, in Palladium Silver



Views on views!

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Reviews section. Thanks for sharing!

Going to our homepage this week

[StormShadow]

Hearty Congratulations! Love to see an open minded dad xD

P.S
I have begged, cried and have thrown a tantrum when I was in school for my father to buy a pre owned Beamer, he always used to say "instead of buying an old car and spending on maintenance, I would rather spend on a new car". I am pretty sure he secretly wanted a beamer though, cause the cars he bought new in order are a first gen Rapid 1.6TDI, a Fiat Linea T-Jet and his latest acquisition a Jeep Compass Diesel 4X4 AT

[Petrolhead1209]

Originally Posted by StormShadow

Hearty Congratulations! Love to see an open minded dad xD

P.S
I have begged, cried and have thrown a tantrum when I was in school for my father to buy a pre owned Beamer, he always used to say "instead of buying an old car and spending on maintenance, I would rather spend on a new car". I am pretty sure he secretly wanted a beamer though, cause the cars he bought new in order are a first gen Rapid 1.6TDI, a Fiat Linea T-Jet and his latest acquisition a Jeep Compass Diesel 4X4 AT

Yes, am very blessed to have a dad who doesn't care as much for mileage on the Mile Muncher albeit it's a whole another story on the Daily Drivers.

I'll quote my dad here on the new car old car philosophy - If I buy a new car, the minute that 1 wheel steps off the showroom, depreciation is going to hit me no matter which brand. I'd rather buy a depreciated premium car XD. He's the kind who likes swapping around cars a lot. He likes this one a lot. He's now on the lookout for a 530d

I must say, your father has impeccable taste in cars

[Petrolhead1209]

A very small update:

She's been with us for the past 4 5 months. The review was delayed because I wanted to get a good understanding of the car and touch on all the areas for any people on here looking at buying one of these and for those who are curious about how this car drives and feels.

She's been doing COORG <------> Bangalore runs in this time. Stellar performance and supreme comfort are the only ways that I can describe her. Also 2 trips to Kerala in this short time. Will add to this thread as I go through life alongside this wonderful machine.

[StormShadow]

Originally Posted by Petrolhead1209

I'll quote my dad here on the new car old car philosophy - If I buy a new car, the minute that 1 wheel steps off the showroom, depreciation is going to hit me no matter which brand. I'd rather buy a depreciated premium car XD. He's the kind who likes swapping around cars a lot. He likes this one a lot. He's now on the lookout for a 530d

I must say, your father has impeccable taste in cars

Ah, I plan on following your father's philosophy and hopefully get myself a 530d sometime soon

Will let my dad know of the compliments as well

[Raskolnikov.R]

My compliments!

That looks like a well-cared-for vehicle. I wish you many happy miles.

[Petrolhead1209]

Originally Posted by Raskolnikov.R

My compliments!

That looks like a well-cared-for vehicle. I wish you many happy miles.

Thanks!! Also for anyone wondering, the seat back folders hanging are the doing of my small cousin

Have arranged for spares. Will be here in a couple of months with a friend from the UK

[Civic_doc]

Congratulationss for your Baby F10. It is a timeless machine and you will enjoy it's look whenever you have a glance of the car in the parking lot, it looks like a jet ready for take off.
Wishing you happy miles with it

[Petrolhead1209]

Originally Posted by Civic_doc

Congratulationss for your Baby F10. It is a timeless machine and you will enjoy it's look whenever you have a glance of the car in the parking lot, it looks like a jet ready for take off.
Wishing you happy miles with it

Yes indeed its a very timeless design language. Thanks a lot!!


The jet in question

[gaurav.kokra]

Amazing thread! Loved the confidence in going for an old bimmer!

I am curious about what maintenance has been done/pending on the vehicle ? If you could provide some deep insight into that aspect maybe even I would have the heart to plunge ahead sometime! ��

[Petrolhead1209]

Originally Posted by gaurav.kokra

Amazing thread! Loved the confidence in going for an old bimmer!

I am curious about what maintenance has been done/pending on the vehicle ? If you could provide some deep insight into that aspect maybe even I would have the heart to plunge ahead sometime! ��

Hey, Thanks!!!! It was a leap of faith in some ways. But since it was in the hands of a mutual friend for the last couple of years, I knew exactly if it's been serviced and maintained well.

Maintenance/Repairs done to the vehicle :


1. Tradition in my family - a general periodic service done as soon as I get it in my hands regardless of when the last service was done. Includes
• Full OBD Diagnostic Scan
• Check all the suspension parts and engine mounts
• Full oil replacement.
• Oil Filter replacement
• Engine Air Filter replacement
• New Cabin Air Filters
• Cost me 16k or even lesser

2. The struts on the boot were weak since they are around 12 years old. Changed out only the strut for maybe 5k

3. Trickle Charge the battery - 1k

4. Windscreen polishing - 1k (have to take it in again cause something got embedded in the wiper blad )

5. The dipstick O-Ring was on its way out so got that changed.

6. Gave the tyres a good old swaperooni

Non - essential

I did some rigourous interior cleaning because both my dad and mum are very sensitive to dust. Included :

1. Full inside vacuum with all the seats out cause there was a lot of dust beneath the 7d mats. Spot cleaned some of the stains.

2. Opened the door cards and gave the insides a good wipe down. Re-installed all the foam pieces and added some of my own.

3. AC vent cleaned. New fragrance.

4. The grab handles on the door were very very sticky, a common thing in the old bimmer, got it replaced. Wasn't able to find OEM parts, aftermarket had to come in. Was around 7k for the whole set.

Pending:

Next service is in around 2k kms. May have to change the engine mounts.

Trusted service centre is Dazzle Car Care, Vignan nagar

[vredesbyrd]

Congratulations! This is a keeper!

Could you please tell me what you have done regarding the MH01 registration?
I want to get my hands on one in a few years but the re-registration scares me

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by Petrolhead1209

Hey, Thanks!!!! It was a leap of faith in some ways.

Where are you getting the wind shield polishing done?

[Petrolhead1209]

Originally Posted by vredesbyrd

Congratulations! This is a keeper!

Could you please tell me what you have done regarding the MH01 registration?
I want to get my hands on one in a few years but the re-registration scares me

Currently haven't done anything, the owner doesn't mind it. Initially was intending to get it changed in MH01 itself in my name or get it re registered in PY. Since it's only a long distance car haven't had any issues with the MH registration. Now that I'm on the lookout for a 530d, I'm glad I didn't change it to my name or got it done to PY.