From 11,000 kms to 130 kms, the number is just too hard to digest. Didn't expect such a thing from the CBS.

BHPian Varun_HexaGuy recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

CBS is more of a bane than a boon in my opinion. Have a fairly long drive planned for tomorrow and now the car greets me with a warning to replace the front brake pads in 130 kms! Ridiculous because just yesterday evening it showed the brake pads had a life of 11,000 kms left. Rear was some 3100 kms away. Was thinking of doing it once I was back.

From 11,000 kms to 130 kms, the number is just too hard to digest. Worst part, the Jetta is still at the workshop and GT TSI is out of town currently. Didn't expect such a thing from the CBS though.

Here's what BHPian Turrrb0 had to say on the matter:

Visually inspect the pad thickness if you can. For me, one time the rear brake pads warning came on, despite having changed the pads just a few months prior. Upon inspecting i could see that there was enough pad life left, turned out to be a busted sensor, ignored the warning and continued on my drive, no worries though they're cheap and easy to replace.

On the second occasion (recently, Blr->Maa drive) the front pad's alarm went off. Didn't want to risk it, so took off the wheel and inspected the pads, and it was indeed at its EOL. The alarm usually goes off when there's around 4mm of pad thickness left, its safe to do 1000-2000km with that much left is what my mechanic told me, so just avoid going too fast and braking too hard. not wanting to take a chance, I changed the pads the day after i got back home.

The old vs new pad:

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In my mind it was "6 cylinders or nothing", so it trickled down to two options. An F10 BMW 530d M-Sport, or a W212 Mercedes-Benz E350 CDI.

BHPian Arnav612 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

The paradox of a heavy heart but oozing with fulfillment echoed through the day that our trusty Mercedes W205 C200 was sold. A mere 17,800 kms in a span of 5 years, and innumerable memories of identifying a garage queen and weekend joyride in the C-Class only warranted a worthy replacement. The C-Class was our first step into the thriving luxury car market in India and it did the fundamentals just right. Unmistakable German engineering, an adequate 4 cylinder, 2.0L Turbo petrol engine mated to a 7 Speed 7orque converter, and a decent equipment list made it our ideal initial leap into the luxury car market.

This time around, it was time for a plunge. A proper upgrade into the fully loaded luxury saloons, and to negate all the shortcomings of the C-Class. Not only in terms of equipment and cosmetics, but also performance, driving pleasure, comfort and all-rounder abilities. In my mind, it was ,“6-cylinders, or nothing.” That, along with personal preferences trickled us down to two options. An F10 BMW 530d M-Sport, or a W212 Mercedes-Benz E350 CDI.

First things first, the F10 easily turned way more heads than the W212, and by quite a margin with its meaty stance, angel eyes, sophisticated lines, and low slung form. Plus, the unavailability of a single Facelift E350 left us (happily) with no choice other than a BMW 530d, in its top spec guise. A 6 pot, 3-Litre Twin Turbo Diesel, mated to a ZF8 Gearbox, churning out a whopping 258 bhp and 560 Nm of torque made for a drool worthy proposal in the pre-owned market. We then stumbled upon a clean, low run (~39,000 km) example and had our hearts throb. The brief test drive really shone the power a wide open throttle could have over my heart. A few days, negotiations, and pleasantries later, she came home. We prioritized refurbishment and went ahead with a ceramic coating, leather treatment, full polish and detail, and so on. Feast your eyes, while I feast my ears to the sweetest diesel grumble I’ve come across.

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Coming from a VW Jetta Mk5 1.9 PD TDI DSG, the refinement levels of the 525d are from another planet. Very impressive for a diesel.

BHPian Varun_HexaGuy recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

1000-kms up! Took delivery of the car on the evening of 16th June 2021. Four days in, car has clocked a 1000 kms.

I think I've used it enough to make my first set of impressions about the car.

Likes:

• Looks really good. Especially with the M-Sport bumper on my car. The F10 is probably one of the best looking 5-series ever made. Period.
• Fuel efficient. Off the 1000 kms, 750 kms are from my city runs only. When I mean city, it has been used across a variety of conditions. From roads with no traffic to roads with dense traffic and avg speeds ranging at ~ 10-kmph. Despite all of this, car managed a pretty decent 12-kmpl to the tank. I wasn't expecting anything like this when I picked the car up in all honesty.
• Engine+gearbox combination obviously. The sole reason I have a F10 5-series standing in my parking. Enough has been spoken about how good the N57+ZF8 combination is, but it really deserves the compliments it gets. This thing is bloody quick and hits silly speeds even before you realise. What's even better are the brakes which help you do such speeds and even shed them in a jiffy. The best part, all of this happens without any drama whatsoever. Even before you realise, you're doing speeds you shouldn't be doing otherwise. The passengers are taken aback by the car's performance in most occasions. Cruise at sane speeds and then you tap ever so slightly on the accelerator, your passengers are thrown back into their respective seats.
• Refinement levels. Coming from a VW Jetta Mk5 1.9 PD TDI DSG, this is from another planet when it comes to NVH levels. While ambling around in city speeds, you cannot hear the engine at all. Which is quite impressive for a diesel.
• Comfortable front seats. It's as comfortable as my recliner from the living room.
• The Hi-Fi sound system sounds quite nice. Despite the setup showing its age in a certain things, it still sounds quite good. Plus I'm back to the good old CDs. Courtesy of no Bluetooth streaming for audio. Bit of a hassle honestly in today's day and age. But the overall audio output is well worth it at the end of the day.
• Feature kit. For a car that's over a decade old, the feature list is still pretty relevant barring a few exceptions.

Dislikes:

• Dimensions. The car is quite huge. It's longer and wider than my Hexa and it shows. It's a royal pain to navigate the 5 through the neighbourhood I currently live in. Four days into the ownership, I'm already tired of going through the hiatus of maneuvering this car day in, day out.
• In continuation to the first point, the extra large dimensions on the outside do not really translate into usable space on the inside. While it has more than acceptable space for most (case in point, my mom and dad found the car to be really spacious ). But this isn't a car where in two 6+ feet guys sit behind one another. On one of the joyrides with the bois back home (BHPian ViXit and Pratyushforza), both tried sitting behind each other. 15 mins into the drive, ViXit just couldn't bear it anymore and switched sides. Also we tried squeezing in three people at the back. Needless to say, the passengers at the back weren't exactly comfortable.
• Boot space. Coming from a Jetta Mk5, practicality and overall usability has gone down by several notches. I had to ferry some stuff in the 5 today. Shallow opening coupled with not so deep boot meant I couldn't haul in a lot of stuff. Now this coupled with the fact that I do not have a spare wheel at the moment in the boot, I can only imagine how hard it will be going forward. Plus the rear seat cannot be folded down to make more room.
• Car has a lot of pockets and slots to place your things in, but none of them are actually useful. The cup holder in front of the gear shifter cannot even hold my phone properly (I use an iQOO 7 Legend). One slight tap on the accelerator, the phone flies like a projectile and lands in the passenger seat. The storage area under the armrest is fine but it is damn inconvenient to remove the phone ever yime you keep it there. There's no real space provided for the bottles either. The door pockets are pretty average sized. Can squeeze in disposable bottles at best given their flexibility.

Despite its practical flaws, I'm loving every bit of owning the 5. Every time I floor the car, it manages to leave a wide grin on my face. That makes all of my practical compromises well worth it.

Here are a few pics to complement the post:

Future enthusiast in the making. The kid was in awe with the car and took his own sweet time to explore what the 5 had to offer. In the end, the smile on his face made me happy.

Beast waiting to be unleashed.

BHPian Pratyushforza on the left, ViXit in the middle. Their neighbour on the other end. All of them enjoyed their drive and appreciated the car overall minus the rear bench (which is obvious from this picture).

BHPian ViXit wanted a pic with the Bimmer. And I obliged.

Signing off with my most favourite shot of the car.

That's all for now.

Cheers!

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

I am still having a tough time believing that I now own a Bimmer. Hasn't sunk in yet.

BHPian Varun_HexaGuy recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

From ogling at this thread and saying to myself "one day" to the day that I actually got one home feels surreal.

There's a thin line between being gutsy and foolish and I'm afraid I'm gravitating towards the other side real quick. But you only live once. After gaining confidence with a decade old German (my Mk5 Jetta TDI DSG), having clocked a fair bit of mileage and doing a ton of things with it, the urge for a more powerful "old" car came in. Brushed it off quite a few times. In the mean time, I started off contemplating with a bigger turbo swap and Stage-3 for the car. But given the restrictions of the 1.9 PD TDI (BXE), I wasn't all that convinced with the idea of slapping in a bigger PD150 turbo on this. Out went the idea of a bigger turbo. In came the plans of shoehorning a 2.0 TDI from the Jetta Mk6 and doing a Stage-3 on it. More efficient and modern engine end of the day, said to myself. But the end costs to do it the way I wanted things to fall in place were anything but economical. It could've been a proper do-it-all lone car of the garage.

While I was thinking of going ahead with the engine swap and a few more retrofits for the Jetta and doing up my weekend project alongside, then came a wild idea of buying another car altogether. For someone coming from a Jetta Mk5, options were limited. More so with the budget that I had in hand considering no loan shenanigans for me (having three old cars in itself is a liability; loan was the last thing I wanted on top of my head).

A casual stroll in the market made me realize that I wasn't ready for it and gave up on the idea altogether. It all started off again when I saw a friend's (also a fellow BHPian) BMW 525d (F10). I've known this car for more than four years now. Was a really good example, I said to myself. Was well within my budget too. But later I wasn't too into it given the fact that it's a pre LCI and a 525d at that. This however was an inline-6 but the gearbox had its limitations. Chucked it off with a heavy heart.

Then my heart was set off on a Volkswagen Touareg facelift. Long story short, sealed the deal on it. But then came a major lapse in the paperwork. So the deal was called off on D-day. Back to square one, gave up on the idea of another car for better.

In the meantime, the Jetta asked for some running expense. Was a fairly huge bill. Got that sorted and was happily driving around in the Jetta and started off with my plans of the engine swap yet again. All was well until last weekend. A BHPian on the local TBHP group listed out his MY11 Audi A6 C7 V6 TDI for sale. Was right next door. Went on a casual test drive to see how it was. Car was fairly clean but needed some work to make it the way I want it to be. Let it slip by. Then went onto see a MY13 BMW 530d M-Sport in white (coupled with cinnamon brown interiors; my dream spec). Done 60k kms. Well kept example. But the asking was a bit on the higher side. Negotiation attempts went in vain and the car was sold at the listed price.

I, by this time, wanted to get rid of the itch for better. Called up the BHPian who owned the 525d. He was in two minds about the sale in between. Had asked him if he'd part ways with it now. After a bit of back and forth, he caved in and I jumped in. Everything fell in place and brought the car home. People might say the mileage is a bit high (at ~ 94k kms as on date) but I never really bothered about the mileage as long as it was well kept (and being brutally honest, beggars cannot be choosers). Most mechanical bits have been addressed and hopefully no immediate expense in the next month or two. So yeah, a man in his 20s going through quarter life crisis makes yet another brash decision. But YOLO.

Treat yourself with the images of the ride:

Still exploring everything that's there in the car. I am still having a tough time believing that I now own a Bimmer. Hasn't sunk in yet.

The drive back home was uneventful. Navigating my way back home in the 5 in peak city traffic was nerve racking to say the least. Dad and mom really enjoyed their drive back home as passengers of the car. Parking the car back at my place was nothing short of a hiatus. The 5 just about managed to fit in my parking. More than the space, the gate fouling with the car when parked was a problem. With the car parked as optimally as possible, the gate just about managed to swing through. Me and dad heaved a sigh of relief post that. Have a highway drive planned tomorrow. Looking forward to it.

Here are some more pics for your viewing pleasure:

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Both cars are M Sport models, however, the pre-owned one has clocked 12,000 km on the odo & is no longer under warranty.

BHPian Optimus_1408 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Good day, everyone!

I'm in my late thirties and looking for a luxury sedan with adequate horsepower.

• Option 1: A single-owner 2020 G30 BMW 530d M Sport with 12000 kilometers. (Not covered by the manufacturer's warranty)
• Option 2: The BMW 530d M Sport LCI, which is brand new

Initially, I was leaning toward the used car, but after learning that it is no longer under warranty, I am now skeptical. Is it a good idea to invest the money here after completing 12K kilometers?

Also, after having the car inspected by the BMW service (360 check), will we be allowed to purchase a warranty if it has expired?

In terms of the LCI, I believe that due to the chip scarcity, certain features such as 360 camera and parking via BMW display key have been discontinued and I am not sure about other features if they are the same. Also, there is no test drive available for 530d nor a display car.

Could you please guide me here to pick the right one?

Thanks in advance.

Here's what GTO had to say about the matter:

Just checked on Carwale & the 530d is 90-lakhs OTR Mumbai, so Bangalore should be 95. I own a 530d and can tell you it is NOT worth 95 lakhs. Not at all.

• IF you want a "like new" car for a more fair price, pick the 2020 car. These cars age very, very slowly. One detailing session and your 2020 example should be as good as new. The 30-lakh price difference is huge. You could cover fuel & maintenance for 10 years, and buy a Mahindra Thar 4x4 with the difference. Almost. Frankly, 60 lakhs itself is a lot of money for a pre-owned 530d, but such is the crazy market we find ourselves in, and such are the crazy prices in Bangalore.
• You must also consider the M340i, which is as legendary a machine as the 530d and more fun-to-drive (petrol revs higher, AWD grip, feels tighter). Main disadvantage would be you giving up diesel economy, especially on long road trips. But my God, what a machine the M340i is! 78-lakhs OTR for a new one, and could save money on used, if you are able to find one.
• Test-drive the new C300d. It is almost as fast as a 530d, has equal legroom at the rear (but not the width), an absolutely perfect suspension setup in terms of ride & handling, and very sharp brakes. Loads of fun to drive. Mercedes has hit it out of the park with the C300 AMG. Added bonus = looks hot with the kit & you'll be driving the latest model. Main disadvantage vs the 530d = no 6-cylinder creaminess, and the gearbox isn't as fast (although it's still very competent).

Check with the dealer and with BMW directly on the warranty. Since it's only just expired, I am sure they'll give you extended coverage. Although the car is super reliable, it is very expensive to fix when things go wrong. I had a relatively small water leak fixed under warranty. It was due to the left-hand-drive steering column plastic cap gone bad (on the firewall). Fixed for free under warranty, but the dealer billing was 2+ lakhs!

Majority of luxury car owners don't get the extended warranty because they see it as an unnecessary expense. On a wing & a prayer! Totally unwise IMHO.

If you absolutely must have the warranty, route the sale through the dealer's official pre-owned channel. They offer bumper to bumper warranties. Price will be a bit bumped up though.

But seriously, also talk to BMW. These companies are known to take care of their customers. The car is just ~2 years old and as long as it's been maintained at the dealer only, they will have no problem approving the extended warranty package on this car.

Here's what BHPian itwasntme had to say about the matter:

Not a 5 Series owner but what is the price delta between the two options? If it is reasonable, then go for Option 2. The 5 LCI looks a great deal more modern, and even the 3 LCI will be similar when it comes in. It will look fresher for years longer. The enjoyment from features like display key, in my opinion, is transient.

I also find it suspicious whenever I hear of luxury vehicle owners not buying even 1 year of extended warranty. It potentially shows a lack of commitment to the vehicle and/or a financial crunch, neither of which is a positive sign.

Here's what BHPian Aaroah had to say about the matter:

96L OTR is way too much. I was offered a brand new 530d sometime exactly this time last year at 68L OTR (UP registration). I passed on that car as second wave covid had hit and had to set priorities straight. Now I think I should have gone ahead instead as I will never be able to buy it even remotely close to that price given mass discounting is more or less gone away in the industry.

I would say you should see the materiality the lost equipment holds for you (it greatly does to me) and I would only consider getting the car again when they start shipping out the full kits. Personally, for me, this car will be my last ICE vehicle and I will hold it for the next 10 years or so hence, I am waiting for the next 6/12 months for the situation to improve.

Here's what BHPian Ojas had to say about the matter:

My recommendation is to go for the used one.

A new 530d is not worth 95L. Also, missing 360-deg camera in new cars is almost a deal-breaker for me for a big car; it's super useful in tight spaces and tricky situations.

AFAIK, extending the warranty will not be possible post expiry and their systems too don't allow it. You have to decide for yourself if you want to take that risk given other benefits like cost savings, features, etc.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

I have always loved the Rolls-Royce wheel caps, so I got them fitted.

BHPian rpunwani recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

1st year service & other updates:

Did the 1st year service on 4th March 2022 at 5426 kms.

The engine oil & engine filter required to be changed. Since I had the Service Package, the service was free. I believe that if the car runs 12000 - 13000 km a year, then the service package makes sense, in my case this service would have cost less than 15k, so the 3 year/40k service package is not worth it.

Last week, I got an email from the dealer stating that self leveling wheel caps are available for BMW cars, price Rs. 8,596/-. I have always loved the Rolls-Royce wheel caps, so I got them fitted.

Attaching some pictures below:

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Car feels super tight. These Germans age so well, she doesn't feel like she's almost 9 years old.

GTO recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

No media car right now, so been having a lot of fun with the 5! Took her out 4 times since the last update, almost everyday .

Rear tyres are slipping & sliding. I think it's partly my driving style and partly the 650 Nm torque going to the rear. But this happening at 12,000 km since the tyre change is quite early. The remapped car chews through rubber. Literally.

Who cares when you're having so much fun though!! Car feels super tight. These Germans age so well, she doesn't feel like she's almost 9 years old.

Nothing quite like stretching her legs on the open road. See how this Dzire has covered the "Army" board. It was positioned such that even his number-plate would've been hard to catch for the speeding cameras (from top angle):

I L-O-V-E Sunday lunches. In fact, I love late Saturday nights, long Sunday lunches and being at home on Sunday evening (chilled evening before Monday). Why Sunday lunches over Sunday dinner? Emptier roads (Bombay is too charming on Sunday mornings), easy parking, easier table booking, long 5 hour brunch or lunch sessions (not possible on Sunday night as I prefer to sleep early). Sunday nights are a mess in Bombay...too much crowd everywhere. Shot @ Diablo, a restaurant I highly recommend for the food + music + ambience:

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

All of a sudden last night I thought of browsing for pre-worshipped G30 530ds and found a few, but one caught my attention.

BHPian Jangra recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I'm currently jumping from one chain of thought to another. Around last December, I almost closed on Kodiaq, then thought that Kodiaq = Tiguan + 7 years of fuel (my running is 10k per year), so booked a Tiguan. All of a sudden last night I thought of browsing for pre-worshipped G30 530ds and found a few but one caught my attention. A grey 2019 M Sport 530d, with 17k on the ODO, warranty till June 2023 and no BSI quoting 56L.

Now this one seriously is a heart over head decision. I always bought a new car that saved me all the "What if" thoughts. Neither I know about every nitty-gritty that one drive can tell me how it is and hence the cold feet. But, if I negotiate this right, this one will be costing me 65% of the new one.

I "almost" can afford this car, and can certainly pay 1-1.5L per year if it is this one. And that special feeling of owning a car I always wanted.

Couple of questions:

• Your 2 cents on my thought process.
• Shall I just tell the dealer that I want to get this car inspected by Navnit motors? And do I have to mention anything specific to the BMW service advisor of what I want to get done?
• If I call the current insurance of that car, will they just let me know if there were any big claims? I mean, why will they?

(My apologies if these questions are answered somewhere)

One thing I like about pre-2020 models are "no speed warnings", which in BMWs are very loud, equally annoying in other cars. Is it just me?

I took the TD of the car I mentioned, it felt tight and unaltered. Oh boy! the power kept me. Though Bandra Kurla was busy and couldn't get a long empty stretch, but was enough to understand why GTO is so impressed with this machine. All electronics worked as expected. Two observations were:

• 2 inch dent on the left side front bumper just below the headlamps.
• Scuff mark on the left headlight which the dealer mentioned is on top of PPF.

Guess they are not deal breakers.

Car comes with zero dep insurance expiring in Nov-22.

Warranty was incorrectly claimed to be expiring in Jun-23, correct one is Dec-22.

Car was purchased and registered in June-19, but manufactured month is Dec-18.

Question - Any idea how much $ for extending the warranty beyond Dec-22, for 1, 2 OR 3 years?

Decision making begins.

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

A Grey 2019 M Sport 530D, with 17k on the ODO, warranty till June 2023 and no BSI quoting 56L.

An almost brand new car. With the warranty, your risk is zero. Follow our used car checklist (including service history, checking past insurance claims etc.) and you should be all set.

Shall I just tell the dealer that I want to get this car inspected by Navnit motors? And do I have to mention anything specific to the BMW service advisor of what I want to get done?

Just tell them you want to get a pre-purchase inspection done, at your cost. That shows seriousness. But agree on price first with the dealer.

If I call the current insurance of that car, will they just let me know if there were any big claims? I mean, why will they?

Depends on your convincing skills. Or you can ask your insurance broker to get the information. That's what I did.

One thing I like about pre-2020 models are "no speed warnings", which in BMWs are very loud, equally annoying in other cars. Is it just me?

Takes 5 minutes to remove via coding.

Here's what BHPian lamborghini had to say on the matter:

Car comes with zero dep insurance expiring in Nov-22.

Warranty was incorrectly claimed to be expiring in Jun-23, correct one is Dec-22.

Car was purchased and registered in June-19, but manufactured month is Dec-18.

This part is a little suspect.

Ideally warranty starts from day of delivery, not day of manufacture. Similarly why does the insurance expire in Nov if the vehicle was bought in June?

I wouldn't be surprised if it was an unregistered TD vehicle which was later on sold to the 'first owner' as this is common place with many manufacturers.

Do have it inspected at an authorized workshop, and if you have a connect with a service advisor through a friend : enquire about this Dec 2018 - June 2019 gap. They will also help with extending the BSI.

Here's what BHPian Axe77 had to say on the matter:

I took the TD of the car I mentioned yesterday, it felt tight and unaltered.

Question - Any idea how much $ for extending the warranty beyond Dec-22, for 1, 2 OR 3 years?

Please just call and ask BMW this right? Easiest.

Also, on service records, BMW maintains these centrally. I would recommend you do a paid inspection with them so you are completely sure.

On a side note, this deal can be closed for less than 50L. Its kept by the dealer on 2% commission basis (ie. not purchased by him but selling for owner on commission basis). I think your deal could be closed within 50L including the commission plus whatever it costs for the extended warranty, which I highly recommend you should get.

This sounds like a great deal for a 6 cylinder 5 series. I’d say go for it if you don’t come across any red flags.

Here's what BHPian androdev had to say on the matter:

Don't pay a deposit or post dated cheque. You are already paying for PPI which shows your genuine interest. You can show other means to establish you are a legit prospect - your profession, address, other cars you own, referral etc can convince the dealer that you should be taken seriously. Give your offer to the dealer and tell him that the offer is subject to getting a clean report from the A S.C. Don't part with your money before everything is wrapped up. Being paranoid is not only ok, it's very much required. Don't entertain any fear of losing a great deal. It's very simple: a car that is registered soon after manufacturing and having all the scheduled service history (nothing more, nothing less) is a bare minimum requirement if you don't want to roll the dice. I tell the people that I am only looking for a fair depreciation discount and nothing more. I am happy to be the highest bidder for a clean car.

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