After 4 Years, Was Buying A 144,000 Mile Bmw 5 Series A Mistake? (E60 / E61) 

Hey, regarding the battery drain, when we bought our E61 LCI 525d we got the problem where the boot window would pop open intermittently. Turned out the faulty switch caused a parasitic drain on the battery and the system shuts down the electric consumers to prevent draining the battery. This is why you have to reset the clock over and over again. If you have any switches or relays that are shorting out or faulty, this could be the culprit. I thought I'd share this before you go on and buy a new battery as it may not solve the problem.

Wow, it's been 4 years already, i bought mine at the same time as you and found your channel when buying it, sold it 2 years ago before my military service, time flies i guess. :D

Good update Neil. Shocked it’s been 4 years already!

wow. it's been a minute since i had your channel show up in recommended. I remember the boxster and m3 videos. Glad to see you're still around!!

Ive just bought one and have followed your brilliant how to vids on this car. I would like to see a remap at some point and more content of any kind.

I've been waiting for this update for a while. Fantastic to see it's been good to you and you're planing to keep it until it dies, which in your ownership will probably never happen. If you look around I think you'll find clean E61 LCI examples like yours are appreciating in value as there are very few good ones left.

I was inspired by this series and did the same thing! Had it for a year-18 months but traded it in which was possibly a big mistake but sounds like there may have been issues further down the line! Best car I ever owned personally

Great video mate keep up the great content 🎉

Good to hear it’s still going 🙌🏼 I bought a 335d at a similar time, it’s not mine anymore but it’s still going strong! Those M57s are strong old lumps.

Finally bought myself a 2010 530d touring after watching the series. Definitely looking forward to “restoring” mine & enjoying it as much as you have

Followed this series all them years ago, along with the M3 series. Good stuff that. Sounds like the preventative maintenance really paid off. Nothing beats an old BMW diesel for cross country touring. Youll be surprised with how much power that straight six can produce. Get that beast remapped! Would also be nice to see interior/ exterior detailing vids of the cars!

interesting, ive got the same car but 2010, do not think there was any mechanical updates to it in that time but i get 58MPG combined, really good honest video and got a subscription from it

Also worth checking the charging voltage - alternator voltage regulator could be the culprit. On my 2009 135i I was regularly getting a battery warning (CC-415) which was rectified by replacing the regulator and giving the battery a good session on 'repair mode'. The battery definitely isn't 100% but I'm no longer getting the warning messages. Other things you should do - having owned a couple of 100k+ mile BMWs, I would be surprised if it wouldn't benefit from a suspension refresh. Unless they've been replaced, bushes, top mounts and dampers may be less than fresh. My Z4 drove so much better after a load of new parts and an alignment.

Thanks, was wondering how it was going. 👍🏼

glad to see you still have it! Is it easy to know what is wrong with it, and to come up with that list of things to fix? was this all stuff you noticed or from reading codes? thanks!

I've just found your channel, bought a pre-LCI equivalent of your car a bit over 5 years ago, 146k on the clock. Now at 189k. If it hasn't been done already, expect to rebuild the rear suspension (all new bushes and airbag replacement) before long. Also the torque converters last about 150k miles before the lock up clutch wears out. I still mostly love mine, despite having done all the work you listed and plenty more besides!

I have the same car. I can def recommend xHP transmission flash tune. It really is worth it.

I have just over 104k miles on my 2008 e61. It’s requires more maintenance and money than anything I’ve own, but I enjoy the car much. I’m in the middle of a resto-mod.

High mileage? What would you then call mine. @270.200 miles, my BMW E61 525d LCI from November 2007 is still in the process of breaking in. In April 2024, I will have had it for 10 years. On same engine, turbo, automatic transmission, exhaust (DPF cleaned once, not a DIY job). Also done nearly all repairs and maintenance myself. I make sure to change transmission oil and filter about every 50.000 miles. Engine oil about every 7000 miles (important to make the turbo last). All the issues you mention I have also had and then some, but nothing fundamental like engine or gearbox issues. Glad to learn that you still have the car.

My 2008 E61 (2.0d) 143k had similar issues. Condenser replaced etc. Changed pads, discs and Kuhmo’s on the rear. The clock back up battery apparently is on the dash circuit board so really difficult to replace which has happened on mine. Now silly things like tailgate glass switch, rear washer jet etc. Great car, looks fantastic (M-Sport) and drives beautifully- going to struggle to beat it! Get so many comments too - these are rapidly become collectors cars…

Buying any older BMW is a risk especially if you can't work on it yourself, but if you can, then they are absolute gems especial an estate!

I would run the tyres through the summer if you can. Take it easy in the wet and get new in the autumn.

The ecu disconects the negative lead off the battery if the power drops too low to give you enough to start it hence no clock , I had the same problem with the battery i thought and changed it but it was corrosion where the battery power lead goes through the floor ( mine was also e61 and a 55 plate) and the bmw dealer did it for FA as its a recall so worth having a look at that and some great images on the Internet of the odd fire caused by it , you might find you can get the lead sorted FOC

Fyi have 530d and had odd warning lights come up then car had electrical issues. Did some preventative maintenance items to fix start proble incl alternator and battery. In end transpires best to check early E60/61 cluster. Removed fuse and car started. Hence consider this - it does not show up as fault on insta etc.

If you do have your own garage with car lift - it's not mistake - it's a hobby!

If you have a cd changer in the glovebox try removing the cd slot thing. I was getting the battery drain warning and I found out when I locked the car it was just cycling through the cd slots constantly until the car shut everything off because of the drain. Never found the root cause but I haven't had an issue since

You won't need a new A/C compressor just a new condenser I had a BMW with over 250,000 miles and same A/C compressor after 3 condenser replacements

It would be great if you did a video on the AC conpressor and condenser

How about trying one of those tuning boxes? A bit more poke and better fuel consumption in theory.

My G31 520d the tyre wear is really good. Using pirelli’s the rears last 40000 and the fronts are at 4 mm at 56000 miles at the moment so potentially 70000 out of the fronts. I do drive 35000 a year so a lot of cruising. 😊

Doing a stage 1 remap really wakes the 530d up, so I would reccomend that.

I've heard they put a UV dye in the AC gas. Nice car, how are you finding replacing electrical parts, has BMW locked this down with codes, I don't think it's new enough?

Recommend buying?

How have you gone so long with dojng the wiring in the boot hinges. Ive had mine for 6-7 years and done it 3 times.

Hiya Neil, what ramps are you using at the start of the video? Cheers!

Where did you get them plates that have no markings on? All the ones i have found online have a name on them of who made them.

The 125,000 mile DPF life is bollocks. It’s just a pre programmed warning that’s stored in the system for a worst case scenario. They can last the lifetime of the car if they’re given the opportunity to regen regularly.

if you will keep it till it dies you will have to pass it to your children. remap it it will still pass the emission test atleast with stage 1 remap

Ibs sensor will be faulty, causing battery drain. Common issue, take it off and all will be good.