How to avoid buying a modified M5?

[E6 RDM]

HI All

I'm not keen on buying a modified M5, so how can I identify if a car has been chipped/mapped?

I know some sellers will say if it has been, others may not, or if it's at a car dealer, they may not even know...

I don't want to buy a warranty, something huge goes wrong and BMW tell me it's been chipped/mapped and so is invalid...

Thanks
Rob

[rgb129]

I would do what I did...buy CPO. I lucked out and got one that is under factory warranty for another year and then the 2 year CPO after that. That would be your safest bet that I can think of.

[E6 RDM]

Originally Posted by rgb129

I would do what I did...buy CPO. I lucked out and got one that is under factory warranty for another year and then the 2 year CPO after that. That would be your safest bet that I can think of.

Thanks - buy CPO (?) I guess you mean buy from a main BMW dealer? I'm never sure about these "6 month gold warranty" type things offered by non-franchised showrooms

[PaulT_M5]

CPO = Certified Pre Owned. This is the US version of our AUC = Approved Used Car.

An AUC will come with the balance remaining of manufacturer's warranty, or 12 months, whichever is the greater.

Providing the service history has been completed properly, you can buy an extended warranty directly from BMW regardless of where you purchased the car.: https://www.bmw-warranty.co.uk/

[josec70]

Originally Posted by E6 RDM

HI All

I'm not keen on buying a modified M5, so how can I identify if a car has been chipped/mapped?

I know some sellers will say if it has been, others may not, or if it's at a car dealer, they may not even know...

I don't want to buy a warranty, something huge goes wrong and BMW tell me it's been chipped/mapped and so is invalid...

Thanks
Rob

Drilled DME's would be a dead giveaway; a piggyback, unless on the car,would require some deeper investigation.

I would assume if BMW CPO's a car they inspect DME's to ensure the car was not tuned; it would suck to be denied a claim on a car BMW CPO's but failed to detect drilled DME's on.

Used cars are always a bit of a gamble; make sure you buy an extended warranty. Some 3rd party warranties are a little more flexible in regards to claims.

[TrevorM3]

Originally Posted by rgb129

I would do what I did...buy CPO. I lucked out and got one that is under factory warranty for another year and then the 2 year CPO after that. That would be your safest bet that I can think of.

cpo is no guarantee.


Scenario, i flash a car, keep it for 6 months and never visit the dealer for any issues (repair/warranty etc) It never goes into the dealer, so it can never have a chance of being flagged.

I turn the car in with low miles, it's clean, dealer will keep an CPO. I highly doubt they are plugging the car up at lease turn in and checking the DME. Although with the mess of shit going on right now, its plausible...

So, no guarantees unless you can physically check DME (If drilled) and run a DME test to see if there was any tampering (if they flashed it by actually seperating the DME case)

[M5Rlz]

LMAO CPO doesn't mean anything.

its 1500 bucks and the dealer pays bmw and automatically gets it. They can lose their ability to accredit if they do something really shady, but they never caught me with my JB4,


and my M4 which had a whole new engine after a deer killed the oil cooler lines on the bottom, showed clean auto fax and clean carfax, and even with their internal records I know said engine replacement for 32k since all the work was done at a bmw dealership. They still certified my m4 for CPO status when they got ahold of it.


I'd focus much more on the ownership levels, miles, maybe check for aftermarket exhaust and downpipes. But honestly like my M5 with JB4 only you'd never know if someone unclipped a stage1 JB4.


multiple owners always worries me cause that means someone didn't care about it...


1 owner, exhaust never tampered with, within range of lower miles so 15-45k miles and clean interior and steering wheel I'd take a flyer on any of the f10s reliability.

[Lowflight]

Get a GTR. Nothing ever breaks on those. They are built by Gods.

[E6 RDM]

Originally Posted by josec70

Drilled DME's would be a dead giveaway; a piggyback, unless on the car,would require some deeper investigation.

I would assume if BMW CPO's a car they inspect DME's to ensure the car was not tuned; it would suck to be denied a claim on a car BMW CPO's but failed to detect drilled DME's on.

Used cars are always a bit of a gamble; make sure you buy an extended warranty. Some 3rd party warranties are a little more flexible in regards to claims.

Sorry - whats a DME?

[E6 RDM]

Sorry - I assume its the engine management....

Is this easy to see under the bonnet? Or do you need to remove the engine cover?

[josec70]

Originally Posted by E6 RDM

Sorry - whats a DME?

Digital Motor Electronics - essentially the engine management system. Do a search here for step by step DME removal; not very complicated.

[Flying Ace]

no 100% sure way of knowing. If you're buying privately, do some social media mining of the owner. If he's a car enthusiast, he'll show off the car on social media, look for signs of modifications.

[carrera2RSL]

Most modern ECUs can record changes, not sure if that’s true for BMW, I’d test drive the car and look at the overall condition. I’d rather buy a well looked after slightly tweaked car than an abused stock car. Modding might increase wear a little, but so can driving hard when cold. If it was going to go bang it would do it under stress, stresses obviously increase with raising rpm and hp. If it’s back to stock and runs well highly unlikely it’s now about to break.

[E6 RDM]

Originally Posted by carrera2RSL

Most modern ECUs can record changes, not sure if that’s true for BMW, I’d test drive the car and look at the overall condition. I’d rather buy a well looked after slightly tweaked car than an abused stock car. Modding might increase wear a little, but so can driving hard when cold. If it was going to go bang it would do it under stress, stresses obviously increase with raising rpm and hp. If it’s back to stock and runs well highly unlikely it’s now about to break.

Does anyone know where the DME is located, just so I can see if it's been drilled...