looking to get into M5 ownership..........few question

[M5Rick]

Originally Posted by Dwaynos

You could not be more wrong. Very few were affected by oil pump issues. Rod bearing failures happen on all years including late ones. Most oil pumps were repaired before they failed and bearings are still failing, that should tell you everything.

I wouldn't let this make the decision for me though, the M5 is a fab car, I absolutely love mine.

Get one ASAP

+1 on that from me.

[tinysM5]

Originally Posted by Grizzle34

Alot of people on here are filling your head full of negatives and misinformation.

buying an Approved BMW through the Approved Used Car scheme comes with 12months warranty and roadside assistance.

after 12 months you have the option to extend.

If the car is under 60k miles then yes the warranty renewal will be cheaper than if the car was over 60k miles.

Rough guide here

https://thumbsnap.com/f/5bpHZGyw

As for rod bearing failure that was all down to the oil pump failing in early cars.

hi and thanks for the input.

if i buy private that has got the approved used warranty would that be transferable to myself?

also would an exhaust change void the warranty?

i wonder how much a rod bearing change would cost as a preventive measure

[tinysM5]

Originally Posted by Dwaynos

You could not be more wrong. Very few were affected by oil pump issues. Rod bearing failures happen on all years including late ones. Most oil pumps were repaired before they failed and bearings are still failing, that should tell you everything.

I wouldn't let this make the decision for me though, the M5 is a fab car, I absolutely love mine.

Get one ASAP

thanks for the input buddy

do any of you guys use a specialist or do you use main dealer?

for my subaru i use a specialist only......main dealers in my opinion are trained to replace rather than fix

[Grizzle34]

Originally Posted by Dwaynos

You could not be more wrong. Very few were affected by oil pump issues. Rod bearing failures happen on all years including late ones. Most oil pumps were repaired before they failed and bearings are still failing, that should tell you everything.

How do you actually know this??

i have several friends that are BMW techs a few M techs and they have more issues with door handles and comfort access than engines.


Rod bearings happen right across the modern M range

The E92 M3's, E60 M5's both are absolute chronic for bearing failure.






Yes the Warranty is transferable

[Dwaynos]

Originally Posted by Grizzle34

How do you actually know this??

i have several friends that are BMW techs a few M techs and they have more issues with door handles and comfort access than engines.


Rod bearings happen right across the modern M range

The E92 M3's, E60 M5's both are absolute chronic for bearing failure.






Yes the Warranty is transferable

It's ok saying that the door handles are more common, that's not saying that engines do not go wrong.

Here's an example, i went on Ebay looking for an m5 or m6 breaking to try and buy an lci steering wheel and this is what I saw. If you read the description it states that the engine is knocking. This cannot be a coincidence, it just shows that the issue is more common than people would like to believe.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?m...2F263245945167

[Dwaynos]

Originally Posted by tinysM5

hi and thanks for the input.

if i buy private that has got the approved used warranty would that be transferable to myself?

also would an exhaust change void the warranty?

i wonder how much a rod bearing change would cost as a preventive measure

I've purchased the parts needed for the rod bearing replacement. For every gasket, seal and bolt required, with the bearings and 12L of Castrol edge titanium 0w30 the price came to less than £400.

Yes there is going to be labour on there for some people but that will vary from garage to garage.

[tinysM5]

Originally Posted by Dwaynos

I've purchased the parts needed for the rod bearing replacement. For every gasket, seal and bolt required, with the bearings and 12L of Castrol edge titanium 0w30 the price came to less than £400.

Yes there is going to be labour on there for some people but that will vary from garage to garage.

to be fair thats not a bad price really, guessing its a good half a day.

are you setting the clearances to bmw original ones?

i really do fancy an m5 but without knowing the cost of a rebuild i simply cannot talk myself into getting one, yes i could have the warranty but then i cant modify...............double edged sword i guess.

even the mighty nissan gtr can have its engine rebuilt for around £8.5k from litchfields and that will take 900bhp.

damn M-tax lol

surely there is somebody in the uk who has had a rebuild done with upgraded parts thats come in alot cheaper than a replacement engine from bmw

is the oil pump a weakness on these? im sure ive read that certain years had faulty oil pumps.

[Dwaynos]

Originally Posted by tinysM5

to be fair thats not a bad price really, guessing its a good half a day.

are you setting the clearances to bmw original ones?

i really do fancy an m5 but without knowing the cost of a rebuild i simply cannot talk myself into getting one, yes i could have the warranty but then i cant modify...............double edged sword i guess.

even the mighty nissan gtr can have its engine rebuilt for around £8.5k from litchfields and that will take 900bhp.

damn M-tax lol

surely there is somebody in the uk who has had a rebuild done with upgraded parts thats come in alot cheaper than a replacement engine from bmw

is the oil pump a weakness on these? im sure ive read that certain years had faulty oil pumps.

Probably a day and a half work to be honest. Working day that is.

The clearances cannot be altered, they are determined by the size of the crank, rod, cap and 2 bearings. Ive purchased standard size shells. I will be checking clearances though when installing to make sure it's not too tight or too slack.

The main reason I'm concerned about mine is due to it having a few owners before me and not knowing how they treated the car.

It all depends how much you want to modify the car. With a stage 2 and downpipes you've got 750hp. Correct warm and and cool down cycles alongside correct maintenance should see the car run problem free.

Some early cars were affected by faulty oil pumps yes but it's not many at all in the UK. The issue was the drive snapping causing loss in oil pressure. Unless the drive snapped there was no issue so you dont have to worry about an engine being subjected to weak pressures during its early life. If the drive snapped the engine went wrong straight away and were replaced by BMW at the time. If I remember, BMW sent out letters to the affected car owners telling them not to drive it and the vehicle would be recovered to BMW on a truck.

As for getting a gtr instead, they are great cars but I'm not sure I could live with pound shop feel of the interior etc. The interior looks terrible in my opinion too.

[tinysM5]

Originally Posted by Dwaynos

Probably a day and a half work to be honest. Working day that is.

The clearances cannot be altered, they are determined by the size of the crank, rod, cap and 2 bearings. Ive purchased standard size shells. I will be checking clearances though when installing to make sure it's not too tight or too slack.

The main reason I'm concerned about mine is due to it having a few owners before me and not knowing how they treated the car.

It all depends how much you want to modify the car. With a stage 2 and downpipes you've got 750hp. Correct warm and and cool down cycles alongside correct maintenance should see the car run problem free.

Some early cars were affected by faulty oil pumps yes but it's not many at all in the UK. The issue was the drive snapping causing loss in oil pressure. Unless the drive snapped there was no issue so you dont have to worry about an engine being subjected to weak pressures during its early life. If the drive snapped the engine went wrong straight away and were replaced by BMW at the time. If I remember, BMW sent out letters to the affected car owners telling them not to drive it and the vehicle would be recovered to BMW on a truck.

As for getting a gtr instead, they are great cars but I'm not sure I could live with pound shop feel of the interior etc. The interior looks terrible in my opinion too.

Did you not look into ARP rod bolts and ACL bearings?

I take it the engine block itself is ok in terms of reliability and that the main cause of failure is rod-knock?

Also is there a service schedule for the gearbox or do BMW still state its sealed for life.......

Sorry for all the questions buddy just trying to learn as much as possible

[OneExtra]

I think you are over worrying about the issues with M5 engines, just buy a good low mileage cared for e ample and get a warranty and enjoy it.

[Dwaynos]

Originally Posted by tinysM5

Did you not look into ARP rod bolts and ACL bearings?

I take it the engine block itself is ok in terms of reliability and that the main cause of failure is rod-knock?

Also is there a service schedule for the gearbox or do BMW still state its sealed for life.......

Sorry for all the questions buddy just trying to learn as much as possible

I've got standard rod bolts and ACL bearings. I figured the rod bolts would be fine, if i were to use forged rods then yes I would use ARP bolts.

From what I can tell, the rod bearing failure is the main fault seen on the m5. Rods can bend also but that's only the same as any other car not running forged rods. Can be caused by excess torque from a tune, bad fuel causing pre ignition, or getting on it hard from very low rpms in higher gears.

The gearboxes are supposedly sealed for life but i think people recommend oil changes every 35k or so. When I changed mine the car had approx 38k on and the oil was very clean.

I knew all this when I bought my m5 and do not have a warranty. I am not in the same financial situation as some people on this forum, my money does not grow on trees and I have to appreciate it, no 5k exhausts or 2k carbon fiber splitters for me. I still purchased the m5 because I had to have one. Take care of the car and it will take care of you, to an extent.

[tinysM5]

Originally Posted by Dwaynos

I've got standard rod bolts and ACL bearings. I figured the rod bolts would be fine, if i were to use forged rods then yes I would use ARP bolts.

From what I can tell, the rod bearing failure is the main fault seen on the m5. Rods can bend also but that's only the same as any other car not running forged rods. Can be caused by excess torque from a tune, bad fuel causing pre ignition, or getting on it hard from very low rpms in higher gears.

The gearboxes are supposedly sealed for life but i think people recommend oil changes every 35k or so. When I changed mine the car had approx 38k on and the oil was very clean.

I knew all this when I bought my m5 and do not have a warranty. I am not in the same financial situation as some people on this forum, my money does not grow on trees and I have to appreciate it, no 5k exhausts or 2k carbon fiber splitters for me. I still purchased the m5 because I had to have one. Take care of the car and it will take care of you, to an extent.

thanks again for the reply.

i know all about looking after my cars, my impreza doesnt get driven hard until its at operating temp (i use a defi guage for this) i dont redline the car nor do i launch it. i actually dont drive it much i only covered 1300 miles between mot's this time around.

i would like to travel around europe for my honeymoon hence me looking at the m5's but i need it to be reliable.

have you heard of injector hydrolock? seems a few guys in the usa have had this issue which has ended the life of their engines.

[Dwaynos]

Originally Posted by tinysM5

thanks again for the reply.

i know all about looking after my cars, my impreza doesnt get driven hard until its at operating temp (i use a defi guage for this) i dont redline the car nor do i launch it. i actually dont drive it much i only covered 1300 miles between mot's this time around.

i would like to travel around europe for my honeymoon hence me looking at the m5's but i need it to be reliable.

have you heard of injector hydrolock? seems a few guys in the usa have had this issue which has ended the life of their engines.

The m5 is very reliable but like any car has its problems. If you were to read into other cars I'm sure they would have something against them too.

Yes I'd forgotten about that, sometimes the injectors fill the cylinders with fuel and bends a rod. I'm not sure about injector cost but I know there is a euro5 and euro 6 option. Both engines give out the same hp but the euro5 injectors are less than half the price from what I can remember. Pre lci are generally euro5. Some people replace injectors under preventative maintenance but depending on price I'm not sure I would bother. You can get forged rods for €750 euros ish from FCP engineering. Worst case scenario I bend a rod and replace them all with forged ones. Failing that there are 2nd hand rods on Ebay for around £50, or I have seen them in the past.

The risk of damaging a crank if rod bearings fail is not an option as a crank will be 5k plus I would imagine. This is why I'm replacing my bearings.

[tinysM5]

Originally Posted by Dwaynos

The m5 is very reliable but like any car has its problems. If you were to read into other cars I'm sure they would have something against them too.

Yes I'd forgotten about that, sometimes the injectors fill the cylinders with fuel and bends a rod. I'm not sure about injector cost but I know there is a euro5 and euro 6 option. Both engines give out the same hp but the euro5 injectors are less than half the price from what I can remember. Pre lci are generally euro5. Some people replace injectors under preventative maintenance but depending on price I'm not sure I would bother. You can get forged rods for €750 euros ish from FCP engineering. Worst case scenario I bend a rod and replace them all with forged ones. Failing that there are 2nd hand rods on Ebay for around £50, or I have seen them in the past.

The risk of damaging a crank if rod bearings fail is not an option as a crank will be 5k plus I would imagine. This is why I'm replacing my bearings.

So which would be the bad injectors?

Would the warranty cover a new engine AND faulty injectors?

[Dwaynos]

It can happen with both euro5 and euro6 injectors.

A warranty would cover the faulty part and anything damaged by a faulty part so yes engine and injectors would be covered.

If you can buy an m5 from a dealer you would get a minimum 12 months warranty for free. I purchased mine privately and a warranty would be around 2k per year.

[tinysM5]

Originally Posted by Dwaynos

It can happen with both euro5 and euro6 injectors.

A warranty would cover the faulty part and anything damaged by a faulty part so yes engine and injectors would be covered.

If you can buy an m5 from a dealer you would get a minimum 12 months warranty for free. I purchased mine privately and a warranty would be around 2k per year.

i am going to contact a few companies regarding aftermarket parts for these

rods
pistons
bearings etc

i would haggle in a 2nd year warranty if i buy from a dealer as a minimum.

i was planning on getting my impreza engine rebuilt so i could run 500+bhp the place i was going to use is called engine-tuner in plymouth so i will speak with them aswell.

i dont expect the m5 to be trouble free i just want a clear picture in my head of worst case scenario how much things will cost and where to go to get it done.

has yours got the ceramic brakes?

[Dwaynos]

Originally Posted by tinysM5

i am going to contact a few companies regarding aftermarket parts for these

rods
pistons
bearings etc

i would haggle in a 2nd year warranty if i buy from a dealer as a minimum.

i was planning on getting my impreza engine rebuilt so i could run 500+bhp the place i was going to use is called engine-tuner in plymouth so i will speak with them aswell.

i dont expect the m5 to be trouble free i just want a clear picture in my head of worst case scenario how much things will cost and where to go to get it done.

has yours got the ceramic brakes?

Good idea, I don't know of any places in the UK that do jobs like that so I cant help you there I'm afraid.

No mine just has standard brakes. Carbon ceramic are an absolute fortune when they need replacing, I wouldn't have bought one with ceramics.

[tinysM5]

Originally Posted by Dwaynos

Good idea, I don't know of any places in the UK that do jobs like that so I cant help you there I'm afraid.

No mine just has standard brakes. Carbon ceramic are an absolute fortune when they need replacing, I wouldn't have bought one with ceramics.

A-S performance or engine tuner are the only people I would trust to build an engine, oh and Litchfield aswell.

Let's be honest the m5 block with all the ancillaries removed is just a v8 block so as long as normal engine building rules are followed I cant see an issue with getting it done. Getting the parts however seems to be the hard part.

[OneExtra]

Originally Posted by Dwaynos

I've got standard rod bolts and ACL bearings. I figured the rod bolts would be fine, if i were to use forged rods then yes I would use ARP bolts.

From what I can tell, the rod bearing failure is the main fault seen on the m5. Rods can bend also but that's only the same as any other car not running forged rods. Can be caused by excess torque from a tune, bad fuel causing pre ignition, or getting on it hard from very low rpms in higher gears.

The gearboxes are supposedly sealed for life but i think people recommend oil changes every 35k or so. When I changed mine the car had approx 38k on and the oil was very clean.

I knew all this when I bought my m5 and do not have a warranty. I am not in the same financial situation as some people on this forum, my money does not grow on trees and I have to appreciate it, no 5k exhausts or 2k carbon fiber splitters for me. I still purchased the m5 because I had to have one. Take care of the car and it will take care of you, to an extent.

Originally Posted by Dwaynos

I knew all this when I bought my m5 and do not have a warranty. I am not in the same financial situation as some people on this forum, my money does not grow on trees and I have to appreciate it, no 5k exhausts or 2k carbon fiber splitters for me. I still purchased the m5 because I had to have one. Take care of the car and it will take care of you, to an extent.

Not sure who you are referring to here but me personally I work very hard and have done for over 30 years so I more than appreciate the money I have, unfortunately it doesn't grow on trees for me either.

The M Performance Carbon parts cost £1200

[tinysM5]

question...........does the m performance exhaust void the warranty?

[OneExtra]

Originally Posted by tinysM5

question...........does the m performance exhaust void the warranty?

No as it’s a Genuine BMW part although it’s not worth the money in my opinion

[tinysM5]

Originally Posted by OneExtra

No as it’s a Genuine BMW part although it’s not worth the money in my opinion

yeah i agree ive literally just saw the price of it............yikes

im guessing any change of exhaust will void warranty.