# 535d Long Term Feedback



## rmorin49 (Jan 7, 2007)

I'm looking for feedback on 535d owners who have owned their cars for at least 2 years and with at least 25K miles. Any engine or tranny issues? What about overall reliability. About time to trade my A6 and am considering coming back to BMW. Thanks.


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## n1das (Jul 22, 2013)

I got my 2014 535d in mid-August 2013 after ordering it on July 1 2013 about 24 hours after it became available to order. Absolutely love the car. Now at 60k miles. Never babied, always driven like it was stolen and for long periods. "Soft" driving and using it exclusively for short trips have been avoided. An occasional short trip isn't any worry because of all the highway miles. ZERO reliability issues. A blast to drive. Last year I drove from NH to FL over the holidays and my first fuel stop wasn't until I got down into VA, close to 600 miles. My second fuel stop was in the Savannah GA area and I had around half a tank left when I got to my destination in FL. I love the grunty low end torque it has and with better real world fuel economy than the 5-series gassers coming as a bonus. A 5-series gasser will go thru a full tank and already be well into its second tank by the time the "d" needs to stop for fuel.

I drive around 1k miles/week and the miles are split up between my '14 535d (bought new) and my '12 X5 35d (bought CPO) and I am the only driver. My daily round trip work commute is almost exactly 100 miles, all spent haulin' ar$e on the highway. The other driving I do as part of having a life outside of work brings the total to around 1k miles/week. I've already put over 50k on the X5 35d in the year and a half that I've owned the car (CPO deal). 

I own both cars outright from day one (paid CA$H). My dealer was a little bummed that I didn't want to take advantage of any financing offers. I like not having car payments. Leasing would never work for me because of the miles I drive. 100k miles is a little under 2 years of driving for me. Both cars are planned to be long term keepers. My (bought new) 2002 VW Golf TDI (diesel) only had 361k miles on it when I sold it in 2010 to a coworker whose son needed a car for college and I had replaced it with a 2010 VW Jetta SportWagen TDI. That 02 Golf TDI is still on the road today at 400k miles.

On the 535d, I had the FLIR night vision camera lens replaced ($700) after it got cracked from taking a rock hit and let water into the camera. Fortunately the ($3700) camera did not need to be replaced. It took about 3 weeks for the camera to fully dry out and work perfectly again after the lens replacement.

I recently had the misfortune of hitting a truck tire "alligator" on the highway at night and ruptured the fuel tank. I was dumping diesel fuel on the highway as I drove and the car died about 15 minutes later when it ran out of fuel. The car was flatbedded to my BMW dealer (Tulley BMW in Nashua NH). Insurance covered the fuel tank replacement. All good as new now. 

Awesome car!

Good luck.


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## FredoinSF (Nov 29, 2009)

Love posts like this, gives me hope the X5 will make it for several years relatively trouble free as it has been the past 2.5. Keep the updates coming!


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## Pat_X5 (Aug 23, 2008)

rmorin49 said:


> I'm looking for feedback on 535d owners who have owned their cars for at least 2 years and with at least 25K miles. Any engine or tranny issues? What about overall reliability. About time to trade my A6 and am considering coming back to BMW. Thanks.


Funny, I have been thinking of going from BMW to Land Rover diesel recently when my X5d is up for lease return.

Land Rover has built in torque vectoring and stiffer suspension standard which makes the ride fun.:thumbup:

With a 535d, beware that the suspension and ride is very soft and dips in the corners & sides.
You have to get the Dynamic Handling Package and M sport options to get that ride to stiffen up....

It a shame that BMW makes you buy a lot of options to make it fun to drive....:dunno:


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## n1das (Jul 22, 2013)

Pat_X5 said:


> Funny, I have been thinking of going from BMW to Land Rover diesel recently when my X5d is up for lease return.
> 
> Land Rover has built in torque vectoring and stiffer suspension standard which makes the ride fun.:thumbup:
> 
> ...


What Pat_X5 said.

I haven't noticed a soft ride and squishy handling because I have DHP and M-Sport options.

Here's what I have in my 535d:

A52 Space Gray Metallic color
LZMW Mocha Nappa Leather w/Black Dashboard
ZMM M Sport
ZCW Cold Weather Package
ZDA Driver Assistance Package
ZDB Driver Assistance Plus
ZDH Dynamic Handling Package
ZLP Lighting Package (Full LED lights!!!!)
ZPP Premium Package
337 M Sport Package
2TB Sport Automatic Transmission w/shift paddles
323 Soft-close automatic doors
456 Multi-contour seats
4U1 Ceramic controls
5AP Decoding for no-dazzle high-beam assistance
6F2 Bang & Olufsen Sound System
6UK Night Vision with Pedestrian Detection

MSRP as configured was $85,225.


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## Ninong (May 20, 2014)

Pat_X5 said:


> It a shame that BMW makes you buy a lot of options to make it fun to drive....:dunno:


Here's what happened. Do you remember when BMWs all had a certain feel to them that was unique and not at all the same as their competition? Back then it was mostly men who bought them. Even when the car was for a family, it was the husband who made the decision to buy the BMW. Remember that far back?

Sooner or later BMW realized that their competition was building cars more appealing to women because the majority of them preferred cars with stuff like electric power steering, etc., and softer suspensions. The majority of women complained that BMWs were too hard to steer and their ride was too stiff. In the specific case of cars like the X5, BMW realized that the buying decision for those cars was being controlled by the wives because they were the ones who liked them and wanted them. Sure, there were still guys who wanted them but with married couples, the wives were controlling the final decision.

So that's how we ended up with BMWs no longer feeling the same as they once did unless you option them with dynamic stability control or a track package or whatever else they choose to call it. People complain about electric power steering but that's what the focus groups said women wanted. Blame them.


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## Pierre Louis (Oct 23, 2011)

They Like It Soft


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## Doug Huffman (Apr 25, 2015)

Like Chatty-Cathy Mattel says, "Math is hard. So is my BMW's ride."


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## Pat_X5 (Aug 23, 2008)

Ninong said:


> Here's what happened. Do you remember when BMWs all had a certain feel to them that was unique and not at all the same as their competition? Back then it was mostly men who bought them. Even when the car was for a family, it was the husband who made the decision to buy the BMW. Remember that far back?
> 
> Sooner or later BMW realized that their competition was building cars more appealing to women because the majority of them preferred cars with stuff like electric power steering, etc., and softer suspensions. The majority of women complained that BMWs were too hard to steer and their ride was too stiff. In the specific case of cars like the X5, BMW realized that the buying decision for those cars was being controlled by the wives because they were the ones who liked them and wanted them. Sure, there were still guys who wanted them but with married couples, the wives were controlling the final decision.
> 
> So that's how we ended up with BMWs no longer feeling the same as they once did unless you option them with dynamic stability control or a track package or whatever else they choose to call it. People complain about electric power steering but that's what the focus groups said women wanted. Blame them.


:thumbup:
Hmmm yes that makes sense 100% !

I guess I am getting too old nowadays to enjoy driving....

RMORIN49: forgive us for taking over your thread.

Have you considered getting an awesome deal on a TDI Audi when they release the stop sale ????


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## n1das (Jul 22, 2013)

Pat_X5 said:


> :thumbup:
> Hmmm yes that makes sense 100% !
> 
> I guess I am getting too old nowadays to enjoy driving....
> ...


Also don't overlook low mileage used TDIs that owners foolishly decided to throw away after the dieselgate scandal made the news.

VW and Audi dealers can sell used TDIs simply as plain old used and not as CPO. This is a great time to be in the market for a used TDI. If you shop around you could find a low mileage used TDI that somebody foolishly traded in out of fear of the sky falling and got lowballed by the dealer on their trade. Since dealers aren't selling used TDIs as CPOs they can't command as high a price for a used car. Now is a great time to play vulture and get a deal on a low mileage used TDI. From what I've read, used TDIs are selling quickly. For every TDI owner wanting to walk away from their TDI out of fears of the sky falling and perceived diminished resale value, there are at least 3 potential buyers waiting.


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## Pat_X5 (Aug 23, 2008)

n1das said:


> Also don't overlook low mileage used TDIs that owners foolishly decided to throw away after the dieselgate scandal made the news.
> 
> VW and Audi dealers can sell used TDIs simply as plain old used and not as CPO. This is a great time to be in the market for a used TDI. If you shop around you could find a low mileage used TDI that somebody foolishly traded in out of fear of the sky falling and got lowballed by the dealer on their trade. Since dealers aren't selling used TDIs as CPOs they can't command as high a price for a used car. Now is a great time to play vulture and get a deal on a low mileage used TDI. From what I've read, used TDIs are selling quickly. For every TDI owner wanting to walk away from their TDI out of fears of the sky falling and perceived diminished resale value, there are at least 3 potential buyers waiting.


Oh yes, that is very good to know.
Very well put - "vulture"....:rofl:
My co worker is looking for a used VW TDI for his new driver kid.....


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## totitan (May 11, 2013)

n1das said:


> Also don't overlook low mileage used TDIs that owners foolishly decided to throw away after the dieselgate scandal made the news.


You are entitled to your opinion but heres some reality. I owned a 12 JSW tdi with 50,000 miles on it when dieselgate broke. I knew it was going to get ugly so I immediately started trying to find a dealer who had a white 2016 Golf Sportwagen SE tsi with the light pkg who was willing to make a deal. Eventually I found one who discounted the new car down to 27500 from 30000 and gave me 14K for my tdi.

Fast forward 2 1/2 months, dealers dont have any 2016 GSW tsi's available, and the kbb trade value for my tdi has dropped to 11, 769.

Still think Im foolish?


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## n1das (Jul 22, 2013)

totitan said:


> You are entitled to your opinion but heres some reality. I owned a 12 JSW tdi with 50,000 miles on it when dieselgate broke.* I knew it was going to get ugly so I immediately started trying to find a dealer who had a white 2016 Golf Sportwagen SE tsi* with the light pkg who was willing to make a deal. Eventually I found one who discounted the new car down to 27500 from 30000 and gave me 14K for my tdi.
> 
> Fast forward 2 1/2 months, dealers dont have any 2016 GSW tsi's available, and the kbb trade value for my tdi has dropped to 11, 769.
> 
> *Still think Im foolish?*


In a word, yes.

What were you worried about when you knew things were going to get ugly after the dieselgate scandal broke? Your TDI was still the same car it was before the scandal broke. Trying to sell or trade a TDI post-scandal and specifically BECAUSE of the scandal over concerns of diminished resale value is foolish. There are valid reasons for wanting out of a car but this is not the time to sell a TDI right now. It reminds me of panic selling in the stock market, LOL. This is an excellent time to buy for anyone in the market for a used TDI. If post scandal resale values plummet enough then it's time for me go shopping and play vulture and add another diesel vehicle to my all diesel fleet. If there are no more new TDIs going forward we can expect resale values to only increase due to constrained supply and high demand. The dieselgate scandal hasn't cut demand for TDIs and other diesel vehicles. People still want these cars.

If I still had my 2010 JSW TDI today I absolutely would NOT sell it because of the dieselgate scandal and hold right onto it and keep driving it. Resale value only matters when you go to sell your car or if it gets totaled early on. If I still owned it today it would already have more than 200k miles on it. There are no gassers I would even be remotely interested in to replace the JSW TDI with. My TDIs I owned years ago have since been replaced by my BMW diesels.

It would have been much cheaper to simply keep the TDI and keep driving it and maintain it and get the most life out of it. Instead you chose to throw a perfectly good car away by trading it in and taking the depreciation hit. Then you started the depreciation cycle over again by driving a new car off the lot. Even though you averted getting lowballed on your TDI trade by acting quickly and grabbing the TSI while you had the chance, it still would have been much cheaper to simply keep the TDI and keep driving it. At 50k miles, your TDI's engine hasn't even finished breaking in yet! Car companies depend on people throwing their cars away by trading them in and buying new ones in a "new every 2" cycle because it's always good for their bottom line. It's a very expensive way to own a car and OK if you have money to burn. It's generally cheaper to keep her.

Anyhow, enjoy your new ride.

Have fun!


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## totitan (May 11, 2013)

n1das said:


> In a word, yes.
> 
> What were you worried about when you knew things were going to get ugly after the dieselgate scandal broke? Your TDI was still the same car it was before the scandal broke. Trying to sell or trade a TDI post-scandal and specifically BECAUSE of the scandal over concerns of diminished resale value is foolish. There are valid reasons for wanting out of a car but this is not the time to sell a TDI right now. It reminds me of panic selling in the stock market, LOL. This is an excellent time to buy for anyone in the market for a used TDI. If post scandal resale values plummet enough then it's time for me go shopping and play vulture and add another diesel vehicle to my all diesel fleet. If there are no more new TDIs going forward we can expect resale values to only increase due to constrained supply and high demand. The dieselgate scandal hasn't cut demand for TDIs and other diesel vehicles. People still want these cars.
> 
> ...


Yes the 12 JSW tdi was still a good car but the 16 GSW built on the new MQB platform with the new for 16 MIBII infotainment system is a way better car, and I mean better in every way. Longer, wider, stiffer, better suspension, better materials throughout, AND 300lbs lighter! If I wanted to maximize every dollar spent on vehicles, I sure as hell wouldnt have bought a 335d, but I own it because I like it. Same thing with the Sportwagens.....the 16 is so much better than the 12 that I wanted it and didnt mind paying for something that I like.


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## n1das (Jul 22, 2013)

totitan said:


> Yes the 12 JSW tdi was still a good car but the 16 GSW built on the new MQB platform with the new for 16 MIBII infotainment system is a way better car, and I mean better in every way. Longer, wider, stiffer, better suspension, better materials throughout, AND 300lbs lighter! If I wanted to maximize every dollar spent on vehicles, I sure as hell wouldnt have bought a 335d, but I own it because I like it. Same thing with the Sportwagens.....the 16 is so much better than the 12 that I wanted it and didnt mind paying for something that I like.


OK cool. It's good that you acted quickly then. Enjoy your new ride!

Cheers.


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## Pat_X5 (Aug 23, 2008)

As long as you like the ride - that's what counts.

I know - I just traded in a 1 year old Honda Pilot because it was so boring to drive.
Now that I am in similar 7 passenger CUV (LR Disco Sport) that reminds me of how fun it is to drive - like the old E53 days plus the wife is happy too.


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