Looking for fast estate - F11 535D?

PikeyPriest · 10 Jan 2021 at 09:02

I’ve got a 535D f11.

I wasn’t particularly looking for a one over a 530D, but price/options/mileage was a good package.

Options I really like-
Memory seats - also controls side mirrors and steering wheel. The profiles are also set per key so great way to have your own setup
electric folding mirrors (aren’t these standard?)
Enhanced Bluetooth

Options I wish I had:
Surround view - I don’t miss it that much, but my wife would have liked it
Upgraded stereo (only got the base unit, which is ok, but not really up to the rest of the car) - I did look at a Focal upgrade package, but can’t justify the cost as my mileage has dropped with Covid and work changes
I don’t have the paddles (not sure what the option is called) - I have manually selected gear about 5 times in 1 year and haven’t missed it. It does mean I miss out on the nicer gear select though.

Headlight wise I’ve got the base - not sure what I’m missing as I haven’t seen the upgraded version Fox mentions.

jpaul · 10 Jan 2021 at 09:18

Kappa said:
Enhanced bluetooth, to allow streaming from your phone, connect multiple phones. Again don't think it's standard, someone will correct me

sound via a usb connected device, (if that is still availible?), should be better quality/higher-bitrate/bitstreamed than bluetooth sound profiles.
quick google https://www.bimmer-tech.net/blog/it...hats-the-best-way-to-stream-audio-to-your-bmw

mjt · 10 Jan 2021 at 10:04

I’m sure @Le Clandestin Brun (when did you change your name??) can tell you all about running an F11 535d out warranty. Not cheap

Kappa · 10 Jan 2021 at 10:58

jpaul said:
sound via a usb connected device, (if that is still availible?), should be better quality/higher-bitrate/bitstreamed than bluetooth sound profiles.
quick google https://www.bimmer-tech.net/blog/it...hats-the-best-way-to-stream-audio-to-your-bmw

Yes you can plug in a USB drive, copy it to the internal HDD etc - but honestly the base sound system cannot help differentiate

DRZ · 10 Jan 2021 at 20:49

I did 30,000 miles in my LCI F10 535d M Sport - I had practically identical spec to Fox's 530d. Now I have an F10 M5 with a few more options and have had an F06 640d GC as well in between with other options I would say that:

HK (in fact, the M Sport Plus pack) is essential.
Reversing camera is minimum, surround view is seriously good and while not worth not binning an otherwise great car over, it is really nice to have.
HUD is nice to have, but not essential IMO. I didn't have it in the 535d, did have it in the 640d, have it in the M5. It is cool but it is a gimmick.
I used the paddles more than others in this thread seem to have, but having paddles is cool anyway and I wouldn't buy one without Sports Auto Transmission myself.
Adaptive Headlights (or LED) are mega and instantly makes any car stand out to me straight away. I didn't have them in my 535d, I had the LEDs in the 6 and I have the Adaptive Xenons in my M5 and they are/were both just awesome. Driving cars without them now feels antiquated no matter how bright etc they are. I really really missed them in the M2!

The 535d vs 530d debate is interesting. Outright there isn't much in it but a) you get to lord it over 530d owners in a 535d and b) it does make a difference when properly hooning it, the engine has a slightly different character.

jpaul · 10 Jan 2021 at 22:30

DRZ said:
I used the paddles more than others in this thread seem to have, but having paddles is cool anyway

Is the need for paddles somewhat a corollary of the dct in the f10/m5 not being as smooth as zf for wafting with a smooth torque-convertor&lock-up change ? zf frequently in the wrong gear. ?

MG42Maniac · 26 Jan 2021 at 12:33

Keeping an eye on the market at the moment and will buy when everything has opened up a bit and we're all not locked down. I saw this pop up: https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202101258335560

The spec seems eally decent for the price. Mileage is also low. Advert is light on detail though. Just wondering if I was ready to buy right now if this would be a good contender? It almost looks too cheap.

VincentHanna · 26 Jan 2021 at 12:36

His reason for selling it makes no sense to me.

Those cars are perfect for dogs.

Slackworth · 26 Jan 2021 at 12:57

I was in the same predicament - it was a choice of a fairly low spec 2015-2016 535d or high spec 530d from Approved Used - went for the latter in the end. Mine had a lot of options ticked including the Adaptive Drive system which the press loved but it's extremely rare. Also has a few other random bits however they missed other options which I'm surprised at:

HUD - Love this and would look for it on my next car
Park Assist - Don't use this - seems a bit sporadic as to when it works (but it has the DSC module which is useful for fitting other bits if you do retrofits)
M Sport Plus pack - love all the bits though 19" runflat tyres are not nice to purchase! Debating dumping mine in favour of go-flats and some gunk
Panoramic roof - again this was a must and the family really think it makes the car feel more spacious
Pro Nav - this was a must for me - the basic nav is poo!
Adaptive lights - pretty cool but I would have liked LED but cost to fit those is insane and like someone said previously incredibly rare

However for some reason they missed the following which I intend to retrofit:
Folding mirrors - for how much they cost seemed a no brainer to add but relatively easy to pick up used and fit
Memory seats - not a deal breaker but I'm looking to retrofit these however the steering column is a bit more of a pain to swap
Sports Auto Transmission - actually also very easy to retrofit and code using a £20 ENET cable - the shifter is £800 from BMW but can be picked up from the bay for about £80 and coded in. The paddles are slightly more expensive to fit at £150ish and involves taking off the airbag. The firmware/flash file on the gearbox isn't actually any different to the standard - it's just basic coding values instead that determine the shift pattern. If you want a really aggressive shift pattern, you can actually flash the Alpina software to the gearbox instead.

Only other thing I wish they'd fitted is Adaptive Cruise - because I've got park assist its quite a cheap retrofit other than needing the front windscreen camera (again itself quite cheap) but requires a new windscreen - maybe come the time it gets a crack in, I'll go down the none approved insurance route and pay the extra to fit one.

Surround 360 cameras are nice if it has it but not something I'd pay for - it's quite common for the bumper cameras and harness in that area to fail due to water ingress and BMW charge a lot to replace these once out of warranty (I read around £1500) and in a lot of cases, the owners are coding out the functionality instead due to the cost.

[TW]Fox · 26 Jan 2021 at 13:29

Slackworth said:
M Sport Plus pack - love all the bits though 19" runflat tyres are not nice to purchase! Debating dumping mine in favour of go-flats and some gunk

Stop debating it and just do it.

Best thing I ever did was put Pilot Sport 4 all round on mine. Sadly you can't get 4S in the front size.

It's so nice to drive now it's put back my plans to change it.

Slackworth · 26 Jan 2021 at 13:57

[TW]Fox said:
Stop debating it and just do it.

Best thing I ever did was put Pilot Sport 4 all round on mine. Sadly you can't get 4S in the front size.

It's so nice to drive now it's put back my plans to change it.

Not long after I got the car, I ended up with a cut in the sidewall of one of the front tyres from a sharp edge on the kerb a guy had been using an angle grinder against! I suspect had I been on normal tyres it would have been soft enough to take the punishment and had no damage. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of putting two new Runflats on the front as a result and then lockdown 1.0 kicked in and I've done barely any mileage since so I've got 2 nearly new Runflats I want to burn through first before I make the jump. Not throwing £400 of tyres down the toilet to move away from them - should have done it at the time but lesson learned. Just in the process of picking up a set of winter wheels and boots from the bay and will certainly by putting those on go-flats! From the comments the press said, the Adaptive Drive system makes them a little more liveable but they are horrendous in pretty much every way!

MG42Maniac · 5 Feb 2021 at 09:33

I'm very tempted by this one. https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202101288435934?advertising-location=at_cars&year-from=2014&postcode=so402wb&body-type=Estate&model=5 SERIES&sort=price-asc&page=1&aggregatedTrim=535d&make=BMW&include-delivery-option=on&onesearchad=Used&onesearchad=Nearly New&onesearchad=New&modal=description

Options are really good but I'm put off a bit by mileage. I'm guessing most of the cars for sale will have run flats? Are they that much worse than regular tyres? I've never driven a car with run flats so not sure what to expect other than a harder ride.

Kappa · 5 Feb 2021 at 09:37

[TW]Fox said:
Stop debating it and just do it.

Best thing I ever did was put Pilot Sport 4 all round on mine. Sadly you can't get 4S in the front size.

It's so nice to drive now it's put back my plans to change it.

Can I also recommend a brand new steering wheel? Mine got stolen over christmas (no other damage), and a brand new, matte, soft steering wheel gives you the new car feel. (and put a disklok on it)

On the tyres, how long can you go on with foam? I've had enough punctures where I couldnt get to a dealer/kwikfit for a few days, and being able to drive a mile or two here and there on a run flat was very convenient.

Kappa · 5 Feb 2021 at 09:40

MG42Maniac said:
I'm very tempted by this one. https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202101288435934?advertising-location=at_cars&year-from=2014&postcode=so402wb&body-type=Estate&model=5 SERIES&sort=price-asc&page=1&aggregatedTrim=535d&make=BMW&include-delivery-option=on&onesearchad=Used&onesearchad=Nearly New&onesearchad=New&modal=description

Spec looks good, with the bonus of VDC and Heads-Up.

[TW]Fox · 5 Feb 2021 at 10:00

Kappa said:
Can I also recommend a brand new steering wheel? Mine got stolen over christmas (no other damage), and a brand new, matte, soft steering wheel gives you the new car feel. (and put a disklok on it)

The trouble is it lasts 5 minutes, I bought my car at a year old with 5k on it and it wasn't long before that nice finish had gone. It's probably one of the worst wheels for going shiny I've ever seen.

jpaul · 5 Feb 2021 at 10:12

MG42Maniac said:
Options are really good but I'm put off a bit by mileage. I'm guessing most of the cars for sale will have run flats? Are they that much worse than regular tyres? I've never driven a car with run flats so not sure what to expect other than a harder ride.

doesn't look like a lot of meat remains,
if they had kept the run-flats on, since there is a premium, is that an indication of careing for the car, though.

MG42Maniac · 8 Feb 2021 at 15:15

I've put down a £250 deposit on one. It's being delivered Saturday. Once I've test driven and inspected it I will transfer over the money if all is well. It's done sightly higher miles than I wanted at 77K but it comes with an 18 month fully comprehensive warranty. I double checked this with the seller and he confirmed it's 18 months not the 12 months listed. I'm hoping it gives us relatively trouble free motoring. I'm looking to take a job that's literally 5 minute walk down the road so our mileage will be even lower than I once though. Spec wise, I'm happy with it, got most of what I wanted apart from HUD and LED headlights.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202101298489223

Jez · 8 Feb 2021 at 15:20

Kappa said:
Can I also recommend a brand new steering wheel? Mine got stolen over christmas (no other damage), and a brand new, matte, soft steering wheel gives you the new car feel. (and put a disklok on it)

Your....steering wheel got stolen?

Ive never understood old school devices which must be a hassle such as disklok but wow :eek:

Re the shiny wheel, a new wheel seems rather OTT to me, i have covered 165k (gentle tbf, almost all motorway) miles in one of my cars now, and a quick rub down of the wheel gets it looking dull and pretty much as good as new for a while.

Kappa · 8 Feb 2021 at 16:04

Jez said:
Your....steering wheel got stolen?

Apparantly getting more and more common. When reporting the police asked me, is it a BMW? so they're aware it's a 'thing'. Yes unfortunately, disklok, after 5 years of not needing one....

Kenai · 8 Feb 2021 at 16:30

Jez said:
Re the shiny wheel, a new wheel seems rather OTT to me, i have covered 165k (gentle tbf, almost all motorway) miles in one of my cars now, and a quick rub down of the wheel gets it looking dull and pretty much as good as new for a while.

I must admit I was amazed how new my steering wheel felt after a decent scrub with some leather cleaner. It's surprising how much 'wear' is not actually wear at all, it's actually trapped oils and greases.