I hope mine is reliable, but if not, it'll make for good stories down the road.
Do I need any diesel or oil additives for BMW 535d
- Thread starter wavinwayne
- Start date
JHZR2
Staff member
Which do you use?
I alternate between tcw-3, power service, redline 85+, and schaeffers.
JHZR2
Staff member
The only unexpected failures in my 135i have been the abs sensors. And every single one failed and threw a code sequentially. And the car only had like 25k at the time!
Nah everything was fine, but TPMS module failed. Even though I could code out through ProTool to VTM, but I wanted sensors on track.
And it is my daily, and I go to ski with it, etc.
I’ve used amalgamated TDR-FL since 2017. A 5 gallon carboy lasts about 3 years.
My X5 with M57 (the generation before your engine) was the astonishing vehicle. The SCR was an issue, but that was normal for any diesel of that generation, not just BMW. Only issue that the engine had was the thermostat which liked to stay in open position after 80-100k. It does not affect anything as it has electric heating. If the coolant is below 50c, electric heating is warming the cabin. The problem is, many do not notice and DPF clogs as DPF regeneration won't start if coolant is below 68c. But, if one occasionally checks coolant temperature using the hidden menu on dash, it is easy to spot an issue.
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The coolant temp "gauge" is probably bogus. I usually do a test drive with diags open before an oil change.
I deleted my original comment. Now that I think about it, I think it is an oil temp gauge; that seems weird though. I'll have to check tonight, I didn't drive the car today.
Oil temperature gauge!
This is how you access coolant temperature:
Or get ProTool and you can read it while hooked up to OBD.
"Some" BMW owners expect that. I expect to pay the indy BMW mechanic a premium compared to the cost of servicing my Jeep and Ford, but wavinwayne isn't paying dealer service prices.
one of my associates used to work at a Bimmer dealer.. tells me when he first started out, customer said car needed a tuneup.. says he finds a loose vacuum hose on car, secures it, runs perfect... tells service writer its fixed..
Service Writer says " hey, our customers are all Doctors and Lawyers, and when they come in here and tell us they need a tune up, you GIVE them a tune up and not disappoint them on cost. "
Our local dealer is actually really fair and good.one of my associates used to work at a Bimmer dealer.. tells me when he first started out, customer said car needed a tuneup.. says he finds a loose vacuum hose on car, secures it, runs perfect... tells service writer its fixed..
Service Writer says " hey, our customers are all Doctors and Lawyers, and when they come in here and tell us they need a tune up, you GIVE them a tune up and not disappoint them on cost. "
I get some usual stuff as it is cheaper than ordering online.
EDIT: I wanted to share a redacted copy of the previous owner's BMW dealer service paperwork and let you all critique it, but my computer won't allow me to scrub the metadata enough to satisfy me.
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yeah, the dealers aren't all azznozzles.. I just know from experience that German stuff leans toward "proprietary" and aftermarket stuff for people trying to repair them can cause gigantic problems... kinda why the smart first owner is the guy with the lease, who just rents the car for a couple years, turns it in and gets another... .... second owner usually buys the car, and its a great car until it starts to cost them..... eventually the second owner gets something else... and the third owner is the person who always aspired to a Benz or a Bimmer but can't afford the the upkeep and that is the German car you see in the junkyard, in reasonable shape but its going to cost too much to repair.
Back when we owned my GTI and my wife's Mercedes SUV, both dealers had pretty good prices in the parts department, and very high prices on service. So I bought a few parts from the dealers and had service performed elsewhere.
So I mistakenly wanted to replace the steering rack. never did it, and did not have time, so I gave to dealer. I though it was an issue, and they thought too (it was subframe bolt that mechanic I gave to replace struts forgot to torque). It was cheaper with labor than Dorman rack alone on Rock Auto
Glad you've had good experiences with your dealer.So I mistakenly wanted to replace the steering rack. never did it, and did not have time, so I gave to dealer. I though it was an issue, and they thought too (it was subframe bolt that mechanic I gave to replace struts forgot to torque). It was cheaper with labor than Dorman rack alone on Rock Auto
I ordered Hot Shot's Secret EDT from Amazon today. I will report back if there is anything to note from using it.
