Thinking of buying a 635

[SteveWSM]

Hello, sorry if any or all of this has been asked before. 

I currently drive a 2001 VW Golf GTi and am seriously thinking of a 635 late 2009 or later model. I have up to about 12k to spend. 

I have never owned a BMW and the only thing which is putting me off is buying a complete lemon. I am willing to pay for an AA inspection etc but would that be comprehensive enough to spot anything on its way out of that needs replacing ASAP. 

What are the common issues with a 635 2009/2010 of that age. ANYTHING you can help me with, good and bad, would be REALLY appreciated. 

[Bimmer Owners' Club]

Hi Steve...welcome to the Forum

The 635 is an awesome car and is generally quite reliable but a thorough inspection before buying backed up with a long warranty has to be the best way forward.

I would recommend an independent inspection company like Dekra  https://www.dekra-expert.co.uk/vehicle.inspections

It also helps to get any defects rectified prior to purchase or price reduced to compensate.

Let us know how you get on with the purchase

Cheers,    Trevor

[SteveWSM]

Thanks Trevor. 

Does anyone have any experience of a good warranty provider?

[Greydog]

Hi Steve

My X5 is covered by Warranty Direct they took it on at 72k, the car had a full history (and still does) now mileage is at 125k and still covered by them I use a BMW specialist for annual services to maintain cover and WD have been great cost is £400 per year and when a big bit drops of I pay 50% of parts they cover everything else. Example when the chain guides failed the engine rebuild was almost £6k my contribution just over £1k 

Tip, make sure the garage deal with the Warranty Claim as they make it more difficult for them to wriggle. 

When buying remember that your 6 series is a complicated beast, I would make certain the engine is cold before starting (put your hand on it) start it and listen for any knocks or rattles while it's warming up make sure every single button and switch does what it should (try them a couple of times) this is a BMW and there will be no quick/cheap fixes particularly tracing electrical faults. Then test drive make it a good one mixed roads and surfaces make sure the gear changes are smooth and the ride is as you would expect. When you get back stop the engine re=start and try the bells and whistles again to make sure it all works, check under neath for any leaks (I look for a clean piece of concrete park up for a few minutes the move and look for drips)

If your happy buy it, enjoy it

Oh and welcome

[SteveWSM]

Many thanks Greydog. 

I was thinking about getting an independent vehicle examiner to do a full inspection of the vehicle before I buy. 

Worth the £300 me thinks. 

I beleive the underside of the 6 is protected in such a way that it’s harder to spot drips and leaks as these well up on the engine side of that underside cover. 

[rikvdub]

Hello Steve. 

I have a 635d on a 2009 and I only bought it 3 weeks ago. With a budget of 12k you will be able to find one that is near on pristine condition! I paid £7400 for mine with only 2 previous owners and full BMW service history! I even have the original receipt of sale for £63800 ten years ago. 

This is not my first BMW however it is my first 6 series and like you wanted to know what to look for and know what I was looking at being backed with as much knowledge as I could so I wasn’t parting my cash for as you say a lemon. 

So from my experience first of all service history is a must!! Common issues with these are swirl flaps, it’s about £150 to have them deleted. From the information I’ve gathered on them it was a poor decision on BMW’s half to ever use them. And having them removed makes no difference to the performance of the car at all.

Second thing is the DPF, now the rough life span of the DPF from factory is 120k “roughly” and if they do fail it’s a £1200 job from BMW. But if you have the history you may find a receipt of it already being replaced (mileage dependant) 

Another thing to look for is blocked rain gutters. I have been told that if they block then the water runs between the door and the actual interior door card. (But this another thing hat I read up on with these cars) mine seems to be ok (fingers crossed) 

Mine is the sports with every optional extra bar the rear reversing camera. But touch wood I haven’t had any issue with anything and all is working as it should. There is another forum called  bimmerforum.co.uk and on there, there is a special 6 series buying guide for you to look up. But these cars as said above are pretty bulletproof, as long as it’s been well looked after.

i would suggest with the budget you have to write down the exact spec that you want and the colour that you want to. Don’t buy one just for the sake of wanting one. Get one that has everything you want, once you find the one pay a bmw specialist to go view the car with you along with his computer to plug it in and run through any fault codes. If you buy from a Trader all cars now come with minimum 3 months warranty. But if you want there is a company called click 4 warranty in my option they offer the best cover but you must go for the 5 star service to be completely covered. also I would recommend lowering your budget to around 9/10k and keep a couple back just if anything was to go fail in the future you won’t be taking more out your pocket as you would have it left from your original budget. 

I hope my advice is helpful. And here’s a pic of mine. I absolutely love it, it’s an amazing car and so much car for the money you won’t regret it as long as you do your research. Good luck and keep us posted Rik 

these are before and after shots of my 635 😉