Boba

The alternative (which I usually use) is to use the Limit in ECO PRO and just keep your foot firmly on the throttle. It still coasts at the limit and as far as I can see only drops maybe 1-2mph at most below the set limit at an incline before it drops a gear. The disadvantage is that it doesn’t prevent overspeeding on downhills but the corresponding advantage is that it doesn’t wear the rear brakes out on minor overspeeding either.

I think the rationale is that even on a more or less flat road there are minor undulations and rather than use fuel on the ups it just waits to see if the speed will come back on the downs without adding power. I think it works, just makes it pretty unusable except on empty roads.

If they’re RoFs I suppose the trigger point will depend on how much the tyre deforms with loss of pressure, so how stiff the sidewalls are. Probably varies a bit with size and make.

That’s got to be one of the more unusual dings I’ve seen. Looks like someone took a pot shot with an air gun.

It sounds as though you’ve given them too much of a hard time TBH. I’d have thought that completing the job properly and refurbishing the scuffed alloy was fair bearing in mind that they’ve already swallowed the costs from you supplying them the wrong parts. 4 tyres and 4 refurbs for free is asking a lot IMHO. It’s easy to say they should have compared the pads but from their side they did as you asked and fitted the parts you supplied. Not sniping, just my 2p. I’d probably be as miffed as you are, just a question of shaking hands on it maybe.

Mine (also 530dx) has always had a large hysteresis on cruise in eco pro so what you’re seeing sounds just the same. I never use it - it just annoys the drivers behind who think you’re slowing down and speeding up again.

Well each to their own view of course. The timing chain issue was a design and manufacturing tolerancing failure, not up to the job, nothing to do with oil changes and long since fixed. (Not that BMW are likely to own up to that). As I said earlier point me to the other widespread engine problems with cars which have stuck to only BMW’s service recommendations. Now look instead at the running gear problems on high milers however many oil changes the engine has had.

I don’t disagree with the cost of ownership point. However I think the views on oil service interval are pretty unsupported especially on high milers which will likely run with very little condensation. If you glance through the F series forum you’ll see very few oil-related engine problems and I’d risk a guess that most people don’t go for 10k changes. But it’s all down to the individual of course - I’m a low miler so 2 years is well under 10k for me anyway. I stick with my view that on a 100k car it’s not principally the engine you need to consider.

You’d not find many, probably none at all, that have been on PCP where they’ve been serviced other than to the BMW schedule and that accounts for the larger share of used 5s on sale. Not many reports on here of related problems though so IMHO it’s very debatable whether more frequent oil changing helps. Everyone remembers the old timing chain issue long gone now. It’s not engine problems you need to be uptight about as I said earlier, just read this forum a bit, 100k for a 540 engine is nothing.

I’ve a Halfords jack from many years ago (maybe about 70-80s). Last time I swapped my wheels I couldn’t get the jack out from under the front jacking point and had to lift the wheel again and let it down onto a block of wood. If you’re buying a jack it’s well worth checking its lowest height first!

Brake pads etc?

That’s true in that the drive train can do it easily enough. The running gear, suspension, brakes, bearings, will have accumulated a bit of wear. The bodywork will have accumulated a few stone chips or worse. The upholstery will have 100k of someone’s backside parked on it. So like any car of that mileage you need to get it inspected as best you can and pencil in some spend on those items. It’d be great to get a BMW MOT guy to go over it but assuming you can’t then you need a decent test drive not 10 minutes and over some poor bendy roads and get any faults read afterwards. All the same I don’t think £24k is bad in the current climate assuming no fault in the above. I assume it’s AUC with a year warranty?

There would certainly be something wrong. When I refitted my summer tyres in April they were at the same pressure as when I stored them within about 1lb. They’re still at the pressure I set them to and no doubt will still be there when I swap them off again. I’m always quite amazed at how well tyres hold pressure these days compared with years ago when you needed to check weekly.

It doesn’t say the fatal fire was a Scottish police car, just a police car and in fact it was a Cumbrian one, PC Nick Dumphries of the Cumbrian police was killed when he crashed after his car caught fire at speed driving to an emergency (inquest finding). It was a 330, no idea of the year. Sassenachs aren’t necessarily English by the way. It’s really from the Gaelic expression for Saxon heritage, nominally south of the highlands so I’m one too as are most Scots.

The Sun’s not noted for accuracy, more for being lurid, but I suppose the basic police story must have some basis. Not reported elsewhere that I’ve seen though.