[Shrimpy]

Didn't see an introductory section so if this is in the wrong place, Admins please feel free to move.

Just joined the forum, first time BMW owner, but long-time car guy. Have always admired BMW's from afar, but was never inclined to buy one. Wife and I downsized our lives after kids and my new neighbor is a BMW owner. He has a 2020 540i. Went out to dinner and took his car. I was SHOCKED at how it rode, handled and accelerated. I have been a quarter and eigth mile guy my entire life simply because that's what I was raised on. Diesel trucks have been my latest toys, and am kinda getting bored with them.

Just purchased a 2011 535i 6spd car (119K miles, 3 owners). I researched the N55 and come into this with eyes wide open on the problems with this engine, and model of BMW. Driving it home was pure joy!!! With the research I have done, I became aware of how relatively rare the 6spd's are. I consider the manual transmission cars to have their own additional built in theft deterrent!!!

Looking forward to tinkering with it, not planning on anything wild, just general upkeep and maintenance.

[StradaRedlands]

Originally Posted by Shrimpy

Didn't see an introductory section so if this is in the wrong place, Admins please feel free to move.

Just joined the forum, first time BMW owner, but long-time car guy. Have always admired BMW's from afar, but was never inclined to buy one. Wife and I downsized our lives after kids and my new neighbor is a BMW owner. He has a 2020 540i. Went out to dinner and took his car. I was SHOCKED at how it rode, handled and accelerated. I have been a quarter and eigth mile guy my entire life simply because that's what I was raised on. Diesel trucks have been my latest toys, and am kinda getting bored with them.

Just purchased a 2011 535i 6spd car (119K miles, 3 owners). I researched the N55 and come into this with eyes wide open on the problems with this engine, and model of BMW. Driving it home was pure joy!!! With the research I have done, I became aware of how relatively rare the 6spd's are. I consider the manual transmission cars to have their own additional built in theft deterrent!!!

Looking forward to tinkering with it, not planning on anything wild, just general upkeep and maintenance.

Good on ya! I was really thinking about one for a minute there, but I decided I like the smaller-sized E90 I have. Hopefully made the right choice, but I wonder some times!!!

N55s are good motors... all BMW motors are other than the N20, and that one isn't bad other than the timing chain parts. If the N55 gets a bad rep, it's probably more from people that tune them. If it's a basic commuter/family car, I think the engine will last fine.

If you can change the valve cover, oil filter housing, and eventually oil pan gasket, the rest is just maintenance which I think is kind of fun. Waste gate rattle is a thing, but seems kind of random when not a tuned car. Get an oil catch can to put off walnut blasting.

Active suspension prices will make you cry. I was trying to find a MT car with standard suspension. Found one, but just couldn't justify it at the time.

Everything is pretty easy and straightforward. Figure out how to use the BMW standard tools to diagnose program is a huge plus if you have that predisposition already.

Enjoy!

[calswan7145]

Have both e90 and f10 and I can honestly say I like my f10 more. Handling isn’t as good but I haven’t done anything to my suspension on the f10 yet so maybe that’ll improve slightly. My f10 is also a 2011 so I still have hydraulic steering and no adaptive suspension, thank god. About 180k on the e90 and 135k on the f10. Neither car has been to a shop for anything other than an alignment. All general maintenance items are 100% doable.

F10 is my personal favorite road trip car, it seriously just floats. Wish mine was a stick.

First thing i’d do is get a laptop and download ista for diag and maybe esys if you want to do some flashing. I also have a fairly good autel diag tablet and have also tested my works snap-on triton d8 on the car and neither seem to accomplish much compared to ista. OBD dongles like Carly that you can use with your phone are very handy just to throw in the console if you need to scan a code quick.

[Shrimpy]

Strada, thank goodness this is a standard suspension car also, I don't know if I would appreciate what the Active Suspension offers to be honest.

Calswan, the electronic tools will be a steep learning curve for me. With my Diesels, I had my son around to walk me through most of that. I understand what it's trying to tell me once I figure out how I get/got to that point!! Tech savy is not my strong suite, but I do know how to plug things in!!!

Looking forward to learning more about the car and enjoying it on future road trips. We have grandkids that live 4+ hours away, so can't wait to test it out.