[Welshman]

I'm not bothered about a 1 March car as mine will have a private plate on it within days so having done the deal last Saturday I collected this on Friday:



It's a 535d M Sport which they had in the showroom.

Spec is:

Carbon Black with Oyster/Black Dakota Leather
M Sport Plus Package
Sun Protection Glass
Harman Kardon Sound
Professional Media Pack
Professional Nav Pack
Sport Auto Transmission
Soft Close Doors
Reversing Camera
Panoramic Glass Sunroof
Folding Mirrors
Sports Seats with Lumbar support
HUD
Enhanced Bluetooth
Speed Limit Display

The spec has a few things I wouldn't have bothered with, principally the sunroof and the HUD but the sunroof is OK and I really like the HUD.

I did 110k over the last 38 months in my 530d without any problems so I just hope this is as reliable.

[xs2man]

Nice motor, and lovely spec.

Yet another one with chrome roof rails though. Grrrrrrr......

[Piers]

Loving that - enjoy!

xs2man - you have an obsession! You would'nt even notice if you did'nt keep looking!!!

[Balster]

Very sharp looking car.

[Beancounter_74]

Very nice.....and in the best colour too

A very nice spec there

[remmib]

Very nice, how's the differnece between the 530d and this?

[eyeS]

Looking good ..... enjoy

[SpeedTrip]

Originally Posted by xs2man

Nice motor, and lovely spec.

Yet another one with chrome roof rails though. Grrrrrrr......

LOL - completely agree !

[ukbeemerboy]

Lovely car and great spec....

And it has the chrome roof rails which give another 25bhp!!

[xs2man]

Woo hoo. I have another 25 BHP then...

[MickyD'bo]

Very nice. Wish I had the 35d engine. Maybe next time!!

[Lee]

Very jealous -- no F11s for us Yanks.

[xs2man]

To be fair, I had the 35d engine in my 335d (obviously). It is nice, very nice. But I'm pretty happy with the 530d. A nice enough compromise.

Just hoping that by the time I come to replace this one, they have figured out how to cram the M550d engine in there, with X-Drive. Then I'm all over it.

[Welshman]

Originally Posted by remmib

Very nice, how's the differnece between the 530d and this?

Difficult to say at the moment. Engine very tight. I can see there is a load more oomph but in the real world the 530d is as poky as you will need in 90% of cases.

[Mani59]

Very nice! I have carbon black too and just love the blue tinge to it

[The Beast]

Lovely, my X5 was Carbon Black. Colour is beautiful, black 90% of the time then vivid blue when the sun is out.

Just get a coat of HD wax every 2-3 months to keep it looking good.

[gIzzE]

Looking good!

I miss my old 535d E61.

[Welshman]

Originally Posted by The Beast

Lovely, my X5 was Carbon Black. Colour is beautiful, black 90% of the time then vivid blue when the sun is out.

Just get a coat of HD wax every 2-3 months to keep it looking good.

It'e being Venture Shielded tomorrow.

[The Beast]

I'm not too sure that these coatings are worth the money, can't see how they protect your car long term.

I use an Autoglym valeting center to maintain my cars after catching a local car wash filling his wash water with cheap supermarket washing up liquid! I now know the owner quite well and when I bought my wife's new A Class asked his opinion on the coating versus a regular coat of HD wax. His response was that regular waxing creates a build up of protection and was his preferred choice, even though he would have made money on applying the protection...

I get a synthetic wax every 4-6 weeks and then a Swiss wax every 3 months. I have negotiated preferential rates due to using this valeting centre regularly, doesn't cost me much more than the local hand car washes that have popped up everywhere

[Beancounter_74]

You can't compare Venture Shield to a wax/coating. Venture shield is a physical barrier film that will help with road rash (stone chips) and if installed well, will be almost invisible unless scrutinised.

If you are comparing something like 'Supaguard' to AG's wax's then yes I agree, decent protections with a wax or sealant is often far better than the often overpriced and poorly applied dealer option

[Piers]

I paid for BMW to apply the protection to my E60, what a waste of money, never again, not even on my new one, but then my car is looked after and mainly clean. each to their own.

[Welshman]

Originally Posted by The Beast

I'm not too sure that these coatings are worth the money, can't see how they protect your car long term.

They make a major difference to the level of stone chip damage to paintwork and also to headlights and fog lights. I have both my bikes covered for these reasons.