[markivvv]

Hope you guys are doing well! About a month ago, I made a post on this forum asking about the 535i. Funnily enough, me making that post specifically on that day directly led to me buying this car. Another member on this forum replied to me and offered to sell me his car, and I jumped on it immediately.

It's a 2011 535i, Alpine White on Black interior, with RWD and M-Sport. It has some tasteful mods done by the previous owner including an M Performance exhaust & front lip, an MST intake, a BMS Stage 1 Controller, AC Schnitzer springs, 550i diffuser with quad tips, 343M wheels from the F10 M5, OEM M5 double slat grill, etc.

A little background: I've always wanted to own a BMW (my childhood dream car was the E46 M3 from NFS Most Wanted). I got my first big boy job out of college at the start of this year and my previous car (a 2012 Camry) was on its last legs so I decided to treat myself a little bit and look for a F chassis BMW. I test drove an F30 and didn't like it much so I decided to look into the F10. This was the first F10 I test drove and I liked it a lot. The car was was maintained perfectly, had all the common N55 issues fixed, and it came with a big binder of service records so it was honestly a no brainer. Ended up getting a great deal price-wise as well.

I'll go over the cons first, because the list isn't super long. The only things I would consider "cons" about this car are all related to the transmission. The heavy engine braking kept catching me me off guard. It kept slowing down a lot when I was coasting and had my foot off the gas, but turns out that's just something that most BMWs do so I ended up getting used to it.

What I'm still not used to are the shift points. I personally feel like the shift points are too "tame" in Comfort/Normal, but in Sport it's too aggressive and the transmission holds gears for too long. I'd prefer something in the middle (so I'm looking at something like xHP to modify the shift points). Something else I noticed was in bumper-to-bumper traffic when I'm feathering the brake between 0-5 mph, the car basically shudders and jerks back and forth. It's very intermittent and stops when I let off the brake but it's a minor annoyance nevertheless.

Enough about the cons. Let's get to the pros

I'm coming from a 2012 Toyota Camry so I'm sharing my experiences through that lens. This car is a huge upgrade on every single front. Obviously newer BMWs are nicer/faster/better but I have no complaints about the tech/options. Even though it's a year older than my previous car, almost every single aspect is better and there's basically no downgrades compared to the Toyota.

The car is absolutely beautiful. The F10 is timeless & probably my favorite generation of 5 series. I genuinely can't believe this car is about to be 15 years old, I can't stop taking pictures of it and looking back at it when I walk away.

The driving dynamics are top notch. This car has the Dynamic Handling package with the active anti-roll bars and they do make a difference. In Comfort it's basically a super comfortable couch, but in Sport it's a blast on backroads. Don't get me wrong, it is a 4000lb executive sedan after all and you can definitely feel the weight moving around but it's crazy how much of a difference the anti-roll bars/dampers make. It's a whole different animal in Sport mode. I get why they call BMWs the Ultimate Driving Machine.

The power and sound are honestly perfect. It came with a BMS Stage 1 piggyback and I feel like it's the perfect level of power for me. It's not too fast to the point where it's unusable on the street, but it's definitely fast enough to feel sporty and has enough low-end torque to push me back into my seat every time I get on it. I'm in Comfort mode 90% of the time and I can pass almost anyone without even trying. The M Performance Exhaust is just icing on the cake, it makes the car feel lively without being obnoxious. It's still able to get almost 29mpg on the highway with cruise control on. I know the B58s can get close to 40 so 29 isn't super impressive but I was getting less than that on my 4 cylinder economy car so no complaints here.

I had originally planned to get a stock car and do a whole build over the course of a year or two, but this car already came with everything I'd ever think of put on it lol. I'm a big fan of OEM+ builds, and it turns out the previous owner was one too so this car is already perfectly specced the way I like it and I wouldn't really change anything.

As far as future mod plans go, I don't think there's much left for me to do except preventative maintenance. I'm planning to cut down oil changes to 4-5k intervals, as my commute to work is really short and I heard short trips are bad for the engine. Just did an oil change about 500 miles ago, and I'm gonna see if I can tackle a transmission service myself sometime next spring. Other than that, the black roof wrap is cracking, so I'll probably try to take off the old wrap and rewrap it. I don't really like how the BMS piggyback basically lies to the ECU (and the power delivery feels sorta blunt and non-linear) so I'll probably end up taking it off and flashing MHD Stage 1. I don't think I'll go past Stage 1 tho, I feel like that's the sweet spot. I'm also thinking about flashing xHP to modify the shift points. Maybe a year down the line I might also do a LCI M-sport steering wheel retrofit, I feel like it'll tie the interior together (too bad it's super expensive).

Overall I'm super happy with the car, no regrets at all. I can't stop driving it lol, I've only had it for a month and I've already put on close to 1800 miles on it. I keep finding any excuse to take it out for a spin and just enjoy the car. Hoping for a lot more trouble-free miles

[ctcarbonari]

Congrats on the new-to-me Bimmer!!! Nice choice...
Even more so, congrats on the degree (they'll never be able to take that one away from you!)

Sounds like you've done your homework a bit while shopping so I'll just share a couple of my reflections.

+1 to xHP tune. Although I don't have it (it's on my list) I've never read a negative comment about that one. Most everyone says it "wakes up" your transmission.

While we're on the subject. Transmission oil/filter service every ~60k miles. Although not a difficult DIY, there are some specific procedures that you'll need to follow. Especially during the topping off, @ temp, w/ vehicle lifted/level/running and cycling through the gears.

Good time to check your diff fluid, rear bushing & flex disc too (Giubo Disc)

Crankseal guard = Cheap insurance if accessory belt should fail.

Enjoy the honeymoon phase of your new BMW love relationship. It has been 4 years for me and I still catch myself looking back as I'm walking away in the parking lot.

[StradaRedlands]

Perfect car, glad you have it and can love it! I definitely agree that F10s are incredibly timeless. I still stop and appreciate our lowly 528i and its perfect lines and proportions.

Just keep on the maintenance and try to master and do as much as you can, then take it in when it's beyond your ability or desire to do. IMO transmission fluid/filter is pretty straightforward. I was anxious about doing it, but in hindsight it wasn't hard at all.

I 100% agree about the shift modes. Comfort/normal is too sedate, and sport is too jerky. Give xHP a try and see if you can split the difference!

Enjoy the car, take pics, post 'em and drive it! Short trips are indeed the death of these cars IMO. Try to take the long way home a few times a week to get it up to temp and burn off all the moisture in the crankcase. It'll last you a long time!

[Surly73]

Definitely xHP.

[Mike535xi]

Huge congratulations and welcome to the F10 Camp! I really like ravenol RUP Racing 5w40 in my 11 535i, keeps everything very quiet and smooth, and doesn't seem to have the sheer down issues of liqui Moly. I do a lot of maintenance myself on it and it saves me a ton of money. I really like the brembo ceramic pads and rotors I put on mine (rock auto), helped a ton with brake dust. I also highly recommend the HENGST biofunctional cabin air filter, keeps my car smelling good. beyond that it's just a ton of maintenance but I find the car to be well worth it! cheers and happy miles!