[dfa1987]

Shopping for my first used BMW and I've come across a car with a comprehensive service record, which can be rare in my country.

Now, obviously if a car has a full service history of solid maintenance, that can't ever hurt - but what about a car with a long and storied service history of things breaking and being fixed?

I'm looking at a 2012 528i M-Sport with an N52 engine on 120,000kms (74,000 miles), and as well as a good history of standard maintenance (filters/fluids/brakes etc), it has a what seems like a lot of niggly things that have gone wrong with it over the years.

It includes a headlight filling with water, the boot lock failing, rear window electrics failing (on both sides on different occasions), coils failing after ~5 years, then further coils failing a year later, then a drive train warning leading to coils being replaced again the following year, a replaced radiator, spark plugs replaced after 8 years, a rear drive shaft coupling replaced, replace L inner steering rack end, among other bits and pieces.

One the one hand, it seems like the two previous owners have looked after the car whenever something has gone wrong which is a good sign. But another part of me wonders if this one is a bit of a lemon.

It also doesn't appear to have had preventative maintenance like the water pump or oil gasket done, which would be high on my to-do list if I did purchase the car.

Does this sound like par for the course for an F10 of this age, or are the issues indicative of some other deeper problem? It is a Japanese import, which I know can have issues from humidity etc, though was imported only 3 years from new which in itself is a little unusual for here - most Japanese imports come over from between 5-10 years from new.

Any/all opinions welcome!

[Cvx5832]

Run. Healthy BMWs are already enough of a challenge. A neglected one, as your first BMW would be an awful experience.

[Hoa]

To me it is not a bad thing. Coil packs fail often on pre-LCI cars. Other stuff tells me that they use the back of the car often. Majority of us doesn’t use the windows often so it doesn’t fail but looks like previous owner uses it often so it fails. Those items are not major parts that you should freak out for. Headlight condensation is also a common problem. It still has low miles so I wouldn’t see why previous owners would have replace water pump and thermostat unless it had failed. I recommend looking at it and do a full inspection. Scan for codes. If nothing shows up and everything works as should then it should be an okay car.

[StradaRedlands]

Multiple rounds of coils is a little concerning, but everything else is just weird little accessory items, not drivetrain. Plan on OFHG and valve cover real soon. Both actually real easy to do on a F10 due to the large engine bay area.

Transmission fluid service is overdue (@100k km), so if that isn't documented as done, do that right away.

[ChiNorm]

+1 for run away. Good luck.