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2010 2011 BMW 5 Series Forum F10 BMW 5-Series (F10) Forums General 5-Series Sedan and Wagon (F10 / F11) Forum F10 sitting unused for a while... I want to bring it back to life. Help!
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      09-17-2019, 05:31 PM   #1
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Cool F10 sitting unused for a while... I want to bring it back to life. Help!

I have a 2012 535i sedan MT that was my daily driver until I got a different car about 5 months ago. I completely abandoned the BMW and it was sitting in my driveway basically rotting. Shame on me! However, I now want to start driving it again (though maybe not daily), make it my project car. I have never worked on cars before and I know this is something you start with something far less complex, like an old Civic. Alas, this is all I have and what I want to start with. I come to this forum asking for advice from the experts.

These are things I am already doing to it:
  • Changing wheels and tires on Friday (they are bad). (Today is Tuesday.)
  • Replacing battery on Friday. The one in the car is the original from 2011/2012 that I let drain and now, won't charge. I am also registering it using a Foxwell NT530 scanner I am receiving tomorrow.
  • Changing the oil on Saturday. First time I do this on my own, on any car, period. Wish me luck!
  • The air filter was changed for a K&N one just a few months before I abandoned the car, so that should be OK. Maybe I can wash it?
  • Smaller things to make it more my own, like coding some mods with BimmerCode (I am receiving the OBD adaptor tomorrow), the under-door lights with the BMW logo, BMW-branded tire air caps and little things like that.

I also plan on installing a JB4 from Buger Tuning sometime in the near future, something I planned years ago and kept postponing.

What else should I do to a car that's been sitting for so long, is over 100K miles and hasn't had any maintenance other than oil changes for at least 40-50K miles? I basically want to have the car running as well as possible without having to spend a fortune. Any advice?

Thank you.
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      09-17-2019, 08:47 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Razor1973 View Post
I have a 2012 535i sedan MT that was my daily driver until I got a different car about 5 months ago. I completely abandoned the BMW and it was sitting in my driveway basically rotting. Shame on me! However, I now want to start driving it again (though maybe not daily), make it my project car. I have never worked on cars before and I know this is something you start with something far less complex, like an old Civic. Alas, this is all I have and what I want to start with. I come to this forum asking for advice from the experts.

These are things I am already doing to it:
  • Changing wheels and tires on Friday (they are bad). (Today is Tuesday.)
  • Replacing battery on Friday. The one in the car is the original from 2011/2012 that I let drain and now, won't charge. I am also registering it using a Foxwell NT530 scanner I am receiving tomorrow.
  • Changing the oil on Saturday. First time I do this on my own, on any car, period. Wish me luck!
  • The air filter was changed for a K&N one just a few months before I abandoned the car, so that should be OK. Maybe I can wash it?
  • Smaller things to make it more my own, like coding some mods with BimmerCode (I am receiving the OBD adaptor tomorrow), the under-door lights with the BMW logo, BMW-branded tire air caps and little things like that.

I also plan on installing a JB4 from Buger Tuning sometime in the near future, something I planned years ago and kept postponing.

What else should I do to a car that's been sitting for so long, is over 100K miles and hasn't had any maintenance other than oil changes for at least 40-50K miles? I basically want to have the car running as well as possible without having to spend a fortune. Any advice?

Thank you.

So you let a perfectly running car just sit for 5 months? Given the neglected state, over 2k to get it up to date with services required past 100k.. Oil change, brake fluid, rear diff, plugs & coils, trans service, check belt (may need tensioner and pulleys) oil leaks..
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      09-17-2019, 09:43 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by XLife14 View Post
So you let a perfectly running car just sit for 5 months? Given the neglected state, over 2k to get it up to date with services required past 100k.. Oil change, brake fluid, rear diff, plugs & coils, trans service, check belt (may need tensioner and pulleys) oil leaks..
Well, this was far from a perfectly running car before I stopped driving it. As I mentioned, I had not really maintained it since it’s 50K niles other than the almost regular oil changes. However, I do want to make up for that now. I guess it’s true what they say: you don’t know why you have until you lose it.

I see you’re in Florida. South Florida by any chance? Miami here and I need to find a reputable, honest and trustworthy shop or independent Technician with reasonable prices.
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      09-18-2019, 08:33 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Razor1973 View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by XLife14 View Post
So you let a perfectly running car just sit for 5 months? Given the neglected state, over 2k to get it up to date with services required past 100k.. Oil change, brake fluid, rear diff, plugs & coils, trans service, check belt (may need tensioner and pulleys) oil leaks..
Well, this was far from a perfectly running car before I stopped driving it. As I mentioned, I had not really maintained it since it’s 50K niles other than the almost regular oil changes. However, I do want to make up for that now. I guess it’s true what they say: you don’t know why you have until you lose it.

I see you’re in Florida. South Florida by any chance? Miami here and I need to find a reputable, honest and trustworthy shop or independent Technician with reasonable prices.
5 months isn't much, I personally think a new battery and you'll be perfectly fine. I let mine sit for 2 months once and it was fine, just make sure your belts are in good shape before starting no nests or bugs in the engine bay and you'll be good.
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      09-19-2019, 05:03 AM   #5
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And check for any mice chewing on wires.
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      09-19-2019, 01:02 PM   #6
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Oh, come on. Provided things were in running order prior, and no time-based service is due on any other items, all it needs is a new battery, tire pressure (but you're changing anyway), and an oil change (and the oil/filter change is rather a nice to have).
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      09-19-2019, 03:57 PM   #7
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Originally Posted by JDMSteven View Post
5 months isn't much, I personally think a new battery and you'll be perfectly fine. I let mine sit for 2 months once and it was fine, just make sure your belts are in good shape before starting no nests or bugs in the engine bay and you'll be good.
Is that something I can check myself? I guess I could google/youtube this. I have no idea where to start. Like I said, this is the first time I am really interested in getting into doing things on my car on my own.

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And check for any mice chewing on wires.
LOL Are you serious here? Well, in case you were, the car isn't in a garage, but in my driveway, which isn't covered. I highly doubt there's going to be mice out there when there's a perfectly good attic to sleep in, kitchen to eat from and crawlspace to play around.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Breach View Post
Oh, come on. Provided things were in running order prior, and no time-based service is due on any other items, all it needs is a new battery, tire pressure (but you're changing anyway), and an oil change (and the oil/filter change is rather a nice to have).
Yes, I also bought an oil filter for the oil change I plan on doing on Saturday. And I just received my Foxwell NT530 scanner to register the battery I am purchasing at the auto parts store on my way home today and installing tomorrow (maybe even tonight if there's still light out when I get home).
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      09-19-2019, 04:07 PM   #8
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For the battery, if you're changing type or capacity there's more to do than just registering. If AGM and same capacity, just register. Also pay attention to this: https://f10.5post.com/forums/showthread.php?p=24831373

Edit: Actually, I didn't finish reading your original post, so I just commented on the car sitting out for 5 mos.- At @100k... And if you've indeed only changed engine oil... If have had the car serviced at the dealer they would have taken care of all that Otherwise: Well... good to have at least tensioner and serpentine belt changed, also check condition of harmonic dampener. Check condition of control arms, sway bar bushings, sway bar links and tie rods - but for that you'd better take it to a shop. Alignment. Definitely brake fluid, ATF/filter and spark plugs. Air filter would last 3-4 years (don't wash it). Cabin filters. Check rotor thickness and brake pads.

Last edited by Breach; 09-19-2019 at 04:17 PM..
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      09-19-2019, 05:07 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Breach View Post
For the battery, if you're changing type or capacity there's more to do than just registering. If AGM and same capacity, just register. Also pay attention to this: https://f10.5post.com/forums/showthread.php?p=24831373
I just (just!) purchased this battery and will be heading out to pick it up soon. It is AGM, but the capacity isn't identical, but close. I guess I will try registering it to see what happens. I will also measure it every day for the first week or so to make sure it's being charged, i.e. registration worked fine.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Breach View Post
Edit: Actually, I didn't finish reading your original post, so I just commented on the car sitting out for 5 mos.- At @100k... And if you've indeed only changed engine oil... If have had the car serviced at the dealer they would have taken care of all that Otherwise: Well... good to have at least tensioner and serpentine belt changed, also check condition of harmonic dampener. Check condition of control arms, sway bar bushings, sway bar links and tie rods - but for that you'd better take it to a shop. Alignment. Definitely brake fluid, ATF/filter and spark plugs. Air filter would last 3-4 years (don't wash it). Cabin filters. Check rotor thickness and brake pads.
That's a lot of things! But it's probably things I should have tone long ago. What I plan on doing is compiling everything you guys have been recommending I do, looking for a reputable shop in South Florida and calling/emailing each one letting them know what I plan on doing and asking for a preliminary quote. Depending on the responses I get (not necessarily the quote, as I know that will always change once they actually inspect these things), I will decide where to take the car.
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      09-19-2019, 05:31 PM   #10
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If the old OEM battery was 92Ah just register, that's fine. If you had 105Ah you would have to change capacity, which may be also possible with the scanner. The list is fixed so gou can also only select front predefined types and capacities.

Registration basically tells IBS how to charge the battery based on condition - it will charge either way, but if you dont register IBS will charge at a lower rate.
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      09-19-2019, 08:23 PM   #11
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OK, so I got home and it's dark out, but I couldn't wait to at least start, so I went ahead and removed my battery and got concerned with the difference in size. The one in the car is an H5 and the one I got was an H8. Everywhere I've read, people recommend anywhere from H7 to H9 with H8 being the most common one, but H5??? At first, I figured the H8 wouldn't fit, but noticed there's 3 steps (circled in red in the photo) for the side bracket. Maybe it will fit in the outtermost one. But I haven't even tried because I am concerned about the differences in specs as well. You can see specs for both in the photos as well. Should I go ahead and try to install or go back to the store for a different battery size or spec?

UPDATE: So after looking at this post where someone installed the exact same battery successfully, I went ahead and installed mine and then, registered it with the NT530 successfully! My car finally turned on. I used the opportunity that the scanner was now connected to read fault codes and boy, did I find some! More on this in the next post as soon as I compile them all.
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Last edited by Razor1973; 09-19-2019 at 10:15 PM..
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      09-19-2019, 10:49 PM   #12
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Here are all the fault codes found by the NT530. As you can see, a lot of them report under-voltage, which I assume has to do with my previous battery dying. So I am also attaching a second table removing all those and leaving all others. Is there anything concerning here or should I be OK to clear most/all of these? The break pads were replaced not too long before I stopped driving the car, except the little shop that did it could not reset the computer.
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      09-20-2019, 12:31 AM   #13
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1. Battery - you are replacing a 80 Ah battery with 95 Ah. Hence the difference in size. You should see if your scanner allows changing capacity and then re-register. Otherwise, it can be easily done, but requires ISTA or eSys. Nothing will break, but the battery may be under charged and is not a good long term situation.

2. Codes - nothing really bad I can see. Just clear them and see if any come back. The fuel sensor shorts may need to be loooed into if they come back.

3. I wouldn't trust a shop working on my car where they don't know how to reset brake service. Just do it yourself from the hidden menu (odometer button, just google it).
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      09-20-2019, 08:17 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Breach View Post
1. Battery - you are replacing a 80 Ah battery with 95 Ah. Hence the difference in size. You should see if your scanner allows changing capacity and then re-register. Otherwise, it can be easily done, but requires ISTA or eSys. Nothing will break, but the battery may be under charged and is not a good long term situation.
Yes, my new Foxwell NT530 allowed me to change capacity and register. Even after doing it, it says the capacity is 80 Ah, but I haven't driven the car yet. I want to give it a day or two and see again. Or maybe I am reading it wrong.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Breach View Post
2. Codes - nothing really bad I can see. Just clear them and see if any come back. The fuel sensor shorts may need to be loooed into if they come back.
Thanks. I will do just that.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Breach View Post
3. I wouldn't trust a shop working on my car where they don't know how to reset brake service. Just do it yourself from the hidden menu (odometer button, just google it).
Yes, that was a lesson learned. And I found that hidden menu! So cool. I had no idea. Thanks a lot! (How do you thank/add rep to folks in this forum? I can't find the option.)
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      09-20-2019, 12:32 PM   #15
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LOL Are you serious here? Well, in case you were, the car isn't in a garage, but in my driveway, which isn't covered. I highly doubt there's going to be mice out there when there's a perfectly good attic to sleep in, kitchen to eat from and crawlspace to play around.
It's not about sleeping or playing. It's about the tasty, vegetable-based wire insulation. Mice just LOVE to chow-down on a car's wiring. They also like to nest in interiors and engine bays.
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      09-20-2019, 02:36 PM   #16
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It's not about sleeping or playing. It's about the tasty, vegetable-based wire insulation. Mice just LOVE to chow-down on a car's wiring. They also like to nest in interiors and engine bays.
Got it. I had no idea. Good to learn this as well. I will have the shop I take the car into check this as well. Thank you.
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      09-20-2019, 02:43 PM   #17
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So I think I've compiled a list of musts, recommendations and nice to have's to do to my car, not only because it sat for 5 months, but also because it's 101K and the last maintenance it had was the 50K. I got these mostly from this thread, but also looked up scheduled maintenances and added some. I also paraphrased a few in order to separate them as individual jobs, so it's quite possible some make no sense (remember, I am new to this).

Keeping in mind what I am trying to do, can someone with experience review these, separate them, in their opinion, as must do's, highly recommended, simply nice to have or "what the heck did you write"s? LOL If you have any idea on costs, that would be ideal too. For those that say "check", I am looking for the replacement price in case it gets to that. I plan to research approximate prices for the rest before I talk to a shop. I want to make sure I am not being ripped off.
  1. Replace oil - Happening tomorrow
  2. Replace wheels/tires - Happening as I type this
  3. Replace brake fluid
  4. Replace spark plugs
  5. Replace PCV valve
  6. Replace coolant
  7. Replace air filter
  8. Replace fuel filter
  9. Replace cabin air filter
  10. Replace cabin air cleaner/element
  11. Wheel Alignment
  12. Check drive belt tensioner
  13. Check timing chain
  14. Check serpentine belt
  15. Check harmonic balancer/dampener
  16. Check control arms
  17. Check sway bar bushings, sway bar links and tie rods
  18. Check rotor thickness and brake pads

Thanks a lot!
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      09-20-2019, 07:34 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ezaircon4jc View Post
They also like to nest in interiors and engine bays.
Yep. I had this happen to me. For a year, I kept getting this odd smell, once in a while. The weird thing was that in only seemed to happen when I parked at a certain place. When my indy recently pulled off a cover to change a filter, he found a nice little rodent nest and sent me a picture of the evidence. He, of course, cleaned it all up, and now the smell is gone!
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      09-24-2019, 05:07 PM   #19
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I let my 535i sit for months, sometimes 10 months at a time, and all is well.

Engine oil change, fill with fresh gas, tire pressures, on my way!
Either unplug the negative cable when you let it sit, or battery tender. In your case new battery.

BMW TIS only list a a few items for cars to get done before and after sitting for a long time. Nothing out of the outdinary, just normal stuff..

I been doing this for years with multiple cars and my 535i. All is well.
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      09-25-2019, 04:33 AM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Razor1973 View Post
So I think I've compiled a list of musts, recommendations and nice to have's to do to my car, not only because it sat for 5 months, but also because it's 101K and the last maintenance it had was the 50K. I got these mostly from this thread, but also looked up scheduled maintenances and added some. I also paraphrased a few in order to separate them as individual jobs, so it's quite possible some make no sense (remember, I am new to this).

Keeping in mind what I am trying to do, can someone with experience review these, separate them, in their opinion, as must do's, highly recommended, simply nice to have or "what the heck did you write"s? LOL If you have any idea on costs, that would be ideal too. For those that say "check", I am looking for the replacement price in case it gets to that. I plan to research approximate prices for the rest before I talk to a shop. I want to make sure I am not being ripped off.
  1. Replace oil - Happening tomorrow
  2. Replace wheels/tires - Happening as I type this
  3. Replace brake fluid
  4. Replace spark plugs
  5. Replace PCV valve
  6. Replace coolant
  7. Replace air filter
  8. Replace fuel filter
  9. Replace cabin air filter
  10. Replace cabin air cleaner/element
  11. Wheel Alignment
  12. Check drive belt tensioner
  13. Check timing chain
  14. Check serpentine belt
  15. Check harmonic balancer/dampener
  16. Check control arms
  17. Check sway bar bushings, sway bar links and tie rods
  18. Check rotor thickness and brake pads

Thanks a lot!
My $0.02:

Replace brake fluid -> Must do.
Replace spark plugs -> Should do.
Replace PCV valve -> Should do.
Replace coolant -> Nice to do.
Replace air filter -> You said you changed recently? No need to change unless you want to then.
Replace fuel filter -> Should do.
Replace cabin air filter -> Should do.
Replace cabin air cleaner/element -> Which one is that? There's the air and the cabin filter (already mentioned above).
Wheel Alignment -> Should do (but only if NO or only AFTER suspension work is done! See below)
Check drive belt tensioner -> Should do.
Check timing chain -> Must do, as failure is catastrophic (doesn't happen that often at your mileage, but it does happen). There's no easy way to check though. The proper way is to remove the engine/transmission which is $$$ and you'd replace chains in that case. There's also a way to do a semi-accurate check with limited removal (still costly). See what the shop offers (besides listening to the sound of the engine).
Check serpentine belt -> Should do.
Check harmonic balancer/dampener -> Should do.
Check control arms -> Should do (part of suspension check, see below)
Check sway bar bushings, sway bar links and tie rods -> Should do, also check struts/springs. Basically, you would ask for a complete suspension check.
Check rotor thickness and brake pads -> Must do.

Also, I recommend:

1. Change transmission oil and filter -> Should do.
2. Change rear diff oil -> Should do.
3. Check condition of driveshaft and flex disc(s). -> Nice to do.
4. Clean MAF and MAP sensors -> Should do - it's a basic DIY, and a 10 min job.
5. Change water pump and thermostat -> Nice to do. Only if you have money to spend and want to prevent future failure (they will fail at some point).
6. Intake/cylinder walls carbon cleaning -> Nice to do (also somewhat dangerous so don't let just anyone do it)
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      09-26-2019, 07:40 PM   #21
Razor1973
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Thanks a lot! I will talk to the shops and see what I end up deciding based on their recommendations and cost.
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Current: 2012 535i M Sport 6MT + 2019 Volvo XC60 T8 Inscription (PHEV)
Past: 2011 BMW X3 xDrive35i, 2008 BMW 535i 6MT, 2009 BMW 335i sedan 6MT, 2007 BMW 335i sedan 6MT, 2007 Volvo S80 V8 Sport AT, 2005 Volvo S60R 6MT, 2001 Audi S4 6MT, 1998 Volkswagen GTI VR6 6MT
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      08-05-2020, 04:30 AM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Razor1973 View Post
Is that something I can check myself? I guess I could google/youtube this. I have no idea where to start. Like I said, this is the first time I am really interested in getting into doing things on my car on my own.


LOL Are you serious here? Well, in case you were, the car isn't in a garage, but in my driveway, which isn't covered. I highly doubt there's going to be mice out there when there's a perfectly good attic to sleep in, kitchen to eat from and crawlspace to play around.


Yes, I also bought an oil filter for the oil change I plan on doing on Saturday. And I just received my Foxwell NT530 scanner to register the battery I am purchasing at the auto parts store on my way home today and installing tomorrow (maybe even tonight if there's still light out when I get home).

could you give me some feedback for foxwell nt530,I need one,I consider to buy from this foxwell store site,everything look nice for foxwell
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