BMW 520

Digest from the reviews

Based on transcripts of 2 reviews

• •Both of the 2 reviewed transcripts call the early M54 sixes (fitted until 2005) the safest petrol pick — one rates them at 350-500k km, near 'millionaire' grade — while the N52 2.5 is named the range's worst oil-burner by both; the workshop review concludes that buying any petrol E60 without deep diagnostics is 'Russian roulette'.
• •Both warn about the direct-injection petrols (N53, 2007+): a fragile HPFP and capricious injectors that can leak fuel into a cylinder overnight and hydrolock the engine; the N62 V8s get a thumbs-down in both reviews — one cites Valvetronic failing ~3x more often and ~1L/1,000 km oil use by age five.
• •The workshop transcript finds the diesels far less troublesome: M47/M57 injectors often run 300-400k km before acting up, while the post-2007 N47 2.0d is the gamble — its rear-mounted timing chain has killed engines, and hairline cracks between cylinders that lose coolant have forced block replacements.
• •Both name iDrive-linked electronics as the E60's money pit: the pre-facelift CCC unit freezes and dies (a solder-joint fault — now repairable; the facelift CIC is fine), and with no dipstick a faulty oil-level sensor can cost you the engine; one review quotes an owner: 'after 100k km I stopped counting' the electronics bills.
• •Both treat the optional active chassis as an expensive risk: the Dynamic Drive actuator and the active steering rack cost serious money (one reviewer: owners often convert to a normal rack — it lives ~3x longer and costs a fraction), though the workshop notes the warning lights are often just the heat-damaged wiring harness next to the rack.
• •Both highlight the all-aluminium front end: it does not rust and the paint holds up, but after a crash few body shops can weld, rivet or glue aluminium properly — repairs are expensive and accident history deserves extra scrutiny.