What can be better than BMW E64 Cabrio 650i?

Excellent car with a powerful N62 engine. With light leather interior, HUD, RDC, and other extras…

 

The purpose of this entry – to demonstrate, how huge can be problems, if you buy a car via the Internet, relying only on the pictures. Don’t repeat the mistakes of the owner of this car. Check carefully the vehicle before purchasing.

 

The exact car has been bought, based on images from the auction in the USA, it visually looked “repaired”. The new owner of the car has already spent more than EUR 4000 in the repair of the engine – the chains were replaced, the maintenance was done. Unfortunately, these jobs were done incorrectly and not professionally – the engine will have to be reopened because it consumes too much oil and it has incorrect reference positions of VANOS.

 

The car still has to undergo the certifying for use in the EU. Unfortunately, at the moment this aim looks unreal. At first – the exhaust gasses of the car don’t correspond to criteria, which would allow to pas TI. At second – the SRS of the car is not restored. Both front airbags are not present, there are active error messages regarding them. Of course, the question regarding the airbags in the doors, for belt tensioners is open. Restoring of the SRS system will cost several thousands of EUR.

The certification itself will cost around EUR 1000 – also these costs have to be added to the list of expenses.

 

I inspected the car, which has a mileage of 160’000 km. Honestly speaking, that such a pitiful sight I rarely have seen for vehicles, which has at least 2x older cars with 2 .. 3 x higher mileage.

 

Driver’s seat

 

The interior on the passenger’s side.

 

Steering wheel – the same, which has worked in a previous crash, has been glued. Wear – corresponds to some 500 .. 600.000 km.

 

All interior of the car – a pitiful sight. All buttons – in such condition, as if 101 angry dogs have bitten on them. All elements of the interior – dirty, scratched. The car truly looks somebody driven at least 600’000 km, continuously stepping in and out of it and pressing all available buttons.

 

In the KOMBI – the Christmas tree. Needless to say, that RDS doesn’t work; SRS has active error messages, DME – is not able to maintain correct fuel mixture.

 

And now – let’s move to the visual inspection.

 

Windshield mount – damaged (it looks that the car has “caught” the garage door, the roof is also damaged in several places: it has to be replaced.

 

Left rear part has been damaged very heavily. In the image – one of the measurements, where we managed to at least measure the steel. Almost all left wing (at the location of the arch) is covered with a filling of at least 2.0 mm – we didn’t manage to measure the metal. The filling is already in the cracks and the color is already shading off.

 

Left side frame – lacquered repeatedly or painted in a thin layer. The thickness of the painting varies in the range of each spare part.

 

Left side, not far from the frame.

 

The right side – the door has been replaced, painted, the central key – don’t function.

 

All car is covered in bumps.

 

The engine hood, as both front wings: repainted. Both front wings – also stuffed. They are made of plastic, so it’s not possible to measure the thickness of the paint, but the painting is in crackled – obviously, there is a filling below the paint.

 

Somebody had forgotten to install the shock absorber of the engine hood.

 

Also, the crossbar has gone somewhere.

 

The decorative covers and many others “not so important” plastics are lost somewhere.

 

As usually – each bolt is different (typical for all fasteners of the front part), the painting as an orange peel.

 

The rolling part of the car is in a pitiful condition. In addition, when driving, it is a feeling that the car as if “spin”: it means, that it has lost its strength. As we understand, the cabriolets have no roof construction, which would make the whole car “stronger”. For this reason, the BMW cabriolets have special reinforced floor construction, which ensures the strength of the vehicle. Unfortunately, if the car suffers in the accident and this construction of the floor is damaged – it’s not possible to restore it. Judging by the strong damage of the left side, the frame of the has suffered strongly – it’s not a surprise, that the car “squirrels” even by low speeds. When driving, the car is strongly “pulled” to one side – it’s a confirmation, that the rear axle has not been successfully “pulled” – the rear wheels are askew.

 

In the end – several images from diagnostics:

 

IBS says, that the battery of the car is long-term worn out.

 

Here, several error messages regarding fuel mixture, CO catalytic converters (which can be damaged due to oil consumption – additional expenses for at least EUR 1000). I won’t even talk about small things – problems of the thermostat, ventilation of the fuel tank.

 

Here, the error messages regarding PDC, RDC, SRS, etc. The lights are installed “just to have them”, no wonder, that there is an error message regarding regulation of their hight. Also, IHKA is not restored properly – the error messages regarding both valves are recorded, IHKA works in complete emergency mode. AUC sensor – of course, the error message regarding it also recorded! It’s self-evident, that the piro-patron of the battery was not restored – they are unnecessary expenses!

 

My verdict – the car is in such a pitiful condition, that it’s not worth to restore it and it’s even dangerous in exploitation. In my understanding, this car is not even EUR 1000 .. 2000 worth. Unfortunately, the owner already has invested a significant amount of money in purchase and repair od the car. But even then he hasn’t found out the true technical condition of the vehicle.