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Thanks, that’s useful to know @Hefty - looks like I’m ballpark then. Might try pistonheads and a couple of forums before the dreaded flea bay.

Hi all. Sorry for not having been on here for a long while. Life priorities have changed for me, it’s all good but means I’d like to sell my car and just don’t know where to start. Here was always good and knowledgeable people.

It’s a 2008 550i touring SE spec with factory N62 4.8i V8 and 6-speed manual box. 112k and FSH. 6 months MOT and it’ll have a fresh oil service.

Needless to say the spec is very rare. 3 according to how many left. Most of these (and all the M5s) had the flappy-paddle smg auto box. Most also had M-sport body kit which I think dates the classic bangle shape.

It’s massively specced inside too, leather and goodies and with pano roof. It’s in pretty good shape, some little scuffs to sort and front discs and pads will need doing soon.

I think it’s worth £12k or so but I just don’t know what the market’s like for executive uberbarges just now. Any thoughts? Any interest just head into my dms. Thanks X

Yassss. Not been on here for ages. Still got the 550i touring. Full fat 4.8i vvt v8. Manuel too. Stonking vehicle.

PS. Hope you’re well mate

The economics should have by rights, but clouded judgement prevailed! :D

Hiya, yeah it’s mine. Cost me a fortune but makes me smile and quite useful for Dadding.

I was being a bit tongue in cheek, there aren’t any. I think only 3 were made.

Well I’ll be in it for way more than the ‘discount’ that the guy gave me. But still less than my max budget when I set out on this exercise.And less than any other manual 550i touring for sale 😉

Yep, only had it three weeks...

Did ‘the guy’s mechanic’ even exist? Will never know.

It’s okay to skim one head if you use a calibrated gasket to compensate for whatever thickness was skimmed off.

As long as you can pay it, doesn't matter.

After having a bit of a cry, I’ve come round to this way of thinking. I love the car. The guys at A1 German Cars did not believe it existed.

Timing was out, because chain had stretched, probably caused by oil starvation, maybe down to an oil nozzle which they’ve changed since they go this far. Head had to come off to enable disassembly of timing chain guides. Going off for a light skim.

Good news is that bores, pistons and valves on the exposed bank are in v good nick. Edit: also they are sorting out the oil leaks and infamous ‘prone-to-bursting buried coolant pipe’ while they’re there.

Bad news is the bill is gonna be massive 😂

Chasing that EML is proving expensive.

Cheers man!

Hope she’s treating you well? #qualityvehicle

Found a reason to go for an evening drive, did not regret 😬

Cheers!

Engine light stayed off on my 35 mile drive home, but time will tell.

It’s a great drive. Third gear for dual carriageway roundabouts is just obscene.

Well that, I believe they say, escalated quickly.

Edit: the ground is not level which is why the suspension looks high at the back.

Sick. I once drove one on a track day. Incredible cars.

I would hope that if anybody enquired now, he would say it’s sold :D

Awesome! I think it looks superb on those wheels.

Yes the N62TU is a vanos-equipped motor. Never has a word struck such fear into the potential BMW owner! However the design is apparently much less problematic than that used on the in-line 6 motors.

The error codes all related to vanos/timing which could have been caused by bad tensioners.

Thanks for the advice all!

Long post alert! I went to see the blue manual 550i touring yesterday. It’s absolutely as good as it looks and I like it sooooo much better than the black auto one. It’s just lovely. The seller has got some seriously awesome motors (DB5, Daimler Sovereign, E46 M3 manual etc), is a real car guy seems like a genuine bloke.

So here’s the rub. He’d called me on Wednesday as he knew I was making a special trip, to say sorry but the engine warning lamp had come on. He had talked to the guy he bought it off who swears it hadn’t happened before. He had the codes read with ODB scanner (2A8C, 2A90 and 2A88 if you’re keen) and his BMW tech told him to try changing timing chain tensioners. So he did, he told me on Thursday, and the light went off. Then, the next day, it came on again. Then went off on its own. The stored codes are the same.

So as it stands, there are no warning lights. The 4.8 V8 runs great. No rattles, no smoke. Pulls like a train with no hesitation. One theory suggested by him is the DYnamic Management System was just relearning it’s parameters after the chain tensioners and threw the light back on temporarily.

He’s offered to take it to the dealership (where said BMW tech works) for full diagnostic. Or knock 2k off if I take it as is and acknowledge there was an EML on. His point is that he doesn’t really want to get dragged into (possible) endless engine works, nor would it make sense to keep bringing the car back up to him (about an hour’s drive) if the light did come back on.

On the one hand I applaud his honesty as he could probably have got away without telling me. On the other hand, my lizard brain thinks everyone is trying to trick me and it’s a triple bluff.

Think I’ll probably ask for the full diagnostic and see what the outcome is. I’d rather have peace of mind than a ‘bargain’.

Think you are right. REALOEM returns a RHD unit

Cheers , my old e46 was same, bit of a pain

It’s definitely RHD now!