E61 520d New Owner Belgium ( Brit Expat )

hi Guys

just bought a e61 520d last sunday in germany

2 previous owners , last one a lady ca 40 yrs old

134000km

fairly decent condition, but dirty

spec

fully wrapped frozen gray metallic

m body kit

19 inch wheels with 245/35 tyres

oem xenon and rear self levelling air suspension

oem 16 inch wheels and bolts kit with winter tyres supplied at purchase

done so far

2 hrs to clean engine compartment - filthy, now can eat off the engine cover, or underneath..

2 hrs to clean interior

learn how to change air filter for k+n

learn how to change oil + filter, checked and diff levels

de seize rh front pads

change front tyres

rebuild rear wiper system as motor and transfer drive shaft seized, very strange drive system

change worn out gear knob but new one not oem so just interim solution

changed all wipers

will fit tow hook

fitted bluespark stage1 powerbox

still to do:

polish out light rim dings ( lady driver )

improve the rear wiper drive mating

re-film the tailgate as the lady used some aggressive stuff on it and part removed the colour...

re-seal the lh headlight as misty inside, she broke the access cover clips...

i have had recently 3 successive mondeo mkIII( commercial traveller ) run one and keep 1 as spare just in case

first impressions 520 vs mondeo 130ps est

+ points bmw

noise

ride quality

grip- cornering- balance

braking

quality/ touch of interior fittings

quality of radio/ sound system

quality of switchgear except start button that wear off the colour

appearance of engine compartment

appearance and usability of boots space

door sealing

- points bmw vs mondeo

slow to move off the line

no power under 2000rpm with or without powerbox , mondeo will pull from ca 1200 rpm like a train

25 pct worse fuel economy on a long run ( 7 ltr/ 100 vs 5 ltr / 100 km ) thats significant

low ground clearance ( problematic on less good roads , i visit friends on a farm quite often

complex control system

seats less comfortable than mondeo, more grip but lumpy i drive from brussels to bcn in 1 shot so this counts

engine revs 20 pct more in 6th gear compared to 6 speed mondeo

and the worst of all access to service items on the motor , just try to change the air filter or drain the diff oil, or replace a headlamp bulb, battery : very complicated / poor access

so far

like the car but its not what i dreamed it would be, lets see how it turns out over time

greetings from waffle land

paul