BMW 5 Series and i5 service and repair

Is this page for my 5 Series?

The BMW 5 Series does private hire, chauffeur work and private motoring. We service, diagnose and repair petrol and diesel 5 Series at our Welwyn Garden City centre, from the E60 and E61 through the F10, F11 and G30 to the current G60. For private hire and chauffeur use, see our PCO and chauffeur servicing page.

How often should a 5 Series be serviced?

Follow the car’s service display. It shows when the next service is due and which items are due with it. BMW UK lists these as service items:

• engine oil service and vehicle check
• air filter, and the fuel filter on diesels
• micro filter, the cabin air filter
• spark plugs, on petrols
• brake fluid

Not every item is due at every visit. We check what is due on your car, then send a written price before we start.

We also add the service to the car’s digital service record.

Which engine oil goes in a 5 Series?

Oil that meets the BMW Longlife specification listed for the engine. BMW has several Longlife specifications, and the right one depends on the engine: Longlife-04, for example, is for engines with a particulate filter. We confirm the specification for each car before we fill it.

Does the automatic gearbox need servicing?

ZF says its six- and eight-speed automatics are filled maintenance-free, but recommends an oil change after 150,000 km, about 93,000 miles, and sooner with high temperatures, heavy loads or an unknown history. We confirm which gearbox your car has, change the oil and filter in-house and set the level with the oil between 30 and 50 °C, as ZF specifies. See our BMW gearbox oil service page.

On xDrive cars the transfer box has its own oil, and BMW’s guidance on low-speed judder covers the G30 5 Series. See our xDrive transfer box page.

Which faults matter on a 5 Series?

• Timing chain. The N47 2.0 diesel, built from March 2007 to 2014, is fitted to the E60, E61, F10 and F11. Listen for a rattling or metallic noise from the back of the engine, the end nearest the windscreen. We also inspect N20 petrol engines. We confirm the wear before quoting, then replace the chains, guides, tensioners and sprockets as a set.
• EGR valve and cooler. Check for a recall first. Outside the recall, we test the valve and cooler and repair what is proven faulty. We never remove or disable EGR systems.
• Oil leaks. The oil filter housing gasket can leak on six-cylinder N-series petrols and on the N20. Look for oil around the front of the engine.
• Electric water pump. Six-cylinder petrols with the N52 or N53 engine use an electric pump. A failed pump brings an overheating warning and the cooling fan running flat out.
• Battery. A new battery has to be registered to the car so the charging resets. We fit and register it before the car leaves.

A fault code is not a repair. We test to prove the cause and send a written price, and no part is fitted until you give your written approval.

Which recalls should a 5 Series owner check?

Check your registration on gov.uk: whether a recall applies depends on the individual car.

• EGR cooler: BMW’s recalls include 5 Series built from March 2011 to December 2017. Our EGR page lists the DVSA recall numbers.
• VANOS: R/2014/068 appears in the DVSA listing for the 2011 5 Series. See our VANOS page.

Recall work is done by BMW’s network, not by us.

Can you MOT my 5 Series?

Yes, in our own Class 4 MOT bay. On a diesel first used from 1 July 2008, an engine warning lamp that shows a fault is a Major defect, so it is worth fixing before the test.

A 5 Series licensed by TfL as a private hire vehicle needs two MOTs in each annual licence once it is more than 12 months from manufacture. Our PCO pre-inspection check page explains the timing. We do not carry out the TfL licensing inspection, and cannot promise that any work will make a car eligible for a platform: each sets its own rules.

Do you work on the electric i5 and plug-in hybrid 5 Series?

Yes. Servicing and repairs on the electric i5 and the plug-in hybrid 5 Series are carried out by technicians qualified to work on electric and hybrid vehicles.