My E66 730Li

[EL118]

I noticed very limited info on 7 series on this forum. There are numerous scary hear-say about massive maintenance cost. I would like to open this thread to share my experience of owning my very first BMW - The E66 730LiMine is UK Spec year make Apr 2008 with extreme genuine low mileage of 16,000km when i bought it in April 2011. Still with original Pirelli Tyres date 1008 and almost full threads.When i started to look out for a 7 series, I test-drived the F02 to get the feeling of the latest marque. Then i shopped around the market for used or recon units. Finally i settled for this 2008 model which looked brand new inside out, and driveability comfort was no much difference from the F02. I placed for booking the next day. The car is immaculate. i would say one of the pinacles of luxurious car engineering. I started to take the long way home, went for a few more round before i went home. A car used to be a mean of transport to me until i stepped into my 730Li. I would say i was "racunned" kao kao with the driving pleasure and I changed my wife's Sentra to E39 530i two weeks after i got my 730Li. I would continue to post for more info about the ownership of E66 730Li

 

[enkil]

Nice bro.. Pls show us some pics and let us drool over ur ride

 

[EL118]

Now 7,000 km since taking ownership. i have changed engine oil at 5,000 km with 7 litres of synthetic 5w40 + filter total of RM371 (free from labour charge as the car comes with 1 year warranty)

One problem is rear suspension have slight ticking sound when pass over hump. i would not have noticed if not one day i wind down the window and turn off the aircon. the sound proof system of E66 is simply too great. i have sent in for checking 1st round but the technician cant find fault. i will send in next time and post the outcome.

Second problem is lifter ticking sound from the N52 engine ( happen twice in the 1st month, i think due to my soft driving during the 1st month, have not recurred since i pressed harder on the accelerator). I have done research and found that this is one of the inherent problem of N52 engine. I read there is a fix to change the cyclinder cover which is standard fix by BMW at end of 2008. as my unit's production date is Mar 2008, i am trying to claim for warranty to get this changed, i would expect reluctance and just see how i fare in this.

 

[Eggie86]

Thanks for sharing bro. :top:

 

[ck318ci]

Thanks for sharing...

I for once was very keen on the E66 myself until My E60 started to throw tantrum on me. I reckon no matter how pristine or immaculate history a car has, it is still subjected to wear and tear... My E60 had full service from authorised dealer and had the history checked with PML before purchased, But it has broken down on the road 3 times in ten months and close to 10k SGD for repair.

I told myself to forego of getting the E66 and got myself a new F10 instead. The installment come up to the same and I would have less problems with maintainence or breakdown.

Anyway, back to the E66, is a nice write up mate.
Just a pointer, UK spec car comes in metric form so it should be reading Miles rather than KMs.
Just make sure your car has not been tempered to make the mileage super low.

I was in UK for many years and The 730LI was not a popular model due to its sheer size and fuel consumptions. It was mainly bought as fleet cars and usually will have above average mileage circa 20k Miles a year.
Having 16k KMs for 3 years old UK 7 series ( 11k miles) is relatively uncommon bro.

What you can do the verify this is to look at the chassis number and trace the original supplier dealer in UK and get a record. Most BM in UK especially a 7 series / fleet car will service their car in authorised dealer for 3 years so that they does not void the warranty. It will give you an indicator of what has been done.

The other thing you can do is pay 30 pounds on line for HPI check. This will check the car for any accident claims. colour change and number of ownership including mileage verification if the car has been sole serviced and maintained by the dealer.

Second point of note is you said the car is still under manufacturer warranty and wanted to change the cylinder cover. This will be difficult as warranty usually can be claimed by the original dealer who supplied the car. If you need to do it through AB in Malaysia, I am not too sure whether they allow for such adoption for grey import.

Hope this helps

If everything is clear, ENJOY The mighty beast as is one of the best luxury motor to date.

CK

 

[bimmerholic]

what's the price when you purchased this model in April 2011?

 

[EL118]

Thanks for sharing...


Anyway, back to the E66, is a nice write up mate.
Just a pointer, UK spec car comes in metric form so it should be reading Miles rather than KMs.
Just make sure your car has not been tempered to make the mileage super low.

I was in UK for many years and The 730LI was not a popular model due to its sheer size and fuel consumptions. It was mainly bought as fleet cars and usually will have above average mileage circa 20k Miles a year.
Having 16k KMs for 3 years old UK 7 series ( 11k miles) is relatively uncommon bro.

If everything is clear, ENJOY The mighty beast as is one of the best luxury motor to date.

CK

Yeah i knew many grey imports mileage are tampered. i have verified based on the followings

i) with external service centre to check for mileage as well as trace of any accident prior to purchase.

ii) secondly, from the thread of the original Pireli tyres fitted on the car also a good indicator of the genuine mileage ( all 5 tyres manufactured date are 10th week of 2008 which coincide with the car manufacturing date. (unlikely they changed all tyres purposely to show good thread)

iii) from the condition of the seat & interior which looks near perfectly new. ( i had inspected a few other E66 and the interior and seat normally will indicate the frequency of use. of course this is not ideal check if the car was previously taken care by detailing experts like mr KCs on our forum)

My E66 meter came with both miles/hour and km/hour although the miles are predominantly bigger font.

 

[EL118]

Nice bro.. Pls show us some pics and let us drool over ur ride

i still do not know how to post pic directly on the thread leh. is it only for official member?

 

[EL118]

what's the price when you purchased this model in April 2011?

For a 3 year old car (2008) with immaculate condition, i only pay less than half the original price. RM300k compared to RM648k. A new car that lost RM350k in 3 years is a difficult pill to swallow. the market price for recon 2006 E66 with 80,000 km is approx RM245k. 2005 model (pre-facelift) now selling around RM170k. (so my depreciation would be about RM50k per year over the next 3 years i supposed)

My Singapore business partner who used to be Mercedes supporter ( 5 merc over the last 10 years) wanted to get himself a E66 730Li immediately after he sat inside my car.

 

[ck318ci]

Bro EL118

Glad that you have done the above checks. Whatever it is, E66 is a great car and Congrats of being a fortunate owner of such fine piece of engineering.

 

[EL118]

Bro EL118

Glad that you have done the above checks. Whatever it is, E66 is a great car and Congrats of being a fortunate owner of such fine piece of engineering.

Thanks. but one issue is that this car is not for those who like the "road feel". this car is about absolute comfort which is excellent for my daily drive. when i want the road feel, i drive E39.

 

[maccasel]

Hi EL118,

I share your thoughts!! I just got myself an E66 740LI 2007 model recently, enjoying every minute of it....but the depreciation is bad for the first owner but for subsequent buyers, it's a steal.....

 

[EL118]

Hi Maccasel,

Great! there are very limited information about E66 on this forum and let us share more about the performance and maintenance. btw, how much u paid for the 740Li? what type of engine your car is using ?

 

[ck318ci]

[video=youtube;SZf1BhFVw6E]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZf1BhFVw6E&feature=related[/video]


Here comes the RACUN!

Muahahahaha....

 

[maccasel]

Hi EL118,

Mine is the N62 b40 if I'm not mistaken....4000 cc, 302hp and 390nm....

Say, did u do any updates to your I drive? How bout gps?
Got it for less than 300 grand la....the depreciation is scary...hehehehe

 

[penasenja]

when i want the road feel, i drive E39.

i like this part.....

 

[JFT63]

[video=youtube;SZf1BhFVw6E]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZf1BhFVw6E&feature=related[/video]


Here comes the RACUN!

Muahahahaha....

Sweeeet racunn is here......

 

[EL118]

Comparing the steptronic on both E66 and E39, E66 The steptronic located on steering is not as user friendly as the gear stick, especially during cornering!

 

[maccasel]

The E66 grips the road like elephant glue....hehehhe....plus it's a 2 ton car as well...hahaha

 

[EL118]

Hi Maccasel, what is the FC for your 740Li? mine about 13.5l/100km, both on screen as well as actual measurement by pump.