BMW 523i F10 UK Spec N53

[juraini]

I'm intending to buy a 523i F10 UK Spec N53 (3000cc) recently, but knowing from google search that Malaysia petrol has high sulphur content which is not suitable for the car.

I hope there is someone here with experience driving UK spec N53 especially 523i that could give me some advise.

Thanking in advance!

 

[gimli]

my advice is to stay away! there is a reason why bmw malaysia didn't bring in the n53 engine. Our local spec F02 730li is still using the N52 engine.

Grey importers know crap about cars, once you buy the car, you are on your own. One of my friends stupidly bought it, and when he wanted to sell it, he lost quite a lot as no one wanted to buy it. The spec are also usually very low (smaller i-drive screen, no rear aircon control). My advice is to get a used local spec one.

 

[juraini]

Gimli, thanks for the advise !

 

[moots]

Really?The hi sulphur content in petrol issue plagued the M52 engines which caused wear in the cylinder bores(nikasil engines) and BMW has since replaced them with alusil engines.This is way back in the late '90s.Surely BMW has upped the engine quality for the f10 already.....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_M52
Maybe the uk import ones has lower market coz of the lower spec?

 

[seancorr]

I heard similar cases whereby the BMWs are being imported by grey importers causing issues and these cars ended up in my dealer SC and that's when I knew about the problem. I was told those engines can only accept RON98 as a minimum and we do not have it here so for the owners who had fallen into the foreign spec cars ending up paying more for service as they can only rely on RON97 and have to change the engine oil a lot more frequently. I forgot if they had to rebuild the engine but I think that isn't far off either.

Those owners who bought the imported ones must have been filling it up with RON95 and in turn giving them massive headaches so...you have been warned!

 

[gimli]

the reason why its not brought in here is because of the high sulphur content in our fuel. I don't think its because of ron95. if it were, you could just use ron97.

 

[FASTCAT]

I'm intending to buy a 523i F10 UK Spec N53 (3000cc) recently, but knowing from google search that Malaysia petrol has high sulphur content which is not suitable for the car.

I hope there is someone here with experience driving UK spec N53 especially 523i that could give me some advise.

Thanking in advance!

Hi Juraini,

Fyi, if you want to know about the 523i F10 imported Jap engine spec., the engine is N52B25AF not N53, therefore suitable to use with local Malaysia-Singapore RON95 petrol. My wife is driving a 523i jap spec. so far all OK.

Moots,
Juraini is talking about 523i F10, this car do not use M engine, they are using the N52/N53/54 series engine.