Buying a used BMW 6 series F06, F12, F13 - 2011-2018, Buying advice with Common Issues

The 3rd generation BMW 6 series is just and simply a great looking car. And it doesn't matter if it's the coupe, the convertible or the grand coupe version. Currently you can buy these cars for less than 25 000 euros, so even if you are making the same amount of money as one regular guy, with this car you can look like a more wealthier person who is making at least the in total. The interior looks that good and that expensive as the exterior. There are basically no issues with the build quality or material quality, and it can be equipped with every possible feature. Plus, the iDrive system does have nice graphics and it's fast as well. On the other side, some owners complained that wearing the front seatbelt for a longer time is not very comfortable. As you can see, the front seatbelts are attached right to the seat, very close to the headrest. So the seatbelt is very close to your neck and to top of that you can't adjust the seatbelt height. All in all, if you are testing the car, just look for this if it won't bother you. Obviously, you can't expect adequate legroom or headroom in the back of the coupe or convertible versions. However, the Grand Coupe does have some rear seat space, although with a strictly limited headroom. Despite of the fact that this is still a young car, there are some things you should pay attention to. First of all, there are numerous cases of slightly moving front seats while cornering. Some of the owners even got a new seat frame under warranty because of this slight movement. But apparently, you should be able to fix this by applying some teflon-based grease into these white plastic brackets under the seat. If this won't help, then the plastic piece is worn out a lot. And to top of that, some owners also complained about various occasional rattling or creaking sounds from the front seats, mainly if the car was used on bad quality roads. Problems with closing the electronic windows are also not uncommon, so check all of them before buying. And since this car has frameless door windows, make sure that the window automatically lowers a bit when you open the door and closes back when you close the door. Check the parking cameras as well if the car is equipped with them, since there are cases when either the camera itself or the camera harness was faulty. Obviously, make sure that the car has the latest software updates and the battery has to be in a good condition too. As usual, check for water leaks in the interior and occasionally check or try to clean the area under the bonnet hinges, which can accumulate dirt or leaves over time. And if you are buying a car with right-hand drive, then it's really important to check and modify a plastic cover on the firewall. Because cars with right-hand drive have this yellow insert on the left side of the firewall. It would be all great and awesome if BMW would not cover this area with a badly designed plastic cover, since over time, dirt and dried out leaves will accumulate in this area, clogging it up, and causing the water from the windshield filling up this area and it will slowly leak through the yellow insert right into the interior. The plastic cover is located behind the engine, it is held by 4 screws, and it's not extremely hard to remove it. But it's also not easy, and if you have a V8 engine, then there won't be room to remove it from the engine bay, so in this case, you can try to remove it from underneath the car. You should drill holes into this cover or slightly modify it to get a better water flow and get rid of this issue. By the way, not only the 6 series has this design flow, but also the 5 series and the 7 series from that time. This BMW was available with either the regular suspension or with the optional electronically adjustable shock absorbers. Plus, some cars are also equipped with the active anti-roll bars, which minimize the body roll in corners. As usual, check the suspension for strange sounds and check the control arm bushings for wear. The active anti-roll bars should be still in a good condition since the car is still young, so there is no problem with them yet. But keep in mind that the standard run-flat tires combined with the 20-inch wheels is a pretty bad combination on bad roads. The most reliable petrol engine is the turbocharged straight 6-cylinder. Of course, it doesn't have the sound of the V8 and it doesn't have the power of the V8, but it is, generally speaking, a lot more reliable than the V8. But it can have issues mainly with the injectors or occasionally with the high-pressure fuel pump. Then there is the infamous twin-turbo 4.4L V8 which has a big amount of power and much better sound than the 6-cylinder. But you should avoid this engine in cars made to 2012, since it can have numerous issues related to turbochargers, oil or coolant leaks, misfires, heavy oil consumption, and complete engine failures are not uncommon as well even after 50,000 km. On the other side, BMW updated this engine in cars made from 2013, which means that it is more reliable from this year. But don't expect bulletproof reliability even from the updated version, since it's still almost the same overcomplicated engine, which will have various, not cheap issues, but mostly only in higher mileage cars. In other words, this modified V8 from 2013 can withstand 200,000 km with the proper maintenance. But I would not recommend buying this engine after this mileage point, because after this, the chance of failures and expensive repair bills noticeably increases. You should keep in mind that these are very complex engines indeed, and sometimes they consume smaller or bigger amount of oil, so it's really, really important to maintain the correct oil level all the time. All in all, check the oil level regularly and also change it after 8,000 km. With this oil change interval, you can prevent some of the issues. The engine in the M6 version is that reliable as the modified V8 from 2013, but since the M6 is a high-performance car, some owners simply abused it and in that case, it can have bigger oil consumption or other issues. There are not many issues with the straight 6-cylinder diesel engine with two turbochargers, unless it was abused or used regularly only on short distances. On the other side, there are two things you should keep in mind. The first is, that there is a recall related to the possibly faulty EGR cooler, which can leak coolant. This doesn't sound that bad, but the coolant can mix with the carbon buildup, and in very rare cases, this mixed deposit can catch fire. So make sure that the EGR cooler was replaced under this recall, and if not, then ask the dealer about this. Then you should also check for strange vibrations from the engine at idle, since there were a couple of cases of prematurely worn engine mounts. Of course, buying this engine with more than 220,000 km or 250,000 km will be a bigger financial risk, but that shouldn't be a surprise anyway. All of the engines are equipped with timing chain. After 200,000 km you should be prepared to replace it. But with the proper oil change interval, it can withstand a lot more, mainly in the 6-cylinder engines. This BMW is equipped with just the 8-speed automatic gearbox, and the M6 version had either the common 7-speed dual-clutch transmission, or not that common 6-speed manual. There are no extraordinary issues with these transmissions, at least in not high-mileage cars, so just check them properly before buying and change the oil in them. In cars equipped with the xDrive 4WD system, you should check for all those strange howling or whining sounds, and also for shuddering at acceleration, which can indicate issues with the transfer case. Since there are some cases of failed transfer cases, mostly after approximately 100,000 km. The abused M6 version can have issues with the rear differential, but that's nothing unusual. It's also good to check for strange vibrations from 100 km per hour, at constant speed or during acceleration. Some say it's of the unbalanced wheels, some say it's the gearbox or the brake discs and pads, and some unlucky owners just sold the car because of this annoying possible problem. The last thing you should check is a strange occasional tapping, knocking noise or feel in the steering wheel when coming to a stop or moving slowly. This is not normal, and owners who experienced this got a new steering rack under warranty. To summarize things up, if you want the most reliable version and you want to keep the car for a longer time, then choose the 640i 6-cylinder petrol model, avoid cars with performance upgrades, buy only a car with a proper maintenance history, and definitely keep extra money for the additional repairs if you are buying a car outside of warranty. As usual, if you have personal experience with this car or more information about it, then you can write it into comments. Thanks for watching.