Valuation Request (330Ci Sport)

[Kingy]

It's easy to fit the leather really! The only thing you MUST make sure is that you disconnect the battery otherwise you'll trip the airbag light and it will cost you to get it extinguished (unless you know someone like me with CarSoft or something). The fronts just unbolt and then you remove a connector, the rear base pulls out and I've forgotten how to remove the rear backrest but if you find a set I have the instructions somewhere.

Thanks very much How's your Z?

 

[Kingy]

Thanks guys, got my insurance down to £950ish so far with Swiftcover albeit with 20k miles and £500 voluntary excess...

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/insurance/compare-cheap-car-insurance

I found the above link as well which gives some useful tips on covering all the bases, I'll be searching the rest of them later on...

What are the stock brake and tyre sizes? I take it there should be two keys as well? Anything else I need to know before I go and look at it later?

What is the alarm/immobiliser called? There's a list as long as my arm on compare the market, and I've got no idea what to put...

Also, what oil does it use, how much should I be paying, and where can I buy it?

 

[Kingy]

Bought it!

Some confusion surrounding the recent service history, as the last documented oil service was completed 23,000 miles and 27 months ago, but the air filter (part of an inspection II IIRC) had an April 2007 date on it, and he'd replaced the spark plugs, oil and oil filter ~3 months ago. Strangely, the dash thinks that the next service should be an oil service, rather than an inspection, so it's possible the Inspection II may have been done but there's no documentation of it.

Ultimately I was happy with the car, and I'll get the Inspection II service done soon anyway to sure up the documented service history for piece of mind, and hopefully to help come resale time.

Discs are almost new (no lip) and the pads were changed a couple of thousand miles ago, the only other real problem apart from there being no credit card sized key is that the tyres are ditchfinders, and are different brands front and rear...

What brands should I be looking at for Xenon upgrades? eBay only seems to have £90 kits, and you seemed to think that a decent kit would run to £150-£200?

I'll have to have a sit in a leather interior one, but I quite like the Alcantara as it is...

Pics and thread to be posted when I'm back home at the weekend...

 

[Kingy]

BMW will have a full record of any work carried out by an authorised dealer. Perhaps give them a call and see if they have record of what has been done. If in doubt i would just get an inspection II done and start again from there.

I did that, but there's no record of any other services...

 

[Kingy]

I would have walked away becuase of this - this car is of too high value to not have a complete SH.

I know what you're saying, and I sat and thought about whether to walk away or not, and reasoned that:-

It was a bargain,
I was happy with the condition of the car,
Worst case, despite many of the inspection parts of the service having been completed, the service wasn't done, so I get the service done myself, and from a record prespective, the service was late rather than missing altogether.

There is no disputing that it's not an AUC, but it wasn't AUC money, and subsequently I decided I was happy with the compromise.

 

[Kingy]

So it's not had a proper service for 23k?

Personally I'd Inspection II the car now at a BMW dealer to try and restore the FSH - 23k is 'only' 4k miles over what you can reasonably expect the high end of a service interval to be and 27 months is 3 months over.

There is no documented record of a service for 23k, although the pads, oil, oil filter, air filter, and spark plugs have all been changed in this time, BUT, you are right, it hasn't had a proper service for 23k.

The dash says there's 2 thousand miles left before a service is required, so I had considered leaving it until then, but I was planning to give Sytner a call and see what the lead times are like, as 2 thousand miles is only really a month away anyway...

The second part of your post is what I'd concluded, and ultimately why I decided to go for it.

There's a warranty that I can transfer too, but I'd need to pay a £25 transfer fee and get round to it in 7 days from purchase, plus I'm not sure if it's actually any good...

EDIT: Is the valet key the little plastic one? What does it do?