[occystx]

Hey, buying a 2009 bmw 335i, going in for a inspection next week.

Just curious on things to look for and things to alarm me, guys owned and serviced the car for 30,000 kms but no service history before then, he claims to have owned it just to have lost the receipts.

[StradaRedlands]

Definitely get a pre purchase inspection done... hopefully they can verify a lot. "Lost the receipts" sounds a bit sketchy for sure. Try to visually verify if the work has been done by looking to see if the parts are there. If he says radiator hoses were changed, it should be obvious that they're newer, things like that. Inspection should pick up on all that pretty easily.
N54 specific issues are the high pressure fuel pump, injectors, and eventually turbos. After that it's typical modern BMW oil leaks and water pump. Then it's just regular car stuff like brake pads and control arms.

[tcphoto]

Any knowledgable tech can inspect a car, oil and coolant residue is a telltale sign of whether a part has been touched, replaced or just cleaned up. The $200-$300 PPI can save you thousands on repairs, on negotiating a sale price or whether to walk away. No receipts? I have every receipt from '16 when I bought my one owner car and handed the buyer of my E46 a binder that I owned for over six years.

[Joe_in_WLA]

Originally Posted by StradaRedlands

Definitely get a pre purchase inspection done... hopefully they can verify a lot. "Lost the receipts" sounds a bit sketchy for sure.

+1,000