Keeping a BMW 5 Series in top shape for long days on the road
There’s no doubt that the BMW 5 Series is one of the very best long-distance cruisers in the business, with the calm and quiet capability to cruise for hundreds of miles in a day, delivering the driver to their destination with little fuss, feeling rested and ready to go for the day’s work. But, there are still some steps the owners and drivers of the mighty 5-Series can take to ensure that this premium motor is kept in the most premium of shape for even greater motorway-mile-munching prowess.
The BMW 5 Series has some of the very widest service intervals of any big diesel car in the modern era thanks to the BMW engineers constantly striving to improve in these areas. So it’s not as if it’ll be constantly at the dealership having servicing work done. But as a driver you too can do some little bits here and there to keep every long road business trip as smooth, calm and comfortable as possible.
Keep an eye on the tyre pressures
This is one of the most overlooked issues affecting motorists today – the lack of attention to tyre pressures. A top of the range BMW will most likely have a tyre pressure monitoring system that will quickly inform the driver if any of the tyres have dropped below a safe operation air pressure. So you shouldn’t worry about slow or fast punctures as the system will pick these up. However, if you are about to set off on a very long business trip, it’s always worth a quick look around at all four wheels before you go. Check that each tyre looks to be at the right pressure with not too much squash to the tyre sidewall, and if it’s been a while since the tyres were changed and you do a lot of miles it’s best to check the tyre tread depth too. Remember, 1.6mm of tyre tread depth is the absolute legal minimum and there are three driving licence points per tyre if they are under this limit. The tyre will not grip well either if the limit is reached and surpassed; especially in the wet.
Leasing your car from a reputable leasing company like Listers is the best idea for long distance business users, as the team at Listers will help with servicing and maintenance issues for their customers. This is all the more useful for drivers that aren’t particularly mechanically minded.
Clean the screen
Another serving item that may come up before the BMW’s next service is due is the windscreen washer fluid. A silly little thing you might think, but when you need it and it’s not there you’ll soon realise just how important being able to clean your windscreen quickly and easily is.
It’s lovely to drive on a nice sunny day, but when that low sun hits a dirty windscreen the driver’s vision of the road ahead can be quickly lost. That’s when they reach for the windscreen washer switch to clear the filth and improve the view. But if there’s no washer fluid in there trouble can start. It’s quick and easy to buy a large container of premixed washer fluid from your local retailer or petrol station, store it in the garage, and then keep it topped up as you go. That way there’ll be less stress when the sun sets.