Average chap and YouTuber Neil, who fronts his Road and Race channel, bought an 11-year-old BMW 525D E61. Neil says it’s rubbish, this very statement corroborates the opinion we here at DCB HQ share, that BMW is indeed a maker of premium luxury rubbish cars. Turns out the brakes are rubbish. To be expected of an 11-year-old car.

But there is another problem, the E61 has covered over 125,000 miles and that means it will require a lot of maintenance. For example, the thermostat for the coolant temperature will need replacing, they are known to fail. The DPF will need cleaning out, after 125k its choked up with soot.

The exhaust gas recirculation valve – EGR – which redirects exhaust gases back into the engine needs replacing. It helps to reduce emissions but those re-circulated gases carry tiny particles of soot, which over time build up within the valve thus restricting engine performance.

Anyway, Neil has a lot of work to do on his “rubbish” BMW 525D E61 which cost him £4,000 and will require another £1,000 to make road-worthy.