If you don’t like the look then get a detachable one.

I use mine to carry a bike rack and also to tow a small motorcycle trailer to take my motocross bike wherever I’m going – it’s not heavy.

Well Gents thanks for the input, I’ve just got an e-mail from the lease company and I can spec the foldy seats, but not rails or tow bars. More importantly it doesn’t affect the cars Tax Benefit in Kind, incidentlly if anyone else is looking to change I’d recommend the BMW Business Edition spec which is designed entirely to exploit UK tax emissions laws and get blokes like me out of my Mondeo (which has been awesome and has a tow bar bike rack) and into a I-wish-I-was-rich-enough-to-afford-a-real-exec-car starter 5 series!

surely if it costs money it increases the list price and hence the tax liability ? albeit only a little

Good news it-void!

Should be a cracking car.

Eyeing up the Touring – wouldn’t be for quite a while but I like the look of it.

Mat – killer value – the new 520d SE Touring is less than 3K more than my 318d SE Touring and has a gutsier engine and better kit….

iainc – no it doesn’t necessarily increase the tax liability, I’m assuming you’re asking because you have a car/tax/allowance based interest: as you prob know the cost of the car is effectively cut over 3 yrs and then the tax averaged over 12 mths, so the £340 cost of the seats works out at £10 per month which itself can be further reduced depending on my number of business versus personal miles, use of a fuel card and salary tax bracket…which after some clever accounting makes the seats cost neutral for me.

aha….that makes sense when you break it down that way, cheers

Surf Mat – not that I’d endorse such behaviour but you can re-map the 4 cylinder 2.0 Ltr D quite cheaply and get around about 30% lift on bhp and a real boost in torque, I’msure there are plenty of petrol heads on here who’d have more knowledge of this than I do…oh and naturally you’d inform your insurer and the tax man if you did this!

I’msure there are plenty of petrol heads on here who’d have more knowledge of this than I do

Diesel heads mate, please. It’s important.

We have a new (ish) 5 in the pool also with non folding seats. Bike goes in with wheels and seat off no problem but flatpack furniture has to hang out a rear window in a precarious fashion! I guess BMW owners don’t shop at ikea or go to the tip!
On the subject of tax, I’d sort of assumed the point of the german Eco diesels is they are mapped specificly to pass the gov tests (so wl be at peak torque at 58mph or whatever it is) but might not actually be any better than normal in real life. then you immediately remap them back to how the manufacturer designed it to work?
I suppose the answer is are the Eco models the same across all territories or do non EU places get different maps according to their tests??

Surf Mat – not that I’d endorse such behaviour but you can re-map the 4 cylinder 2.0 Ltr D quite cheaply and get around about 30% lift on bhp and a real boost in torque, I’msure there are plenty of petrol heads on here who’d have more knowledge of this than I do…oh and naturally you’d inform your insurer and the tax man if you did this!

The gains are pretty amazing on soot chuckers – well over 200bhp for a 20d unit. I can get to 350bhp/510lbs-ft on mine for £500! But I’m already chewing rear tyres up at an alarming rate and would constantly worry about the drivetrain!

Evolve are very good for remaps – that’s who I’d use.

The 20d is a near genius engine – such amazing mpg and emissions for relatively high power output.

I’d want a six pot though to make up for the fact that I’m 4’10” and have a 3mm knob 😉

On the subject of tow bars, are Witter the ones to go for aftermarket? I pick up the new E class tomorrow and need to get one fitted. And no, it was already built etc so couldn’t get it as an option.

Hmmm, a detachable tow bar would be the best of both worlds, but then I would have to buy a bicycle carrier as well and have the tow bar fitted all of which cost money which I don’t have at the moment.

If you’ve no cash, then why on earth are you taking an expensive (on tax) company car?

There is a serious amount of cash difference between a base-ish Vectra sized car and a 5 series (even a base diesel). In a previous company I took an SRi Vectra over a 530i, and between the tax saving and the additional allowance (as I took a ‘salesmans’ car as opposed to a ‘senior managers’ car) I was over £450 net pcm better off.

Hi Spud I had one fitted recently – I can give you some additional details if you want to pm? Dont ask MB unless you are sitting comfortably – I did it for laugh.

b r – Member
Hmmm, a detachable tow bar would be the best of both worlds, but then I would have to buy a bicycle carrier as well and have the tow bar fitted all of which cost money which I don’t have at the moment.

If you’ve no cash, then why on earth are you taking an expensive (on tax) company car?

There is a serious amount of cash difference between a base-ish Vectra sized car and a 5 series (even a base diesel). In a previous company I took an SRi Vectra over a 530i, and between the tax saving and the additional allowance (as I took a ‘salesmans’ car as opposed to a ‘senior managers’ car) I was over £450 net pcm better off.

Hello,

I am not the OP, I drive a 9 year old BMW and I was just thinking and typing to myself about a tow bar. Sorry for any confusion.

Cheers

br

The 520d is pretty competitive on the tax front, granted the car’s value is higher (though not much) than a decentish specced Mondeo/Insignia/Passat but the difference is nominal. I’ve just ordered a 5 Series today for that exact reason, it’s cheaper.

Ho Hum – fit it yourself, it’s easy! I bought a Witter kit from Towsure online and it was great, came with everything I needed, good instructions and was a very good price.

I bought a Thule 3 bike carrier from a mate, it’s ace. If you wanted something to tide you over I still have my old rack which is 2 arms which mount into a plate. Easy to fit and can take 3 bikes easily. Possibly 4…

Tony, that would be great. Can’t see your email in profile.

Hi Spud There now

Great! YGM

I had a 5 series for 5 years. Its easy. Wheels off and bars undone at the stem. Simples. No problems and bike out of sight.

I put a removable one on my new A6 saloon, best thing I ever done and you can’t see or tell it’s been done. Audi wanted £1200 + VAT (Witter) I had the identical one fitted by an audi reccomended fitter for £500 all in which included a reprogram for the parking sensors.

New shape F10 or old shape E60. AFAIK the boot in the E60 is pretty huge, Just got a Touring and from memory the boot space in the saloon was actually bigger than the Tourer. You would fit a bike wheels off no problems.

Nosing around whilst waiting for a key to be reprogramed I reckon the boot on the F10 isn’t quite so big so those folding seats may be useful.

I currently have a 6′ by 3′ kitchen table residing in mine with the drivers seat right back.

Lovely motor, may cost more in tax but so much nicer than a Vectra!