[Mrstauf]

Hi

I picked up a very cheap ex police 10/2016 F31 330 x drive last week as a weekend/project car, very tidy and mechanically runs great but have a few issues I could do with some help with!

The rear indicators stop working after 3 clicks, front ones carry on working but then flash fast

PDC is temperamental, sometimes it works, then goes off and comes back on again, other times it registers nothing until your an inch away from something!


Finally, the spec on the car is below poverty spec! No DAB, nav, not even Bluetooth! I-drive display looks like it is an NBT id4, so how much of this can I code back in? (Assuming I get antennas for dab & gps and a mic ect)

Thanks

[SantaEugence]

Marked or unmarked?
I suspect the electrical issues are down to the amount of splicing done to integrate the police equipment like lights (especially your rear cluster issue). I'd start by removing rear lights and checking all the wiring and such is how it should be, and the looms are correct and there aren't any dodgy repairs where they've removed kit and not patched it up properly.
Also there must be some enthusiast clubs kicking about for ex police cars - they might give you a better idea of what to look out for.

Long shot but perhaps worth dropping your local force an email and explaining you're an 'enthusiast' and you're bringing the car up to scratch, any chance you could have a chat with one of their technicians over a coffee?

[AzzaF30]

Originally Posted by Mrstauf

Finally, the spec on the car is below poverty spec! No DAB, nav, not even Bluetooth! I-drive display looks like it is an NBT id4, so how much of this can I code back in? (Assuming I get antennas for dab & gps and a mic ect)

Thanks

its entirely possible its been spec'd that way to keep costs down, in which case you would probably need to retrofit a newer/higher spec idrive

it may be cheaper to go along the android route or MMI box.

[Mrstauf]

Thanks for the reply’s,
The car was unmarked
I’ve looked at rear lights and they look untouched pretty sure rear blue lights were in window, there are also 2 battery’s in the rear, looks like the 2nd battery was used to run all there equipment so original loom is untouched, but I will still dig deeper and look for any suspect splices

Any idea where I could find wiring diagrams ?

I am considering retrofitting a new idrive, but was wondering if anything can be done with mine before I go dropping £500+ on a new unit

Thanks

[goram]

What does it go like though? Is it souped up like those Mk 2 Escorts allegedly were! 😏

Good luck mate, hope you can get it to where you want it to be! 👍

[t5pilot]

I think you will struggle.
Police spec cars have different wiring looms from the factory to cater for ancillary equipment, which in the UK is now reasonably standardised. When arriving in force, to be prepped for fitting out, the whole interior is virtually stripped. Not the case on being decommissioned. It's likely a relay or something hasn't been removed, or a connector has been incorrectly installed. Nightmare to trace.
Like you have noticed, HU is also basic spec, as are many other aspects of the car.
Long gone are the days of Police Forces just buying standard cars & converting them.
BMW have their own production line just for UK police spec, such is the volume of business.
When decommissioned, they go straight to auction. There's multiple reasons they're cheap as chips.
I wish you luck. I think you'll need it.

[TouringPleb]

Wow! You are brave! I've seen how hard they get driven.

I can't help with your questions but good luck!

[Pobsey]

Having watched them smash over speed humps at 80+ mph I want to know what state the suspension turrets are in 😂

[Mrstauf]

I know everyone thinks they they get battered after watching police interceptors, and while they do occasionally it not exactly the case! They probably get looked after better than most privately owned cars, Mines been serviced every 3 months, have a record of what was done ( it’s at 78k at mo) and judging by the history they don’t cut corners, as they can’t have a unreliable car on road ( mine was a firearm car) and I only paid £6500 for it so can afford any work for it anyway!

[robbiep]

Originally Posted by Mrstauf

I know everyone thinks they they get battered after watching police interceptors, and while they do occasionally it not exactly the case! They probably get looked after better than most privately owned cars, Mines been serviced every 3 months, have a record of what was done ( it’s at 78k at mo) and judging by the history they don’t cut corners, as they can’t have a unreliable car on road ( mine was a firearm car) and I only paid £6500 for it so can afford any work for it anyway!

Nobody is questioning the maintenance regime, that's undoubtedly going to have been very good.

However, it's been hammered. Hard. Everywhere. Because it's a firearms car it's regularly on a shout, and that means it gets driven very hard. Which means additional engine, gearbox, driveshaft, suspension, bearings, everything on the car that CAN wear will have experienced additional wear over that 78k miles. Meaning that components will fail sooner than they otherwise would do if the car had been used 'normally'.

If it's been firearms then it'll have had gun safes mounted in it. Additional weight (gun safes are NOT light !), meaning additional suspension wear from that too.

You'd also do very well to look for the mounting points for the gun safes, check that the holes have all been properly rustproofed and sealed after the safes have been removed.

[Kal101]

The mileage also seems surprisingly low at 78k for a 4 year old police car , plus sold relatively young .

[SantaEugence]

Originally Posted by robbiep

Nobody is questioning the maintenance regime, that's undoubtedly going to have been very good.

However, it's been hammered. Hard. Everywhere. Because it's a firearms car it's regularly on a shout, and that means it gets driven very hard. Which means additional engine, gearbox, driveshaft, suspension, bearings, everything on the car that CAN wear will have experienced additional wear over that 78k miles. Meaning that components will fail sooner than they otherwise would do if the car had been used 'normally'.

If it's been firearms then it'll have had gun safes mounted in it. Additional weight (gun safes are NOT light !), meaning additional suspension wear from that too.

You'd also do very well to look for the mounting points for the gun safes, check that the holes have all been properly rustproofed and sealed after the safes have been removed.

This.
Some people have great experiences with ex police cars but for these reasons I'd stay clear (personally).
Honestly shows like police interceptors don't do it justice, they get absolutely hammered (safely) - regardless of whether they're up to temp or whatever else.
Also on Robbie's point, with the extra weight of the safe either between the seats or more likely in the boot, is it running stock suspension on the rear?
Any pics of it? How much under market price did you get it for?

[Mrstauf]

Ok I get it, everyone thinks I’m stupid for buying an ex police car!

But like I said its not my daily it’s a weekend project car that I paid 50% under market value for it, and I like problem cars anyway, that’s why I also own a Renault 5 GT turbo!

[Stainy]

Originally Posted by Mrstauf

Ok I get it, everyone thinks I’m stupid for buying an ex police car!

In fairness, ex firearms will be one of the better ones. It'll rarely have been cold started, so thrashing it isn't a major worry.
Firearms are rarely in pursuits, or at least rarely behind one, so they have time to slow down for most speed bumps.
The crews tend to use the same vehicle, so there will be some extent of looking after their 'own' car.
Also, it's unlikely to have ever carried rear passengers as they aren't allowed to transport prisoners (round here anyway), so all this about gun safe weight is nothing to worry about. Whilst they aren't light, they aren't the same weight as two rear passengers and luggage - that the car war designed for.

[t5pilot]

Originally Posted by Mrstauf

Ok I get it, everyone thinks I’m stupid for buying an ex police car!

But like I said its not my daily it’s a weekend project car that I paid 50% under market value for it, and I like problem cars anyway, that’s why I also own a Renault 5 GT turbo!

It's not been a firearms car. Max weight has been an increasing issue for years, hence using X5's & similar. They've never used 3 series to the best of my knowledge.
Mechanically it should be pretty good, as they are serviced well.
I'd agree, it's low mileage. Time wise, it's pretty much the norm. It's rare RPU cars are kept longer than 4 years.
If all the panels are straight & match, that's a bonus. I'd put money on every panel isn't from production line, possibly with the tailgate as an exception. So check them well for premature rust. The lower mileage could indicate plenty of time out of service, either due to faults, or body repair.
As a project, you could certainly do worse, so good on you for having a punt.

[sensible]

There a lot of speculation about how firearms cars are used. This will massively vary from force to force. In the West Midlands many were armour plated which meant the windows wouldn't wind down and massively adds to the weight. They are also involved in a lot of pursuits and hard stops and are raced around from job to job. There are a lot more firearms incidents than people think.

With any ex Police car it is used 24/7 and driven very hard, and BMW's are only used for roles that involve performance driving. Maintainace is regular to keep it on the road, and most cars will have had some sort of bodywork repair at some stage. The interior is likely to have holes in the dash and bits missing where the ancillary equipment was, as well as the boot/behind rear seat where the radio and power packs were bolted down. As others have said firearms have a gun box bolted down where the back seat would be. Tell tail holes in the floor would confirm if it was ever a firearms car.

I have seen cars repaired and put back on the road that have had significant damage that you would normally write off.

Would I buy one....no, simply knowing how they are treated. They are a workhorse and nobody's pride and joy, plus they are likely to have more issue at three years old than a private car will have in a lifetime. I would also wonder why the Police sold it with a relatively low mileage.

I think that the majority of people that buy these cars have never seen first hand how they are used and simply have the impression that the cars are 'well maintained.' There may also be some kudos in owning an ex Police car, and is a talking point that will be mentioned when ever talking about the car. Generally, anyone that has used them on a daily basis wouldn't buy one.

Good luck to the OP, and hope he has bought one that is the exception to the rule.

[robbiep]

Originally Posted by Mrstauf

Ok I get it, everyone thinks I’m stupid for buying an ex police car!

But like I said its not my daily it’s a weekend project car that I paid 50% under market value for it, and I like problem cars anyway, that’s why I also own a Renault 5 GT turbo!

No, I don't think that's the case at all.

But you've bought a car with modern and hugely complex electronics, that are integrated into every system on the car, but that were then modified from that standard from the outset, and you're now trying to get back to 'stock' - whereas your R5 is an entirely different animal that is mostly mechanical.

You've only got to see what a low battery can do - throwing loads of spurious fault codes - to realise that a 30 year old 'problem car' and a 5 year old 'problem car' are entirely different animals.

You might get it working OK. But I wouldn't hugely bet on it being quick, cheap or easy

[TouringPleb]

Originally Posted by Mrstauf

Ok I get it, everyone thinks I’m stupid for buying an ex police car!

But like I said its not my daily it’s a weekend project car that I paid 50% under market value for it, and I like problem cars anyway, that’s why I also own a Renault 5 GT turbo!

I certainly don't think you are stupid. Just braver than me! For what you've paid, the mileage and the fact that you seem to have some technical knowledge, it's worth a punt.

As others have said it wouldn't have been a firearms car. We use X5s and a couple of covert XC90s due to the weight involved.

It is low mileage for a 4 year old traffic car. Ours do 50k plus a year.

[BBri89]

For all the things I MIGHT be concerned about... the weight of gun safes in an ARV would not be one of them.

I've got shotguns, the cabinets aren't light, but they're not THAT heavy. It's not going to be worse than having one passenger in the rear seat.

[Wibbles]

The first thing you need to do is get ISTA and read out the car to see what the problems are, everything else is just speculation.

[machman767]

Could it have been a pursuit training vehicle, many years ago we lived near the headquarters of Lancashire constabulary and we'd regularly see convoys of cars and bikes moving at a fair pace. Would maybe explain the mileage plus it will have been driven hard but not real pursuit hard.

[GEP77]

It might be worth base lining the software and updating the iStep level.

The behaviour of the lights could well be a software one, rather than a hardware fault.

I'd certainly be looking at using ISTA to look for faults rather than one of the mobile apps as there is a reasonable chance you'll find some unusual ones.

Were you planning on keeping it, or flipping the car once it's up to scratch? £6500 seems like a pretty good deal.