RE: SOTW: BMW 540i Touring

[pSyCoSiS]

CampDavid said:

I think it's menstruation red. I can't be sure though

Sounds more like it.

[Papa Hotel]

I like it. As a second car for infrequent big-load trips, you can't beat that. Yes, it has issues but as has been suggested before, run it until until it dies and it's still desirable as a pile of parts.

[r7ehw]

Very amusing!

I have a late model 53 plate E39 sport touring but alas just the 520i and its manual. Mine is fantastic and its in great condition, (no this is not a precursor to a sale in the near future), but I would love more power. I bought mine as a one owner from new and with FSH and if I could find a really good 540i in similar condition I would jump at it, and I wouldn't mind paying for it too.

Lovely cars, provided you get a good one unlike the dog listed. Still smiling at the owners post.

Think this will kill all chances of selling on PH!!!

[Agent Orange]

Putting aside the current owner thinks the car is the worst he's ever owned E39s of that age and mileage are potentially ruinous.

I've driven an E39 530i Touring for over 150k miles. Mine is now on 170k. Up until 160k bar basic and regular servicing, tyres etc the car has cost me very little with no big bills. It has been the most reliable car I have ever known and it has never let me down. Even when the alternator went on the way to the airport for a family holiday it still made it the last 40miles to departures even though I lost all electrics as I dropped my family off.

One alternator for 160k miles is good in my book.

However recently I've been picking up big bills almost weekly. Gearboxes are the weak point on E39s and start to go around 150k. Budget £1800 for that. Brake calipers failed knackering discs resulting in another £1000. Both in the last month. But mine *should* now be good for at least another 75-100K.

But depends how you look at it. £950 for up to 20k miles isn't bad but then this car has gearbox issues which I'd hazard a guess at the torque converter on its way out. If you're prepared to spend <>£2500 on maintenance on this car you're likely to see another 100K out of it.

Edited by Agent Orange on Friday 9th November 12:21

[carinaman]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/bmw-e39-5-series-16-allo...

Some individual alloys have reached £45ish each.

[jimbobsimmonds]

I briefly owned one of these in saloon guise a year ago...

My T5 at the time wasn't exactly slow (in fact when I was coming home with Dad in the Beemer we were exactly the same on the M'way) there is something strangely alluring about 4.0L V8... No idea what but it made me smile...

Also lighting up the rears outside my Nan's house brought much amusement!

And RWD, I do get it now; I don't believe that every car without it was bad but it did make me realise what I was missing...

What a great 2 months it was! (even worse on fuel than the T5)

[fushion julz]

Devil2575 said:

Ozzie Osmond said:

One observation on the PH write-up....

"Nikasil" exists only in legend. Any cars which were going to go wrong probably went wrong a decade ago. Absolutely nothing to even think about in 2012!!

I'm sorry, this just isn't true.

A few years back I heard people making similar statements on a BMW forum to people looking to buy E36 328s. More than one person bought a car that had covered highish miles, so in theory if it was going to go wrong already would have, only to find that it was fooked.

It's not a legend or a myth, it's a very real problem that still crops up even now after many years.

nikisil linings/bores will not *fail* now...there may still be f**ked ones around, but they were damaged back in the mid-late '90s when sulpher in petrol was high...all petrol sold (in the EU, at least) is now low sulpher and will not cause any further bore wear to nikisil linings.

Have to say, though, that this one looks a bit suspicious...

The tailgate wiring loom does fray and can cause all sorts of electrical gremlins or OBC messages...
But they (E39s) are notorius for wiring/electrical faults.

Edited by fushion julz on Friday 9th November 11:41

[LewisR]

fushion julz said:

Devil2575 said:

Ozzie Osmond said:

One observation on the PH write-up....

"Nikasil" exists only in legend. Any cars which were going to go wrong probably went wrong a decade ago. Absolutely nothing to even think about in 2012!!

I'm sorry, this just isn't true.

A few years back I heard people making similar statements on a BMW forum to people looking to buy E36 328s. More than one person bought a car that had covered highish miles, so in theory if it was going to go wrong already would have, only to find that it was fooked.

It's not a legend or a myth, it's a very real problem that still crops up even now after many years.

nikisil linings/bores will not *fail* now...there may still be f**ked ones around, but they were damaged back in the mid-late '90s when sulpher in petrol was high...all petrol sold (in the EU, at least) is now low sulpher and will not cause any further bore wear to nikisil linings.

Yep, agree and as I stated one page earlier.

[Retset]

Had one for over 4 years and loved it. I did a few subtle mods which basically meant adding some facelift lights and grills. Some 17" rims made it look and handle better. Best mod was an M5 steering box to reduce the ludicrous 3.6 turns lock-to-lock down to a rather more normal 2.9.

I often wish I had kept it.

Edit: New thrust arm bushes cured my shimmy 100%. It's nearly always these. Poly replacements may be a good idea.

[soad]

Retset said:

Looks great, chap!

[carinaman]

Retset said:

Best mod was an M5 steering box to reduce the ludicrous 3.6 turns lock-to-lock down to a rather more normal 2.9.

How does that compare with the lock to lock of the straight sixes?

[BL Fanboy]

pSyCoSiS said:

Indeed so.

The E39 is probably the best-built 5 Series ever. I love them. You can do a long journey in it, without taking a break and arrive refreshed at the other end.

How does this work? Having 40 winks on a stationary sofa usually refreshes me not driving a long way in a car. Maybe its a shut-i drive.

[Jay101]

"double-wrapped, asbestos-lined stunt cock"

[Agent Orange]

Retset said:

Edit: New thrust arm bushes cured my shimmy 100%. It's nearly always these. Poly replacements may be a good idea.

Any idea of the price? I my E39 is shimmying though having already spent close to £3000 in the last 3 weeks on it I'm loathed to spend much more right now.

Edited by Agent Orange on Friday 9th November 12:39

[chris116]

Love the colour, don't see many E39's like this. Wouldn't buy it with the bork already present myself.

[carinaman]

Retset said:

Some 17" rims made it look and handle better.

How much did you get for your old alloys? Just helps with the 'you can part it out when it finally fails' angle.

[anonymous-user]

Output Flange said:

drchris said:

On reflection.

Those alloys look mint and other parts would be worth more that the money paid for it if sold separately. .

Drive it til it breaks then make profit on the bits

Win.

Yeah, except you might struggle with that one.

I broke my 540i Touring a while back when it, er, broke, and getting value from it was hard.

What WAS worth a lot of money on mine were the manual gearbox, clutch, flywheel and pedal box - basically everything someone needed to convert their automatic car to manual. Start with an auto and you'll struggle to see much back from it.

Also bear in mind that these engines can suffer timing chain guide problems at high mileages (mine did, others I know have) and that's a £1k fix.

Personally I wouldn't touch this with a double-wrapped, asbestos-lined stunt cock, if you're doing it with the idea of covering costs by breaking it.

Plus you need space to store the car while you break it. Unless you don't mind an old half stripped BMW sitting on your drive for months and months!

[bashful]

"...I naturally gave the car the gun at the first whiff of autoroute..."

Do French motoring journalists boast about flooring it as soon as they come to Britain?

[carinaman]

bashful said:

"...I naturally gave the car the gun at the first whiff of autoroute..."

Do French motoring journalists boast about flooring it as soon as they come to Britain?

Yeah, they do tunnel runs through Le Chunnel.

[Martian O]

SOTW now sold!