HustleRussell's old 525i Touring (E34)
Discussion
The story of one twenty three year old's unlikely attachment to a big ugly purple estate car.
I had such a horrible experience buying this car from a p
y in West London that I got it back home and wondered if I should get rid of it, for fear that it would remind me of said py every time I looked at it. It wasn't as bad as I make it sound but suffice to say that I didn't come out feeling like the winner in that particular deal.However being that I was racing my Caterham at Thruxton a little more than a month from that day, and I had left my previous tow car in part exchange (a 2003 Mondeo TDCI saloon), I had no choice but to press the much older car into daily service- even though it had been little used in the last year. I also sourced and fitted a factory detachable towbar.
During those weeks I had plenty of time to take stock for the assortment of little problems one might expect from a car which was at the time sixteen years old; the bad suspension, the metric wheels, the bad paint and the mysterious loss of coolant. I also got a lot of stick from family and friends who just didn't 'get it'. It's big, ugly and purple- you gave your old car and cash on top for that?
The truth was I was still far from convinced as well.
Meanwhile I was driving around it's faults, and fettling it in the evenings and weekends to try and ensure it would be reliable. It felt like an antique.
That said, I was constantly in fear of the old Mondeo. It had the feel of a car which was dying, but it is a model which has the propensity to do so in a very drawn out and costly way being as it was a relatively early common rail diesel. Certainly it was too complicated and highly strung for me to have repaired, even though I had by that point rebuilt a Caterham and generally maintained and repaired my own cars for several years.
I could understand the BMW. Where I felt the Mondeo could s
t it's pants at literally any moment and leave me stranded, I had faith that like some kind of automotive horse whisperer I could surmount any problems that came up on the BMW, and ease it to the end of journeys if I were just patient enough. In a way it actually improved with use, the engine seemed to clean up, and the electric windows started working. After a year of doing very little it was coming back to life.In use though the overheating proved to be tricky to diagnose and the bad suspension got me down, as well as the generally tired appearance of the thing.
My Dad would tell me 'the head gasket has gone', but I for various reasons was certain it hadn't, even though these cars are pretty much reknowned for it.
Many a journey was completed with use of the heater to cool the engine at the expense of my own comfort, with a bottle of water rolling around on the passenger's floor and with reqular stops to check it and allow it to cool.
I suppose you'd call it character. Perhaps that is why this car of the several cars I've owned, including my first car and including my Caterham (now sold), is the one I have been most 'attached' to. Don't get me wrong, it doesn't have a name or anything- but I'd be sad if it were to go.
Fast forward two and a half years and much to my surprise I still had it. The head gasket wasn't gone. In fact nothing was terminally bad on it at all. I'd even go so far as to say that despite everything it's actually a comparatively solid example. Even the purple paint had grown on me.
It'd been a faithful workhorse. I'd maintained it but hadn't improved it. The rear bumper was still gaffa taped, the air conditioning still didn't work, the paint was still pretty poor despite my efforts to polish it- nonetheless it did a pretty good job of being a car, and I still looked over my shoulder at it every time I parked it.
It was about that time that I found out that I'd be going over to Thailand with work, and would end up spending fifteen months there. The BMW was left on the driveway. In my hurry I hadn't even disconnected the battery or covered it. Once again the car was neglected and waiting for me to come along to resurrect it.
That pretty much brings us up to the present, which explains the condition of the car at the top of this post.
With the battery recharged, the engine started first turn. A couple of days later it had an MOT. Knowing the car, and knowing that it wasn't terminally rusty, I decided that I would stop treating it as a workhorse and show it some love.
Edited by HustleRussell on Friday 28th August 15:42
Cheers. I arrived at the E34 due to loving the looks of the E30 but knowing that I needed more weight, space and power for towing. I thought about the W124 but the BMW won me over with it's rakish good looks and manual gearboxes. The 24v engine and Motronic management were bang up to date at the time and 190bhp is not bad for a nat asp 2.5 even by modern standards.
The earlier E34 front end was a bit less ugly and I'm actually considering swapping to the earlier front end during the refresh.
These cars aren't really classics yet so I won't feel guilty for making a few reversible modifications.
The earlier E34 front end was a bit less ugly and I'm actually considering swapping to the earlier front end during the refresh.
These cars aren't really classics yet so I won't feel guilty for making a few reversible modifications.
Once I had got the thing running for the first time in 15 months, I hurriedly booked an MOT. I was busy relocating so other than getting it running I did nothing in the way of preparation, expecting it'd fail on a multitude of things relating to it's recent inactivity and the failure sheet would give me a convenient list of the minimum work required to make the car roadworthy.
As it happens the car did fail but only on several non-functioning rear lights. The bad news was that the bulbs were fine and the fault was in the tailgate hinge wiring, a known problem with BMW estates.
I soldered in new wire sections.
This also cured some dashboard warnings and made my rear screen demist much more effective now that the wiring wasn't full of impedence.
Once I had the MOT I continued to use the car while decided how to tackle the refresh work.
I decided that first of all I’d remove the plastic sill covers to uncover the horrors that lie beneath. Fortunately the rust was confined to four small areas around the jacking points, however it was bad enough that I managed to poke my screwdriver through at all four.
Enter Saxo stopgap banger
The refusal of my insurance company to add the Saxo to my BMW policy as a temporary addition forced me to remove the BMW from the policy and SORN it, So I moved it to the workshop and left it with the panel beater with a pair of new sill panels in the boot. The panel beater did a great job with them and the car was left in the compound to await further work.
Meanwhile I collected a used ‘pre-facelift’ bonnet and grille, which I carried back from Oxford via Castle Combe on the roof of my Saxo. Progress was temporarily halted while the car waited for me to come in and strip it… Until Saturday…
Another appointment with the panel beater looms, when he’ll massage a few little door dinks out of the flanks. Then I’ll get the screen out and the spoiler off ready for paint.
As it happens the car did fail but only on several non-functioning rear lights. The bad news was that the bulbs were fine and the fault was in the tailgate hinge wiring, a known problem with BMW estates.
I soldered in new wire sections.
This also cured some dashboard warnings and made my rear screen demist much more effective now that the wiring wasn't full of impedence.
Once I had the MOT I continued to use the car while decided how to tackle the refresh work.
I decided that first of all I’d remove the plastic sill covers to uncover the horrors that lie beneath. Fortunately the rust was confined to four small areas around the jacking points, however it was bad enough that I managed to poke my screwdriver through at all four.
Enter Saxo stopgap banger
The refusal of my insurance company to add the Saxo to my BMW policy as a temporary addition forced me to remove the BMW from the policy and SORN it, So I moved it to the workshop and left it with the panel beater with a pair of new sill panels in the boot. The panel beater did a great job with them and the car was left in the compound to await further work.
Meanwhile I collected a used ‘pre-facelift’ bonnet and grille, which I carried back from Oxford via Castle Combe on the roof of my Saxo. Progress was temporarily halted while the car waited for me to come in and strip it… Until Saturday…
Another appointment with the panel beater looms, when he’ll massage a few little door dinks out of the flanks. Then I’ll get the screen out and the spoiler off ready for paint.
I've always been split on the colour, and decided to stick with it primarily because it's different... but as I have worked on it I have occasionally caught a glimpse of the factory paint where it has not been exposed to 20 years of radiation and contamination, and it looks great. Can't wait to get fresh paint all over. The paint guys are actually excited because they like the car and have recently started using a new lacquer which they love.
The E39 is a great car, admittedly a more sensible option than the (now rather old) E34 and available with the much better M57 diesel engine… I just didn’t like the looks quite as much as the E34, and the older car has simplicity in it’s favour!
Being a pre-2000 car, road tax is £230 for mine and I have been servicing it myself. BMW parts are surprisingly reasonable so I tend to use genuine.
The E39 is a great car, admittedly a more sensible option than the (now rather old) E34 and available with the much better M57 diesel engine… I just didn’t like the looks quite as much as the E34, and the older car has simplicity in it’s favour!
Being a pre-2000 car, road tax is £230 for mine and I have been servicing it myself. BMW parts are surprisingly reasonable so I tend to use genuine.
Yesterday's progress.
A step forward...
...and about 10 steps back...
Nothing alarming or unexpected, but the parts list continues to grow!
Curiously I had an invoice for the supply and fitting of new ‘rear axle bush’ with the car, both rear subframe mounts are pretty shot so that invoice either refers to a different rear axle bush or the job wasn’t done properly.
Lots of shiny rubbery new bits ordered from Lemforder.
A step forward...
...and about 10 steps back...
Nothing alarming or unexpected, but the parts list continues to grow!
Curiously I had an invoice for the supply and fitting of new ‘rear axle bush’ with the car, both rear subframe mounts are pretty shot so that invoice either refers to a different rear axle bush or the job wasn’t done properly.
Lots of shiny rubbery new bits ordered from Lemforder.
Sounds like you had a good time with the 540i declasm. I toyed with the idea of buying a V8 one but being my only car, my E34 had to tick a lot of boxes among which were 'manual, not ruinously thirsty and as easy to work on as possible'. I'd never had more than 4 cylinders before and the 6-pot is a bit of a BMW trademark... I was originally on the hunt for a 525tds so I suppose you could say I compromised!
Quertina- I hope I don't disappoint with this thread! I won't be doing anything too radical..
0a- It was between a w124 and an E34 for me, I do see the three pointed star in the future at some point.
I thought this car was driving rather well but as you can see, it could drive rather better with some new suspension parts. Looking forward to experiencing the car as it should perform, rather than how it performs now with 131k old suspension.
With £352.50 spent on suspension arms and bushings, refurbishment spend currently sits at £725.30 and 16 hours...
Quertina- I hope I don't disappoint with this thread! I won't be doing anything too radical..
0a- It was between a w124 and an E34 for me, I do see the three pointed star in the future at some point.
I thought this car was driving rather well but as you can see, it could drive rather better with some new suspension parts. Looking forward to experiencing the car as it should perform, rather than how it performs now with 131k old suspension.
With £352.50 spent on suspension arms and bushings, refurbishment spend currently sits at £725.30 and 16 hours...
qwertina said:
Wheels will look good. Nicely OEM+
That's pretty much the name of the game 
Due to the rear bumper damage which occurred before my ownership I have two damaged rear distance parking sensors. According to RealOEM they're $140 each! Dad says just get rid of the PDC system but it's quite a rare option and I like the idea of having it even though I've managed perfectly fine without for over three years...
I keep looking at Tinley Tech's DIY LPG kits...
Back on it's wheels and in the paint shop before Christmas.
I went for the top notch lacquer because the painters prefer it- that's £700 in paint materials alone.
The whole thing is getting kind of pricy now, I've breached the £3k barrier thanks to about £2k worth of parts from BMW. For that I've got a front wing, a rear bumper skin, a windscreen (pushed the boat out for a top tint) plus scores of trim pieces, rubbing strips and little clips and sundries.
In for a penny...
Koni sport adjustable shock absorbers on the way, these will be paired with BMW sport self-levelling units at the rear with new BMW M-technic springs. Hopefully the combination of Koni front and Sachs rear shock absorbers will play nice.
Right now the car is up on a ramp having just received an M5 steering box (slightly quicker ratio and lower miles), waiting for me to stop sodding decorating the house and refit the bloody suspension and steering.
I went for the top notch lacquer because the painters prefer it- that's £700 in paint materials alone.
The whole thing is getting kind of pricy now, I've breached the £3k barrier thanks to about £2k worth of parts from BMW. For that I've got a front wing, a rear bumper skin, a windscreen (pushed the boat out for a top tint) plus scores of trim pieces, rubbing strips and little clips and sundries.
In for a penny...
Koni sport adjustable shock absorbers on the way, these will be paired with BMW sport self-levelling units at the rear with new BMW M-technic springs. Hopefully the combination of Koni front and Sachs rear shock absorbers will play nice.
Right now the car is up on a ramp having just received an M5 steering box (slightly quicker ratio and lower miles), waiting for me to stop sodding decorating the house and refit the bloody suspension and steering.
Thanks
Everyone in the real world thinks I'm mad. This will be one of the least valuable cars I've ever bought and at the same time the most money I've ever spent on a car
I don't think £5k is too bad for a well-sorted slice of genuine Germanic build quality.
I'm actually really excited about driving it again, it's going to be heaven after my £250 stop gap saxo (the ignition barrel on it failed last night so I'm currently having to hotwire it!)
Everyone in the real world thinks I'm mad. This will be one of the least valuable cars I've ever bought and at the same time the most money I've ever spent on a car
I don't think £5k is too bad for a well-sorted slice of genuine Germanic build quality.
I'm actually really excited about driving it again, it's going to be heaven after my £250 stop gap saxo (the ignition barrel on it failed last night so I'm currently having to hotwire it!)
Thanks all,
The engine itself is great, I'm itching to give it a service though. In the engine bay, I'm going to be looking for any perished hoses and seals to replace (I suspect there's a couple of little pipes around the air inlet control valve which are cracking) and when I fit new belts I'll check the tensioners etc. I am planning to recommission the A/C, I've already got a used replacement compressor, a new receiver / dryer and an assortment of 'O' rings for the job although the system hasn't worked at all in my ownership so I'm expecting it to need more attention than that.
Finally, progress!
BMW’s ability to supply parts for this 20 year old car is pleasantly surprising, however some parts have been a 4-5 day wait from Germany.
I finally collected together all the bits I needed to get the struts together, so it was out with the old…
I had to come up with an engineering solution for the rear shock absorbers as the old rubber damper eye bushes were knackered and they are technically integral with the eye (bonded in). I priced up new shock absorbers at £960 the pair, and decided that on balance my old (but perfectly functional) shock absorbers could be redeemed with a set of universal polybushes and a slight modification to the crush tube.
Finally the struts were re-assembled. BMW ‘low slung sport suspension’ springs and bump stops were used, along with Koni Sport shock absorbers in the front.
I hope the new springs play nice with the rear shock absorbers but at least I know that new ‘sport’ ones are still available if they don’t.
The struts were re-fitted to the car- but only after I’d fitted all new suspension arms, steering linkages and bushes up front and scrubbed and waxcoated the internal surfaces of the suspension turrets.
Up next, wheels on and then I'll be cleaning out all it's cavities ready for an extensive application of Waxoyl or Dinitrol before the exterior gets reassembled.
Getting impatient to get the lovely freshly painted panels on but after that I've still got a load of interior to reassemble...
JakeT said:
Love that so much. The E34 is a fave of mine and have many memories as a child being ferried around in a green one (no idea which colour). Roof open and AC on because it was the '90s so why not. Look forward to seeing the work progress on this. I am guessing you'll do a couple of engine bits and try and sort the Air out, also?
Lots of 'em were oxford green which is a dark bottle / BRG colour?The engine itself is great, I'm itching to give it a service though. In the engine bay, I'm going to be looking for any perished hoses and seals to replace (I suspect there's a couple of little pipes around the air inlet control valve which are cracking) and when I fit new belts I'll check the tensioners etc. I am planning to recommission the A/C, I've already got a used replacement compressor, a new receiver / dryer and an assortment of 'O' rings for the job although the system hasn't worked at all in my ownership so I'm expecting it to need more attention than that.
Finally, progress!
BMW’s ability to supply parts for this 20 year old car is pleasantly surprising, however some parts have been a 4-5 day wait from Germany.
I finally collected together all the bits I needed to get the struts together, so it was out with the old…
I had to come up with an engineering solution for the rear shock absorbers as the old rubber damper eye bushes were knackered and they are technically integral with the eye (bonded in). I priced up new shock absorbers at £960 the pair, and decided that on balance my old (but perfectly functional) shock absorbers could be redeemed with a set of universal polybushes and a slight modification to the crush tube.
Finally the struts were re-assembled. BMW ‘low slung sport suspension’ springs and bump stops were used, along with Koni Sport shock absorbers in the front.
I hope the new springs play nice with the rear shock absorbers but at least I know that new ‘sport’ ones are still available if they don’t.
The struts were re-fitted to the car- but only after I’d fitted all new suspension arms, steering linkages and bushes up front and scrubbed and waxcoated the internal surfaces of the suspension turrets.
Up next, wheels on and then I'll be cleaning out all it's cavities ready for an extensive application of Waxoyl or Dinitrol before the exterior gets reassembled.
Getting impatient to get the lovely freshly painted panels on but after that I've still got a load of interior to reassemble...
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