e39 540i what are they like and whats the common faults ?
Discussion
gary2010 said:
Hi all
Iv been offered an e39 2001 540i auto as a swap for my car and me being completely new to bmws i was wondering what are they like to drive ?Is there any common faults i should look out for ?What are all your experiences of them?
Many thanks
Gary
I had one for 8 years and if looked after they serve you well but all depends on history. Common issues around the 100k mark are bushes which begin to crack and will impact on steering/braking.Iv been offered an e39 2001 540i auto as a swap for my car and me being completely new to bmws i was wondering what are they like to drive ?Is there any common faults i should look out for ?What are all your experiences of them?
Many thanks
Gary
Sensors can also start to show their age i.e abs,camshaft etc so if possible see if you can get your hands on a fault reader.
Other than that they are build like tanks and despite being petrol I was getting around 21mpg on a 15 mile run which varied between 30-70 mph.
haha it sounds like a fairly sorted looked after car but i haven't had a chance to go and look at it properly yet so we will see.
I had a 99T 540 auto, on 120k miles and it was really showing its age.
Parts of the cooling systm can fail: fan blades can shear, punching dents in the bonnet. Could write the car off. Ditto an overheating car. Mine sprang a leak entering the camp site at le mans, causing all sorts of problems
Gearbox can go (a ZF issue, not a BMW issue to be fair) but the cost can write the car off
The Abs system can go wrong, meaning no abs, warning lights, possilby no speedo, kicking through the pedal
The instruments read-out can fail (pixels fail), so its hard to read what time it is/issues etc
Its a heavy car, so bushes might need doing
Its a lovely old car, but they are all getting old now and the issue are mounting up. Go into the deal with both eyes open, and dont be seduced by the smooth power delivery or the tyre smoke with the tc turned off.
Seearch on here: there is lots of advice on old topics
Parts of the cooling systm can fail: fan blades can shear, punching dents in the bonnet. Could write the car off. Ditto an overheating car. Mine sprang a leak entering the camp site at le mans, causing all sorts of problems
Gearbox can go (a ZF issue, not a BMW issue to be fair) but the cost can write the car off
The Abs system can go wrong, meaning no abs, warning lights, possilby no speedo, kicking through the pedal
The instruments read-out can fail (pixels fail), so its hard to read what time it is/issues etc
Its a heavy car, so bushes might need doing
Its a lovely old car, but they are all getting old now and the issue are mounting up. Go into the deal with both eyes open, and dont be seduced by the smooth power delivery or the tyre smoke with the tc turned off.
Seearch on here: there is lots of advice on old topics
Electrical issues killed my e39, loss of speedo, abs, esp etc etc. Never found the fault after 850 worth of investigation and work. What can seem like just a sensor can often be more.
Sensors are v expensive new, get them from breakers and pray the ecu or abs control module doesn't fail.
Sensors are v expensive new, get them from breakers and pray the ecu or abs control module doesn't fail.
Owned my Sport model for 16 months and the only thing that has gone wrong is the battery dying last week, which was easily fixed with a new one and the satnav crashing, which was fixed with an updated firmwire disc that someone sent from PH.
It's got around 103,000 miles on it and I bought it at 92,000. The radiator was replaced before I got it by the previous owner and I bought some new rear tyres, which still have a lot of life in them yet.
Gearbox in mine is very smooth - more so after the 1,000 mile trip to Scotland at New Year. I tend to do shorter urban journeys, say 12 miles and then very long motorway slogs every few months or so. In 2010 I drove it non-stop to Southern France, around 870 miles without any problems at all.
I use super-unleaded (97 ron) and get 27 mpg at an indicated 80 mph. Around town it is closer to 21-22 mpg. If I use 95 ron, which I tested, the urban mpg falls to 18 mpg and motorway to 25 mpg. I also noticed a decline in low end torque so I went back to 97 ron.
My car has been under warranty for the past four years so maybe it has had more stuff done to it but it's got an Inspection I coming up soon and I know it could do with some new front bushes (has the shimmy under braking @ 50 mph). I don't expect the service to be that expensive though as the bushes can be done for £150.
Because I'm so happy with it as an all-round car, I do think about upgrading to an E39 M5 as the lure of 400 bhp is strong. But because it has been so reliable and does everything perfectly well, I do think I'll keep it for at least another year.
It's got around 103,000 miles on it and I bought it at 92,000. The radiator was replaced before I got it by the previous owner and I bought some new rear tyres, which still have a lot of life in them yet.
Gearbox in mine is very smooth - more so after the 1,000 mile trip to Scotland at New Year. I tend to do shorter urban journeys, say 12 miles and then very long motorway slogs every few months or so. In 2010 I drove it non-stop to Southern France, around 870 miles without any problems at all.
I use super-unleaded (97 ron) and get 27 mpg at an indicated 80 mph. Around town it is closer to 21-22 mpg. If I use 95 ron, which I tested, the urban mpg falls to 18 mpg and motorway to 25 mpg. I also noticed a decline in low end torque so I went back to 97 ron.
My car has been under warranty for the past four years so maybe it has had more stuff done to it but it's got an Inspection I coming up soon and I know it could do with some new front bushes (has the shimmy under braking @ 50 mph). I don't expect the service to be that expensive though as the bushes can be done for £150.
Because I'm so happy with it as an all-round car, I do think about upgrading to an E39 M5 as the lure of 400 bhp is strong. But because it has been so reliable and does everything perfectly well, I do think I'll keep it for at least another year.
I ran a 1999 540i Touring for approx. 3 years and it was one of the best cars that I have owned.
Effortless power and lovely handling coupled with average fuel consumption of 24mpg!
At 70000 miles,the yellow engine management light came on and despite repeated computer analysis of faulty oxygen sensors, the problem was eventually diagnosed as a faulty air/mass meter.
Runs best on Shell Optimax or BP Ultimate petrol and handles better on conventional, rather than sports profile tyres.
I followed the 540i with an Audi S4 Avant, which although more exciting on paper, was less interesting and a bit leaden to drive.
Go for the 540i!
Effortless power and lovely handling coupled with average fuel consumption of 24mpg!
At 70000 miles,the yellow engine management light came on and despite repeated computer analysis of faulty oxygen sensors, the problem was eventually diagnosed as a faulty air/mass meter.
Runs best on Shell Optimax or BP Ultimate petrol and handles better on conventional, rather than sports profile tyres.
I followed the 540i with an Audi S4 Avant, which although more exciting on paper, was less interesting and a bit leaden to drive.
Go for the 540i!
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