BMW 840ci 4.4 What to look for?
Discussion
Having just sold my C63 my attention has turned to the stunning 840ci with the later 4.4 engine. I've always thought they were amazing, both visually and how they perform as smooth GT cars. Lets call it a long time itch..
Anyway..
I have one that i'm interested in viewing. Low mileage, FBMWSH and in what is described as exceptional condition. So any advice, dos and don'ts to help me on my way would be gratefully received.
Thanks in advance.
Now where do we start............?
Late 840Ci, then things to look out for are...
1, Does the ABS light come on with the ignition and then go off, if not, it probably needs an ABS pump which is no longer available and cannot be rebuilt.
2, Do the wipers work and park properly? If not, you may well need a wiper rack thats very expensive.
3, Both front doors open from the inside and out? external door handles are also NLA and a repair kit is £160.00.
4, Check front calipers for seizure (very, very common) by looking for disc rust on the rear face of the front discs. Calipers are over £400.00 each and inner pistons ALWAYS seize..
5, Watch for "milky" areas around the rear screen edges, easily replaced but not cheaply.
6, Are the front bumper lamps secure and undamaged because they are also NLA.
7, Any signs of a misfire or smoking/oily small under the bonnet is always the cam cover gaskets, repairable at reasonable cost but if left will burn-out the coils.
8, Outer taillight lenses ok? NLA otherwise.
9, Does the interior fan operate on all speeds and heat from idle? Fan speed controller (sword) is a common £500.00 failure as is the electric heater waterpump and finally....
10, Does the car have broken rear suspension coil springs on the bottom coil, and does it have the required top mount reinforcing plates fitted to prevent the bodyshell splitting?
Other than that, they are great.
PS, electric rear blind is also NLA if fitted and the rust along the front of the sunroof panel is now a £600.00 ish fix.
Late 840Ci, then things to look out for are...
1, Does the ABS light come on with the ignition and then go off, if not, it probably needs an ABS pump which is no longer available and cannot be rebuilt.
2, Do the wipers work and park properly? If not, you may well need a wiper rack thats very expensive.
3, Both front doors open from the inside and out? external door handles are also NLA and a repair kit is £160.00.
4, Check front calipers for seizure (very, very common) by looking for disc rust on the rear face of the front discs. Calipers are over £400.00 each and inner pistons ALWAYS seize..
5, Watch for "milky" areas around the rear screen edges, easily replaced but not cheaply.
6, Are the front bumper lamps secure and undamaged because they are also NLA.
7, Any signs of a misfire or smoking/oily small under the bonnet is always the cam cover gaskets, repairable at reasonable cost but if left will burn-out the coils.
8, Outer taillight lenses ok? NLA otherwise.
9, Does the interior fan operate on all speeds and heat from idle? Fan speed controller (sword) is a common £500.00 failure as is the electric heater waterpump and finally....
10, Does the car have broken rear suspension coil springs on the bottom coil, and does it have the required top mount reinforcing plates fitted to prevent the bodyshell splitting?
Other than that, they are great.
PS, electric rear blind is also NLA if fitted and the rust along the front of the sunroof panel is now a £600.00 ish fix.
Further to 8 Techs points check
Rust on sunroof leading edge
Pixel failure on OBC
Rust on bottom of doors on the inside
Stunning cars
To add..... Great source of knowledge at www.clube31.com
Rust on sunroof leading edge
Pixel failure on OBC
Rust on bottom of doors on the inside
Stunning cars
To add..... Great source of knowledge at www.clube31.com
8Tech said:
Now where do we start............?
Late 840Ci, then things to look out for are...
1, Does the ABS light come on with the ignition and then go off, if not, it probably needs an ABS pump which is no longer available and cannot be rebuilt.
2, Do the wipers work and park properly? If not, you may well need a wiper rack thats very expensive.
3, Both front doors open from the inside and out? external door handles are also NLA and a repair kit is £160.00.
4, Check front calipers for seizure (very, very common) by looking for disc rust on the rear face of the front discs. Calipers are over £400.00 each and inner pistons ALWAYS seize..
5, Watch for "milky" areas around the rear screen edges, easily replaced but not cheaply.
6, Are the front bumper lamps secure and undamaged because they are also NLA.
7, Any signs of a misfire or smoking/oily small under the bonnet is always the cam cover gaskets, repairable at reasonable cost but if left will burn-out the coils.
8, Outer taillight lenses ok? NLA otherwise.
9, Does the interior fan operate on all speeds and heat from idle? Fan speed controller (sword) is a common £500.00 failure as is the electric heater waterpump and finally....
10, Does the car have broken rear suspension coil springs on the bottom coil, and does it have the required top mount reinforcing plates fitted to prevent the bodyshell splitting?
Other than that, they are great.
PS, electric rear blind is also NLA if fitted and the rust along the front of the sunroof panel is now a £600.00 ish fix.
You scare me Late 840Ci, then things to look out for are...
1, Does the ABS light come on with the ignition and then go off, if not, it probably needs an ABS pump which is no longer available and cannot be rebuilt.
2, Do the wipers work and park properly? If not, you may well need a wiper rack thats very expensive.
3, Both front doors open from the inside and out? external door handles are also NLA and a repair kit is £160.00.
4, Check front calipers for seizure (very, very common) by looking for disc rust on the rear face of the front discs. Calipers are over £400.00 each and inner pistons ALWAYS seize..
5, Watch for "milky" areas around the rear screen edges, easily replaced but not cheaply.
6, Are the front bumper lamps secure and undamaged because they are also NLA.
7, Any signs of a misfire or smoking/oily small under the bonnet is always the cam cover gaskets, repairable at reasonable cost but if left will burn-out the coils.
8, Outer taillight lenses ok? NLA otherwise.
9, Does the interior fan operate on all speeds and heat from idle? Fan speed controller (sword) is a common £500.00 failure as is the electric heater waterpump and finally....
10, Does the car have broken rear suspension coil springs on the bottom coil, and does it have the required top mount reinforcing plates fitted to prevent the bodyshell splitting?
Other than that, they are great.
PS, electric rear blind is also NLA if fitted and the rust along the front of the sunroof panel is now a £600.00 ish fix.
Rattly timing chains due to failing tensioners.
Cooling system - just about everything and anything can let go.
Expensive, unique front dampers that were E31 only.
Two batteries in the boot when the E32, E38 etc only had one. Go figure.
Headlight motors.
Everything is expensive and unique to the E31 - not much is shared with the 5/7 Series.
They're great cars for long trips. I used mine exclusively for trips in Europe where it would bomb along at 100 all day, what it was designed for. In most other respects something like an E92 330i Coupe will run rings around it as you'd expect. But these are pretty common and are still depreciating, so.......
They were a nice car 20 years ago but even though I liked mine at the time, I don't think I could get very excited by one now that they are old cars with old car issues. They are wide, heavy, not massively fast (an E46 330Ci is possibly faster) and the brakes aren't very good - well, they will haul you down from three figure speeds well enough but around town they can feel horribly wooden and unresponsive. Go and drive one and see if you actually like it.
At least you're looking to buy a really mint one with lowish miles and FSH. Smart move!
Cooling system - just about everything and anything can let go.
Expensive, unique front dampers that were E31 only.
Two batteries in the boot when the E32, E38 etc only had one. Go figure.
Headlight motors.
Everything is expensive and unique to the E31 - not much is shared with the 5/7 Series.
They're great cars for long trips. I used mine exclusively for trips in Europe where it would bomb along at 100 all day, what it was designed for. In most other respects something like an E92 330i Coupe will run rings around it as you'd expect. But these are pretty common and are still depreciating, so.......
They were a nice car 20 years ago but even though I liked mine at the time, I don't think I could get very excited by one now that they are old cars with old car issues. They are wide, heavy, not massively fast (an E46 330Ci is possibly faster) and the brakes aren't very good - well, they will haul you down from three figure speeds well enough but around town they can feel horribly wooden and unresponsive. Go and drive one and see if you actually like it.
At least you're looking to buy a really mint one with lowish miles and FSH. Smart move!
Edited by iSore on Wednesday 20th April 23:42
Thanks for detailed response...I expected these cars to be fairly costly to maintain correctly, which goes hand in hand with buying a rare (ish) car that's being bought to drive. I need to contact a specialist to better understand the availability of new/old and used stock items.
I'm only interested in a cherished example so maintaing it's condition is key...especially with the potential of appreciation.
There's a handful out there that are totally original excellent condition...Less so in the Estoril blue which is my no1 choice.
Thanks again and please feel free to add anything .
I'm only interested in a cherished example so maintaing it's condition is key...especially with the potential of appreciation.
There's a handful out there that are totally original excellent condition...Less so in the Estoril blue which is my no1 choice.
Thanks again and please feel free to add anything .
After 1997 most were Sports. The reason for this is that the Sport was the same price as the standard version in a weird twist in BMW logic. Mine was the spec I wanted, non Spprt but optioned with Sports seats, throwing star 850CSi wheels and the lower sports suspension. I thought the Sport bodykit looked a bit too chunky but each to his own.
Cruise control was an option believe it or not. Most have it though.
Check the front of the roof skin by the screen. Rust there is not uncommon.
Seized a/c fans are common. This happened to mine, fixed under warranty when the condenser was replaced - connected? I had noticed the engine driven viscous fan working harder than normal and the a/c fan assists it for engine cooling.
The BBS split rims are nice but a nightmare to maintain. I had mine blasted and powder coated as well as the original 'throwing star' magnesium centre covers.
How much is a mint one now? Mine was 17k in 2001, 1997 1 owner car from Sytners with 45'000 miles.
Cruise control was an option believe it or not. Most have it though.
Check the front of the roof skin by the screen. Rust there is not uncommon.
Seized a/c fans are common. This happened to mine, fixed under warranty when the condenser was replaced - connected? I had noticed the engine driven viscous fan working harder than normal and the a/c fan assists it for engine cooling.
The BBS split rims are nice but a nightmare to maintain. I had mine blasted and powder coated as well as the original 'throwing star' magnesium centre covers.
How much is a mint one now? Mine was 17k in 2001, 1997 1 owner car from Sytners with 45'000 miles.
Thanks.
I'm still getting to grips with values myself......I want a very well looked after, spotless, original 8 but I don't want to pay for a delivery miles collector piece...as it will be driven.
There's some nice examples in the 11-14k bracket which on paper look exactly what I'm after....Properly serviced, sub 100k miles and in excellent condition. I'm still not sure if these are 'selling' or hanging around at these prices as I've only just started looking.
This one has caught my eye....I've been in contact with the seller and from speaking with him I'm confident it will be worth a trip to view.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1998-BMW-840ci-M-Sport-4...
As mentioned I'll be calling a specialist to get the feelers on spare parts...Phoenix Motorsport has been mentioned so I'll start with them.
I'm still getting to grips with values myself......I want a very well looked after, spotless, original 8 but I don't want to pay for a delivery miles collector piece...as it will be driven.
There's some nice examples in the 11-14k bracket which on paper look exactly what I'm after....Properly serviced, sub 100k miles and in excellent condition. I'm still not sure if these are 'selling' or hanging around at these prices as I've only just started looking.
This one has caught my eye....I've been in contact with the seller and from speaking with him I'm confident it will be worth a trip to view.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1998-BMW-840ci-M-Sport-4...
As mentioned I'll be calling a specialist to get the feelers on spare parts...Phoenix Motorsport has been mentioned so I'll start with them.
iSore said:
Rattly timing chains due to failing tensioners.
Cooling system - just about everything and anything can let go.
Expensive, unique front dampers that were E31 only.
Two batteries in the boot when the E32, E38 etc only had one. Go figure.
Headlight motors.
Everything is expensive and unique to the E31 - not much is shared with the 5/7 Series.
I have seen a few of these cars but never seen one with a failed timing chain or tensioner. Vary common on the later 4.4V8 seen in the Range Rover and X5 but these engines have VANOS, the 840 never did. I have done 1 hydraulic tensioner plunger kit as requested by the owner as preventative medicine, easily done from the side of the timing case.Cooling system - just about everything and anything can let go.
Expensive, unique front dampers that were E31 only.
Two batteries in the boot when the E32, E38 etc only had one. Go figure.
Headlight motors.
Everything is expensive and unique to the E31 - not much is shared with the 5/7 Series.
Water pumps are pretty reliable but the header tanks split (but have been modified now) usually due to a faulty rad cap (which have also been modified). Radiator bows at the bottom through over-pressure of the cap and tank were not done when advised on the TSB.
Front dampers are unique, but available from Bilstein at £450 per pair new and should then last another 20 years.
The two batteries are too small for the car so I fit 019 size batteries in the trays, not too bad if its only every 5+ years.
Never, ever, ever seen a headlamp motor failure.
AC electric fans seize commonly as stated but can be replaced with a standard aftermarket electric fan.
Great cars if you can keep on top of running around in a 1980's, complex supercar. You are still maintaining a £80k (in 1995!) supercar, it's just 20 years old now.
Edited by 8Tech on Thursday 21st April 11:00
Edited by 8Tech on Thursday 21st April 11:03
I have a 98 4.4 sport Individual, I gave around 5K for it IIRC with 100K miles and good history....mine has champagne leather whch is nice....Ive got the dreaded ABS light on, it sometimes goes off, sometimes not...had an issue with the drivers side window glass not going fully up...control module for £60 sorted it...had arms on the front and 4 wheel alignment as was tramlining badly, that sorted it....my check control computer has pixels missing,one of my back boxes has developed a hole which is a good excuse for something louder.
I had a problem with the wiper linkage, bought a second hand one off ebay for £100
My rear blind works fine
when I serviced mine I did the gearbox oil too
I only do 2000 miles a year in mine, it is very thirsty around town (14) which is worse than my e39 M5, but can see 25 on a run .
I love the car, its not fast,its just a nice place to be, I used to sell them when they were new and always had a soft spot for them...wouldnt anticipate losing money on it either.
I had a problem with the wiper linkage, bought a second hand one off ebay for £100
My rear blind works fine
when I serviced mine I did the gearbox oil too
I only do 2000 miles a year in mine, it is very thirsty around town (14) which is worse than my e39 M5, but can see 25 on a run .
I love the car, its not fast,its just a nice place to be, I used to sell them when they were new and always had a soft spot for them...wouldnt anticipate losing money on it either.
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