540i Running Costs

[riwiho]

Hello.

I currently run a Elise 111R as a daily driver but am reviewing my position as the cost of the Elise is always in the back of my mind. The idea of running a S1 Elise and 540i seems like a great combo to me especially as you can pick up 540i for a relatively low cost.

I have done a number of searches on here and found alot out about how good the 540 is especially as a mile munching barge however I have no idea of the running costs and potential (costly) pitfalls such as:

- service internals. Key services etc. Is a FBMWSH essential?
- Reliability in general. Known issues
- economy for motorway and A road driving?
- manual or auto? why?
- Insurance. I am 25 with 3 years ncb. I am guessing I will be happy coming from the Lotus

Anything else current owners can tell me would be great. Thanks

[eliot]

Mine has just had routine servicing, not sure what the intervals are - but over 10k IIRC.
No faults or niggles in the 4 years I've had it. Tyres are pricy unless you shop around.
Local around town about 18mpg, A roads 22-23, motorway (80mph) 25mpg.

[derin100]

Well...I just bought one a couple of weeks ago!

Touring.

It wasn't really a car that was on my radar but when it appeared on here very late at night three weekends ago I was seduced by the spec. I've since added up the cost of the optional extras (at UK prices from the brochure/price list that the original owner kept). He bought as a U.K spec car via a broker from a Dutch BMW dealership. Here the options alone amounted to a staggering £16,199 !

In my opinion FSH is essential although it doesn't have to be BMW...reputable independent is in many cases better.

I've only had it two and half weeks but my driving sounds like yours (i.e open A-road and today a little motorway). I'm cognescent of how this engine might like to drink if invited (my 6th car with this engine/gearbox combo) and have thus be light and sparing with my right foot...I'm still trying to justify and rationalise to myself that I sold my sensible daily driver 523i when really anybody with any sense wouldn't have...

Open A-roads to and from work (about 11 miles each way) and I'm getting just about 25 mpg. Today coming back on motorway and being pretty restrained I was doing comfortably over the 30 mpg at just around 70 mpg. However, if I really had driven the 523i as lightly as that I would have been doing mid-30's...but you had to drive the 523i harder to achieve equivalent speeds.

Manual vs Steptronic?...Depends what you want from the car I guess? Mine is Adaptive Steptronic. I bought it as a daily driver...so the choice was obvious for me.


A good source for more detailed info and appraisal would be:

http://forum.bmw5.co.uk/viewforum.php?f=11

[peaktorque]

Great cars but can be a bit of a money pit. There is a good list here of common problems on these cars: http://www.windigoauto.com/E39CommonProblems.html
I have had experience of pretty much all these! But I think I have just been unlucky!

Don't let this put you off, because when they are working they are great!

[madou]

riwiho said:

Hello.

I currently run a Elise 111R as a daily driver but am reviewing my position as the cost of the Elise is always in the back of my mind. The idea of running a S1 Elise and 540i seems like a great combo to me especially as you can pick up 540i for a relatively low cost.

I have done a number of searches on here and found alot out about how good the 540 is especially as a mile munching barge however I have no idea of the running costs and potential (costly) pitfalls such as:

- service internals. Key services etc. Is a FBMWSH essential?
- Reliability in general. Known issues
- economy for motorway and A road driving?
- manual or auto? why?
- Insurance. I am 25 with 3 years ncb. I am guessing I will be happy coming from the Lotus

Anything else current owners can tell me would be great. Thanks

1. Service interval variable, based on fuel consumption. At this age I would buy on condition and history. Get an inspection, and make sure that you hook up to the on board diagnostics ( OBD II ? ), which the RAC did not do for me
2. Generally good. Mine had FBMWSH, and a nice new non BMW radiator, which leaked because these cars have a variable thermostat, and the radiator was weeping when the car ran hot. Dealer fit Traffic Master module caused intermittent currency drain, which was very hard to track down, needed a data logger to find
3. Surprisingly good, c. 24 mpg in a mix of town, country, and motorway. Even cross country and autobahn usage still sees c. 20 mpg
4. Auto is good, suits the car, and this from a former manual zealot. Sport mode is better than I thought, it uses lower gears for a given road speed, and locks out top gear
5. Insurance was half the cost of my modified Impreza

Have a look at http://www.kenrockwell.com/bmw/540.htm

Regards

[madou]

peaktorque said:

Great cars but can be a bit of a money pit. There is a good list here of common problems on these cars: http://www.windigoauto.com/E39CommonProblems.html
I have had experience of pretty much all these! But I think I have just been unlucky!

Don't let this put you off, because when they are working they are great!

This is a good list, I have had several of these problems, you may not have been that unlucky, but rather these were expensive cars when new, and you need to keep on top of the maintenance, to prevent a sort of mid life crisis, where several problems come up at once

[peaktorque]

madou said:

peaktorque said:

Great cars but can be a bit of a money pit. There is a good list here of common problems on these cars: http://www.windigoauto.com/E39CommonProblems.html
I have had experience of pretty much all these! But I think I have just been unlucky!

Don't let this put you off, because when they are working they are great!

This is a good list, I have had several of these problems, you may not have been that unlucky, but rather these were expensive cars when new, and you need to keep on top of the maintenance, to prevent a sort of mid life crisis, where several problems come up at once

I'd agree, but my car has covered 148,000 miles and has a full BMW service history (up to when I bought it anyway I now care for its every need myself with OEM parts). In fairness it hasn't actually cost me that much to repair, as I have done them all myself. It would have cost a fortune to send it in to a garage!

[madou]

peaktorque said:

I'd agree, but my car has covered 148,000 miles and has a full BMW service history (up to when I bought it anyway I now care for its every need myself with OEM parts). In fairness it hasn't actually cost me that much to repair, as I have done them all myself. It would have cost a fortune to send it in to a garage!

I think I put too much trust in a full BMW service history and RAC inspection. It is a bad sign if someone such as yourself, who has the skill to do the work has also been misled. I really thought I would only have to arrange the service which was due, not pay for a bunch of problems to be resolved

[riwiho]

Thanks for the information. I have some reading around the subject to do

[[TW]Fox]

I would take a 530i instead if they are in budget (And I wouldnt buy one for any less than £6-7k, I'd instead favour an older better look after 528i) becuase they are less problematic and handle better with sharper steering.

[fastandcurious]

My 1998 540i touring was a luxury barge that I enjoyed owning eventhough It holds the record for the most breakdowns in a year.(3 times on a transporter, once in France) Each time fuel pump related. I don't think BMW ever got to the bottom of the problem. It's the only car I've ever driven 750 miles in a day and got out feeling tired but not uncumfortable. Most 540s comes with full spec as mine did. Expect 16 mpg around town and 25 on a run. Mine was one of the bullet proof pre vanos engines with 120k on it but it didn't use any oil and ran like a dream. Apart from the breakdowns mentioned above, other problems I can recall were a handbrake that never worked, even with regular tinkering,(Not much has changed there then! I've got a TVR Griff HB that doesn't work well now). Self leveling suspension (Air springs rear). Pixels missing on the mileage display and a couple of minor electrical niggles. I would have prefered one of the rare 6 speed manuals but the choice was limited, so I went for a step/auto which was good and suited the car, but a bit slow to react. Apart from the fuel costs and the above mentioned problems, a great car and huge value for money, but a world away from a Lotus Elise! You'll probably get sharper steering but slightly less performance from one of the more common 6 cylinder alternatives but you won't have the Grunt that only a V8 can provide.

[eliot]

peaktorque said:

http://www.windigoauto.com/E39CommonProblems.html

Ahem, yes my faultless e39 has:
Pixels on the centre console come and go.
Radiator split - £120 for a non oem one.
Front plastic things under the bumper - self inflicted damage.

Still hardly a money pit in 4 years. Get the full fat 540 v8 - you wont regret it. (cue all the 530 owners saying how great a 6 pot is...)