RE: Shed(s) of the Week: BMW 5 Series x2
Discussion
I got one earlier this year, a 2001 530i SE touring. Not quite shed money - cost me 5k Euro (unfortunately 2nd hand cars in Germany seem to be about 20% more expensive than the UK, at least). Perfect BMW service history, some eye watering bills in past few years. Despite its apparent excellent mechanical condition I have had so many niggly things go wrong though, which I have heard from many owners so deserves the reputation..
Most annoyingly is clunking at low speeds, despite replacing half the suspension bushes and engine mountings still prevails. Recently the interior fan needed to be replaced which is a real pain of a job. This morning I got in to find the windscreen washer pump has failed. And rust is a big issue now! Mine is relatively good, but there are small bubbles in the usual areas which are only gonna get worse - spoiling the ownership experience. Makes an E60 a bit more appealing.
Having said that, I can see why people love them. Feels great and planted. Interior lovely and solid, seats amazing. Engine is a peach, not too bad economy - 25mpg min for auto and touring. Eats up long journeys and the touring has a HUGE load capacity. Easy to work on and parts cheap. Gotta be one of the best sheds at 1-2k, even with potential high ownership costs!
Most annoyingly is clunking at low speeds, despite replacing half the suspension bushes and engine mountings still prevails. Recently the interior fan needed to be replaced which is a real pain of a job. This morning I got in to find the windscreen washer pump has failed. And rust is a big issue now! Mine is relatively good, but there are small bubbles in the usual areas which are only gonna get worse - spoiling the ownership experience. Makes an E60 a bit more appealing.
Having said that, I can see why people love them. Feels great and planted. Interior lovely and solid, seats amazing. Engine is a peach, not too bad economy - 25mpg min for auto and touring. Eats up long journeys and the touring has a HUGE load capacity. Easy to work on and parts cheap. Gotta be one of the best sheds at 1-2k, even with potential high ownership costs!
I loved mine in spite of the various niggles, but it was already 16 when I bought it. A 540iA with a thirst in town but lovely and quite frugal on a run. Quiet (until I mage it loud) and so comfy.
Yes it was a bit baggy on the original suspension and the annoying low speed knock wasn't the suspension so I figured a gearbox mount as they go too. But rust...if I had the funds and health to do a proper restoration cutting and replacing rear left quarter I would have.
The oil and fluid leaks required a lot of attention and could have done with new cam covers as I suspect they were out of shape.
If you can buy, run for a year and then shift it on then fair enough but they now need care as a long term drive.
User Huff has a long term Alpina which he has refreshed.
Internal switchgear was fine, and the pixel issues easily repaired. Found the car easy to work on as there's a wealth of forum and you tube info out there.
Would I have another? Oh yes, but not as a daily driver, I need something which doesn't leak anything or have any teenage hissy fits.
My Jaguar X-type 3.0 manual was by far the least troublesome older car I have ever owned (kept for 4 years from 10-14, the car not me I'm not Kamil) but didn't quite garner the same affection in the looks department.
Yes it was a bit baggy on the original suspension and the annoying low speed knock wasn't the suspension so I figured a gearbox mount as they go too. But rust...if I had the funds and health to do a proper restoration cutting and replacing rear left quarter I would have.
The oil and fluid leaks required a lot of attention and could have done with new cam covers as I suspect they were out of shape.
If you can buy, run for a year and then shift it on then fair enough but they now need care as a long term drive.
User Huff has a long term Alpina which he has refreshed.
Internal switchgear was fine, and the pixel issues easily repaired. Found the car easy to work on as there's a wealth of forum and you tube info out there.
Would I have another? Oh yes, but not as a daily driver, I need something which doesn't leak anything or have any teenage hissy fits.
My Jaguar X-type 3.0 manual was by far the least troublesome older car I have ever owned (kept for 4 years from 10-14, the car not me I'm not Kamil) but didn't quite garner the same affection in the looks department.
Bangbox said:
It seems Robert Kearns patented intermittent wipers in 1964, not Nagashima who would have been nine years old at the time. Nagashima later attended Wayne State University where Kearns was a professor, hence the connection. Apparently Kearns had a huge licensing battle with the big US car firms and there is even a film about it - one for the Christmas Stocking maybe...
i was vaguely aware that it was an american and there was a legal issue. well done for the info.ph- accuracy matters
Triumph Man said:
cib24 said:
Triumph Man said:
This is mine, 530i SE manual, bought about a year ago for slightly less than the new shed budget, and I've done 19,000 miles since. I will freely admit there is no such thing as a cheap E39!! However it is a lovely car and has an amazing feel good factor.
I'd like to point out that apart from the stat it was pretty good when I bought it!!
Oh and the airbag light sometimes comes on when somebody sits in the passenger seat, due to a dodgy sensor mat that is sewn into the seat base. You can get a bypass box but I'm not sure of the quality.
If I'm being really picky the driver's side lumbar pump is pretty much dead so I need a new one of those.
ETA: Don't let that put you off!!
Edited by Triumph Man on Friday 1st December 10:13
80quattro said:
Triumph Man said:
cib24 said:
Triumph Man said:
This is mine, 530i SE manual, bought about a year ago for slightly less than the new shed budget, and I've done 19,000 miles since. I will freely admit there is no such thing as a cheap E39!! However it is a lovely car and has an amazing feel good factor.
I'd like to point out that apart from the stat it was pretty good when I bought it!!
Oh and the airbag light sometimes comes on when somebody sits in the passenger seat, due to a dodgy sensor mat that is sewn into the seat base. You can get a bypass box but I'm not sure of the quality.
If I'm being really picky the driver's side lumbar pump is pretty much dead so I need a new one of those.
ETA: Don't let that put you off!!
Edited by Triumph Man on Friday 1st December 10:13
were they fitted from the factory or did you/ Previous owner fit them?Possibly the last mainstream BMW that had any pretence of being special or "premium". All bullet proof straight six or V8 engines, high quality interior trim, far less s
tty diesel engined miser models rattling around.
The E60 that replaced this may look much less dated, but nearly all of them are crappy 4 cylinder diesels and the interior feels very low rent indeed compared to the E39. I'm sure these will be remembered as the absolute zenith of the BMW saloon.
tty diesel engined miser models rattling around.The E60 that replaced this may look much less dated, but nearly all of them are crappy 4 cylinder diesels and the interior feels very low rent indeed compared to the E39. I'm sure these will be remembered as the absolute zenith of the BMW saloon.
Triumph Man said:
How do the E60 and F10 compare? Anyone owned an E39 and one of them? An LCI E60 or F10 would both be contenders for my next car, but I would hate to be disappointed. Although arguably anything that doesn't rust would be a bonus...
I've had three E39s over the last 15 years, a '97 523i, an '03 530i and an '01 Alpina B10 V8. Fantastic cars along with the E38 7-series. In between the 530i and Alpina I had an E60 550i. The engine and gearbox were fantastic and the driving experience felt considerably more modern but the interior and exterior quality were a long way behind all of the E39s I've had and overall it felt notably less special. Aside from the comfort seats in the E60 which were very nice, the switch gear, interior plastics and paintwork all felt like a step backwards. Edited by Triumph Man on Friday 1st December 12:55
The E38/E39 era were of a time when there was clear demarcation between the mainstream brands and the premium brands. Presumably for costs reasons in the early noughties Mercedes and BMW both took steps backwards in quality which at the time perhaps looked shortsighted given that one of their greatest USPs was quality and 'premium' feel (versus the mainstream marques) at the time when the mainstream marques were upping their quality. Still, given the premium sector growth in the intervening years what the heck do I know!
Bangbox said:
It seems Robert Kearns patented intermittent wipers in 1964, not Nagashima who would have been nine years old at the time. Nagashima later attended Wayne State University where Kearns was a professor, hence the connection. Apparently Kearns had a huge licensing battle with the big US car firms and there is even a film about it - one for the Christmas Stocking maybe...
Bringing it back off topic :-) DVD is called "Flash of Genius" and copies are selling at £4 delivered on that place named after the South American river. Thanks for the info, I'd read an article but didn't know there was a film, reviews are good, that's my Christmas Day film sorted.alexrowe2000 said:
The E38/E39 era were of a time when there was clear demarcation between the mainstream brands and the premium brands. Presumably for costs reasons in the early noughties Mercedes and BMW both took steps backwards in quality which at the time perhaps looked shortsighted given that one of their greatest USPs was quality and 'premium' feel (versus the mainstream marques) at the time when the mainstream marques were upping their quality. Still, given the premium sector growth in the intervening years what the heck do I know!
Spot on, E39 is from an era where you could see and feel the extra quality in the premium products. After that the quality really suffered as costs were cut - which is the reason the premium sector grew. The manufacturers realised most buyers aren't like us and just buy on badge. It wasn't just the Germans, Saab and Volvo were the same although for them it happened later, around 2006. During this time the quality of the mainstream stuff went the other way and improved greatly - that is noticeable with Ford and GM but really visible on the Korean brands.
jas xjr said:
i was vaguely aware that it was an american and there was a legal issue. well done for the info.
ph- accuracy matters
It's just a really odd thing for the author to make up!ph- accuracy matters
Anyway, as for the sheds. I wouldn't be too bothered either way - they're both OK and I'd be happy enough to have them but they don't get me too excited
alorotom said:
Triumph Man said:
Oh do fk off, we get it, you had a bad one. They aren't all bad.
And here was me thinking this was an open forum for open posts based on personal experience and opinion ... k off, we get it, you had a bad one. They aren't all bad.Get a grip ... it’s a good thing that we don’t all have the same opinion, experiences, outlook, blah blah blah
To balance it up then I've had four e39's and quite frankly they've all been bloody excellent. The only reason I'm on my fourth is because everytime I sell one I regret it and want another one. You'd think I would have learnt after the first or second time.
Lotusgone said:
Even though my 540 went for project money after the radiator failed, I would have another E39, preferably manual. It is the classic shed, and given the car park dents my current regular ride is accumulating, has been given serious consideration. Thanks to Shed for a very useful checklist.
Why did the radiator failing mean it had to go for spares? Radiators for e39's are surprisingly cheap and not at all hard to change. In fact people bang on about e39 cooling systems being crap and on older cars still fitted with original parts they are, but, new parts are cheap and easy to come by and not difficult to fit so I don't see why such an issue is made about it?
Triumph Man said:
That looks lovely, those style 32 wheels really do suit it. I'm afraid I'm going to have to stick to my comfort seats over sports seats though were they fitted from the factory or did you/ Previous owner fit them?
Many thanks ! I couldn't cope with flat SE seats, I've had too many BMW's with sports seats. Mine are factory fitted, as are the staggered style 32's, even got a 5th spare. were they fitted from the factory or did you/ Previous owner fit them?Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff