E61 V8 Bearding

[g3org3y]

^What's the plan?

[ATM]

Car still broke since I took it apart and then left it. That was in August. Main problem I had when I decided to just put it back together was that I cross threaded one of the 3 bolts which holds the thermostat elbow into the water pump. So now I'm hoping to just rework the thread and get it back together.

[g3org3y]

Good luck, fingers crossed.

[trilly]

ATM said:

Naldrett said:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202012167...

Another '07 carbon black e61 550i but this time a pre-facelift. One owner and only 47k miles though. Probably a fair price for that provenance / mileage?

In the description

IMPORTED FROM JAPAN - FRESH IMPORT FROM JAPAN.

I got this one and very pleased with it. Took it to my local Indy and it’s like a time warp. Looks a year old. Aside from looks/condition it is also very nice to drive. 😀

Sold the purchase to the other half from a 320d Touring Diesel as needed a petrol and it just has a engine. Worried the power would be too much but it’s spot on and not lost grip even in damp/cold conditions.

Was apprehensive at first getting a jap import but wouldn’t hesitate to buy again. As always do need to do some checks. Found “David” in Thailand he can check history of the car, accident damage , auction sale price etc etc. It’s basic but confirmed the case description and now having the car nearly 2 months can honestly say it’s better than the write up which makes a nice change.

[ATM]

Well done

1. Pics
We need some pics. The auto trader link stopped working. The first pic we expect is filling up with petrol.

2. Petrol
Mine definitely feels better with Tesco 99. I've not tried any other premium fuels as I use 99 exclusively unless I am far from home and can't find it.

3. Tyres
I bought a Jap import e39 and it was also time warp condition bar some sun damage. Pics below. I paid 600 quid. Car looked brand new under the bonnet. All brackets and fixing etc. And underneath too. However mine had some sun damage to headlights, perished and cracked window and door rubbers, clear coat coming away, faded chrome trims and the interior colour faded badly in parts. Mine had clearly lived outside. The tyres on mine were poor in cold and damp conditions. I tried to Google the markings but found nothing so they could have just been rubbish. I decided they were some Japanese specific tyres designed for very hot climates and that's why they were rubbish in our colder and damper conditions. They even felt hard if you pressed your finger nail into the rubber tread. All guess work on my part. I see you say yours are good but worth checking brand and type etc. If you're happy ignore me. They will probably be go flat because these come with run flat but you never know. I know I am a tyre bore so I'll move on now ......

4. Warranty
Did you get a Warranty? Was it a private sale or dealer?

5. Valve seals
If you do have a Warranty then check your valve seals. You need the engine nice and hot so 15 to 20 mins doing 100mph should do it. Then stop and leave idling for a minute or two. Then blip the throttle and look for smoke. This could be a 2 person job if it is only starting to smoke a bit. One on throttle and one at the back of the car. They deteriorate over time. Mine is so obvious it can be seen from the driver's seat and from 3 or 4 cars back! There are some modern additives available now which are supposed to protect and improve the condition of rubber parts you can add to the oil. I'd be throwing some of this in. It can't hurt.

[da_murphster]

Got some tidying up to do first but my pre-facelift 550i E61 manual will be up for sale soon.

Upgraded NBT headunit
Top of the range LPG conversion

Black with beige interior
171k
rare manual (I think there is only a dozen or so touring manuals?)

Price TBC

[ATM]

da_murphster said:

Got some tidying up to do first but my pre-facelift 550i E61 manual will be up for sale soon.

Upgraded NBT headunit
Top of the range LPG conversion

Black with beige interior
171k
rare manual (I think there is only a dozen or so touring manuals?)

Price TBC

Tempting

Keep us posted

[Nuisance]

The white Japanese import 550i Touring on eBay has been sitting a while. I see they've just dropped it £1k.

Is it a combination of the colour and the history gaps that are putting people off?

[Naldrett]

Nuisance said:

The white Japanese import 550i Touring on eBay has been sitting a while. I see they've just dropped it £1k.

Is it a combination of the colour and the history gaps that are putting people off?

Yes saw that and thought it looked reasonable value. Spec is pretty comprehensive and I actually don't mind the colour - makes for a pretty unique car on these shores without being to 'out there'. Gap in the history could be a concern but given the frequency of the other servicing the idea that this is a 'mistake' could be believable? A 10 year old panoramic roof would probably be my biggest concern!

[ATM]

Nuisance said:

The white Japanese import 550i Touring on eBay has been sitting a while. I see they've just dropped it £1k.

Is it a combination of the colour and the history gaps that are putting people off?

I think it's just the price overall. Not many people in the market for an expensive car like that. The 550 might be great but it has a very niche market. Us owners appreciate them but they have been ignored by everyone else for a long time. Unless that changes they won't command serious prices. Look at the 650 for an idea of prices. No one would pay that much for a similar 650 so don't expect it for a 550.

Do you fancy it?

[Nuisance]

I do keep coming back to it. I really fancy a 550i estate or a late E39 540i M Sport estate, and due to the slim pickings I know I may probably be looking at an import. Maybe even import my own.

I can't decide if the colour of that E61 makes it look like traffic police or not. I'd much rather have an actual colour, something a little unusual maybe.

It looks to have comfort seats I think? the service history thing is so strange to almost be believable but I'm a bit wary of these cars' need for regular good quality oil changes.

The roof does frighten me a little...

[bolidemichael]

Why a late 540i?

[Jules Sunley]

Nuisance said:

I do keep coming back to it. I really fancy a 550i estate or a late E39 540i M Sport estate, and due to the slim pickings I know I may probably be looking at an import. Maybe even import my own.

I can't decide if the colour of that E61 makes it look like traffic police or not. I'd much rather have an actual colour, something a little unusual maybe.

It looks to have comfort seats I think? the service history thing is so strange to almost be believable but I'm a bit wary of these cars' need for regular good quality oil changes.

The roof does frighten me a little...

Having had a whole new pano roof cassette installed at the end of last year after my old one lunched its mechanism, I can vouch for how expensive they are. Also it seems nobody has bought a whole new one from BMW for a long time as despite there only being one part number for an E61 pano roof it turned out they had made some revisions over the years so it wasn't actually a straight fit and BMW UK had to get involved along with the original suppliers to mix some bits from the old and new carriage mechanism to make it all fit.

It was worth it for me for my B5 being a rare and valuable car and wanting everything to work fully, but for a normal E61 the cost is unlikely to make sense against the car value (huge amount of labour on top of the part due to stripping all roof lining etc) hence the usual 'fix' when they go wrong is to disable the operation having looked at forums at the time.

My car is a keeper so man maths says if the new one lasts 15 years it doesn't hurt as much when considered 'per annum'.

That white E61 would make a great basis for the fastest Ghostbusters 'Ecto 1' tribute car in existence.....

[ATM]

I've had an e39 saloon and also looked at the boot of the e39 estate. Totally different car to the e61 and dare I say an odd comparison. E39 was a great car but they are all old and rusty now. You can find nice ones but you need to really dig otherwise you're buying a bit of a dog and throwing money at it. Also the boot is not even half the size as the e61. I myself think the boot looks ugly on the e39 estate. Nowhere near as well resolved as on the e61. But listen that's just me talking. If you want an e39 then you buy an e39. But you need to be more in the enthusiast camp with the e39 giving it lots of tlc and care as it will be almost 20 years old where as the e61 is a far more utilitarian vehicle you can just treat like a car. That is the difference between buying a usable classic and a car. The 540 e39 estate is a very rare beast but so too is the e61 550i. The e61 550i is probably the most rare between the two. I guess it depends what you want from a car. If you want a classic you have to buy the e39. No one can say the e61 is a classic but the e39 surely is. I think you'd need to wait at least another 5 years before the e61 can get anywhere close to classic status. And obviously the e39 will still be more classic still. I do admire the e60 / e61 and more so the original e65 as being the boldest of the early bangle designs. But my reason for having the e61 is needing a big car for occasional use with a massive boot that still has some charisma. I sold my e39 saloon to get the e61 over 5 years ago and like I say the e39 estate boot looked tiny by comparison. I'm probably going round in circles a bit here. Any BMW enthusiast will always go mushy talking about the e39. I doubt many will when talking about the e60 but that doesn't mean the e60 is not a good car.

[Nuisance]

bolidemichael said:

Why a late 540i?

Well I say late, I mean facelift really I guess. Whatever age it is I know I want xenons and heated seats. Any other nice bits are a bonus. I definitely want an M Sport as I just prefer them visually.

I would imagine that even in Japan they're aren't many E39/E61 V8s

[ATM]

The fashion in Japan used to be for German cars to be LHD I believe. So RHD cars of the e39 era I think are even more rare. My 528i was a jap import. It was very high spec with zenons as they usually come fully loaded in Japan to compete with their domestic cars which have full spec as standard.

[Nuisance]

Sorry, absolute brain fart. Completely missed this and ATM's replies.

Jules Sunley said:

Having had a whole new pano roof cassette installed at the end of last year after my old one lunched its mechanism, I can vouch for how expensive they are. Also it seems nobody has bought a whole new one from BMW for a long time as despite there only being one part number for an E61 pano roof it turned out they had made some revisions over the years so it wasn't actually a straight fit and BMW UK had to get involved along with the original suppliers to mix some bits from the old and new carriage mechanism to make it all fit.

It was worth it for me for my B5 being a rare and valuable car and wanting everything to work fully, but for a normal E61 the cost is unlikely to make sense against the car value (huge amount of labour on top of the part due to stripping all roof lining etc) hence the usual 'fix' when they go wrong is to disable the operation having looked at forums at the time.

My car is a keeper so man maths says if the new one lasts 15 years it doesn't hurt as much when considered 'per annum'.

That white E61 would make a great basis for the fastest Ghostbusters 'Ecto 1' tribute car in existence.....

Thanks for the info. The idea of the pano roof going wrong does fill me with dread but for a B5 it certainly seems like the right thing to do. In all honesty I'd probably not use it for fear it of breaking.

Funny you mention Ecto 1. Years ago I used to have a white Legacy estate and I had a tiny little Ghost Busters logo in the top corner of the rear window for that very reason. In my defence, I was young and a bit daft

ATM said:

I've had an e39 saloon and also looked at the boot of the e39 estate. Totally different car to the e61 and dare I say an odd comparison. E39 was a great car but they are all old and rusty now. You can find nice ones but you need to really dig otherwise you're buying a bit of a dog and throwing money at it. Also the boot is not even half the size as the e61. I myself think the boot looks ugly on the e39 estate. Nowhere near as well resolved as on the e61. But listen that's just me talking. If you want an e39 then you buy an e39. But you need to be more in the enthusiast camp with the e39 giving it lots of tlc and care as it will be almost 20 years old where as the e61 is a far more utilitarian vehicle you can just treat like a car. That is the difference between buying a usable classic and a car. The 540 e39 estate is a very rare beast but so too is the e61 550i. The e61 550i is probably the most rare between the two. I guess it depends what you want from a car. If you want a classic you have to buy the e39. No one can say the e61 is a classic but the e39 surely is. I think you'd need to wait at least another 5 years before the e61 can get anywhere close to classic status. And obviously the e39 will still be more classic still. I do admire the e60 / e61 and more so the original e65 as being the boldest of the early bangle designs. But my reason for having the e61 is needing a big car for occasional use with a massive boot that still has some charisma. I sold my e39 saloon to get the e61 over 5 years ago and like I say the e39 estate boot looked tiny by comparison. I'm probably going round in circles a bit here. Any BMW enthusiast will always go mushy talking about the e39. I doubt many will when talking about the e60 but that doesn't mean the e60 is not a good car.

About 7 or 8 years ago I had an E39 540i saloon myself and I really enjoyed owning it. I know about how they rust, hence if I did go for one or would very likely need to be an import to be a near-minter, as opposed to the E61 where an import would seem less essential.

I don't really see it as an odd comparison. My wants are RWD, estate, V8. My budget is about £15k, but I don't have to spend that much. There's really only the E500 that's also on my list other than the 2 BMWs, so it's almost a case of grabbing a nice example of whichever appears first, but my preference is probably slightly for either of the BMWs. E61 slightly over E39, for the reasons you've said. I've always been an E39 fan. I currently have a V60 which is smaller than the E61, and the size of the Volvo is about adequate.


Edit: yeah I know of the LHD preference thing. I've owned a few imports but only Japanese domestic brands, so owing a German would be a new thing.

[bolidemichael]

How much was the job, Jules?

i.e. make me, of liberal mechanical titivation, feel better about my own spend, albeit, for an estate borne of Sindelfingen

[ATM]

Maybe odd wrong word. Was trying to say unfair maybe. E39 being what I would consider a modern classic. You could probably attend car shows in an e39. Where as the e61 is just a car by comparison. Turn up at a car show in an e61 and you will be politely shown the general car parking area.

[Nuisance]

ATM said:

Maybe odd wrong word. Was trying to say unfair maybe. E39 being what I would consider a modern classic. You could probably attend car shows in an e39. Where as the e61 is just a car by comparison. Turn up at a car show in an e61 and you will be politely shown the general car parking area.

I do know what you mean in fairness. I've got a weekend car so it would my daily driver and I do appreciate that that would be harder on an E39 than an E61.