Bmw E39

[Tastethesoup]

Originally Posted by WestIndianArchie

I've got an 02 e39 540i Issues e39 specific - Radiator needs replacing @ 50/75K - ~700 with parts and labor in DC - The rain channel gets clogged, so if you don't clean them out rain water will travel into the floor area of your rear seats - The nose sits kinda low, and you'll notice that the rubber underneath the bumper will hang off (you see it on a lot of other cars) - 18 mpg in the city - it's wickedly fast. 3 tickets in 1 a year. - My insurance more than doubled , the 540 is a sports car, but the other 5 series are not. (prior to the tickets) - the way the windows are seated in the doors, I think it leads to rattle. Some piece in the assembly wears out fast. bmw general - the electronics - pixels disappear and reappear - oil changes are 1nce a year (per the manual and dealership) 6X as much the civic ex that it replaced (yeah law school) - 120 Great car, but it's really wasted living here. I drive on the weekends, and very rarely over 75. (DMV is a police state)
Wanted to add that WestIndianArchie is spot on. The radiator (entire cooling system) is historically fragile on these cars. The previous owner replaced mine around 50k Archie: There is an instument cluster goodwill replacement program to take care of those missing pixels. You can get it done at the dealer, but at best you'll have to pay for labor.

 

[JayJay]

Originally Posted by cunning47

Wanted to add that WestIndianArchie is spot on. The radiator (entire cooling system) is historically fragile on these cars. The previous owner replaced mine around 50k Archie: There is an instument cluster goodwill replacement program to take care of those missing pixels. You can get it done at the dealer, but at best you'll have to pay for labor.
I had both the radiator and pixel problem, too. I replaced the radiator at least once, if not twice. By the time I traded the car at over 230,000 miles, most of the pixels were out. Excellent driver, nonetheless.

 

[bcate3]

Thanks for the feedback. Very informative stuff J, C47 & WIA. I've learned that the seller is the 3rd owner & lacks the service documents. Makes me nervous. Guess I'll keep waiting.

 

[Brad]

Originally Posted by bcate3

I've learned that the seller is the 3rd owner & lacks the service documents. Makes me nervous. Guess I'll keep waiting.

Yes, it should make you nervous and you should keep waiting. They're out there.

 

[Robes of Executiveness]

Same pixel problem with Audi. There's a company called modulemaster or something which will replace the screens for around $150. Something to do with the wiring harness, kinking over time at the joint I think.

Ah, just checked, doesn't look like they do BMW, just every other German brand

 

[epb]

I've always liked the 530i more, as I'd use ot for commuting. The 6-cylinders have rack and pinion steering, the 8s get a less feelsome option, I've heard.

 

[Robes of Executiveness]

There is a website from some photographer who reviews some of the cars he has/had. He's now on a Porsche Cayenne twin turbo, but he had a 540 and talked in detail about it. Pretty much only thing he didn't like was the 18mpg. But he claims fuel price isn't a concern, hence the cayenne. I think he went into detail about the steering.

On Audi/VW there's a relay/fuse you can remove to make the steering heavier. Otherwise it's way too light.

 

[impolyt_one]

had a 540 (E34)... The E39 is mostly the same; I liked it and would echo the sentiments here but yes, the recirculating ball steering isn't that great, it's not what BMW's are known for, and yes, the 540i's run hot and have expensive oil changes, they just take a lot more oil to fill them up. My insurance actually dropped when I replaced my Civic with the 540i.

It was around the time Civics were all inevitably being stolen/raced/totaled daily, something like 10 years ago. 18mpg is about what I got too, on the low end. I could sometimes eke out 20mpg if I went easy on it, but they come with tall gearing that encourages you to keep it a little faster than the speed limit if you want to get that 24mpg cruising mileage out of them. It was a fast 4-door for it's time; now a lot of cars have similar performance but cost a lot more. Still, I wouldn't say it's devastatingly fast or anything like that, even the E39 with the 6MT, nor is it a weekend car like someone back there suggested. It's a good solid daily-driver, it even got me through the winters pretty well and I always drove on sticky tires. It's a really livable car and you can work it hard. I sold mine at 175K and apart from a cooling system that needed overhauling, mine only had a small little alternator part go out on me just once that rquired a tow; and while it was $300 or so for a little hydraulic piston, the local independent VW place had the part in stock. That and the $50-100 oil changes, and that was all it really costed me. Might have been a lucky car, because I really drove the bejeezus out of it too.

 

[Chiaroscuro]

Originally Posted by LVoer

540i is an excellent automobile. I'm looking at an E36 M3 myself, my favorite M3 and growing rarer by the day.
E36 M3

*edit* I still like the E36 M3, but when I originally posted I had the E30 on my mind. I'll leave the slayers up, but the E30 deserves them more

 

[BrettChaotix]

E39/E36 have common (and inexpensive) problem with the plugs to some of the electrical equipment. The plastic will melt and you can get shorts in the wiring. For example, the wiring in the harness that plugs into the taillight assembly fails so commonly my local Euro-car shop told me (when mine was being replaced) that they swap out at least one a week. A (relatively) cheap fix but still annoying.

 

[Beta]

Its not so much that its fast...its the 3.15 ratio and the 325#lb torque!

Anyway, watch out for steering vibration, typically at 55mph. This is a known PITA of this chassis and there are multiple theories related to tie rod wear, wheel torque etc.

Love this car personally, but not looking into getting into german maintenance $.

I was looking at this car in depth but am leaning towards previous gen Caddy CTSV

 

[Douglas]

I know this thread is ancient but I'll throw in my $.02.

My Dad and Uncle both own E39 540is and they are awesome cars. Both have 150K+ miles (in fact, both are probably getting damned close to 200K) on them and both are still on the road, kicking ass and taking names. They are both impeccably maintained cars, however, and no pennies have been pinched in their upkeep. I occasionally drive my Dad's and I am always shocked by how incredibly well it drives and how much torque it lays down; and I say this as an ex-E36 M3 owner (and current E92 owner).

The maintenance is not something you want to take lightly, though. Fixes are expensive and I can second that electrical problems are a virtual certainty. I have had numerous problems with BMW water pumps, too, and I know that my Dad and Uncle have specifically had this problem as well.

Unfortunately, I can't quite echo the praise for the vehicle's looks. Some of the trim on the 540s and M5s helps, but I still can't help but think that they're sort of jelly-bean looking cars. The styling isn't atrocious but it doesn't get my blood pumping either.

 

[Robes of Executiveness]

Found the review, while searching for the A6 2.7T, he on a Cayenne now. http://www.kenrockwell.com/bmw/540.htm