BMW 540i - Page 2

G35stilez · 08-07-06, 04:47

My uncle had one and absolutely loved it!

I was pretty close to pulling the trigger on an 03 540iSport, 6mt. The design, build quality, and performance are absolutely top notch. They are a dream to drive.

No idea what the problem areas are, but I think the other members covered that well already

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awahl63 · 08-07-06, 07:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by goleafsgo

I took a closer look and its leaking coolant. No maintenance records with the car either. What is usually the extent of the cooling system problem? Maybe I'll just pass on this one

Walk away now...

derekz · 08-07-06, 02:33

Suprised no one else has commented, your car looks great!

What's the MPG like on a 540i?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paradyme540i

Ive got a y2k 540i auto & i have to say its be best car ive ever owned! it had 118k miles when i bought it 4 years ago & now has 159k miles without any issues.
Mine was standard when i bought it but as ive found, alot of uprated parts for it are actually cheaper than standard...for example, mine got to 150k miles & i decided to treat it to new shocks and springs, the oem M-Tech kit was £1450, looking around however i ended up with the KW Inox variant 2 coil over kit for £1100.
It does work that way with most things as BMW parts are very over priced, so its easier to modify/uprate when change is needed than keep standard.

http://s55.photobucket.com/albums/g138/Paradyme540i/

john_85 · 02-28-08, 06:30

'Why don\'t you try Acura CL? When it comes to auto parts they give original and aftermarket parts such as Acura CL clutch kit.'

fg3 · 03-04-08, 01:50

If you drive it, you will buy it. Those cars are a freaking blast.

With all due respect last poster, there is no comparison between an e34 540i 6-speed and an Acura CL. Ha.

goleafsgo · 03-08-08, 12:46

Haha.. I didn't expect to ever see this one show up again. This one was from a long time ago. Never got that 540i, but I do have one of these now

Big difference from a 540i!

imageautodetail · 03-08-08, 12:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by awdirtdrifter

I don't have specifics on the 5-series cooling issues, but for the e36 3-series, they're as follows:

Radiator has plastic neck that is prone to breaking. Replace.
Water pump on earlier models had plastic impellers that were prone to breaking--not good. Must replace with composite-impeller pump.
Thermostat housing was plastic. Replace with aluminum version.
Fan clutch would go with high miles.
Auxiliary fan would sometimes go (not fun and expensive).
Random hose leaks (somewhat normal I guess).
Coolant level sensor would sometimes go (not really harmful but you would get the annoying "Check Coolant Level" message on the computer).

That's all I can think of at the moment. For my e46, the newer car, we had one catastrophic failure. It was the final stage unit, a fairly cheap electronic part that tells the fan when to come on. Stuck in a drive thru, fan didn't come on. By the time I noticed, temp was pretty high. Stopped the car and turned it off, KABOOM! Coolant everywhere and smoke under the hood. Engine was fine, only damage was the expansion tank. The elec unit that needed replacing is probably really cheap, but problem was, I had to buy a whole kit, which included fan, rad, shroud, condenser. That meant $$$!

Sorry for the ramble, just don't want you to get screwed. If he's leaking coolant, who knows if it hasn't overheated. If it has, it may be on its way to a leaky headgasket.

2nd on the cooling dept