BreakMyWindow

many thanks for the informative reply...

Howdy, The steptronic transmission in my 540 seems to be hunting between 4th and 5th gears under light load e.g puttering up to 60km/h from the lights, the car will engage 5th gear when reaching ~50km/h and then when pressing the accelerator pedal lightly the car will hunt between 4th and 5th gears. When going up hills and under light load the car will drop to 4th to maintain speed up the hill, but then go back in to 5th, and then realise sh*t i better go back in to 4th to maintain the speed.... When using steptronic and engaging 5th at ~60km/h the car will stay in 5th even when applying light load. I have been advised it may be a torque convertor problem, but has anyone else here had this kind of issue in their 540 and had it fixed? Can anyone offer any advice on the problem? Also at what rpm's should the engine in my 540i be when cruising at 100km/h in 5th. Thanks :-)

They are a pretty solid vehcle, my father had one for 10 years (520ia with M50) The only things i can think of to check apart from obvious old age car prolems is the steering box (play in the steering system) and the driveshaft uni joints. Transmissions are generally good but all depends on how its been treated.. id say avoid ones with tow bars.

an offer within good reason considered :-)

bollocks

i must be asking too much or something.. I would of thought this is a good buy being nz-new. It has high mileage, but they are capable of even higher, and it means that all the faults that occur with the cooling system at lower mileages has been rectified.

bmw owners that put a honda badge mounted old school mercedes style, christmas tree aftermarket integra lights, and mercedes benz clk front lights on their bmw's need bullets in their heads.

I have had the same problem happen to my e39.. went to open drivers door and what the f**k.. the handle is attached to my hand, but the door is not open lol To fix it it was pretty simple. Go to BMW and ask for a replacement, they will give you a new plastic replacement that is unpainted, should only cost 140 + gst Don't dare ask how much a painted one will cost, u will be surprised. I went to a panel beater and paid 40bux to have the handle painted. To install its easy as. Remove the inner door card, making sure not to break any clips. The handle just comes out once you move the sliding retention mechanism that holds the handle to the door skin. Put the new one in, and re-install airbag, door card, clips etc. Don't worry about the air bag, as long as u dont grab it by the cable it connects to and attempt to swing it it in to something rodeo style it will not deploy. The trickiest part is getting the inner door handle to connect to the outer handle.. its a nylon chord, and can be easily damaged if you butcher it. The power window unit has two connectors, slide the little handles u will see, and the connector will come right off. hope this helps :-D

Still for sale - more pics added http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=152815549

oh no! its the forum police

even with modern turbo engines (late 80's up) its uneccessary to 'cool the engine down'. Enough oil and coolant is supplied to the turbo that if the engine is shut off instantly after a hard run, the bearings in the turbo are still lubricated enough for it to spool down safely without damage. You'd probably increase fuel consumption warming up and cooling down the engine going no where.

What a rip off, and its not even a manual.

bumpers

bump

BUMP... new pics up on trademe link.

PEBCAK ;-)

When i drove down to waihi beach for new years in my car i reset the Fuel consumption computer. The car has been driven around town mostly, and now reports an avg. of 10.1 litres/100 km

Will not disappoint, ALL manuals and litrature included. Excellent condition for age and mileage. Mechanically sound, the engine is as dry as the Sahara dessert (No Leaks) More pics to come http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.as...868&ed=true

Thanks Simon. The pic was taken at the Farmcove yacht club in Pakuranga.

Sure is, i'll get some up here by the end of the week.

Looking to upgrade to a 540i. I'm the third owner, the first Owner was an old farmer who owned it for the majority of it life - how do i know this? well it has a complete service history, and all the original purchase receipts, and manuals etc. Looks to have spent the majority of its life on the open roads. It has done 220,000kms, but seriously, these cars are just running in at this mileage providing its been serviced correctly which this one has. Its got SE options such as full grey leather interior (drivers seat showing some wear, but no cracks as the leather has been regularly maintained) Electric memory front seats, with electric steering wheel adjustment. 6-speaker BMW business RDS stereo, steptronic 5spd auto, climate air con, and a factory alarm system. The engine uses no oil or coolant, and still idles like a brand new one. I have had this car serviced in my ownership by an independent BMW specialist, and have always been complemented on how well-kept this BMW is. I have kept all receipts of the servicing i have had done. This is an excellent example of a properly serviced E39, that still has plenty of life left in it. $9500.ono. More pics available on request

I thought i was buying a lemon considering the mileage, but i've had mine for almost a year now, and is sitting on 220,000kms. The motor does not leak fluids at all, and the transmission still shifts like a new one. I think the key is to buy an example that has a FSH, the majority of my one's life was in the hands of an old farmer down the line, and there is not one service interval missed in the booklet. These ones form Japan/Singapore with low kms sound like rubbish, whats to say they havnt spent most of their lives idling in traffic hence having low kms.

My one snapped of this weekend, so im looking for a replacement. Preferably in the Arctic silver metallic colour. Please contact Martin on 0212506701

luckily the overheating didnt crack/warp the engine useless

I've heard that autosol (metal polishing compound) can give good results. Any one used this product on their early e39 head lights?