aja540i

I have changed mine myself and there are a couple of things to be wary of, USE THE PROPER FLUID!!! Its expensive ($20 per litre) but it is critical!! Clearance under the car is a pain, you will need some kind of pump to fill the box afterwards. The car needs to be LEVEL and at operating temperature to check the fluid level, picture yourself upside down under a hot car pulling out the filler plug to check the level - 2 or 3 times!! You will not get all the old fluid out yourself, so you may want to do it again in 6 months to make sure the worst of the old fluid is gone, even then it will still have some scum in it. Unless you are still really keen, i recommend getting it flushed, and a new filter and gasket. If you are still really keen i have an electric oil pump that has only been used for bmw trans fluid, you can borrow if you want. Good luck either way

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/bmw/m/auction-696884153.htm

I had mine done a few years ago, theres a bmw workshop in town that has the lifetime fluid in their trans flush machine, budget at least $300, but when i did mine it was worth every dollar. You can / should drop the sump pan off the box and chuck in a new filter and gasket at the same time, only another $60 or so from memory. Sounds like you're getting a few of the common problems with a 540 all at once!!

Yeah, different strokes for different folks and all that, but that's focus xr5 turbo money and i know which one i'd rather own!! Just saying, for the money, you could do better!

Yeah, like they took the worst bits from all those 3 and threw them together!!

I'm a big fan of buying cars thar are "different", but there are a lot of things i would do with 18k before i bought that, for example, i got an email from this Nigerian prince....

If im replacing the 540i with a diesel, its going to have to have 300 hp before i do any tinkering!! ( plus if its a newish diesel i wont be doing much tinkering myself)

I'm thinking i might get a diesel when i grow up!!By the time i get sick of the e39 there should be some seriously good diseasels around for reasonable money, mmmmm torque!

I'm pretty sure this would have sold by now if it wasn't brown inside!

True, but if i was worried about the fuel economy i would drive a 318is...

Allanw had all sorts of wierd stuff happening in his 525 and i think an ignition switch sorted it all, probably worth doing for the price of it!

I did my radiator last year and from memory it was just over 300 for an aftermarket radiator from Silverdale radiators.

My fuelly.com average is at 14.6 mostly city driving! (Of course i didn't buy it for the good economy!) same spec as the one in the listing, might even be the same colour!

I have heard some horror stories overseas about injector problems with the 4cyl direct injection motor, so a warranty is a really good idea, although by the sounds of it some of the issue is poor quality fuel. Have you considered a 320d? Not saying you should, just curious. I tried to get my Dad interested in a 320i, but he found the interior too cramped. They are a nice drive though, itook one to Mt Maunganui and back, not super fast, but pretty good ride etc and great on gas!!

Thats the oil filter housing withe the black plastic lid, it should get pretty hot if youve been driving for a while, maybe 80 degrees? Sounds like it needs scanning, but it could be something simple like a sad battery. Hope its nothing major!! Good luck!

Trans cooler is seperate but it is a heat exchanger that uses coolant from radiator. Apparently they can block if your trans oil is old and scummy!

I've done a bit of towing with my 540i touring and its the ducks nuts!! Towed an e34 on a braked trailer no problem! Didnt notice any issue with the trans overheating, they have a cooler (of sorts) as standard. Mine is m62tu, also the sls is great, try and get one with a factory towbar, theyre less likely to have wiring gremlins! Good luck!!

I failed a wof for no headlining in my city turbo once!!

Those alternators are scary expensive, are you sure you need a new one? I was told i needed a new one but it turned out the battery was knackered, much, much cheaper fix!!

I managed to get 1 through silverdale radiators about a year ago, they had to order it though!

Also i believe there's a steering angle sensor in the mix, and would it be safe to assume the abs module is totally different in a dsc car?

Yes, servicing is important, but mine is a 15 year old car with 280k on the clock, and i had to replace all the plastic bits, i wasn't surprised or pissed off, its something i expected when i bought the car. Yes bmw could have used unobtanium for the cam chain guides but no one would have been able to afford a 540i!! You have to be a bit realistic when looking at a car like this, and allow for some preventative maintenance imo. they are worth the effort!,

Plan on spending a grand on the tool to hold the cams etc, lots of scope to cock it up!! Im usually pretty keen to diy, but taking the motor out and putting it back in was as far as i wanted to go into an m62tu!!

I did them at the same time as a whole lot of other stuff, spent about 7k mostly labour, but that was new timing chain, check bearings and rings, major sort of stuff!! Engine was out of car for about 5 weeks, but i plan on having it for a while so good to know whats been done.