BarFu007

Opps, many apologies Chaps,...yes, its been awhile,..just so you have not been waiting with baited breathe all these years,....I ended up selling the car to a mechanic for 2.5k for his wife,...unsure how it turned out. Oddly enough, I reverted to the dark side and ended up buying a 2005 Mitsubishi Diamante VRX with 61K on the clock (and, would you believe it, '540' in the number plate!!) after having a good run with an earlier VR model. It was on special at a dealer for not much more than I paid for the BMW. It has been nearly 3 years of completely trouble free motoring since. NB: when I picked it up, I wondered if I had done the right thing,..it felt slighty 'tinny' and cheap inside as well as being noticeably noiser [and slower ;-)] - guess that was a part of why one was $145k new versus $49k...(although I had second thoughts about BMW build quality when the plastic lines to the windshield washer bottle split and had to be replaced,....they were hard and had just cracked from age but I thought why scrimp on material like that,..and what did that mean for what else was waiting in the wings....? Still,...it was a beautiful car and I may well be tempted into the light again,....and I thank you all for your earlier support and assistance.

Cheers,...that makes sense as it was under heavy acceleration\high revs both times when it happened. Motor seems to run smoothly otherwise though??? Is it a motor out job, as they have alluded to? Possible <ballpark> costs anyone please? Reason I ask is because it only cost me 5K at 116kms and I might not want to sink thousands into a repair (as in cut my losses and get something else). Thanks.

Thanks for that Peter. Notice you have an E60.....love the E39s but I might be leaning towards an update. Garage is replacing hoses with OEM products as per above suggestions, thanks, and I was suprised to hear that the motor actually started. They seem to think there must be 'other issues' for the hoses to blow but I have not asked about doing a leak down test. Will definately give Driscoll a call, thanks. Last water leak was repaired by Page European a year ago and Bo gave the car a once over resulting in a general thumbs up.

Thanks All,...doubt very much if garage ran an extended road test and that the 'warranty' might only extend to their replacing the hose at fault - no other replacement parts were suggested as being required. The expansion tank has been replaced with the digital thermostat and water pump checking out ok after a 'check coolant level' error about a year ago. <<sheepishly>> ..and I was in the red for a little while longer than a second or two hence my 'toasted' comment. Just waiting to hear exactly how bad it is before making any repair\wreck call. I'll let you all know....(*sob* - best car I have ever owned too!).

Hi All,...motor blew coolant hose\s (steam everywhere). Repaired\replaced by garage but same thing happened accelerating onto motorway,...temp gauge went straight to red and I suspect I have toasted the engine. Repair may be cost prohibitive but the car has only done 129kms so great interior\exterior. Could anyone advise what it might be worth as a parts prospect?

Hi All,...2002 silver 540i 120kms,...could someone please recommend a suitable (not too loud\expensive) dual exhaust setup\supplier? Would like to retain a modicum of civility during 'quiet' use but really want to hear it 'under load'.