Jamex316

How much for the ELF oil? Where is it sold at?

Guys, is the Valvoline Synpower 5w40 or the Shell Helix Ultra 5w40 any good for the e39 530i? Both are fully synthetic, but should I use 10w30 oil as opposed to 5w40?

I think 95 from shell is definitely worth it. It was really obvious in mine. It never got close to 7.8km/l on 91, and it just went straight up to 9.8km/l on 95 straightaway and even 10.5km/l at one stage. Besides that, the engine sounds smoother and obviously the response is better. I have tried 98 on my twin turbo suby before and it made no difference, cant really imagine 98 being any major improvement over 95 for the bimmer too. At least not as obvious as the difference between 91 and 95. Definitely recommend 95 for the bimmer, 91 is for lawn mowers... I was just curious to find out.

Surely its not as bad as using diesel in it....

Got my first bmw e39 530i a few weeks back, first tried 91 octane. Computer shows a fuel consumption of 7km/l of petrol, also making funny sounds... Just fuelled up with shell vpower 95 octane fuel, immediately the fuel consumption improved to 9.8km/l of petrol!!! Wow, what a difference...

How will you program the tv in motion bit?

What engine oil does everyone use?

Anyone knows how to change the settings so the tv stays on while the car is in motion? I've tried the ignition, tv contract/brightness etc etc. Didn't work. And also, where is the obd connection?

Wanted - E39 m-sport or m5 bodykit - silver

They are great to drive, so nimble compared to the e38, but reliability issues seem to crop up in all respects, electrics, mechanical bla bla bla... Saw one with an oil leak on the rocker cover and sump as well as the leaks in the transmission. Costs like over $3000 to fix, and workshop says its good for at least 3-4 years..... Umm....not very good reliability there.....besides paying extra for gadgets, should'nt they also have it designed with better quality parts (being BMW and all), surely its not that difficult. Unless, some one upstairs says give it a 10 year life span don't worry about the rest, in which case, I think consumers should stay away from a bmw more than 6-7 years old. Who would want to buy a pre-owned bmw and having to visit the workshop all the time instead of enjoying the "ultimate driving experience" for which it claims.

Is an e65 really as bad as people say they are? Any owners or ex-owners out there who can share?

Don't mind them getting BMW's, but they shouldn't get to have any optional extras.

Pricy for just tv with no mp3 or dvd play... I wonder what people do for playing mp3's, or don't they...maybe I'm just used to my alpine headunit.

I'm looking at one that is possibly a nz new not imported. How much will the conversion cost? Looks expensive...

Just want to know if its a hassle converting the factory cd player/headunit to a factory monitor unit?

WTB: BMW 2000-2002 5 series or 7 series Wanting a 5 or 7 series with leather seats, engine size between 2L - 3L.

When the economy is going great, those who can endulge on luxury will be willing to buy brand new and to replace their cars every 3-5 years, the 5 years of possible troublefree motoring design then becomes the manufacturers goal. And often those people just want the fancy gizmos to show off then caring about reliability and costs later down the track.

Going back to the main point, I agree after year 2000 tech has started to get a bit out of balance in relation to costs. Maybe for Jap cars its not so bad, perhaps its not easy to lead the motoring industry without some tech advances. Personally, its the driving experience and how the car handles that makes the difference, no gadgets and tech can ever outweigh the performance of a car. So I'd stay with the slightly older cars for that reason. Too much tech even on the performance of the car practically ruins it anyways, silly letting a computer drive the car for you. So what if I am a bad driver, if you're responsible enough, you wouldn't dare to drive carelessly on public roads, if I want to drive fast I'd do it on the track.

Is the e38 728i any good?? I know it lacks power, but that's not an issue if its for a 7 series cos I'd be wanting to just cruise along in it as opposed to performance.

Is that your 540i in the profile pic? Looks mean!

Yeah its factory, but its got the 1.5L engine so its a pretty quick car. Only done 38k's. Proximity key, automatic headlights, fog lamp etc.

My bad! Inline Inline!! I get the drift...I'm still hung up on doing some mods to the bmw tho~~

I know that but it would be nice to tune up a 3 litre v6.

I haven't noticed much difference running on 98 with my twin turbo boxer engine before except the extra dollars so just used 91 or occasionally 95/6. Sounds like ppl are satisfied with an 8 sec car...I'm not so sure...

Have you done any mods on yours?