stuntmonkey 0 Report post Posted March 22, 2008 Hi all, New to bmws, and am after some advice of things to check out. Am looking at picking up a 540i Touring here in Canada (originally from NZ), most likely an E39. Just wondering if anybody knows of any specific areas to check over, common things that go wrong with the E39s/540i. Also, are coilovers readily available for wagons? (or are they leafs in the rear) - as the plan is; Lowering it Drug dealer tints 7 Series wheels Sounds Done. Daily driver only and a car to get me and the boys up Whistler and Grouse in the winter. Cheers! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BM WORLD 1283 Report post Posted March 23, 2008 like mine . check all coolant hoses and replace , radiators burst at the seams. they run the thermostat at 105deg C . so make sure all teh coolant system is up to it . camchain noise. fogged out suspension bushes . trans and torque convertor Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jochen 4 Report post Posted March 23, 2008 (edited) Check the following: Is it an E39/2? the E39 had a major upgrade at end of 1998 - updated engine, drive-by-wire, many updated electronics, make sure you get a 1999 or newer E39 Crazed headlight lenses. I replaced mine at 10yrs old, they were hazy from road grime sanding away the lens. Non-working pixels on the check display - very common. Can be fixed with DIY if you want. Squeaky/creaky suspension due to worn bushes - I had this, needs new bushes Idle control valve will need cleaning if >8yr/>100,000miles or kms - easy to do, I did mine. Will cause poor idle or idle difficulty under load (A/C, in D or R but not moving). Clean it regardless so you know its good. On the pre 1998 V8 (mine) was super easy to do. Misfiring - coils break down and fail with time. 90% reason for all misfires. I had one faulty coil. Hard to find, easy to replace. Had to diagnose using BMW GT1 tester to find it. Check all coolant seals - I had a seeping O-ring. Minor repair but need to do it to keep the cooling system in 100% condition Check all underbody protection and repair /replace if necessary to protect vehicle. I had missing bolts. Worth while, protect your car as much as you can :-) Check toolkit and all aaccessories supplied with car are complete. I was lucky and had everything. Car is delivered with 4 x keys: 2 x master, 1 x valet, 1 x emergency. Check all work. Check all 3 x air filters are in good nick (one for engine, 1 for driver, 1 for passenger air). My interior filters had not been changed in years, were very filthy. Check the high-intensity washer fluid reservoir. The pump gets knocked when the diagnostic connector is plugged in and out (on pre 2000 cars) , causing the pump to crack and leak. I had to replace my pump (easy) Check drivers seat plastic cover - it breaks with the constant movement in and out of car. Only solution is replacement. Mine was broken. Check for creaky leather. Condition leather with leather conditioner to make it soft and supple again. I used genuine BMW leather cleaner, well worthwhile. Check type and version of nav fitted - best is Mk4. I upgraded from Mk1 to Mk3 then to Mk4 Current software version was released about 3 weeks ago, and is 4-1/00 (v10.0) Check version of nav map supplied with car is recent for your area. Current will most likely be a 2008 map. Check all controls work and illumination works - my sunroof switch illumination didn't work, I replaced 1 x faulty LED and 1 x broken resistor. Very common. Check EDC system if fitted - replacing failled EDC shocks is VERY expensive. You don't want to replace EDC (electronic damper control) shocks @ $1,600 NZD each shock. Maybe a car without EDC is better... Check self-levelling rear suspension, most 540i wagens have this. You will know if one side fails :-) The top of the line 540i generally had: a) full navigation system including TV, this is an awesome system, and works well. Only real upgrade you can do is change the speakers, change display to 16:9 (if not fitted), add TV (if not fitted), add telephone (if not fitted) everything else is totally integrated Telephone - was an option in some countries, try and find a car with phone, it is cool. these days everyone uses bluetooth and the 540i can as well. But you need the phone system wiring in place first. c) sunroof - these often leak, so you may prefer to have no sunroof and hence a dry car... d) leather upholstry, was generally standard on 540i's e) electric memory seats f) seat heating, was generally standard g) PDC - option on some years, but very good to have. You want front and rear PDC h) rear roller blind. Is cool :-) Make sure you check all controls are working. Evrything can be fixed, there is a huge amount of info on the net. The E39 is considered today as one of the best 2nd hand cars you can buy because of the awesome technology and performance. You will never regret buying an E39... The best e39 is a late 2003 (Nov 2003), which was when production stopped. Then you will ahve all updates, corrections, fixes, and the latest of everything in the car. Enjoy! Edited March 23, 2008 by jochen Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kiwi535 538 Report post Posted March 23, 2008 I thought the update was 00? so a 99 will have all the new lights etc??? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jochen 4 Report post Posted March 24, 2008 I thought the update was 00? so a 99 will have all the new lights etc??? BMW does body updates every 2nd year and engine updates every inbetween year The E39/2 appeared after PU98 - check the WDS to be sure :-) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kiwi535 538 Report post Posted March 24, 2008 Spot the question about leaf springs in the REAR!!!!wasnt going to mention that Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stuntmonkey 0 Report post Posted April 18, 2008 Spot the question about leaf springs in the REAR!!!! I'm used to dirty jappas! Sue me! Jochen thanks for the info! Much appreciated. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
