Whats the difference?

[jacknz 1]

Hi, 1st time poster here, I'm thinking about getting an E39 530i, and I'm wodering what the differences are between NZ new and a Jap import are? Is there any valid reason not to buy an import? And can anyone who as one tell me what the braked towing capacity is please?

I would love to get a Touring, but there doesn't seem to be many around at the moment, would a 528 be a good alternative?

Thanks, Jack

[tmase 19]

I am no expert but I did look at a heap of E39s of various engine sizes before I bought mine, a 530i, both Jap import and NZ new. Others on here no doubt will be able to correct me if what I am saying is off base.

Japanese imports tended to be higher spec'd than the NZ new ones that I looked at. Many NZ ones don't have a Nav screen or TV though the Japanese nav system will not work here without some modifications but there are guys here who could sort you out. Also the Japanese Nav unit is mounted on the top of the boot space in the sedan which can limit what you load in there a little bit. Japanese cars have a IR remote locking system instead of the RF one that rest of the world uses. The IR range is a bit crappy. Externally the way I tell a Japanese import sedan from anywhere else is the boot lids have different sized indents for the number plates - you won't fit a Euro-plate on a Japanese import, can't think of any other visual differences.

People often are concerned about service history - and rightly so - and there is a misconception that Japanese cars don't have the history. That is not always true some do come with a service history and are well looked after in the same way that some NZ cars have a tough life. Basing your decision on the vehicle's condition can be a good indication of how well it's been taken care of. Some areas of Japan salt their roads in winter - mainly in the north I think, but I never saw any evidence of corrosion in any of the cars I looked at and our higher levels of UV in NZ could potentially have a detrimental effect on seals and rubbers, though my car is good and has been in NZ for 9 years.

As for Singapore imports - I was put off them by stories that the humidity there destroys the electronics but that is probably a bit of an old wives tale and in any event there aren't a whole lot of them around.

A touring is probably a lot more practical, some sedans don't even have split folding seats (it was an option!) but they do attract a bit of a premium due to their scarcity in my opinion.

I was pretty determined to get a post-facelift model (530i) as opposed to a pre-facelift (528i) so I didn't test drive and 528s but on paper there is a bit of a power and torque difference - 142kW vs 170kW and 280Nm vs 300 Nm. Don't have a draw bar on my car so can't tell you what real world difference that'd have on towing. I'd reckon a 540i would be a better tow rig (210 kW and 440Nm).

According to my owners manual the braked towing capacity for a 530i Saloon/Touring is 2000kg (according to factory specifications and legally permitted in Germany). 750 kg unbraked.

Hope this helps

[M5V8 337]

i would have thought NZ new cars were pretty highly spec'd. The main importer here likes to keep them in the premium category. Only lower spec cars I have ever seen were in Europe or imports.

[jacknz 1]

Thanks for the replies so far, I was wondering if the Jappa's have different suspesion rates i;e springs/shockies etc as well, I have read that most manufacturers 'tune' the settings for the relevant markets they are selling into. I remember when we bought our 1st E30 that the local agent said that the jap cars had a defferent transmissionm and the seats end some trim were different due to local content requirements, I wonder of this is true for the later models, we ended up back then with a loveley 325i 4 door which was much later replaced with an E36 325 coupe in manual which we still have, both NZ new.

A 540 would be very nice, but I the thought of replacing a watercooled alenator and the overall complexity puts me off a bit, plus I don't know how long my licsence would last, mind you, an M sport version would be the Dogs Bollocks, hell I'm in my 50's so why not I s'pose, just got to get that past SWMBO.

I'm thinking of selling the 4wd which is quite expensive to keep and getting something 'nice' for myself.

Regards, Jack

[Allanw 1071]

Basing your decision on the vehicle's condition can be a good indication of how well it's been taken care of.

That's probably the best advice, right there!

As for Singapore imports - I was put off them by stories that the humidity there destroys the electronics but that is probably a bit of an old wives tale and in any event there aren't a whole lot of them around.

I worried about that too, as ours is a Singapore import. I didn't have much choice though - not many manual E39's around!

As it turns out, Singapore's average humidity is within 2% of the humidity here in Whangarei, year 'round. I can't see why they would have the problems and we wouldn't. Other parts of NZ would be similar.

The cars from the salty areas of Japan can be REALLY bad for rust - Had a couple in a rental fleet a few years back, and even the trans cooler pipes rusted through!

There are a LOT of Singapore imports. Many of the facelift 525i's and 530i's seem to be Singapore. Singapore spec cars are the same as the Euro versions (mostly), few minor differences like Hot climate version etc. They have the wide number plate gap, like the NZ and Euro cars and have radio and sat nav that is the same setup as the Euro cars (on the stuff I've looked at anyway). I can actually set my radio etc to Gulf states, Australasia, Europe etc. Japan isn't there, as they're often completely different (although some of the very late E39's from Japan can be set to our settings).

There are a LOT of E39's around, so you can take some time to find the right one for you (unless you want something rare - I wanted manual, so was limited!). My M54 2.5 goes REALLY well, after the Vanos seal repair, and I imagine a 3.0 would be impressive.

Before doing any towing, I'd be looking at trans cooling, and making sure the engine cooling is up to snuff - It's the weak point. The thermostat is electronically controlled, and if the electric element in it fails, the engine runs extra hot until you have the fault codes scanned and see the element has gone open circuit. It does NOT bring up a check light! The cooling system has other issues, such as plastic water pump impellors wearing, radiators exapnding along the bottom etc.

I'm actually going to fit a conventional thermostat to mine.

I imagine the 3.0 would be quite a bit quicker than the 2.8 - It may not feel like it, because of the broad, flat torque curve of the 3.0. The double Vanos seems to make quite a difference ( it was on the M52TU 2.8 as well though - most 528i's seem the be single Vanos M52 though).

Be aware that the Vanos seals will need replacing on whatever you get. Mine were totally poked at 116K (Vanos Seals Thread) and they make a MASSIVE difference to the torque.

People get hung up on servicing - I know from the Lease cars I've had, they get the BARE MINIMUM servicing in NZ - even at the dealers - The lease company spends as little as they can on the servicing and specifys what they'll pay for, so a NZ new example isn't always better serviced. Plus lots of kiwi's do it themselves on older cars and don't get it right (The correct oil for a M54 engine is NOT cheap). The BMW specified 20K+ oil change interval is probably a bit long for a lot of drivers too - lot's of city driving isn't good. I bet most still wait for the lights to say it's due, when there is usually a maximum time specified (and ignored). As stated above - the condition and a prepurchase inspection (somewhere GOOD!) are a good start.

There are a LOT of diffrent spring rates and ride heights etc. Realistically, as soon as you need new shocks, they'd probably the generic type anyway. The motorsport suspension is a lot firmer and more "jiggly" ours has it, and is stiff.

There are 4 main types of E39 suspension: two types of motorsport suspension, a rough road verson and an eastern european suspension package - the last two are 22mm higher (done with a spacer on the strut tops) and some other minor differences. I don't know the difference between the two Motorsport types though. Maybe one is for the V8's only, because of the extra weight??? Dunno. The Touring will often have self-levelling rear airbag suspension.

If you get really serious about a car, it may be worth whipping off the rocker cover and make sure it's all sparkly clean under there. You can't see in through the oil cap properly, and the rocker cover gaskets are prone too leaking anyway, so may as well be replaced. Some have been known to sludge up on the wrong oil. The service indicator lights are based on oil meeting BMW's specific specs, and not all oil will last the distance!

Also the trans and diff are "sealed for life" which in BMW speak means don't service them at all, and then throw them away when they die. You'll want to have them serviced, again, with the correct fluid (not as easy as it sounds, the fluid specs aren't simple!).

Good luck! They are great cars, considering they're all old now!

Edited April 26, 2012 by Allanw

[jacknz 1]

Thaks for that, I am aware of some of the cooling issues, didt't know about the eletrtic thermostat though, and a an extra trans oil cooler was on the list.

How long do the trans seem to be lasting being sealed for life? does there seem to be a general failure rate at xxxxkm's? A neighbour of mine has a 523 that has 280000 on it which I thought was pretty impressive, as for my towing, well it would be the odd dash to the coast with about 1500kgs of boat and down to the local ramps here in Taupo..

Thanks for taking the time to reply to my questions, these forums are great aren't they? Just a wealth of information from people with a common interest.

Thanks again, jack

[Allanw 1071]

Sometimes people on here know what they are talking about. Me... I just make it up as I go There are a lot of people who know FAR more than I ever will, and will be a great deal of help if you ever has issues!

I've heard of transmissions going for long distances, and some not so much. A mate of mine has an NZ new 540i Touring, he gave it it's first trans fuild change at about 230K and it's still ok now at about 280K. I understand that NZ NEW 540i E39's still used a different box (ZF 5HP 24) to the Jap ones (that will need to be confirmed though! I'm not spouting that as gospel!). It wasn't the Jatco box though - may have been GM, like some US BMW cars used. Like I say - all that needs to be verified with someone who actually knows!

You don't want to overcool the trans either, I'd imagine - It may get upset. Surely theres a thermostatically controlled cooler available???

The trans can be done by BMW if you force them to :-) The genuine filter is the best, and realistically, the new fluid can probably stay in there a while - It doesn't need to be done every 30K (probably!). It's high quality, long life synthetic fluid too. I think BMW USA (if not elswehere) revised the lifetime fill thing down to 100K MILES. The sealed for life thing is a have! It was introduced at the same time BMW USA introduced free scheduled servicing... coincidence? Probably not. Cars that used to have regular servicing, suddenly overnight, didn't require anywhere near as much servicing. Plus the lack of waste fluids was "better for the environment"...

[hotwire 352]

i would have thought NZ new cars were pretty highly spec'd. The main importer here likes to keep them in the premium category. Only lower spec cars I have ever seen were in Europe or imports.

Not actually true Darren. Not many NZ cars came with TV monitor as OEM. Common in M5's & some 540's though. Usually not heated seats. These along with Nav - very common ex Japan.

NZ cars did often get alarms & PDC, both uncommon in imports. Also, as mentioned, RF remote rather than the crap IR of the Jap car.

Ex Singapore did often have an incomplete heater system - due to their climate - that certainly a concern.

Have said before, & will again, there is NOTHING wrong with ex Jap cars, our one a perfect example. I got it at a low milage (24k), documented service history, all keys, we have done nearly 100k in it & it has been totally reliable to date. I was also still under 5 yrs old when I bought it in.

That said, not all cars ex Japan are equal - there are some dogs.

Tim (as Allan) summed it up well - there are NZ cars too that don;t get looked after.

As also said - trans should be serviced - I am going get mine done shortly (120km ish)

Being in the trade - over the years I have seen many horror stories of both examples

[Michael. 2313]

A 540 would be very nice, but I the thought of replacing a watercooled alenator and the overall complexity puts me off a bit

I agree.

I pondered a nice E39 540i too, but the extra complexity of them made me wonder if it was worth it for what I was after, I mean I could fix it (while moaning about the cost), but I just wouldn't feel comfortable with an engine setup that can develop such issues down the line, which is one of the reasons I decided to go out on a limb and bring my E36 coupe together with the engine out a boringly reliable Toyota/Lexus V8 sedan.. Best of both worlds really!

[yng_750 247]

not sure if anyone noted it but the braked capacity is the weight of a trailer that has its own braking system built in

a car with a 2000kg braked and 750kg unbraked means it has the capacity to pull and turn 2000kg but can only safely slow down 750kg by itself