Latest addition - 2000 BMW 528i auto

[henriZA]

Good evening folks

Happy to say that I am the proud new owner of @Mpower11's friend's E39 that was posted in the for-sale section a few weeks ago. This happened pretty quickly - once I got an offer on my Mazda3 I had to move pretty quickly. Although a six cylinder petrol was not something I originally considered as a replacement for my daily, this one made sense at the price. Also my driving is 95% on the highway so fuel consumption should be manageable.

The car:
2000 E39 BMW 528i 5 speed auto with 228000km on the clock. Has sunroof, electric adjustable seats with memory function, grey interior leather with wooden inserts on the dashboard, electric adjustable steering wheel, all round electric windows and mirrors, tinted windows, style 33 wheels plus full spare, books, toolkit, business radio with tape and 6 CD shuttle in the back.

The body and paintwork is still in great nick for a 24 year old car. Leather inside is somewhat worn in high usage areas but no visible tears. All the pixels on the radio instrument cluster are still alive. Cooling system was overhauled a few years ago so thats one less thing to worry about.

Drove it to the office today and must say I am very pleased with how it drives. Power delivery is very smooth, the cabin is very quiet and managed to average about 8.1l/100km over 150kms.

Stuff to fix:
Right front foglight is cracked
Window washer tubing is leaking
Airbag and tire pressure lights are on
Headlights are pretty dull - lenses have become quite cloudy
No bluetooth, aux or USB - will probably look at a bluebus type module as I dont want an aftermarket android unit. Would rather keep it stock as far as possible.
Temperature buttons on climate control cluster is cracked.
Tyres have maybe 10000km left
Oil sweat around the gearbox area, could be gearbox or power steering?
Service is due in about 5000kms

Very happy with the purchase and hoping that I can maintain her in a way that provides me many more miles of hassle free driving! Any suggestions or advice would be highly appreciated.

Now for the pics:

 

[MR_Y]

If I recall, this was car of the year in SA in 1998?

Excellent choice

 

[Gordvisr]

Congrats, car still looking fairly good.

 

[v1p3r]

If I recall, this was car of the year in SA in 1998?

Excellent choice

Was 97 but close enough. I remember the magazine review well. Fell in love with the car then

 

[Benji]

Congrats on an excellent choice, a notable upgrade on a Mazda 3! I did not know these cars had tyre pressure monitoring?

A good preventative "upgrade" would be to get the ABS pump heat shield from a LCI 525/530 - the circuit boards are known to fry from the exhaust manifold heat. If you dont have INPA yet, I would advise you get it - will make your life much easier when dealing with old BMW things

 

[///M Individual]

Congrats bud! Nice that this car went to a fanatic as it was such an awesome buy. Wish you many many happy kms!

 

[modocrat]

Wow! Those backseats look like they just left the factory.

Congrats on this awesome buy.

 

[NabbyM32]

Well done on the awesome purchase - Still a fan of these E39's

Wishing u many happy and safe KM

 

[M3boi]

Congrats on an excellent choice, a notable upgrade on a Mazda 3! I did not know these cars had tyre pressure monitoring?

A good preventative "upgrade" would be to get the ABS pump heat shield from a LCI 525/530 - the circuit boards are known to fry from the exhaust manifold heat. If you dont have INPA yet, I would advise you get it - will make your life much easier when dealing with old BMW things

Its probably the same as the E46 system that bases it off rolling circumferences.

Congrats on the purchase!

 

[Madejagsie]

Congratulations. You may want to ensure that the suspension is sorted. This makes a big difference to how the car drives.

 

[henriZA]

Thanks everyone. Already fixed the foglight and the leaking washer tubing. Going for roadworthy tomorrow.

When its due for service I'll get all codes checked and the suspension, braking system, gearbox and engine bay properly checked out.

 

[henriZA]

Update:

1. Service done recently which included replacing the front discs (which were warped) and new pads all round. There was a steering wheel shudder under braking anything above 80km/h which has now dissappeared. Mech says overall car is still in good condition for its age.
2. Replaced the old cracked and wobbly Dunlops with Falken ZE310r all around and there is a noticable improvement in the ride quality.

Consumption sitting at 9.1l/100km and is my daily between JHB and PTA. Still have to sort out the airbag and tire pressure warning lights and get someone to read the codes. But I think for now the car is good to go for a few months. Loving it so far.

 

[Benji]

Update:

1. Service done recently which included replacing the front discs (which were warped) and new pads all round. There was a steering wheel shudder under braking anything above 80km/h which has now dissappeared. Mech says overall car is still in good condition for its age.
2. The tyres were shot as in not even round anymore. Had the old Dunlops replaced with Falken ZE310r all around and there is a noticable improvement in the ride quality.

Consumption sitting at 9.1l/100km and is my daily between JHB and PTA. Still have to sort out the airbag and tire pressure warning lights and get someone to read the codes. But I think for now the car is good to go for a few months. Loving it so far.

Where you based? You are welcome to pop in here and I'll read your codes for you - based in Olivedale, close to Fourways

 

[Mytfine]

Congrats these are fantastic overall cars if they are good nick.

 

[Sibonelo]

DOPE RIDE.. I have a 530i, absolutely love this thing. recently did service, new discs and pads all round and new control arms front. these things drive like a dream... never letting go. I want to redo the leather.

 

[henriZA]

Passed the 10000km ownership mark a few days ago. Consumption is still sitting at a solid 9l/100km with 90% highway driving. It goes up quickly when driving around town.

Thanks to @Benji who read the codes for me to add some peace of mind, after which I had the exhaust camshaft sensor and a perished radiator hose replaced.

After replacing the warped discs and the old tyres, ride quality has improved BUT still getting some shudder under braking. Not sure what the cause is but overall car is behaving very well.

 

[Benji]

Passed the 10000km ownership mark a few days ago. Consumption is still sitting at a solid 9l/100km with 90% highway driving. It goes up quickly when driving around town.

Thanks to @Benji who read the codes for me to add some peace of mind, after which I had the exhaust camshaft sensor and a perished radiator hose replaced.

After replacing the warped discs and the old tyres, ride quality has improved BUT still getting some shudder under braking. Not sure what the cause is but overall car is behaving very well.

Glad you are still enjoying the car, I see this car drive past me office now and then 😎 Have you noticed an improvement in low down torque with the new cam sensor? If your front discs were replaced, then it is most likely the upper control arms that need to be replaced. The bushes are notorious for perishing - there are some aftermarket solutions like spherical bearings to replace the rubber bush. I just went and bought new OE Lemforder arms for my car as it was doing the same, but I actually suspect it was warped discs as they were paper thin - have yet to drive my car after doing the work.

 

[henriZA]

Yes @Benji there was a noticeable improvement. I'll check out the suspension and steering components early in the new year, also have to sort a leaking oil pan gasket. Where did you get the Lemforder arms?

 

[Benji]

Yes @Benji there was a noticeable improvement. I'll check out the suspension and steering components early in the new year, also have to sort a leaking oil pan gasket. Where did you get the Lemforder arms?

A well running old BMW is a fantastic car...

I imported from FCP Euro, one can get creative to reduce the import duties and shipping, works out to about half the price compared to getting from BMW...However, many Lemforder parts from FCP were made in Malasia, Turkey and China - there was a noticeable quality difference to the parts made in Germany 🤷‍♂️ Time will tell how long they last...

 

[Sibonelo]

where did you source the discs? I had a similar issues with mine. replaced disc and control arms. shudder came back after about 1500km. ended up changing the disc to OE from BMW and been happy every since 6000km later