YACT: My 1995 BMW 540i

[OVerLoRDI]

I took it to the dealership to get it diagnosed it was also time for its 120000 miles tune up. Mostly because I didn't want to figure out where the oil and coolant leaks were coming from myself. I also had a list of other small annoyances I wanted them to track down such as check engine light coming on when engine is cold and idling. I plan to do most of these repairs myself, I have access to a shop with a plethora of tools and equipment for working on cars, my uncle builds drag racers.
UPDATE: Things are not even close to as bad as the dealership wants me to believe.

1. Oil leak, apparently the oil supply line is leaking. More or less it is a glorified hose that costs way too much. ~200 dollars. First thing I am going to fix.
UPDATE: Banjo nuts at either end of the oil supply line were loose and leaking. Tightened and fixed, line looks perfectly fine.'
UPDATE2: Oil supply line is leaking still, going to put the new hose in there.

2. Coolant leak, upper radiator hose was loose easy quick fix. Apparently the radiator itself has a leak when put under artificial pressure over night. This will probably be the last thing I fix unless the radiator actually starts to leak. New radiator ~300-400 dollars.
UPDATE: Ordered new radiator, about 200 bucks.

3. Trim is starting to come off... Trim glue, done.

4. Check engine light while idling = leak at oil separator, located under the engine assembly. I haven't figured out how much parts are for this yet but the dealership wanted 500 dollars for parts + 1400 dollars for labor so judging by their labor price and the location of the leak this will not be fun.

5. The Steering was very stiff when the car was cold. Dealership claims the steering gear box/rack is getting old and will need to be replaced eventually. Their price.. $2500. I am going to investigate this further, I doubt a majority of the steering system needs to be replaced after 120000 miles.
UPDATE: Banjo nuts on Steering system were loose and not holding pressure, tightened and steering has never felt better.
UPDATE2: A 1989 BMW 535i is going for sale for 3000. I'm considering grabbing it and taking the rack out of it and a lot of other big parts. (assuming it is in good shape obviously)

6. Engine mounts need to be replaced. This will suck, the mounts are under the engine and to replace them I'm going to have to either remove the engine or work some magic. I have seen pictures of people just raising one side of the engine at a time and doing it that way. ~200 dollars per mount. I'll probably do this a lot later down the road.
UPDATE: Dealership is full of sh!t mounts look fine, rubber worn a bit but they don't need to be replaced.
UPDATE2: They sort of kind of need to be replaced. Basically its whether or not I want to live with the slightly noticeable vibration at stop lights.

7. For some weird reason my new front brake rotors are already getting warped. Not to mention the brakes squeak at every stop. I'm going to have to track the cause down of this. I hope it isn't the Calipers that would really suck.


So I have my work cut out for me. Strangely I'm not too bothered probably because I love this car so much. Oh yes here are some pics.

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l174/OVerLoRDI/540i2.jpg
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l174/OVerLoRDI/540i.jpg

 

[GTaudiophile]

Have fun with that repair bill!

 

[QurazyQuisp]

Originally posted by: OVerLoRDI
I took it do the dealership to get it diagnosed it was also time for its 120000 miles tune up. Mostly because I didn't want to figure out where the oil and coolant leaks were coming from myself. I also had a list of other small annoyances I wanted them to track down such as check engine light coming on when engine is cold and idling. I plan to do most of these repairs myself, I have access to a shop with a plethora of tools and equipment for working on cars, my uncle builds drag racers.

1. Oil leak, apparently the oil supply line is leaking. More or less it is a glorified hose that costs way too much. ~200 dollars. First thing I am going to fix.

2. Coolant leak, upper radiator hose was loose easy quick fix. Apparently the radiator itself has a leak when put under artificial pressure over night. This will probably be the last thing I fix unless the radiator actually starts to leak. New radiator ~300-400 dollars.

3. Trim is starting to come off... Trim glue, done.

4. Check engine light while idling = leak at oil separator, located under the engine assembly. I haven't figured out how much parts are for this yet but the dealership wanted 500 dollars for parts + 1400 dollars for labor so judging by their labor price and the location of the leak this will not be fun.

5. The Steering was very stiff when the car was cold. Dealership claims the steering gear box/rack is getting old and will need to be replaced eventually. Their price.. $2500. I am going to investigate this further, I doubt a majority of the steering system needs to be replaced after 120000 miles.

6. Engine mounts need to be replaced. This will suck, the mounts are under the engine and to replace them I'm going to have to either remove the engine or work some magic. I have seen pictures of people just raising one side of the engine at a time and doing it that way. ~200 dollars per mount. I'll probably do this a lot later down the road.

So I have my work cut out for me. Strangely I'm not too bothered probably because I love this car so much. Oh yes here are some pics.

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l174/OVerLoRDI/540i2.jpg
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l174/OVerLoRDI/540i.jpg

Just be glad yours isn't like my brothers '91 318... He had water in the oil and oil in the water... He had to replace the head gasket and one other gasket (can't remember the name) and it fixed the issue. (This also fixed the 1 quart of oil leakage every 50 miles) He has done all the work himself, but the 4 cylinder is a little be easier to deal with than a 8 cylinder....

Is yours the 540i sport?

 

[mugs]

New car

 

[homercles337]

So, how many offspring do you have with your obvious propensity toward breeding?

 

[OVerLoRDI]

Originally posted by: QurazyQuisp

Originally posted by: OVerLoRDI
I took it do the dealership to get it diagnosed it was also time for its 120000 miles tune up. Mostly because I didn't want to figure out where the oil and coolant leaks were coming from myself. I also had a list of other small annoyances I wanted them to track down such as check engine light coming on when engine is cold and idling. I plan to do most of these repairs myself, I have access to a shop with a plethora of tools and equipment for working on cars, my uncle builds drag racers.

1. Oil leak, apparently the oil supply line is leaking. More or less it is a glorified hose that costs way too much. ~200 dollars. First thing I am going to fix.

2. Coolant leak, upper radiator hose was loose easy quick fix. Apparently the radiator itself has a leak when put under artificial pressure over night. This will probably be the last thing I fix unless the radiator actually starts to leak. New radiator ~300-400 dollars.

3. Trim is starting to come off... Trim glue, done.

4. Check engine light while idling = leak at oil separator, located under the engine assembly. I haven't figured out how much parts are for this yet but the dealership wanted 500 dollars for parts + 1400 dollars for labor so judging by their labor price and the location of the leak this will not be fun.

5. The Steering was very stiff when the car was cold. Dealership claims the steering gear box/rack is getting old and will need to be replaced eventually. Their price.. $2500. I am going to investigate this further, I doubt a majority of the steering system needs to be replaced after 120000 miles.

6. Engine mounts need to be replaced. This will suck, the mounts are under the engine and to replace them I'm going to have to either remove the engine or work some magic. I have seen pictures of people just raising one side of the engine at a time and doing it that way. ~200 dollars per mount. I'll probably do this a lot later down the road.

So I have my work cut out for me. Strangely I'm not too bothered probably because I love this car so much. Oh yes here are some pics.

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l174/OVerLoRDI/540i2.jpg
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l174/OVerLoRDI/540i.jpg

Just be glad yours isn't like my brothers '91 318... He had water in the oil and oil in the water... He had to replace the head gasket and one other gasket (can't remember the name) and it fixed the issue. (This also fixed the 1 quart of oil leakage every 50 miles) He has done all the work himself, but the 4 cylinder is a little be easier to deal with than a 8 cylinder....

Is yours the 540i sport?

Nope, if I remember correctly there weren't very man 540i sports made, less than 300. Mine is just an ordinary 540i six speed. It does have similar rims as the 540i sport but you can tell by the front skirts that it is the normal 540i.

 

[JSFLY]

Originally posted by: OVerLoRDI
I took it do the dealership to get it diagnosed it was also time for its 120000 miles tune up. Mostly because I didn't want to figure out where the oil and coolant leaks were coming from myself. I also had a list of other small annoyances I wanted them to track down such as check engine light coming on when engine is cold and idling. I plan to do most of these repairs myself, I have access to a shop with a plethora of tools and equipment for working on cars, my uncle builds drag racers.

1. Oil leak, apparently the oil supply line is leaking. More or less it is a glorified hose that costs way too much. ~200 dollars. First thing I am going to fix.

2. Coolant leak, upper radiator hose was loose easy quick fix. Apparently the radiator itself has a leak when put under artificial pressure over night. This will probably be the last thing I fix unless the radiator actually starts to leak. New radiator ~300-400 dollars.

3. Trim is starting to come off... Trim glue, done.

4. Check engine light while idling = leak at oil separator, located under the engine assembly. I haven't figured out how much parts are for this yet but the dealership wanted 500 dollars for parts + 1400 dollars for labor so judging by their labor price and the location of the leak this will not be fun.

5. The Steering was very stiff when the car was cold. Dealership claims the steering gear box/rack is getting old and will need to be replaced eventually. Their price.. $2500. I am going to investigate this further, I doubt a majority of the steering system needs to be replaced after 120000 miles.

6. Engine mounts need to be replaced. This will suck, the mounts are under the engine and to replace them I'm going to have to either remove the engine or work some magic. I have seen pictures of people just raising one side of the engine at a time and doing it that way. ~200 dollars per mount. I'll probably do this a lot later down the road.

So I have my work cut out for me. Strangely I'm not too bothered probably because I love this car so much. Oh yes here are some pics.

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l174/OVerLoRDI/540i2.jpg
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l174/OVerLoRDI/540i.jpg

beautiful car.... nice

 

[Christobevii3]

I could replace my whole engine and its accesories for that, jesus. Engine mounts $200 each, you kidding me?

 

[QurazyQuisp]

Be prepared for the obligatory "You should buy a honda/toyota" post...

Some people just can't understand the awesomeness behind a BMW. (Or any german car for that matter)

 

[OVerLoRDI]

Originally posted by: Christobevii3
I could replace my whole engine and its accesories for that, jesus. Engine mounts $200 each, you kidding me?

Dealership wanted 375 for the mounts :disgust:

 

[OVerLoRDI]

Originally posted by: QurazyQuisp
Be prepared for the obligatory "You should buy a honda/toyota" post...

Some people just can't understand the awesomeness behind a BMW. (Or any german car for that matter)

Exactly. The way I look at it, considering how much I payed for this car and even if I had sucked it up and payed the dealership the insane amount of money they wanted to fix everything, it still will cost less than a new Honda/Toyota.

 

[JSFLY]

Originally posted by: OVerLoRDI

Originally posted by: QurazyQuisp
Be prepared for the obligatory "You should buy a honda/toyota" post...

Some people just can't understand the awesomeness behind a BMW. (Or any german car for that matter)

Exactly. The way I look at it, considering how much I payed for this car and even if I had sucked it up and payed the dealership the insane amount of money they wanted to fix everything, it still will cost less than a new Honda/Toyota.

Have you asked how much you could get for it as a trade in?

 

[RGN]

Pelican parts They are your friend.

Do the mounts sooner than later, worn mounts can cause all sorts of strange issues.

 

[OVerLoRDI]

Originally posted by: RGN
Pelican parts They are your friend.

Do the mounts sooner than later, worn mounts can cause all sorts of strange issues.

Thanks for the advice. I'll give that site a look.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: OVerLoRDI

Originally posted by: QurazyQuisp
Be prepared for the obligatory "You should buy a honda/toyota" post...

Some people just can't understand the awesomeness behind a BMW. (Or any german car for that matter)

Exactly. The way I look at it, considering how much I payed for this car and even if I had sucked it up and payed the dealership the insane amount of money they wanted to fix everything, it still will cost less than a new Honda/Toyota.

I don't think you should buy a new Honda or Toyota, but saying that the amount of money you're having to dump into an 11 year old car is less than an entire new car is ummm... kind of retarded.

 

[M2008S]

BMW's are too expensive. if i had similar problems with my pickup truck, and some of which you mentioned i do.. my repairs would be a small fraction of the cost . for instance, my radiator costs 1/2 as less and its bigger.

and i just replaced all my steering, box, tie rods, everything. cost? 400.

keep in mind i do my own work, i dont have a shop do it. either way my costs would be cheaper. buy american made

 

[BUTCH1]

The stiff steering when cold is a common problem with racks, the seals get old and won't
hold pressure when cold but get better as the car warms up (seals expand). Check your
PS fluid and look for any shiny film on the top. A lot of people don't change brake and PS fluids but it's a good idea for long term maint. as these fluids are hydroscopic and will
trap moisture in the system over time. I like the idea of keeping a car and fixing it yourself
but those part prices are outrageous. What if you get all that done and 4 months later it
needs a valve job or tranny re-build?? Yikes, time for a 2nd mortgage....

 

[montypythizzle]

some drug dealer would love that
"check engine light is common and holds your keys of cocaine in the back fine"

 

[RGN]

Originally posted by: BUTCH1
I like the idea of keeping a car and fixing it yourself
but those part prices are outrageous.

Remember those are dealer prices. If you are willing to internet shop, you can find OEM and good non-OEM parts for 1/3-1/2 of those costs.

 

[BUTCH1]

Originally posted by: RGN

Originally posted by: BUTCH1
I like the idea of keeping a car and fixing it yourself
but those part prices are outrageous.

Remember those are dealer prices. If you are willing to internet shop, you can find OEM and good non-OEM parts for 1/3-1/2 of those costs.

Even so that's a LOT of work that needs to be done so the car will be out of service
for days at a time. Then how's the compression, tranny rearend ect? 120k isin't a ton
of miles anymore but it would be worth spending$100 or so to get a compression
check done..

 

[BarneyFife]

Thats the reason why I will never buy a BMW/MB. Too damn expensive to fix.

 

[OVerLoRDI]

Originally posted by: BUTCH1
The stiff steering when cold is a common problem with racks, the seals get old and won't
hold pressure when cold but get better as the car warms up (seals expand). Check your
PS fluid and look for any shiny film on the top. A lot of people don't change brake and PS fluids but it's a good idea for long term maint. as these fluids are hydroscopic and will
trap moisture in the system over time. I like the idea of keeping a car and fixing it yourself
but those part prices are outrageous. What if you get all that done and 4 months later it
needs a valve job or tranny re-build?? Yikes, time for a 2nd mortgage....

The fluids are all fine, they were just recently changed. After shopping around this is going to cost me a whole lot less than the dealership wanted and I mean a WHOLE LOT less. Also there is a BMW wrecking yard in my area with a little luck I might be able to find parts that are in good shape for very cheap.

If the tranny breaks the car is totaled in my opinion I don't have 10k for a new tranny. Fortunately the transmission is in excellent shape still.

But you are right after I fix all this most likely something else is going to break. It is just a matter of what and when. I am taking my chances with this car but I'll stick it out for a few more years till I can afford to replace it or I'll just go back to my Isuzu Trooper.

I will take you advice and get the compression checked.

 

[AStar617]

Butch might not have mentioned this coincidentally, but if you are doing all of that work on a 540i, you DEFINITELY need a compression leakdown test, unless you know your block is already Alusil and not Nikasil. Don't know how familiar you are, but basically high sulphur content in US gasoline reacted with the nickel in 94-95 M60 V8 Nikasil-based (nickel-aluminum-silicon) blocks, causing leakdown... mostly rough idle, some stalls/complete no-starts too. The only fix is an entire engine block replacement. The 530i/540i/740i/840i were all affected. BMW issued their largest recall ever--6years/100k miles, with a FREE BLOCK REPLACEMENT (using nickel-free Alusil block) if leakdown test failed (~$6000 job). I was in the market for a 540i immediately after the end of the recall, and ended up with a straight-six 525i mainly because no sellers/dealers in my pricerange that I contacted could sufficiently prove their car had passed muster at a BMW dealership and I didn't want that kind of liability down the road.

You better read this (the site doesn't exist anymore but this was a very popular FAQ at the time of the recall)

Hope that helps... very nice E34, BTW :beer:

 

[andylawcc]

oh no... why chrome!!!!!

 

[OVerLoRDI]

Originally posted by: AStar617
Butch might not have mentioned this coincidentally, but if you are doing all of that work on a 540i, you DEFINITELY need a compression leakdown test, unless you know your block is already Alusil and not Nikasil. Don't know how familiar you are, but basically high sulphur content in US gasoline reacted with the nickel in 94-95 M60 V8 Nikasil-based (nickel-aluminum-silicon) blocks, causing leakdown... mostly rough idle, some stalls/complete no-starts too. The only fix is an entire engine block replacement. The 530i/540i/740i/840i were all affected. BMW issued their largest recall ever--6years/100k miles, with a FREE BLOCK REPLACEMENT (using nickel-free Alusil block) if leakdown test failed (~$6000 job). I was in the market for a 540i immediately after the end of the recall, and ended up with a straight-six 525i mainly because no sellers/dealers in my pricerange that I contacted could sufficiently prove their car had passed muster at a BMW dealership and I didn't want that kind of liability down the road.

You better read this (the site doesn't exist anymore but this was a very popular FAQ at the time of the recall)

Hope that helps... very nice E34, BTW :beer:

It has a Nikasil block but the engine checks out and has had none of the problems you described. The people I've had look at it said if it hasn't been a problem yet it won't be. Generally the problem existed mostly on the East coast where the gasoline has a much higher sulphur content. Here in California our gasoline has very very low sulphur content. But like others have said I will get a compression check just in case but I'm pretty sure my Nikasil block is okay.