Car fax request to come back to BMW family.

[M-what]

90 E34 is knocking at my door. Its bit rough cosmetic wise but seems mech. sound. vin WBAHD1311LBF10724. Thanks

[Kalevera]

That 15 year old 535 has THREE open recall campaign issues, some of which were initiated during the first few years of its existence, indicating that it has likely been mechanically neglected, as well.

Car was originally sold in WA.

best, whit

[M-what]

Thanks for info. But how does things done during the warranty period indicate mechanical neglect? Obviously I will have the car inspected by certified bmw mech. before purchasing the car. The car has rebuilt motor and bunch of recent work on suspension & brakes. Only thing that came across odd is that in the rear floor area on the passenger side has discoloration of the carpet. Looks like there was some water or some liquid has pooled there at one point. The other floor areas don't have this condition. Any ideas on what would cause this?
Thanks

[Jay 535i]

Thanks for info. But how does things done during the warranty period indicate mechanical neglect? Obviously I will have the car inspected by certified bmw mech. before purchasing the car. The car has rebuilt motor and bunch of recent work on suspension & brakes. Only thing that came across odd is that in the rear floor area on the passenger side has discoloration of the carpet. Looks like there was some water or some liquid has pooled there at one point. The other floor areas don't have this condition. Any ideas on what would cause this?
Thanks

I think what Whit is saying is that the car in question has not had its recall issues fixed. Since those issues are several years old and are free to fix, it's unlikely the owner was the conscientious type.

[M-what]

I think what Whit is saying is that the car in question has not had its recall issues fixed. Since those issues are several years old and are free to fix, it's unlikely the owner was the conscientious type.
Now that makes sense. Thanks for the clarification.

[Kalevera]

Good question, my friend.

My point was that issues for which free repair and replacement were offered (and are still offered -- just take it to any dealership and they're required to replace the parts by law), and for which letters were sent to the listed owners indicating as much, suggests negligence.

Case in point: I recently performed an alusil block replacement on a '94 540i. The car had gotten so bad that the engine no longer started. After the thing was back together, I had occasion to look in the glove box. There, I found the *original* 1996 letter from BMW NA highlighting the problem, how it was covered under warranty, and how to rectify the situation. The previous owner of this car was obviously a dingo -- he had all of the information, yet he didn't act on it, even when the service was offered to him for free.

Without knowing the mileage of the car, it's hard to suggest that the engine rebuild is the result of negligence, but it certainly is an indicator. At this stage in their lives, it's hard to find one that doesn't come with at least a few issues. I own a previously neglected 535 and the most telling indicator is the exterior (dents, bad paint, you name it).

On the carpet discoloration. Could be due to a rugrat, could be a leaky sunroof seal or clogged drain (but the headliner would indicate as much). This is unlikely due to the amount of space and padding between the visible carpet and the floor pan, but worth a look: the battery lives under the rear seat. If it exploded or leaked in the past, there's the possibility that the acid found its way past the grounding plate on the rear seat wall and out onto the carpet. Pull the rear seat and inspect the floor pan. But, it's a highly unlikely occurance.


best, whit

[Kalevera]

Hahaha, sorry, sometimes I don't communicate so well ;)

Thanks, Jay, for translating.

best, whit

[Jay 535i]

Then again, maybe the car was just serviced by a non-BMW specialist, or the owner himself, either of whom could have simply been oblivious to the recall notices.

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. It's hard to know what these things mean, if anything.

That said, there are certainly no shortage of E34s around. You can probably find one that's less of a mystery.

[M-what]

Good question, my friend.

My point was that issues for which free repair and replacement were offered (and are still offered -- just take it to any dealership and they're required to replace the parts by law), and for which letters were sent to the listed owners indicating as much, suggests negligence.

Case in point: I recently performed an alusil block replacement on a '94 540i. The car had gotten so bad that the engine no longer started. After the thing was back together, I had occasion to look in the glove box. There, I found the *original* 1996 letter from BMW NA highlighting the problem, how it was covered under warranty, and how to rectify the situation. The previous owner of this car was obviously a dingo -- he had all of the information, yet he didn't act on it, even when the service was offered to him for free.

Without knowing the mileage of the car, it's hard to suggest that the engine rebuild is the result of negligence, but it certainly is an indicator. At this stage in their lives, it's hard to find one that doesn't come with at least a few issues. I own a previously neglected 535 and the most telling indicator is the exterior (dents, bad paint, you name it).

On the carpet discoloration. Could be due to a rugrat, could be a leaky sunroof seal or clogged drain (but the headliner would indicate as much). This is unlikely due to the amount of space and padding between the visible carpet and the floor pan, but worth a look: the battery lives under the rear seat. If it exploded or leaked in the past, there's the possibility that the acid found its way past the grounding plate on the rear seat wall and out onto the carpet. Pull the rear seat and inspect the floor pan. But, it's a highly unlikely occurance.


best, whit
The headliner is clean and has no sign of water stains, so I will take a look under the seat. The car it self is pretty clean on the exterior. Only one ding on the whole body. The leather seats are pretty crunchy, so I may have to check the local junk yards for replacement. (beyond restoring). Thanks for all the info gentlemen.

[Jay 535i]

It's worth pointing out that my car and, it seems, Whit's as well, were seriously neglected at some time in the past. But that doesn't make them a bad purchase decision, so long as your eyes are open.

After some TLC and some -- okay, lots -- of money, my car looks and runs terrific. Only the bad paint gives away its past life, but regular washing and waxing can hide even that unless you've got your nose to the bodywork.

[Phil Sanderson]

...just kidding. If you think it's a good deal, buy it - you'll love it!

Phil

[M-what]

It's worth pointing out that my car and, it seems, Whit's as well, were seriously neglected at some time in the past. But that doesn't make them a bad purchase decision, so long as your eyes are open.

After some TLC and some -- okay, lots -- of money, my car looks and runs terrific. Only the bad paint gives away its past life, but regular washing and waxing can hide even that unless you've got your nose to the bodywork.

Well did the buyer check, and looks like it needs some work. All the tranny(manual) and engine mounts are cracked, belts are cracked. Its got its various small leaks from the various seals, nothing major. Only the power steering resevoir & hose seems to leak. The big item is front ball joints and control arm thrust rod bushings need to be replaced $950 w/ alignment. How hard is it to replace the motor and tranny mounts on these cars?

[Kalevera]

Run away from whoever offered to charge you $950 for a control arm job.

Motor mounts are a 1/2 hour task, trans mounts are equally as easy.

Oh, and over years of use, the power steering hoses (what color is the fluid? probably brown) will start to pass fluid through them. It's expensive to replace if it's not the generic/easy hose (between reservoir and PS cooler).

What kind of BMW did you own?

best, whit

[M-what]

Run away from whoever offered to charge you $950 for a control arm job.

Motor mounts are a 1/2 hour task, trans mounts are equally as easy.

Oh, and over years of use, the power steering hoses (what color is the fluid? probably brown) will start to pass fluid through them. It's expensive if it's not the generic/easy hose to replace (between reservoir and PS cooler).

What kind of BMW did you own?

best, whit

Thanks for the heads up on the control arm/ball joint, I can check around for better price. The tranny mount & motor mounts, belts I can handle. The p/s system is original, although the fluid was fairly clean. It will need a tune up and some tlc. I am going to see if the current owner will cut me some $$ to fix some items.

Previous car was a E30 M3, that met an untimely death. Kid in a GMC pick up took the whole passenger side for crash test.

[Jay 535i]

Previous car was a E30 M3, that met an untimely death. Kid in a GMC pick up took the whole passenger side for crash test.

Better than the driver's side. :p

[M-what]

E30 M3 was probably the most intertaining car I have ever driven. It wasn't very fast off the line but boy did it love to rev and turn. I always liked the look of the e34 series, so when this 90 535i came along, it just started the juices flowing. I will be speaking with the owner tomorrow and see what he can do on the asking price after the new findings. Thanks all for the insights.