Thinking About Buying a 95 525iT

[John B.]

What kind of mileage can I expect out of the auto trans? Known issues? Is the rear suspension a problem area? Whats involved in converting to standard rear shocks? Were any of these imported with 5 speeds?

[BMWCCA1]

What kind of mileage can I expect out of the auto trans?Depends, on how it's been driven and maintained. Many have gone well over 100k and others see failure at 60k. Maintenance history seems to be critical.
Known issues?Water pumps, radiators, suspension bushings, shocks, control arms, tie-rods, motor/transmission mounts; all are normal maintenance and the majority needed around 100k.
Is the rear suspension a problem area? Whats involved in converting to standard rear shocks?Someone else will have to tell you about shocks, there's no pump or plumbing, just unique shocks. Front suspension is more problematic than rear I'd say.
Were any of these imported with 5 speeds?No, but many have converted them to 5-speeds. Selling a good auto-trans while it's still working can pay for a 5-speed conversion.

[John B.]

Depends, on how it's been driven and maintained. Many have gone well over 100k and others see failure at 60k. Maintenance history seems to be critical.

The car currently has 136k on it so its already over 100k. Its a 2 owner well maintained vehicle but from what you are saying the auto tranny is not known for a long life??

[brick8]

My 1992 525it with 160k miles has the original auto transmission. Shifts fine but the manual and sports settings are problematic. Fine if you stick to ED.

[John B.]

My 1992 525it with 160k miles has the original auto transmission. Shifts fine but the manual and sports settings are problematic. Fine if you stick to ED.

Problematic in what way? Is this an external problem with the electronics or something inside the tranny?

[brick8]

I think it is an electronic problem and I haven't had time to delve into it. Basically, what happens is if you try driving on the highway in manual or sport mode the car goes into limp home mode when you hit 70mph. You can then reset it by turning the car off and pushing the reset button on the right side of the instrument cluster. The car then drives fine. Never have a problem at any speed with the car in auto mode (ED).

[moogplayer]

I bought mine a little over a year ago and the PO paid some $2500 for a rebuilt tranny @ 112K. From what I've read, tranny life is about 100-125K under normal circumstances.

If you're getting a touring, check out the dual sunroofs and make sure that's happening (expensive fix). Also, the rear hatch can, over time, pinch and sever the wiring harness back there, giving you eletrical fits.

That said, E34 Tourings are an excellent value for the $$$

[BillionPa]

the clutch unit is probably slipping due to exponentially increasing air drag fighting against increasing torque from the engine, throwing the code. that theory doesnt hold if you are in overdrive already at the time the code is thrown.

[Denton]

Man, I will be so jealous if you get a '95 Touring! :p

My auto fluid has never been changed. 107k. When shifted into Reverse, it has a two-second pause until Reverse engages...i.e., the clutches have wear. Oh well, it shifts smooth.

I need to get that fluid and filter changed soon.

[BillionPa]

the pause isnt due to the clutches, its due to the valve controlling them. its probably coated with corrosive high friction varnish.

[Denton]

the pause isnt due to the clutches, its due to the valve controlling them. its probably coated with corrosive high friction varnish.

Hrmmm...my mechanic told me it was because the trans clutches are wearing. :(

[BillionPa]

a wearing clutch would not cause that much of a delay.

the transmission modifies shift engagement pressure according to clutch slippage automatically, however the amount of time it would take to apply additional pressure would be less than a quarter of a second more than if the transmission was new.

[granit_silber]

Depends, on how it's been driven and maintained. Many have gone well over 100k and others see failure at 60k. Maintenance history seems to be critical.


Mine's at almost 190k on the original fluid, I think (can't find evidence in the service records and since it was dealer maintained for 12 years I bet they didn't change it). It runs well and I have no problems what so ever. I'm sure it isn't as crisp as a new tranny, but it runs better and smoother than transmissions on some of the new cars I've test driven.

My approach is to wait for the tranny to grenade and then switch it over. Just start saving. :)

-ashley

[John B.]

Thanks for all the replys, I'll be looking at the car tomorrow. After a long talk with the owner this morning I'm pretty excited. He bought the car with 24k on it in 98 & seems religious about fixing anything that isn't right. The tranny was removed a few years ago to fix a leak & was flushed at that time. In the last 3 years he has spent over $7k going through the suspension, frt end, air conditioning system, brakes, any leaks, ect.

Enlighten me on the rear suspension. The Tourings use conventional rear shocks but have hydraulic bladders in place of springs?? If these fail is a swap to springs pretty straight forward?

Is the motor in a 95 the same one used from 92 on? Any known issues?

[feaqs]

1. Enlighten me on the rear suspension. The Tourings use conventional rear shocks but have hydraulic bladders in place of springs?? If these fail is a swap to springs pretty straight forward?

2. Is the motor in a 95 the same one used from 92 on? Any known issues?

Answers:
1. The 95 525iT has conventional shocks and springs...there is no self leveling suspension that uses "bladders"...so no worries there. The 525i Tourings with self leveling rear suspension were only on the 92 & 93 models. When BMW brought over the e34 V8 (530iT)...the 525iT got a standard rear suspension set-up.

2. The 1993-95 e34 525i/iT has the M50TU engine w/VANOS...the 1991 525i & 1992 525i/iT uses the non-VANOS M50 engine. So this car runs well on 87-91 octane fuel since it has knock sensors to handle using 87 AKI...although using higher octane fuel gives better performance (so says the owners manual).

[Ross]

If the fluid resevoir states "pentosin" you have the hydro susp ATF on the resevoir indicates a standard rear susp.
The hydraulic is regarded as problematic but is easily retrofitted to a standard if desired.
Sounds like the PO has covered the problem areas already.
I believe the motor (M50) was used "92 and on and doesn't present any special problems other than being only 2.5 liters hauling a heavy car.
The trannys while not exactly robust will live if fluid has been changed.
The hatch wiring on the touring is prone to breakage in time but no big deal to fix.
Sounds like a good car from here, go for it!

[attack eagle]

Keep in mind that the retail on the rear harnesses is around $500 though you will certainly get a better price from a Parts house. I still haven't done mine after 6 months of ownership for that reason.

Looking over my receipts, the auto lasted 140k before needing a rebuild...
(4L30E listed on the reciept...could that finally be the answer to What GM tranny it is???)

IN reference to heavy car, tiny motor... expect gas mileage to be miserable in primarily stop and go, and exceptional on the highway. I average about 17 in town, and about 35 on the freeway at 65, 29 at 85... :)
Also when i got mine, performance was abysmal, but as I have driven it more sportingly on good 91 octane, it has gotten much much better.

As mentioned by feaq, 94-95 don't have SLS in the US market.
92's have m50 and a one year only tranny, 93 + have m50Tu.

[brick8]

I average about 21-22 mpg with a 50/50 mix of city/highway driving. The car accelerates ok even with the small six. I have noticed no difference in mpg or any knock using regular vs. premium fuel with non-Vanos motor but I mainly use premium to avoid getting flamed here :). Lots of info on this site on the dual sun roof. Mine didn't work when I bought the car. Turns out an electrical connector had come unplugged under the rear seat. The roofs had become gummed up in their tracks but I was able to get them working again. Fun car, would be much improved with a 5 speed conversion. Too bad the guys who can afford to buy these cars new don't know how to operate a manual transmission!

[shrike071]

1993 525iT with 163k on the original automatic trans, and as far as I can tell - the original fluid. The trans delays a bit when shifting into reverse - but it gives me time to turn around and actually look back before I start moving. ;) Once it detonates, I am switching it to a manual. The engine is smooth and powerful and I can usually get 320 - 340 miles out of a tank of gas - combined city and highway. Super sweet car. The only issue is the hatch wiring harnesses and I am going to be doing that soon... Anyone have any suggestions for a source?

[Wack]

I really enjoy my two tourings. Last year I tracked my mileage with my 2.5 liter inline 6 (the wife's car) when we brought it from South Carolina to New York and back. With a LOADED car (2 adults, 2 kids and way too much stuff) we averaged 26.1 mpg over about 2000 miles. About 80 percent of the time I was driving 75mph +/- 3 mph. Going through New Jersey in a 13 year old car with about 170k miles on it with a searing 100 degrees outside.... the car was flawless. Regarding my fuel economy, the 525iT as well as the 530iT take a hit in the cooler temps. With temps above 75 F (and A/C on) I can easily average above 27 mpg on the highway. BTW, I like to use Castrol Syntec 5W-50 in the winter and either 20w-50 in the summer. Get it and enjoy the ride!

[OSUBuckeye59]

About 18 months ago I got lucky enough to purchase a '95 5-speed black-on-black 525i with 101k miles from a private party. The owner hadn't driven it in over a year and it had some problems I needed to address immediately: bad struts (front & back), back-up lights not working, valve cover gasking leaking and a cracked guibo (flex coupler). The not-so-immediate items I needed to address were new plugs and head rests not working (common problem).
Since I had to replace the struts I went the extra mile and replaced the front suspension parts as well. As I'd never worked on a car before I chuckle every time I think about how it took me a full day to replace the 1st strut I tackled and only 3 hours for the 2nd one. The plugs were quite probably the originals as they had 'BMW' stamped on them and were really, really worn. The backup light problem turned out to be a faulty switch . . . a part about the size of my thumb that required 30 minutes to get to (it's mid-section underneath the car) and all of 5 minutes to change out. The head rest fix was a really neat deal that was the easiest and cleanest of all the repairs. The only repair I didn't attempt was the Guibo. Just didn't want to mess with the exhaust system as I didn't have access to a lift.
Unfortunately, 2 months ago, I was rear-ended. The frame didn't suffer structural integrity damage but the cost to refurbish the vehicle exceeds the number from the website the insurance companies use to get the max allowable refurbish cost and thus Allstate is calling it a total loss. Drat!
But there's a potential of me possibly being able to purchase a '94 530iT in a few months from a private party. What's puzzling me about the 530iT is the guy says it's a 5-speed auto. What does this mean?

[attack eagle]

means it is an auto with 5 forward speeds... all the v8s were.

[Ross]

'95 won't have the LAD so no worry there.
The M50 is a pussy compared to your 535 but mine can get 27 mpg on the road.
The auto trans is much maligned but will last if the fluid is changed, unfortunately BMW recomended not to do so. None with 5 spd in the US unless converted.