What goes wrong on E34s

[scoop2004]

Im looking to buy an E34, ideally an M50 520 or 525. just after a list of things that are likely to ruin the ownership for me. the wife insists that the car must last more than 12 months and not need major money spending on rectifying inevitable faults so what is likely to go wrong,what do i want to look for when viewing.

I remember hearing that the water pumps need to be replaced for metal impellored ones but is there anything else?

[Mordan]

watch for

engine not shaking the car
check if AC is working
rust in the bottom of the doors
open the oil cap and watch inside
get under the car and check for fluid leaks. buy a torch and mirror.
test drive and check if there is noise while driving on bumps.

that's the last 525 M50 I checked. never bought it

[525i winter driver]

watch for

engine not shaking the car
check if AC is working
rust in the bottom of the doors
open the oil cap and watch inside
get under the car and check for fluid leaks. buy a torch and mirror.
test drive and check if there is noise while driving on bumps.

that's the last 525 M50 I checked. never bought it

on your test drive temp guage should be right on 12 oclock all the time once it's warm or you have a rad/cooling problem.

[whiskychaser]

There was a check list of things to look out for on bmwe34.net but my old link isnt working as it has moved. Search that first. With respect I dont think I'd buy a 520 as its a lot to expect a 2 litre to shift about a tonne and a half of steel about. My own checklist would be water pump, timing chains/guides, front suspension joints and rear subframe mounts. And go for a manual unless you want to replace the gearbox every two years:D

[525i winter driver]

There was a check list of things to look out for on bmwe34.net but my old link isnt working as it has moved. Search that first. With respect I dont think I'd buy a 520 as its a lot to expect a 2 litre to shift about a tonne and a half of steel about. My own checklist would be water pump, timing chains/guides, front suspension joints and rear subframe mounts. And go for a manual unless you want to replace the gearbox every two years:D

this is the one i have i can't get enough of this site i'm so happy bruno is keeping it going. http://gator482.hostgator.com/~bruno/Wiki/tiki-index.php?page=homepage

[whiskychaser]

this is the one i have i can't get enough of this site i'm so happy bruno is keeping it going. http://gator482.hostgator.com/~bruno/Wiki/tiki-index.php?page=homepage

Wow! That's gone posh! Will have to bookmark it. Anyway, things to look out for should be in there somewhere. Can I add that a good place to start is to view the E34 as a hobby and that you involve your dear lady from day one. She may not be too impressed making sandwiches and pouring beer for you and the lads while you tinker ad infinitum:D

[Paul in NZ]

quite frankly I think you are being a bit unrealistic.We are talking about cars that are up to 20 years old now.Buy a cheap one and expect issues,buy the absolute best one you can find,and you MAY not have to do anything for a while.

[Barney Paull-Edwards]

All the above is good advice which a lot of us should have read BEFORE buying. I can only add that looking at the owners habits and the care he has put into his cars is a good guide to weather he has "bodged" it.

[J.DeFeo]

I think the e34 is pretty damn reliable and well built. The stuff that goes wrong on them is to be expected on any 13-20 year old car. Bushings, mounts, gaskets seems to all be commonly failing items but that rubber was never meant to last that long.

[BMWDriver]

Whatever you do, don't get a 520. Your mileage will be worse than a 525 can do, simply because the car is too heavy for a 2.0L engine. It's gonna have to work on higher revs to get the right kind of torque to keep speed, let alone accelerate. Actually, even 540s seem to do better mileage than a 525, simply because the engine has more power (torque especially) at low revs.

Somebody here was trying to swap his 520 for a 525 for exactly that reason.

Diesel would be another story. Diesel engines have more torque; it's in the nature of that engine. That's why they get such great mileage.

[Sam-Son]

everything

[Blitzkrieg Bob]

for most deusche bags, but if you work on the car it's cheaper than car payments

Remeber you're buying a 13 ++ year old car....:p

[Ferret]

Whatever you do, don't get a 520. Your mileage will be worse than a 525 can do, simply because the car is too heavy for a 2.0L engine. It's gonna have to work on higher revs to get the right kind of torque to keep speed, let alone accelerate. Actually, even 540s seem to do better mileage than a 525, simply because the engine has more power (torque especially) at low revs.

Somebody here was trying to swap his 520 for a 525 for exactly that reason.

Diesel would be another story. Diesel engines have more torque; it's in the nature of that engine. That's why they get such great mileage.

I dont know if this is entirely true...

Around town the 520's tend to be more economical than the diesels - a mate of mine owns both a 520 and a 525tds. This is because around town, if you've got even a slightly heavy foot, the tds engine is constantly on the turbo...

Highway/motorway is entirely different though - at 60-70mph the diesel is barely ticking over due to the gearing, 80 it sits lower than my 540 at just 2krpm a la:
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a190/Ferret101/Car/DSC00045.jpg
If you've got long, steady speed commutes to do - a diesel wins hands down at 600+ miles per tank, if you've got a short commute 540 all the way :D who cares if you only get 250 miles a tank when you're doing less than 100 miles a week XD

The 525/540 argument I'm not so sure about either, my 525iA used to get at least 22 around town on my commute to work - the 540iM gets just 16-17 on the same route :D

BE WARNED: Diesels are not cheap to fix due to the rarity of this engine even in this country - however, shockingly, you can get TDS engine parts from landrover for cheaper than bmw. The 90/00's range rover diesel used the same engine.

The 520i also tends to be more reliable than the 525i with regards to head gasket/cooling problems... the 520 head is quite a lot thicker than the 525i head and less prone to warpage/cracking in an overheat.

First thing you do with an M50 engine on purchase is change the water pump out - or this happens:
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a190/Ferret101/pete/DSC00067.jpg

Inspect the radiator with a fine tooth comb as well - check for the usual furring associated with coolant leaks, if there is any it's likely the previous owner has used a can of radweld, and that's all that's holding the radiator together. The incident in the above photo proved that quite well!

Oh, finally - the 520 may be more reliable than the 525, but the 525 has a different loom and dashboard in it - it has more toys to play with and can easily be retrofitted with a complete OBC system.

You pays your money and you makes your choices!

[genphreak]

everythingYep everything x4

[nirvana19]

Yep everything x4

x16

the more features the more little things to go wrong

[scoop2004]

my reply,

a)the missus is now trying to convince me to get a newer car (E39) on finance so we dont have to pay out on repairs all the time
b)im thinking that 5k loan, paying 140 quidf a month for 3 years for an E39 is a lot more than buying a sub £1000 E34 and paying out a few quid here and there for new bushes and a water pump.
c)can u guys give examples of ur last 12 months of expenses on your E34?
d)540 comment, I'd love to...im tempted, (after all i never do more than 500 miles a month, usually less than 150) im especially tempted by a 535i E39 ive seen.

[Qube]

a)the missus is now trying to convince me to get a newer car (E39) on finance so we dont have to pay out on repairs all the time
b)im thinking that 5k loan, paying 140 quidf a month for 3 years for an E39 is a lot more than buying a sub £1000 E34 and paying out a few quid here and there for new bushes and a water pump.
c)can u guys give examples of ur last 12 months of expenses on your E34?
d)540 comment, I'd love to...im tempted, (after all i never do more than 500 miles a month, usually less than 150) im especially tempted by a 535i E39 ive seen.

Where to start...

a) the E39 will feel better overall as a 'posh' car with a bit of go (if 540). Else, I don't feel it would have outlasted my E34. Everything electrical will eventually just die.
b) loans are bad. You won't find a more comfortable/comforting car as a well kept E34 for that money. It's got so much ahead of it's time.
c) nope. I forgot.
d) 535i E39? I want to see this unicorn...

Bottom line, the missus will probably want the E39 just because it SEEMS more modern. Frankly, the E34 is built so much tougher. It'll age much better than an E39 unless you buy 2002-2003 gen. Then the $$ spread is so much it's not worth it.

I'm rambling.

[scoop2004]

d)
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2001-BMW-535I-SPORT-AUTO-SILVER_W0QQitemZ280241876353QQcmdZViewItem?hash=it em280241876353&_trkparms=39%3A1%7C65%3A7&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/STUNNING-BMW-535i-M-TEC-V8-SPORT-TIP-AUTO-NOT-525i-530i_W0QQitemZ320267817323QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item 320267817323&_trkparms=39%3A1%7C65%3A7&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

Ill carry on doing my reserch but i can see me getting a 525,or a 540.....but as much as id love a V8 the higher costs involved may be a bit too much. 90% of the journeys i do will be costant speed journeys though,like sticking at 60MPH for long periods...but could i do with that a V8 under the bonnet??? i'd be flooring it just to hear the noise. what BHP does the 540 E34 have?

[Qube]

Yep. Mythical beast, never before seen on this side of the pond :)


d)
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2001-BMW-535I-SPORT-AUTO-SILVER_W0QQitemZ280241876353QQcmdZViewItem?hash=it em280241876353&_trkparms=39%3A1%7C65%3A7&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/STUNNING-BMW-535i-M-TEC-V8-SPORT-TIP-AUTO-NOT-525i-530i_W0QQitemZ320267817323QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item 320267817323&_trkparms=39%3A1%7C65%3A7&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

Ill carry on doing my reserch but i can see me getting a 525,or a 540.....but as much as id love a V8 the higher costs involved may be a bit too much. 90% of the journeys i do will be costant speed journeys though,like sticking at 60MPH for long periods...but could i do with that a V8 under the bonnet??? i'd be flooring it just to hear the noise. what BHP does the 540 E34 have?

[Paul in NZ]

the e34 540 is about 210 kw as rated by BMW.Paying interest on a 5 k loan instead of a 1k carplus a few costs.From the finance point of view there isnt a contest there.If i was you i would go for a later 525...

[whiskychaser]

my reply,

a)the missus is now trying to convince me to get a newer car (E39) on finance so we dont have to pay out on repairs all the time
b)im thinking that 5k loan, paying 140 quidf a month for 3 years for an E39 is a lot more than buying a sub £1000 E34 and paying out a few quid here and there for new bushes and a water pump.
c)can u guys give examples of ur last 12 months of expenses on your E34?
d)540 comment, I'd love to...im tempted, (after all i never do more than 500 miles a month, usually less than 150) im especially tempted by a 535i E39 ive seen.

If you are not doing the spanner work yourself, a 13+ year old car may not be for you. For under a grand you will be looking at something that has at least 100k miles on it. If it hasnt had it already, you will need to give it some TLC. But if you bought an E34 you really liked for £1k and spent another one getting it into good shape, £3k buys a lot of chocolates and flowers:D