How to Keep my E34 ?

[RobPatt]

Situation - next summer I'll have a 100 mile round trip commute Mon-Fri, in the south, so no snow or ice.

Car - my 525ia w/170K miles.... no major issues w/it.

Question - how do I make it reliable enough to "survive" that routine for the next 4 years... ?

Sell it, get the 2010 Honda Accord Coupe V6, leather, 6 speed. QUITE a SOLID car... it drives sweet actually, and has a very solid, E34 feel.

BUT, I really LIKE my black, lowered, balanced bimmer...had it 8 years now...so...here's what I've already replaced off the top of my head in the last 5-8 years....
- CPS
- all coil packs and plugs
- fuel relay and master relay
- brake light circuit thingy
- A/T filter/fluid
- fuel pump (now makes a buzzing sound when warm..even at full tank)
- AC Compressor, & dryer
- t-stat, housing, water pump
- sachs kit, style 5 rims, great stereo...seat twists... :):)
- other misc stuff like filters, plugs... thrust arms, etc....

- Tranny is slow engaging into reverse when car sits for a long time.

- Car has no other issues, lean and clean... M1 every 5K, etc...

WHAT ARE THE THINGS that will die on me that I SHOULD replace ?
I WILL NOT have time to deal with a "no start" issue to/from work... so I gotta decide. Honda or Bimmer or Option #3 (what's that, a kia ?)

Thanks for your help!

[Tiger]

Tranny already showing sign of problem... so it will die on you. Time to shop for rebuilt tranny and install it. Get it done ahead of time so you can deal with any problems afterward.

The only thing that concerns me is your fuel expense... either the BMW or the new Honda and cost of insurance.

[brodee]

Buy a cheap e30, sort it out good and use it to rack up miles. Drive the e34 when you want and you can have time then to work on it and keep it nice. You will also appreciate it more when you do drive it then after being in the e30 all day.

[Mr._Graybeard]

The E34 is a great long-distance commuter. I've been doing a 90-mile commute in mine since 2005, although I try not to drive it much in snow.

Your trans does sound a little dicey, as Tiger says. A long freeway-type commute tends to be pretty kind to the drivetrain vs. stop-and-go, but you know what you're going to be up against on the road. Plan accordingly. Keep the fluid fresh (30Kmi changes).

I'd make sure the cooling system is very strong. If the radiator is 10 years old, think about replacing it. Change your water pump if it's got more than 60K on it (my car just got pump No. 3). Look for cracks in the expansion tank, check your hoses. The cooling system is where a BMW can ruin your day in a few seconds.

If your battery is more than 5 years old, replace it. Check system voltage to see what your alternator is putting out.

That should cover the potential for the kind of catastrophic failure that sneaks up without warning. Other stuff like wheel bearings, exhaust or engine issues tend to come on gradually. You can stay on top of them if you're paying attention.

A few more items to inspect: hard lines under the car for excessive corrosion. They tend to fail around the clamps that hold them to the car.

Brake and AT cooler hoses. If they've never been changed on your car they're probably due.

Here are some more ideas ... http://www.bmwe34.net/Wiki/tiki-index.php?page=What+will+break

[bmwrp8]

The E34 is a great long-distance commuter. I've been doing a 90-mile commute in mine since 2005, although I try not to drive it much in snow.

Your trans does sound a little dicey, as Tiger says. A long freeway-type commute tends to be pretty kind to the drivetrain vs. stop-and-go, but you know what you're going to be up against on the road. Plan accordingly. Keep the fluid fresh (30Kmi changes).

I'd make sure the cooling system is very strong. If the radiator is 10 years old, think about replacing it. Change your water pump if it's got more than 60K on it (my car just got pump No. 3). Look for cracks in the expansion tank, check your hoses. The cooling system is where a BMW can ruin your day in a few seconds.

If your battery is more than 5 years old, replace it. Check system voltage to see what your alternator is putting out.

That should cover the potential for the kind of catastrophic failure that sneaks up without warning. Other stuff like wheel bearings, exhaust or engine issues tend to come on gradually. You can stay on top of them if you're paying attention.

A few more items to inspect: hard lines under the car for excessive corrosion. They tend to fail around the clamps that hold them to the car.

Brake and AT cooler hoses. If they've never been changed on your car they're probably due.

Here are some more ideas ... http://www.bmwe34.net/Wiki/tiki-index.php?page=What+will+break

plus an addition, If your car started to have the famous front shimmy have it checked asap and replace the parts needed ( if you love your car just use orig.OEM) don't let it sit for awhile so no other parts will be affected. I learned the hard way.. just a simple tie rod, i let it be for a good month and a half and ended up changing almost all the components.:(

[philbyil]

Sounds like you have been doing some good progressive maintenance...

Keeping your car rather than buying (you will be buying rather than renting? I mean leasing ;)) makes eminent fiscal sense.

The tranny appears to be the only REAL "monetary" issue, everything else will be (in general) cheaper than a car payment (purchase OR rental!).

However, when was the last time you changed the tranny fluid and strainer? If it has been a while, just drain and change it, don't get it flushed, which could bring up more issues!
FYI - A rebuilt tranny from a reputable shop will be around $2000.

Other than that, regular oil and filter changes with concurrent systems checks at 5k should be fine for you. Then save the money that you would have spent on a car payment and keep it in a reserve fund.

Remember, if you DO have a "no start", just get a rental car until the issue is solved. It will still be cheaper than a car payment. And have the numbers of your local Enterprise/Hertz or whatever in your cell phone Just in case :).








Situation - next summer I'll have a 100 mile round trip commute Mon-Fri, in the south, so no snow or ice.

Car - my 525ia w/170K miles.... no major issues w/it.

Question - how do I make it reliable enough to "survive" that routine for the next 4 years... ?

Sell it, get the 2010 Honda Accord Coupe V6, leather, 6 speed. QUITE a SOLID car... it drives sweet actually, and has a very solid, E34 feel.

BUT, I really LIKE my black, lowered, balanced bimmer...had it 8 years now...so...here's what I've already replaced off the top of my head in the last 5-8 years....
- CPS
- all coil packs and plugs
- fuel relay and master relay
- brake light circuit thingy
- A/T filter/fluid
- fuel pump (now makes a buzzing sound when warm..even at full tank)
- AC Compressor, & dryer
- t-stat, housing, water pump
- sachs kit, style 5 rims, great stereo...seat twists... :):)
- other misc stuff like filters, plugs... thrust arms, etc....

- Tranny is slow engaging into reverse when car sits for a long time.

- Car has no other issues, lean and clean... M1 every 5K, etc...

WHAT ARE THE THINGS that will die on me that I SHOULD replace ?
I WILL NOT have time to deal with a "no start" issue to/from work... so I gotta decide. Honda or Bimmer or Option #3 (what's that, a kia ?)

Thanks for your help!

[Ross]

I've seen, and had, trannys go for years like that though. Too many E34s given up for dead because of trans issues.
I say keep it. Cooling system is #1 cause of breakdown so be sure all the hoses and belts are fresh, monitor the trans and keep driving. The trans if and when it does fail isn't like to go "poof" and leave you strended, it'll give plenty of warning before it won't go.

[Russell]

the trany slow to engage is very common. Mine has done it for 6 years. That said, it is an indication of age.

I think slow reverse engaement is also associated with the infamous "pendulumn shift". This is about a 500 rpm fluctuation under light load at about 2,500 rpm going up an incline. Seems like a light surge.

Mine lightly started doing this in the past few months. BTW, mine is serviced every 30,000 or so miles.

[ScottyWM]

Until last July, for the past 17 years (12 years with the 5'er) I've had an easy 7 mile commute. In July that changed to a 50 mile daily commute. I faced the same question as you. Decided to keep the 5'er and let it run. It seems to love it! I've had the same issue with slow reverse after sitting a few days for years, but no other tranny issues at all. I'm on my 3rd radiator and 5th water pump, but they are easy to tell when they're going bad and easy to change. One thing I'd add that I haven't seen mentioned is checking your brakes. With my commute, I may have to go from 85mph to 0mph in a blink of the eye! Oh - and have you changed the grommets under the brake fluid reservoir yet? Those get old and cracked and start leaking which is a big mess.

I get nearly 30 mph highway with my car (EAT chip) just turning 195k miles on it, and making occasional repairs is a WHOLE lot cheaper than a new car. I've commited to keeping it another 4 years (until my youngest is out of college) - we'll see if I make it.

[ryan roopnarine]

Spend 300 or so changing every element of the cooling system, get the alternator rebuilt or change out the voltage regulator, and make sure that your battery is up to snuff, and there will be little else that will probably break and be a situation where the car will have to sit in the driveway while it gets fixed. If you drop a little more than a car payment (500$) and use coupons for advance and the like, you might find that it isn't worth the hassle of buying a new car for a good while yet.

[Russell]

plus 1. I plan to put another trany and fix any rust etc. as needed . no plans to replace.

[Scott C]

My tranny has been somewhat tardy to go in reverse when sitting for a while. It has been this way since it was rebuilt by the dealer (when I bought it with 60Kmiles). Not sure I would worry about a slight delay when going into reverse when the car has been sitting (could check the fluid level).

That being said, if you absolutely can't afford to be with a broken car, the Honda won't let you down. But weigh the costs of 1 day having a breakdown, which could happen to the Honda as well (not likely) against having a payment on a 2010 Honda. The BMW breaking results in getting a rental for the week that the car is repaired? You have to decide what risk/reward you can live with. I have a 5 miler to work so easy for me to say.

Make sure you get a XM radio - make the drive more pleasurable.

[RobPatt]

.... will now seriously reconsider in the summer when it's time to drive the long hauls....

looks the the bimmer's still got lots of life. :-)

[BennyM]

My girlfriend has an 07 civic coupe and I have a lot of hours logged behind the wheel of that car in the city and on longer trips across the midwest US. The civic feels like a little space ship. It's futuristic, responsive, and seems to weigh nothing. Mechanically, it's never let us down. That said, it has terrible visibility issues and limited traction. On clear, hot, summer days we use the Civic; in the winter or on super stormy days, we take the 525i. Also, while the civic is faster off the line, the 525i has a lot more passing power on the freeway. If I wind up driving the civic for a week or two and then find myself back in the BMW, I always feel back at home. There's something about how the BMW feels that I just can't put into words.

That's just my comparative experience. If you want a car that you don't have to think about, get the Civic. It doesn't offer the same driving pleasure, but it's still a cool little car.

[RobPatt]

... I'm gonna update the radiator, & hosts, check the tranny fluid, and go for it.....

if... well if something goes catastrophic...

there's always a few dozen civics for sale in any city, so it it comes to it, getting any civic shoudl be quick, easy, not too painful.

otherwise... gonna do a few of those "under the hoods", maybe the vinyl covers (seat) from iggee.com.... and redo the headliner.

Get a little more miles unter her. :-)