I think I've found a car!

[pundit]

Well after several months of looking and tyre kicking I think I may have found a 535i. Saw this yesterday... '90 model 535i Executive auto trans, Alpine white with black leather, basketweaves, M-Tech steering wheel. All usual Executive options inc rear head rests and roller blind plus auto-dipping rear view mirror, factory fitted in-car phone kit and electric memory seats.

Its done 170,000km (105,000 miles) BMW dealer service history. He's asking top dollar $17,990 (Australian) about ($13,500 USD). You need to understand these things are 2 to 3 times the equivalant price here in Australia compared to the US or UK. In other words an equivalant vechicle in the US would be around $4,500 to $6,750 (USD).

Took it for a spin. It drove much better (in fact like a dream!) than the '89 model I tried out an hour before with 300,000KMS (185,000 miles) on the clock. This earlier vehicle was $12,000 (Australian dollars) about $9,000 (USD) over here or $3,000 to $4,500 equivalant cost in the US.

Anyway I looked over the '90 model and it and while it's pretty damn good there are a few issues. The left hand rear door and wheel arch have been repaired, the rear roller blind has detached itself, and there are some small holes in the door trims caused by the doors being close on the seat belt buckles. There appears to be a rather active oil leak from the motor and the disc rotors are also fairly heavily grooved and look like they'll need replacing. I took the oil filler cap off and looked inside the valve cover. I could see the the rocker arms, rocker, and cam shafts. It was VERY clean inside. No sludge whatsoever - this vehicle has definately had regular oil changes as the service book indicates.

He said it comes with a RWC (Road Worthy Certificate) in the ad . A RWC inspection is mandatory when buying or selling a car over here. It covers all safety items, brakes lighting, suspension, steering, oil leaks rust etc. Vehicles must pass this test before they can be driven. Any repairs must be done at the sellers expense if being sold with a current RWC, or at the buyers if he agrees to purchase the vehicle without a RWC. (At a reduced price of course)

After agreeing he was asking a lot for this 535i (and saying he was prepared to negotiate) I offered him $14,000 which is about right for a good one. In the end we agreed to split the difference between the $14,000 I was offering and the $18,000 he was asking, and settled at $16,000. But now he tells me that he won't provide a RWC at this price! (Give with the right and take back with the left!) So now I'm getting a bit pissed. I said I wouldn't pay $16,000 without a RWC. He has now agreed to take it to HIS mechanic and see how much it will be for a RWC. I have decided to get an independant inspection, determine the cost of repairs to have it meet the RWC and then deduct the cost from the $16,000 and do the repairs myself (I'm an ex Mercedes mechanic). If the quote for the repairs are $2000 then I'll give him $14,000 without a RWC. I don't trust the guy enough to let his mechanic supply the RWC. He may cut some corners to save the owner some money.

Anyway I'll let you know the outcome. - Cheers. ;)

[bahnstormer]

don't buy an auto! ew!


does that wheel have airbags?

[pundit]

don't buy an auto! ew!


does that wheel have airbags?
Well I considered buying a manual but... I commute daily half rural driving, half in traffic and the few manuals I managed to find either were not in good condition or I didn't generally like the vehicle. Anyway if I buy this 535i and the auto trans fails (or I get the urge to stir the stick) then I could think about installing a five speed. Maybe... maybe not... who knows?

To my knowledge the E34 M-Technic leather sports steering wheel did not have an airbag. Either the 'bus' wheel or the later '94, '95 wheels were fitted with airbags, but not the M-Technic. Does anyone else know about this for sure?

[Paul in NZ]

mtech 2= no airbag,certainly looks in very good condition.Having looked for so long only you can weigh up his demands vs the condition of the car.Certainly woth having someone independent check the car.When i bought my car The bmw dealer had a standard 90 minute check,for a reasonable price.There are almost certainly more nice e34 535's out there maybe even some 535 is's but.......

[George M]

Congrats...looks like a very nice unmolested E-34...what you want. Sticks are fun but if properly maintained, hard to fault the big six matched to the ZF 4HP 22EH in these cars...I have the same drive train and year E-32 and hard to find fault...a very comfortable transport.
Enjoy it!...surprising car cost disparity with the US.
George

[632 Regal]

Looks like a very nice catch! Hopefully the fixes are straight forward for you.

[pundit]

Well I had the pre-purchase inspection today. As I suspected the front disc rotors are undersize and the rears are just .5mm shy of replacement as well.

The oil leak appears to be coming from approximately half way up the timing cover area leaking down and back along the sump and crossmember. I'm thinking this maybe the ubiquitous crank sensor mounting bracket bolt leak!

There was a very slight vibration driving at about 100kmh (60 mph). The is also a leak from the transmission (ZF22HP) selector shaft seal and maybe the pan gasket.

The car is equipped with full climate control (horizontal thumbwheels). The ventilation fan only works on the maximum control setting. The variable stage of the control doesn't work at all. Neither do the automatic climate control buttons. The guy who tested the car seemed to know quite a bit about E34's and said the control module for the climate control often goes faulty and can cost a bomb to have fixed. Does anyone know about these? I have a fair background in electronics so I am quite prepared to attempt a fix myself if the module is indeed the problem. Can anyone provide info on this?

The rear muffler is also showing some slight signs of corrosion but nothing major at this stage. Basically nothing really diabolical showed up in the inspection. Motor & trans (apart from oil leaks) were considered in good shape. In fact the tester said the motor appeared to be in excellent condition and he didn't doubt the mileage and service history.

The repair to the L/H/R door was only minor with no damage extending any further. The paintwork on the rest of the car is original and in good condition. Should buff up just fine. I checked the VIN with the RTA (Road Traffic Authority) and it came up clear. No finance outstanding, never written off and it was registered to the guy who was selling it. In fact he let me pick the car up from his house and drive it to the tesing station and then back again on my own. He was at work and I was gone for about six hours in total. Pretty trusting I thought as it was only the second time I had seen him. However I did leave my van and the keys with his wife.

I drove about 100kms (60mls) part freeway and part suburban. Man this thing drove nice! One final thing I did notice however was when I hit the gas and it kicked down a gear. When the revs got to about 3,500 to 4,000 a light metallic rattle appeared from under the bonnet. This raised alarm bells slightly. The only thing I could liken it to was possibly a broken valve spring. I only noticed this on the way back after the inspection and only about five minutes away from returning the car to his house. Any thoughts on this? I know these things can chew out cams but it idles and runs smooth and has no abnormal valve train noise apart from the rattle I just mentioned at those revs. Are M30's known for breaking valve springs?

[bimmerd00d]

the metallic rattle sounds like it needs a valve adjustement asap! or maybe i could be wrong :D

[JonE]

"The ventilation fan only works on the maximum control setting. The variable stage of the control doesn't work at all. "
This sounds like it could be the "sword" resistor for the vent. fan. Not bad to get to in the left hand drive cars. More costly to replace than the later "resistor packs". There are sources that refurb the "swords". Not sure if this might also affect the climate control stuff.

[pundit]

the metallic rattle sounds like it needs a valve adjustement asap! or maybe i could be wrong :D
I doubt it's valve adjustment. The valve train is quiet at idle and up to just under 4000 RPM. Then this metallic kind of flutter develops. Kind of like valve bounce due to a broken spring. Still I maybe wrong!

[pundit]

"The ventilation fan only works on the maximum control setting. The variable stage of the control doesn't work at all. "
This sounds like it could be the "sword" resistor for the vent. fan. Not bad to get to in the left hand drive cars. More costly to replace than the later "resistor packs". There are sources that refurb the "swords". Not sure if this might also affect the climate control stuff.
As you mention, up to about '92 the E34's used an electronic control module (Sword) to control the fan speed. After that they used a ballast resisitor device.

Well I priced a Sword module....

$675.00 +TAX = $742.50 Aussie dollars or about $550.00 US!!! Yikes!! :(
That's about 3 to 4 times the US price!! If I can't fix it myself I'll order one from the US!

[Paul in NZ]

is it pinking(the rattle)?When you say the butons dont work for the climate control,what do you mean?

http://www.bimmer.info/bmw/kiwi535/Picture%202a.jpg

[pundit]

is it pinking(the rattle)?When you say the butons dont work for the climate control,what do you mean?
No it's not pinking (or pinging as we call it in Oz). I've heard enough pinging engines in my life being an ex-mechanic. It's definately a mechanical noise. Not heavy and there is absolutely no trace of it until you reach just under 4000 RPM. It's not a progressive noise that gradually becomes more prominent with increasing speed or load... it just suddenly kicks in at 4000RPM. That's why I'm guessing it may be a broken valve spring resulting in valve bounce which commences right at around 4000 RPM.

As far as the climate control is concerned activating the buttons didn't seem to have any effect. I admit I know nothing about the climate control itself and am assuming what the tester has told me about it not working is correct. He said it's not unusual for the climate control module to fail and they are apparently somewhat expensive to fix and/or replace.

[Randell]

how long have you been looking for? $16k seems a lot for a 535 with the problems you've described... surely you can find a decent example that doesn't have oil leaks, rattles, broken aircon controls or high-speed vibration! it's not like these cars are owned by hoons...

just be patient and keep looking, looking back I wish I did... for the price he's intitially asking ($18k), he's gonna be holding onto it for a fair while

[SLEX Runner]

As far as the climate control is concerned activating the buttons didn't seem to have any effect. I admit I know nothing about the climate control itself and am assuming what the tester has told me about it not working is correct. He said it's not unusual for the climate control module to fail and they are apparently somewhat expensive to fix and/or replace.

Once you've purchased the car, let us know how you're progressing on fixing the climate control.

In the used parts lot in Saudi Arabia, there are a lot of ex-Japan half-cut e34's being parted out, and one of the items usually put aside is the climate control switches.

Photograph what you need, and perhaps I can help you source it out.

Goodluck!

[ProZak]

Wow, a 1990 with only 105k miles? Sounds nice. And I'm partial to the Alpine white. :D The car certainly takes good pictures. It also sounds like you've got a solid negotiating strategy worked out; good luck!!

-Zak-

[Kalevera]

WTF?!?! Pundit bought this car over a year ago, chilluns ;)

[ProZak]

Not heavy and there is absolutely no trace of it until you reach just under 4000 RPM. It's not a progressive noise that gradually becomes more prominent with increasing speed or load... it just suddenly kicks in at 4000RPM.

(Possibly foolish) question - does it only happen under load, or can you reproduce it at rest in park or neutral? Don't have any good ideas for you, just thought I'd throw that out there.

-Zak-

[ProZak]

WTF?!?! Pundit bought this car over a year ago, chilluns ;)
Sweeeeeeeet! Now can I have my NEWBIE bumper sticker / t-shirt / coffee mug / tattoo?

:P :P :P

PS - Where's the thread date stamp, and why did I miss it?

[ProZak]

Oh, hey, wow, nm. Found it. Sign me up for a subscription to NEWBIE Magazine. Or maybe FABULOUS NOOBS, in the Adult section.

[pundit]

WTF?!?! Pundit bought this car over a year ago, chilluns ;)
A year exactly on New Years Day! ;)
Oil leak was an easy fix (crank angle sensor bracket bolt)
Intermittant variable fan speed also easily fixed (bad solder joint on 'sword' pcb)
Replaced the disc rotors and pads.
Thrust arm bushes replaced at friends place with 750 bushes for $38.00 AUD each.

No other major issues! :)

[632 Regal]

I really have to pay attention to the date stamps on these things.

[pundit]

Sweeeeeeeet! Now can I have my NEWBIE bumper sticker / t-shirt / coffee mug / tattoo?

:P :P :P

PS - Where's the thread date stamp, and why did I miss it?
12-19-2004, 07:24 AM :D

[632 Regal]

what are you trying to say here?
12-19-2004, 07:24 AM :D

[Phatty5BMW]

Yea i know i started the thread back up about the GTO..... lol oops :P