E34,E39,E60,F10 common issus info etc

[Gar]

Thrown a thread together in the 5 and 3 series sections that people new to bmw can browse and hopefully help them to purchase a car in the future

Cant list every single issue ever and some will only effect certain cars etc but we'll give it a go

Post and il edit it into one categorised super post on the main page for newbs

E34

BODY
Common rust areas
Check behind sills remove if possible

(Not familiar with this car at all)

ENGINES

Petrol
I4
I6
V8

Diesel
I6


GEARBOX


SUSPENSION


BRAKES


ELECTRONICS


WHEELS

FACELIFT

NCAP RATING N/A



E39

BODY
Common rust areas
Bootlid
Sills (mudflaps cause this)
Behind Rear arch's toward boot water and mud builds up on a lip on the inside remove liners once a year and clean
Inside fuel flap poor design water/fuel sits inside it

ENGINE I6 (petrol)
M52/54
Engine very reliable
Likes a drop of fuel mpg same across the range despite power increase average 26 mpg
M54 uses quite a bit of oil (bmw say 1.0ltr to 1000 miles is normal)
Common cause ccv (crankcase breather)
Vanos seals fail on both engines around 60k miles causing hard starts on m52 and loss of power below 3k rpm on m54 no special tools needed for m54 seal replacement
Common oil leak locations ,oil filter housing gasket, rocker cover gasket
Disa valve can break away

M54 http://www.bmwheaven.com/database/engine.php?type=M54
M52 http://www.bmwheaven.com/database/engine.php?type=M52#/73

ENGINE I6 (diesel)
Swirl flaps (autos only)
Injectors
More ???

ENGINE V8
????

Cooling system overhaul is a must on +100k cars (rad,thermostat,water pump,expansion bottle,serpintine belts all need replacing) replace coolant every two years blue coolant

SUSPENSION
Over a 100k miles or +10yrs old will need a few bits changed
Front consists of 4 arms ,2 tie rod assemblys , arb bushs x2 ,droplinks x2
Rear consists of arms x4, rose bush x2 , arb x2 , drop links x2 ,subframe bush x4

Engine mounts need replacing around 120k


GEARBOX
Manual- throw very long gears a bit sloppy ,solution e60 545i ssk optional replace small bushings on linkage , fluid is lifetime but recommend replacing with 75w90 redline or royal purple

Automatic- can fail anywere between 100k and 200k very exspenisve rebuild, recommend servicing box as soon as car is bought will help prolong its life

Clutch costs around 100 for luk complete kit recommended to change dmf at the same time brings bill to around €500

Diff - very strong ,seals will fail later on though and leaks costs around 90e for seals from bmw


BRAKES
Fairly robust ,lines will rust underneath new lines need to be made and installed ,brake hoses will be perished need replacing 10e a hose standard rubber or 80e for full stainless kit ,calipers tend to stick rebuild kits available but easier to replace entire caliper
Abs module can fail (001 always fails) expensive fix 2nd hand 150 refurbish around 250

ELECTRONICS
Very good here imo
Pixel failure common on high obc
Ignition ring can fail
Bootlid wiring can fail causing havoc with the electrics
Diamond keys fail (180e new from bmw) battery needs to be soldered in for replacement refurbish is 25 pound on ebay

Headlights - adjusters fail on facelift headlights which result in headlight alignment not working correctly fiddly fix but not expensive

WHEELS
Only bmw with a 74.1mm bore
Tyres are pricey and must be xl
Rides well on 18's good mix of looks and ride comfort

FACELIFT
New front and rear lights
Kidney grill
Steering wheel
Ihka unit
Engines
Widescreen nav


NCAP RATING 4*




E60

ENGINES
Petrol
Early i6 petrols were M54 see above
Late I6
V8
V10

Diesel
I4
I6

SUSPENSION
Control Arm Failure:*Around 30-50k miles, the control arm could begin to fail or the bushings wear out. This can result in loose-handling

BODY


ELECTRONICS
Early models suffered idrive failure exspensive fox
Battery needs coding if replaced
DPF failures now quite common on diesels at between 80,000 and 120,000*

GEARBOX


BRAKES


WHEELS
Run flat tyres = harsh ride
No spare wheel or jack
19" spyders prone to cracking especially on the rear wheels

FACELIFT
New lights front and back
New doorcards
Engines

NCAP RATING 4*


F10

ENGINES


SUSPENSION

GEARBOX


BRAKES


BODY

ELECTRONICS


WHEELS

FACELIFT


NCAP RATING 5*

Back in a min

Its messy at the moment but will take structure over the coming weeks

[Valdelisbmw]

very very common problem on al of them ,wrong drivers :tounge::hehe!:

[dzwx]

e60 n52 hydraulic lifter noise(ticking)on cold start due to wrong head design,usually goes after nice long drive.
Coils.

[bofh666ie]

E60 N52 VANOS solenoids sticking unless you change oil at 10k latest.