i have an 03 with 147k miles and i've spent just about 10.5k in my 34 months and 20,000 miles of ownership, BUT! i'm a mechanical neat freak and i tend to replace things long before they'll actually fail. there's very few things on the car I've "had to fix" due to them breaking. strongly recommend spending like $1,100 on a Zionsville cooling kit, which replaces the mechanical fan with a good electrical one, has a much better radiator, and an aluminum welded expansion tank. That one kit will eliminate 50% of the car's cooling system issues, it's great
My 2003 540i //Msport 6 speed IMOLA red....(one of 6 in north america) in 6 years of daily. Bought with 76k now 132k... Clutch. alternator. a few ignition coils. lots of tires. 2 radiators. seat twist repair. rebuilt front end. pixel repair on MID. radiator expansion tank. Faulty GM 3. I did all except clutch ($1200) and mid pixel repair (100 bucks on ebay) myself. IMO this is the best bang for buck car on the road. Beautiful. Handles like a video game. Just feels awesome. I'm seriously considering buying up all the good ones I can find. Just do muffler delete....leave the resonator. People compliment me all the time on the exhaust note. Knock on wood. Like all BMW'ers should.
Cool, I've got a 2000 m sport 6 speed as well, black, Tan leather interior (weird combo), Dinan stage 2, full cat and resonator delete to a 3" stainless dual tip exhaust (it sounds insane). 19" staggered wheels, strut brace, coilovers this spring. I'm still less than $9000 Canadian all in. I'm waiting for spring to get some cool video.
You lucky bastards. I had the timing chain guides go out 1 week after I bought the car. Headlight adjusters, ABS module, HVAC blower, hood latch release cable, 55mph shimmy (replaced the front suspension bushings), rear suspension ball joints and control arms, PS fluid leaks, valve cover oil leaks, water pump leaks (my fault when I did the timing chain), ignition coils, pixel repair, door lock actuators, window regulators, an O2 sensor, and ... a gas cap. I've done it all myself because a local mechanic literally laughed at me when I told him about the timing chain. Pelican and ECS love me. I've also done an all AL radiator, VANOS rebuild (it didn't need it but since it was apart...), replaced all the wheel speed sensors, refinished the headlight lenses, front spoiler (mine is a base) and Bilstein B6's. Thinking about a muffler delete. They do sound so good uncorked.
Had the same spec (109k miles) for 2 years and just about everything went wrong with it. Cooling system, seat twist, dead pixels, water cooled alternator, timing chain guide, starter, etc. Great car when it's not broken. Never again for me!
those are literally the only problems on these cars and only require that every 100k miles due to temp of the engine that runs high, there are aftermarket thermostats that are made specifically to reduce engine temp which will improve performance and make the plastics last much longer.
Zygrene oh and also, whenever your find a trustworthy good mechanic for your car ask him to check the timing chain tensioner, it’s easy to get to you can even do it, those are a big factor that cause the timing chain to fail making it flap around more, hence causing noise hence eventually failing, making sure the timing tensioner is good, it will definitely make it last much longer if not it might even completely eliminate that problem. 100$ for the tensioner and again every easy to access just watch a TH-cam video or forums if you’re curious to try yourself.
I have the identical car in silver 2003 as well. Dinan chip gives you even better throttle response and removes the 155mph cap--I may have done 167mph across Montana on the way to Sturgis ;-) The H&R front lowering springs made for the E39 M5 puts the front at the same height as the rear with zero loss in comfort--feels the same. Next I'd like to try the DINAN short shifter--anyone done this to theirs-thoughts? Also, ALWAYS let the car warm up for a few minutes to let the metal and plastic more slowly equalize in temperature, and you'll never have to deal with cooling issues (a common weakness). I replaced my radiator and coolant reservoir (myself) about 3 months after owning it $660 at my cost since I worked at a body shop. I've had it four years now and 40k miles--no problems using this warm up regimen. Great videos!!!
Have a 1999 540i M-Sport myself (135k miles). Took it down to San Antonio for a drift event 2 or 3 times. Last time i took it out there the plastic neck on the radiator blew off and spewed coolant all over the windshield. One U-Haul trailer and an all aluminum radiator later, the problem is fixed lol. Also, the car will sound great if you straight pipe the resonators and mufflers but leave the cats, thats my set-up currently.
I have two of these back in the day,a 97 and a 99 sport. As far as weird sounds and/or creeks,when my car starting to get that I just installed a borla cat back exhaust for $500-600,I think you can just delete the resonators and get a good sound from it. I honestly remember that it was some quiet inside at WOT on stock exhaust but from outside it does put out a nice growl even though it's just one muffler. My advice is watch the hoses that coolant travels through,I got standed a lot because of my coolant hoses blowing up and leaking out all my coolant. Also it's really recommended to get coolant from BMW only but I don't know how really important it is,I just followed the rules because I was tired of them giving me a problem every few thousand miles or so. Expansion tanks crack,watch the radiator and obviously you won't see your water pump going. As far as the tire leak,it might not be the tire but rather maybe the rim has a small crack? I had cracked rims that would loose air everything few days or so. If it's a screw in the tire on the thread then just patch it up and hold money on reserve because as great as these cars drove,they are unfortunately expensive to fix and it's known for quiet a few issues
As long as you know how to DIY the common easy stuff, an E39 540i is a pretty solid daily driver. I have 201,000 miles on my 540it and it's never left me stranded. The chain guides are the only major issue with these cars, so as long as you budget for that, you'll be alright. I've done 11 chain guide jobs so for me it's as easy as buying the parts (about $700) and spending two weekends on it.
Had a 540i before my current M5. I did magaflow muffler and magnaflow resonators and it sounded great especially for daily driving, you can also just keep the stock resonator and just do a muffler delete that’s what I did with the m5.
8:33 you need to drill out or remove the Clutch Delay Valve (CDV), it's designed to force all your clutch engagements to be smooth but it eliminates clutch feel and is just awful to drive with.
I have a 2001 540i M-Tech and was considering the eisenmann muffler which is around 1500$. I have done the muffler delete before paying that much and it was the best decision I have made. No drone inside but one of the best sounding engine I have ever heard. Please don't go the magnaflow way ...
I went insane mode on my 2000 540i 6 speed m sport ...I bought the car with the muffler delete but it just sounded sort of dead. I did full cat and resonator delete, (all sensors left in), collected to a single 3" stainless with a dual tip muffler I got from summit racing. It sounds like a beast and goes like one too.
Its possible that the rattle at throttle is a quick fix :) i had a similar problem its basically a small metal peice that is there to hold the exhaust if it were to fall out, its located in the middle under your car, after time the exhaust sags and when you hit the throttle the exhaust hits this bar and you hear a rattle its a super easy fix. All i did was took some spacers and put them in between the bar screwed them in and thats it no more rattle hope this helps!
These cars are the last of the analog sleds.they have a lot of issues no doubt cuz they are a couple of decades old.......keep them and watch the value rise up.the e46/e39are the best examples of the ultimate driving machines.I'm still loving my 540/325.both are dinan reg cars and are now garage queens ,they deserve it,the new models don't excite me at all.to much tech and lights AND bling .
beautiful car. I've had a lot of e39s. The 6s are the most reliable. But the v8s are fun. M5 is amazing. Right now i have an low mileage 525iT M sport and an Alpina D10 biturbo. I think they have some standard faults but nothing big. The worst problem here is the rust.
Btw when the angel eye stops working, the orange turn signal light comes on, so your other signal light was probably just fine. Unless it didn’t work when using the turn signal stalk like my right side did once (my turn signal bulb was loose so I tightened it and that fixed it)
I have the same car 2003 BMW 540ia m sport California car it’s whole life, I run just a muffler delete and the car is very quite whilst not on the throttle but does come alive when doing a pull
I’m concerned about the dead battery issue. Could be a drain on the battery overnight. Check FINAL STAGE RESISTOR under dash. Fan motor would intermittent turn on overnight & drain battery, Went through 4 batteries before I figured this out. Problem started small then got worst over time.
Seems like you are near the Bay Area since you said you drive to SF. I go to this shop in South City called SBGarage. They are pretty known in the Miata community, but they do all kinds of cars (you see Subarus and BMWs often also). I highly recommend them.
If your coolant light is coming on you have a leak somewhere. Your going to notice this light coming on more and more as you keep driving the car. Replace water pump and and entire cooling system.
The problem with the low coolant level message is probably common on M62 engines. It also happened to me on an E38 740i and also to a friend on an E38 735i. When I checked the coolant level after the engine cooled down, it was right on the mark. So I always had to fill the expansion tank a little more and the message no longer appeared. I have had the car for 3 years and almost 70,000 km (43,500 miles), the car has a total mileage of 400,000 km (250,000 miles) and there has been no major problem with the car so far, basically only routine maintenance was done and the torque converter in the automatic transmission was changed + it had to overhaul the ABS/DSC unit. I also have the sound from the left side, I haven't found out yet what causes it - did you find out? I suspect the exhaust or there is something wrong with the gearbox.
My brothers e39 had the same flutter problem. There's a part of the exhaust that it connected to the bell housing of the transmission and sometimes it breaks off. The little connected part can but cut out and it's practically useless for it to be connected anyway. I'd have this checked, it could be your problem.
I just bought 2002 bmw 525i for $700. It drives great but have a little dent on side fender and was sitting for 1 year. I changed all spark plugs, oil stuff, air filter etc. And yeah the passenger seat was twisted. I will fix that, but I am not going to spend much money on it.
After 15 jears the timing chain with the sliderails and the Vanos is important. The plastic was old and broken. When you start cold and you hear a noise like a chain on a plastictube. The plastic in the Engine is old and breaks. Then the Engine is Dead.
i guess that shuffeling sound coming from around steering wheel is the shuffeling from speedometer and rpm meter.... In my case it's coming directly from dashboard and i can hear it just inside the car. Not from outside under the hood...
Re: coolant - next time use OE BMW coolant or just distilled water, don't bother with parts store stuff. It's like $20 for a gallon (full strength, without premix). Nitrite free, won't cause problems with precipitation in the cooling system and deposits.
Your code you got (P0440 or P0491/92 maybe) could be the simple gas cap, but could also be a small vacuum leak somewhere or it could be an emissions related code with some sensors not sensing the readings they want. I have an 03 540i M-sport W 253,000 miles and have a code that will seem to fix itself and come back time and time again. I have yet to solve it.
hmm... its a 20 year old production car... why we even need this cost of ownership? Even simple dude from EU like me that get 850euro a month can take care of this...
Coolant light could come on because of air in the system, So when you opened up and filled up you let out some air. Light might stay off for a while. But there could be a really really small leak somewhere that draws in minimal amounts of air over time. So you could park the car on a hill with the front facing up the hill and bleed the cooling system properly
That kind of mileage must hurt! I got about the same with my '95 E38 750IL with mainly city and short distance driving, improving by about 40-50% when doing longer distances....
Just delete the muffler. It is a fantastic upgrade in sound (01 m5 muffler delete owner talking) Don't touch the resonator unless you don't like having eardrums anymore.
Hey man i got exact the same car same colour 6speed manual m sport. Do the muffler delete and resonator delete you gonna feel that V8 coming to life (sound wise) also maybe sure 100% do the timing guides and the valve seals and all cz this is my second engine lol good luck its a rare car at least here in toronto : )
Thanks for the info! At what mileage did your original timing chain guides fail? And did you hear any sounds or other signs before it failed completely?
Zygrene it was exactly at 160k mile which is 200k km and yes you can hear clicking noise loud specially when you press gas it gets louder. But than again person i bought it from he said he did the timing chain and guides if he did most likely he did a butcher job! I had alternator problem, cooling problem and engine went out lol other than that nothing else, if you do engine timing and guides this engine will run long. Another friend of mine have same thing like ours his car has 330000km still running cz he did the timing chain and guides.
I dont know if it is pissible to send video through youtube cz i have the car running with noise before engine we t out as well as muffler deleteabd res delete
Does kind of sound like a small exhaust leak, in the area where you describe is where the cat connects to the manifold If I remember correctly almost under your left foot area.
What do the people have to do with the cars, these are durable quality cars and drive Amazing, I'm a Honda guy at heart, my first car was an 8th gen but man my 540ia is a dream to drive
CAN I BUY YOUR 540 PLEASE !!!!!! not right now but whenever you want to change it up or something. i currently have an 03 540i rare topaz blue mtech package but its automatic plz someone donate me a manual swap kit, also, the reason your angel eyes went out might be due to the wiring that the bulbs come with, theyre really flimsy especially if they are those jdm brand thingy or whatever that brand is, anyway not a big deal just put electrical tape so that the connection is nice and solid and doesnt move around like it usually would.
Greendragon420able i have a 03 540, it’s auto. I will either manual swap in the future or I’ll have to trade or sell to get another 540i 6 speed. Let me know, send me a dm on my instagram @abraham_jasso
Nice review, best of luck with the car!! have mine now a year and can't really complain about anything, exept some dead pixels aside.... stock they do sound a bit tame imho, especially inside: th-cam.com/video/dhjg22uVFGs/w-d-xo.html With a decat and better muffler i got about the best sound i could wish for ;)
Zygrene Typical ”black blobs”. Don’t get me wrong, i love your E39, i just hate black colors. It hides all the beautiful lines this nice M spec E39 540 has. This particular car looks so good in blue and red. S classes though, they look badass in black. But each to their own
so basically you bought a shit car in 2 months 1200 dollars plus all the problems you are mentioning it means this car is all broken ... i dont know how you bought such car with so many issues
i have an 03 with 147k miles and i've spent just about 10.5k in my 34 months and 20,000 miles of ownership, BUT! i'm a mechanical neat freak and i tend to replace things long before they'll actually fail. there's very few things on the car I've "had to fix" due to them breaking.
strongly recommend spending like $1,100 on a Zionsville cooling kit, which replaces the mechanical fan with a good electrical one, has a much better radiator, and an aluminum welded expansion tank. That one kit will eliminate 50% of the car's cooling system issues, it's great
My 2003 540i //Msport 6 speed IMOLA red....(one of 6 in north america) in 6 years of daily. Bought with 76k now 132k...
Clutch. alternator. a few ignition coils. lots of tires. 2 radiators. seat twist repair. rebuilt front end. pixel repair on MID. radiator expansion tank. Faulty GM 3.
I did all except clutch ($1200) and mid pixel repair (100 bucks on ebay) myself.
IMO this is the best bang for buck car on the road.
Beautiful. Handles like a video game. Just feels awesome.
I'm seriously considering buying up all the good ones I can find.
Just do muffler delete....leave the resonator. People compliment me all the time on the exhaust note.
Knock on wood. Like all BMW'ers should.
Cool, I've got a 2000 m sport 6 speed as well, black, Tan leather interior (weird combo), Dinan stage 2, full cat and resonator delete to a 3" stainless dual tip exhaust (it sounds insane). 19" staggered wheels, strut brace, coilovers this spring. I'm still less than $9000 Canadian all in. I'm waiting for spring to get some cool video.
You lucky bastards. I had the timing chain guides go out 1 week after I bought the car. Headlight adjusters, ABS module, HVAC blower, hood latch release cable, 55mph shimmy (replaced the front suspension bushings), rear suspension ball joints and control arms, PS fluid leaks, valve cover oil leaks, water pump leaks (my fault when I did the timing chain), ignition coils, pixel repair, door lock actuators, window regulators, an O2 sensor, and ... a gas cap. I've done it all myself because a local mechanic literally laughed at me when I told him about the timing chain. Pelican and ECS love me.
I've also done an all AL radiator, VANOS rebuild (it didn't need it but since it was apart...), replaced all the wheel speed sensors, refinished the headlight lenses, front spoiler (mine is a base) and Bilstein B6's. Thinking about a muffler delete. They do sound so good uncorked.
love the video series on the 540i. I have an E39 M5 with 225,000 miles. These cars make great daily drivers.
Jealous! Hope I can review an E39 M5 soon.
If you want to learn how to do D.I.Y's check out the TH-cam channel E39source. My friends put the channel together and my car is also on the channel!
Had the same spec (109k miles) for 2 years and just about everything went wrong with it. Cooling system, seat twist, dead pixels, water cooled alternator, timing chain guide, starter, etc. Great car when it's not broken. Never again for me!
tettes only with 540i! Buy a 525i and it will last forever fact!
those are literally the only problems on these cars and only require that every 100k miles due to temp of the engine that runs high, there are aftermarket thermostats that are made specifically to reduce engine temp which will improve performance and make the plastics last much longer.
All of those things have been addressed on my car, except the timing chain guide. Need to budget for that soon!
Zygrene make sure you do the vanos whenever that happens, easy and not expensive, only thing expensive with those repairs is the labor lol
Zygrene oh and also, whenever your find a trustworthy good mechanic for your car ask him to check the timing chain tensioner, it’s easy to get to you can even do it, those are a big factor that cause the timing chain to fail making it flap around more, hence causing noise hence eventually failing, making sure the timing tensioner is good, it will definitely make it last much longer if not it might even completely eliminate that problem. 100$ for the tensioner and again every easy to access just watch a TH-cam video or forums if you’re curious to try yourself.
I have the identical car in silver 2003 as well. Dinan chip gives you even better throttle response and removes the 155mph cap--I may have done 167mph across Montana on the way to Sturgis ;-) The H&R front lowering springs made for the E39 M5 puts the front at the same height as the rear with zero loss in comfort--feels the same. Next I'd like to try the DINAN short shifter--anyone done this to theirs-thoughts?
Also, ALWAYS let the car warm up for a few minutes to let the metal and plastic more slowly equalize in temperature, and you'll never have to deal with cooling issues (a common weakness). I replaced my radiator and coolant reservoir (myself) about 3 months after owning it $660 at my cost since I worked at a body shop.
I've had it four years now and 40k miles--no problems using this warm up regimen. Great videos!!!
Great daily driver. Just make sure the guides get done right and your be golden. Make sure to do the Vanos seals when engine is open.
You gettin buff bb
Those pecs getting thicc boi
That's all I wanted to hear
Ive had mine for 3 years. Ive spent just over $3000 in parts. Bimmers are sick but i dont recommend them if youre not rich or an actual mechanic.
Have a 1999 540i M-Sport myself (135k miles). Took it down to San Antonio for a drift event 2 or 3 times. Last time i took it out there the plastic neck on the radiator blew off and spewed coolant all over the windshield. One U-Haul trailer and an all aluminum radiator later, the problem is fixed lol. Also, the car will sound great if you straight pipe the resonators and mufflers but leave the cats, thats my set-up currently.
I have two of these back in the day,a 97 and a 99 sport. As far as weird sounds and/or creeks,when my car starting to get that I just installed a borla cat back exhaust for $500-600,I think you can just delete the resonators and get a good sound from it. I honestly remember that it was some quiet inside at WOT on stock exhaust but from outside it does put out a nice growl even though it's just one muffler. My advice is watch the hoses that coolant travels through,I got standed a lot because of my coolant hoses blowing up and leaking out all my coolant. Also it's really recommended to get coolant from BMW only but I don't know how really important it is,I just followed the rules because I was tired of them giving me a problem every few thousand miles or so. Expansion tanks crack,watch the radiator and obviously you won't see your water pump going.
As far as the tire leak,it might not be the tire but rather maybe the rim has a small crack? I had cracked rims that would loose air everything few days or so. If it's a screw in the tire on the thread then just patch it up and hold money on reserve because as great as these cars drove,they are unfortunately expensive to fix and it's known for quiet a few issues
Delete the clutch delay vavle. Easy diy and you'll have a much better experience with the clutch.
Snap 128 previous owner deleted the CDV already but the clutch engagement still isn't great
As long as you know how to DIY the common easy stuff, an E39 540i is a pretty solid daily driver. I have 201,000 miles on my 540it and it's never left me stranded. The chain guides are the only major issue with these cars, so as long as you budget for that, you'll be alright. I've done 11 chain guide jobs so for me it's as easy as buying the parts (about $700) and spending two weekends on it.
Danny's Garage where you located? Might need my chains done soon :)
Have you made any videos on the procedure?
Btm Motor Works are really great guys to work with!. they tell you honest opinions that other shops will not tell you.
Had a 540i before my current M5. I did magaflow muffler and magnaflow resonators and it sounded great especially for daily driving, you can also just keep the stock resonator and just do a muffler delete that’s what I did with the m5.
Looks like a nice car, always enjoy watching your videos bro
8:33
you need to drill out or remove the Clutch Delay Valve (CDV), it's designed to force all your clutch engagements to be smooth but it eliminates clutch feel and is just awful to drive with.
I have a 2001 540i M-Tech and was considering the eisenmann muffler which is around 1500$. I have done the muffler delete before paying that much and it was the best decision I have made. No drone inside but one of the best sounding engine I have ever heard. Please don't go the magnaflow way ...
+L-P C. Seems most people are highly recommending the muffler delete. Will try this first!
Zygrene You should put gauges rings to your gauges too. 2 bucks on ebay and 1 hour of your time and it makes the interior more up-to-date.
I went insane mode on my 2000 540i 6 speed m sport ...I bought the car with the muffler delete but it just sounded sort of dead. I did full cat and resonator delete, (all sensors left in), collected to a single 3" stainless with a dual tip muffler I got from summit racing. It sounds like a beast and goes like one too.
I had an E34 535i that I lopped the muffler off as well. 10/10 would recommend. It was the best sounding straight six I've ever heard.
Its possible that the rattle at throttle is a quick fix :) i had a similar problem its basically a small metal peice that is there to hold the exhaust if it were to fall out, its located in the middle under your car, after time the exhaust sags and when you hit the throttle the exhaust hits this bar and you hear a rattle its a super easy fix. All i did was took some spacers and put them in between the bar screwed them in and thats it no more rattle hope this helps!
These cars are the last of the analog sleds.they have a lot of issues no doubt cuz they are a couple of decades old.......keep them and watch the value rise up.the e46/e39are the best examples of the ultimate driving machines.I'm still loving my 540/325.both are dinan reg cars and are now garage queens ,they deserve it,the new models don't excite me at all.to much tech and lights AND bling .
beautiful car. I've had a lot of e39s. The 6s are the most reliable. But the v8s are fun. M5 is amazing. Right now i have an low mileage 525iT M sport and an Alpina D10 biturbo. I think they have some standard faults but nothing big. The worst problem here is the rust.
Hi Zygrene! I recommend Performance Technic in Fremont! Awesome shop and they guys that work there are great people!
Chop the muffler off. It is amazing, and sounds better than domestic cars
I have same car same year and color lol my exhaust set up is borla prox muffler with no cats no resonator and its good for daily driving
i just baught a 98 540i m-sport im so exited
how was your experience with the car?
Btw when the angel eye stops working, the orange turn signal light comes on, so your other signal light was probably just fine. Unless it didn’t work when using the turn signal stalk like my right side did once (my turn signal bulb was loose so I tightened it and that fixed it)
Also I’d recommend not using the halogen bulbs for the angel eyes, and getting a $20 set of 5W LED angel eye bulbs. They look super good!
I have the same car 2003 BMW 540ia m sport California car it’s whole life, I run just a muffler delete and the car is very quite whilst not on the throttle but does come alive when doing a pull
I’m concerned about the dead battery issue.
Could be a drain on the battery overnight.
Check FINAL STAGE RESISTOR under dash.
Fan motor would intermittent turn on overnight & drain battery,
Went through 4 batteries before I figured this out.
Problem started small then got worst over time.
Seems like you are near the Bay Area since you said you drive to SF. I go to this shop in South City called SBGarage. They are pretty known in the Miata community, but they do all kinds of cars (you see Subarus and BMWs often also). I highly recommend them.
If your coolant light is coming on you have a leak somewhere.
Your going to notice this light coming on more and more as you keep driving the car.
Replace water pump and and entire cooling system.
Valley pan gasket
The problem with the low coolant level message is probably common on M62 engines. It also happened to me on an E38 740i and also to a friend on an E38 735i. When I checked the coolant level after the engine cooled down, it was right on the mark. So I always had to fill the expansion tank a little more and the message no longer appeared. I have had the car for 3 years and almost 70,000 km (43,500 miles), the car has a total mileage of 400,000 km (250,000 miles) and there has been no major problem with the car so far, basically only routine maintenance was done and the torque converter in the automatic transmission was changed + it had to overhaul the ABS/DSC unit. I also have the sound from the left side, I haven't found out yet what causes it - did you find out? I suspect the exhaust or there is something wrong with the gearbox.
BMW's are a love/hate relationship. I have had 3 and great to drive but can be annoying with the little constant things always coming up.
My brothers e39 had the same flutter problem. There's a part of the exhaust that it connected to the bell housing of the transmission and sometimes it breaks off. The little connected part can but cut out and it's practically useless for it to be connected anyway. I'd have this checked, it could be your problem.
i have a muffler and resonator delete to a 3 inch strait pipe a little too loud but makes beutiful pops
I just bought 2002 bmw 525i for $700. It drives great but have a little dent on side fender and was sitting for 1 year. I changed all spark plugs, oil stuff, air filter etc. And yeah the passenger seat was twisted. I will fix that, but I am not going to spend much money on it.
After 15 jears the timing chain with the sliderails and the Vanos is important. The plastic was old and broken. When you start cold and you hear a noise like a chain on a plastictube. The plastic in the Engine is old and breaks. Then the Engine is Dead.
i guess that shuffeling sound coming from around steering wheel is the shuffeling from speedometer and rpm meter.... In my case it's coming directly from dashboard and i can hear it just inside the car. Not from outside under the hood...
Re: coolant - next time use OE BMW coolant or just distilled water, don't bother with parts store stuff. It's like $20 for a gallon (full strength, without premix). Nitrite free, won't cause problems with precipitation in the cooling system and deposits.
Never. Ever. Use destilled water as coolant 😅
i cut the muffler off my 540 it sounds great i kept the resonator without it may sound louder
Your code you got (P0440 or P0491/92 maybe) could be the simple gas cap, but could also be a small vacuum leak somewhere or it could be an emissions related code with some sensors not sensing the readings they want. I have an 03 540i M-sport W 253,000 miles and have a code that will seem to fix itself and come back time and time again. I have yet to solve it.
If you have an iPhone, there's a good car scanning app by Bosch that you use with a Bluetooth OBDII reader.
Bavarian Professionals in Berkeley may be a place to look into
Im considering of buying one for a daily aswell. Please give another update later on😊
Change your chain tensioner it's $80 part that will pro long the life of your chain guides.
hmm... its a 20 year old production car... why we even need this cost of ownership? Even simple dude from EU like me that get 850euro a month can take care of this...
Coolant light could come on because of air in the system, So when you opened up and filled up you let out some air. Light might stay off for a while. But there could be a really really small leak somewhere that draws in minimal amounts of air over time. So you could park the car on a hill with the front facing up the hill and bleed the cooling system properly
Dam Zygrene where you been ? The gym ;)
My 545 was getting 22mpg and I drove it like I stole it and it had 40 more hp. But 17 mpg is about as good as my s2k which was around 19
That kind of mileage must hurt! I got about the same with my '95 E38 750IL with mainly city and short distance driving, improving by about 40-50% when doing longer distances....
Just delete the muffler. It is a fantastic upgrade in sound (01 m5 muffler delete owner talking) Don't touch the resonator unless you don't like having eardrums anymore.
These 6 speed Manual are very hard to find nowadays
Any thoughts on a Used supercharger? I hear they slap on in minutes
Nice video, any more update on your 540i?
Don’t ever use those auto part coolant! If you don’t have the OEM coolant then use water but don’t use premix..
Not sure I could deal with a car that needs that much TLC as my daily driver. Cool car but at daily. hm...
These TLC items are usually handled once and done
Hey man i got exact the same car same colour 6speed manual m sport. Do the muffler delete and resonator delete you gonna feel that V8 coming to life (sound wise) also maybe sure 100% do the timing guides and the valve seals and all cz this is my second engine lol good luck its a rare car at least here in toronto : )
Thanks for the info! At what mileage did your original timing chain guides fail? And did you hear any sounds or other signs before it failed completely?
Zygrene it was exactly at 160k mile which is 200k km and yes you can hear clicking noise loud specially when you press gas it gets louder. But than again person i bought it from he said he did the timing chain and guides if he did most likely he did a butcher job!
I had alternator problem, cooling problem and engine went out lol other than that nothing else, if you do engine timing and guides this engine will run long. Another friend of mine have same thing like ours his car has 330000km still running cz he did the timing chain and guides.
I dont know if it is pissible to send video through youtube cz i have the car running with noise before engine we t out as well as muffler deleteabd res delete
Possible *
what is these steering wheel? all buttons are functional? please can you aswner me?
Off subject what type of T-shirt are you wearing? I print on tees and cannot find that type of crew neck please reply
Does the fluttering noise only occur when you abruptly stab the throttle? Or of you roll into it no noise?
Does kind of sound like a small exhaust leak, in the area where you describe is where the cat connects to the manifold If I remember correctly almost under your left foot area.
Ma auto in San Mateo is very good. Been going there for 5+ years with my e90
Thanks for the suggestion. Do you know their hourly rate?
What’s the name of the place? I live in Fremont
I would kill for 18 mpg my lil ol Dakota with its v8 sucks a gallon every 8 miles so yeah
And sprint booster
Please do the exhaust mod and post up the video!
Also z3 shifter
Check out K&C Auto on 5th St. in San Francisco good rates and no BS
And m5 diff
Knowing what I know about ppl that own BMW's and MB, I'm staying the hell away from anything German makes. I'm gonna stay JDM, KDM, and ADM.
What do the people have to do with the cars, these are durable quality cars and drive Amazing, I'm a Honda guy at heart, my first car was an 8th gen but man my 540ia is a dream to drive
wow, i never knew bmw has a gas cap sensor XDDD
CAN I BUY YOUR 540 PLEASE !!!!!! not right now but whenever you want to change it up or something. i currently have an 03 540i rare topaz blue mtech package but its automatic plz someone donate me a manual swap kit, also, the reason your angel eyes went out might be due to the wiring that the bulbs come with, theyre really flimsy especially if they are those jdm brand thingy or whatever that brand is, anyway not a big deal just put electrical tape so that the connection is nice and solid and doesnt move around like it usually would.
aj bouvet i'll sell you a manual transmission for $250 and massage
CMara 369 haha really? Send me a dm on my instagram @abes540_
aj bouvet If you’re serious I have one for the right price. Black on black 6speed.
CMara 369 where’s the manual transmission man?
Greendragon420able i have a 03 540, it’s auto. I will either manual swap in the future or I’ll have to trade or sell to get another 540i 6 speed. Let me know, send me a dm on my instagram @abraham_jasso
Nice review, best of luck with the car!! have mine now a year and can't really complain about anything, exept some dead pixels aside.... stock they do sound a bit tame imho, especially inside: th-cam.com/video/dhjg22uVFGs/w-d-xo.html With a decat and better muffler i got about the best sound i could wish for ;)
How much attention does it get?
As far as I can tell, none. Super stealthy compared to my NSX/S2000.
Zygrene
Typical ”black blobs”. Don’t get me wrong, i love your E39, i just hate black colors. It hides all the beautiful lines this nice M spec E39 540 has. This particular car looks so good in blue and red. S classes though, they look badass in black. But each to their own
you cant compare that e39 to a honda. only audi or merc
Lmao just bmw things ngl i reqlly want one for my daily; probably wont tho
so basically you bought a shit car in 2 months 1200 dollars plus all the problems you are mentioning it means this car is all broken ... i dont know how you bought such car with so many issues
Daniel Lozan $120 bucks in 2 months, not $1,200