My 02 E39 525i m sport is at 339210km. Was a highway car though and in amazing condition inside and out. Front struts are shot though. I've done front suspension overhaul before on my 96 523i, so should be easier second time around.
I managed to fix it for a short while, I had a newer handle mechanism that I swapped in but it does the same thing now, I think someone sat in my car a couple weeks after I fixed it and pulled on the handle and broke it again.
Dude, your car is 20+ years old. The stuff is not garbage they're things that need to be maintained. It is not a "run-it-into the ground and throw away" car. That is a classic all day long just getting better as time goes by and a fantastic daily driver.
I have it with V12. I have had very expensive Mercs before I bought a BMW. I always thought that owners of BMW were a little cranky show off whereas I was always a sedate inverted snob. Since I bought it and have driven it, I am totally and utterly convinced of its being a very understated machine. Mine is with double glazed windows. It is quieter than a Roller. Even at quite high speed I can still have normal conversation with my fellow passenger. It is an amazing machine.
We loved the 750iL when we had the chance to drive it a few months ago. It's really impressive to see how hear how well they insulated the cabin, one of the quietest cars we've driven.
I sold my '01 e38 5 years ago. Purchased it in 2005 for 32k in New Jersey. It was very expensive to maintain. Wait until the center bearing goes and you have to drop the drive shaft to replace it. Or the transmission starts slipping. I replaced the water pump and radiator immediately after purchasing it when it was nearly 4 years old. Then the alternator went and took the battery. Then I replaced the expansion tank every year in winter. The first time I replaced it the plastic had become brittle and it just fell apart. Each time after that it would split in winter, all the coolant would leak out and the engine would overheat. ... I purchased it because it was the ultimate James Bond car. Now I wouldn't do that again. best of luck to you.
ive done hanger bearings on every model of bmw,,,,i never pull the exhaust out i hang it ,,,,and its replaced in under 2 hours thats just me taking my time if your in a hurry ill have it done in 1 hour ,,i pulled the transmision out of my old 540 in twenty minuits ,,,its all about expireince people love to buy these cars because of status and looks ,,but dont buy them unless you have some expirence with them and are sure you can offord it,,you want to hear expensive at least you can still change the bearing and mark the shaft cause there balance the new m5s 7s and future gen you cannot ,,you have to porchase the shaft and that is the price of a used ill say e46 m3 lol
I totally agree,why buy a new car when an older BMW has all the features and is still more economical to run. I have a 1996 740i and would not have anything else (apart from a 2017 model). Keep up the good work! Greetings from NZ.
I have a 730d/2001, 480 000 km. Major repairs: the gearbox ZF5hp24 after 375 000 km - because I never changed the oil(repair cost: 1200 euro). I recommend changing the oil and filter every 60 000km. Cooling hoses, thermostat and water pump have resisted up to 450 000~470 000 km. Expansion tank : changed every 50 000 km(very poor quality plastic). All options work on the car in the normal parameters. Pixels from Instrument cluster... seldom do not see completely(repair cost aprox. 25 euro). For the past 100 000 km, cost/kilometer(repairs and maintenance, without fuel) aprox 0,116 euro. Consumption (effective): 5,8-12.9 l/100km - depending on Wheel sizes, type of road, speed, driving style, traffic, season and fuel quality. In the near future require replacement headlight lens(polish no resist with headlight washers).
Not bad at all! I think there's pretty mixed factions when it comes to the transmission service, half say it needs to be done regularly while the other half lives by the 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it' code. I need to replace my reservoir tank as well, there's no leaking but my 'Check Coolant Level' sensor seems to be broken, it's constantly telling me to check it.
I had a 2000 ls400 and a 2000 740il (actually lucked out on a rare build royal red with black interior). Had more piece of mind with the lexus but definitely enjoyed the style of the Lexus better. Biggest gripe with the bmw was the cup holders. for a almost 100k car to not have a single cup holder thats usable was a joke. Still loved the car though. Looking for another.
The cup holders on the BMW are complete garbage. We ended up buying a custom-made cup holder that's worked flawlessly for the past few years that we've had the car.
I have the same car... all things considered, you are fortunate to have many minor problems. 2 common ones you got lucky on are the led instrument display and the mk navigation unit in the trunk-- it's tied to EVERYTHING in the center dash display as it goes dark and the radio turns off after 2 minutes or so... Also, you CAN replace the battery in the key fob for $2-3 or $10-15 if you want to use a rechargeable one like the OEM. Same for the flashlight in the glove box. IMHO, these have been the best looking of the 7's. Good luck fixing her up!
My cluster's LCD was pretty useless when I bought it, I had it replaced at BMW about a month into my ownership, and luckily none of the HVAC or Nav pixels are dead. The nav computer was also dead when I bought it, a local E38 enthusiast hooked me up with a replacement. I'm likely going to pull the trigger on the MKIV computer if I can find one locally. Glove box light works too! Not really useful though, might try to replace it with an LED. Also I bought a new key when I got the car so it's as good as it'll get. Thanks for watching and leaving the comment!
This car is basically a driving project. Thanks for uploading. Personally I would have never bought the car in this state. I hope you have fun with the car!
It certainly was a fun car during the time I had it. I've since moved onto a newer Mercedes S-Class which isn't a project at all, everything works on it, just needed a bit of a clean when I first got it.
PRN - You can buy new arms without bushing, and fill your current bushings with urethane and you'll never deal with the shimmy again. FYI, the E60 M5 rotors and calipers fit these cars if you're looking for an upgrade
One of the best vids/instructions I've seen. Very encouraged now to purchase the 2001 740, notwithstanding that there will be some maint/repairs to be done as part of normal 7 series ownership. thanks RICHARD
Thank you , I just bought a 2000 750IL , I am going to start a channel soon, , it does need work, but it is very clean after my detail. It had been sitting for 5yrs or more, Silver and Black leather, I put liquid molly oil change and a added,new tires, I put strait pipes because the cads were stolen and it run very quite and smooth for a v-12,still needs some work,
Congrats on the purchase, I hope you get the chance to get the car up to the level you'd like it to be at, and you can find some success making videos about it too. Enjoy it!
Overall a very clean car. Fine example of its breed. Given its age, these problems are fairly normal. Just shows that you drive and love it. I bought mine for $450, yes....hundred...lol. It had a bad valley pan gasket, worn struts, control arms....stereo issues, kidney failure. But its getting there
Not bad at all! There are definitely some deals to be had out there. I don't think you could ever find one for that price up here in Canada, even rotten ones are still being listed for a few thousand.
Josh Denham I just bought a 98 bmw 740il for a grand just need tire sensor and some speakers put in some tlc here and there but other than that great car
Thanks for watching! The interior stuff is an annoyance and the rest as you mentioned are pretty typical. I'm hoping the timing guides aren't going to become an issue for me, I don't know if that's a project I can tackle on my own.
i myself had a 01 e38, I do miss that car since i traded it in for a 11 F10. My e38 problems began after i bought it 2012 (112K) MAF, the ABS module, cup holder, glove box, dead pixels on the cluster, twice broke rear strut bushing which is a nightmare to fix, replaces tranny fluid & filter, broken window regulator, brakes, tires....But i do miss that old lady.
I just got an E38 today off of Craigslist here in Colorado Springs, CO. 214,000 miles on her with a nice “ouch” at the passenger headlight. The hood won’t open and I fear what will be underneath when I finally crack that shell..LOL I couldn’t even check the fluids! ..but I bought her anyway because I needed a car badly and was looking around for the proverbial “five hundred dollar Honda/Toyota/Subaru” After unsuccessfully searching all morning, I suddenly found this 1998 740iL for ... $425.00 She runs and she got me home even! LOL It was supposed to be a throwaway set of wheels..after watching you though? Maybe I’ll just try to fix her up! Anyway- Thank you for the videos..and thank you for the heads-up on the parts/repair websites. Liked Subscribed Greetings from the U.S
Thanks! We just did a quick live stream on starting ours up actually. Our hood opens without too much issue, but closing it is a problem. There's a lot of work that needs to go into these cars but if you're willing to do it yourself you can save quite a bit!
So far it's been pretty great, thanks! We ask a lot of it but it hasn't stranded us on the side of the road, and keeps on serving. One of the best cars I've ever owned!
Should I buy an E38 diesel? Most of the people say 18-20 litres / 100km is ridiculous.. Prices in my country for diesel are around 1.1-1.2 euros per litre.
We averaged 11L/100km with ours, sometimes better on longer highway driving. It's not the most fuel efficient but does the trick. Unfortunately BMW only sold the diesel 7 Series in Canada for the 2014 model year.
11L/100km is spot-on correct gasoline consumption for E38 in real world driving. Sport model will consume slightly more but still less than 12L/100km. Equates to average mileage of 21mpg imperial, 20.4mpg for the Sport model. I own one of each model, iL and Sport, and these are my real world, long term averages.
Truly depends on what kind of maintenance has been done on the car, a service history would be ideal. Also depends on what the mileage is right now, if you'll be needing to do major service shortly. We did a Buyers Guide on the E38 a few months ago, that has a lot more information about what to look for! We've also put together some cost breakdown videos showing how much we've spent on this car.
Although I loved my 1995 730I v8 it was a total money pit. I owned it for 17 years and I covered around 150’000 miles in it but I got to the point that I couldn’t afford to maintain it anymore.
That's certainly a long stretch of ownership. That's ultimately the problem with any of these cars, you either need to invest in it because you love it, or get rid of it because you can't justify it.
@@PRNTestDrive. Luckily for me I was a trained BMW technician and I had my own business for 25 years but the workshop overheads kept on climbing so I closed the workshop and I went mobile and I could carry a vast amount of tools in it but it got to the point that the upper parts of both cylinder heads distorted and I couldn’t seal the cam covers and both cat converters packed up and I could not find and fix an elusive airbag fault and I had done two temporary fixes on the three heater matrix pipes which came through the engine bulkhead and I was getting to the end of my working life. So it was time to go. In my opinion the heater matrix pipes should have been made of strong non rusting metal and not brittle plastic. To remove the heater box is a massive job and a very poor design. I also had a constant problem with the lower suspension arm inner bushes developing wear which caused severe steering shake when braking. The E38 is a beautiful car to drive eventually they become too expensive to maintain.
I've heard that the newer Steptronic transmissions can be problematic, some enthusiasts prefer to stick with the 95's to keep that transmission, or go to the V12. Personally I haven't had any problems but they do exist unfortunately. The one thing I do hear is to do the transmission fluid change despite BMW advertising this as 'life time'.
@@PRNTestDrive in my case, I changed the engine to the 3.0 double venous and that stopped damaging the gearbox...it turns out the v8 and v12 engines produce too much power for the gearbox and ends up tearing it apart...
Ok you got a lemon. And im not being mean. I got one too. I had to put the whole 11 pieces of the front suspension, and the car still shakes cause the calipers stick. Mines a 95, so it's only self leveling in the back. Took me a week to find who sold the lever that went to it. Then I found one in a junk yard, so i got and extra level and valve. Other than that no complains. The center console, i had it carbon fibered. Mines is all AC Schnitzered out. My advise is don't ever use cheap gaskets they'll leak. Mines has no cats and sounds like a beast. Mines all blacked out, with 18s. I also changed the speakers, and radio, with a more modern one. And yes I love my car,
How much for new guage cluster?? Cost/labor... i looked at a 98 740iL today 164k miles, motor aounds amazing.. transmission shifts smooth. But speedometer doesnt work and information screen is pixelated pretty bad. Dealer is asking $2000. Thoughts?
I went with a full replacement of the cluster, cost me $750 for the part plus a few hours labour at the dealership. Was it worth it? For me yes, but most would say it was too costly. Is the dealer a BMW dealership or a used car lot?
Used car dealer, lots of newer used high end euro cars. Dealer says the one im looking at was a trade in from an older guy.. apparently a doctor and he traded in for a 2017 paid in full.
I notice there's a steptronic gear shift, did you retrofit that or is this truly a 740iL Sport? Looking into buying one and trying to verify what kind of bimmer I've been eyeing
It's not a full 'sport' model since it doesn't have the M Sport steering wheel or sport seats, however it does have a few of the sport goodies. Model year 2000-2001 740iLs sent to Canada came with the Steptronic transmission and the 3.15 sport differential. On top of that the car also has the S EDC system and M Parallels from the factory. Best way to know what you're looking at is doing a VIN decode, there are a few websites that you can throw the last digits of the VIN into and get a full rundown of all the options for that car. It's a really great way to know exactly how it came from the factory.
OKay. So on the US sport model I'm looking at pretty much a cosmetic upgrade? the seller is advertising as a sport, though I figure that's just rims and trim. Does that sound about right?
A true Sport model should have the steptronic transmission, sport suspension, 3.15 differential, sport seats, Shadowline trim exterior (no chrome around the windows), and M Parallel rims. I believe if you decode the VIN it will show up as M Sport package under the options list.
how to tell: If your 740il dials are reading 2,500RPM (NOT 2,200RPM!) while driving the car @ 80MPH then you have everything that the 5 series "Sport" model has. Non "sport" 7 series cars do not rev that high @ 80MPH. They will be more like 2,200RPM. Its as simple as that. I did this comparison with a friend who owns a 'basic' 740il. Any 7 series which read 2,500 @ 80MPH are the same as M sport 5 but obviously far far superior for many reasons other than matching the engine output.
I like this. I have the same car. No problems until this morning. I use the key's remote to open the trunk. Once I closed the trunk and used the remote to open the door I don't know if my alarm is doing it, but now the trunk won't open and it won't crank. it seems like the battery suddenly went dead or something. What do you think what happened?
Very strange problem indeed, I'm not sure to be honest but it could be a battery thing. If you're able to use the key in the trunk lock to manually unlock/open it to get to the battery, you might be able to do a battery nap by disconnecting it for 10 minutes to see if it resets something. If the battery is truly dead or faulty then replacement is the only way to go. Hopefully you can manually unlock the trunk with the key, if not you might be drilling into it unfortunately.
I have two 1998 740i. One black one silver. First car I got them at 16 and I've owned them for 5 years now. 110,000 on my silver one and 149,000 on my black one. Mechanically I've had to replace the coolant reservoir tank a few times (Common problem so I have a few new ones laying around), the radiator twice. the water pump, thermostat, hoses, fan clutch/blade. I've done my valve cover seals, never had a problem with valley pan or timing chain guides. The brake pads do wear a bit faster because it's a 4'500 pound car. New control arms my shocks are still good I have h&r lowering springs on both cars. Muffler delete and a xpipe on both cars as well as ECU tunes so I have a nice rev limiter of 6,500. Gonna rebuild the engines soon for the hell of it. I say this of you can do most of the work yourself owning the car is quite inexpensive. I notice I've spent more money on the looks than anything mechanical. Because you'll spend a pretty penny making the car pretty again believe me. p.s that's miles
Great write up! Sounds like you've got two amazing cars on your hands. I agree that making the car look good gets expensive, I'm in the market for an interior upgrade to the 750iL leather, It'll cost me $2k if I'm lucky to find a donor car. Thanks for sharing!
PRN Many donor cars out here in California I paid $800 for a 2000 740i Sport with a blown motor and a wrecked fender just a month ago. But the interior is gorgeous! I know a few 750ils for sale out here for under $3000 in good running condition I almost bought one but the neighbors already aren't carrying for the amount cars I already have. I'm more leaning into the V12 swap but i need to get on the forums and get more details.
There's a lot of inventory down there, thats for sure! I was looking on the US Craigslist last night, there's a beige interior 750iL somewhere in NYS for a couple grand. Really good deal even if the interior is the only thing I salvage. Just not sure how to get down there to grab it all. I think in terms of a V12 swap, I'm not sure if anyone has done one. The S62 swap is pretty popular. I'd love to get a V12 in mine, but the car isn't sentimental, I'd just find a great 750iL and drive it.
PRN I feel you there. im curious of the v12 seap mostly because I like the short bodies for some reason. I hope you can get one soon! Look into getting the the differential off a sport 740i! I'm getting ready to put it on my silver car and believe me it makes a difference. With the abs off the rear tires break lose aha. Im not sure about the existing IL driveshaft working with it though. Excuse me the drive shaft is fine I think you just need the correct output flange
I believe only one true 740i Sport has come up for sale in the past year around here, inventory is very sparse. I'm still looking for a local owner with one to shoot a comparison video with.
Oh and just hope and pray the navigation head unit doesn't fail. Then the Stereo will only play for 2 minutes the go silent until you press the power and turn it back on again for two more minutes of blissful music on bmws top notch sound system. With all this said I still truly love my 2001 750iL. My current project is new steering rack and cat deletes. And new headliner. I have a black interior so my a b and c pillar and are all light gray like the headliner and sun shade panel. So I'm having it all redone in black! Now the headliner has fallen I'm actually excited cause now I have the excuse to do it all in black like the new bimmers. Beautiful car man!
That's a rip off, but I've looked at their prices for the MKIV nav computer and it's about $2,700. The MKIIIs are a little more common, they usually go for around $100 at the most.
I'm from Europe and nu dad has a 750i VIP edition. He got the car for 2000€ but, unfortunately the car wasn't perfect. He had to change the engine because the crankshaft broke. The car took part in an accident and the FR fender, all four doors, the trunk and the RR fender are full of kitt. The bumpers, the fog lights, the headlight washers and a parking sensor have to be changed. ETC. My dad loves this project and we'll never give up.
North American vehicles rarely have rear fog lights, it’s not a requirement here so auto makers don’t add them. I don’t think any US or Japanese vehicles sold here come with them, Volvo has rear fog lights on all models sold here, Audi also I believe. Some older Mercedes models came with them in our market also.
The PDC malfunction might be the simplest fix. Mine didn't work when I bought the car, if you start the car and turn on PDC you should be able to put your ear up to each sensor, if it's making a ticking/clicking sound then you know it's working. Find the one (or ones) that aren't making any noise and replace them, system should work after that!
Yeah I've done the listen test and identified 2 sensors that need replacing (front corners). I have bought some spares and just have to get around to installing them. Trying to get my car to 100%, big stuff is all done I'm just doing small bits and retro fit upgrades now :)
Nice! That's great, little stuff can be annoying but at least doesn't impact the daily functions of the car too much. Hopefully you get the time to work on some of these small projects.
Change the oil pan gasket I change all the upper gaskets but the bottom one was culprit now it doesn't leak at all and when change out that gasket go ahead and adjust your oil pump chain so you have that clucking noise when the engine warms up " my 2000 740i is in excellent condition with upgraded BC racing coil over spring shocks , I replaced all the suspension parts front back also the stereo and speakers with upgraded amp for the rear Deck speakers this is not my every day car and don't drive it in the winter these are good cars just keep the maintenance up, I do all my own work.
Good to know, thanks! We just got our E38 started back up for the first time in months last night, she sounded pretty solid considering it's been sitting for the longest it's ever sat un-started. We're hoping to start working on some of the mechanical issues we've been having.
Hey PRN! Would you recommend a 2001 740il for $1900 CAD? It's got 280 000 "highway" kms and is in "excellent condition for it's age". What do you say, is this a good start for a project car?
For a project car, for sure! That’s roughly the same mileage we have on ours, so definitely check for leaks around the gas tank and anything leaking from the engine. The catalysts also could be clogged, so get the car up to the redline a couple times, ours would stall out around 5,500rpm with clogged cats.
Hello yes I did like the video. I to hve a 01 BMW 740iL. Mine needs a good o tune up to,brakes,tires real bad now. One front rt lil shredded. But I hve wide rims so tire size is 20s. Whats the actual size w/o low profile? Is it 18-20s and I do need to fix suspension and get catalytic converter cuz my dual exhaust system or pipes gone. As u said you do put a lot into it for older cars but I love my car. Rdy to mke her sound good as new
I loved my oil leaks on the first car so much I bought another now I have two e38. lol You can never have too many of those to fix. btw Good looking e38.
Thanks! We started planning this video shortly after we bought the car, knowing that maintenance costs for these cars can be hard to determine. It's definitely not going to be the same for everyone, but a good idea for anyone interested in an E38. We're hoping to be able to do this with some other cars we've featured on here.
I have a 01 740 IL in green also just an FYI if you take off the center guard under the engine off there is a pump underneath that needs a new gasket replacing mine very soon and another thing if you haven’t yet you should do your timing chain as your first priority as they have brittle plastic guides also redo your valley pan and whole coolant system expensive worth it yes in every penny if you love your car and want to keep it running. Maybe I missed it but how many miles are on her mine has 202,307 original miles and my dad was second owner in 02 he put virtually all of them on (highway) I bought car after it sat for 7 years last November and put thousands upon thousands into her I absolutely love the car
We did a recent update to this video going over the repairs we need to do to ours. Unfortunately we've driven less than a few hundred kilometres this year, so the car just sits.
Sorry to hear it just sits from mine sitting as long as it did like I said it’s cost many many thousands of dollars but I’ll put money into it as long as I can I don’t want another car love this one too much
We love ours too! We're hoping we'll be able to start working on some of the issues once the plates expire in October, we won't be able to drive the car anyway so we might as well start tearing it down and working on what we can.
Not to sound like a hater or trolling, but show you a car that's 15 years old that doesn't have problems? Yes, my Lexus. With that said, I'm thinking about selling it for a 2001 740iL because it's one of my dream cars.
Seems we failed in our delivery with this video, as you aren’t the first person with this complaint. The video isn’t meant for us to complain about the problems with a 15 year old car, but rather show what we have to deal with so those who are interested in buying a similar E38 know what they might be getting into. We feel that these problems are a accurate representations of what a 2001 740iL might look like on the market.
E38.org has fixes for all of these faults and then some.Photos and instructions on how to repair this models many issues.lots of fun tinkering on these.
If you want a better version, get the 98s. Its pre-vanos. The 01s had a few more features, NAVI and such but wte.. The timing job is insane on these cars. So sensitive, and most BMW shops take a few tries to get the timing correct on these cars.
So far I haven't had any issues with the timing chain or guides. I'm sure it's going to be something that needs to be done in the near future though. I'd love to find a solid 1998 750iL and swap in the widescreen nav and newer computer, that's all it would be missing. Might swap the rear lights though, the front looks good but those amber tail lights show their age.
PRN - The problem is, if you wait till the guides go.. you'll most likely have valves and pistons meeting. So, either do it preventative or start saving for a new motor. I've done the timing job on two of these on the M62TU44B which is what you have in your 7. This time around, I am trying a 98 pre-vanos and doing a 6-speed swap. The ONE thing I hate about VANOS motors is the diesel sound and start up rattle that are on 95% of them. Either rebuild the VANOS units with new seals, or get new sprockets $500 a piece. Its the VANOS units that make the startup rattle and diesel noise at idle.
Those aren't big problems, in fact I have 3 catalytic converters in my trunk to be installed on Friday! The parts cost me $150 each and installation is about $400. Brakes should cost around $300 for parts to do pads and rotors, and the rest doesn't sound that bad either. Any luxury marque will be expensive to fix compared to a non-luxury brand, it's part of the ownership of having that badge on the front of the car. Mercedes-Benz have their own troubles too, so I wouldn't be too quick to point the finger if I were driving the three pointed star. In fact before buying my E38 I was looking at 2002-2004 S Clases, as well as 99-02 E55 AMGs. Mercedes has quality issues with those late 90s/early 2000s cars like rust, electronics, and suspension. Chances are you'll end up spending much less on repairs for your 98 than you would buying a newer non-luxury car. Once you get it fixed up it'll feel like new! Stay tuned, I should have a new video this weekend once my catalysts are fixed, you'll see the difference they make.
Those are new prices, I was quoted about $2,100 for new parts and labour. In Niagara Ontario we have a parts recycler who specializes in BMWs, they happened to have a lot of E38 parts since they collect those cars themselves. I was lucky to get a set of cats with 150k km, which is about 100k less than what I have on mine now. Won't last as long as a new set would, but well worth it considering the price!
Beautiful Brown - Find aftermarket converters. On Honda's, they straight piped them and used O2 sensor spacers to not get a SES (Service Engine Soon) light.
Thanks! I hear ya, these cars are fantastic, but definitely can fall apart under normal wear and tear. I haven't had the chance to meet any other E38 owners still, but I'd love to start seeing how other's are holding up!
The rear cuphder stick cause the grease on the mechanism dries up or people spill drinks in the and they get stuck. Take it out soak it in degreaser rise well dry and regressed should be okay. The shades break in the Windows cause people let them snap back in the panel uncontrolled cause the plastic to break. Wait till rear window regulators break and it's always when the widow is going down then lucky if it will come up and actually seal shut. Just don't use the back windows and keep them locked from up front.
Gorgeous car. I had the same issue with one of the two cats going, had them both cut out and pipes welded. Worked out great except for the stank and check engine light! Take good care of her and enjoy driving James Bond's ride. Miss mine!
I thought about removing the catalysts as well, but we have relatively strict emissions testing here, I don't think I'd be able to pass with them removed.
Ya I live in Vancouver Canada and we used to have an emissions test called aircare but that went away! It is expensive to replace them. If you are doing valve covers, ensure you do the intake manifold gasket as well or you will just keep killing cats.
Good to know! I've got one of the manifold catalysts in my parts inventory, right now there's no further trouble with it, but the spare is ready to go in with new gaskets if needed.
lol leaks from valve covers and spark plug wells. And also those pesky powers tearing hoses are a real treat. Also plan on replacing the coolant reservoir tank every two years and any of the cooling hoses that uses bmws genius snap lock clip in connectors.
get a mercedes....my w220 with 450k km(bought with 80k km on odo) other than the suspension struts and little crack on the interior work flawless...clocking 7k km every month...beautiful...interior bits all functioning...
Glad to hear it! We drove a W220 S430 4Matic a couple weeks ago, our video on that goes live next Monday. We really liked the ride quality and overall comfort of that car!
Depends on the years and if they were fixed. My understanding is Mercedes offered replacement parts and repainted the rest of the car for original owners in the US. I also believe 2005 models and newer used a higher quality & thicker paint so the issue wasn't as widespread on those cars.
The only problem that I have is navigation screen is black the buttons and all work except the screen being black any to fix it or reboot or reset it lmk!
Does your audio cut out every few minutes? Usually this is what happens when the screen is blank, that's how mine was when I bought it. If so, the navigation computer is dead. You can usually find a MKIII computer for a $100-$200 depending on where you are, but if you know someone who has a similar GPS computer you could swap theirs in to see if it works, that way you can rule out the computer if the problem persists.
Ebay might be the best place, but they tend to be on the pricey side. The other issue could be the region the Nav computer came from. The spare one I bought must have been for the UK market as my voice options are UK English or German. I know some local forums in my area have them for sale from time to time, that might be an option for you too.
Hmm okay I'll check that out thanks for the help, by the way just out of curiosity is there anyway that I can reset the navigation computer or reset the entire navigation system
The only way I know of is opening the trunk, waiting until the light has shut off on the GPS computer and disconnecting it for 5-10 minutes then reconnecting it.
I have a 2001 525i and I've been the only owner. Regarding plastic parts on the car: When plastic is exposed to the sun and to heat and cold for some 16 years, there is going to be some breakdown in the integrity of the plastic. You probably know that plastic is used to reduce the weight to maximize fuel consumption along with using aluminum instead of steel. I challenge you to learn how to repair your car yourself. I repair mine myself and follow the maintenance schedule and have been able to repair every problem myself SO FAR...knock wood!(when the transmission fails, I'll probably have to part ways with my car.) There are people in this world who have much bigger problems than repairing their luxury BMW. Consider yourself fortunate to have these particular concerns in your life.
We detailed the repairs and maintenance for this vehicle in a subsequent video, a lot of the work we've been able to do ourselves. Definitely one of the easier cars to work on. Lots of potential for the DIYer!
Gas would be more expensive, but overall I hear the V12 is more reliable than the V8s and is relatively straightforward when it comes to repairs. The rest of the suspension and mechanicals are almost identical to the smaller engines so repairs aren't much higher.
Unfortunately they never sold the diesel 7 Series here, could really only get that from Mercedes in this market. I’d definitely buy one, engines are bulletproof.
Hi PRN, I own 2 E38s 740iL in my country. One has been refurbished and use it very often. The other has a problem that I hope you or any one else can help. I bought this like a year ago in running condition. Got busy with work and left it aside for 9 months with the battery terminals still connected. Decided to start her after 9 mths, got a new battery (trunk opens) then tried to open the door and guess what the door does not open at all. I've tried all possible ways, nothing. I am told only one possibility ie., break the door glass and replace it with a used one later. I've had BMW shop technicians come over but they couldn't do anything. I'm stuck mate. Hope someone can help. Cheers.
That's definitely a strange problem! I'm not sure if you've tried to ask around on the E38 subform on bimmerforums.com but that would be where I would start. Unfortunately I don't have much experience with the central locking system on these cars. The key is supposed to manually unlock the driver's door when turned counter-clockwise, so if it's not doing that then perhaps the mechanism to unlock has broken inside the door. However if the battery has been replaced and the car has power, you should be able to use the remote to unlock/disarm the car and open any of the doors. Have you tried holding down the unlock button to try and roll down the windows? Same should happen when you hold the key in the driver's door in a counter-clockwise position for a couple seconds.
All tried mate, nothing. I was told the link from the ket lock to the door lock is linked by wires and sensors unlike most other cars where there's a metal rod connecting them. Apparently its the sensor thats faulty and hence we're locked out from the car. Only way is break the door glass OR drill out the lock from the outside which means there'll be some damage to the door or the handle. The glass or the lock can be bought used so I'm thinking of that seriously. Then will do some mods to the lock mechanism perhaps by modifying a rod rather then sensors. It appears to be happening to lots of BMWs, perhaps due to bad thought-out design. My other car, 68 Chevy Impala still opens the door for 50 years. Will also try bimmerforums.com as you mentioned. Thanks a lot mate.
Any car without proper maintenance will surely fall apart, however considering domestic brands tend to be less expensive, their maintenance tends to fall by the wayside too. I don't see many Chrysler Intrepids on the road, so it's definitely a good point!
It's definitely possible. We're hoping to source a full leather dashboard this year and begin the upgrade process, while working on servicing everything behind the dash at the same time.
Still is, we haven't gotten the exact cause of it but there are small leaks at the bottom of the engine, as well as from the filter housing. Apparently the filters can develop pretty bad leaks which is common, but we're going to have to see what we're going to do with this car come spring, it's been sitting for a few months now unfortunately.
Excellent comparison, however there aren't many available examples on the market anymore, I was looking at picking up an early LS400 but couldn't find any for sale. I'd love to get a video made for one of those.
I had both. A 1998 LS400 which was about 12 years old when I had it and it drove like new despite having over 100k miles. Didn't have to fix anything on the Lexus, not even in the slightest. It even had an original touch screen navigation/climate control which worked flawlessly in a 1998! Few years later I bought a 2001 740iL, it was so bad electrically and mechanically, that I could never pass emissions, or even get the car to run right despite spending massive money on it to an independent BMW mechanic and even attempting to work on it with my brother and myself. Really wanted to get that 740iL going but realization came I had to get rid of it since I didn't have time to rebuild half the engine plus a whole lot of other issues from brakes to airbag system etc etc.
That's too bad about the E38 you had, but it doesn't surprise me. There are plenty of them out there that were abused through maintenance neglect or by secondhand owners pushing the beyond their limits. I didn't know the LS had a touchscreen back then, that's awesome! I'll have to keep my eye out for one to show up for sale.
I bought it because I was looking for something unique and interesting that you don't see on the road often. As for the maintenance, we've covered the 1 year maintenance costs for this car with this video: th-cam.com/video/eqvxvfcUrQA/w-d-xo.html
We did an 18 Month update video last month, I broke down how much I spent on gas during that period on average, considering I do a significant amount of driving. Hope this helps! th-cam.com/video/HxcS5sfYsTY/w-d-xo.html
You’ll probably be a mechanic to own one of this. Because you need to have the engine and transmission completely overhaul once you bought second hand. And in approximately 30k later you will have to do that all over again because either you use OEM parts that are not as reliable as the original or you go all out to find the remaining original parts sit in the parts store for at least 10 years, none of these parts will last anyway!
Correct, all of our distance measurements are in kilometres, the US is on the Imperial system. I'm at about 249,650KM as of tonight, which I think is around 155,000mi.
Nope! It was always a Canadian-spec'd model delivered originally to BMW Durham just north of Toronto, Ontario. I'm the second owner. There are some Euro E38s floating around this area, we're hoping to feature some of them this year!
Instrument Cluster is NOT supposed to be programmed. It's a direct plug&play if you bought the right one. I've had 3 740s (1x E32 and 2x E38) for the past 10 years. These "problems" you mention in the video are all DIY and could be fixed within 2-3 weeks if you have own garage. It's a piece of cake if you buy replacement parts from a friendly aftermarket retailer you trust. BTW I'm not even a mechanic. I just use common sense and watch TH-cam instructions which some truly are precious
I've done the same for most of the problems mentioned in the video as well, I've found that this car is easier to work on than some 'Simple' cars I've owned. I plan on doing a follow up video to this, just getting the time to film it is the trouble. As for the cluster, half the E38 owners I've spoken with say their Board Computer displays the last option on startup, such as Distance to Empty. The other half say their cluster is like mine when started up, blank until the BC button is pressed.
I have to admit man, I love your TIPTRONIC!!!! I bought the same gear shift from a 740i Sport as iLs don't come with tiptronic. Did you swap the gear shift yourself and had it programmed or you got the car like that? I really need to know!!! Thanks alot! :D
We discuss everything including the typical wear and tear stuff that needs to be done on this specific car. Sorry you didn't finish watching but thanks for commenting.
Thanks! Usually these cars go for around $2,500 in the US. there's a lot more inventory and used car prices seem to be significantly cheaper down there.
My advice is that at $2500 it is too cheap and should be avoided. Only buy a 2001 WITHOUT variable suspension, only buy standard suspension, and pay a little more for a nicer one, say $6000 is a good target price, moderate mileage like 70,000-90,000 miles, neither too low nor two high. I took my own advice and bought two 2001s, a 740i Sport with 82,286 miles 5 years ago, and a 740iL 4 years ago with 78,850 miles. As of today I still own and drive both, the Sport has 130,000 miles and the iL has 118,000 miles. Neither has had major issues. Both have the same minor issues he mentions. The last time I drove the iL was 3 hours ago (It needs some front suspension work). The last time I drove the Sport was yesterday (needs rear brake pads). If I had it to do all over, I would buy them again.
all that stuff is common I have the same problem. I got a cosmo blk m sport 800 dollars then blew the chain. ..dud it myself. .doing it again. but the oil leaks are common on all v8 valve covers and timing covers but guaranteed the valve covers and you auxiliaries fan goes the squeak blower fan are the brushes inside wearing out I live downtown work at m tricks autosport
The inside fan is getting a bit worse, used to only make weird noises when the A/C was on, but I've noticed it is making weird noises now that it's colder out. I hope to replace the dashboard with a leather one within the next year, when I do so I'll service the fan.
$4k Canadian, prices for parts and maintenance are higher up here than in the states. Also considering what it would cost for a new car with similar features/size, definitely can't beat the price.
We produced a Buyer's Guide for the E38 a couple years ago, it has the most common problems with these cars including what to look for, and other important info about these if you're looking to buy: th-cam.com/video/GSY64_XSRq8/w-d-xo.html
I guess you either did not inspect the car very good or skipped the PPI before purchase. Nothing like buying a $100k car where the PO skipped maintenance..... Enjoy!
Seems like it's the quality of the material most of the german manufacturers used back in the 90s. Many of the E39s and E46s I've looked at recently have similar pieces that are broken.
Saab is the one brand we'd really like to feature on this channel! If you're ever in the Montreal area we could always shoot the video for you, we have plenty of scratch drives for video.
thank's for the video but you are corect $10,000 is not bad thers no car with all the e38 confort that cost that money and the e38 is very very cool car is a old car and still looks like a not to old i have a 1999 bmw 740i and for me is a love and hate lol!!!
Same here, but it's been more of a love/frightened relationship for me haha! Once the major repairs are completed this week I won't be worried about it any more and I'll get back to that Love/Hate we all have for these cars.
Wow! 470k is quite a lot, I'm not sure how the market is over there but it might be a little on the expensive side given the mileage. It will really depend on service history for the car, if recent engine work has been performed such as the timing chain/guides, coolant system, and a general tune up, along with important suspension components and brakes, then it might be worth it. All depends on the condition of the car overall.
Wow lookin at all the comments, this engines gone! Ill leave it somewhere in Compton. Let them have it. I have the car spotted. Its just sittin there in a driveway. Now Ill find a small block chevy and Ill start pricing the mechanical stuff. Im still studyin...
Really? I always thought the diesels were impossible to kill! What ended up happening to it? I really wish we had the diesels here in North America, I'm quite jealous of my friend's X3 28d and his fuel economy.
You must know my financial situation much better than I do, if you assume I can just dump tonnes of cash into something I don’t rely on. Put yourself in someone else’s shoes, it might broaden your horizons.
I have much older E38, with over 315kkm already and it's in uber shape, compared to yours. But mine is european version, not the cheap north american one.
That is a myth that has somehow gained traction outside of North America. US & Canada cars were all built in Dingolfing, Germany. They are the exact same cars, from the exact same assembly line, using the exact same components, and have the exact same issues to address.
Just do a straight pipe exhaust system leave the resonators and mufflers so it's not unbearably loud. So basically it's more just a cat delete. But you also have to tell the ecu not expect signal so the cel will go out.
and yes doing the guides and chain are like tearing down an airplane engine lol..I've done a few...and let nevtell you ..it's not like you see in the videos and I dud mine without the cam locks or trans lock tool. ...just brain power block of wood and two rackets. ..I can get oem parts cheap because I work in the business. ..downside is if they go your looking at 4500 dollar repair depending on where you go...
I'm certainly hoping the guides aren't going to be a problem for me for a long while. I'm right at the mileage where they should fail, and I won't lie I'm in a constant state of worry while I'm driving. That said the car was in for service 2 months ago with a pretty clean bill of health, the engine sounds fine to me (aside from the fan belt squeaking after long drives), and mainly just sensors going out. Yesterday it told me to Check Engine Oil, and I became very concerned. Oil level is at max, so I believe the sensor is on the way out.
If you're still using 5w30 they will do that sometimes. .as soon as you switch to 540.it will go out try the sensor is cheap. .but if it continues that a sighn that the sump is blocked witch could 9nly meen it's picking up plastic pieces. And that is a sighn right there that's y as soon as the guides break it sound like a train..but the reason you need to shut off the engine straight away is because it plugs the sump and starves the engine. .I have been driving mine with the timing over advanced for months now. I need to redo it cause right after I started it within half our it went 9ff cause I reused the chain and it streches. ...if you want it done just send me a message. ..
Oh boy haha. That's going to make me much more paranoid now. It's the first time that error ever came up, and I only noticed it when I went to shut the car off. I went for a short drive last night after it came up, and 2 long (200km total) and 2 short trips today without the error coming back. I'm definitely going to be keeping an eye on things as I always do.
The point of the video is to show what the condition is of this car based on the mileage and price, so that others who might be thinking about buying a cheap E38 can know what they'll be in for. Of course brakes can be replaced, but since most of the cars will be in this condition it helps those understand what to look for.
For those who are curious, this car is currently at 282,000km.
My 02 E39 525i m sport is at 339210km. Was a highway car though and in amazing condition inside and out. Front struts are shot though. I've done front suspension overhaul before on my 96 523i, so should be easier second time around.
PRN_TestDrive how u fix the glove box
I managed to fix it for a short while, I had a newer handle mechanism that I swapped in but it does the same thing now, I think someone sat in my car a couple weeks after I fixed it and pulled on the handle and broke it again.
Dude, your car is 20+ years old. The stuff is not garbage they're things that need to be maintained. It is not a "run-it-into the ground and throw away" car. That is a classic all day long just getting better as time goes by and a fantastic daily driver.
Fair enough
I have it with V12. I have had very expensive Mercs before I bought a BMW. I always thought that owners of BMW were a little cranky show off whereas I was always a sedate inverted snob. Since I bought it and have driven it, I am totally and utterly convinced of its being a very understated machine. Mine is with double glazed windows. It is quieter than a Roller. Even at quite high speed I can still have normal conversation with my fellow passenger. It is an amazing machine.
We loved the 750iL when we had the chance to drive it a few months ago. It's really impressive to see how hear how well they insulated the cabin, one of the quietest cars we've driven.
I sold my '01 e38 5 years ago. Purchased it in 2005 for 32k in New Jersey. It was very expensive to maintain. Wait until the center bearing goes and you have to drop the drive shaft to replace it. Or the transmission starts slipping. I replaced the water pump and radiator immediately after purchasing it when it was nearly 4 years old. Then the alternator went and took the battery. Then I replaced the expansion tank every year in winter. The first time I replaced it the plastic had become brittle and it just fell apart. Each time after that it would split in winter, all the coolant would leak out and the engine would overheat. ... I purchased it because it was the ultimate James Bond car. Now I wouldn't do that again. best of luck to you.
ive done hanger bearings on every model of bmw,,,,i never pull the exhaust out i hang it ,,,,and its replaced in under 2 hours thats just me taking my time if your in a hurry ill have it done in 1 hour ,,i pulled the transmision out of my old 540 in twenty minuits ,,,its all about expireince people love to buy these cars because of status and looks ,,but dont buy them unless you have some expirence with them and are sure you can offord it,,you want to hear expensive at least you can still change the bearing and mark the shaft cause there balance the new m5s 7s and future gen you cannot ,,you have to porchase the shaft and that is the price of a used ill say e46 m3 lol
I totally agree,why buy a new car when an older BMW has all the features and is still more economical to run. I have a 1996 740i and would not have anything else (apart from a 2017 model). Keep up the good work! Greetings from NZ.
Definitely is! I'm always going to side with buying something used over new. Cheers!
I have a 730d/2001, 480 000 km. Major repairs: the gearbox ZF5hp24 after 375 000 km - because I never changed the oil(repair cost: 1200 euro). I recommend changing the oil and filter every 60 000km. Cooling hoses, thermostat and water pump have resisted up to 450 000~470 000 km. Expansion tank : changed every 50 000 km(very poor quality plastic). All options work on the car in the normal parameters. Pixels from Instrument cluster... seldom do not see completely(repair cost aprox. 25 euro). For the past 100 000 km, cost/kilometer(repairs and maintenance, without fuel) aprox 0,116 euro. Consumption (effective): 5,8-12.9 l/100km - depending on Wheel sizes, type of road, speed, driving style, traffic, season and fuel quality. In the near future require replacement headlight lens(polish no resist with headlight washers).
Not bad at all! I think there's pretty mixed factions when it comes to the transmission service, half say it needs to be done regularly while the other half lives by the 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it' code. I need to replace my reservoir tank as well, there's no leaking but my 'Check Coolant Level' sensor seems to be broken, it's constantly telling me to check it.
I had a 2000 ls400 and a 2000 740il (actually lucked out on a rare build royal red with black interior). Had more piece of mind with the lexus but definitely enjoyed the style of the Lexus better. Biggest gripe with the bmw was the cup holders. for a almost 100k car to not have a single cup holder thats usable was a joke. Still loved the car though. Looking for another.
The cup holders on the BMW are complete garbage. We ended up buying a custom-made cup holder that's worked flawlessly for the past few years that we've had the car.
I have the same car... all things considered, you are fortunate to have many minor problems. 2 common ones you got lucky on are the led instrument display and the mk navigation unit in the trunk-- it's tied to EVERYTHING in the center dash display as it goes dark and the radio turns off after 2 minutes or so... Also, you CAN replace the battery in the key fob for $2-3 or $10-15 if you want to use a rechargeable one like the OEM. Same for the flashlight in the glove box. IMHO, these have been the best looking of the 7's. Good luck fixing her up!
My cluster's LCD was pretty useless when I bought it, I had it replaced at BMW about a month into my ownership, and luckily none of the HVAC or Nav pixels are dead. The nav computer was also dead when I bought it, a local E38 enthusiast hooked me up with a replacement. I'm likely going to pull the trigger on the MKIV computer if I can find one locally.
Glove box light works too! Not really useful though, might try to replace it with an LED. Also I bought a new key when I got the car so it's as good as it'll get. Thanks for watching and leaving the comment!
This car is basically a driving project. Thanks for uploading. Personally I would have never bought the car in this state. I hope you have fun with the car!
It certainly was a fun car during the time I had it. I've since moved onto a newer Mercedes S-Class which isn't a project at all, everything works on it, just needed a bit of a clean when I first got it.
Most of these things are maintenance things, not really vehicle specific
Agreed, suspension, brakes, and catalysts are definitely maintenance.
PRN - You can buy new arms without bushing, and fill your current bushings with urethane and you'll never deal with the shimmy again. FYI, the E60 M5 rotors and calipers fit these cars if you're looking for an upgrade
Good to know, thanks!
PRN Great car, I am looking to get another and manual swap it
I dream about having a small fleet of these.
One of the best vids/instructions I've seen. Very encouraged now to purchase the 2001 740, notwithstanding that there will be some maint/repairs to be done as part of normal 7 series ownership. thanks RICHARD
Glad you liked it, thanks!
Thank you , I just bought a 2000 750IL , I am going to start a channel soon, , it does need work, but it is very clean after my detail. It had been sitting for 5yrs or more, Silver and Black leather, I put liquid molly oil change and a added,new tires, I put strait pipes because the cads were stolen and it run very quite and smooth for a v-12,still needs some work,
Congrats on the purchase, I hope you get the chance to get the car up to the level you'd like it to be at, and you can find some success making videos about it too. Enjoy it!
Overall a very clean car. Fine example of its breed. Given its age, these problems are fairly normal. Just shows that you drive and love it. I bought mine for $450, yes....hundred...lol. It had a bad valley pan gasket, worn struts, control arms....stereo issues, kidney failure. But its getting there
Not bad at all! There are definitely some deals to be had out there. I don't think you could ever find one for that price up here in Canada, even rotten ones are still being listed for a few thousand.
Josh Denham I just bought a 98 bmw 740il for a grand just need tire sensor and some speakers put in some tlc here and there but other than that great car
Some typical e38 faults, its only the matter of time when you have to deal with them. And agreed the closing bit 100% aswell. And also liked :)
Thanks for watching! The interior stuff is an annoyance and the rest as you mentioned are pretty typical. I'm hoping the timing guides aren't going to become an issue for me, I don't know if that's a project I can tackle on my own.
i myself had a 01 e38, I do miss that car since i traded it in for a 11 F10. My e38 problems began after i bought it 2012 (112K) MAF, the ABS module, cup holder, glove box, dead pixels on the cluster, twice broke rear strut bushing which is a nightmare to fix, replaces tranny fluid & filter, broken window regulator, brakes, tires....But i do miss that old lady.
Sounds like some relatively common issues but I definitely know that feeling. We're dealing with a severely leaky gas tank right now.
I would love to buy another one just to have as a weekend car. I do miss it.
I just got an E38 today off of Craigslist here in Colorado Springs, CO.
214,000 miles on her with a nice “ouch” at the passenger headlight.
The hood won’t open and I fear what will be underneath when I finally crack that shell..LOL
I couldn’t even check the fluids!
..but I bought her anyway because
I needed a car badly and was looking around for the proverbial “five hundred dollar Honda/Toyota/Subaru”
After unsuccessfully searching all morning, I suddenly found this 1998 740iL for ...
$425.00
She runs and she got me home even!
LOL
It was supposed to be a throwaway set of wheels..after watching you though?
Maybe I’ll just try to fix her up!
Anyway-
Thank you for the videos..and thank you for the heads-up on the parts/repair websites.
Liked
Subscribed
Greetings from the U.S
Thanks! We just did a quick live stream on starting ours up actually. Our hood opens without too much issue, but closing it is a problem. There's a lot of work that needs to go into these cars but if you're willing to do it yourself you can save quite a bit!
Recently bought a 98 740il in great shape, mainly cosmetic work that needs to be done, pretty much same issues
A lot of these cars will have these similar problems, even if they’re well maintained. Hopefully you’re able to get yours sorted out!
Great video and report. I hope your E38 will hold on without serious issues. Wish you all the best :D
So far it's been pretty great, thanks! We ask a lot of it but it hasn't stranded us on the side of the road, and keeps on serving. One of the best cars I've ever owned!
I have the same flaws also , well some of them its very normal and yes please , more videos with E38 !!!!!!!!!!!!!
thank you great video again
We've got some ideas in the pipeline!
Great e38 videos - love them and your presenting style - kudos
Thank you! I really appreciate hearing that. I'm hoping we'll be able to start back up our E38 video series at some point.
Atleast the headliner and sunroof shade not sagging and looks intact , I had all those issues plus heater blower motor and heat wasn't working, lol
It wasn't during this video, but since then my headliner has started to peel off completely.
Should I buy an E38 diesel? Most of the people say 18-20 litres / 100km is ridiculous.. Prices in my country for diesel are around 1.1-1.2 euros per litre.
We averaged 11L/100km with ours, sometimes better on longer highway driving. It's not the most fuel efficient but does the trick. Unfortunately BMW only sold the diesel 7 Series in Canada for the 2014 model year.
11L/100km is spot-on correct gasoline consumption for E38 in real world driving. Sport model will consume slightly more but still less than 12L/100km.
Equates to average mileage of 21mpg imperial, 20.4mpg for the Sport model.
I own one of each model, iL and Sport, and these are my real world, long term averages.
A guy near me wants to sell me one of these for 2500 with minimal problems would this make an expensive first car in terms on maintenance?
Truly depends on what kind of maintenance has been done on the car, a service history would be ideal. Also depends on what the mileage is right now, if you'll be needing to do major service shortly. We did a Buyers Guide on the E38 a few months ago, that has a lot more information about what to look for! We've also put together some cost breakdown videos showing how much we've spent on this car.
Although I loved my 1995 730I v8 it was a total money pit. I owned it for 17 years and I covered around 150’000 miles in it but I got to the point that I couldn’t afford to maintain it anymore.
That's certainly a long stretch of ownership. That's ultimately the problem with any of these cars, you either need to invest in it because you love it, or get rid of it because you can't justify it.
@@PRNTestDrive. Luckily for me I was a trained BMW technician and I had my own business for 25 years but the workshop overheads kept on climbing so I closed the workshop and I went mobile and I could carry a vast amount of tools in it but it got to the point that the upper parts of both cylinder heads distorted and I couldn’t seal the cam covers and both cat converters packed up and I could not find and fix an elusive airbag fault and I had done two temporary fixes on the three heater matrix pipes which came through the engine bulkhead and I was getting to the end of my working life. So it was time to go. In my opinion the heater matrix pipes should have been made of strong non rusting metal and not brittle plastic. To remove the heater box is a massive job and a very poor design. I also had a constant problem with the lower suspension arm inner bushes developing wear which caused severe steering shake when braking. The E38 is a beautiful car to drive eventually they become too expensive to maintain.
hey.. what's it with this car and gearbox problems....? Can you shed some light on it?
I've heard that the newer Steptronic transmissions can be problematic, some enthusiasts prefer to stick with the 95's to keep that transmission, or go to the V12. Personally I haven't had any problems but they do exist unfortunately. The one thing I do hear is to do the transmission fluid change despite BMW advertising this as 'life time'.
@@PRNTestDrive in my case, I changed the engine to the 3.0 double venous and that stopped damaging the gearbox...it turns out the v8 and v12 engines produce too much power for the gearbox and ends up tearing it apart...
Ok you got a lemon. And im not being mean. I got one too. I had to put the whole 11 pieces of the front suspension, and the car still shakes cause the calipers stick. Mines a 95, so it's only self leveling in the back. Took me a week to find who sold the lever that went to it. Then I found one in a junk yard, so i got and extra level and valve. Other than that no complains. The center console, i had it carbon fibered. Mines is all AC Schnitzered out. My advise is don't ever use cheap gaskets they'll leak. Mines has no cats and sounds like a beast. Mines all blacked out, with 18s. I also changed the speakers, and radio, with a more modern one. And yes I love my car,
Ours has only gotten worse since doing this video, but I’m really hoping to get work done on it this year so I can get back to driving it.
How much for new guage cluster?? Cost/labor... i looked at a 98 740iL today 164k miles, motor aounds amazing.. transmission shifts smooth. But speedometer doesnt work and information screen is pixelated pretty bad. Dealer is asking $2000. Thoughts?
$2000 to buy the car from dealer as is....
To avaoid any confusion from my above comment
I went with a full replacement of the cluster, cost me $750 for the part plus a few hours labour at the dealership. Was it worth it? For me yes, but most would say it was too costly. Is the dealer a BMW dealership or a used car lot?
Used car dealer, lots of newer used high end euro cars. Dealer says the one im looking at was a trade in from an older guy.. apparently a doctor and he traded in for a 2017 paid in full.
750 isnt too bad i guess.. i would do it.
@@PRNTestDrive thnks for the reply!
I notice there's a steptronic gear shift, did you retrofit that or is this truly a 740iL Sport? Looking into buying one and trying to verify what kind of bimmer I've been eyeing
It's not a full 'sport' model since it doesn't have the M Sport steering wheel or sport seats, however it does have a few of the sport goodies. Model year 2000-2001 740iLs sent to Canada came with the Steptronic transmission and the 3.15 sport differential. On top of that the car also has the S EDC system and M Parallels from the factory.
Best way to know what you're looking at is doing a VIN decode, there are a few websites that you can throw the last digits of the VIN into and get a full rundown of all the options for that car. It's a really great way to know exactly how it came from the factory.
OKay. So on the US sport model I'm looking at pretty much a cosmetic upgrade? the seller is advertising as a sport, though I figure that's just rims and trim. Does that sound about right?
A true Sport model should have the steptronic transmission, sport suspension, 3.15 differential, sport seats, Shadowline trim exterior (no chrome around the windows), and M Parallel rims. I believe if you decode the VIN it will show up as M Sport package under the options list.
how to tell: If your 740il dials are reading 2,500RPM (NOT 2,200RPM!) while driving the car @ 80MPH then you have everything that the 5 series "Sport" model has. Non "sport" 7 series cars do not rev that high @ 80MPH. They will be more like 2,200RPM. Its as simple as that. I did this comparison with a friend who owns a 'basic' 740il. Any 7 series which read 2,500 @ 80MPH are the same as M sport 5 but obviously far far superior for many reasons other than matching the engine output.
I like this. I have the same car. No problems until this morning. I use the key's remote to open the trunk. Once I closed the trunk and used the remote to open the door I don't know if my alarm is doing it, but now the trunk won't open and it won't crank. it seems like the battery suddenly went dead or something. What do you think what happened?
Very strange problem indeed, I'm not sure to be honest but it could be a battery thing. If you're able to use the key in the trunk lock to manually unlock/open it to get to the battery, you might be able to do a battery nap by disconnecting it for 10 minutes to see if it resets something. If the battery is truly dead or faulty then replacement is the only way to go. Hopefully you can manually unlock the trunk with the key, if not you might be drilling into it unfortunately.
I have two 1998 740i. One black one silver. First car I got them at 16 and I've owned them for 5 years now. 110,000 on my silver one and 149,000 on my black one. Mechanically I've had to replace the coolant reservoir tank a few times (Common problem so I have a few new ones laying around), the radiator twice. the water pump, thermostat, hoses, fan clutch/blade. I've done my valve cover seals, never had a problem with valley pan or timing chain guides. The brake pads do wear a bit faster because it's a 4'500 pound car. New control arms my shocks are still good I have h&r lowering springs on both cars. Muffler delete and a xpipe on both cars as well as ECU tunes so I have a nice rev limiter of 6,500. Gonna rebuild the engines soon for the hell of it. I say this of you can do most of the work yourself owning the car is quite inexpensive. I notice I've spent more money on the looks than anything mechanical. Because you'll spend a pretty penny making the car pretty again believe me.
p.s that's miles
Great write up! Sounds like you've got two amazing cars on your hands. I agree that making the car look good gets expensive, I'm in the market for an interior upgrade to the 750iL leather, It'll cost me $2k if I'm lucky to find a donor car.
Thanks for sharing!
PRN Many donor cars out here in California I paid $800 for a 2000 740i Sport with a blown motor and a wrecked fender just a month ago. But the interior is gorgeous! I know a few 750ils for sale out here for under $3000 in good running condition I almost bought one but the neighbors already aren't carrying for the amount cars I already have. I'm more leaning into the V12 swap but i need to get on the forums and get more details.
There's a lot of inventory down there, thats for sure! I was looking on the US Craigslist last night, there's a beige interior 750iL somewhere in NYS for a couple grand. Really good deal even if the interior is the only thing I salvage. Just not sure how to get down there to grab it all.
I think in terms of a V12 swap, I'm not sure if anyone has done one. The S62 swap is pretty popular. I'd love to get a V12 in mine, but the car isn't sentimental, I'd just find a great 750iL and drive it.
PRN I feel you there. im curious of the v12 seap mostly because I like the short bodies for some reason. I hope you can get one soon! Look into getting the the differential off a sport 740i! I'm getting ready to put it on my silver car and believe me it makes a difference. With the abs off the rear tires break lose aha. Im not sure about the existing IL driveshaft working with it though.
Excuse me the drive shaft is fine I think you just need the correct output flange
I believe only one true 740i Sport has come up for sale in the past year around here, inventory is very sparse. I'm still looking for a local owner with one to shoot a comparison video with.
Oh and just hope and pray the navigation head unit doesn't fail. Then the Stereo will only play for 2 minutes the go silent until you press the power and turn it back on again for two more minutes of blissful music on bmws top notch sound system. With all this said I still truly love my 2001 750iL. My current project is new steering rack and cat deletes. And new headliner. I have a black interior so my a b and c pillar and are all light gray like the headliner and sun shade panel. So I'm having it all redone in black! Now the headliner has fallen I'm actually excited cause now I have the excuse to do it all in black like the new bimmers. Beautiful car man!
The radio was broken when I bought the car, I ended up finding a replacement for $60!
PRN no way that's awesome!
PRN the dealer wanted 1900 bucks for a refurbished one through them with only a 30 day warranty! Can you believe that
That's a rip off, but I've looked at their prices for the MKIV nav computer and it's about $2,700. The MKIIIs are a little more common, they usually go for around $100 at the most.
I'm from Europe and nu dad has a 750i VIP edition. He got the car for 2000€ but, unfortunately the car wasn't perfect.
He had to change the engine because the crankshaft broke.
The car took part in an accident and the FR fender, all four doors, the trunk and the RR fender are full of kitt.
The bumpers, the fog lights, the headlight washers and a parking sensor have to be changed.
ETC.
My dad loves this project and we'll never give up.
It's a good project to have! Hopefully he'll be able to get it up and running again. Nothing beats a smooth V12.
PRN The car is running tho, but there are many things that we have to do to make it look good...and street legal.
That's good then, those engines are pretty solid!
That's odd. Front fog lights, but no rears? Even in Australia my E39 has both front and rear.
North American vehicles rarely have rear fog lights, it’s not a requirement here so auto makers don’t add them. I don’t think any US or Japanese vehicles sold here come with them, Volvo has rear fog lights on all models sold here, Audi also I believe. Some older Mercedes models came with them in our market also.
My current not working list - pdc, airbag light, dsc light, tie rod, and the bonnet release cable went last week. It's a constantly shifting beast.
The PDC malfunction might be the simplest fix. Mine didn't work when I bought the car, if you start the car and turn on PDC you should be able to put your ear up to each sensor, if it's making a ticking/clicking sound then you know it's working. Find the one (or ones) that aren't making any noise and replace them, system should work after that!
Yeah I've done the listen test and identified 2 sensors that need replacing (front corners). I have bought some spares and just have to get around to installing them. Trying to get my car to 100%, big stuff is all done I'm just doing small bits and retro fit upgrades now :)
Nice! That's great, little stuff can be annoying but at least doesn't impact the daily functions of the car too much. Hopefully you get the time to work on some of these small projects.
Change the oil pan gasket I change all the upper gaskets but the bottom one was culprit now it doesn't leak at all and when change out that gasket go ahead and adjust your oil pump chain so you have that clucking noise when the engine warms up " my 2000 740i is in excellent condition with upgraded BC racing coil over spring shocks , I replaced all the suspension parts front back also the stereo and speakers with upgraded amp for the rear Deck speakers this is not my every day car and don't drive it in the winter these are good cars just keep the maintenance up, I do all my own work.
Good to know, thanks! We just got our E38 started back up for the first time in months last night, she sounded pretty solid considering it's been sitting for the longest it's ever sat un-started. We're hoping to start working on some of the mechanical issues we've been having.
Very good video & beautiful condition.
Can you please tell me what is supposed to come up on the Cluster?
Many thanks
On the LCD display readout for the check control system? I think ideally it should be blank without any warnings.
AMAZING CAR!!! ❤️The mostly clever choice.
We definitely love ours!
Hey PRN! Would you recommend a 2001 740il for $1900 CAD? It's got 280 000 "highway" kms and is in "excellent condition for it's age". What do you say, is this a good start for a project car?
For a project car, for sure! That’s roughly the same mileage we have on ours, so definitely check for leaks around the gas tank and anything leaking from the engine. The catalysts also could be clogged, so get the car up to the redline a couple times, ours would stall out around 5,500rpm with clogged cats.
Great, thanks for the info!
Now to start on a new project....
Good luck! Enjoy!
Hello yes I did like the video. I to hve a 01 BMW 740iL. Mine needs a good o tune up to,brakes,tires real bad now. One front rt lil shredded. But I hve wide rims so tire size is 20s. Whats the actual size w/o low profile? Is it 18-20s and I do need to fix suspension and get catalytic converter cuz my dual exhaust system or pipes gone. As u said you do put a lot into it for older cars but I love my car. Rdy to mke her sound good as new
Mine are 18” and that’s about as low-profile as I’d want to go on this car. I’ve seen plenty of people who ride with larger rims, so it’s possible.
Very Well Maintenance E38 you have there sir... Nice Car.
Thank you! I try to keep it maintained regularly, but if you saw it in person you'd see some of the many imperfections unfortunately.
I loved my oil leaks on the first car so much I bought another now I have two e38. lol You can never have too many of those to fix. btw Good looking e38.
Thanks! Glad to hear you've got 2 of them now.
Well done video man, Informational and your way of looking at things is realistic and practical similar to mine. A+
Thanks! We started planning this video shortly after we bought the car, knowing that maintenance costs for these cars can be hard to determine. It's definitely not going to be the same for everyone, but a good idea for anyone interested in an E38. We're hoping to be able to do this with some other cars we've featured on here.
I have a 01 740 IL in green also just an FYI if you take off the center guard under the engine off there is a pump underneath that needs a new gasket replacing mine very soon and another thing if you haven’t yet you should do your timing chain as your first priority as they have brittle plastic guides also redo your valley pan and whole coolant system expensive worth it yes in every penny if you love your car and want to keep it running. Maybe I missed it but how many miles are on her mine has 202,307 original miles and my dad was second owner in 02 he put virtually all of them on (highway) I bought car after it sat for 7 years last November and put thousands upon thousands into her I absolutely love the car
We did a recent update to this video going over the repairs we need to do to ours. Unfortunately we've driven less than a few hundred kilometres this year, so the car just sits.
Sorry to hear it just sits from mine sitting as long as it did like I said it’s cost many many thousands of dollars but I’ll put money into it as long as I can I don’t want another car love this one too much
We love ours too! We're hoping we'll be able to start working on some of the issues once the plates expire in October, we won't be able to drive the car anyway so we might as well start tearing it down and working on what we can.
Not to sound like a hater or trolling, but show you a car that's 15 years old that doesn't have problems? Yes, my Lexus. With that said, I'm thinking about selling it for a 2001 740iL because it's one of my dream cars.
Seems we failed in our delivery with this video, as you aren’t the first person with this complaint. The video isn’t meant for us to complain about the problems with a 15 year old car, but rather show what we have to deal with so those who are interested in buying a similar E38 know what they might be getting into. We feel that these problems are a accurate representations of what a 2001 740iL might look like on the market.
E38.org has fixes for all of these faults and then some.Photos and instructions on how to repair this models many issues.lots of fun tinkering on these.
If you want a better version, get the 98s. Its pre-vanos. The 01s had a few more features, NAVI and such but wte.. The timing job is insane on these cars. So sensitive, and most BMW shops take a few tries to get the timing correct on these cars.
So far I haven't had any issues with the timing chain or guides. I'm sure it's going to be something that needs to be done in the near future though. I'd love to find a solid 1998 750iL and swap in the widescreen nav and newer computer, that's all it would be missing. Might swap the rear lights though, the front looks good but those amber tail lights show their age.
PRN - The problem is, if you wait till the guides go.. you'll most likely have valves and pistons meeting. So, either do it preventative or start saving for a new motor. I've done the timing job on two of these on the M62TU44B which is what you have in your 7.
This time around, I am trying a 98 pre-vanos and doing a 6-speed swap. The ONE thing I hate about VANOS motors is the diesel sound and start up rattle that are on 95% of them. Either rebuild the VANOS units with new seals, or get new sprockets $500 a piece. Its the VANOS units that make the startup rattle and diesel noise at idle.
Those aren't big problems, in fact I have 3 catalytic converters in my trunk to be installed on Friday! The parts cost me $150 each and installation is about $400. Brakes should cost around $300 for parts to do pads and rotors, and the rest doesn't sound that bad either. Any luxury marque will be expensive to fix compared to a non-luxury brand, it's part of the ownership of having that badge on the front of the car.
Mercedes-Benz have their own troubles too, so I wouldn't be too quick to point the finger if I were driving the three pointed star. In fact before buying my E38 I was looking at 2002-2004 S Clases, as well as 99-02 E55 AMGs. Mercedes has quality issues with those late 90s/early 2000s cars like rust, electronics, and suspension.
Chances are you'll end up spending much less on repairs for your 98 than you would buying a newer non-luxury car. Once you get it fixed up it'll feel like new! Stay tuned, I should have a new video this weekend once my catalysts are fixed, you'll see the difference they make.
Those are new prices, I was quoted about $2,100 for new parts and labour. In Niagara Ontario we have a parts recycler who specializes in BMWs, they happened to have a lot of E38 parts since they collect those cars themselves. I was lucky to get a set of cats with 150k km, which is about 100k less than what I have on mine now. Won't last as long as a new set would, but well worth it considering the price!
Beautiful Brown - Find aftermarket converters. On Honda's, they straight piped them and used O2 sensor spacers to not get a SES (Service Engine Soon) light.
my video might be a little longer with all the crap I have to do! She looks great, bro.
Thanks! I hear ya, these cars are fantastic, but definitely can fall apart under normal wear and tear. I haven't had the chance to meet any other E38 owners still, but I'd love to start seeing how other's are holding up!
The rear cuphder stick cause the grease on the mechanism dries up or people spill drinks in the and they get stuck. Take it out soak it in degreaser rise well dry and regressed should be okay. The shades break in the Windows cause people let them snap back in the panel uncontrolled cause the plastic to break. Wait till rear window regulators break and it's always when the widow is going down then lucky if it will come up and actually seal shut. Just don't use the back windows and keep them locked from up front.
Luckily I don't tend to use the rear windows, and they're almost always locked.
Gorgeous car. I had the same issue with one of the two cats going, had them both cut out and pipes welded. Worked out great except for the stank and check engine light! Take good care of her and enjoy driving James Bond's ride. Miss mine!
I thought about removing the catalysts as well, but we have relatively strict emissions testing here, I don't think I'd be able to pass with them removed.
Ya I live in Vancouver Canada and we used to have an emissions test called aircare but that went away! It is expensive to replace them. If you are doing valve covers, ensure you do the intake manifold gasket as well or you will just keep killing cats.
Good to know! I've got one of the manifold catalysts in my parts inventory, right now there's no further trouble with it, but the spare is ready to go in with new gaskets if needed.
lol leaks from valve covers and spark plug wells. And also those pesky powers tearing hoses are a real treat. Also plan on replacing the coolant reservoir tank every two years and any of the cooling hoses that uses bmws genius snap lock clip in connectors.
get a mercedes....my w220 with 450k km(bought with 80k km on odo) other than the suspension struts and little crack on the interior work flawless...clocking 7k km every month...beautiful...interior bits all functioning...
Glad to hear it! We drove a W220 S430 4Matic a couple weeks ago, our video on that goes live next Monday. We really liked the ride quality and overall comfort of that car!
Wasn't MB in its rusty times with the W220?
i heard about the rust on the bonnet,doors and trunk...mine is ok so far! hopefully remain that way
Depends on the years and if they were fixed. My understanding is Mercedes offered replacement parts and repainted the rest of the car for original owners in the US. I also believe 2005 models and newer used a higher quality & thicker paint so the issue wasn't as widespread on those cars.
The only problem that I have is navigation screen is black the buttons and all work except the screen being black any to fix it or reboot or reset it lmk!
Does your audio cut out every few minutes? Usually this is what happens when the screen is blank, that's how mine was when I bought it. If so, the navigation computer is dead. You can usually find a MKIII computer for a $100-$200 depending on where you are, but if you know someone who has a similar GPS computer you could swap theirs in to see if it works, that way you can rule out the computer if the problem persists.
Yeah my audio does cut out every few minutes and do you know where I can find one online at?
Ebay might be the best place, but they tend to be on the pricey side. The other issue could be the region the Nav computer came from. The spare one I bought must have been for the UK market as my voice options are UK English or German. I know some local forums in my area have them for sale from time to time, that might be an option for you too.
Hmm okay I'll check that out thanks for the help, by the way just out of curiosity is there anyway that I can reset the navigation computer or reset the entire navigation system
The only way I know of is opening the trunk, waiting until the light has shut off on the GPS computer and disconnecting it for 5-10 minutes then reconnecting it.
I have a 2001 525i and I've been the only owner. Regarding plastic parts on the car: When plastic is exposed to the sun and to heat and cold for some 16 years, there is going to be some breakdown in the integrity of the plastic. You probably know that plastic is used to reduce the weight to maximize fuel consumption along with using aluminum instead of steel.
I challenge you to learn how to repair your car yourself. I repair mine myself and follow the maintenance schedule and have been able to repair every problem myself SO FAR...knock wood!(when the transmission fails, I'll probably have to part ways with my car.)
There are people in this world who have much bigger problems than repairing their luxury BMW. Consider yourself fortunate to have these particular concerns in your life.
We detailed the repairs and maintenance for this vehicle in a subsequent video, a lot of the work we've been able to do ourselves. Definitely one of the easier cars to work on. Lots of potential for the DIYer!
Great video. This is my dream car. Well, actually 750i but it is way too expensive to run.
Gas would be more expensive, but overall I hear the V12 is more reliable than the V8s and is relatively straightforward when it comes to repairs. The rest of the suspension and mechanicals are almost identical to the smaller engines so repairs aren't much higher.
@@PRNTestDrive Two years late, but how about diesels? They have a good reputation in Europe.
Unfortunately they never sold the diesel 7 Series here, could really only get that from Mercedes in this market. I’d definitely buy one, engines are bulletproof.
@@PRNTestDrive Thanks!
Hi PRN, I own 2 E38s 740iL in my country. One has been refurbished and use it very often. The other has a problem that I hope you or any one else can help. I bought this like a year ago in running condition. Got busy with work and left it aside for 9 months with the battery terminals still connected. Decided to start her after 9 mths, got a new battery (trunk opens) then tried to open the door and guess what the door does not open at all. I've tried all possible ways, nothing. I am told only one possibility ie., break the door glass and replace it with a used one later. I've had BMW shop technicians come over but they couldn't do anything. I'm stuck mate. Hope someone can help. Cheers.
That's definitely a strange problem! I'm not sure if you've tried to ask around on the E38 subform on bimmerforums.com but that would be where I would start. Unfortunately I don't have much experience with the central locking system on these cars. The key is supposed to manually unlock the driver's door when turned counter-clockwise, so if it's not doing that then perhaps the mechanism to unlock has broken inside the door.
However if the battery has been replaced and the car has power, you should be able to use the remote to unlock/disarm the car and open any of the doors. Have you tried holding down the unlock button to try and roll down the windows? Same should happen when you hold the key in the driver's door in a counter-clockwise position for a couple seconds.
All tried mate, nothing. I was told the link from the ket lock to the door lock is linked by wires and sensors unlike most other cars where there's a metal rod connecting them. Apparently its the sensor thats faulty and hence we're locked out from the car. Only way is break the door glass OR drill out the lock from the outside which means there'll be some damage to the door or the handle. The glass or the lock can be bought used so I'm thinking of that seriously. Then will do some mods to the lock mechanism perhaps by modifying a rod rather then sensors.
It appears to be happening to lots of BMWs, perhaps due to bad thought-out design. My other car, 68 Chevy Impala still opens the door for 50 years. Will also try bimmerforums.com as you mentioned.
Thanks a lot mate.
Ever solve this problem?
An American car from this age and with this milage would not run anymore.
Any car without proper maintenance will surely fall apart, however considering domestic brands tend to be less expensive, their maintenance tends to fall by the wayside too. I don't see many Chrysler Intrepids on the road, so it's definitely a good point!
My 2004 F150 has 330,000 miles. Not kilometers
MIVD how did you know!?!
Im not to sure of that statement.
I have a 2006 Escalade Esv platinum with 360,000 plus miles and she still runs strong
that fan whine you mentioned might be the small fan for the center console electronics.
It's definitely possible. We're hoping to source a full leather dashboard this year and begin the upgrade process, while working on servicing everything behind the dash at the same time.
friend with a 96 E39 has this but it can be heard for a while after the engines turned off.
Why was your oil leaking ?
Still is, we haven't gotten the exact cause of it but there are small leaks at the bottom of the engine, as well as from the filter housing. Apparently the filters can develop pretty bad leaks which is common, but we're going to have to see what we're going to do with this car come spring, it's been sitting for a few months now unfortunately.
That is unfortunate are you going to continue to keep her alive
"Show me a 20 year old car that doesn't have problems" - Lexus LS series (if you want a similar class comparison).
Excellent comparison, however there aren't many available examples on the market anymore, I was looking at picking up an early LS400 but couldn't find any for sale. I'd love to get a video made for one of those.
I had both. A 1998 LS400 which was about 12 years old when I had it and it drove like new despite having over 100k miles. Didn't have to fix anything on the Lexus, not even in the slightest. It even had an original touch screen navigation/climate control which worked flawlessly in a 1998!
Few years later I bought a 2001 740iL, it was so bad electrically and mechanically, that I could never pass emissions, or even get the car to run right despite spending massive money on it to an independent BMW mechanic and even attempting to work on it with my brother and myself. Really wanted to get that 740iL going but realization came I had to get rid of it since I didn't have time to rebuild half the engine plus a whole lot of other issues from brakes to airbag system etc etc.
That's too bad about the E38 you had, but it doesn't surprise me. There are plenty of them out there that were abused through maintenance neglect or by secondhand owners pushing the beyond their limits. I didn't know the LS had a touchscreen back then, that's awesome! I'll have to keep my eye out for one to show up for sale.
what do you expect about german cars made in america?
my 728 made in germany has 250.000 km on it and absolutely nothing wrong
I'm pretty sure all E38s were manufactured in Germany for the North American market.
loved the video i have one dead on yours and i luv the way people point when i pull up next to them clean and shiny
Nothing beats driving around in a freshly waxed E38!
You got the same card 2001 740i s sport package and problem package
I think everyone's has the problem package optioned!
Jajaja needs a lot of money to take care of that problem
Why do you buy this car ?? And how much for maintenance for year ? Thank you
I bought it because I was looking for something unique and interesting that you don't see on the road often. As for the maintenance, we've covered the 1 year maintenance costs for this car with this video: th-cam.com/video/eqvxvfcUrQA/w-d-xo.html
PRN how much do you spend on gas every month ?
We did an 18 Month update video last month, I broke down how much I spent on gas during that period on average, considering I do a significant amount of driving. Hope this helps! th-cam.com/video/HxcS5sfYsTY/w-d-xo.html
Капитошка Простой Gas mileage should be approximately 21mpg.
i was close to buying this in the 740i version , i backed out , i regret now... cant find the stratus grey with beige interior.
That sounds like a pretty tough colour combo to find too! Hopefully another E38 comes up for you.
You’ll probably be a mechanic to own one of this. Because you need to have the engine and transmission completely overhaul once you bought second hand. And in approximately 30k later you will have to do that all over again because either you use OEM parts that are not as reliable as the original or you go all out to find the remaining original parts sit in the parts store for at least 10 years, none of these parts will last anyway!
That's one of the reasons why I had to give up on this and sell it.
hey in Canada you have KM despite miles ? Your car has 246864 km ?
Correct, all of our distance measurements are in kilometres, the US is on the Imperial system. I'm at about 249,650KM as of tonight, which I think is around 155,000mi.
Went to Canada 2 time but never guess it.
merci
where the car come from ? looks like the car from europe right?
Nope! It was always a Canadian-spec'd model delivered originally to BMW Durham just north of Toronto, Ontario. I'm the second owner. There are some Euro E38s floating around this area, we're hoping to feature some of them this year!
I have the same car bmw 1998iL and I love it only 84,000+ mileage
Glad to hear it! Pretty low mileage overall, I hope you get to hold onto it for a while!
This car was my dream for a long time, but due to hot weather in my reagon i've bouhgt a lexus ls400.
The Lexus LS is a great car! One we seriously considered when looking for the E38 but had to pass on, the least expensive 2001 model was $20k here.
Instrument Cluster is NOT supposed to be programmed. It's a direct plug&play if you bought the right one. I've had 3 740s (1x E32 and 2x E38) for the past 10 years. These "problems" you mention in the video are all DIY and could be fixed within 2-3 weeks if you have own garage. It's a piece of cake if you buy replacement parts from a friendly aftermarket retailer you trust. BTW I'm not even a mechanic. I just use common sense and watch TH-cam instructions which some truly are precious
I've done the same for most of the problems mentioned in the video as well, I've found that this car is easier to work on than some 'Simple' cars I've owned. I plan on doing a follow up video to this, just getting the time to film it is the trouble.
As for the cluster, half the E38 owners I've spoken with say their Board Computer displays the last option on startup, such as Distance to Empty. The other half say their cluster is like mine when started up, blank until the BC button is pressed.
I have to admit man, I love your TIPTRONIC!!!! I bought the same gear shift from a 740i Sport as iLs don't come with tiptronic. Did you swap the gear shift yourself and had it programmed or you got the car like that? I really need to know!!! Thanks alot! :D
I only got through 1 minute 30 seconds.Broken? Once you said the front suspension and breaks were "kinda broken" I had to stop.
We discuss everything including the typical wear and tear stuff that needs to be done on this specific car. Sorry you didn't finish watching but thanks for commenting.
I’m buying one in two months!!!
Glad to hear it! We love driving ours, just wish we had better weather to take it out more. Hopefully you've found the perfect one for you!
Thanks man I’m sure that car will be a blast!!
Did you buy it?
Got new rims nice those are the best ones
how much does this car cost?
Depends on where you're located!
texas, usa. BTW, really great videos, keep it up! This channel deserves way more views and subs ;)
Thanks! Usually these cars go for around $2,500 in the US. there's a lot more inventory and used car prices seem to be significantly cheaper down there.
My advice is that at $2500 it is too cheap and should be avoided. Only buy a 2001 WITHOUT variable suspension, only buy standard suspension, and pay a little more for a nicer one, say $6000 is a good target price, moderate mileage like 70,000-90,000 miles, neither too low nor two high.
I took my own advice and bought two 2001s, a 740i Sport with 82,286 miles 5 years ago, and a 740iL 4 years ago with 78,850 miles. As of today I still own and drive both, the Sport has 130,000 miles and the iL has 118,000 miles. Neither has had major issues. Both have the same minor issues he mentions.
The last time I drove the iL was 3 hours ago (It needs some front suspension work). The last time I drove the Sport was yesterday (needs rear brake pads).
If I had it to do all over, I would buy them again.
I love my 2001 740il only has 150km and in the last five years I've spent only 2 g on small fixs like the alternator and brakes
That's really good in terms of maintenance costs! Hopefully she continues to be low maintenance for you down the road.
Do you still have it
nice video i liked it very much
I also have the same car !!
Thanks for watching! How's yours holding up, do you have some of the similar issues with the interior?
+PRN For the most they are the same problems like the suspension hidraulics... etc...
+PRN keep it up Ilike your videos !!
Will do, thanks!
no hesitation problems? mine does....
all that stuff is common I have the same problem. I got a cosmo blk m sport 800 dollars then blew the chain. ..dud it myself. .doing it again. but the oil leaks are common on all v8 valve covers and timing covers but guaranteed the valve covers and you auxiliaries fan goes the squeak blower fan are the brushes inside wearing out I live downtown work at m tricks autosport
The inside fan is getting a bit worse, used to only make weird noises when the A/C was on, but I've noticed it is making weird noises now that it's colder out. I hope to replace the dashboard with a leather one within the next year, when I do so I'll service the fan.
IL seems so boaty. Love the i's.
Fair enough! I own a short wheelbase S-Class now and I like the ride of it, although I would have gone with the LWB if I could have.
4k invested in a year? u dont find that to be alot?
$4k Canadian, prices for parts and maintenance are higher up here than in the states. Also considering what it would cost for a new car with similar features/size, definitely can't beat the price.
I need one to buy, any help
We produced a Buyer's Guide for the E38 a couple years ago, it has the most common problems with these cars including what to look for, and other important info about these if you're looking to buy: th-cam.com/video/GSY64_XSRq8/w-d-xo.html
"the speaker are mmmhew are okay" hahahhahha
And they’ve only gotten worse since but mostly due to degradation. We’re hoping to replace the DSP sound bar at the back to help improve the audio.
I guess you either did not inspect the car very good or skipped the PPI before purchase.
Nothing like buying a $100k car where the PO skipped maintenance.....
Enjoy!
Omg, i would go and buy another one if i would know that it has only those errors :))
I'm on AutoTrader every day looking for more E38s. The wife will not approve though :(
I have a 1995, car still runs awsome... but the plastics are breaking all over the place.. due to its age... gaskets and plastics break and going...
Seems like it's the quality of the material most of the german manufacturers used back in the 90s. Many of the E39s and E46s I've looked at recently have similar pieces that are broken.
I should make a video on things wrong with my Saab. The only thing is I'm not sure I have enough hard drive space for the lengthy video.
Saab is the one brand we'd really like to feature on this channel! If you're ever in the Montreal area we could always shoot the video for you, we have plenty of scratch drives for video.
Quite a drive from Florida but I'll keep that in mind!
I have an E38 2001 well maintained. I wanna sell it. Runs good but will need a new cc on passenger side.
Hopefully you're able to get that fixed before selling! There's still demand out there for these cars.
thank's for the video but you are corect $10,000 is not bad thers no car with all the e38 confort that cost that money and the e38 is very very cool car is a old car and still looks like a not to old i have a 1999 bmw 740i and for me is a love and hate lol!!!
Same here, but it's been more of a love/frightened relationship for me haha! Once the major repairs are completed this week I won't be worried about it any more and I'll get back to that Love/Hate we all have for these cars.
should i buy a 740il with 470000km for 1300 euro??
Wow! 470k is quite a lot, I'm not sure how the market is over there but it might be a little on the expensive side given the mileage. It will really depend on service history for the car, if recent engine work has been performed such as the timing chain/guides, coolant system, and a general tune up, along with important suspension components and brakes, then it might be worth it. All depends on the condition of the car overall.
thank you
Wow lookin at all the comments, this engines gone! Ill leave it
somewhere in Compton. Let them have it. I have the car spotted. Its
just sittin there in a driveway. Now Ill find a small block chevy and
Ill start pricing the mechanical stuff. Im still studyin...
Wait till the headliner falls!! It's already starting to I can see.
Yeah I'm not looking forward to that. In my most recent video you can see an air bubble at the back of the car.
Damn this is happened on my sunroof ☹️
brilliant video
Thanks for watching, glad you enjoyed it!
I just blew up the engine on my 730D , 285000 km , really torn in two about putting in a new engine :/
Really? I always thought the diesels were impossible to kill! What ended up happening to it? I really wish we had the diesels here in North America, I'm quite jealous of my friend's X3 28d and his fuel economy.
BMW seems to have lots of trouble with their turbos. Hopefully if you replace it you can find another E38!
Going to purchase a Japanese import only done 60k kms... can't wait... 740i
Hope it worked out for you!
Poor car, I hope you bring it back to it's original condition in all of it's glory.
I’d love nothing more! I’m hoping to get some of the big ticket problems sorted out this summer, like the gas tank.
It's been 4 years and you've still done nothing? Can I just have your car
You must know my financial situation much better than I do, if you assume I can just dump tonnes of cash into something I don’t rely on. Put yourself in someone else’s shoes, it might broaden your horizons.
I'm just saying man. Sorry if I came on dickish. I'd love to help out if I could
I have much older E38, with over 315kkm already and it's in uber shape, compared to yours. But mine is european version, not the cheap north american one.
I believe they're both built in Germany, I doubt BMW had a sticker on the NA-spec cars for the assemblers to use worse parts.
That is a myth that has somehow gained traction outside of North America. US & Canada cars were all built in Dingolfing, Germany. They are the exact same cars, from the exact same assembly line, using the exact same components, and have the exact same issues to address.
Just do a straight pipe exhaust system leave the resonators and mufflers so it's not unbearably loud. So basically it's more just a cat delete. But you also have to tell the ecu not expect signal so the cel will go out.
and yes doing the guides and chain are like tearing down an airplane engine lol..I've done a few...and let nevtell you ..it's not like you see in the videos and I dud mine without the cam locks or trans lock tool. ...just brain power block of wood and two rackets. ..I can get oem parts cheap because I work in the business. ..downside is if they go your looking at 4500 dollar repair depending on where you go...
I'm certainly hoping the guides aren't going to be a problem for me for a long while. I'm right at the mileage where they should fail, and I won't lie I'm in a constant state of worry while I'm driving. That said the car was in for service 2 months ago with a pretty clean bill of health, the engine sounds fine to me (aside from the fan belt squeaking after long drives), and mainly just sensors going out. Yesterday it told me to Check Engine Oil, and I became very concerned. Oil level is at max, so I believe the sensor is on the way out.
If you're still using 5w30 they will do that sometimes. .as soon as you switch to 540.it will go out try the sensor is cheap. .but if it continues that a sighn that the sump is blocked witch could 9nly meen it's picking up plastic pieces. And that is a sighn right there that's y as soon as the guides break it sound like a train..but the reason you need to shut off the engine straight away is because it plugs the sump and starves the engine. .I have been driving mine with the timing over advanced for months now. I need to redo it cause right after I started it within half our it went 9ff cause I reused the chain and it streches. ...if you want it done just send me a message. ..
Oh boy haha. That's going to make me much more paranoid now. It's the first time that error ever came up, and I only noticed it when I went to shut the car off. I went for a short drive last night after it came up, and 2 long (200km total) and 2 short trips today without the error coming back.
I'm definitely going to be keeping an eye on things as I always do.
yes but I don't drive her in the winter I live in canada so I drive my beemer maybe 4 months out of the year . that might be why my cost is so low
Nice! I wish I had the option to garage mine.
It has 246 k that is why it needs so much
that car would be free in Japan! Not kidding ! I live here and bought a E65 with 34 k
original for $6500
complaining about pads and rotors is like complaining the car doesnt have gas in it :D
The point of the video is to show what the condition is of this car based on the mileage and price, so that others who might be thinking about buying a cheap E38 can know what they'll be in for. Of course brakes can be replaced, but since most of the cars will be in this condition it helps those understand what to look for.
Love this car but ima go with the 2002 340HP Infiniti q45
Early Infinitis were really cool, another set of cars I'd love to get behind the wheel to try out!