

| Subject: | Re: OT: Anyone know anything about BMW E34 (5 Series) |
| From: | Steve Cotsford |
| Date: | Fri, 23 May 2003 17:44:04 EDT |
I have an E34 that my wife drives. a '91 model. Its a really fabulous car, smooth, quiet, comfortable, reliable. The engine is indeed very reliable, no timing belt to replace and the '93 on has Vanos and therefore more torque. It has 6 coils and no distributor. I have had very little trouble but the radiator plastic did fail and a u-joint in the drive shaft went bad, requiring replacement of entire shaft. The transmissions have changed a bit and the year you mention probably has no dipstick. Have it checked out thoroughly on that score but it will probably be fine. A weak point is the front suspension which can cause a brake shimmy when certain bushings get soft. Some years had a self levelling suspension and use a special fluid in the power steering circuit. My local oil change place put atf in it but paid about $60 to flush it and replace it with Pentosin after I pointed out their mistake. Other than that, its a magnificent vehicle that I am able to maintain easily. We get about 24-25 mpg and use no oil between changes (5k). Ours has about 137k At 120k it should be broken in. They tend to rattle a bit when first cranked up as the hydraulic lifters pump up. I wouldnt worry about this at all unless it lasts for more than about 3 seconds. Stay away from the 530 and 540 models. They had a problem with Nickasil bores but were mostly fixed under warranty but when you take them in for a service, they smile...but you wont. good luck, Steve Cotsford Columbia SC
Have something to add on this topic today? Revive this thread in the forum »