thinking about a BMW 528 any good/bad things about them <>?

 

Buy lots of cigars and a trench coat

See below excerpt from www.honestjohn.co.uk

What's Good

Great looks. 528i provides huge feelgood factor. Decent economy from 528i and 523i. 15' 8" long by 5' 11" wide; weighs 1,485 to 1,690kg. Petrol V8s overkill, but 4,398cc M62 540i can be had with six-speed manual. Top model is 5.0 litre 32-valve 400 bhp M5. Engine line-up began with M52 150bhp 2.0 six, M52 170bhp 2.5 '523i' six and M52 193bhp 2.8 six. Also old M51 149bhp iron block diesel six, M62 235bhp 3.5 V8 and M62 286bhp 4.0 V8. Steel bore liner M52 EU3 engines introduced for 520i, 523i and 528i in September 1998. M57 direct injected 184bhp 3.0D six diesel introduced September 1998. Facelift September 2000 with clear lens headlights saw more engine changes: 170bhp 2,171cc six replaced 1,991cc six in 520i; 523i became 525i, now with 192bhp; 528i replaced by M52 EU3 530 six with 231bhp; smaller 163bhp direct injected 525d introduced. Four Star NCAP crash test rating. Thanks to Trancer of The Backroom, this may clear up a bit of confusion about badging, engines and power:-

520i M52 6 cylinder 150 HP 220 km/h 1996 - 2000
520i M54 6 cylinder 170 HP 226 km/h 2000 - 2003
523i M52 6 cylinder 170 HP 228 km/h 1995 - 2000
525i M54 6 cylinder 192 HP 238 km/h 2000 - 2003
528i M52 6 cylinder 193 HP 236 km/h 1995 - 2000

S and T reg cars came 9th in 2001 Top Gear / JD Power Customer Satisfaction Survey. Improved unlimited mileage two year full manufacturer warranty followed by one year full dealer warranty from November 2001, making total three year unlimited mileage warranty. BMW, Toyota and Ford jointly suffered the fewest breakdowns attended by German ADAC during 2001. 5th Top in 144 car 2002 JD Power / What Car? Customer Satisfaction Survey of V and W reg cars so seems to be improving. BMW had sixth lowest average cost in warranty claims for cars up to 10 years old in 2002 Warranty Direct index. 10th = overall in 2003 What Car? J.D. Power Customer Satisfaction Survey. For more info on E39 M5 link to Sportscar Guides www.sportscarguides.com

BMWs generally had below average warranty repair costs in 2003 Warranty Direct Reliability index (index 81.41 v/s lowest 31.93). Link:- www.reliabilityindex.co.uk 2001 - 2003 models rated average for breakdowns, problems and faults in 2003 Which survey. 23rd from top car out of 137 in 2003 Top Gear survey. 8th top model in 2004 JD Power Customer Satisfaction Survey. 98% of cars up to 2 years old breakdown-free over previous 12 months in 2004 Which? survey.

What's Bad

Have been quibbles about build quality and paint. Dodgy door seals. Electrical niggles reported, including faults with ventilation and airconditining system, airbags, park distance control. Engine gasket leaks. Wipers set for LHD. Old 2.5 litre diesel not significantly more economical than petrol, so best avoided. V8s not worth the extra. 2.8iSE and newer 3.0iSE is as far as you need to go. Franchised dealers know how to charge. Problem with combined navigation and telephone system of facelift E39 from Y2k. Excess rear tyre wear can cause Steptronic autoboxes to stick in a lower gear after ascending an incline. Uneven rear tyre wear itself and clonks from the rear can be caused by worn rear suspension bushes. Reports of repeated thermostat problems blowing radiators on older E39s. Flat spots of and lack of power or M47 and M57 diesels due to a known problem with the wire mesh air mass sensor. When replaced, must reprogramme ECU to match new meter. Lack of power also caused by cracked inlet manifolds. Misfires of M47/M57 caused by failed injectors. Turbo trouble with early 530s caused by ECU programme allowing higher boost than safe for turbo. Cured by replacing turbo, reprogramming ECU and thoroughly cleaning turbo inlet manifold and pipework because a blockage can cause the engine to run on its sump oil and self-destruct. If M54 engine management light comes on could be faulty throttle housing plug on later cars (requiring new engine wiring loom) or split crankcase breather hose or split diaphragm in cyclone separator on earlier cars. Coolant loss and overheating of M62 engine could be due to failed water pump, failed valley gasket under inlet manifold or cracked/porous block. 17" wheels easily damaged on inner rim. Only 89% breakdown free in 2003 Which survey. 1995-1997 petrol rates average for breakdowns and faults, poor for problems; 1998-2000 petrol rated average for breakdowns and problems, poor for faults in 2003 Which survey. Replaced by E60 October 2003, but E39 Touring continued for 9 months.

What to Watch Out For

See above. Build date from 2001 shown on engine compartment label on top of front nearside wheelarch. Repaired accident damage. Excessively high franchised dealer prices for over-specified cars. M52 520i six 523i six, 528i six to September 1998 may suffer premature bore wear due to high amounts of sulphur in some UK petrol. Solved by replacement block with steel-lined bores on sixes. Production from September 1998 fitted with 'EU3' steel-lined bores. (No such problems with newer 525i and 530i six cylinder engines, and no problems with M62 V8s in the E39) Check took kit is all there. Service light indicator can easily be re-set, so a paid invoice is the only guarantee of a recent service. If buying a 6 clinder car, particularly a 523i, from a dealer insist on a new MOT because the emissions test will show up potentially expensive catalytic converter failure.

Recalls

15/12/1999: (E39 built Sept/Oct 1999): brake light switch may fail leading to brake lights flickering or failing and switch overheating. New switches to be fitted. 9/11/2001: Cars built 28/9/2001 to 24/10/2001 with Continental tyres may have cuts in the tyres which can lead to blowouts. 16/11/2001: 5-Series diesels and V8s built 11/11/2000 - 30/9/2001 recalled because fault with radiator fan motor could lead electrics to overload, fan motor to fail and a small electrical fire to result. w/e 23/2/2002: recall in Germany for all models fitted with Conti Eco Contact and Sport Contact 205/55 R16 and 225/55 R16 tyres due to a pressure problem. 22-2-02 Bearing in front strut top mountings may be displaced if car is jacked up. 2023 cars affected. 1-11-3003: on 8,183 cars microprocessor in airbag control unit could develop a fault leading to airbag going off when ignition key is turned. Replace with re-coded unit.

 

yeh watch out for this...my dad has a 728i and it was the same engine and cost him a good few grand to get the new sorted and a new block in. If it had less that 100k miles and was under 6 years old bmw would replace it for free. I think you can phone bmw if you see a car you like and they will tell you if it has had the engine replaced or is going to be effected in the future.

Good cars and they are getting very cheap now

 

I think this was down to the bore material rather than it being down to the petrol causing the damage. Jaguar had the same problem their V8s.

 

And yes I agree, lots of car for the money and nice solid comfortable drive => excellent work car

 

hay thanks for that info Dragon

 

good cars check if its had the engine done for the common nikasil bore wear

 

No probs What one are you looking for?

 

was thinking about a 528i but on a P . R . S plate but reading the bad bits that seems just the year the engine had problems

 

Dragon do you know of any good E39 websites <>?

 

That honest john website comes in handy

If you have a look at the recalls on the E34 you'll see why thats why I bought one. I like the E39's and either the 2.5 or 3.0 in auto will do me.

All4it, if you call bmw before you buy one and give them the reg number then they'll be able to tell you everything about the car

 

You'll find these links handy

http://www.bmwland.co.uk/talker/

http://www.bmwe34.net/

http://member.rivernet.com.au/btaylor/technical.html

http://www.fabdirect.com/

 

can these engines take big miles ... is 100.000+ a problem to um .

 

Mines on 113k and apart from a thermostat and rear pads its never missed a beat nor gone wrong in 2 years, but then again Moose130 services it as well. Its one of the best non new cars I've owned in terms of reliablity (compared to my last Cossys), still quick with a 192bhp(2.5) and the 6 speed auto gearbox is just lush and it has a few toys as well been the SE version.

There great all rounders but in no way are they rocket ships unless you get the 4.0 or M5

edited to say they just been run in at 100k miles and 200k shouldnt be a problem either

 

Nath it sounds like a cool car m8 put a pic up if you got 1 of it

and thanks for the links m8 looking at them now.

 

I dont think I've got any pics of it and its nothing special to look at tbh

I went on all of those websites before I bought one and decided for the E34, not because there lot cheaper but because it had no recalls and apart from a few issues of heads and wanky gearboxes they seemed a better buy for me. I've only done about 4k miles since I've had it as I dont use it everyday.....

If you need to know anything more then Alex (J871fky or something like that) is your man as he works for them training the teccies

 

nice website with some movie clips

http://www.bmwinfo.com/503.html

 

Don't be worried about the high milers - I've had several all of which have had over 100k and none had any problems whatsoever, nor are they a problem to sell on.

Nath's E34 would do you if you don't want to spend much money (as it's for sale) I know it's OK because I went with him to buy it

If you want the E39 then the market is flooded with them and they are available for very reasonable money.

Depending on your location, try viewing some of these auction houses that I use:-

www.british-car-auctions.co.uk
www.shorehamvehicleauctions.co.uk
www.manheim.co.uk