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Comments
Any ideas on how to open it without breaking it?
I am looking at purchasing a 99 740iL with 88K on it. It has the 18" M rims. i am planning on asking a gas station to look at it real good and look at everything, as well as drive it. inside the vehicle, it looks pretty good. slight cracking in the center console and the trays aren't in the best shape... but they will be fixing the cup holder. i dont see any substantial oil on the undercarriage.
what should i look for in a addition to what the mechanic tells me? they are asking $13,800.
oh, and i asked the dealer about the recalls and they didnt know, or haven't told me yet.
thanks very much
If I were you, I'd make SURE every gadget switch, AC, window, light etc. worked perfectly. I'd spend time just playing with everything and carefully noting how they operate.
My main concern with this car would be a) electrical glitches, b) service records c) CARFAX report and d) checking the control arm bushings in the front end, especially with 18" tires, which tend to stress the suspension.
Good luck in your purchase...it's a great ride....
I will definitly check all the gadgets like you say. with regards to your main concerns, i have checked the carfax and its clean. although, there is a 2 year gap in its records of anything (it was leased by the original owner and then went from a dealer to another dealer)other then that it looks all good.
how do i find out the service records?
will a regular mechanic shop be able to identify electrical glitches, or do i need to take it to a BMW dealer?
same question for the CA bushings but i imagine a regular mechanic shop can do that.
as far as the engine and drivetrain, is there anything i should look for? will a regular mechanic shop be able to identify issues, or is that a bmw dealer thing to look at?
again, thanks very much for the response.
Of course if your independent shop is a BMW specialist, they would be fine for the pre-sale.
As for electrical glitches, you can do this yourself seems to me. Look for inoperative functions, like windows, mirrors, AC, heat, radio, antenna...and also for any warning lights. Test drive it and keep an eye on that dashboard, especially in strong sunlight. All the test lights should come on when you start and then go out.
If you spend $150 only to find out there's a serious issue with the car, that's money well spent even if you don't buy it.
greatly appreciated.
turns out it is at a bmw dealer right now that the dealer i am looking at buying it from took it to. so i called that bmw dealer and asked them about it and they gave it a thumbs up and saif for $189 they will do a used car inspection on it and check everything on it soup to nuts. So, assuming the dealer that is selling it is ok with that, and the bmw dealer says its ok, i am going to go for it (and hope he comes down on the price like you mentioned).
thanks again
Good move, this will give you some peace of mind. Make sure you have them explain everything and especially to PRIORITIZE these items, should you decide to buy the car.
John
It's certainly a much better driving car than a Lexus and a lot faster, so it's tempting if you are an enthusiastic driver.
Ah, the old dilemma---do I marry the librarian or the flemenco dancer? :P
pixles in instrument cluster, radiator, leaky sun roof, 5 pieces of plastic trim with broken fastener features, leaky power steering lines, broken gas door solenoid, broken driver door window regulator, broken SEDC module, intermittent LCD display failure in center console, broken wire controlling 12VDC to driver side view mirror, power driver seat, memory seat and telescoping steering wheel and that is about all I can think of now, There may be a few I forgot. Anyway, steer clear unless you like dealing with broken stuff every other month. I'd get a Lexus. They are getting better looking and they are leaps and bounds more reliable than a BMW ever will be. Just my 2 cents from a current E38 owner.
I got my 2001 740i when it had 25,000 miles on it and it was certified by a BMW dealership.
It has 62,000 on it now and my NAV broke twice. I had to replace radiator, instrument cluster, window regulator, power steering hoses twice and a few other things.
Most of the cars are 2000,2001 E38 are relatively low milage cars. I suspect that there is chemical issue in the radiator and power steering area (I have had mine replaced as well). The Nav is also a problem and replaced mine I believe that Nav unit is suseptable to Heat because the area that the Nav unit is enclosed in get realitvely warm and there is no venting. The Nav device controls all audio function. The LCD in the dash are have elastomeric connections and is common for the time.
So there are some very common problems that can be seen and they seem to repeat.
I had a problem with service engine soon light, dealer replaced oxygen sensor under warranty.
I forgot to mention one time i got stuck in the middle of the bridge. Could not restart the engine. Dealer said it was a fuse. The car had about 40k miles at the time.
With nav, the screen goes blank or has some gray lines all over. I had to replace "black box" from the trunk. Got it used since dealer wanted $1300 for rebuilt one. Should have sold the car at that time when everything was working. That nav broke 3 months later and now i am on ebay looking for another one.
this is the second unit
it was 100 degrees for 5 days , equals new navigation system,
new radiator,, water pump, replacement of jam between passenger and rear seat window- belts, both steering arms last week- one helluva ride when its out of the shop- buy japanese!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I would not want to own a BMW without warranty but with one i would get it again.
I have a 2001 740IL - Navigation system – Words are out of alignment – should say “in 300 yards, turn left”, instead it says “in 300 yards, left, turn”. Also, should say “turn left ahead” instead it says “Left, turn ahead”. You can tell that there should be another word afterwards. I just purchased the car and it was transferred from California. I changed the CA CD for the TX CD. It's weir because this happened to me several years ago when I purchased a 740IL from Ohio. They ended up replacing the Nav system. Any ideas? Thanks in advance.
Can anyone recommend a good shop for changing brake pads and rotors on my 1998 740IL? What should be the cost?
Thanks in advance.
sensor alomg with tool for compressing cyclinder for $240.
Brakes work great.
Thanks.
http://edgemotorworks.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1
Then click on "checklists" and then on "7 series 2001" and it will tell you what to expect regarding maintenance items.
If you have just the basic German info book, go to , Bavarian Auto Parts, and they have almost all the BMW CD's in english now. I would let you use mine, but it only goes to '87. Best of luck to you!
Read that ...
You can download or view a .PDF version of the owners manual in the "owners" section of the BMW site
Where?
Link?
Thanks :P