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I checked the BMW site in Germany (I cannot read German, so I had to guess at some of it), and here is what I found (Note, in all cases, I have no idea what transmission these cars were equipped with):
Liters per 100 Kilometers:
525i -- 13.1 / 7.2 / 9.4 (städtisch / außerstädtisch / insgesamt)
530i -- 13.1 / 7.4 / 9.5 (urban / not urban (highway?) / combined)
540i -- 18.4 / 8.8 / 12.3
Converted to Miles Per Gallon (My first crack at the formula, so, it may be incorrect):
525i -- 17.95 / 32.66 / 25.02
530i -- 17.95 / 31.78 / 24.75
540i -- 12.78 / 26.72 / 19.18
As we can see, their City numbers are worse than the EPA numbers, however, the Highway numbers are better than the EPA. Go figure.
Colt007,
I (and many others as well) use the Klasse system which was developed in Germany for German cars. It is inexpensive, easy to use, and lasts 6 months.
Best Regards,
Shipo
Colt.
Best Regards,
Shipo
Colt.
Take care.
Joe W.
OMMMMM
Washing: P21S Bodywork shampoo
Glazing/Cleaning: 3M Imperial Hand Glaze
Waxing: One Grand Blitz Wax
Leather Cleaner: Lexol pH Cleaner
Leather Conditioner: Lexol Leather Conditioner
Tire Cleaner: One Grand Exterior Rubber and Vinyl Dressing
Wheel Cleaner: P21S High Performance Wheel Cleaner
Vinyl (dash, doors): Lexol Vinylex Protectant
I have an interesting book written in German, "Alle Automobile BMW 1928-1978, by Motorbuch Verlag". Published "Auflage, 1978". Seems to cover about every BMW made during this time period. Filled with tech specs. Also has acceleration, top speed, and fuel economy numbers. For example, the 1977 528i with 4-speed manual Getrag performance data inclues "16 liter Verbrauch/100 km", top speed of 208 kph, and 0-100 km/h 9.5 sec.
Does anyone know the German word(s) signifying limited slip differential???
But if you enjoy the art of an intuitive trail-brake into a corner, nailing the apex with a laser-guided steering system, and swiftly accelerating out with a perfectly executed 3-2 downshift, the sport package, my friend, is for you. Sorry for the dramatization, but 3500 miles into ownership and I'm still hunting for excuses every night to go driving on empty streets.
Good Luck. Hnn.
Do you like the Lexol and the 2-step procedure, or is it just that you haven't found what you do like?
Take care.
Joe W.
And yes, I'm pleased with the products. I've only had my car 4 month/3500 miles, so the upholstery hasn't really gotten dirty. But the conditioner I applied really seemed to breathe new life and moisture to the seats, which seemed to start drying.
Take care.
Joe W.
The cleaner and conditioner perform two very different tasks: the cleaner is a mild detergent designed to help loosen and remove dirt, debris, and various particles from the leather, and the conditioner is an oil-based product designed to restore the organic material's natural moisture, elasticity, and color. If you try to save time just using one joint product (and even using both it's actually quick, relative to washing and waxing the entire car), I suspect the results won't be as impressive.
As for the dash, it's a vinyl (a type of plastic)-rubber compound, I think. Unless you've got an M5, in which parts of the dash are leather.
Colt.
Thanks a lot!
Questions:
1. Why would the dealer inflate the fronts to 40?
2. If I deflate fronts to 33 psi, will I feel a difference? If so, what kind of difference.
3. Does the difference in psi result in different tire wear front (33) vs rear (41) and so that is the reason rotating is not recommended?
4. Does the difference in psi cause my speedometer to be off by so much (I know this was discussed before - also this month's Car and Driver has an article on it)
5. I could not find the speed rating on the tires. Is it "V" rated to 128 MPH? Is the tire rating why the car is limited to 128 MPH?
2. I doubt you'd feel much of a difference. At most, hitting sharp bumps may feel slightly more cushioned.
3. Good questions. Tire wear depends on a lot of things: inflation, alignment, weather, driving habits, whether the wheel is used for steering and/or propulsion, whether it's front or back, terrain you drive on, load weight, etc. BMW recommends against rotation because it takes time for rotated tires to re-seat and the car can handle differently than what you're accustomed to (although minorly so).
4. The speedometer in BMW's runs off a sensor in the rear-left ABS component, so a front tire overinflation will have virtually no effect on the speedometer error.
5. No, the car is governed to 128 for liability reasons, mainly (although the 540i6 and M5 are limited to 155). I think the stock Conti's are actually V-rated to 149mph. It would be dangerous to equip a car governed to 128 with tires rated at 128mph--you need more of a safety margin.
And equally important, you need to pour over the terms and conditions. Get a copy of the contract first and study it carefully. What are the limitations and exclusions? The devil truly is in the details!!! Don't believe there is such a thing as a "full warranty" for any used car.
Have you compared to BMW's CPO warranty? Only $50 deductible. You can get a copy of its coverage from dealer and some info off BMW NA's web site. Pretty comprehensive. Gives you an additional 2 yrs/50K over in addition to any remaining factory warranty (the initial 4 yr/50K b-to-b warranty).
but if I'm buying this car from anothe dealer, not a BMW dealer. so do I have a chance to get it CPOed in BMW center after I buy it from other non-BMW dealer? I was told the chance is pretty slim. I might only can buy 3rd party extended warranty. am I correct?
I will try to do more driving once the weather gets better.
boxter...Unless you're getting this used BMW dirt cheap (then I'd be really weary about it), I'd definitely check out the CPO 5 series in your area. The 540iA you're looking at seems to not be a spring chicken as far as mileage goes (its not absurly high, but not super low). The cars will be a bit more expensive (offset by the extended warranty that you're getting), but you get what you pay for. CPO BMWs come with a 6 year/100,000 CPO warranty plus whatever is left on the factory warranty. Its definitely worth a look. Also have you considered an new 525 or 530 or possibly an ED 530?
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD, 2025 Toyota Camry SE AWD
Town Hall. Since 98% of the time there are only two of us in this car I carry 30F and 33R and I
find the car handles very well and rides very well without the jouncy, jittery ride of the higher
tire inflations. The tires are Michelin Pilot Primacy's and the car has the sport suspension and
17' wheels.
I have the stock 10 speaker radio with CD and I find it is more than adequate, the best car radio
I have ever had in all these years of driving. I am sure that with the digital processor the radio
would be even better but since I am thoroughly satisfied with the stock system I am content.
Maybe in the future I may upgrade with new speakers if the time comes and I don't think the stock is up to par, till then..... just my 02 cents.
Colt.
As John01 mentioned, the exhaust system doesn't get a chance to burn off water that is created when the engine runs cold or cool. And the fuel injectors and other parts of the engine can clog up with carbon deposits at low speeds and rpms. There are numerous other little items that are affected by short hops.
I am very conscious of this because my cousin initially thought he was getting a great deal on a very low milage 540i a few months ago (1999 6-speed w/6,500 miles). He had the good sense to take it to a BMW mechanic before buying and found evidence of several problems including those described above. The fact that the car was driven in a colder climate (Pennsylavania) exacerbated the problems. And, performance oriented engines, like BMW's, are actually affected more, since they are so efficient as to take longer to fully warm up. Basically, the mechanics advice for low milage drivers was to try to minimize short trips and make sure the car gets at least some opportunity to "stretch its legs" with a 30-50+ mile highway drive at least once every week or two.
Conversely, I have a 1995 Maxima with 123k of mostly highway milage and the engine compression, as verified at the 120k service, is within a few percent of a new car tolerance. My Nissan mechanic claims that, over two years, 1,000 5-mile roundtrips (i.e. 5,000 total miles) would put more wear on certain parts and the engine than than 500 100-mile trips (50,000 total miles).
Perhaps you should lend me the car every other week??
Just curious, does anybody find it difficult to obey the break-in recommendation of keeping the engine speed under 4500 RPM’s.
Chris M
Habitat...your info agrees with jonn01 on a possible damage on exhaust system and something else. I am glad I asked about it, I will start doing as you suggested-- long drive to make sure nothing is clogged up. Incidentally, I also have a 95 Maxima with 123k and if I remember correctly you live in DC area too, right? Thank you for your valuable input.
Chrism124, I thought mine was bad, yours is a few hundred miles less than me. Should we rent the cars out on the weekends?
Colt007, may be you can take turn driving my car and chrism124's to increase the mileage.
Hope this helps.
Best Regards,
Shipo
As to why this is so? My guess would be that it is a simple marketing decision. I can see one of those German Bean Counters going "Hmmmm, vell now, ve vill only do leather on zee 'Scherz Paket' und ve vill make extra Euros on each Auto". Maybe that is a little harsh, however, after growing up in Detroit, I guess I have a slightly jaundice view of Automobile Company Bean Counters.
Best Regards,
Shipo
1. "Rear side airbags (deactivated), including rear head airbags" is a stand-alone option for ALL 5 Series, from 525i up to 540i6.
2. "Montana leather upholstery and door trim" is standard for all 540i's and is either a stand-alone option for the 525i & 530i or "included in optional Premium Package" for both. Interestingly, there is no mention--footnote or otherwise--of having to get Montana leather with the optional Sport Package, but the photograph of the 525i & 530i interiors (same picture) shows Montana leather. The Sport Pkg gets you the 12-way power front sport seats but no mention of whether they have to be Montana leather or not.
All of the car I owned so far are automatic. I barely know how to drive a car with manual let alone how to drive it properly, i.e. when to shift gear, and should it be based on RPM or something else? Before I start using the manual mode I would like to learn the basic of manual driving. Is there a web site that provides some basic lesson for a person like me.
I want to make sure I understand how and when to use them without messing the transmission for both the sport automatic and manual. I know some of you will educate me on this.
1. Auto - the car does it for you. It has different shift patterns programmed by the engineers to best match your driving style. Some that use "fuzzy logic algorithms" (don't ask me why it is called that way) are supposed to "learn" and adapt to your particular driving habit. I think Honda uses this, not sure about BMW.
2. Sport Auto - to me it is mostly a sales gimmick. the computer is simply shifting the transmission at higher RPM range than the normal pattern. You can do the same with the normal mode by just holding your foot down on the gas. One of the annoying things about the sport auto mode is that if for some reason you wanted to accelerate slowly due to traffic condition, etc. it will hold the gear and give you the jerky movement, not to mention the loud engine noise.
3. Auto-manual - even in auto-manual mode, most cars will shift near the redline if you forget. However, it allows you to pick your shift point, to mimic the manual, so you can push or pull to upshift and downshift when you want to. As good as the stepbox in the 530 was, I found it to be too slow for my taste, and not so smart. I just left it in auto when I drove it for a couple of days, which was actually better. The sequential transmissions in the new M3 SMG or the Ferrari 360 are actually manual transmissions with hydraulically actuated clutch, so you will bounce off the rev-limiter if you forget to shift on those cars.
In Auto Mode the transmission appears to start in 2nd gear. Assume normal driving, will shift into the next gear around 2k RPM's. By the time I reach 35-40 mph the transmission will already be in 5th gear. Good for fuel conservation but not for performance.
I have not used the Sport Mode but would 1st gear be used from a dead stop. This would make a difference in acceleration times.
The Manual Mode is fun but certainly not a replacement for a real manual transmission. But this mode will also start in 2nd gear from a dead stop.
Chris