BMW 5-Series Sedans

cassidym · April 2004

Here is a non-expert opinion: FWIW, I have a 1986 325eS that I picked up new in Munich 18 years ago and have never changed the oil and the engine, in spite of its 222K miles, still runs just fine. Now, the oil was always changed when I took it in for service but, in the last five years, I haven't had it serviced very often. In fact, the last time it saw the inside of a maintenance facility was back in 2002.

Also, back in 1976 or so, I happened to sit next to the CEO of Trinidad Central Oil (TRICENTOL)at a dinner when I lived in the UK. Anyway, I asked him how often he changed the oil in his car. Got the same answer: never. "But", he said' "we like everone else to, often"

Now, I'm not recommending this but I don't think there's any doubt that the oil companies in cahoots with the car industry push oil changes a lot more frequently than they need.

kdshapiro · April 2004

"div2... I find it fascinating that people will spend $40-60,000 for a 525i-545i6 and then want to skimp on maintenance. Not to mention tires, where they won't buy a set of snow tires for winter."

Fascinating, simply fascinating. I haven't bought snows since the 1980s, when I paid $10K for a RWD car. I simply made it through the winter.

I follow the manufacturers service interval. That is not skimping in my book. We've all been brainwashed to think that if a little is good, more must be better and more often must be that much better. You can always find someone's opinion that the manufacturers interval is too long. I had a vehicle where the recommended interval was 5K, know what? The dealers recommendation was 2.5K.

yama330 · April 2004

We keep hearing that the service interval was lengthened from something like 5,000 miles to 15,000 only since BMW introduced a free maintenance program. I don't know where this idea came from. I had a 1987 325i with service indicator lights (4 greens, 1 yellow, 1 red) and I always got it serviced when the yellow light turned on. The service interval was averaging around 16,000 km if I recall.

Now with the countdown service indicator on my 2002 330xi, it is averaging about 22,000 km. Not a big difference considering the recent models all use synthetic oil. BTW the 325i is on its third owner and still going strong at close to 300,000 km.

bmwlover3 · April 2004

I guess, I started the latest round of service interval questions. I do not know much about German cars. In particular BMWs. I purchased a 2003 525i only last year.

This is what I know. Toyota and Honda both have had sludge problems with extended oil changes even with synthetics. My Toyota dealer who is also my BMW dealer, insists I change the oil 4 times a year with no more than 3000 miles. They are so committed to frequent oil changes because they sell a 8 year 32 change agreement for only $280.00 for synthetic oil (a $150.00 for mineral oil). These changes include tire rotation, fluid top off, and car wash. They offer this service on every brand they sell (many) except BMW. I am told this is because their franchise agreement will not allow them to recommend more frequent service than is in the owner's manual. The crazy thing is they use BMW synthetic or Mobil 1 customer choice for their synthetic agreement. To me going to the dealer four times a year is not a big problem. They always get me out in 30 minutes for an oil change with an appointment.

Best Regards,

nyccarguy · April 2004

I saw a beautiful black E39 528i SP today. It looked spectacular.

cassidym · April 2004

For yama330: Only 300,000 kilometers? What's that, a mere 180K miles? Why it's probably still got that new car smell. My 1986 325eS has 222,000 miles on it (I'm the original owner)and I take a sort of perverse pride in how ancient it's getting and the fact it still makes it to work and back (50 miles round trip) in Washington DC traffic every day.

You're right about the service interval. Before they died of old age, I had the same indicators and, like you, I obeyed them dutifully.

But, nothing (apart from staff meetings) lasts forever and I'm seriously contemplating redecorating my driveway with a new 545I which is why I'm hanging out here in the 5-Series section. Can't imagine what I'll do with my 325; probably donate it to the Smithsonian.

yama330 · April 2004

This is just a guess, probably conservative. It had 265,000km when I sold it 3 years ago. It did not have an easy life with me. A mixture of short trip city driving, bush road driving, and lots of starts in -30 weather.

You are almost right about the new car smell. The inside still looked new when I sold it, but the front end and licence plate were completely sand blasted from too much lumber road driving. To get the service monitor to work again, you have to replace two NiCd batteries inside the instrument cluster.

bmwmrc · April 2004

In reading various posts, I was struck by some here, who have owned Bimmers since the early '70's and '80's. Their perspective: the interval changes, when BMW did NOT offer free maintenance wasn't that dissimilar as compared to today.

Anyway, I went back and reread my manual and I plan on following the service intervals religiously without any extra oil changes in-between. That's exactly what I did on my last 5-Series Bimmer (which I had for 5.5 years) and I NEVER had a problem with it.

stl540 · April 2004

I recently had my oil changed on my 2002 540i at
30K miles. The dealer gave me a sample of my car's oil so I can have it tested by a lab. I was debating to have my oil changed more often because that is what we are supposed to do (according to the oil company's marketing dept).

I just received the results of the oil test and I was pleasantly surprised. I had ~16K miles since the last oil change (total of 31K on the odometer). The lab tested 24 different items and none was over the 'general warning limits'.
Note that the test was performed by the lab who sell oil additives.

Here are the details of the results:

Item tested - Actual results - General Warning limits

Copper - 10 - 40
Aluminum - 11 - 30
Chromium - 1 - 25
Iron - 27 - 125
Lead - 6 - 50
Nickel - 2 - 40
Tin - 4 - 40

Potassium - 0 - 40
Silicon - 15 - 40

Item tested - Actual Results - Ideal Ranges
Antimony - 0 - n/a
Barium - 0 - n/a
Calcium - 2844 - 0 to 4000
Magnesium - 233 - 0 to 4000
Molybdenum - 179 - 0 to 300
Phosporus - 829 - 800 to 1500
Sodium - 10 - 100
Zinc - 1048 - 900 to 1600

Viscosity @100 degrees Celcius - 14.49 - In grade
% Water - 0 - .3
% Glycol - 0 - .3
% Fuel Dilution - 0 - 6
Oxidation - 15 - 60
Nitration - 14 - 60
TBN -(D2896) - 2 - 2 min

The comment section stated 'Viscosity is a 40 weight. Except for the high viscosity, which would indicate evaporative loss or the onset of rapid oxidation, the oil appears to be normal.'

Based on these results I do not see the need to change oil more frequently the recommended intervals.

bmwmrc · April 2004

So, you have the empirical evidence to support it. IMO, a little TOO analytical, but you have caught my attention and curiosity. What made you test your oil?

stl540 · April 2004

I have a friend in the automotive additive business. He has been riding my butt to get me to change my oil more often and also to use his additives. He asked for an oil sample so he could test at his company's lab.

He was not pleased at the outcome of my oil sample results. He was very confident the results would come back showing why I need to use his company's products.

bmwmrc · April 2004

Now, that makes sense as to why you went to the trouble of analyzing your oil. What's great about it, is that it certainly dispelled what many believe one has to do with changing fluids often.

riez · April 2004

There is no statistical validity to a sample size of 1 out of the total population of BMW 5 Series sold and owned in USA. Not to mention that there is a statistical distribution to any sampling (e.g., the bell curve). Someone can flip a penny ten times and get ten heads. Possible, but not probable.

The other equally interesting piece of data would be to see test results from oil changed say every 7.5K miles. Then compare the motors--engine wear issues--after say 100K and 150K. That is the key comparison.

There are also a myriad of other important fluids. Brake and coolant. Transmission and differential.

During first 100K, what is BMW recommending for transmission and differential fluid changes? I'd love to see test results from changes after these intervals.

stl540 · April 2004

One sample may not be statistically valid, but I find it very interesting. We have been told for years that oil should be changed every 3K miles. It is hard for some to accept the fact that maybe technology has helped create fluid, filters, and more precise engine components that can increase the service interval than one would normally believe is possible.

IMO, the results do tell an interesting story. I believe if the oil was not up to the task, the test results from my car would have shown its age more than it did.

I have never changed the brake fluid in any car I have owned. One car (95 Maxima - now owned by my father-in-law) in particular is at 140K miles and is still going strong with minimal maintenance throughout the life of the car.

BMW recommends brake fluid changes every 2 years. I had my brake fluid changed at the 30K mile service interval. I plan to have the brake fluid changed every 2 years per BMW recommendation. I also plan to have the antifreeze changed every 4 years per the recommended service interval. I do not see the need to change the fluid on my cars when it is unnecessary. Unless I see data or examples showing that my car will probably die, at say 100K miles unless I begin to change the fluids more regularly, I will use the recommended intervals. I do not have the statistical results to prove the recommended service intervals are wrong and I trust that BMW is not willing to put their reputation on the line to save a few dollars when it could cost then much more in the long term. What do you think would happen to the resale value of BMWs if all of their cars stopped running at 100K miles (or 150K - pick a number)? The resale value would drop like a rock, causing some to question the purchase of a new BMW.

That said, I will continue using the BMW recommended service interval. I believe the BMW engineers are much smarter than I when it comes to the vehicles they design and build.

saugatak · April 2004

you can't go wrong following the maintenance program in the manual. car companies stress test their engines carefully.

they're not going to skimp on maintenance to save a few extra bucks. destroyed engines will cost them a lot more in terms of goodwill and maintenance.

someone posted that he changes his synthetic every 3000 miles. that is a waste of oil. you can go 5000 to 6000 miles easy on dino oils on most modern engines. with synth, you should be able to do 7,000 to 10,000 no problem.

also, you have to ask yourself, who's going to benefit from your frequent oil changes? you or the next owner. if you're going to dump the car at 100,000 miles or less, your money spent on oil changes is benefitting not you, but the next owner.

riez · April 2004

One thing I would love to see is an analysis of an oil filter that has gone 15,000 miles. How much did it trap total? How much was it trapping after say 10K? Then compare that to two oil filters changed every 7.5K. Wonder how effective an oil filter is after 14K when it is installed on an engine having 100K or 150K.

vicmac · April 2004

Hi Friends,

Does anybody know how the European Rebate works.
If I bargain a deal on the 530i which can be $2500 off of MSRP and then request for a European Delivery and get the rebate pf $2700 approx or it is just on the MSRP.

TIA

Vic

riez · April 2004

imaboy... Are you talking about a MY2003 or earlier E39 525i or a MY2004 E60 525i?

The Lexus IS300 really compares with the 325i/330i, not the 5 Series. The Lexus GS300 competes with the 5 Series. Have you looked at the GS?

The MSRP of the least expensive E60 525i is now over $40,000 (and rising). Option it out with SP or PP and you are looking at over $42K and up. That is $10K or more than a base IS300.

Having previously owned an E39 540i6 and an E46 323ia and now owning two IS300s, all I can say is all are excellent cars. Choice depends on what you are willing to pay and what you are looking for.

karmikan · April 2004

You might be muddying the water Riez. If a filter doesn't trap contaminants the failure would show up in the oil test results. In the case in point the oil analysis shows that either there's not much for the filter to trap or that the filter is still working the way it should.

jeffry · April 2004

The other test numbers look great but, would you want 40W oil in your engine? If the viscosity was off, it'd seem to be one of the key factors in engine life.

shipo · April 2004

The older a filter is, the better it filters, up to the point where it clogs and forces the bypass to open. Assuming that the bypass has not been activated after 15,000 miles, the old filter is capable of filtering out stuff WAY smaller than it could when it was new.

Best Regards,
Shipo

diver110 · April 2004

I have a 540i and am planning on upgrading from my 16" wheels. Would people recommend 17"? Are 18" overkill? What tires and wheels would people suggest? I need fairly sturdy wheels as I drive some in the city with potholes, etc. Many thanks.

kyfdx · April 2004

If you are worried about potholes, I would stay away from 18". They do offer these as a stock upgrade on 540i, but the cost jump from 16" will knock you out. Almost double the cost for 18". If you are looking to upgrade, then 17" will definitely show you a handling improvement, without too much loss of ride quality.

Are you worried about winter driving? If you don't switch to winter tires, you will notice less traction with the 17" and will want to be sure to get all-season tires. I'd recommend getting summer tires and put winter tires on your old 16" wheels. (I'm assuming you have snow issues).

If you check the classifieds on some of the BMW specific website forums, you may find someone upgrading to 18" from 17", and you can by their stock 17" wheels and tires. This will definitely be the cheapest way to upgrade. I recently did that myself for my 3-series. I already had stock 17", but wanted to leave my winter tires on them. I found a set that had been taken off of a new 330i when new. Only had 22 miles on them. I got the M68 17" 330i sport wheels w/Michelin Pilot Sports for just over $1000.

If you buy factory 17" wheels off another BMW 5-series (3-series wheels won't fit), even without tires, you won't have any fitment or offset issues. Start taking a look at Sport package 5-series to see what 17" wheels you like, then start checking the classifieds. You can probably come up with a really nice set for $800 or less, more if they have a good set of tires.

regards,
kyfdx

kyfdx · April 2004

The stock 17" wheels on the E39 540i is known as a style 32.. They are staggered.. 17 X 8 front and 17 X 9 rear. You could also use the stock wheels off a 530i sport package.. These are 17 X 8 all the way around. Not sure of the style numbers on these as there has been more than one variant over the life cycle of the E39.

regards,
kyfdx

diver110 · April 2004

Thanks for the feedbadck kyfdx. I don't drive the car in the snow, so that is not an issue. Getting the wheels used would be a smart way to go. It seems like a bit of a hassle to have different size wheels in front and in back. I assume that means different size tires. Do the 17 x 9 in the rear improve handling much? It sounds like 18 inch may be overkill, though I am less concerned with ride quality than with bending an expensive rim. If there is a rim brand (or if the stock BMW rim) that is sturdier, that would be helpful information. Thanks again.

kyfdx · April 2004

Just my $.02

Good aftermarket wheels are hideously expensive. Cheap ones may have fitment and quality issues. Unless you are really into the bling-bling thing, I would stick with factory OEM wheels. I personally like the look of stock better.

Most 540i with 17" will have the wider rear wheels. They do have larger tires in back, but they will have the same diameter overall, so your current spare should be fine in emergencies.

It is mostly for looks, the wider tires in back give a more aggressive look. I just put the staggered wheels/tires on my 3-series, and I can't really tell any difference from the regular 17" sport package wheels.. I did it mostly for looks and because I ran into a good deal on the tires/rims.

If you want to rotate, then you definitely want to get the 17 X 8 all the way around off a 530i Sport. If you don't rotate, the only downside to the staggered set-up is the slightly higher cost for the wider tires in the rear, and maybe less selection in tire choice, since you will need to have two different sizes available (not really much of a problem, though).

I'm guessing you have an earlier model 540i, since it has 16", I think 17" are standard now. (I might be wrong). The only downside to getting 17 X 8 all the way around is that you may have the only 540i with 17" that aren't staggered. (Only a bimmerphile will notice).

regards,
kyfdx

shipo · April 2004

I agree with kyfdx go for the 17" wheels. The wheels that came on my E39 530i SP are Style 42 2-Piece wheels (I had Style 42 1-Piece units on my 328i, and the 2-Piece units are MUCH nicer). Unfortunately, these wheels are fairly expensive, and were I to have to replace them, I would probably opt for the AT Italia Riva wheels, which are only $259 each from TireRack.com.

Best Regards,
Shipo

diver110 · April 2004

Thanks to all for terrific advice. I think I will go with stock rims if I can find them used. Can I impose with two more questions? Will wider tires in the back give meaningful better handling? Any tire brands you would recommend? Again, many thanks.

shipo · April 2004

As a follow-up to my previous post, I just looked up the list and street prices of the 17 x 8 wheels that came with the SP versions of the E39 525i and E39 530i to serve as a point of comparison to the AT Italia Riva's:

525i -- Style 81 -- 1-Piece -- $352.00 -- $309.00 -- Part: 36 11 6 751 761
530i -- Style 42 -- 2-Piece -- $545.00 -- $416.50 -- Part: 85 32 9 409 993

Another point, I am reasonably certain that the Style 81's will fit on your 540i, there is just one possible concern. The brakes on the 525i & 528i are smaller than those on the 530i & 540i, so there might be some clearance issues with the calipers. Since the brakes on the 530i are the same as those on the 540i, the Style 42 Composite 2-Piece wheels will fit for sure.

Best Regards,
Shipo

kyfdx · April 2004

"Will wider tires in the back give meaningful better handling? Any tire brands you would recommend?"

No, chances are, unless you are at the track, you won't be able to tell the difference with the wider tires. It is definitely for looks.

I haven't checked for size availability, but in all-season performance tires, the most popular seem to be:
Michelin Pilot Sport AS(all-season)... expensive
Pirelli P-Zero Nero AS(all-season).. cheaper
Continental ContiExtremeContact(all-seas)cheapest

regards,
kyfdx

I'll make my e-mail public for a little while.. E-mail me and I'll give you some info on finding used wheels.

billbrox · April 2004

kyfdx- I have just purchased a set of Bridgestone Potenzas for my '03 530 i w/sp, pp....while I intentionally shyed away from any opinions as of yet, I must say that I am very happy with my purchase and would give them a look if you get a chance. TireRack turned me on to them, but my local guy threw in some goodies that solidified the deal. I have driven them for only 1000 miles, but have a tickler in my files to submit a post on TireRack once they reach 15,000 miles...

-Stay tuned and good luck.....Billbrox

nyccarguy · April 2004

I'll keep my eye out in this month's roundel for you.

shipo · April 2004

I've been traveling almost non-stop since before our last snow in mid-March and as such, the 21 hours that I've currently been home has been the longest stretch since early April. Needless to say, my winter tires are still mounted. :-/ If I don't get them off this weekend, it'll probably be June before I get the next chance. Anyway, assuming that I do eventually get the summer tires back on, I'll be needing to replace them either late this year or early next summer (assuming that I buy the car at lease end, which is shaping up to be my most favorite option). As a result, I've been doing some tire shopping as well, and, at least on paper, the Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 look like the best all around performance tire for my car, regardless of price. Factor in the price of only $154 per tire, and they become an almost unbelievable deal, as such, unless something better comes along in the meantime, they're easily going to get my money.

One of the big knocks that I hear from the drivers of any of the E39 SP equipped car is tire noise. Yup, my Michelin Pilot-Primacy's are getting noisy too, not so bad that I need to run out and replace them immediately; however, I do hear them. I found it interesting that according to TireRack, the Primacys have by far the worst "Noise Comfort" rating (4) of any performance road tire I've seen. Meanwhile, the Eagle F1's at 8.6 has the best rating.

Has anybody driven these tires yet? Maybe Ill have to spring for them a little early and become the guinea pig for our little community here.

Best Regards,
Shipo

mtjohn · April 2004

I'm riding ContiSport Contact 2s which came with my 2001 530i SP when I bought it CPO last year. I have about 19K mi. on them and the rears are just about to the warning bars. Fronts doing a bit better. I like these tires. I live in CA and never take the car to Tahoe in the winter. I drive the car pretty hard at least once a week and generally "spirited" driving the rest. Tire noise started in about 10K mi. Not too bad but noticeable. Comments on TireRack seem to be mostly favorable leaning toward a great all around high performance tire. I like the look and specs of the Eagle F1 GS-D3 but would be hard pressed to get something other than the Contis again. I'm probably going to place an order in the next couple of weeks. Any insight/advice appreciated.
Thanks.
-John

kyfdx · April 2004

I recommended those three choices, because diver110 won't be switching to winter tires, and after coming from 16" all-season rubber, I thought it might be a little extreme to go to a max performance tire.

The consensus on tirerack and other sites seems to be that the Goodyear F1 GS-D3 and the new Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 are the new top two choices, with the Potenza S-03s the perennial favorite. At least on 3-series.. I don't follow the 5-series boards as closely.

I just put on Michelin Pilot Sports (original equipment for 330i sport) on my 325i, but that is because they just happened to be on the wheels I bought. I've only had them on for three weeks, but really like them so far. They were virtually brand new.. The person I bought them from said he took them off the first day.. 22 miles on them.

Which model Potenza did you get?

regard,
kyfdx

jhammell · April 2004

Shipo,

I just installed the Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD3 (205/45YR16) on our 1985 VW GTi along with new Mille Miglia MM11-3 16 X 7 wheels from Tire Rack. With just 500 miles on them I can only say that they appear to handle very well in the dry and look great on the car especially with the wheels. The tread pattern is very interesting to watch when the tire spins up as well. I have very high expectations for these tires as I will be back in the market by the end of the year.

Our 2002 530i (SP, PP etc.) has almost 16k on the original Continental Sport Contacts and yes they have been noisy for the last 5k but still have a good amount of tread left on them. I have been kicking around the idea of replacing them with either the Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD3's or the Bridgestone RE750's. My wife is now the main driver of this car so overall mileage is now part of the decision as she drives more miles. The Bridgestone appears to be the one that will last longer based on the specs of the tires and the cost is $1.00 less than the Goodyear.

I will keep you posted.

shipo · April 2004

Thanks for the info, I'll stay tuned. ;-)

Best Regards,
Shipo

jking · April 2004

My 2001 530 SP went through a set of Michelin Primacy's in 20K.
They started howling at about 12K, without any aggresive driving.
It really spoils an otherwise great ride, with the exception of
the weak engine, for the weight of the car.

I have never been happy with Goodyear tires. Yokohama DB's, and the new Michelin sport/all-season tires seem the best choice.

I too have noticed the high-noise rating of Primacy's on TireRack.

shipo · April 2004

Yeah the noise, which in my case was just starting last fall just before I mounted my winter set, does indeed detract from a great ride. Regarding Goodyear tires, I don't have too much history with them except for two cars I had between 1988 and 1995, and both of those cars came from the factory with the Gatorback tires, which I found to be a very decent high end tire. As such, I'm probably going to give the Eagle F1s the nod next time around.

Regarding the 3.0 liter I6 in the 530i, I have to differ with you on that one. I find my car to be delightfully quick and my only complaint is that silly "Drive-by-wire" throttle linkage thing that they are doing. I much prefer a linear throttle as opposed to the "Enhanced" throttle response that our cars have. When I was driving it in Europe, there were times when I would be in a grouping of cars traveling somewhere north of 90 mph, and when the slow car in the front of the line would finally pull over to the right to let the rest of us pass, I found that I was constantly having to back off the throttle to keep from catching the guy in front of me and giving him a little nudge. :-/ After I became cognizant of the non-linear throttle, I started paying very close attention to the position of my foot, and I swear, if I had say 30% of the pedal depressed just before the traffic would start to accelerate in the above scenario, I would only need to add say another 10%, which would initially seem the correct amount of added throttle, then the car would start to accelerate too quickly and I would need to back it off about 15% to hold my acceleration even with those in front of me. Yeah, that means that I was holding a steady speed of say 90 with said 30% of the pedal, but then only needed say 25% of the pedal to accelerate well north of 100. Weird.

Back to the point, my 530i 5-Speed is a most capable mount that, according to one of the mechanics over at Tully BMW in Nashua, "...is as fast as a 540". I assume that he was referring to a 540iA non-SP. All I know is that it is quicker than any car I've owned in recent memory, and is easily quicker than my previous 328i 5-Speed, and that car had a 0-60 rating in the mid 6 second range.

Best Regards,
Shipo

stl540 · April 2004

Took my 540i in for service today; fog lamp (under warranty) and noisy automatic recirculation feature (also under warranty); and received a 325i non-SP with 5-speed manual. I was pleasantly surprised with the car. I took the car on a few 'fun' roads on the drive home that are out of the way, but are little traveled and quite curvy. The power was more than I expected out of a 185HP engine and the handling was also better than I expected for a non-SP. I can see why the 3-series is the benchmark in the entry luxury market. The car is ~600 lbs lighter than my 540i and was easy to throw around the corners.

We recently had an Acura TSX loaner car when my wife's car was in for service. The driving experience was not near as positive as the 325i. The front wheel drive was not near as easy or fun to drive around the same roads. The 200 HP engine in the Acura also did not feel as strong. I really appreciated the 3-Series after just driving the TSX.

Of course, I still think the 5 is the ultimate car with very little tradeoffs. The near perfect size (for me), luxurious interior, and the overall driving experience is second to none.

kudy843 · April 2004

can you tell out of the vehicles below which one is most reliable or require least fixing in the next 3 years..

02-04 325ix
01-03 330ix
01-03 530i
03 G35x

My wife and I have never owned a bmw before and we are considering getting one before november. As my first child will soon be born, safety is very important to us. We're leanning more toward the bwm because of the look and the driving (most of our friends own bwm so I'd driven them quite a few times) but we're a little concerned about maintenance. We also kind of like the G35x due to its awd and the perceived reliability but it's a little boring looking. so as you can see my little delima. I do have a lot of time to look but wanted to ask for your opionion before final decision.

billbrox · April 2004

I chose the Bridgestone RE 950 A/S Potenzas: 235/45-17's. My Conti's made too much noise for my liking. I was able to have all 4 installed, balanced, warranty, free rotation etc. for under $900.

As stated before, I will post my comments at the 15K mark later.

Happy Trails....

kyfdx · April 2004

If you can find a low mileage '03 BMW that is less than a year old, the maintenance will be free for the next three years. That will be the cheapest. If you are looking strictly at the least mechanical problems, then the G35x will 'probably' have less problems, but it sounds like you already don't like it.

The '02 and earlier BMWs on your list only had 3yr/36K free maintenance, though the warranty is 4yr/50K. If maintenance costs are a concern, stick with the '03. They have 4yr/50K free maintenance.

regards,
kyfdx

kudy843 · April 2004

Thanks, kyfdx.

We do like the G35x but just not as much as the bmw. For us, its strong points were cost, new and possibly reliablity. We want to stay under 33k...will do more more research.. Thanks again for your input.

cmnott · April 2004

Just a question about the 5 series. I really like this car and am thinking of getting it as my S60 T5 is coming to the end of its lease in April 2005, although I am thinking of ending it early in August or so.

I am looking at getting a bigger sedan and it must have a manual. The A6, I am not too pleased with and I am not convinced reliability-wise and the BMW dealer is a stone's throw away from my home.

I was thinking of an S60R because I really like my car but a bigger car would suit me better. The only thing is I am not terribly enthusiastic about a $65K CAD automobile with 225bhp. Heck, my car has 250bhp and lots of torque right now and seeing that Mercedes has upped their game with the E350 replacing the E320 (am I right about that?) with a power increase, could something be on the way for the 530i like a 535i with maybe 250bhp? It seems logical...

jking · April 2004

I agree that the 5-series driving experience is second to none.
After driving almost every vehicle available in the market today,
with the exception of the exotics (Ferrari, Lambo, Rolls etc.),
the five feels like no other car on the road.
I have heard that some manufacturers, namely Lexus and Lincoln, have
taken apart 540's to replicate the car, but obviously there is no comparison. The GS430, although a nice car, and the LS, couldn't hold a candle to the 5 series.

multiplechoice · April 2004

Just replaced my OEM Dunlop 2000E on my 540iA at 26,500 miles with the Bridgestone RE 750's (kept the same sizes 235 front, 255 rear). I have about 1500 miles on the new tires. Initial impression: Very quiet, seems to smooth out the ride a bit. I like the tread pattern but the rim protection rib is quite prominent and took a while for me to get used to their appearnce. Very good dry traction. Favorable treadwear rating. Traction AA Temp A also. I paid about $150 per tire. I thought about the Goodyears, but did not care for the tread pattern look. S-03 treadwear rating was too low, I did not want to replace the tires at 14K (as some folks have done).

stl540 · April 2004

I drove my wife's car on a 5-hour roadtrip and it rained the entire trip. Her car does not have rain sensing wipers and I missed it. During the entire 5-hour roadtrip, I had to manually change the wiper interval which was a pain.

My 540i came with the rain sensing wipers and I initially thought it was more of a gimic. I thought it was a nice-to-have, but would not provide much benefit. Now that I have used the rain sensing wipers for two years, I think they are wonderful. It is a big plus for the wipers to automatically maintain the appropriate interval to keep the windshield clean. That is one less thing that requires attention when driving.

jhammell · April 2004

Congrats on 26k on the OEM tires.

I happened to be at my favorite tire place today and watched the UPS guy unload stacks and stacks of tires from the Tire Rack. It sure makes it easier when you can look at the tires as well as read about them before you make a purchase. We are at least (hopefully)6 to 8 months away from needing the new tires so please keep me posted with your thoughts as the RE750 is on the top of our list.

manybmws · April 2004

Get 18"ers like sports package. I have 17s with Michelin Pilot Sport A/S - great tire.

BMW 5-Series Sedans

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