"Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs" (yowen)
06/20/2019 at 09:31 • Filed to: bmw, e39, roadtrip
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"Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs" (yowen)
06/20/2019 at 09:31 • Filed to: bmw, e39, roadtrip | 1
| 28 |
Hi guys, long post coming up, my girlfriend inherited a 2002 525i and we’re working on deciding what to do with it. It’s in California (central valley), we are in Michigan.
I got a chance to look it over and I got a chance to drive it around town and on the highway, my impressions so far (I’ve bolded the most immediate concerns):
starts right up, runs well
accelerates smoothly and without complaint
the drivers side seat is all kinds messed up , it’s sitting on an angle, left side is higher than the right, it’s currently in a high position. When I attempt to lower it only the right side comes down.
rear bumper needs fixing or replacing
one of the headlights needs replacing (I think it’s beyond polishing)
upon deceleration I hear a LOT of road noise , I thinking this is due to it needing new tires, despite them having a lot of tread left
I was told it needs to be kept above a half tank , otherwise it shuts off, the family’s regular mechanic tried to address that twice and could not figure it out
needs a head unit, a majority of the lines on the display aren’t working
AC takes quite a long time to start blowing cold air
the steering is heavy
I’ll post some picture below (also pictured my rental F-150). I also have the VIN available , can I get some info off of that? It has almost 200k miles on it, so that tells me it must’ve been taken care of for it to make it this far and still be running well. It’s been with 1 mechanic for its last 10's of thousands of miles (unsure how many) so I can probably get records from them.
In general I’m not super knowledgeable on BMW’s, but I have always really liked the E39 series, it stands out in my mind as one of the last model years before I started disliking BMW’s for a while, the term Bangle Butt comes to mind. Anyway, do you guys think it’s worth attempting the cross-country drive to bring it to Michigan? This is not a question of value, it’s largely a sentimental car , but if there are major pitfalls or notorious reliability concerns we’d consider selling it in California and cutting our losses.
TLDR: do we road-trip this 193k miles E39 to Michigan?
CalzoneGolem
> Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
06/20/2019 at 10:02 |
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It’s up to you my man. It’d be an adventure for sure. Much of what you listed is pretty minor. I’d get a professional opini on of it’s state and go from there.
OPPOsaurus WRX
> Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
06/20/2019 at 10:05 |
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i’d try it. its not ike you have anything invested into it. I’d just make sure its safe. worst case is it falls apart and you sell it and what ever you get for it is more than you started with.
BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind
> Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
06/20/2019 at 10:12 |
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Most of those issues are minor. E39 steering will feel VERY heavy if you’re used to...well, any car, really. I don’t like older BMWs because of that; even with electric steering on my F10, it still feels too heavy for me.
The tank sounds like a fuel transfer issue: https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?1290764-Fuel-Tank-Problem-Car-only-uses-half-of-the-tank!
I’d risk the drive, as long as your AAA membership is paid up. The seat is really the only “dangerous” issue, since you want it to be in a correct location should you crash. Depending on how handy you are, pulling it and taking it apart will probably allow you to find what part(s) are snapped, though I’d probably just try to source a new used seat.
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Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
> BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind
06/20/2019 at 10:27 |
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steering: yes, I’m used to my Audi A6 and it’s a joy to steer that thing, haha. It’s a lot lighter than my Taurus SHO and it the feel to it is great too.
Tank transfer: I’d read about that, I’d seen a post about that saddle tank on an E39 3 series and was wondering if this had a similar problem, could totally be it! The odd thing is, a mechanic looked at it twice and this seems like one of those obvious things to check for this model of car.
the drive: my girlfriend has great coverage for up to 200 miles of free towing, so as long as we get to within 200 miles of our destination! Haha.
the seat: yeah, it’s really not a great thing to sit in and that’s also my major concern for a long drive. Working on it myself or swapping the seat is a tough proposition with the limited time we’ll have to get to the car back to Michigan. I wonder if a mechanic could address whatever is wrong for a reasonable fee?
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BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind
> Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
06/20/2019 at 10:30 |
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Worst case if you’re pressed for time : have them swap the passenger seat for the drivers seat, make your gf deal or sit in the back ;)
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Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
> BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind
06/20/2019 at 10:52 |
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wait... you can do that?
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Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
> CalzoneGolem
06/20/2019 at 10:52 |
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yeah the major concern is sitting at an angle for 5+ hours a day, that shit got old after just 20 minutes of driving while running errands haha.
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Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
> OPPOsaurus WRX
06/20/2019 at 10:55 |
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Yep, that’s true, I just hope I can figure out the seat situation and a route that ensures we don’t run out of gas lol, we’ll be working with about 8 - 9 gallons, haha.
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CalzoneGolem
> Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
06/20/2019 at 11:04 |
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That’d clearly need to be addressed before the trip.
duurtlang
> Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
06/20/2019 at 12:01 |
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Can’t you source a used replacement seat (or seat frame) online and have that delivered at the mechanic?
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Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
> duurtlang
06/20/2019 at 12:35 |
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That’s a thought, I’d have to do some legwork in an area of the country I’m unfamiliar with, but I imagine it could be done!
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Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
> CalzoneGolem
06/20/2019 at 12:37 |
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yes, or early on in the trip, maybe I’ll have to ask oppo for mechanic suggestions that are on the first few hours of my route.
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CalzoneGolem
> Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
06/20/2019 at 12:47 |
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Or maybe scrap yards you could pull some parts out of
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BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind
> Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
06/20/2019 at 12:49 |
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I’m not 100% on that, depends if the e39 has the seatbelts on the seat or attached to the floor pan. Here’s a link to the seat fix, there’s tons of YouTube videos on it:
I’d imagine any mechanic could do it for about two hours of labor.
Bylan - Hoarder of LS400's
> Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
06/20/2019 at 14:16 |
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This thing needs like every single common e39 issue addressed. Road noise is gonna be control arms. If you're willing to put thousands into it to make it decent, do it
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Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
> BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind
06/20/2019 at 14:48 |
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Awesome! Thanks for the tip. It definitely seems like that could be the problem.
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Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
> Bylan - Hoarder of LS400's
06/20/2019 at 14:50 |
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I think we’ll definitely put some money into it over time, with emphasis on over time. It’ll be a second car for her so not a huge priority to deal with everything quickly. As long as we get it safe for the road trip.
Control arms eh? That’s a common one for noise upon deceleration? Sounds like that could be something to address before a cross-country drive.
Jordan
> Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
06/20/2019 at 15:37 |
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I wouldn’t road trip it until its all fixed.
Also, is it a manual?
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Bylan - Hoarder of LS400's
> Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
06/20/2019 at 15:51 |
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Definitely do a suspension check before driving across the country. And cooling system. I have horror flashbacks of replacing one of the 2 serpentine belts on my girlfriends father's 530i. Ridiculous German engineering
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Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
> Bylan - Hoarder of LS400's
06/20/2019 at 16:27 |
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Just found out it has a new radiator at 181k (now at 193k).
You really think a sustained noise upon deceleration is control arms?
Overall I agree, having good belts and good suspension is important.
Looking at the carfax it’s good that I saw a regular service history over the last 100k miles.
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Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
> Jordan
06/20/2019 at 16:29 |
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It’s an automatic (bummer).
Overall I’m not extremely concerned to road trip it, I just checked it out on carfax and it has had regular service over the last 20k miles. And that includes a new radiator, fuel pump and ignition coils.
The biggest things I want to address are the seat, the fuel tank issue and the deceleration noise.
superdave847
> Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
06/20/2019 at 22:44 |
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The body looks solid and I love the wheels. If you replace the headlights, I would check if DEPO (a Taiwanese company) makes LEDs for the E39.
Prophylactically , I would test the fuel pump, water pump, thermostat, and belts. Any variance in engine temperature will kill the engine.
I think cracking in
rear subframe is an issue for all BMWs of this era too, so check that.
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superdave847
> Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
06/20/2019 at 22:46 |
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Headlights:
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Bylan - Hoarder of LS400's
> Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
06/20/2019 at 23:50 |
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I did a lot of research on E39s before I bought my LS400. I really wanted a 6speed 540i, and I’m glad I didn’t because I’d be eating ramen. Without any water. Tires could cause the noise, but control arms are common wear items that will affect the toe-in-toe-out under deceleration, causing a scrubbing effect.
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Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
> Bylan - Hoarder of LS400's
06/21/2019 at 10:11 |
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ah okay, that makes sense!
I looked into getting a 540i not long ago and came to the same conclusion. I imagine a 525i should be a bit easier on the pocket book, especially considering it’s a second car that we can take our time with, finding cheap parts, parking it when we don’t feel like spending money on it, etc.
My main priorities are going to be that noise, likely control arms as the tires looked great on it. And that tilted/twisted seat, apparently also a common problem.
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Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
> superdave847
06/21/2019 at 10:20 |
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yeah, those wheels are awesome, I’m definitely going to try to restore those too their former glory as much as possible. And the body looks really awesome, the only real blemish is that dent in the lower portion of the rear bumper.
Thanks for the tip on the headlights, I did a quick search and had a hard time finding LED headlights, I did see projector models, on EBAY they were listed as 528i and not compatible with a 525i, but I imagine they would be the same?
I do know it has a new fuel pump and radiator, not sure on water pump, t-stat and belts though. I’m hoping we’ll be able to get service records from the mechanic it went to regularly.
For the cracking in the subframe do I just crawl under the back of the car and have a look?
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Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
> superdave847
06/21/2019 at 10:23 |
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hmmm, hers will be a 2002 and I don’t see anything from DEPO for that.
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Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
> Bylan - Hoarder of LS400's
11/13/2019 at 14:41 |
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It ended up being the alignment! We drove it back over a long weekend, taking turns sleeping, the thing drove like a champ, especially considering it’s closing in on 200k.