E39 that replaced IS350
06-01-09, 09:36 AM
#16
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Hope you enjoy the E39,...... I got rid of my E39 (528i) for the IS 250. One thing you should be aware of is the VANOS on the E39. The seal for the valve is weak and many E39 owners have paid bug bucks in the repair when it goes. Mine was $ 3K to fix. Look at Bimmerfest forum and look around at the site,.... has lotts of great info and quite a few posts on the VANOS.
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=103
Good luck......
edz
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=103
Good luck......
edz
You got riped off for the vanos seals replacement! I did mine and it costed me $60 in parts and 4 hours of my labor. BTW, i have M52TU
06-01-09, 09:43 AM
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Thanks everyone for great replys!!!
I drive a lot! I got it with 55k miles and now have 88.5k. LOL
So far its been super reliable. All I had to do to this car so far is: changing oil, changed transmission fluid, changed coolant, changed diff fluid. New belts, new vanos seals, and just did brakes 3 days ago. Total money spend on maintenance so far is somewhere around $500 including everything listed above. I think if you take your car (BMW) to a dealer then it gets pricy, but since I do everything myself its actually not too bad.
I will never say BMW is more reliable than Lexus, but I know from personal experience. My E39 has no creaks nor squeals in the interior, where the IS had to go to a dealer for that kind of stuff almost on bi-weekly bases.
I drive a lot! I got it with 55k miles and now have 88.5k. LOL
So far its been super reliable. All I had to do to this car so far is: changing oil, changed transmission fluid, changed coolant, changed diff fluid. New belts, new vanos seals, and just did brakes 3 days ago. Total money spend on maintenance so far is somewhere around $500 including everything listed above. I think if you take your car (BMW) to a dealer then it gets pricy, but since I do everything myself its actually not too bad.
I will never say BMW is more reliable than Lexus, but I know from personal experience. My E39 has no creaks nor squeals in the interior, where the IS had to go to a dealer for that kind of stuff almost on bi-weekly bases.
06-01-09, 02:47 PM
#20
Thanks everyone for great replys!!!
I drive a lot! I got it with 55k miles and now have 88.5k. LOL
So far its been super reliable. All I had to do to this car so far is: changing oil, changed transmission fluid, changed coolant, changed diff fluid. New belts, new vanos seals, and just did brakes 3 days ago. Total money spend on maintenance so far is somewhere around $500 including everything listed above. I think if you take your car (BMW) to a dealer then it gets pricy, but since I do everything myself its actually not too bad.
I will never say BMW is more reliable than Lexus, but I know from personal experience. My E39 has no creaks nor squeals in the interior, where the IS had to go to a dealer for that kind of stuff almost on bi-weekly bases.
I drive a lot! I got it with 55k miles and now have 88.5k. LOL
So far its been super reliable. All I had to do to this car so far is: changing oil, changed transmission fluid, changed coolant, changed diff fluid. New belts, new vanos seals, and just did brakes 3 days ago. Total money spend on maintenance so far is somewhere around $500 including everything listed above. I think if you take your car (BMW) to a dealer then it gets pricy, but since I do everything myself its actually not too bad.
I will never say BMW is more reliable than Lexus, but I know from personal experience. My E39 has no creaks nor squeals in the interior, where the IS had to go to a dealer for that kind of stuff almost on bi-weekly bases.
06-01-09, 04:24 PM
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06-01-09, 04:37 PM
#22
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I have a couple of E39's and an '08 IS350
that is a year old this month and barely has 1800 miles on it. Can you guess why it stays in the garage ? 
Just kidding, dont get riled up !
BMW's are driver's cars, plain and simple. Some people, actually alot of people like that. Sure, things break and they are expensive to fix, but you can do alot of repairs yourself, and contrary to popular belief, the Independent repair shops can have and most have the same diagnostic tools the Dealer has, so they can do everything the Dealer does except warranty work.
One of my 540's has 115k and can still smoke the tires, doesnt burn oil or leak any fluids. The other, an '03 540iT has M5 front and rear ends, M5 exhaust, M5 Interior, wheels, and Dinan Software. The Factory built a few of these at the end of the E39 model run, to probably tease America, because they have sold M5 Wagons in Europe for years. It really runs good and like the older one, doesnt use any fluids, break down, and is one of the best driving cars on a trip for us.
I guess I like my IS350 too, but the tires are way too noisy, and the engine sounds not very refined when you step on the gas. Listen to a sweet sounding BMW Inline 6 someday, and compare it to any Lexus V6 and you will know exactly what I am talking about.
Hope to get some more miles on the IS350 soon, on a little 6000 mile trip to Texas and back..
DanF
Just kidding, dont get riled up ! BMW's are driver's cars, plain and simple. Some people, actually alot of people like that. Sure, things break and they are expensive to fix, but you can do alot of repairs yourself, and contrary to popular belief, the Independent repair shops can have and most have the same diagnostic tools the Dealer has, so they can do everything the Dealer does except warranty work.
One of my 540's has 115k and can still smoke the tires, doesnt burn oil or leak any fluids. The other, an '03 540iT has M5 front and rear ends, M5 exhaust, M5 Interior, wheels, and Dinan Software. The Factory built a few of these at the end of the E39 model run, to probably tease America, because they have sold M5 Wagons in Europe for years. It really runs good and like the older one, doesnt use any fluids, break down, and is one of the best driving cars on a trip for us.
I guess I like my IS350 too, but the tires are way too noisy, and the engine sounds not very refined when you step on the gas. Listen to a sweet sounding BMW Inline 6 someday, and compare it to any Lexus V6 and you will know exactly what I am talking about.
Hope to get some more miles on the IS350 soon, on a little 6000 mile trip to Texas and back..
DanF
Still my favorite M5. I'm bugging my co-worker to sell me his E39 M5... 
06-01-09, 08:45 PM
#28
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what do bmw owners do to get it so flush?? is there no suspension travel? once saw an e36 m3 with dinan badge/tune running low 12s quarters here in sf, with the same fender flush. u could barely put a piece of paper in between the tire and fender 
. in san francisco (worst kept city rounds not in the rust belt)!
coincidentally funny.. my cuz's e46 325i was costing him too much to repair/upkeep. he traded it in for a new gs350
once saw an e36 m3 with dinan badge/tune running low 12s quarters here in sf, with the same fender flush. u could barely put a piece of paper in between the tire and fender . in san francisco (worst kept city rounds not in the rust belt)!coincidentally funny.. my cuz's e46 325i was costing him too much to repair/upkeep. he traded it in for a new gs350
06-01-09, 08:53 PM
#29
that is a year old this month and barely has 1800 miles on it. Can you guess why it stays in the garage ? Just kidding, dont get riled up !
BMW's are driver's cars, plain and simple. Some people, actually alot of people like that. Sure, things break and they are expensive to fix, but you can do alot of repairs yourself, and contrary to popular belief, the Independent repair shops can have and most have the same diagnostic tools the Dealer has, so they can do everything the Dealer does except warranty work.
One of my 540's has 115k and can still smoke the tires, doesnt burn oil or leak any fluids. The other, an '03 540iT has M5 front and rear ends, M5 exhaust, M5 Interior, wheels, and Dinan Software. The Factory built a few of these at the end of the E39 model run, to probably tease America, because they have sold M5 Wagons in Europe for years. It really runs good and like the older one, doesnt use any fluids, break down, and is one of the best driving cars on a trip for us.
I guess I like my IS350 too, but the tires are way too noisy, and the engine sounds not very refined when you step on the gas. Listen to a sweet sounding BMW Inline 6 someday, and compare it to any Lexus V6 and you will know exactly what I am talking about.
Hope to get some more miles on the IS350 soon, on a little 6000 mile trip to Texas and back..
DanF
Just kidding, dont get riled up ! BMW's are driver's cars, plain and simple. Some people, actually alot of people like that. Sure, things break and they are expensive to fix, but you can do alot of repairs yourself, and contrary to popular belief, the Independent repair shops can have and most have the same diagnostic tools the Dealer has, so they can do everything the Dealer does except warranty work.
One of my 540's has 115k and can still smoke the tires, doesnt burn oil or leak any fluids. The other, an '03 540iT has M5 front and rear ends, M5 exhaust, M5 Interior, wheels, and Dinan Software. The Factory built a few of these at the end of the E39 model run, to probably tease America, because they have sold M5 Wagons in Europe for years. It really runs good and like the older one, doesnt use any fluids, break down, and is one of the best driving cars on a trip for us.
I guess I like my IS350 too, but the tires are way too noisy, and the engine sounds not very refined when you step on the gas. Listen to a sweet sounding BMW Inline 6 someday, and compare it to any Lexus V6 and you will know exactly what I am talking about.
Hope to get some more miles on the IS350 soon, on a little 6000 mile trip to Texas and back..
DanF
Europeans dont tease america with no lettin in performance wagons in the mid to late 90s no one really wanted one, and if anything lets be real an Audi Rs2 would be alot cooler car. Please stop comparing a 30-35k lexus to a 60k 540i v8, go drive a Gs400 and tell me what you think which V8 is better, less noisy, smoother, transmission shifts like silk and faster, there was porbably a reason it was a car of the year in C&D 2 years running and made top 10 for 6 years in the row.
Tires are noisy and the car is all of the sudden not great? Comparing a v6 car to Inline 6 very clevar also. You know toyota does make such engine thats called 2jz go listen to it, drive it you'll understand. Ive heard many bmw with a valve tick(great inline 6s you say) i've never in mylife have heard a lexus with a valve tick i'm sure they exist just not very often. Btw i have no idea what unrefined noisy you speaking of on is350, i've driven an is250 and that thing makes absolutly no noise you cant hear or feel the engine, now thats refinment. I just worked on a customers SC300 inline 6 that had 260k miles original timing belt/water pump along with spark plugs/wires/cap and rotor. HE never took good care of his car but these toytas just keep on chugging and if you do take care of them like a BMW they'll go forever with no problems. 2jz is the strongest most reliable Inline 6 ever made btw. Look up consumer reports on E39 vs Any any lexus and let me know how it ranks.
So let me rephrase my original statement.
BMW is a nice car indeed, anyone should buy one either new with a bumber to bumper warranty or Certefied Used from the dealer with extended warranty, or if you simply enjoy wrenching on stuff and gettin dirty because most likely you wont be able to afford to service a BMW at anyshop not only a dealer for very long unless you make $$$$ bank!
06-01-09, 08:55 PM
#30
what do bmw owners do to get it so flush?? is there no suspension travel? once saw an e36 m3 with dinan badge/tune running low 12s quarters here in sf, with the same fender flush. u could barely put a piece of paper in between the tire and fender . in san francisco (worst kept city rounds not in the rust belt)!
coincidentally funny.. my cuz's e46 325i was costing him too much to repair/upkeep. he traded it in for a new gs350
once saw an e36 m3 with dinan badge/tune running low 12s quarters here in sf, with the same fender flush. u could barely put a piece of paper in between the tire and fender . in san francisco (worst kept city rounds not in the rust belt)!coincidentally funny.. my cuz's e46 325i was costing him too much to repair/upkeep. he traded it in for a new gs350
unreal