Tested E39 523i Europe
- Thread starter bimmerholic
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beemer bro,
put aside around RM15k to get the car fit...and around RM10k more later to make it tip top. i spent rm10k over the past 1.5 years...that's on top of rm10k the previous owner spent 2 months before he sold the car to me. mind u, my car is a yr 2000 528i UK spec at 125 k km when i bought it. And my car is stock standard. Now the car is tip top. New absorbers (RM2k), new tyres (RM2.5k), new a/c compressor(RM2k), overhaul steering rack & throttle body (RM2k) new front arms and links (RM2.5k), engine mountings etc.. Hope no need to spend a lot for the next 2 months...hehe.
put aside around RM15k to get the car fit...and around RM10k more later to make it tip top. i spent rm10k over the past 1.5 years...that's on top of rm10k the previous owner spent 2 months before he sold the car to me. mind u, my car is a yr 2000 528i UK spec at 125 k km when i bought it. And my car is stock standard. Now the car is tip top. New absorbers (RM2k), new tyres (RM2.5k), new a/c compressor(RM2k), overhaul steering rack & throttle body (RM2k) new front arms and links (RM2.5k), engine mountings etc.. Hope no need to spend a lot for the next 2 months...hehe.
bimmerholic
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Today, i took the car for a check-up at beemerholics, although Initial M warned me to go on my own risk.
I spoke to a chap there sometime last week about me bringing over the car for him to check-up. He was friendly and was giving inputs to what to look out for and such....
I saw the complete repair bills and items changed by the previous owner. He has replaced some major parts like the radiator, alternator and few others already before. He also recently changed 4 new tires.
We took the car for a test drive and returned to the workshop to hoist the car up. The ride was firm and responsive to steering input. The front suspension parts incl absorbers are all in good condition. No sign of broken rubber bushes, ball joints and tie rods. As for the rear suspension parts, there's 2 bushes on both sides of the wheel that's torn and grease was all over the bush. It comes a whole with the arm (can't remember the name). Though these were worn, there was no sign of swaying or noise felt at the rear while driving.
However, the GB gasket is leaking and there's some stain of ATF on the gasket housing. The same goes for the engine oil sump gasket. And there's a slight trace of engine oil leaking from the flywheel oil seal.
And there's clonking sound from the A/C compressor. The compressor piston are worn. Azan23uk was right....that's the reason why the A/C isn't cool during idle but when throttled, the A/C blows cool air.
Plugged in the GT-1 tester, and no faults found. All control modules are in check. I was given a rough quotation on the things to replace. Will get a complete parts to replace lists & quotation on Monday.
Other than that, it's the broken pixel issue. That I'll have to source out from this forum the guy who repairs the pixels. And the headliner above the front left passenger has lost its stickiness or so to speak. I wonder if upholsterers can glue up the whole headliner (one time do for the whole roof) and reuse the fabric without replacing the fabric.
Now that i know, what has been replaced (full service and repair records), and what's to be replaced, i'm satisfied and happy to know the current condition of the car. In conclusion, I'm pretty much decided on getting this car and getting the issues sorted.
I spoke to a chap there sometime last week about me bringing over the car for him to check-up. He was friendly and was giving inputs to what to look out for and such....
I saw the complete repair bills and items changed by the previous owner. He has replaced some major parts like the radiator, alternator and few others already before. He also recently changed 4 new tires.
We took the car for a test drive and returned to the workshop to hoist the car up. The ride was firm and responsive to steering input. The front suspension parts incl absorbers are all in good condition. No sign of broken rubber bushes, ball joints and tie rods. As for the rear suspension parts, there's 2 bushes on both sides of the wheel that's torn and grease was all over the bush. It comes a whole with the arm (can't remember the name). Though these were worn, there was no sign of swaying or noise felt at the rear while driving.
However, the GB gasket is leaking and there's some stain of ATF on the gasket housing. The same goes for the engine oil sump gasket. And there's a slight trace of engine oil leaking from the flywheel oil seal.
And there's clonking sound from the A/C compressor. The compressor piston are worn. Azan23uk was right....that's the reason why the A/C isn't cool during idle but when throttled, the A/C blows cool air.
Plugged in the GT-1 tester, and no faults found. All control modules are in check. I was given a rough quotation on the things to replace. Will get a complete parts to replace lists & quotation on Monday.
Other than that, it's the broken pixel issue. That I'll have to source out from this forum the guy who repairs the pixels. And the headliner above the front left passenger has lost its stickiness or so to speak. I wonder if upholsterers can glue up the whole headliner (one time do for the whole roof) and reuse the fabric without replacing the fabric.
Now that i know, what has been replaced (full service and repair records), and what's to be replaced, i'm satisfied and happy to know the current condition of the car. In conclusion, I'm pretty much decided on getting this car and getting the issues sorted.
the way your stories goes doesnt sound that the car is in good condition at all...beware and becareful...my advise please get a good maintained vehicle eventhough at higher price...dont try to make the car good unless the workshop is belong to you...you will ended paying a lot of money but the car are still not perfect..and then u will start losing sleep...Take ur time and look for the good one...eg a good car should not have any broken plastic inside...mileage should be around 100km...the engine compartment should be cleaned etc. A good car dealer wont quote very low if the car is good...
initialM
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Like I said go to beemerholic at yr own risk & buy the car at yr own risk also.
I did bring my E39 there for inspection before buying it. I spent closed to 50k (cash) to refurbish it like new. U can see my thread at showroom section. All i can say is WTF :stupid:
I did bring my E39 there for inspection before buying it. I spent closed to 50k (cash) to refurbish it like new. U can see my thread at showroom section. All i can say is WTF :stupid:
initialM
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anakin;422518 said:Ni yang buat tersedak nih.....
relax bro dun cancel yr plan to get E39. It's a good car only that I'm very fussy when comes to car. At least I'm satisified & clear mind everytime I drive my car. Anyway the cost inclusive of modification & preventive maintenance. Last count before engine overhaul is close to 40k, after that dun dare to count anymore.:stupid:
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anakin;422437 said:
Thanks bro. Appreciate that thought. I'm negotiating with the owner tmr.
bimmerholic
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turbo2;422509 said:
I'm buying from the owner directly. The company he worked with bought the car for him to use and he was chauffeured in it. Since Day 1 off the showroom, he's the one been sitting at the back seat. And he took ownership of it after retiring.
He even had the purchase invoice of the car in '97 from Cartrade. Purchased at RM296K back then. According to him, there was a CKD version of it that was 30Gs cheaper. He opted for the CBU.
So it's 1 owner, 1 driving characteristic, full service history and repair records from Cartrade/AB. Interior trims is in very good condition. No broken plastic parts except for one of the rear cup holder than doesn't open. No big issue here.
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initialM;422512 said:
How was the condition of your car when you purchased it that you ended up forking 50K just to refurbish it?
Bought it from a dealer or owner?
bimmerholic
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initialM;422529 said:
What was the reason you did your engine overhaul? Was it consuming engine oi?
bimmerholic
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anakin;422543 said:
Definitely not. But I'll be doing a complete change of fluids and I'll be replacing the filter and gasket at the same time. So even if it isn't leaking, I'd still be changing it.
Just the issue of the flywheel oil seal. Extra cost incurred.
And the compressor. It may well just be the tensioner. Will consult Naidu on this.
bimmerholic
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Just to share with you guys my buying policy of a car
1) I NEVER trust dealers. They can say whatever they want. I always assume everything they say it's a lie. Trust me, you can never go wrong. I only go to them to do my homework since they've got many units available at their place.
2) Must be 1 owner driven and currently still driving. (not sleeping in the house)
3) Always buy from the owner directly. If he has bought it from a dealer previously, drop the idea of buying.
4) Seeing is believing. It has to come with full service record, repair bills and so on...Looking at the purchase invoice of your car at the price of close to RM300k is something altogether...
5) The car must be in the "condition" that you're expecting based on the year/mileage and weather mostly city or H/way driven.
6) Always bring it to a mechanic to check for yoruself, and inspect the car yourself together with the mechanic. Everyone knows a thing or two about cars, so that's a good starting point.
7) If there's plenty of wear & tear parts to be replaced, negotiate with the owner further. If it's just beyond your reach, then gotta keep looking.
1) I NEVER trust dealers. They can say whatever they want. I always assume everything they say it's a lie. Trust me, you can never go wrong. I only go to them to do my homework since they've got many units available at their place.
2) Must be 1 owner driven and currently still driving. (not sleeping in the house)
3) Always buy from the owner directly. If he has bought it from a dealer previously, drop the idea of buying.
4) Seeing is believing. It has to come with full service record, repair bills and so on...Looking at the purchase invoice of your car at the price of close to RM300k is something altogether...
5) The car must be in the "condition" that you're expecting based on the year/mileage and weather mostly city or H/way driven.
6) Always bring it to a mechanic to check for yoruself, and inspect the car yourself together with the mechanic. Everyone knows a thing or two about cars, so that's a good starting point.
7) If there's plenty of wear & tear parts to be replaced, negotiate with the owner further. If it's just beyond your reach, then gotta keep looking.
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Dear Beemerholic...please keep this thread alive, really need to know the outcome....initialM & others have a strong point here being the owner of e39 themselves (me not yet!)..for me this is what our club is all about...sharing informations and opinions.....once again, good luck...
rgds
rgds
bimmerholic
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anakin;422806 said:
Thanks. I certainly will. It's an on-going love with the BMW.
We (the owner & I) agreed on a good deal. Both parties are happy. Will be taking delivery of the car once the paper work is done.....in 2-3 days time, I'd be driving the UDM home. :joyman: :love:
initialM
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Bro,
I think u got a good bargain from direct owner. Actually the reason I do overhaul coz I want to make sure the engine in perfect & tip top condition. Yup I prefer CBU than CKD as the built quality better. For eg: the welding part are more neat. Like I said it depend on how fussy u r. Myself I dun like breakdown so I did preventive maintenance. You get the car cheap so can hv xtra RM for maintenance. The car price was RM296k brand new in yr 97 so u can expect the parts are not cheap either. In that case my 528 CBU must be more than that in the same yr. Good luck for yr E39 & dun forget to post pics in showroom section so I can poison for mods hahahah:top:
I think u got a good bargain from direct owner. Actually the reason I do overhaul coz I want to make sure the engine in perfect & tip top condition. Yup I prefer CBU than CKD as the built quality better. For eg: the welding part are more neat. Like I said it depend on how fussy u r. Myself I dun like breakdown so I did preventive maintenance. You get the car cheap so can hv xtra RM for maintenance. The car price was RM296k brand new in yr 97 so u can expect the parts are not cheap either. In that case my 528 CBU must be more than that in the same yr. Good luck for yr E39 & dun forget to post pics in showroom section so I can poison for mods hahahah:top:
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initialM;422821 said:
Yes indeed. It was a good but reasonable bargain. Now i've the extra allowance to repair the immediate items.
Haha, surely i'll post up the pics in the showroom upon giving a nice TLC to her. Then the poison shall pour in...haha...
Thanks guys for all the feedback and opinion from fellow forummers. I really appreciate them. They (feedbacks) gave me a better evaluation and expectation of the UDM.
Cheers :love:
