Tested E39 523i Europe

[bimmerholic]

Yup I prefer CBU than CKD as the built quality better.

Likewise. I knew i only wanted CBU and not CKD.
In fact i came across a CKD version of it at a dealer and to my surprise, all the doors on it felts so light and the solidness of the closing is somewhat missing. Unlike the CBU version, the doors were a hell lot heavier and the solidness OMG :love:...it's all in the feel....there's just a whole lot more volume to it

 

[Guzzler]

Hi All 39er's,

I,m presently driving an E34 (520i) and have been comtemplating to upgrade to an E39 (at least 2,500 cc).
However, my mechanic says, E39 the most problematic to maintain while the E46 is the second most problematic. By problematic he means high cost of maintenance, the car can be driving perfectly and
then out of nowhere something can abruptly fail - requiring much diagnostice & assessment before pin-point the exact fault.

He advises to stay with the E34, any comments pse.

Thanks & regards.

 

[bmw7833]

Likewise. I knew i only wanted CBU and not CKD.
In fact i came across a CKD version of it at a dealer and to my surprise, all the doors on it felts so light and the solidness of the closing is somewhat missing. Unlike the CBU version, the doors were a hell lot heavier and the solidness OMG :love:...it's all in the feel....there's just a whole lot more volume to it

I dont think so.

 

[moots]

Hi All 39er's,

I,m presently driving an E34 (520i) and have been comtemplating to upgrade to an E39 (at least 2,500 cc).
However, my mechanic says, E39 the most problematic to maintain while the E46 is the second most problematic. By problematic he means high cost of maintenance, the car can be driving perfectly and
then out of nowhere something can abruptly fail - requiring much diagnostice & assessment before pin-point the exact fault.

He advises to stay with the E34, any comments pse.

Thanks & regards.

bro,
i had my e34 for 10 wonderful years before replacing it with my current e39 in feb09.
the difference in the drive is like night and day.yes the e39 IS more expensive to keep.
example - power window assy - new rm1020/used - rm400 but e34 used is just rm 120 onny.

it helps to know how to do your own fixit and also to know an honest mechanic who is a friend.ah foo of kayu ara is one that i recommend.

i had a jammed ignition key once which i fixed myself after getting some pointers thru phone from ah foo.
also fixed my sunroof and a few small issues with phone advise from him.

some components might give some messages which generally requires some diagnostics to be done but i know for a fact that some defects can be solved by cleaning and re-seating the connectors and no actual change is actually required.

yes the e39 is expensive to maintain but this can be somewhat alleviated by having the technical knowhow to DIY.........

 

[bimmerholic]

Guys,

I finally took delivery of the UDM yesterday at it's previous home in Valencia. Got everything settled and finally brought home the car. I've so far enjoyed a day & a night with my UDM. Will start a thread at the showroom soon.

Just wanna thank you guys for clearing my doubts and answering my questions prior to purchasing. Thanks again to a all.

At present, i've got a few things to fix-up and will consult more with ya'll soon.

Loving the car more!!!

 

[anakin]

Valencia?......

 

[jega m5]

Valencia?......

some where near sg.buloh if not mistaken...

 

[bimmerholic]

some where near sg.buloh if not mistaken...

Yup...that's right..it's near sg. buloh. Next to Valencia is Sierramas.

 

[ckhaw]

Macha, very good purchase. This car is awesome, very very well maintained. When bringing your car out for everyone else to see and to get more racun?

 

[bimmerholic]

Macha, very good purchase. This car is awesome, very very well maintained. When bringing your car out for everyone else to see and to get more racun?

Hey thanks joe....

Yea...i'm lovin it every minute man..... Hang on.....need to clean the car nicely first then, i bukak a new showroom thread ....

Soon, we'll join the TT....

 

[azan23uk]

good choice bimmer. enjoy the ride. i've had it for almost 2 yrs...still falling in love.

 

[bimmerholic]

good choice bimmer. enjoy the ride. i've had it for almost 2 yrs...still falling in love.

Yea man....it's this one model, the E39 that made me fall in love with BMW with its first debut. It's simply orgasmic to hear the sound of that sweet 6 cylinder engine singing....coupled with a super rigid chassis..:top:

 

[bimmer73]

Bimmerholic you want good mechnic go to ara damansara. Bestness motorsport. he has the BMW group Gmbh daignostic tool. He can even upgrade you ECU to 525i

 

[bimmerholic]

Ya Double Vanos 525i....523i still ok buy your are paying the same roadtax price...might just aswell....

yea but 525 only came out after 2000 i think. And the price for that car of that year is out of my budget. Anyhow....i'm very happy with my 523i. Jut loving it more & more everyday.

 

[bimmerholic]

Bimmerholic you want good mechnic go to ara damansara. Bestness motorsport. he has the BMW group Gmbh daignostic tool. He can even upgrade you ECU to 525i

Haha....thanks mate. That's one of the list of things to do on my ride....not too soon but in the near future yes. After all.....i'm sharing the same engine as the 525i in terms of bore x stroke.

Question is, does one need the GMBH diag tool to do the software upgrade or any other diag tools (that can prog/clear fault codes) can also do the trick?

Or it's a whole new other tool that's use to get the job done?

 

[champion]

hey , as long as it's not a UK built and run in UK your car cylinder wall is still good. not much wear and tear as other countries petol dont contain too much sulphur.
refer to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_E39

Hi Dennis et all, how can we check whether the car is UK built ? According to VIN, its shows either in Germany or USA. I am actually eyeing on a e39 but running on miles instead of km in the mileage section.

 

[champion]

Yes, i am aware in the event of the mileage being tempered. Thanks to the information i gained from reading this forum. The first thing i do to all E39s the second i sit in, is to check the mileage counter it there's a RED DOT before the mileage. I'm pretty much decided (read: walk away) on the car upon seeing that RED DOT.

How does the RED DOT shown in the mileage ? Any pics out there for better clarity? Tks

ie -> .XXXXXX ?

 

[champion]

Manage to search the forum and found this - > http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/2655/clusterhq7.jpg

 

[bmw7833]

Manage to search the forum and found this - > http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/2655/clusterhq7.jpg

That is tempered mileage..Stay away the car unless the condition and price are good enough.

 

[bimmerholic]

Manage to search the forum and found this - > http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/2655/clusterhq7.jpg

yes that's the red dot. I think if they use 3rd party tools to temper the mileage, the dot pops on. Not sure if the dot comes on if they were to use the original service equipment to do it. I can't confirm this.