kinda hard to do that when u got three kids and a doctor's schedule

he did complain that it feels more isolated and "less" butt-dyno powerful than the 325i. just buttery smooth

 

hey now, i got one

however, i was impressed at how little power was lost by the automatic transmission on a stock e39 bmw 540i during a dyno run.. if u believe what a stock engine is supposed to be rated at, the numbers put up by that bmw shows only 10-15% loss at the wheels; thought those type of calculated losses that were this low were only for manual transmissions. who knows.. but my wagon was closer to 25%.

listen again, at idle, it's got a chatter that reminds me of our old 1977 mb 300D (which btw i can identify for u just by listening to it blind). clackety clack.. very nostalgic

 

I just sold my E-39 and purchased a IS250. BMW 530i sport edition with Dinan system was a good car, the handling is great. The only thing was the expense to keep it going.
Problems pixel on the dash (write BMW they will cover parts) , radiator leaks, and DSC

 

i always wanted a e39, is it a 540i? id trade my is for e39 m5 :P

 

It seems this tread has morphed into a E39 reliability post, so here's my two cents: I Traded my 1999 E39 540ia sport with 85,000mi three years ago for my IS350 sport and have not looked back. Although I enjoyed driving the bmw- its combination of engine performance, handling, and luxury was awesome- it was far from reliable. I bought it as a cpo with 40,000mi and that two year cpo warranty came in very handy.

Here is a short list of some problems
Radiator cracked (plastic) -replaced $800
Various sensor faults-camshaft position sensor X2
Rear main seal
Display module replaced X2-pixels missing
Windows creaking like an old wooden ship

I also heard that the auto tranny could routinely fail at around 100,000mi and
that it cost $6,000 to replace.
I guess ill see how my 350 does but at 38,000mi it has all the dash rattles,the engine start-up rattle,and now my drivers seat back sounds like it has a whoopie cushine in it.

 

clean e39
nice wheels

 

bring the start up rattle to the dealership.. the Cam-Gears would be replaced under warrantty... leave the car over night there ask them to test it on a cold morning.. i think they'll replicate the rattle and give u a new one on TSIB... i think..... thats what they did to mine and it's gone...

Andre

 

I really liked the old five series. Good luck with yours.

 

Owning both the 530i and the IS250, I must say thet the E39 is the faster, more refined car. It was also a heck of a lot more reliable than my RX300 of similar vintage.

YMMV