Bought a 525iT at auction today!! VIN Check?

I am completely new to BMW's as of TODAY!!

I picked up a 1994 525iT with 170K miles on it at a local car auction. It's Black on Black, it drives like a dream...quiet, shifts well, no real shimmying, all instrument and marker lights work, A/C works, the "leather"(not sure if it is leather or vinyl) is in great shape. Radio works, and the exterior overall is in good condition...about 99% rust free but has some larger scratches and small dents here and there.

The only REAL bad news is the passenger window doesn't work(motor makes noise but no movement), the glovebox was jimmied open and broken, the rear wiper is missing, the gas door is broken, and most of the exterior door trim is missing.

I paid $1000 bucks...i figured you can't go wrong spending a K on a car that was $40K new

I know nothing about the title or history of the vehicle...i think it is from Cali from some docs in the glovebox, but that's it.

Can someone run a Carfax or dealer VIN check on it for me?

WBAHJ6329RGD24312

Overall my first 12 hours of BMW ownership has been awesome!

Thanks in advance!

Carfax may not be requested on this site. (Legal reasons - site admins have no choice in the matter.)

Grats on your purchase though!

Congrats on the purchase! Black on Black tourings are hard to come by!
I can get your VIN decoded to show what options it came from the factory with if you would like.
Also, I have 2 e34 parts cars, so if you need anything (like the window regulator, trim, etc) just let me know! (the link to my website is in my signature)

Thanks NMP411, a build list would be great!!

yeah i think i lucked out at this auction...it was in a little town and none of the farmers there were interested in this foreign little wagon...infact, there was a 94 buick with about the same mileage right next to this car that sold for $1500

I'll check out your site when i get around to disecting the window issue.

I have another couple of questions... what should i look for as far as maintenance items right away?

I changed the oil and filter already...which was disturbingly easy by the way...and checked the trans fluid yesterday, but what else should i look for? are there grease fittings anywhere? what about the diff? would it be a good idea to change that fluid too?

And last but not least, how do i reset the maintenance indicator?

Thanks!

Originally Posted by 94Touring

Thanks NMP411, a build list would be great!!

yeah i think i lucked out at this auction...it was in a little town and none of the farmers there were interested in this foreign little wagon...infact, there was a 94 buick with about the same mileage right next to this car that sold for $1500

I'll check out your site when i get around to disecting the window issue.

I have another couple of questions... what should i look for as far as maintenance items right away?

I changed the oil and filter already...which was disturbingly easy by the way...and checked the trans fluid yesterday, but what else should i look for? are there grease fittings anywhere? what about the diff? would it be a good idea to change that fluid too?

And last but not least, how do i reset the maintenance indicator?

Thanks!

Sounds good. Just let me know what you find out!
I am in the process of getting the VIN decoded for you right now.

As far as maintenance goes, trans fluid and oil were good places to start! I can't really think of much else except making sure the brake lines are good. Also with touring, a big problem is a the rear hatch wiring having problems. You might want to search around and familiarize yourself with the issue if it ever comes up. Also, just try to learn about the car, there are many interesting features that are good to know about.
You should also look into getting a bentley repair manual. If you do any work yourself it is a great asset to have!
Also, there are no grease points, and I wouldn't worry too much about the diff. But if you want to check it, it can't hurt!

And to reset the oil indicator you have one of three options...
1) take to a service facility where they have a tool to reset and will most likely charge you a fair amount to do so.
2) Buy reset tool on ebay for around $25
3) The easiest, and cheapest solution, do this. http://www.unofficialbmw.com/e36/ele...ce_lights.html
It is what I use and it works great!

Good luck!

Oh, and btw: I go to school in Ames IA so we are less than 3 hours away from each other! If I ever make it up to MN I will let you know. Last year I met someone in Albert Lea to buy my wheels off of them.

Sounds good...we can definately meet up in Albert Lea or owatonna if I buy some parts from you. Speaking of which, why are you parting out those cars? both look pretty decent from the pics.

I'll try the oil reset tomorrow, thanks for the tip!

I wouldnt pay for the report, especailly since you already have the car and usually what they tell you in the report is useless - owner records are much more important, none the less if you do want one try this site https://secure.carfax.com/showme.cfx
Credit goes to slick deals: http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthr...id=0&t=1568745

Car Fax is giving away a report for free, I already used it for my car works like a charm and its 100% legal.

Nice car, love the Ts.

Originally Posted by 94Touring

Sounds good...we can definately meet up in Albert Lea or owatonna if I buy some parts from you. Speaking of which, why are you parting out those cars? both look pretty decent from the pics.

I'll try the oil reset tomorrow, thanks for the tip!

Sounds good!

Both of the cars do look pretty good, but they both had engine issues.
The 525 threw the timing belt so it bent the valves and the head it toast.
The 540 had an engine fire due to the clutch being dropped in 2nd gear at highway speeds which blew apart the transmission bellhousing and burned a lot of the electricals in the engine bay.

Thanks for all the info guys!

Hellspc, that link had expired by the time i got to it... oh well, thanks for the effort though!

nmp411, did you get a chance to decode my VIN? No rush at all I assure you, whenever you get a chance is cool with me. thanks again for doing that for me...

Actually, I just did. Do you want it posted in here or PM'd to you?

Howdy - my wife if from Red Wing - what town was the auction in. We are out that way for Christmas. Congrats on the car - I just missed one one montreal but it was a 530 wagon.

Originally Posted by 94Touring

Thanks NMP411, a build list would be great!!

yeah i think i lucked out at this auction...it was in a little town and none of the farmers there were interested in this foreign little wagon...infact, there was a 94 buick with about the same mileage right next to this car that sold for $1500

I'll check out your site when i get around to disecting the window issue.

I have another couple of questions... what should i look for as far as maintenance items right away?

I changed the oil and filter already...which was disturbingly easy by the way...and checked the trans fluid yesterday, but what else should i look for? are there grease fittings anywhere? what about the diff? would it be a good idea to change that fluid too?

And last but not least, how do i reset the maintenance indicator?

Thanks!

and finally, you need to join the biggest group of e34 touring owners and supporters... bimmerforums.com. the faq and DIY threads are reason enough. add in all the free downloads of technical materials (bentley, sunroof manual, etc) and it is a no brainer.