E-39 540I common problems

Hi fellow BMW enthusiast. This is my first post but I have viewed many over the years.
I have had my 2000 540 for about 6 years. When I first bought it had 73K now at 134000 miles. Car is tight and running great.
Here is a list of repairs that I have done. Anything I should expect in the near future?
Final stage resister-causing battery drain
Alternator
Water pump and T-stat
Expansion tank
Radiator hoses
Right rear door vapor barrier repair
Driver door rattle caused by a screw backed out on window guide
Control arm bushings-I replaced the arms w/bushings.
Tie rod ends
Rear ball joints
Rear sway bar link
Valve cover gaskets
Spark plugs
Cup holder
Have a great day!

Looks like you've got it covered for awhile. Now, go out and drive the snot out of it!

Early V8s ate their cats and O2 sensors at about your mileage. The later cars seem to have more robust cats.

Valley pan and upper timing case gaskets, and maybe new chain guide rails.

Thanks. Pretty much what I thought. I think I can do all the work so...I'll drive on!

Hey Fellow 540 Enthusiasts!
Thought I'd share one little tidbit that may help someone save money down the road.. I recently had my right rear taillight stop working on my 2001 540.. By all accounts I was told this was due to moisture getting inside and corroding the connectors and the only solution was a $500 replacement of the entire tail light assembly.. While I don't disagree with the assessment, I really don't want to shell out $500 at the moment... I'm not very mechanically inclined, I can do the simple things.. I pulled out the 6 pin wiring harness myself and could see all the corrosion that had crusted up on the female connectors.. So using the most mundane of tools, a steak knife and a wire brush I cleaned off as much of the caked-on mess that I could see and using the tip of the steak knife cleaned the holes in the connector as best I could.. Well, guess what? I plugged it back in and everything, the taillight, the turn signal, reverse light and turn signal are all working as good as new.. While I know this is most likely not a permanent solution and it's bound to reoccur in the future as long as the leak is still happening, I'll spend five minutes cleaning it myself a hundred times before I pay $500 for an entire new tail light assembly!! Hope this helps and gives someone another option to a costly repair..
Good Luck!!
Jay R
Potomac Falls, VA

PS - I LOVE my 540, silver with gray leather, 19" Chrome Wheels, $8000 sound system, all windows tinted one shade illegal, showroom condition inside and out, kept super clean and meticulous, completely detailed inside and out weekly!! This car is a midlife crisis wet dream!!

I think one of the 'most likely' things that will cause trouble that's not listed above is that the thrust arms will need replacing. Symptom is shuddering through steering wheel when braking from 65 mph.

• Behr cooling system leaking
• Plastic DISA valve breaking & destroying the engine
• Cluster pixel tape lifting
• MID pixel tape lifting
• Hella PBT headlight adjusters breaking
• Power steering cap & hose leaking
• Trunk wiring loom fraying
• CCV clogging
• Bosch ABS control module frying
• Cupholders breaking
• I6 VANOS seals deteriorating
• V8 valley pan gaskets leaking
• GKR/BMW/Valeo FSU/FSR dying
• Thrust arm bushings leaking
• Ambient temperature sensor breaking
• Window regulators breaking
• Vapor barrier adhesive leaking
• Jack pads falling off
• Windshield cover molding crumbling
• Driver's seat control switch breaking
• Rear center brakelight socket melting
• Seat cables fall out causing seat twist
• Windshield washer tanks & pumps leaking
• BMW roundel paint chipping
• Vent trim corner cracking & wood trim varnish cracking
• Rear center brake light socket melting

Originally Posted by bluebee

• Behr cooling system leaking
• Plastic DISA valve breaking & destroying the engine
• Cluster pixel tape lifting
• MID pixel tape lifting
• Hella PBT headlight adjusters breaking
• Power steering cap & hose leaking
• Trunk wiring loom fraying
• CCV clogging
• Bosch ABS control module frying
• Cupholders breaking
• I6 VANOS seals deteriorating
• V8 valley pan gaskets leaking
• GKR/BMW/Valeo FSU/FSR dying
• Thrust arm bushings leaking
• Ambient temperature sensor breaking
• Window regulators breaking
• Vapor barrier adhesive leaking
• Jack pads falling off
• Windshield cover molding crumbling
• Driver's seat control switch breaking
• Rear center brakelight socket melting
• Seat cables fall out causing seat twist
• Windshield washer tanks & pumps leaking
• BMW roundel paint chipping
• Vent trim corner cracking & wood trim varnish cracking
• Rear center brake light socket melting

Nice, never knew there were so many threads like this.

Outstanding list.....great thread to refer back to.

Originally Posted by s2kpunisher

Nice, never knew there were so many threads like this.

Basically all the obvious questions have been asked and answered.

The more difficult part is finding a 'canonical' thread (one-stop shopping) that has all the myriad answers in it.

Here's just a sample found by typing /maintenance problems F3 in the bestlinks:
- An official BMW CPO retailer operations manual (1) (2) & a BMW certified preowned pre purchase inspection brochure (1) (2) (3) & a BMW service/maintenance schedule & checklists I, II, and III (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) & a classic E39 inspection I, II, III DIY (1) (2) (3) & tips for BMW E39 150K mile maintenance issues (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) & a glovebox printout for the most often recommended BMW E39 fluids (1).

dont overlook the radiator needing replaced, mine was replaced at 62,000