Chain guides breaking / disintegrating are somewhat common on higher mileage 540i's and can be a couple thousand bucks to fix if you don't do the work yourself. You will usually hear a metallic rattling at idle if they have gone bad.

 

Okay thank you , I've read this is common to look for and rust of course overall

 

You need to do your homework. There are MANY posts. Start with the very best inks at the top of the page.

 

To see what's involved in the higher mileage repairs, see my thread here: Around the M62TU in 80 hours, More or Less.

 

Fair warning: my "advice" is slightly off from everyone else's here...

There is the guides (read "round in 80"!) but then like other vehicles: suspension, transmission (auto catastrophic replacement but manuals can need help too), rust, wiring... As with any car: factor in maintenance to your budget. I've got a 540 and I currently have. $4k "reserve" in case something catastrophic happens... Increasing to $6k (nearing guide zone myself) but that also gives me an opportunity (aka cash) in case something else in life happens (another kid, jobs issues, illness, etc). I am VERY lucky to be in this specific position but advise aiming for something like it (whatever you can float).

As for the $6k... Is the market there? Yes. Could you get it for less? Yes. Could you get it for more? Yes.

What do YOU want? Does it have everything (options, color, etc) YOU want? How long do you plan on keeping it (a 3 year plan is a lot different than 30...)? Is it your dream vehicle? Only you (and The Shadow) know the answers to these questions.

Any which way get a PPI. Won't tell you everything but will prep you for the immediate future and what is likely.

 

Fair warning: my "advice" is slightly off from everyone else's here...

There is the guides (read "round in 80"!) but then like other vehicles: suspension, transmission (auto catastrophic replacement but manuals can need help too), rust, wiring... As with any car: factor in maintenance to your budget. I've got a 540 and I currently have. $4k "reserve" in case something catastrophic happens... Increasing to $6k (nearing guide zone myself) but that also gives me an opportunity (aka cash) in case something else in life happens (another kid, jobs issues, illness, etc). I am VERY lucky to be in this specific position but advise aiming for something like it (whatever you can float).

As for the $6k... Is the market there? Yes. Could you get it for less? Yes. Could you get it for more? Yes.

What do YOU want? Does it have everything (options, color, etc) YOU want? How long do you plan on keeping it (a 3 year plan is a lot different than 30...)? Is it your dream vehicle? Only you (and The Shadow) know the answers to these questions.

Any which way get a PPI. Won't tell you everything but will prep you for the immediate future and what is likely.

I appreciate your help very much. I'm currently reading hahah. Yup I definitely agree , with this car I will have about 4K in reserve just for that reason if anything goes wrong i can fix it, just hoping nothing goes wrong.
And yes to those questions mostly. It has all the options and the exact colors I'm going for , only fault is the driver side window won't roll down. But I figure we can talk that off the price.
Definitely a PPI just to get an idea of the shape it's in.

You guys are really helpful !

 

This is NOTHING compared to what this community is ready and willing to do. By far you will be better off just by being here. Let's put it this way: I had my brakes fail, took TAB (my 540) to the Indy as I needed a fast fix (my daily driver), and the Indy said I needed a new ABS system and lines. Just by learning here I knew enough to check realoem and get the proper part number for the specific element that blew. I ended up back on the road for about 40 times LESS than the Indy initially quoted.

And that is jus by listening... When you engage them for an issue... If you can't fix the issue or get the Indy to at a reasonable cost, then you have larger problems...

BTW Welcome! And when you get your 540, make sure to do an introduction with pictures!

 

The with angry bear.... He said it the way you need to hear it..

I normally do it a little more ruff around the edges but that's the truth

6 k is average for that year and mileage... If its clean
its going to request thousands of dollars from you almost immediately

BUT the car is very capable of making the 500,000Mile point..
i see these cars all the time from people who take care of them... 3,4,5,6 hundred thousand miles

 

I'm 77 miles short of 180,000, bought it around 60,000...and I'm still loving it! I did the full cooling system at 130k, entire front suspension around 140k, rear suspension at 160k
Still on the original clutch, original timing chain guides (tick/tock/tick/tock), done the valve cover gaskets twice, (steer clear of Victor Rheim gaskets), valley pan gasket once, just installed the 3rd battery of its life. It runs/drives as good as ever and I routinely get it going over 100 mph w/zero shakes/rattles. I will say that I go through tires every 20k on average, (Goodyear Eagles made it less that 12k and Michelin Pilot Sports got almost 40k)
MPG is very good for a V8, I get around 19 in city driving and over 25 on the hwy...my MID shows an average of 22.1 mpg.
The only mods I've done are the M5 wheels, (staggered set-up), Dice MediaBridge blue tooth, and M5 front bumper.
For long freeway hauls, I couldn't dream of any car being better (speed, comfort, reliability, understated good looks).

I'll see if I can prove Burning2nd right and get another 180k fun-filled miles on the ODO, by then I'll probably be old enough to be buried in it

 

original timing chains guilds are you out of your mind??? or a major Deer Hunter supporter? (the last part was for all the old guys to get a chuckle..)

 

Couldn't agree more with Golferjohnm. Same mileage, great road car. I also get 23.5 MPG. Tell me how to get how to get 40k from pilot sports. mine might go 25k on the fronts, backs are gone at 18k.

 

My tire guy told me that heat is the biggest variable to how long a tire can last...living in rainy Bellingham definitely helps.

I spent a year in Palm Desert in an X5 4.4 and I barely got 10k out of them

 

What's a ppi? Sorry I'm new to this haha

 

PPI = Pre-Purchase Inspection; to truly (hopefully) find what needs to be fixed within a short time.

You can usually get one done at a good BMW specialist indy mechanic for $100-150.
Or better done at the stealership, but it will cost a few extra bucks and their list will be longer.

 

Wellp! After a month of still searching no luck. Haha I have checked out 6 540i from 1997-2003 and a 98 528i and every single one has oil leaks, multiple oil leaks with other leaks. Man. It seems to be very difficult to find any e39 in decent shape without leaks. Is it just something you guys acknowledge and deal with?

 

Depends on your price range but for the most part you will have to accept and repair.

 

lol...you're not going to find a 13-19 year old car that will not have any leaks (unless the owner has changed the gaskets). I bought 2 used BMW that were leaking from VCG, OFHG and steering hoses. With the help of the forum I did all of the work myself and now none of my cars leak any oil

You'll have to pay a premium if the owner(s) has kept up with the maintenance or you can buy a decent car with oil leaks and pay someone to replace the leaking gaskets or do it yourself.

3rd option is to buy a used BMW that's less than 5 years old

 

agreed. Generally speaking, sellers of cars of this age arent selling them with 100% of all issues fixed. You have to accept the fact that there will be some work to do.
And the V8's in these are notorious for "controlled seepage" at these ages and miles. But as stated, the oil leaks can be addressed if they really bother you or if causing other issues (like plug wells to fill up).
Also, expect certain suspension parts to need replacing..not uncommon at all for used E39's to have torn ball joint rubber and other suspension bushings that need replacement. Part of maintenance.

 

at that miles if there is no receipt for timing chain guides consider them due, and the $ to do it or $ for parts/tools to DIY it, receipts > ppi

 

The advice above is good. I usually take it a step further as I do NOT like surprises... So, if I were going to buy a 540 today the first thing I would be thinking is that the dual vanos and the timing chains/guides have not been done. (I would venture to guess that the timing chains/belts are one of the most avoided repairs out there- that goes for any car!!- I always ask when I buy a car and I usually get a blank stare.) So, be prepared. (as in, have another car as a DD and some cashola in the bank!)

Of course there's all the other things that could be wrong with a 13-19year old luxury car! (ask me how I know):yikes:

If you can do the work yourself you're ahead of the game. Don't worry about leaks. They ALL leak. Buy the best car you can afford, tear it down and replace all the old gaskets, and hoses- they're not that expensive. While you're there you'll find plenty to clean and probably more things to repair and replace!!! Fun, fun, fun

 

The advice above is good. I usually take it a step further as I do NOT like surprises... So, if I were going to buy a 540 today the first thing I would be thinking is that the dual vanos and the timing chains/guides have not been done.

Boostmaster's and other advice here is sound, but just for the record, the 540 has either no VANOS (1997-1998) or single VANOS (1999-2003). Although the VANOS in the V-8's tends to be noisy, they don't seem to suffer a drop-off in performance. Only the 6-cylinders and M5's have double VANOS.

 

U get a startup rattle when seals go, they leak the oil out slowley whrn parked but but still function fine, I ignore the rattle

 

There is a reason people sell these cars at these miles. Either "they want something fuel efficient" or they know what repairs await them. You can easily bring down that price. 6k is way to much unless he did the timing chain guides and vanos already and that car is in good shape.

 

Thanks guys. I think I will have to look for one in the 3-5k range and get one that just has minor hose leaks. Nothing too major to fix type thing. So far nothing in my area for sale. Patience is key again lol

 

Don't worry about the oil leaks. For the most part they are fixable with only some new gaskets. It's usually the valve covers, sometimes it's the timing cover.

Timing chain guides are a big deal. Lots of work, gonn'a cost you, the "while your in there parts" are the killer.

This is a great car to work on! It has been designed with the mechanic in mind. However, if you don't do work yourself, you better be lucky at Loto. Just for fun I had an estimate on doing my valve cover gaskets for my 540 at a local garage, $1000. I told him, "Wow, great price! I'll be right back."

 

...Just for fun I had an estimate on doing my valve cover gaskets for my 540 at a local garage, $1000. I told him, "Wow, great price! I'll be right back."

Watch out. He might still be waiting for you.

 

HOLY SH** 1k for 2 gaskets... now that is excessive. Wait I'll be right back... lol.. classic

 

OP, Who told you 155000 was high mileage.:eeps:

 

so true.. at 300000 the 'norm' then its just middle age crisis if you use 500k it's a young adult.

 

Closer to the "average" danger zone of guides. More important to either get one that has been done or be prepared. Search for "around the m62 in 80 hours", not only a great read but also informative as to what to expect.

Edit: His writeup! He knows what he is talking about.
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V

 

And here is the link TAB mentioned about bobdmac's write up. I just happened to post the link yesterday for someone in the E38 forum...

E39 M62TU Timing Guides

 

My car had 190,000 miles when I "attempted" to do the job. The whole U-rail was still in place but half of it was cracked but still on the metal guide. I didn't have any in the oil pan, but I felt the engine jumping when I slowed down. Also big rattle from start up which got annoying. I felt the car jump when I slowed to a stop sign. I figured the chain had just the slightest slack in it.