1990 BMW E34 535i, Anyone have any experience with these? Options

[WannabeGT4]

I'm looking at an E34 Bimmer 535i Auto Transmission for a daily while I fix up the Celi. Does anyone have any experience with them? I like the idea of an FR platform but I'm worried about prices on parts if anything needs fixed/replaced. I don't want another project just something reliable and somewhat fun to drive.

[samir0189]

be very careful. things are not cheap for them. I just got rid of an e34 540i. There are these weird things called oil separators that leak like hell (every 70-80k miles, dealer only part and the parts guy said $600 in parts alone for the system), literally 1/2 qt everytime the car is shut off! intermittent fuel gauge problems (sender unit doesn't read fuel!), and the auto transmission has big problems also with the valve body, causes the car to have huge hesitation before it pulls off (2-4krpms and the car isnt budging, like if you are holding the brakes down), cruise control doesn't work, all the oil seals start to go bad, valve covers, etc. Overall maintenance is very pricey as well, hard to find parts anywhere but the dealer.

I would highly suggest you steer FAR clear of these cars! More trouble than they are worth!!!

edit: and all these are common problems among the e34 bmws, search the bimmerforums. Im seriously disappointed that a company like bmw didn't issue recalls for these things that fail. I thought that they were the type of manufacturer that would stand behind their stuff and push out quality vehicles, but i was wrong.

This post has been edited by samir0189: Oct 30, 2010 - 6:29 PM

[WannabeGT4]

Most of that sounds like normal wear or lack of maintenance especially the transmission issue. Seals and gaskets get old and that's just expected. This is a pre-1996 so it doesn't have the oil separator issue if what I'm reading is correct. I'm still going to go look at it but I'll definitely be going over it with a fine toothed comb.

[samir0189]

Most of that sounds like normal wear or lack of maintenance especially the transmission issue. Seals and gaskets get old and that's just expected. This is a pre-1996 so it doesn't have the oil separator issue if what I'm reading is correct. I'm still going to go look at it but I'll definitely be going over it with a fine toothed comb.

well, the one i had was a 1994 with 76,000 miles. tread carefully is all i can tell you. The transmission issue is a common issue amongst the cars and is recognized amongst the community as a manufacturer defect, the new part is different and corrected from the OE part, along with the fuel sending unit iirc. the oil separator suffers the problem over and over again from what i understand every 80k.

You asked for advice, im just letting you know it was one of the biggest mistakes ive made in my lifetime. I know ultimately you will do whatever you are gonna do, so good luck, i advise you do a lot of research on the issues i mentioned before you sign.

http://www.bmwe34.net/Wiki/tiki-index.php?...What+will+break

compared to my celica, its the most unreliable thing evar.

This post has been edited by samir0189: Oct 30, 2010 - 7:54 PM

[WannabeGT4]

Most of that sounds like normal wear or lack of maintenance especially the transmission issue. Seals and gaskets get old and that's just expected. This is a pre-1996 so it doesn't have the oil separator issue if what I'm reading is correct. I'm still going to go look at it but I'll definitely be going over it with a fine toothed comb.

well, the one i had was a 1994 with 76,000 miles. tread carefully is all i can tell you. The transmission issue is a common issue amongst the cars and is recognized amongst the community as a manufacturer defect, the new part is different and corrected from the OE part, along with the fuel sending unit iirc. the oil separator suffers the problem over and over again from what i understand every 80k.

You asked for advice, im just letting you know it was one of the biggest mistakes ive made in my lifetime. I know ultimately you will do whatever you are gonna do, so good luck, i advise you do a lot of research on the issues i mentioned before you sign.

I'm definitely researching everything you've mentioned. I'll definitely be very cautious about it. Most of what I've seen about the I6 535i hasn't mentioned anything like your experience. I know the 540 has a different transmission. Do you know if the 535 transmission had the same issues? Do you know what kind of maintenance was done to it?

[WannabeGT4]

http://www.bmwe34.net/Wiki/tiki-index.php?...What+will+break

Oh... That's not good. Thanks for that link. Maybe I'll look for something else.

[samir0189]

it seems to suffer a different problem in the transmission.

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showt...d.php?t=1344264

i honestly didn't have the car for long enough to bother with it anymore.

get a toyota. /thread. lol.

[richee3]

Those cars can have those problems. I'll admit, they are prone to them. However, as is the case with any car, I can testify of an '89 535 that now has 450,000 miles and still runs strong. Biggest issue with the car? Tail lights. Can't simply replace a bulb. You have to buy the entire tail light assembly. However, in contrast to the 535 you're looking at and Samir's 540, the 535 I know has always been a one owner car, and the owner takes care to know every single thing about that car. Nobody has ever worked on it except himself.

I guess all you can really say is that they're great cars, if and only if you know how to fix them when they break. If you can't DIY, look for something else. The Bimmer is built differently than other cars, so they are very difficult to work on for the average mechanic. But I say if the price is right, go for it.