Buying Advice BMW 5 Series (E39) 1995-2003 Common Issues Engines Inspection

[@JP212nyc]

2003 520i touring 5spd here, with 422 000 km, still running super smooth (on LPG already for over 300000 km) It's not a Toyota Camry which runs forever only on fresh oil and petrol - but it runs sooo smooooth and the interieur does not age at all and it is so much fun to drive! Maintenance can be done easily at home and mostly consist of checking on hoses and gaskets and, of course, fluids. My biggest tipp is this: Be aware that the engine sometimes misfires and create incorrect fault codes which in turn gets people to panic and into a "replacement frenzy". This can leave some folks frustrated, as the root cause often remains undetected as it is rather unexpected ... drumbeat ... it is the clogged hydraulic lifters! On the M54s and M52s these do easily clog and cake up, due to the fairly high temps in the engine (when revd high), slightly underdimensioned oil pump and resulting poor oil delivery on the camshafts. The solution is "hydraulic lifter cleaning fluid", with every oil change. This stuff is like vitamins for these engines, i swear! Just try it and thank me later

[@M-Maxentius]

Thanks for the info!

[@alvaroramirez2221]

E39 523i 1998 manual. 183 k kms. Still classy , good looking and unique sport executive car. Far above the disposable cars of any brand today. Of course, with more than 20 years of service, he has needed repairs, but he always shows me symptoms and I do the services before he is completely stranded. In my opinion is one of the best products of BMW ever.

[@chrisnld8240]

BMW E39 1998 TD 667.000Km on the clock and still going strong. I’m driving it now for 11 years. Edit:Still driving @693567Km

[@mattwarren69]

keep driving it for another 158,000km and it would literally of been to the moon and back!

[@delatroy]

What are your repair costs like?

[@KiDD275]

Wow thats crazy i shouldnt worry about buying one that has 14000km

[@chrisnld8240]

@@klodgta2003 Netherlands

[@chrisnld8240]

@@delatroy €11792,- in eleven years including buying the car. (Everything even lightbulbs, tires, enz. Enz.)

[@aml8997]

I still meet many owners of e39s in my town in Sweden. However I see few if any of the others cars BMW competitors built during late 90´s. The reasons are mainly two...the cars are more reliable than many people say and there are still many people interested on them ( who cares about the Audis or Opel Omegas of the time? ) I own a 02 m sport 530i and I love it. One of the best cars ever made in my opinion.

[@johnscarloshowC172]

That makes 2 of us my friend. Perfect car.

[@isfanalexandru82]

that ,makes 3 of us. very sturdy. i named it Wolf! silver 530i

[@snappieniesnappiewe977]

I drive a 528i executive from 1997 with more then 300.000 kilometers and still going strong

[@denverhowell3489]

528i 122,000 miles and still so sweet.. Jamaica....

[@Zooboo1]

No mention on this thread about what I have been told of the common oil leaks...anyone?

[@CHB94]

My uncle gave me his "old" BMW e39 252i touring. the car has gone around 300000Km And there are a lot of small problems (and bigger ones as well) Love the car, AND love the work I'm putting into it. Great car.

[@D0NH]

CheekyHorseBoy 252i? 🤔

[@duncanidaho7494]

DoN H he meant 525 ... but hey we are not all that quick

[@ivarroligheten1698]

I bought my 523i, 1997, manual gearbox, in 2013. I had to change the manual gearbox. Bought an old one. Waterleak, change a pipe , left side of the block. Change the oil in the differensial. A good thing to do. Now 360 000 km. Air-whistle over the backdoors. ??????? Have change the rubber onto the car, but not on the doors itself. Still whistle. ?????? Right now, a tour over 5000km Norway - France - Switserland and back home. No problems. A test up to 200 km/ h. 🇩🇪👍👍👍

[@connomar55]

Owned a E39 525i SE from Jan 2001 - August 2011. (Just over 100,000 miles) Loved it to bits. BUT: Throttle Body caused the car to stall or fail to produce power in vital situations - Replaced Crankshaft Oil Seal failed around 100k Cooling System started losing coolant. Pin hole in solid plastic part of radiator. Must have been a bubble in the plastic. Oil Vapour Recycling system rubber hose perished. Cost over 500GBP to replace as the manifold had to be removed to access it. Windscreen Washer Pump failed. - Replaced myself with one from a scrapyard. Device known as Hedgehog failed leaving me with no air-conditioning or ventilation. Device is installed in the air ducting. Replaced myself. I suppose over 10 years that isn't too bad, but the oil seal and the water leak were the last straw. Sold it and left the country :)

[@ciaranmeehan9175]

Owned an E39 many years ago. It was a fantastic BMW. Only issue I had was with the radiator hoses leaking causing overheating. These rubber hoses degraded badly so check them too if thinking of buying.

[@lonesomeguitarplayer]

I recently bought a 530i Touring in Oxford green. Some issues to be solved, but so far I'm very happy to have made this choice. Drives and looks like dream.

[@zehgames6064]

I have a e39 525i touring with 286.000 on the clock, going strong. Drives in Denmark

[@rohanramdial2518]

Nice video on everything it's a fact I worked on my BMW a lot and I know these things happen but you know what even a space shuttle have problems so we have to live with it and like you said it's a very reliable car and it's worth it no matter how greasy you after I get some time it's totally worth it

[@boggsty]

The automatic transmission is great, but it needs its first oil change after 90k kilometers, then after every 60k kilometers. My dad was told it's maintenance-free when he bought it with 132k kilometers, at 154k it was shot.

[@martinjonasson8930]

Drive a low-milleage 530i estate -03. Starting to get rare in Sweden! Sometimes i consider selling but everytime i drive it i just can’t put myself in that position. Love it!

[@mattwarren69]

2003 530i agean edition , owned for 4 reliable years , wish it was a manuel , even though the auto kind of suits the car. love the 3.0 inline silky six

[@systemofthehounds3012]

I have a manual 1997 E39 520i, it's only done 80k, a previous owner did only 450 in a year!

[@locdawg143]

I recently purchased a 1999 540i v8 wit a 6speed manual, driving in the Navajo Nation

[@redpill2634]

8-18k euros? then just buy decent M5 from 15k euros. For 2-6k euros you can pick up a decent E39 here in Europe, 200k-700k kilometers is nothing for inl6 both diesel or petrol.

[@joebloggs4191]

If you tell someone in the UK the car has 200 to 700K kilometres or its miles equivalent they would freak out! Whilst the engine might be good for that sort of miles / kilometres what about all the other components?

[@PaulPunk23LP]

@@joebloggs4191 back in the days, also the other components lasted very long. I know guys, who easily drove their e39s over 750.000kms without anything breaking.

[@RandomHondaGuy]

Bought my 525i 2003 e39 for 4.500€ It had 214,000km. Had few major problems with it. Like throttlebody gave up and valvecover gasket. Fixed it 3k kms ago and now its leaking oil again 🧐

[@caddy4350]

@@RandomHondaGuy you got ripped off

[@whogivesaflyingfock5401]

I know somebody with a 525d touring(like mine, only mine is a sedan). The touring one is at 1 077 000 km as of 3 months ago. Never had any issues apart from a few small hoses. So these engines really are seriously tough, car body itself and interior at this point are not a pretty sight, but engine runs mint. That being said, it was always serviced between 8 and 10 thousand km, no exceptions. And no cold drives, always lets it warm up a few minutes before setting off, and then keeps it under 1800 rpm until full temperature is reached. So the guy is doing nothing but just following basic engine rules that we should all follow anyway, and got it to above 1 million kms and still going strong.

[@RicardsK]

Im living in latvia and everybody have e46 or e39 or e60 , those cars are so old but very very popular.

[@Ian-ij4of]

I have a 2001 e39 530i SE Auto Saloon in Arctic Silver with grey leather, I've owned this car for about 5 years or so, it's a great car and in lovely condition. Here in the Uk they are starting to get rare. I think at some point prices are going to start moving up, especially with the M Sport models, the 530i is a good car, 231BHP ...its a very capable car and even today extremely quick and comfortable. I have no plans to sell mine ...

[@dobrydzieciak2656]

I bought 2001 525i with 104k miles, for 20 y.o car gearbox and engine are working really well, problems starts with minor issues like blurred pixels which I know is a common problem in this model, or problems with sunroof. Apart from that it's a hell of a car considering I only paid for it £850 😂

[@klodgta2003]

Classic and fanTASTIC!

[@honawikeepa5813]

We have two, '99 523i and a '98 540i AC Schnitzer. We also have a '93 S500L W140 Mercedes. Cheers from Aotearoa NZ.

[@warwolf715]

Bro how much did you pick your 540i up for? The NZ Manual 540s aren't too cheap ay

[@samgray49]

My e39 recently had all of its power steering done, including rack and pinion, also radiator.

[@EEPRODUCTIONSKLB]

What version of the E39 you own ?

[@samgray49]

@@EEPRODUCTIONSKLB 530i sport, it's been modified heavily and has about 300 HP now over the original 260

[@BmwMe-uh9sy]

Sam Gray how and which power steering pump

[@kai-matthiasbast8612]

Sam Gray “modified heavily” thats only 40hp over stock...

[@samgray49]

@@BmwMe-uh9sy it just gave straight out, the pinon was busted after I quite litteraly at the time just up and dropped it off at the repair shop because my mother decided it was just a leak and fine. Apparently in my car model the pinion does give out at around 185-189k miles, which is when mine gave out.

[@isfanalexandru82]

give them good oil and good replacement parts and they will run 1000000kms. i had 528i, have 523i and 530i

[@ninefotimbo4036]

1998 528i inline 6 5 speed manual - so fun to drive 236000 miles strong

[@basbas63]

I got an E39 523i manual car. It has had a few issues with sensors, the leather on the steering wheel is torn and the fabric on the seat is getting very thin. But, I paid very little for it, pretty much no rust and other than the sensors very little issues. It is not perfect but considering I paid very little for it, damn, what a car.

[@taibbelghasim3026]

I own e39 528i model 1999 and still in excellent condition great car

[@Kmadi4life]

can you tell me the common problems you had in libya annd parts prices average ?

[@taibbelghasim3026]

@@Kmadi4life there's many problems,parts is not original, there's no agent or engineers specialized in BMW, prices somehow not expensive.

[@matthewbell1968]

Most beautiful car they ever made

[@MotionPlays]

Not sure about the prices you listed there, I picked up a decent e39 with 70k miles for £800.

[@EEPRODUCTIONSKLB]

That sounds like a sweet deal, even with all the paperwork (maintenance) in order ?

[@MotionPlays]

@@EEPRODUCTIONSKLB Yeah full bmw service history, even the original purchase invoice from 1999! The previous owner died of old age, so that comforts me it wasn't hooned around a track too often!

[@SlowBimmers]

530i turbo ? What are you on about

[@promerops]

My 1999 E39 523i: Best car I ever owned and the worst car I ever owned. I adored that car for its beauty (get away from us, Chris Bangle), its comfort, performance (yes, even a modest 523i) and pleasurable driving experience. I hated it for frequent breakdowns - mostly, but not limited to electrics and electronics. If I'd had the money at that time, I would have kept it, turned it into a project car (the body and interior were in perfect condition) and had all the faults fixed, and then I'm sure it would have been my perfect car. Oh, yes, the other overriding fault - BMW Envy - I still find it hard to understand how people could be so petty minded because I had the cheek to drive such a beautiful car!

[@PalpolGaming]

Im getting a 525i 2002 with only 22x.xxx on the clock for 2750 € It has beautiful wine red leather seats

[@taibbelghasim3026]

Best car ever

[@GoToDoAPooAtSchool9]

Extremely good video, bravo!

[@EEPRODUCTIONSKLB]

Thank you very much!

[@Banana_Rama-123]

I love my 02 e39 540i m sport. Cheap to insure (for a 23 year old in the uk) at under £1K. Decent power that doesn’t rip your head off and is fantastic inside with plenty of kit. Yeah it has its quirks, but then you press the loud pedal and it makes you realise why you bought it in the first place. I wouldn’t call mine “sporty” though, more of a cruiser of sorts. Maybe if it was a manual transmission I may think differently but they’re rarer than rocking horse shit over here. My opinion, go try one and if it’s in decent condition they’re worth every penny under £6k for a lower mileage example.

[@bonk4017]

Tbh, I'd rather have a 520 with a manual than a 540 with an auto

[@jessiecastro646]

I love my 02 540i e39 M sport w/ auto transmission. 🗣️

[@person.X.]

@@bonk4017 I had a 540i auto and I agree. I was really disappointed with it. Manual all the way.

[@Cappah]

Picked up my e39 for 1k with 12 years service, 2 owners from new. 159k on the clock but it’s a diesel so that’s fuck all. Beautiful car.

[@Therez0r]

Cappah i bought mine for 1400€ with mint condition on 90k miles LHD car with electronic seats and multifunctional steering wheel best bmw ever im 2nd owner and the car has service history since 99’ 184hp 3D and it has 4 legit keys

[@Codeman785]

I've always heard to stay away from the diesels like the plague. Is this true, are they just super unreliable or something?

[@Cappah]

@@Codeman785 Never had an issue myself mate. Solid engines.

[@smilebig1000]

love my E39 2003 525i.

[@luckyhack78]

530d ph2 is 194hp , ph1 184hp ;) 525td is to slow and under powered just like 2.0d , 4 cylinder 136hp with horrible diesel pump with a lot of problems , 525tds is "ok" but this engine has almost no power under 2000rpm , a little upgrade to 165hp and 350Nm instead 280Nm.

[@thomasbacker8162]

Overall a good video with nice video clips and pics from the days they where new. Also very much good intell on what to look for when buying these cars but some mistakes you made along the video that I noticed was: 1. The e39 was started producing to customers in early 1996 2. The diesel engines was from 136hp to 192hp with the facelift 530d that came after sep. 2000 sometime And 3. It's true that the petrol engines is more reliable than the diesel ones cause of it can take more hard runs and doesn't have shitty systems installed like swirl flappes and leaky high pressure pumps that are a common issue on the 3.0ds, but it's also true that the petrol ones is hard as fuck getting a nice and low fuel economy like under 0.9l to the mile even with CC on, the crank case and cam shaft sensors are common issues on them as well to fail, thermostat fails often due to shitty plastic housing and last but not list the ccv system has a tendency to fail ALOT on them which brings with it the top cover gasket as well. Happened to my old pre 520i 150hp m52b20 last weekend and oil was everywhere. But other than that the video was good👌

[@EEPRODUCTIONSKLB]

Thanks for your comment, and your correction / additional information

[@thomasbacker8162]

@@EEPRODUCTIONSKLB np man! I've had 6of them until now since fall 2015 with both 2 and 2,5 pre petrol ones, and 2 - 3. 0Ds so have been through almost all these basic models with pretty much every common issue they have to offer 😂👌

[@grahamepigney8565]

M57 3.0 litre 193hp diesel fantastically reliable if properly maintained something that is easy enough to do for the home mechanic. Yes, you do need to delete the infamous swirl flaps on the autos (they weren't fitted on manuals). I have 2 facelift 530D Tourings, one manual (bought 2007) and one auto (bought 2012), both have nearly 170,000 miles (270,000 plus kilometres). The manual blew a turbo just after I bought it, likely because it had been sitting unused for 12 plus months. Just had to have the tailgate wiring loom repaired on the auto where it goes through the right hand tailgate hinge, common fault because of poor design/manufature. No significant rust, I imported both from the UK and they are now the drier and salt-free southern France. Super reliable, low maintenace cost (both dealer maintained until 5-6 years ago, which wasn't expensive) and easy to work on.

[@life21812]

Got an 2003 530I with 260,000 miles sill running but this dam oil lighht coming on an off when idel im on my 3 oil pressure switch change the oil pump already any advice?

[@jonapolloapollo5770]

how can i tell if my e39 1997 is the original motor

[@Niro.C]

Can you please make a review on the Alfa Romeo 164/166 and Lancia Thema/Kappa 🙏

[@nialltd]

Had a black 164 for 6 years great car and good on fuel , have a e39 530 d msport auto now for 17 years , great on fuel

[@Mikael_Partti]

How about the head gasket in the inline 6 petrol engines?

[@Krezo200]

Not very common BUT happens fast when driven too early/cold They afe sensitive Valve gasket is very common though

[@gregori1o]

To the community here. I have a question. I live here in California and I met someone who wants to sell his 2001 540i E39 with 94k miles on it for $10k. It’s in pretty good condition. No noticeable cosmetic damage on the outside and the interior is almost brand new. Which is crazy considering it’s 20 years old. The owner is a chill dude & said he put $5k into it this year and was going to list it for $14k. My question is. Do y’all think him offering it to me for $10k is a fair price?? Note: If I do buy that car from him I plan on keeping it basically forever. And I would take care of it because I would like it for myself. Also, he’s an older dude with a great love for these cars stating it was his 3rd one so it’s been very well maintained. Due to some medical conditions he can’t afford to keep it. Thank you to whoever takes the time to reply 🙌🏼

[@EEPRODUCTIONSKLB]

Bought it? It all depends on the general impression on the car, good tires, worn out seats or still intact. Maintenance history etc.

[@rolar5773]

I have one, will never sell it. It sounds insane with a little exhaust upgrade. No better sound than a bmw v8 imo

[@Whiskybuckeye]

Question for you all- I have an opportunity to purchase a 2002 525i that has sat for almost 4 years in a garage. The price is incredible but is it worth it at any price?

[@AHappySpace]

2002 was a good car, if it's more then 1-2k$(depending on mileage) I would pass tho

[@Cappah]

Whiskybuckeye buy it!

[@whogivesaflyingfock5401]

It's been 4 years, did you get it?

[@Whiskybuckeye]

@@whogivesaflyingfock5401 I did. The engine had a knock so I'm currently slowly LS swapping it.

[@BillBobuski]

Why when i added oil to my 540i 2004 6cyl did it start blowing white smoke, no power and atill does this? Undrivable.

[@EEPRODUCTIONSKLB]

A 540i is a V8. Still managed to get it to drive in the meantime?

[@ElZerozable]

Just bought a 98' 520i

[@EEPRODUCTIONSKLB]

Did you enjoy it so far ?

[@ElZerozable]

@@EEPRODUCTIONSKLB Absolutely

[@Krezo200]

I just bought my third one😍😍

[@Krezo200]

M52b25 Best engine ever

[@whogivesaflyingfock5401]

He tried to say M57 but said M52 😊😊😊

[@jonapolloapollo5770]

what straight 6 is in a 2.0 e39 {520}

[@7979pl]

I need buying advice instead of specs

[@EEPRODUCTIONSKLB]

I suggest you buy one before prices go up even further, is that advice you find interesting ? ;)

[@dianepracy2754]

2002 530i with 198,000km on the clock, tighter than a Toyota with 50,000

[@antiochiaadtaurum3786]

There is no 520D that you said. There are 525D 's and a 530D.

[@EEPRODUCTIONSKLB]

Not sure if the source is correct but Wikipedia says there was a 520d between 2000-2003

[@antiochiaadtaurum3786]

@@EEPRODUCTIONSKLB Ive never heard of one. Smallest engine diesel was a 2.5 before 2004.

[@FVBmovies]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/hGGyepd3d6mogrs

[@whogivesaflyingfock5401]

There absolutely is a 520d, the four cylinder one. If you are to buy a diesel buy 525d and above, 520d is too weak for a car that size. And whatever you do stay away from the TDS

[@antiochiaadtaurum3786]

@@whogivesaflyingfock5401 the 520D was never available in the uk nor Ireland, I don’t think. So that’s why I never saw one. I have the 520i (M52tu engine)

[@256mehdi]

530d 850 000.

[@keltechindustries20901]

Do you have a e38 video?

[@EEPRODUCTIONSKLB]

Yes I do, its already available

[@evanstechreviews1847]

or you can buy a shitbox 540i 6 speed with dents oil leaks vacuum leaks and damaged brake lines, then do your best to restore it and it be worth around 10k lmao. its also closing in on 200k miles and still runs perfect

[@accio4260]

I had a 520i for 4 days and blew the engine

[@EEPRODUCTIONSKLB]

Damn, that must have hurt. Do you know why that happened?

[@accio4260]

@@EEPRODUCTIONSKLB money shift

[@Codeman785]

Your right about the idrive being the start of bmw's downfall, but I'm so tempted to buy a idrive retrofit kit for my e39 530 😂

[@cruzinezy1968]

Bmw never made a turbocharged E39. The turbocharged 6 cylinder wasn't installed until the E60 model.

[@rickeycambrianownjmxndnjzk309]

They did make a TurboCharge e39. Bmw 525tds Bmw 530d Both turboCharge

[@Cappah]

That’s funny dude because I own a turbo charged e39...

[@thomasbacker8162]

@anonymous wrong, 520d has inline 4 cylinder

[@whogivesaflyingfock5401]

All diesels are turbocharged.

[@indcon]

8-18k wtf, your prices are exagerated, 18k is a good m5 e39

[@earldominguez3938]

WORLAS JANKS I WOOD NEVOR BY 1 I RADAOR BY A HANDA OR A TOYOTA

[@MitkePetkov-kl7zl]

👍👍👍👍🇩🇪👍

[@wheresthepizza]

WTF is this narration

[@EEPRODUCTIONSKLB]

Something wrong ? ;)