# 97-00 540 questions



## Ranger (Oct 13, 2003)

I have been considering buying a 540 with the 6-speed. I was wondering about reliability on these cars. I have read that the radiators, water pumps go bad on these cars. What other problems could I expect? How many miles do some of the 540 owners have? If I buy one I will keep it for a long time, and a lot miles so I want something that lasts. On average how much do you spend on maintenance/repairs a year? Your opinions are greatly appreciated,

Ranger


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## DSPTurtle (Oct 4, 2003)

I have a 1998 with roughly 75k miles. I thought I was getting a cherry car since the outside was impeccable. Turns out it needed new brakes and rotors, 2 new tires and one new wheel. I kicked myself for not realizing the inside edge of the rear tire was worn out 
After 3 months and $2500 more, I have it in preemo shape. Only thing missing is another 300hp.
What I would look for if I did it again...
1. CPO Warranty (must have)
2. Pull off all wheels to look at tires, brakes, rotors and check wheels for curb rash inside and out.
3. Aftermarket exhaust (to include deleted resonator and high quality welding and replacement stainless steel muffler)
4. Aftermarket wheels (good name brand, and I would spend a few bucks to have a tire shop sheck them for roundness)
5. Check for CDV delete (actually a positive since it probably means that the clutch got less excessive wear)
6. Aftermarket Intake done correctly (don't buy a car with any hack job installs... I do most of my own stuff but i can still manage not to hack up a car like some "professional" shops that are supposed to have the right tools)
6. Previous Maintenance History (this is a must!!! make sure the previous owner gets the print outs from the dealer or else they may tell you that is private information)
7. Carfax (no brainer here)
8. Gauge Cluster Replaced to fix pixels
9. Aftermarket Head and Tail Lamps (it is a lot cheaper to buy a car with these already installed)
10. I would spend the time to wax the car after washing it before I bought it (this lets you get really personal with every tiny little imperfection so that you do not feel surprised after you paid your admission fee)
11. Check for leaky valve cover gaskets (pull the plastic spark plug/coil cover off and check in the back spark plug holes for oil... not a big deal if you have CPO but may work to your advantage in talking down the price)
12. Power Steering pump hose leaks (again, not a big deal if you have CPO but another negotiating point)
13. Pull the underbelly pan off and jack up the car (my front main seal was leaking... another "surprise. luckily it too was fixed under CPO)
14. Radiator...original or aftermarket. If under CPO you want it to be original.
15. What service is due next? (an inspection II will run you about a grand if you do not do it yourself)
16. Quality of interior (light interiors tend to wear through on the drivers seat)
17. Quality of tint if tinted
18. Any aftermarket software... if not Dinan, it could void your CPO warranty
19. Did I say pull the wheels off and check the brakes???? New pads and rotors could cost you another grand
20. Read Kowached's welcome page... all the stuff at the bottom is annoying but it will tell you what to expect!
21. Did I say CPO??? After you wring the car out for a few weeks, you will find things that hopefully the previous owner never pushed it hard enough to find!!! 

Basically, these are all the things that bit me on my purchase a few months back. They are all fixed now but they were frustrating.
Good luck and most important keep posting questions on the board.
Last but not least, try to learn to do the maintenance yourself... it will save you BIG BUCKS.
JB


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## johnlew (Dec 25, 2001)

'99 540iAT, 105k...purchased at 85k. Since I've owned, new brakes (pads, rotors), first ever at 96k. Tune up, 2nd one for car's history in attempt to resolve check engine light that comes on intermittently, haven't addressed further, it still pops up occassionally. Otherwise, service records (I have them all) indicate normal oil changes and service checks. I continue to have less than stellar reception on the AM radio. Never had radiator issue.


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## e39540i6 (Oct 9, 2003)

I just purchased a '99 540i6 in mid Sept. It had 59000 miles on it. A week after I bought it the radiator had to be replaced.  
I'm glad that it was a CPO cuz I bet it would of cost a lot to replace it.


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## Ranger (Oct 13, 2003)

Thank you for your comments. Excuse my lack of knowledge but what is a CPO? There was also mention of a CDV delete, what is this? And is it a good thing that should have been done? Or something that one might want to do with the car? I have read around about the pixel failure, when people replace this is it a new and improved version so they won’t fail again? Thank you for your time and I enjoy reading what you have to say,

Chris


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## PropellerHead (Jan 3, 2002)

Ranger said:


> Thank you for your comments. Excuse my lack of knowledge but what is a CPO? There was also mention of a CDV delete, what is this? And is it a good thing that should have been done? Or something that one might want to do with the car? I have read around about the pixel failure, when people replace this is it a new and improved version so they won't fail again? Thank you for your time and I enjoy reading what you have to say,
> 
> Chris


CPO= Certified Pre-Owned. For BMW, this means a 6 yr/100k mile warranty that covers most of the cars major parts. From second hand experience, this has included full replacement of the MID- the pixel problems you mention on the speedometer cluster and even a new transmission in the same car. It requires a $50 payment per incident.

CDV is a clutch delay valve. Check Dave's site for a complete explanation.


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## Wagon Man (Oct 17, 2003)

Traded the 00 C230K for 00 540iTa in May this yr, it came with 40K ml on the clock but still under factory warranty, then. Dealer threw in 7yr 100k comp $0 deductable extended warranty. 

Pre-purchase check required the followings:
* 4 way alignment (not covered but dealer paid for)
* new tires (ditto)
* new pads & rotors + brake flush (ditto)
* Oil & filter change (ditto)
* right front window regulator (warranty)
* Replace radio due to bad AM reception (warranty)
* replace OBC-found bad when they couldn't program the key(warranty)
* Trans gasket replacement + Trans oil replacement (warranty)
* MAF sensor replacement -- it's gone bad after 2 months (warranty)

Afetr all of the above done, it has otherwise been running perfectly fine. We like the car & I'm not too concern since we have the 100k ext warranty in place.


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