Paulie_au

Hi,

I am hoping you can help

Sorry for the long post but I dont want to get this wrong

I am looking at buying a 545i M Sport and have been told to buy the 2005 model and not 2003 or 2004. Is this true?

The M sport is not really different mechaniclaly so I guess comments can be on the 545i model.

I love BMW 5 series but dont want to get stuck with a lemon either.

What are things to look out for please?

Anything at all you can think of.

What to look out for as problems, and what to look out for that has been done such as maintenance etc.

Seesm like there are a few problems even with fully maintained ones.?

Also,if anyone is in Australia, are there any warranty companies worth joining? I have looked at BMW pre checked approved car warranty and almsot anything that does go wrong is excluded in the terms lol

I will be doing some fairly heavy towing in this car (short trips though approx 150 miles in your terms) and only a 4-5 times a year). Might fit an aftermarket tranny cooler as well just for this anyway) and obviously use the right gears when towing etc.

Mainly worried about major engine or tranmission problems. Not so much small inexpensive things.

Oh I should add, do Miles really matter with these? Or do you either get a good one or a bad one etc.

Meaning should I pay extra to get one with less miles on it or really you either get a good one that lasts for a long time or a lemon and doesnt matter what miles are on it.......

Also, can I tell somehow when looking at cars, how they have been treated in respect to maintenance and driving such as the computer tells me if its been redlined/rev limit constantly etc by previous owner or no such thing?

One last thing is I do and have always driven cars hard. But I have always maintained them extremely well. When I say hard driving, I mean I do rev them but I dont over rev them or abuse them. Maintenance wise, I change oils and fluids and plugs and filters much more often then needed and also use the best fuel available in all my cars. Also use injector cleaner often in all my cars.

Do these cars handle revving and hard driving (not race track or abuse though)?

One last thing is can you service these engines yourself such as oil changes etc. I will go to BMW for scheduled servicing but if I wish to change oil more frequent, can I? And would this register on the computer in car - meaning they could blame me for something by saying you changed oil at this kms etc etc and you are not a mechanic by trade..... I only ask this as some new cars dont even have a dipstick to check oil levels and so ALL servicing has to be done by the manufacturer!

Thanks for any info

Paul

Shlooky

One word of advise...DO NOT BUY AUTOMATIC. It think the BMW automatic transmission for e60's is proving to be a disaster. I recommend 6 speed manual. Don't even buy SMG.

Also make sure the engine has been maintained and that there are no oil or coolant leaks.

Features I wish I had in my e60 545i...
-Navigation
-Blue tooth
-Aux in
-Satellite radio
-Curtains
-Bi Xenon.

But I am loving my e60 even though the automatic transmission is the worst ever built by any car manufacturer.

Good luck.

Rizbel

Welcome aboard this fine forum Paul. I service my 545i (oil and filter, brake pads, etc.). 545i has an oil dipstick, not sure about latest model before 550i came out.

Please explain why .

Shlooky

I say that only because of the hundreds of posts from every model e60 with transmission/Mechatronics issues, basically the transmission kicks between 2 and 3rd gear and pounds in to 1st, also the delays in engaging reverse.
It's just not smooth, the 30 second pedal reset fixes the problems for two weeks then it comes back, the cost for fixing E60 transmission is around $7K. It especially hurts when you are out of warranty.

This is BMW we are talking about, not K car's, transmissions and engines should last a long time, but transmisions are not. Now I love my e60, just wish there were 6 speed manual cars around when I bought mine, I would have bought a manual in a heart beat. My e39 5 speed manual, worked flawlessly and it had 260,000kms. I didn't even have to replace the clutch. My E60 has 135,000km, I am crossing all my fingers hoping that my transmission doesn't fail.

This is why I advise a 545i or a 550i with a 6 speed standard gear box over automatic.

Just a few links from forums around the world...

https://5series.net/forums/topic/113...1#entry1346326

https://5series.net/forums/topic/113...1#entry1341086

http://www.bmwland.co.uk/forums/view...hp?f=5&t=20630

http://www.bmwclubmalaysia.com/forum...p/t-20900.html

http://www.bmw-sg.com/forums/engine-...e60-520-a.html

545IblupasdU

No matter what car you get theres going to be problems.....there are thousands of people who dont post on forums that dont have any problems with their cars, while the majority of people with problems look to the internet to post problems. Think about it, who joins a forum just to start a thread like "Hey all, I dont have a problem with my transmission"

Anyway I had a small problem with my cooling system where the coolant reservoir had a crack in it, it was replaced under the extended warranty. Alot of people have had this problem , has to do with brittle plastic tubing used for the cooling system.I dont have any transmission problems at this point in time or ever have had any, My car has 57,700 miles on it and its an 04. I know some people have had this transmission kick but not everyone. Make sure to get an extended warranty just to make sure.

tristan

i have a 05 545 with just over 100k miles on the clock, it gets driven hard quite regularly and apart from routine servicing and wear n tear parts all its ever needed is an oil pressure switch £8gbp and a coolant pipe along the top of the radiator £22gbp. no real problems with mine at all so im happy! hopefully it will stay that way!

DD_545i

Surprised at the advice above (don't get a pre-2005 and don't get an automatic).

Love love love my 2004 automatic. No problems whatsoever.

stavros

No problems with my '04 545i. It still even has the original battery.

DavidF

OP: Take everything you read on this forum (and others) with a grain of salt. Mostly, only people with problems or true car enthusiasts tend to post on forums. Most owners do not. Also, any particular problem posted on the forums and then all of a sudden it is a "common" problem. Not so IMHO.

Have I had problems with my '04 545i automatic? You bet. More so than any other BMW that I have owned and currently own? No.

Bottom line: If the PO took car of the car, it will last a long time, even the transmission. If the PO abused the transmission, it might fail soon. You never know, but this true for any car regardless of make and model.

What I would look for on the V8 engine is oil leaks. If none, good. If it has leaks, they can be expensive to fix if you dont DIY. Two most common leaks points are VCG and alternator/engine mount bracket (look it up).

ignicknoct

youre getting the 5er with the big engine - you are a complete wuss if you go automatic (and arent like handicapped and missing your right arm or something). SO HAPPY with my 6 speed - wouldnt trade it for the world. if you cant drive stick you should learn before you buy a beast like this.