Hello All, I have a 2004 530i and I have had it since March 2010. I purchased the vehicle from my local dealer with 85,000 miles on it. I know have 103,000 miles on my car because of all of the Highway driving I do.


Will my car be reliable within the next couple of years as the miles increase over time.???????????????

Only thing that i have done is oil changes and replace AC compressor.

Can someone comment?


Thanks

 

Congratulations, Fred!

I had my E39 until 197,000 miles. I'd still be driving it if a tree hadn't fallen on it.

I bought it at 92,000 and other than normal maintenance items, all I had issues with were radiator, alternator, pressure switch in passenger seat, and trunk lid latch. I SO wanted to get it to 200K. Damm!

 

I'd pay close attention to regular fluid changes including brake flush and coolant (using BMW stuff). If your transmission and other drive train fluids were changed at 60k miles or so I'd have that done again at 120K or so. IF it wasn't done it might be risky doing it now but a qualified indie or BMW service center could offer their opinion. Cooling system parts (esp the plastic ones) can fail gradually or all at once. Treat cooling system alerts like low coolant very seriously. Remember, in BMW-language "Lifetime" means until the warranty expires !!

Good luck - many of us have accumulated many miles on BMWs - but those mile don't come cheap!

 

Hahahah I wonder if I should laugh or *sigh* on this one.

 

Luigi is exactly right..

I have a 2004 530i as well. I have changed the expansion tank, waterpump, thermostat, starter, and oil pressure sensor all as preventative maintenance. Car runs flawlessly. Oh yea - had the tranny and diff fluid changed at 40K. The engines in our car (M54) is one of, if not BMW's best - these things are bulletproof.

 

Differential fluid change was a waste of money but you probably realized that after the fact like many of us did. I'll keep differential fluid in there for the life of the vehicle. I changed differential fluid on my first generation E46 @ 123K miles (manual box) and it looked brand new. That was before I read opinions about it. waste of time and money.

And the M54 (I've owned 7 M54's) are not "bulletproof"...ignore a temperature issue and you'll warp your cylinder head with quickness! But i do stand by the M54 over any other engine i've yet to encounter. And that makes me feel good too.

 

I have 157,000 and its going strong with nothing but regular maintenance. I did replace all of the "lifetime" fluids recently (transmission, engine coolant and rear differential).

 

E60Coyote.... you mentioned that you recently changed your 'lifetime' fluids. Did you do the transmission for the first time near 157k miles?

I only ask because I'm SO stuck in this catch 22.

I got my E60 with 55k miles, today it has 95k. I want this car to last me a very long time. Should I change the fluid now and buck conventional wisdom that says after 60k you just might introduce more problems with the transmission (ie: failure) than leaving it alone? (Damn damn I wish I would have just done the flush at 55k when I bought the car!)

 

I finally replaced my e39 after 246,000 miles.

I bought it used with 29,000 miles on it. (Who knows if that was "true" or if it had been rolled back, it was a shady place I bought it from) So I actually drove the car 217,000 miles.

I think over the life of my ownership I replaced the usual urethane bushings and suspension components, the center joint on the drive shaft, (with a reman shaft), a water pump or two, and a radiator/expansion tank. Not counting expendable parts like brakes, tires, etc. All in all it was a great car. Looking back on it, I wish I still had it, as this e60 535 has given me more headaches in two and half years than the e39 did over the life. Mainly HPFP issues, but still.

I kept up on the fluid changes and usual maintenance.

All without an extended warranty.

Find a good indy shop and you should be good.