krzyschicago

I must have bought the best 545i in the US! My (non fat) wallet did not get a lot slimmer during over four years, and almost 60K miles (now at 110K) I have owned this car.

Anyway, I am grateful for the posts like this because maybe some scared, poor soul sells me for pennies a nice 645!

Rizbel

+1
I just hit 140K miles on my 02/04 545i. Other than the alternator bracket gasket leak, the only major hit on my wallet is the price of gas nowadays (and the never-ending mods and DIYs- thanks to this great forum ).

paran

The BMW 545i at 330hp is a solid engine relative to torque and HP output. Many other brands/Models meet or exceed its spec's however. BUT! Where the BMW shines, is in its handling, transfer of power to the wheels, SMG transmissions, etc, that make it the Ultimate Driving Machine in its class and price point range. But not the Ultimate Reliability Machine!

Gatriel is hitting the right tone for sure. Gasket materiel choice is relatively mundane vs all of the other engineering factors that occur on a BMW. Go to a Lexus dealer and buy a complete set of engine gaskets for an LS460. Cut 'em up and match their material composition. Easy!

But as Gatriel points out; BMW engineers cannot do that. Short-sighted eco-Nazi's prevent it resulting in a huge long-term Carbon Footprint on a BMW vs a Lexus.

You choose to make excuses for this "issue" as a part of normal maintenance. But it isn't normal at all. For the 1970's, perhaps, but that was due to sloppy machining tolerances more so than bad gasket material.

There is no reason to have severely degraded gaskets or interior components on 5-10 year old vehicles. It's easily prevented but Big Gov't intercedes. That's why its an issue of "time" more so than a "performance" one.

svre46

Just got a nice sized coolant leak. Lucky to get the car to a family members house after almost being stranded on the way to the airport. I will attempt the 3 mile journey home today. I have had the car not even 2 months and with such an amazing maintenance history I did not expect to be doing this much work so soon. Lucky for me I can wrench myself but damn.

Edit: Turned out to be a return line y fitting. 10 dollar fix. Pretty happy about that.

paran

Drop that underbelly engine cover and then tell me if that thing is clean (only dusty) and dry. How about the suspension cross member? Is that dry?

You can avoid the leaks by simply ignoring them, but that doesn't mean they are not there. Stop by any BMW master mechanic and ask them if the 545i is a "leaker". Any BMW for that matter built since the early 21st century.

An engine leak in Chicago is a very good thing as engine oil is great for preventing rust. Scoop up some of that oil lying in the underbelly panel and spray it around the underside of the car. Oil is fantastic at combating salt related rust.

paran

If you have the alternator gasket leak, then you have the rest of them like everybody else. The same gasket material was used on all 545i's.

Toss in the premature failure of the rubber control arm bushings, and peeling interior surfaces, and you know exactly what I am talking about.

And how about that rubber compound shock absorber boot that is now so shriveled up from decomposition that its role is to do what?

Your coolant reservoir is original as well? How about your windshield washer pump/gasket?

Dude, seriously, you've got some huge expenses coming up. Guaranteed.

If you got 140k on that plastic propeller water pump and the eco-friendly valley tube coolant gasket, I wouldn't travel anywhere beyond your own backyard. Or, get that super-duper, AAA, towing option. It is going to come in handy.

I would not even consider all of this sht if my 545i didn't have the SMG transmission. But that SMG is a riot. Unlike anything else out there under $100k.

paran

I suspect that we're from the same era and age group. Where pushing a car home wasn't out of the question and wasn't abnormal. But the Japanese changed all of that in the late 70's (yes, I even tried "paste wax"), and Ford, GM, Chrysler eventually, slowly, grudgingly, came along in the 80's.

But that's the problem with German made cars and their eco-Nazi government. BMW's built since the turn of the 20th century bring me back to the days of oil spots on the driveway or garage floor as "normal". To be expected. "Normal".

Gatriel maybe younger than us, but he's "spot-on" when he compares BMW's of the 21st century with USA made cars of the 1970's when it comes to oil/coolant leaks. I've been a Japanese and Mercedes (1980/1990's) owner since the 1980's. (Toss in a few USA made company cars along the way)

"Oil leaks" had left my vocabulary during that time. Along comes my 545i, SMG, BMW. And all of a sudden, I'm back into the 1970's and oil and coolant leaks on the garage floor come back into what owners call "normal". Huh? What year is this?

I don't live in Germany like Gatriel does. But my research into why I am talking about oil/coolant leaks in 2013 brought me to the same conclusion. The "Save The Planet" nuts in Germany, and their political power, has forced BMW, Audi, Mercedes, VW, etc into ruining their reputations. Being "eco-friendly", by using bio-degradable rubber, plastics, PVC compounds, etc as the reason the 1970's are even being discussed in 2013 about a BMW.

German cars depreciate like a rock. That's why many of us are here. And why do the depreciate? Because the lease agreement is up and who wants it afterwards. "Bio-degradable" "Green Party" influence is the answer to that.

So what have the German boys done? Lease! Lease! Lease! DO NOT buy a used BMW that is over 5 years old. Seriously. That is what the German boys now claim. Why? Because the German people are honest, sincere, dedicated, people that know damn well that a used BMW that is over 5 years old WILL experience bio-degradable expenses. And they will be huge!

So here we are in the USA, and we're all driving BMW' s that are 5+ years old. As an old fart that grew up on 1960/1970's muscle cars, I find myself feeling that I'm not capable of matching what a BMW Master Mechanic can do with my 545i. And that means cash. Lots of it.

Sadly, oil/coolant spots on the garage floor are once again en vogue (and even defended by some ardent BMW owners as "Normal") and ohh so retro to the 1970's. It's weird, and kind of "comfortable" to a guy who lived through those years so many years ago.

I can very clearly remember that on a freeway in the 1960/1970's the "oil spot" would continue the entire length of your travels (right down the center of the lane) and not only where a dip in the road occurred. I honestly believe that if we ran 5+ year old German cars down the same freeways in 2013, we would have the same continuous line of oil found in the 1960/1970's. Deja vu!

Thank God for the eco-Nazi's of the world! They have brought the "Good ol' days back to life for me."

BimmerFan52

80% - 90% of all cars in Europe are manual transmissions because they have small displacement engines that can’t afford an automatic transmission which loses at least 10hp to the torque converter and need to be kept at higher RPMs for optimum performance. Manuals are cheaper to buy, get better gas mileage ($7-$10/gallon gas over there) are less expensive to maintain and vehicle taxes are assessed by engine displacement in some countries. Many years ago US auto manufacturers got Americans hooked on automatic transmissions because gas was cheap and Americans could afford big engines with automatics in big cars that fit easily on our wide roads. Habits die hard on both sides of the Atlantic.
It has nothing to do with Europeans being more car savvy or loving the involvement of driving a stick.

I think the only Japanese sedan made in 2004 that was more than 325 HP was the Infiniti Q45 at 340HP and 333 lb-ft (but it wasn't much of a performance vehicle). For engine efficiency the best was probably the Acura NSX 3.2 L at 290HP.
But 325 HP paltry in 2004? You must be smoking something.

I would like to be educated on this “bio-degradable” gasket issue. I have scoured the web (including SAE and other organizational technical papers) regarding this issue and can’t find anything. I found this study done late last year by Iowa State University for US Department of Agriculture Energy Policy Department studying biodegradable parts in the automobile industry. There is no mention of engine gaskets as being candidates for biodegradable material. But I remain with an open mind. Please point me to some industry discussion.
http://www.usda.gov/oce/reports/ener...n%20Report.pdf

The integrity of static seal gaskets depend on many factors included in the design of the housings, the gasket material and internal engine pressures. The gasket material’s fluid swell level, durometer, compression force deflection, resistance to chemicals, UV and temperature and stiffening characteristics due to age and heat are important. For mechanical design, housing rigidity, resistance to deflection from force and temperature, gasket thickness and shape, fastener spacing and uniformity of clamping force and sealing face tolerances are all factors. Bad engine seals are hardly anything new to German cars, and I blame it more on poor engineering design and lack of testing than gasket material. Some theorize that because the N62B44 engine did not have an oil cooler the elevated oil temperatures lead to more gasket failures when compared to the N62B48 in the 550i, as many of the components are the same.

You included a picture of a 4th generation Cadillac Fleetwood (looks like a 1974), but then switch to the greatly slimmed down 5th generation dimensions of 1977 to get closer to the wheel base of the F10 to prove your point of how large the F10 is. But you neglected to compare the overall lengths of the two cars. The BMW F10 is 16 feet, 1 inch. The 1977 Fleetwood Brougham you used in your example was 18 feet, 5 inches, or a whopping 28 inches longer. And since you used the word “boat”, how about the 1971 Fleetwood Brougham at 5600 lbs and 20 feet, 7 inches or a monstrous 54 inches longer than the F10. The F10 isn’t even in the same league as those elephantine Cadillacs.

Has the 5 series grown in length over the years? Yes, about 7 inches since the 1995 E34. How about the Honda Accord? About 7 inches in the same period.

My family owned four BMWs, three Porsches and an Audi from 1980 to 1993 (all purchased new) and I can tell you the overall reliability of those German cars were no better than today’s BMW models.

BMW has generally been middle of the pack and in many years for certain models was at the bottom of the pack since the industry began measuring both initial reliability and three year dependability compared to other manufacturers. Bad engine gaskets don’t explain failures of water pumps, alternators, door seals, seat occupancy sensors, windshield washer fluid pumps and transmissions. Most of these components are not even made by BMW. The Germans just don’t worship reliability like the Japanese, who demand that reliability be engineered into all components.

I bought the BMW for a different reason than reliability, as I assume most of us have. I entered BMW ownership with my eyes wide open, and am enjoying the hell out of it.

Rizbel

Coolant reservoir has been replaced, but not really a major hit on the wallet.

Still original and not a big deal if it breaks.

Water pump was also replaced, by yours truly, and again, not a major hit on the wallet (anything over a thousand bucks is)

Thanks for your concern

paran

I have shown in the graphs how there was a big difference between Mercedes and BMW going back 10 years. BMW's were largely manual transmissions and Mercedes as automatics.

The gap has closed as BMW has moved towards the Mercedes model. Europeans drive a lot of tight, twisting roads that have existed longer than the USA. They are very involved in the road with their vehicles. It's the width of the road through ancient towns that created the smaller vehicles.

But back on the gasket issue. BMW engineers are not idiots. They know full well what material will last longer, and that applies to the interior components as well. So why don't they use it? Lexus' don't leak oil, so why not use the same material as in their gaskets? Are BMW engineers ignorant of what works best as a gasket material over the long term? So, there must be an answer to this mundane question.

In 1998, the Green Party became a political force in Germany following the election of Social Democrats and its chancellor Gerhard Schroder. Recycling of cars and the bio-degradable aspect of its components became paramount. BMW prides itself on the "End-of-Life" impact to the environment for its cars.

That is why BMW's gasket are shit. Ditto for much of their interior components. Ever look inside of a BMW 7 series that is 7+ years old? There is peeling all over the place (buttons, side panels, anywhere vinyl or plastic is involved). That's on a $70K+ automobile.

So if BMW will allow a 7 series to peel like a banana on its visible interior components what do you think they will do with engine gaskets? BMW engineers were forced to focus on "end-of-life" recycling capabilities over reliability. Can it be recycled? Will it degrade in a landfill" That became the primary focus.

To follow your logic, we would have to assume that BMW engineers are idiots vs their Japanese counterparts. I don't believe that for a minute. But Big Brother does have its mandates that must be followed and German's do stay within the lines and follow orders.