E39 - Mega Miles....

spoonz

spoonz

spoonz

Associate
Joined
18 May 2004
Posts
2,218
Stolen from PH

took my car down to somerset to a bmw specialist today and they were servicing a 2002 E39 530 which had 630,000 miles on it!!! i was speaking to the owner and he said it's part of a fleet where it's shared between 3 drivers and the car barely ever gets cold as they swap shifts during the day, apparently, it only ever gets cold (engine etc) when it comes in for servicing. it's had no major work done to it except suspension rebuild with official BMW suspension, original engine and so on and and they do about 2500 miles per week, and it gets serviced every 7-8k. they are hoping to get 1 million miles from it.

i ended up getting a lift back in it (left my car there) and i have to say it felt like it had done about 80k miles, no rattles, creaks, funny noises from the engine or gear box (manual believe it or not!!) and it felt tight as a nut still. spends most of it's life on the motorway going around the country and also around europe. they said it covered over 1500 miles in a day once, doing 100mph all the way ( drivers taking it in shifts)

just goes to show if you treat them well they can just keep on going.

i thought it was incredible anyway!
Click to expand...

Interesting.....
 
Makes sense. There isn't a lot of stress put on the car cruising along the motorways.
It's when cars like this get sold on to people who use them for short journeys and around town that they start to show signs of wear and tear and things go wrong.
 
I saw/read something a while ago that Ford tested the 2.5T engine used in the Focus ST and RS by leaving a few running 24/7 for months at something like 6krpm.

I wonder if most companies do something like this.
 
This is what happens when you clock up big miles in a 'short' space of time. I do wonder when people will learn its a combination of age, mileage, cold start cycles etc etc that damages cars and not simply 'driving'.

It is exactly why when I bought my car it looked and felt like a 12 month old example inside and out despite being 4 years old and having 140k on it - because every time the engine started, it wasn't shut down until it had covered several hundred miles.

These cars ability to hide mileage is sensational - I can well beleive it has no squeeks, no rattles, no creaks and doesn't look or feel like a 630k car.
 
I am now too an E39 evangelist.

If you hid the clock on mine, I don't think you would find a person who would say it had done over 40k.

/cliche They just don't build em like they used to /cliche
 
[TW]Fox;15834067 said:
They dont, which is bloody annoying because I've had the damn thing 3.5 years now and it's STILL HERE GRRR
Click to expand...

E39 M5 is the only way you're going to go, and you know it.
 
I do rememeber reading something on msn cars that said with the E39 BMW had pretty much perfected the automobile and with the next generation 5 series they were just clutching at straws!
 
A few years ago (2002/03) I bought myself an E39 540i Auto... It was 4 years old and had done 113,000 miles. Didnt even faze me as it had a full BMW history and was a company car as well and spent most of its life on the motorway.

These cars just eat up the miles so easily and even with 136,000 on it when I sold it I only had to replace an ABS/DSC sensor, engine fan (bearing failed) and service it....

Got a 4 year old car which was £45,000-ish new with all the options (elec leather seats, phone, rear elec blind, CD changer plus more) for £11K.... Love that car and only got rid as I had a company car after having it for a couple of years...

I would go back to an E39 540 Auto in a heartbeat....
 
Peerzy said:
I saw/read something a while ago that Ford tested the 2.5T engine used in the Focus ST and RS by leaving a few running 24/7 for months at something like 6krpm.

I wonder if most companies do something like this.
Click to expand...

At a graduate recruitment fair I spoke to one of the Honda touring car engineers (spare time hobby for them), he said that the Vtec that was sitting in the glass stand (from an integra) was tested at 9/10k rpm for 24 hours.

Ad = :eek: :cool: Can I has jobs plz
 
My Dad will be pleased to hear of this, his 260k+ e39 528i still feels fresh and tight, its quiet, no rattles or squeaks (he hates such things) and he has no real desire to change it, despite getting loan demonstrator cars from various dealers from time to time.

His still uses no noticable oil between services, or putting it another way, he's had 5L of Oil in his garage for years and never had the need to touch it.

Indeed, they don't seem to build them like they used to.

took my car down to somerset to a bmw specialist
Click to expand...

I wonder if it was Fritz's Bits in Wellington? http://www.fritzsbits.co.uk
 
Last edited:
My 1997 540i is still going on with only 205,000 on it.

Had to get the center propshaft bearing changed because mine had disintegrated. Part £50 Labour £0. Apart from that is is the usual stuff I have replaced. Cam shaft sensor, and constant tweeks to the woeful cooling system.

I still get a lot of people thinking I have a personal plate because they don't believe it is a 13 year old P reg car ;-)
 
Peerzy said:
I saw/read something a while ago that Ford tested the 2.5T engine used in the Focus ST and RS by leaving a few running 24/7 for months at something like 6krpm.

I wonder if most companies do something like this.
Click to expand...

yeh they do that testing up the road from me (Dunton).

A Guy that works there said they had 3 different vaiants of the engine they put in the RS. 300, 330 and 350 bhp... They all failed the tests but the 300bhp version less than the others. :o
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom