Haha! Bang-for-buck bargain!

[Lashout_UK]

What does 500 quid get you these days? A nice watch? A computer? A set of tires?

How about this?

It's a 1994 540i, one of the rare 6-speed manuals. It's done, staggeringly, a shade under 180,000 miles but has full service history and a mountain of previous paperwork - it's even got an MOT until January, recently been serviced, had new cats, two new front tires and a new BMW battery!

It hasn't seen polish, nor a decent clean, for years - it's photographed just as it rolled off the transporter (and after drifting up and down our dirt track for a bit) - so is rather unkempt looking to say the least.

Inside is dirty, but serviceable:

Both driver and passenger leathers are, remarkably, relatively unworn - there's no rips or tears but they are quite creased with age so will need some TLC. Some of the minor trim needs some fettling too and I think, ideally, the driver's carpet could do with replacing. No biggy, though.

Armrest is unworn which is, again, quite remarkable.

Under the bonnet isn't bad either:

.......although the engine top cover is missing - it's in the boot. It's recently had the PCV system overhauled which is why the cover was off. This 4.0 is an Alusil replacement so doesn't suffer the corrosion issues of the earlier Nikasil engines.

Specs are a relatively healthy 290BHP, 300ft.lb and 0-60 in 6.2 seconds for the manual - not overtly rapid but then it does weigh 1600kg+.

Amongst other things, this 540 has throwing star alloys off the M5 (although I'm not sure if they're genuine), clear indicators all round, stability control, air con (needs a condensor but works), cruise, ABS, PAS, traction control, total closure, a Thatcham alarm system, M-Technics suspension (lower and stiffer), the upgraded interior light package, vented and dotted discs, heated headlight washers, one touch windows and sunroof, on-board computer and more.

It reputedly has an LSD as well but I've not established that yet - although I have found it's been chipped and has a K&N filter. Rather alarmingly there's no limiter so it spools up and over 8k with ease.

The 540 only arrived yesterday - so I've yet to really go through it with a fine tooth comb. So far on the list of things requiring attention are:

- Lower front track rod ends need replacing
- Passenger front electric window stuck
- On board computer needs new backlights
- Dash needs switching to correct manual one (in the boot)
- Air con needs a new condensor
- Some light cosmetic rust to front edge of bonnet, rear edge of boot and front wheel arch corners
- Fuel lines by tank aren't too clever (new, but incorrectly fitted so rubbing)
- Whole car needs a damned good clean

The only other thing that I really need to look into is the clutch - it's very heavy and the biting point is quite high, which may just be down to the fact that it's old and wearing out. It still grabs, however, and drives just fine - It doesn't matter too much, as with all the torque on tap you just drop the clutch at idle and it picks up and goes, so doesn't require much concentration or effort.

Other than that, it runs and drives very well and even rides nicely without ominous clonking or groans. There's no overheating, even when sat for ages, no oil or coolant contamination, and it feels like all 300ft.lb are there - you can get into 6th just rolling along at 10mph and it'll just burble down the road.

My first port of call is just to give it a thorough clean and check everything over. What I'm going to do is either patch it up and make sure it's presentable, and either keep it or sell it on - or, unfortunately, break it for parts.

These cars are, for the most part, worth more in component form than as a going concern which is a shame - but quite often the case. Depending on what needs doing, this may be the route I tread - as I'd really quite like some parts (the OBC, the wheels maybe, the lights) for my 525i and I could split the rest up and cash in on it.

............and that means I could keep the engine and box for something much, much more interesting and replace the clutch (if needed, may just need bleeding or be a hydraulic issue) out of the car........

I will post up some more pictures and details later as I start to dig a little deeper, to see what's what. A good wash, polish, hoover, feed and a little TLC will no doubt have it looking a million times better.

 

[Lashout_UK]

Right, first I thought I'd start by cleaning the interior - just got in, and I apologise for the shoddyness of some of the pictures, just down to poor lighting.

First I binned all the junk floating around in the car, and sorted out what was worth keeping. I found a spare flashlight for my other 5, which was nice - so now it's complete

I started in the boot:

Pulled it all out and wiped it down, hoovering out any large debris:

Tried a few spots of Autoglym foaming cleaner:

....and put it all back.

Could still do with further improvement - but it's a start and doesn't smell dank and old any more.

I moved inside next - starting by pulling out all the hideous overmats. Underneath, I was pleasantly suprised to find remarkably good order original carpets:

The leather on the driver's seat is tired but a good feeding and treatment kit would probably sort it right out:

Steering wheel, however, has had it:

Original medikit intact and complete, right down to the scissors and manual. Ace! This slots under the passenger seat and clips in.

I then spent some time vacuuming, foaming and sweeping the carpets:

.....and then wiped down the whole interior, firstly with water, then antiseptic wipes, finally spray cleaning the leather, then treating it:

Blaaaaaaaaaack!

The leather still needs further treating and a colour kit - but is perfectly saveable, soft and comfortable - the flash treats it a little hard as it shows up all the cracks!

Now, this was just a quick two-hour session to prep the car for it's inspection - so it's clean, easy to work on and not a total state. It allows me to properly look at what's what and see what may need doing - consequently it's no pro finish, just serviceable

The pair:

Now, running swiftly out of time and daylight, I quickly chucked a bucket of water over it, mopped it down, sprayed some cleaner on the alloys and blacked the wheels, just to get an initial impression - albeit with it wet.

Tomorrow I will polish it and give the exterior a thorough going over to identify any rust spots or trim issues. I'll also start going through all the electrics and onboard systems to see what is working and what isn't, and what I could do about it. One thing that sprung to mind is that I'd like to remove the tints - as they make it too dark inside and it just looks a bit gash, to be honest.

Not a bad start though! My other 5 is considerably cleaner, to say the least - just look at the engine bay! The car hasn't even been cleaned for a few weeks!

Had a bit of a thought regarding the clutch too - it's very similar to that of my old Corvette (again, V8 and a beefy manual transmission) - the pedal weight and action are much the same, so maybe I'm being too critical of it. The clutch in the 525 is featherweight, hence my comparision - but an unfair one. I will look into it further.

Quite entertaining though, got back in the 525i and damn near put my foot through the floor!

Anyway, onwards!

 

[Lashout_UK]

If they are genuine throwing stars, they're worth about 300-400 quid on t'bay - plus I've got nearly new tires all the way around. Regardless, easily sold for a few hundred at least as you say

Manual gearbox is worth a big chunk of change too - along with the flywheel, engine, diff, interior electrics, cruise module, things like that.

 

[Lashout_UK]

Really? I quite liked the clear lenses - they fetch a pretty penny on their own. I will clean it up first and think about it At least it'll be easy to photochop with them side-by-side!

Should look a little like this when shined up and tidied:

Friend of a friend was selling this particular one - Went down to London, flashed over it, bought it, got it collected and now it's here!

He'd had it for 3 years, done 35k in it with only two problems - a failed water hose and a duff PCV vent. Not bad going!

 

[Lashout_UK]

^^ edited!

One thing that gets me about these E34s is the depth of engineering - for example, this 540 has a separate electric water pump that is used to circulate coolant once you've shut the car off - so in conjunction with the electric fans that stay on after shutdown, the coolant is still circulated to prevent hot spotting and heat soaking the engine & bay. Cool......

 

[Lashout_UK]

I won't show you more pictures of my 525i then, or tell you how much I paid for it

Especially considering that's completely rust free as well and, again, has full BMW service history from pretty much one dealer, the one that sold it

 

[Lashout_UK]

Nah, I mean hell, my 525i doesn't have a single squeak or rattle and it's 15 now (and I'm not saying that casually, I mean seriously, there is not one single noise it makes). It does vary from car to car and how they've been treated, as with anything, however.

They're bulletproof and as far as I'm aware, probably much the same under the skin. Only thing that needs doing is oil, coolant, plugs and filters - and every 50k or so the water pump. Mine's still on the original clutch at 145k and it feels great, for example, with a lovely light action and smooth pickup.

Other than that, it'll soldier on indefinitely - plenty around with 200, 300k. Mine even turns in 30mpg in my daily drive from full to empty!

Most are very well equipped too - total closure, ABS, PAS, one-touch windows and sunroof, dual-zone aircon, check control systems, service indicators, are all commonly fitted to most models. On the E34s everything was an option so you can buy a manual 530i with bog standard wheels and cloth trim for example, so just a case of finding one in the spec you want.

Great machine, undoubtably, and regarded as one of the best BMWs.

 

[Lashout_UK]

V8 models wear front suspension and brakes rapidly, 6 cylinders don't. Mileage and age will take their toll depending on useage so just a case of driving it and seeing how it feels

Engine is pretty much identical, barring output, to the one in the E39s so, as mentioned, just needs the pump/hoses changing every 50k or so. The E34 straight sixes, however, do not suffer nikasil issues

Parts, which is nice, also seem very reasonable. Not bad to work on either, although some stuff, as always, is a pain (cabin filter, for example).

Avoid the early M20B20/25 engines though (pre '91), same as in the E30s - their lower power output makes the 5 a bit sluggish and they're an older engine - plus they have a cambelt. The M50 doesn't have a cambelt and later revisions have variable valve timing on the inlet side, like mine. 192BHP helps punt it around more than adequately Barring plugs and oil/filters, the engine should go for eternity

 

[Lashout_UK]

Said "pretty much" Fox, not "are"

 

[Lashout_UK]

Thanks Rilot/R420LA6X2/4MNA - The dash, I've been told, is for the correct 8 cylinder model - but it's an automatic so it's constantly displaying warning messages for both trans program and oil level. It was swapped out after the backlighting failed on the old one.

I've got the "correct" (hopefully) manual 8 cylinder dash in the boot - so I will swap it over and find out.

The one thing is if the factory rev limiter for the 8 is say, 6500RPM, then the limiter on a 6-cylinder dash would be in the region of 8600 on the gauge - which it goes above and beyond with no sign of stopping......don't forget it's in neutral and I'm not holding it there so it's only flicking back and forth through the rev range.

We will find out though! I'd prefer for it not to be chipped, if I'm honest, as a starting baseline - maybe if I still find it is chipped then I will hunt down a standard fuel/ignition ECU (whichever one has been modified) to revert it to stock.

The total closure thing, you don't have to do from the fob either - simply hold the key in the lock to the left for about 10 seconds and it'll do it as well.

The only thing I don't like about E34s (being real picky) is that if you lift the driver's door handle, the interior lights come on (presumably to help you find your way in). To me, however (and given that there's a torch in the key), it just seems like an ideal way of showing a thief your interior

I guess not many people know that though........

Oh, wait....

Not much planned for today, unfortunately - girlfriend isn't well so staying at hers for the day! Came back this morning though and even though it's water stained and still a bit grimy, it looked much, much better and quite foreboding sitting on the drive. I think a lighter interior (like the grey leather in mine) would suit it better and make it less dark inside - but will think about it. Need to get those tints out still

 

[Lashout_UK]

I don't get excited about cup holders. but when my colleage takes us on a drive to get fat and ill at McDonalds, there's nowhere to put the bloody drinks and there's about 4 roundabouts on the way back so I have to cling onto them and they're cold.

There's a cargo net in the passenger footwell - I found that the double cup holders, or individual cups if you have two (or one and something to bulk the net out a bit), fit perfectly and don't go anywhere - even during long navigation of MK's roundabouts

Not quite its intended usage but works quite well Haven't tried putting more than two in. You can squeeze them into the sunglass slot behind the gearshift as well, that takes two.

I think I've thought about this too much. Or done it too much, either way....

 

[Lashout_UK]

Today I managed to slap on some polish for a rough clean up, clean the glass and check the car over. It still needs a T-cut and a proper polish but nevertheless, a start:

I also went through the car, electrically and cosmetically at least, to see what needs doing. Much to my suprise, it's actually very little:

- Passenger front foglight out
- Rear left tail light out
- Steering wheel worn
- One rear interior light out
- Incorrect gearknob
- Incorrect automatic (and possibly 6-speed) dash
- Heated headlamp washer jets inoperative
- Rust on rear of front rocker panels, tailgate edge and bonnet leading edge
- Front lower panels stonechipped
- Front lower spoiler dented
- Front lower spoiler requires refitting/painting/replacement (delete as applicable...)
- Door handle outers tired (although may clean up)
- No boot badge
- Toolkit lock thread broken

So other than that, and still requiring a proper good deep clean and leather feed, not bad at all! The rust & repainting I can easily treat myself so that will bring up the general condition very nicely. The exterior plastic trim could probably do with a good clean and heat-gunning too, as it's all a little flat and greyed. The metallic paintwork itself is very presentable, barring the usual light scratches - although the lower front under the bumper is heavily stonechipped. What I may do is sand back the damage and respray the affected areas as that would make it look so much better.

Mechanically - as I haven't driven the car in anger on the road (no tax or insurance) - I can't make too much of a judgement (barring the fact that for the past 35,000 miles it's been running and driving just fine in the previous owner's hands). I do know, however, that the brakes, steering, engine and gearbox are all fine and there's no overheating or oil/coolant issues. It stops in a straight line with no pulling and the handbrake holds the car with ease. The V8 idles quite happily, even when sat for ages, and goes stupidly well with a real kick in the back as the revs climb - and the traction control works very well indeed.

The heavy clutch is starting to bother me less after punting it up and down our road today - as it does not slip, engages well and there's no noise from the release bearing. I suspect it's most likely just down to mileage (affecting both the clutch and hydraulic system), but as it still works fine, I'm going to leave that well alone for now. I may just bleed it and refresh the fluid, then leave it at that. So far, based on the previous MOT, I know the lower track rod ends need replacing; and the air con condensor is knackered - other than that...seems in good order! A few rattles from the underside but no ominous knocks, groans or creaks!

Tomorrow I'm going to clean the throttle system out, as I suspect it's probably quite gunked up after its PCV system failure (and consequent replacement) - then I will start working on the other issues - and clean the engine bay up, as it's quite grubby. After that, I might get it insured and take it for an MOT down the local garage, and see exactly what is what.....Fingers crossed!

Pro tip:

If you've got an E34 with electric windows that are stuck - but you can hear something happening when you press the button - simply hold the button down, with the door open, then slam the door shut (either reach over and pull it in, or get someone to do it). This fixed both of my 'failed' electric windows and they now work perfectly

 

[Lashout_UK]

Actually, thinking about it, with MOT until January I might as well just tax it and enjoy it for a bit to assess its condition, first! Hadn't thought of that....Especially given that as far as I know the lower track rods are the only suspension issue and I can probably change those without too much fuss, get it tracked to prevent it knocking out its tires and just run it for a while

Then, if I do decide to sell it, it'll be good to go with T&T

 

[Lashout_UK]

Thanks for the tip! Gliptone sounds just like what I need - Scuffmaster-type things were what I was looking at earlier to do some of the deeper creases/cracks, but I think it's all perfectly saveable and serviceable!

Comfortable too - none of the bolsters or stuffing has collapsed, so not going to ditch them for the sake of a little work

 

[Lashout_UK]

I went to my local BMW dealership this morning (very nice place, driven past it a few times but the first time I'd dropped in). I picked up a new '540' and 'i' badge for the rear, to replace the missing ones - not too extortionate at 26 quid either - certainly not worth faffing around cleaning up old badges and finding adhesive to suit.

Whilst I was there I got them to pull up the original specification and sales sheet for both the 525i and the 540i - I already have all the history for the 525i but it was interesting to check it, and also showed that it had all its factory recalls done. Nice to have the original options list to hand if I ever choose to sell it, too.

Unfortunately the plate on the 540i didn't show up (the service assistant citing that it'd probably been on a private plate for most of its life - Or I'd just recalled it wrong....) - so I am going back there at some point with the VIN number to get more information as they will have it documented with that. It has full service history anyway, but I'd like to see when the engine change was done (as it was replaced under warranty). Part of me thinks I actually said 663 when I meant 668....

I got the Gliptone leather clean and feed kit today as well, so will put that to good use. I also got some Cosmos black metallic paint to start touching up the damage. I'm going to remove the OBC and renew the backlight bulbs today, as that's the only thing that doesn't really work internally any more. Other than that, so far, all I've done is check the fluid levels, and replace a few bulbs - although it seems I have some duff wiring to the front passenger fog light. I finally managed to find the correct wooden 6-speed gearknob last night and ordered that, but I'm still struggling to track down a suitable steering wheel - when I find one, I'll remove the automatic dash at the same time as both procedures (one fairly obviously) involve removing the steering wheel

Onwards.....

 

[Lashout_UK]

Well, it's been a while since I updated this so here goes.

I finally insured the car and put some tax on it - so, for the first time in a while it ventured out on the road. I have to say, it feels very, very rapid. It just does not stop accelerating - and there is no limiter. I found a printout from BBR when it was chipped showing about 288BHP factory, then a rather dubious 367BHP after tweaking (at about 1000RPM more, mind). BBR were reputedly able to take it (according to the advert) to 318BHP so I kept that figure in mind.

I have to admit, it is a ridiculous adrenalin pump despite what you might expect - it just hammers along, and you have to really use the 6 speed box as each time you select a gear, it's already punched up to the top of the rev range. I love the traction control, which works in a similar way to the Corvettes, and the electronically braked differential helps keeps things in check. With it off, in anything resembling slighty damp conditions, it's just hillarious and steps out the tail like its on casters - whilst remaining very controllable and predictable. Even in the dry it does not hesitate to light up the tires in the first few gears - it's one of those cars that simply makes you ask "how can something this big be this fast?".

The ride is very, very firm, as you'd expect - and there's practically nil body roll through the corners. I am, however, suprised how noticeable the extra weight is - the 540i feels a much heavier, larger car than the 525i and that was a little disappointing. Whilst the steering and brakes are still pin sharp and the handling leagues ahead, you can really feel the suspension working to do whatever it can with the bulk that's riding on top of it. The only downside to this stiff race-inspired suspension is that over rough surfaces, the E34 can feel unsettled and skittish - but the skid control and traction control prevent it from being alarming, merely unsettling.

The one thing I didn't really like about it, weirdly, is the noise made when revving it in neutral. It's a rather disappointing, feeble sounding note - whereas under load, in gear and revving hard, the intake and exhaust noise is excellent. Still, this would probably be easily resolved by changing the intake or exhaust for 'performance' items - so it's not the be all and end all. Barring this, the only problem I had with the car was the lowered ride height made the exhaust system an impromptu bump stop when it came to the rather more aggressive 'traffic calming' solutions that we face these days.

I even found it remarkably good on fuel - after doing about 200 miles, the trip meter was recording an average of 27.5mpg (again, a mix about of about 60:40 motorway/town) work. The big 8 really doesn't have to work hard to pull the 5 series along and at motorway speeds it just settles back into a refined lope, where you can barely hear it. There are so many toys, neat features and little tricks that there's plenty to keep you entertained on the boring commute, and the cruise control is excellent - making for very relaxed driving. As with most E34s there's a fair amount of wind noise, seemingly from the front pillars, as you approach fast motorway speeds - but nothing that prevents you having a quiet conversation with your passenger.

When you finally get off the cluttered roads, however, into some free-flowing cross country routes, you've only got to drop down a few ratios, bury that pedal into the carpet and the previously refined business saloon suddenly transforms into a guided missile. The M60 V8 works hard, tearing up everything in its path and singing up to the red line in every gear, vented and grooved brake discs clip speed off with ease at each corner, and the electronics do everything they can to keep the 1700kg saloon precisely on course. It is very easy to build up a smooth, high speed, flowing drive in the E34 and consequently it's extremely rewarding to hammer across country in it.

On the whole though, it's an exceptionally nice car to drive and highly recommended. I'd really like another one of these 540is (or maybe even a 530i, just for the 8), with slightly lower mileage, mind. The noise is great, there's plenty of torque, and even this one, with 180,000 miles on it's clock, runs and drives really nicely and is certainly still pounding out the power. Even parts and servicing for the car are relatively cheap and easily something you can do yourself making it a potentially viable daily 'performance' car for those with slightly tighter budgets.

As you'd no doubt guessed by now, I've sold the 540i to move onto something else - so here's some pictures after I'd tidied it all up

Any questions, feel free to ask!

 

[Lashout_UK]

Indeed, just interested to try as much as possible. I'm tempted to go for something turbocharged next, or at least something with plenty of torque like this. I'm thinking of selling my 525i soon and getting something a little different so maybe my next purchase will be a daily rather than a project.

RE the V8 Dolly - Yea, someone did, a guy got in touch with me via youtube of all places! Had some questions on how to get it running

 

[Lashout_UK]

Yes!

 

[Lashout_UK]

It went for £1,800 on eBay, and was collected the day after. Guy was really pleased from it (and very friendly!) - he's intending to use it as a track day machine, but suspects he might fall in love with it and end up using it as a weekend toy instead Glad it went to a good home.

Broke my personal best as well, had 230 watchers on it - not that this means anything particular but it was nice to see the interest There was more in it too - but just no further opposing bidders.

 

[Lashout_UK]

Everything came in just under £1000, including all the parts, every drop of fuel, tax, insurance, pressure washing, all the cleaning kit used, fees etc. Can't really complain. The bulk of that was insurance and tax, and some parts didn't get used so will go back on eBay.

Don't know what to get next though Kinda tempted by a Mark 1 Triumph 2000 with TR6 steels and overdrive - but I suspect I'd end up keeing it May be no bad thing, though....

Another P6, a 2000 SC or TC is tempting me too - but then a clean unmodified 200SX would be nice too......Heh!

The 540i got a lot of attention from all sorts on the road and parked up, which was interesting. Shows how colour, alloys and subtle alterations make a car appear completely different in the eyes of others (compared to the 'plain' 525i)