540i owns the sheep
- Thread starter BMW-FW26
- Start date
I just bought mine a few months ago and have learned a lot so far. I would closely at:
Condition of catalytic converters (any noise/rattles signs of internal breakup). They are covered under warranty up to 80K miles and will probably need replaced around then. They're $1k each for OEM. I would investigate before considering an aftermarket Cat. Some are apparently garbage on the inside, which probably is why they are so cheap. Replacing one an not the other with different parts risks performace loss or damage due to differential backpressure or different flow characteristics (due to pipe size/bends and actual Cat dimensions/internals) than intended by the tuning.
If notorious radiator and water pump have been replaced (common to replace around 75K)
Condition of clutch (degree of wear)
Sounds silly but check the headlamp vertical/horizontal adjusters under the hood to see if they work or if the headlights are hanging/bobbling. They are made of cheap plastic that disintegrates and is a royal PAIN to replace (2-3 hours labor) despite only $36 in parts.
Try to drive the car when cold. Check that the shifting action feels smooth. If not, you may have a fluid problem in the manual trans even though it is "lifetime" fluid.
It's a sweet ride. Good luck!
Condition of catalytic converters (any noise/rattles signs of internal breakup). They are covered under warranty up to 80K miles and will probably need replaced around then. They're $1k each for OEM. I would investigate before considering an aftermarket Cat. Some are apparently garbage on the inside, which probably is why they are so cheap. Replacing one an not the other with different parts risks performace loss or damage due to differential backpressure or different flow characteristics (due to pipe size/bends and actual Cat dimensions/internals) than intended by the tuning.
If notorious radiator and water pump have been replaced (common to replace around 75K)
Condition of clutch (degree of wear)
Sounds silly but check the headlamp vertical/horizontal adjusters under the hood to see if they work or if the headlights are hanging/bobbling. They are made of cheap plastic that disintegrates and is a royal PAIN to replace (2-3 hours labor) despite only $36 in parts.
Try to drive the car when cold. Check that the shifting action feels smooth. If not, you may have a fluid problem in the manual trans even though it is "lifetime" fluid.
It's a sweet ride. Good luck!
![[:D]](/images/smilies/biggrin.png "Big Grin [:D]")
