E39 540 the first issues two months on!!

[mrLEE30]

I can only say these are fantastic cars, and if funds allow i highly reccomend one!! Not too heavy on fuel really, happily sitting around the 11ltr/100km mark on motorways, bear in mind my 325 is only managing 10ltr/100km and the average speed of the mighty 4.4 is a bit quicker

racked up 5000km in the last month over in Saudi Arabia (thenks to a 200km daily commute to my current work site)

town is a bit different but still condsidering you have almost 300hp and 400Nm on tap its quite good!!

plus points..
a cruise control that works even at 200km/h and beyond!!
a 120km kickdown into 3rd leaves most for dead...very satisfying!!
Being able to watch Pink Floyd Pulse on the telly while cruising on the motorway

bad points..squeaky rear end due to requirement of new bushing, squeaky leather on the door, squeaky windows and a piss poor stereo compared to my 25

a few pics of the fella...



[/list]

[Blitz]

Very nice. Perfect car for where you live.

[pac1982]

looks great seeing as i'll be starting a better job with a company car soon im gonna consider getting something like this in the very near future as i dont have to worry about the running costs.

Love the wheels really finish it off

[Jon_Bmw]

A very executive car for not a lot of monies. I have just had to replace the rad as the end cap top hose split off the other day. Once it was off I noticed a big buldge in it as well. The rad was £110+ vat for a reputable nissens one.

They seem to be hard on cooling system components, but then they have a lot of engine to cool! Nothing more satisfying than sitting at silly speeds in total comfort and refinement.

[RPM]

I picked up a 2002 530i Sport at the weekend as the sensible family car for the wife

Very pleased with it on the 200 mile drive home, only a few electrical niggles to sort out. Engine and bodywork is spot on.

I was looking/longing for a 540i sport but this one was just to clean to pass up

[mrLEE30]

We have tropical spec rads here (standard spec from Japan) so hopefuly they will cope with the 50C summer heat

[Simon13]

your economy figures are double dutch!

[hennared323i]

41.36 km/gallon

or

25.8 mpg

[mrLEE30]

sorry i use Metric figures!! I refuse imperial as thats what the yanks use and i have a great dislike for most things they do

Yes about 26MPG!! (or 19MPG if using a yank gallon)

[robbo86]

All very well ans good Lee but you could fill up over there for the price of a pack of cigs over there. Town driving I would be willing to bet that halves!

[Simon13]

sorry i use Metric figures!! I refuse imperial as thats what the yanks use and i have a great dislike for most things they do

Yes about 26MPG!! (or 19MPG if using a yank gallon)

Why they only copied the english which is what you are?!

[Blitz]

What are fuel prices there?

[robbo86]

It would make you cry Blitz, put it that way.

[mrLEE30]

sorry i use Metric figures!! I refuse imperial as thats what the yanks use and i have a great dislike for most things they do

Yes about 26MPG!! (or 19MPG if using a yank gallon)

Why they only copied the english which is what you are?!

no sir, they failed to copy the English!!!

I just prefer the litres per 100km as that is what my E30 swingometer works in (actually km/litre so its the recipricol) and when was the last time anyone filled their car with a gallon, even in UK you use litres!!Althoug i agree you use miles, but easier to figure 100 miles is 160km rather than 4.whatever litres to the Gallon!!

and with the price of fags in UK i can probably fill it up cheaper here!!

95 Octane in Bahrain is about 15-16p a litre thus

91 Octane in Saudi is about 10p Thats what I use when over there in the E39, but not the E30 as it pinks

[mrLEE30]

All very well ans good Lee but you could fill up over there for the price of a pack of cigs over there. Town driving I would be willing to bet that halves!

my current town driving figure according to OBC is 12.5 litres per 100km (Bahrain is basically a big town although a few highway miles added in so lets say 50/50 split of motorway and normal streets) so thats about 22 MPG, and again i stress my 325 does not do very much better!!

think this is mainly as the 325 must be driven and revved hard to go fast, the 540 does not need such encouragment and the whole 5 series driving ethos is a much more relaxed affair.

[robbo86]

95 Octane in Bahrain is about 15-16p a litre thus

You know Lee, I no longer like you!!!! Simply because you petrol is that cheap. Someone call me an ambulance please I am having a heart attack!!!!

I would love to have a 540 but I only really do town driving, rarely any motorway, so unless I got it LPG'ed I couldnt really live with the costs.

[mrLEE30]

You know Lee, I no longer like you!!!!

you would hate my wifes car, it averages a coke cans worth of fuel per km on fuel consumption

that equates to a tear jerking 11 MPG which is even expensive to run here!!

i suppose the fact that its a 5.9 V8 4x4 does not help!!

[robbo86]

11 MPG......

Well whats a wife for if not to drain our spirit, our soul and most importantly our wallet?

Oh Hello dear..... OUCH!

[mrLEE30]

Oh Hello dear..... OUCH!

as long as she does not drain my fuel tank its ok!!

[mrLEE30]

just had the first issues with the E39, last week i got a flicker of the ABS/Traction Control light, it went out then reappeared again to go out and so on. yesterday it would not extinguish so fearing the worst (ABS pump=big money) i started to investigate - turned out to be the speed sensor on the front wheel, the wires has parted after years of failthful service, an easy fix (excepot getting the old plug apart - it had practically disintegrated) and all is well.

next issue is squeaky rear end which turns out to be the rear lower balljoint/bushing thingie....i may tackle this at a garage, has anyone changed one before on here?

it looks easy enough to get at but unsure if it requires removal of the arm and pressing out/in.

other then this the combined average fuel consuption has settled at 12.1l/100km which is 23 MPG in old money..not bad considereing you can waft away from most things at the lights

[bss325i]

The rear balljoint/bush thingie can be done in situ, just need the correct tool to pull it out and wind the new one in. A length of threaded bar and some nuts along with sockets big enough might work.

[maxfield]

I've done a couple before and was pretty easy. Although I was using the special tool. As Barry says, you could always make your own tool, as they're not any more than threaded bar and a big socket.

[S38B38]

I have had 2 of these E39 540,,
a stunning performer ,, and a much better value vs the M5 imo

goes as fast at top speed ((oem 250 km )) but ofcorse not as quick,,

a lot cheaper to run ,, the average cost is far behind S62B50
fuel bills are also acceptable,, and if you like the auto gearbox,, this is a perfect long-distance vehicle without changing gear,,
wonderful intown car ,,

as a E34 fan i would much more like to have a E34 M5 vs E39 M5..

but the E34 540 is far behind the E39 540,, specially in automatic version,, the 6 speed is a true gunner in E34

congratulation with this car and i am sure you will join the car all day long ,,

[Hellbound]

meLEE sir, how much Arabic would one need to learn to be able to work in that part of the world?

[pac1982]

meLEE sir, how much Arabic would one need to learn to be able to work in that part of the world?

You could always learn snake charming

[mrLEE30]

meLEE sir, how much Arabic would one need to learn to be able to work in that part of the world?

none! English is the spoken business language through out the civilised guilf region (Bahrain,UAE,Qatar,Oman,Kuwain and Saudi....the rest i would avoid), I do happen to speak Arabic but again only conversational arabic and not business arabic, and i have been working here for 13 years. I never use Arabic for work.

what yuou do need to work here is qualifications, the local markets are very much pushed to employ locals, thus foriegners must be provcen suitable for a job that could be done by a local, ot get a work visa you must be qualiffied by trade or Degree.

what line of work are you in - this way i can tell you now to have a look or not bother...and snake charming is not practicesd in this part of the World, that would be north Africa and Asian subcontinent

[Hellbound]

PM sent.