Re: Reliability of 525i, 530i (long)

[Bob Hazelwood <woodyh@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

oscar_ortega wrote:

> Date: Thu, 22 Oct 1998 08:24:04 -0400
> From: oscar_ortega@domain.elided (Oscar Ortega)
> Subject: Reliability of 525i, 530i
>
> Gentlemen,
>
>    I am new to this forum, I currently own a 83 Porsche 928 this car has been a living hell I
> have sunk more money into this then the cost of the Titanic ( you know what they say Porsche,
> there is no substitute ....for a Lemon).
>
>    Anyway enough about my current frustration, I am interested in buying a '93 525i or '94 530i
> 5 spd. How reliable are they, any problems I should know about. I heard from one member of bmwcca
> that the 525 has as plastic water pump. Any troublesome electrics, or A/C

<snip>

I had some past experience trying to keep an '86 911 running consistently, so I know where you're
coming from. It wasn't mine, thank God, but was a company demo car that I was responsible for
maintaining.
I have a '93 525i purchased May '97 with 42kMi. Now it has '92kMi. I'm sorry to say that this car has
had more stinkin' little problems in the past year than my old '87 325 with 250,000 mi. had in the
last 5-years I owned it. However, nothing major has given me problems and I take solace in the fact
that some of the problems I have had can probably be traced to neglect by the P.O.
I don't know if my experience tracks that of other owners, but I have found the heating/AC to be
troublesome. Once I fix one problem, another seems to crop up. So far the circulation pump has
jammed, (rebuilt it, no $$$), temp sensor fan jammed (common problem, easy fix; take the dirt out)
one of the servo motors crapped out (dealer fixed at NC since it was still within their used car
warranty) and now it runs scaldingly hot for the first five minutes, then stone cold unless I turn
the knob to the full on position where it becomes scaldingly hot again. Fixing that will be this
weekend's project. Any ideas digesters? Maybe I'm too conservative but I like the old systems where
you move a lever and it moves a flap or valve. I never froze in my old E30 and it had no servos, dual
zone temp, electronic controls or other distractions. You can have this electronic stuff! I have
heard that the evaporators often need replacement, but the Japanese Sanken compressors are supposedly
much better than the earlier Bosch units.
The other ongoing headache I have had is the widely discussed E34 wandering/steering play. These cars
suffer from thrust rod bushing wear, idler arm bearing wear, and often loose steering. The fixes are
well documented in the FAQ's, and seem to work most of the time. I found I had a bad steering box
with a higher than usual amount of play. I don't know how common this is, but based on some E-mails
communications I have had from other E34 owners I wouldn't be suprised to find that it is more common
than we think. I have a used box which seems to not have the excessive play which I hope to install
this weekend.
Other stuff has been the expected replacement of worn brakes, a front oil seal, worn nylon shifter
bushing. Basically nothing unusual for a 90kMi. car.
Everything else has been flawless so far. The M50tu engine seems to have a well deserved excellent
reputation for solid reliable performance. The first year for this engine was '93. Prior years used
either the M50 without the VANOS, or the M30B25. The M50tu is not a torque monster, but it is
noticeably better than the earlier versions. The V8's have a cylinder wear problem that could get you
a new block for free, so this may be a hidden bonus disguised as a problem.
I have only driven one 530i (auto, '95 i think), and only a few other 525 and 528i's (both flavors,
various years). IMHO, I like my 525i 5-sp. better than the 530i drove. This may be partially because
of the slushbox, but the 525i seems somehow more "agile". I don't know if there is a weight-bias
difference or something which would explain this. I have a Jim C. chip, and with the SOP Dyno my car
seemed to pull better than the 530 off the line. I was expecting the 3 liter V8 to be better, but to
my surprise it wasn't. A 540 on the other hand; now that's an engine!
Overall, I like the car a lot. I'm not in love with it, but I like it. To me, "love" requires an M3.
Or maybe a 540i 6-sp. Oddly enough, while driving the 5, I often find myself missing the directness
and tossability of my old 3. The 5 feels ponderous and over-isolated sometimes. With wife and kid in
their respective seats and a trunk full of luggage it beats the 3 hands down.
And oh yeah, the factory stereo SUCKS! But this is true of virtually all BMW's, so no surprises here.

> I went ahead and joined BMWCCA to try and talk to as many owners of BWM as possible.

Good move. You'll find this digest, and the 5-series message board
http://www.bimmer.org/5series/messages/to be valuable sources of information and the occasional
entertaining WOB.

Best regards,

Bob Hazelwood
'93 525i 5-sp, Sharked, BL/ss level 3, K&N, H&R/Bilstein, 17" Borbet type M, Dunlop D40/M2
BMW CCA

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