Adieu

[fazer]

Well guys, I had enough and have sold the Merc and have gone back to BMW and bought a 530 tourer - a year younger than the Merc. And guess what, there's not a spot of rust on the BMW!

To summarise my experience of being a (W210) owner all I need to say is that I got my fingers badly burned. The car was alive with rust and it had no reliability factor - it was a matter of guess-what-component-would-fail-next. And the local Mercedes dealership, in my opinion, is doing for customer care what myxamytosis did for rabbits. But then I'm not stating anything that many of you don't already know.

Anyway, thank you for all of your assistance. This is a great site and I have spent many hours reading all the valuable advice and tips. It was just a pity I didn't join before buying the dam thing in the first place!

I need to now join a different German manufacturers forum.

Thanks again.

 

[br1anstorm]

Good luck - and let us hope that messages and feedback like yours (and doubtless there are many others) actually register on Mercedes Benz's, or Daimler-Chrysler's, radar and has some effect on their approach to production-quality.

Me - I count my blessings that I have a Merc built when engineers were in charge and quality mattered (it's a W126...)

br1anstorm

 

[stumpy]

Check inside the fuel filler cap bowl, and the lower corners of the tailgate window aperture on the E39. Good luck with it.

 

[A210AMG]

Hello,


Hope the BMW is a petrol as the 18 months I spent on the BMW forum the amount of blown turbos on the dervs.... not good. I'm just glad I had the petrol and the 3.0 straight six is a lovely engine..I do miss the vrrroooom

Its a great site by the way, I'm still on there now and again

http://www.bmwland.co.uk

 

[anyweb]

indeed !

check this out from honestjohn's car by car guide (good reading)

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/index.php?url=/carbycar/index.htm

What's Bad

Have been quibbles about build quality and paint. Dodgy door seals. Electrical niggles reported, including faults with ventilation and airconditining system, airbags, park distance control. Engine gasket leaks. Wipers set for LHD. Old 2.5 litre diesel not significantly more economical than petrol, so best avoided. V8s not worth the extra. 2.8iSE and newer 3.0iSE is as far as you need to go. Franchised dealers know how to charge. Problem with combined navigation and telephone system of facelift E39 from Y2k. Excess rear tyre wear can cause Steptronic autoboxes to stick in a lower gear after ascending an incline. Uneven rear tyre wear itself and clonks from the rear can be caused by worn rear suspension bushes. Reports of repeated thermostat problems blowing radiators on older E39s. Flat spots of and lack of power or M47 and M57 diesels due to a known problem with the wire mesh air mass sensor. When replaced, must reprogramme ECU to match new meter. Lack of power also caused by cracked inlet manifolds. Misfires of M47/M57 caused by failed injectors. Turbo trouble with early 530s caused by ECU programme allowing higher boost than safe for turbo. Cured by replacing turbo, reprogramming ECU and thoroughly cleaning turbo inlet manifold and pipework because a blockage can cause the engine to run on its sump oil and self-destruct. If M54 engine management light comes on could be faulty throttle housing plug on later cars (requiring new engine wiring loom) or split crankcase breather hose or split diaphragm in cyclone separator on earlier cars. Coolant loss and overheating of M62 engine could be due to failed water pump, failed valley gasket under inlet manifold or cracked/porous block. 17" wheels easily damaged on inner rim. Only 89% breakdown free in 2003 Which survey. 1995-1997 petrol rates average for breakdowns and faults, poor for problems; 1998-2000 petrol rated average for breakdowns and problems, poor for faults in 2003 Which survey. Replaced by E60 October 2003, but E39 Touring continued for 9 months. Brake pipe corrosion in area over fuel tank becoming common. Older cars plagued by electrical problems: failing lcds, etc.

This applies to Renault 1.5DCI engines, but may explain why the diesel turbochargers fail: The EGR valve should open to allow carbon dioxide (which acts as a cooling gas) into the combustion chambers when the engine is under load (>30% boost). This allows the combustion chamber temperature to drop and thus the temperature of the exhaust gases. If it sticks in the closed position the exhaust gas temperature will rise causing a) the turbo bearings to fail and b) engine oil into the induction system. This can cause the engine to run on its crankcase oil until it is either stalled or goes bang. Problems with EGR valves are often the cause of rough running when the valve is stuck in the open position as well. In several cases turbos have blown but the EGR valve has not been replaced. Inevitably the new turbo unit will not last long.
What to Watch Out For
See above. Build date from 2001 shown on engine compartment label on top of front nearside wheelarch. Repaired accident damage. Excessively high franchised dealer prices for over-specified cars. M52 520i six 523i six, 528i six to September 1998 may suffer premature bore wear due to high amounts of sulphur in some UK petrol. Solved by replacement block with steel-lined bores on sixes. Production from September 1998 fitted with 'EU3' steel-lined bores. (No such problems with newer 525i and 530i six cylinder engines, and no problems with M62 V8s in the E39) Check took kit is all there. Service light indicator can easily be re-set, so a paid invoice is the only guarantee of a recent service. If buying a 6 clinder car, particularly a 523i, from a dealer insist on a new MOT because the emissions test will show up potentially expensive catalytic converter failure.

General Warning about Automatic Transmissions: Many BMWs have "sealed for life" automatic transmissions. Regardless of whether you have a full BMW service history, the dealer will never change the auto fluid. Many of these boxes are failing around the 120-150k mark - often well outside of warranty and to a cost of £3.5k plus VAT. A good independent or automatic transmission specialist can and will change the fluid for you (and any good BMW independents will recommend this anyway). This is
commonplace in the US and means the 'box should last the life of the car rather than being the cause of it being written off. General advice is ensure the fluid is flushed out every 60k or more preferably at each Inspection II.
Recalls
15/12/1999: (E39 built Sept/Oct 1999): brake light switch may fail leading to brake lights flickering or failing and switch overheating. New switches to be fitted. 9/11/2001: Cars built 28/9/2001 to 24/10/2001 with Continental tyres may have cuts in the tyres which can lead to blowouts. 16/11/2001: 5-Series diesels and V8s built 11/11/2000 - 30/9/2001 recalled because fault with radiator fan motor could lead electrics to overload, fan motor to fail and a small electrical fire to result. w/e 23/2/2002: recall in Germany for all models fitted with Conti Eco Contact and Sport Contact 205/55 R16 and 225/55 R16 tyres due to a pressure problem. 22-2-02 Bearing in front strut top mountings may be displaced if car is jacked up. 2023 cars affected. 1-11-3003: on 8,183 cars microprocessor in airbag control unit could develop a fault leading to airbag going off when ignition key is turned. Replace with re-coded unit.

We will be here when you sell the BMW in 2 years and long for another Merc.

 

[stumpy]

I have read the above and can add some useful input here. My folks bought a 530i petrol auto Touring in March 02. They still run it now. It has done 65k miles with a full BM history.

The car has (had) the following faults:

Hydraulic assist for the tailgate packed up - BMW split the bill 50/50
Windscreen washer pump blew.
Has 2 spots of rust in the tailgate window aperture (to be done under warranty)

And that's it.

It is quite heavy on tyres (it's a heavy car), fuel economy very reasonable and a peach of an engine. The door seals can creak on all E39s. BMW have a special polish for the door shuts to eliminate this.

I really do feel that the post above whilst informative, is not indicative. A bit like the bumf you get with your pills from the doc. A mild headache, right through to death.

 

[Blobcat]

I suppose the money you save on body work repairs can be spent at the chiropractor (depending upon wheel/tyre choice) ;-)

 

[stumpy]

The E39 rides superbly in fact. The E60 has the runflats and stiff suspension.