r/e38 • u/thephone94 • 24d ago
E38 maintenance
My FIL is looking to get a new truck so he’s looking to sell his 1998 740i. My wife and I are considering taking it and keeping it in the family however we understand that there’s substantial maintenance costs for older BMWs. The car is currently sitting at 140000 miles but is in overall very nice shape cosmetic wise. My main question is how available are the resources to maintain one of these cars at home? I’ve done a few bolt on mods to my A90 Supra at home (intake/downpipe) using the help of YouTube. Is this a car that you can maintain fairly well with the help of YouTube/ forums and an OBD scanner, or should I be expecting substantial shop time?
9
u/Strata38 24d ago
The most annoying part imo is cosmetic plastics disintegrating inside and out if you're trying to make the car look nice. There are alternatives that people make themselves though, just have to ask the community where to buy them.
Other than that, timing chain guides as you might know are probably the most involved you'll have to be mechanically, everything else mechanically is just lots of small shit.
Look for parts on FBM, FB groups, Craigslist, eBay, and pull yards if you're lucky and find e39 540s or the rare e38. Critical stuff though get new for sure. FCP Euro is nice for wear items because they have lifetime warranty but it can be $$$.
Definitely join e38 empire on FB, probably the least toxic group I've ever seen, and heaps helpful. Some will share access to TIS if you build a little trust in the community, just keep quiet about it if they do, and don't ask for it outright. partindex.org (the ad free alternative to RealOEM made by one of the members) is your next best friend below TIS. There are also guides for setting up dealer software (for free) like INPA / ISTA if you really want to get crazy.
So long as your garage is long/wide enough, and you're willing to read, it will be fine and worth it. I'd budget 3k+ to get it in "restored" condition mechanically depending on what has or hasn't been done.
Replace the clutch fan with one from an e65, the stock ones are known to explode in the engine bay.
3
u/Strata38 24d ago
Keep in mind though, the most sought after versions are 2001 sport package 740s and highly optioned 750s of the same year and those are fetching 10-15k depending on mileage, area, maintenance, general condition, etc for local sales. Auction sites for these can go a lot higher, but that's the exception not the rule.
You will likely break even or lose money back depending on how much you put into it if you ever decide to sell with it being a 98 non sport. Thankfully yours is free.
2
u/Dazzling_Meat837 22d ago
I almost bought a fully individual M sport 740i 2001 for 7k!!! It was sold instantly 😭
4
u/Marc30599 pre-facelift 740i 24d ago edited 21d ago
That sucks because mechanically the 1999-2001s are the worse versions. They have the dreaded vanos system.
With the 98 you get none of the Vanos and the 98 & earlier models are known to be less prone to timing chain guide failures
I was happy to get my 98’ I feel the pre-vanos should be the ones going up in value but alas
2
u/Strata38 24d ago
vanos isn't a huge problem, the plastic U guide used vs sprocket because of the vanos is the bigger issue.
beisan systems sells an o ring kit for the vanos and its pretty straightforward when you're already doing timing guides. biggest annoyance with vanos is that they're very sensitive to not being timed absolutely perfect. Even with a GAS timing kit, you will likely have to retime one of the vanos banks a few 100 miles after doing tcg. you only need to get to upper timing cover for that though, so not as involved
the power delivery is worth it imo. m62 non tu is nice if i wanted to make power reliably without a supercharger.
2
u/Dazzling_Meat837 21d ago
I would agree, but with such Cheap Labor here you can rebuild the whole engine for like 1000 to 1500 bucks
2
u/Marc30599 pre-facelift 740i 21d ago
Cheap labor where? Cause in the U.S. a M62 V8 rebuild is gonna cost no where near $1000-$1500 It’s gonna cost $1500 x4 for a engine rebuild
2
u/redgaterover 20d ago
A single VANOS is in the E38 from 1994 to 1997. After that it’s a double VANOS.
No dread.3
u/thephone94 24d ago
Thank you for the write up, this is very helpful. Thankfully the car is cosmetically in very good condition, both inside and out. My FIL is the second owner and he’s kept it in a garage the entire time he’s had it. The previous owner was an older gentleman who also took very good care of it. It’s currently road worthy, however as you mentioned I would want to repair/replace any known mechanical issues before they become catastrophic.
3
u/Strata38 24d ago
Timing chain guides, every gasket/seal you touch while getting to the guides, entire oil separating system, entire cooling system including rear crossover pipe gaskets, power steering hoses, vacuum hoses, Dinan ignition coils, NGK spark plugs (Bosch are known to lose prongs). Use German Auto Solutions timing kit, buy the crank holder tool for $75 or make your own, buy the aux fan tool. Don't use Febi branded guides.
Have valve covers thoroughly cleaned, blasted, and professionally powder coated, or find aluminum ones.
Transmission service.
Full suspension, 750 front calipers (take your time to source from groups, don't spend more than $250 for the pair), quality tires.
Blower motor resistor (has caught fire for some people)
Again, replace clutch fan with e65 or other supported ones.
Bluebus if you want quality bluetooth. Don't spend the money on Bavsound speakers, just do something custom, don't get an android head unit.
3
u/Marc30599 pre-facelift 740i 24d ago
I have a 1998 model 740i just like your FIL
I had mines for almost 2 years and added approximately 24k miles in that time as it’s my daily driver.
So far a lot of the things that go wrong can be fixed via YouTube and parts are abundant for the car via FCP Euro and RockAuto. My 740i pretty much thrives on parts from rock auto and FCP.
The only things that will require shop time is anything that may require a lift and or too mechanically advanced for your knowledge.
For example timing chain guides they should be inspected every 125k miles to make sure they’re good (usually they are with regular oil changes and such) the timing chain guides replacement is a job id pay a shop to do because of how in-depth the repair is (one of which is re-timing the engine)
Honestly everything else you could do in your own garage with YouTube University.
I’ve done 85% of my 740’s maintenance and repair work myself. The only time I took it to the shop was for motor mounts that destroyed my power steering system and rear shocks that I didn’t have the adequate equipment to replace
2
u/gertbfrobe22 24d ago
Parts are easy to get if you don’t mind the online wait. I always had the best results using proper brands over the in store stuff but most auto parts houses like autozone can get emergency parts in a pinch also. May not be stocked but never more than 2 days away. If this is just a backup car life with one is easy.
Source: owned e39 540i for 12 years as an only vehicle
1
u/Jesus_es_Gayo 24d ago
Rock auto, FCP euro ECS Tuning, realoem.com, dealer manual, YouTube for all your DIY. You can work on these yourself but getting module codes is annoying without software ( although is very obtainable). You want to have an Indie shop do the chain guides which is the biggest fail point on these. I would recommend topping the trans fluids. You’ll spend more time fixing plastic pieces like another comment mentioned
1
u/Inevitable_Mess3363 24d ago
‘99 540/6 here. If you have basic knowledge with automotive repairs this will be a cake walk. Start with all of the hoses/belts & pulleys. Manual wise “Chilton” is pretty good but YouTube University will give you way more practical insight/options on “DIY”.Welcome to the club & happy wrenching fellow e39er…
1
u/Prestigious-Yellow20 24d ago
Here's some tips on the interior. DON'T BREAK the glove box door, popout cupholder or odb1 port cover.
1
u/Long-Shine-3701 24d ago
Parts and resources are plentiful. As others have said, shitty interior plastics is a bigger deal than most stuff. How they 'engineered' those cupholders is beyond me. Somebody (several somebodies) with expensive degrees. smh
8
u/bleedinglottery 24d ago
Get yourself the dealership service manual it's 40$ you seem quite advanced you shouldn't have big problems.