E39 Longevity

[Rob]

Originally Posted by John V

I consided my E36 to be extremely reliable and well-built too. Only "major" problem was a $150 radiator I had to throw at it. But the perception of them in the BMW community is that they're junk at least compared to the E30.

No water pump? Shock mounts? Vanos sensor? Rtabs? Thermostat fittings? You were lucky. Oh, how about window regulators.

[John V]

Originally Posted by rwg

No water pump? Shock mounts? Vanos sensor? Rtabs? Thermostat fittings? You were lucky. Oh, how about window regulators.

I did shock mounts preventatively when I put new shocks on at 40k... the mounts were $50 with reinforcements. I did a water pump, thermostat and coolant flush at 60k, again as preventative maintenance. Total for parts was just over $100. Powerflex RTABs (even though the stock ones were fine after two seasons of autocross) for $100 shipped. No vanos problems, no window regulators. I don't consider any of those things that I did major as they're typically considered wear items. And they were cheap

[Rob]

Yea, I agree for the most part. I think that the water pump failures and radiator failures are a little bit bigger deal though. That stuff shouldn't fail, and certainly not as quickly as it does.

[John V]

Originally Posted by rwg

Yea, I agree for the most part. I think that the water pump failures and radiator failures are a little bit bigger deal though. That stuff shouldn't fail, and certainly not as quickly as it does.

The new factory replacement water pumps last a long long time. The problematic ones are the ones that came stock on the '95 and early '96 M3s and the metal aftermarket ones.

The failure of the radiator is inexcusable - but that afflicts ALL BMW's - E30s, E36s and E46s included. They all have the plastic endtanks and plastic necks that snap off.

[Rob]

The water pump in my '99 M3 went at about 40k miles. The replacement part was a rebuilt pump with a metal impeller (the part is warrantied for life). But the replacement pumps with the new composite impellers - it wasn't used for my repair.

[lemming]

fast, reliable and cheap. choose two.

always.

there are 4 vehicles in the driveway and i'll be damned if i can't figure out how to get all 3 of those parameters in a single vehicle. the only thing about post 1999 BMWs is how electronic-laden they are. it hurts the 'reliable' category a lot over time. these days cars are de facto rolling computers, except they see uv-rays constantly, salt and sand, extreme hot and extreme cold. it's a wonder that the mechanical stuff is as reliable as it is, but the higher the electronic content, the less reliable it's going to be. no one expects a laptop to last through those conditions for more than 3 solid years, so why would we expect computers in cars to last that long?

[Theo]

Originally Posted by rwg

No water pump? Shock mounts? Vanos sensor? Rtabs? Thermostat fittings? You were lucky. Oh, how about window regulators.

No to all of those so far. I have my local independent dealer looking for shit to fix every visit to. After some initial stuff I replaced after buying the car over two years ago she has been pretty dam solid the last 22k.

I do need to replace the belts and valve cover gasket though.

btw anybody know if its worth putting in proformance pullies on the E36 M? I figured if I was in there changing the belts I could stick these on as well.

[robg]

Originally Posted by lemming

fast, reliable and cheap. choose two.

always.

there are 4 vehicles in the driveway and i'll be damned if i can't figure out how to get all 3 of those parameters in a single vehicle. the only thing about post 1999 BMWs is how electronic-laden they are. it hurts the 'reliable' category a lot over time. these days cars are de facto rolling computers, except they see uv-rays constantly, salt and sand, extreme hot and extreme cold. it's a wonder that the mechanical stuff is as reliable as it is, but the higher the electronic content, the less reliable it's going to be. no one expects a laptop to last through those conditions for more than 3 solid years, so why would we expect computers in cars to last that long?

I hear you, but its rare that you hear people complaining about the electronic stuff causing problems. More often than not its the mickey mouse, basic stuff like radiators, water pumps, window regs, etc. Come to think of it, its relativly rare to hear about some complex electronics problem on a late model BMW (e65 and newer excepted).

[lemming]

Originally Posted by robg

I hear you, but its rare that you hear people complaining about the electronic stuff causing problems. More often than not its the mickey mouse, basic stuff like radiators, water pumps, window regs, etc. Come to think of it, its relativly rare to hear about some complex electronics problem on a late model BMW (e65 and newer excepted).

when i was in BMW waiting rooms regularly, it was usually an expensive electronic part and it was uncomfortable sitting there as the SA was explaining how much it costs just to get the part, let along fly it in from Germany.

it was usually something for an e39 or an e36, as i remember it. discussions about window regulators and water pumps were just background music.

[John V]

Originally Posted by TBM3C

No to all of those so far. I have my local independent dealer looking for shit to fix every visit to. After some initial stuff I replaced after buying the car over two years ago she has been pretty dam solid the last 22k.

I do need to replace the belts and valve cover gasket though.

btw anybody know if its worth putting in proformance pullies on the E36 M? I figured if I was in there changing the belts I could stick these on as well.

You can see incremental gains from accessory pullies but do not under any circumstances replace the crank pulley. Unless you want your oil pump nut to become intimate with the bottom of the oil pan. :P