Hey all,
I'm considering buying a 02 540i with about 43K miles. The car drives great and is pretty clean overall. My main concern is the potential maintenance beyond the 50K. Looked into extended warranties from dealers here in So Cali, but wanted to see what people's experiences have been with maintenance after 50K.
If anyone has any recommendations on warranties, that would be cool to.
Thanks..
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| Reply » Newbie who is considering buying a 540i |
With all the sludge discussion going on i think ill be the first to recommend this, Take the oil cap off and look inside, if its clean your good to go, if not  , start looking for another 540!
Ketchup and I have the same problem with sludge and its taken me a complete rebuild to fix it so just make sure all oil services were made within suggested intervals with oem oils.
Good luck with the shopping 
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| Reply » Newbie who is considering buying a 540i |
If your main concern is maintenance, BMW may not be for you. BMWs are simply not as reliable as Hondas or Toyotas and if that's what you want buy a Honda or Toyota. In my view, the Germans do not think it is a big deal to maintain their cars and do so without much fanfare. This may not be your thing, and if you can't deal with it don't buy one.
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| Reply » Newbie who is considering buying a 540i |
I agree with Ohmess. Buy the 540 if you are mechanically inclined and don't mind doing the normal maintenance yourself (oil, air filter changes, brake jobs etc...). But if you are not that mechanically inclined and would bring the car to the dealer or indy shop for everything, then this car is not for you. I hope that this helps you to decide. Good luck!
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| Reply » Newbie who is considering buying a 540i |
Quote: | I agree with Ohmess. Buy the 540 if you are mechanically inclined and don't mind doing the normal maintenance yourself (oil, air filter changes, brake jobs etc...). But if you are not that mechanically inclined and would bring the car to the dealer or indy shop for everything, then this car is not for you. I hope that this helps you to decide. Good luck! | I don't believe this is a fair statement. Just be prepared that service costs may be a bit more. To tell people that if you are not a DIYer that you should not buy the car is a bit harsh. Do you believe that the majority of 540 owners are DIYers? I would believe that is a very small minority of owners, although it may be much higher on this site.
Davef
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| Reply » Newbie who is considering buying a 540i |
BMWs are expensive to fix, no doubt about that. Visit www.1sourceautowarranty.com and look into them for an aftermarket warranty. I have been quite satisfied with them for two claims thus far. Don't let the "we can't sell you a warranty in CA" statement scare you away. Contact them...there is a way around that little nuance.
540s are classic for radiator failures...keep an eye on ANY fluid leak in and around the radiator...make it a Saturday morning exercise to check. They typically fail in the 60-100k range.
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Newbie who is considering buying a 540i