| M5 - continued
Hi BC,
Chief Techie has just called to say:
1) High oil consumption was a problem in cars produced between Sept 98 till Feb 00. Some are OK if run-in properly but others will drink you dry. There is no easy fix ~ the block and piston design was changed. Mine did 1500mpp which was considered good albeit annoying at £30 per 4L tin.
2) VANOS was modified in Nov 2000 to prevent excessive noise. Again, if it hasn't been a problem in six years, it probably isn't going to be. Mine was a July 99 production car as was a little noisy but OK in service.
3) Brakes on all M cars are very expensive. It cost me £1800 for disks and pads two years ago!! So, look through front wheels at disks. Any serious wear ridges will mean replacement is imminent.
Other than that, he says, E39s are a solid car that should give many more years of fine service.
Hope this helps.
Best of Luck,
Norm. |