Hi guys, not sure if you saw my thread on my car getting stolen but I'm now looking at a used 540i. I'm hoping to decide tonight but would like to see the carfax. They had one of the other kinds of history checks and it listed frame damage under the auction inspection? He said that is common for anything noticed on the underbody, and there are some broken skid panels down there, so can anyone confirm what he was saying? Aside from that, it showed no accidents, no history, one owner.

The VIN is WBADN53441GC97166

I'm aware of the cooling system woes, but is there anything else specific for the model to look out for? I was surprised just how clean this one was and aside from one burnt out lightbulb and low tread on the front tires, it was in great shape for an '01 with ~94,000 miles.

Thanks for any help!

 

Just go buy a paint meter, really. If you are going to look at used cars, especially used cars with some power, $400 is a good investment.

The E39 540 at your mileage is going to probably need some cooling system work, perhaps leaky valve cover, or valley pan, or power steering hoses leaking, all common stuff.

At least the MAF's on regular E39's don't go bad like on the M5 which I am having to replace...

 

Thanks for the list of things to look at. These are some of the things I noticed when I took a look at the car this morning. There were no drips under the car when I first got there (always check that but who knows how long the car was parked there) and the valve cover gasket didn't have any oil seeping through. The skid panels were moist though with oil, so there is a seal somewhere that would need to be replaced, and it was also moist along the seam where the tranny mates to the motor. All of the hoses, radiator, water pump housing, etc looked brand new? which almost raises more questions about the flag of frame damage listed by the auction inspection, but there did not appear to be any body work done (gaps between panels consistent, no signs of body filler, etc).

For typical things on a higher milage car, I really don't mind because I can take care of that kind of stuff myself (change gaskets, suspension bushings, etc if needed to make sure that it will last for me). I don't want to have to deal with constant issues though..

 

Carfax is clean and shows the car has been maintained regularly

Go with God my child

 

Seriously, get a paint meter.

You CAN repair frame damage and make the gaps consistent.

But, there is basically no way to replicate factory paint depth. So, if there ever was any kind of accident, no matter how good of a repair job, the paint meter will show it.

Take it from someone who should have spent the money years ago instead of being saddled with a repainted car that was in an accident.

 

Thanks for the information. Everything seems too good to be true with this car!

stuka,

Thanks for the advice, I know nothing about paint meters though. Are there any kinds of places that I could expect to find one locally? I figure that they would be simple to use, place against the paint and see what it says, rinse repeat at various parts of the car. Do you also happen to know what one would expect to find if it is in fact factory paint? It looks near perfect all over like it was regularly detailed as the ad said, but that claims it was quoted from the original owner so I don't exactly trust it.

 

These work perfectly fine for your purpose.

Paint Meter, Paint Gauge, Paint Gage - HighLineMeter.com

Put the meter on a few points on each panel, slight variation is fine, but it will be apparent to you when you hit a panel that has been repainted.

 

Alright guys thanks again. Pending a look over again tomorrow, I might be driving home a new to me 2001 540i (6 speed!!!!). It still sucks that I have to buy this car anyways, but all things considered I'm starting to get excited!

 

Love me my manuals!

 

Nicely done!