1994 BMW 5 Series 530i review from North America
"This car is a money pit"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Engine block losing compression.
DME blown.
All brakes.
All ignition coils.
Valve cover gaskets.
Intake gaskets.
Thermostat housing.
Power seats.
Heated seats.
General comments?
This car has way too many things that can go wrong with it.
Everything is ridiculously expensive to fix.
The engine in this car is make of a compound called nikosil. The compound is affected by a high sulfur count in American gasoline, which causes the cylinders to be eaten away. BMW knows about the problem with the engine block and only fixed it (under warranty) if it happened within 5 years or 100,000 miles. This is over a 4000 dollar repair to change the short block if you have to pay it yourself. I bought this car without knowing this and my car had just gone out of the warranty from BMW to fix it. So now I have this to worry about plus the 4000 dollars it cost me to fix the rest of the stuff.
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| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Don't Know |
| First year of ownership | 2001 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2001 |
| Engine and transmission | 3.0 32 valve V8 Manual |
| Performance marks | 10/10 |
| Reliability marks | 0/10 |
| Comfort marks | 10/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 0/10 |
| Distance when acquired | 90000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 97000 miles |
| Previous car | BMW 3 Series |
| Date of Entry | 10th December, 2001 |