1986 BMW 5 Series SE i review from UK and Ireland

The backs fall off the front seats, the cloth wears out on the side of the drivers seat. watch out for rusting fuel pipes on top of the tank sender unit, remove the inspection cover to reveal this hidden and over looked problem inside the boot on saloons.dashboards,service interval L.E.D.s fail to reset when the back up battery goes dead, which can cause the eco gauge to stop working.in time, then the speedometer can stop as well!!!.on the m30 engine the electronic throttle by pass that controls the idle speed from cold is useless, changed it under warranty and gave up,no change in cold start slow running {only 500 rpm.} however it still runs in mid winter and soon warms up. it's just an annoyance, with it on the verge of stalling for the first few minuets each morning.

The car, otherwise is a pleasure to own and drive, it's as reliable as the planet earth, a superb motorway cruiser, the 4 speed auto gearbox, in lockup,the engine is only turning over a mere 2100 rpm at 70 mph.what a motor that 2.8 six pot on E.F.I really is. overall average is 17.5 mpg. over a years motoring.{ and that's driven modestly }lots of short trips of less than 4 miles contributes to the poor figures. in heavy traffic it, s down to 13mpg. best over 30 mpg.I still love it, the E28 is a winner.