2005 BMW 5 Series 545i 4.4 8 cylinder from North America
Summary:
Powerful, sharp, and demanding
Faults:
Front wheel bearings, minor oil leaks, full cooling system overhaul, Logic 7 amplifier.
General Comments:
I bought this car from a previous owner who did not maintain the car (for a great price)... big mistake. These E60 BMWs need to be maintained the correct way in order to be reliable. Part of the reason BMWs of this era are prone to issues is that the dealer recommends oil change intervals of 12,000 miles. Oil left circulating in an engine for this long begins to eat away at various seals and gaskets, and causes oil leaks.
In the case of BMW V8s, potential owners should be wary of cooling issues, especially with city cars. I just replaced my water pump, main upper and lower cooling hoses, and both belts, and the car now runs very well and smooth. I actually purchased a brand new water pump with gaskets off of eBay for $39. The quality of the new eBay part was miles better than the BMW original... the OEM pump uses a plastic impeller, whereas the new part uses a metal one.
Aside from all of this however, the car is an absolute blast to drive. This is one seriously powerful and quick car. My car did not come with the Sport package, but I added new springs and Bilstein yellow struts at all 4 corners and it rides and handles great. The styling is also timely enough that it still looks sharp and modern today.
The key to owning a BMW of this era is to stay up to date with maintenance, find a good indy mechanic, and buy all of your own parts online.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 16th January, 2016
14th Dec 2017, 15:34
Newer BMW water pumps don’t use impellers made of plastic - they’re composites, much more durable yet still light on load. When I got my ‘01 316TI in 2009, I asked my independent mechanic to replace the water pump as a precaution - as I usually do when I buy any used car. This time he said these ones don’t really give problems and he just kept checking it every service. It’s now nearly 8 years and 100K km since getting the car, still the original water pump. I’ll get him to replace it next service as a precaution.
14th Dec 2017, 00:16
A new water pump for $40? I would suggest you place a live camera to film check the water every minute you are driving the car. Forget about the metallic impeller, it's the bearing and bearing seal quality which should be good for some Chinese car toy at that price. How could you just gamble this much on one of the most important, if not the most important component in your car? Your V8 is an interference engine. And you were warning us about owners who don't maintain properly their car.
To all others, never buy no name or cheap brand water pumps for any car brands. With no exception, either get the water pump from the main dealer or get the brand that is furnishing the main dealer (Graf, Aisin, Hepu, etc). This is the single part that will cost you the entire engine. Read forums on all car brands to see which aftermarket part fails most often and ruins the engine.