Comments: 1-15, 16-22
Bear in mind, the vehicle needed the majority of these parts replaced due to age or recommended maintenance. No parts every failed completely.
Camshaft, Rockers, Rocker-Shafts, Head-Gasket - Due to previous owner not using proper grade oil, and not having valves and oiler-bar inspected/adjusted every 15K. And failing to change Coolant every 2yrs. with BMW Coolant. (Up to 90K it was serviced at BMW)
Drive-shaft, Transmission, Transmission mounts and bracket, Differential Mount, Shocks and upper mounts, front upper control arm bushings (750iL type/modified), lower control arms, tie-rods, center-link, Radiator, Water-Pump and housing, Alternator Bushings, Rotors & Pads, Calipers, Gas Tank, Fuel Transfer Pump, Exhaust, Catalytic Converter - needed welding - still original, Rear sub-frame mounts, rear pitman arm bushings, fuel injectors, cap & rotor and that is it for major replacement parts.
I have owned a 1984 533i since 1997. It has been my one and only daily driver. It had 113K miles. when I bought it - and now has 185K miles. Basically, the car has been re-built. Although very expensive to rebuild it throughout the years, it truly is a very rewarding automobile. The 533i, in my opinion, is extremely rare today - almost more so than a E28 M5. If you can find a nice one, buy it.
The chassis (E28) is very solid, and the motor is the kind that made the company famous - In-line-6, M30, SOHC, 181HP, 195lb. ft. torque. Curb Weight: 3,200 lbs. est. 0-60: man. 7.7, auto. 9.4 sec. The E28 5-series (`82-`88) has an enormous trunk (same size as 750iL). Top Speed: 129-134mph.
Beware of rust. Look at inner door-panels, rear fender well lips, valence panels, license plate lights, gas tank, rocker panels, and that's usually it.
The 533i used the infamous metric TRX Tire/rims package as standard equipment. If the vehicle still has these wheels (15.4"), identified by Michelin TRX tires can only fit size 200/60 or 220/55 - the rim/wheel is 390mm which translates to 15.4". These tires are very hard to find, except for the Tire Rack or Coker Tire. It is common to replace these wheels/tires with more contemporary ones (14"-16"). Although the original 20-spoke, metric/TRX rims do look superb!
Be very careful driving in the rain or snow! If using it in snow, is mandatory to equip. it with the best Snow Tires, front and rear. This requires using non-metric wheels. 14" or 15" Steel Wheels, equipped with period-correct BMW Wheel Covers are the way to go when mounting Snow Tires. Good snow tires make a HUGE difference.
If you buy one and want to really take care of it you must do the following: Check the valves every 15K (inspect Banjo-bolt sprayer bar), use a heavy-grade oil (15W-40 or 20W-50), use only BMW Coolant (change every 2 years), Trans. fluid flush every 30K same with Differential. Keep it clean! Wash it, and wax it as much as possible (wax at least 2-3 times a year) - don't skip out on the rear or front lower valence panels - under bumpers. And Condition the leather (at least twice a year). The dashboard will crack like crazy unless you treat it and/or cover it when parked in sun (windshield sun shield may help too).
Overall the 533i is a collector car in my opinion - but can certainly be used as a daily-driver. Only 10,000 533i's were produced from 1983-1984. Bear in mind, the 528e (`82-`88), which looks identical from 50 feet away, was produced in huge numbers (over 100,000) - so comparing this to a 533i, you can see why the 533i is indeed, an endangered species.
You must have a new car with all you've had to renew!
Well, in some ways yes. More than half of it has been re-built. But the car has NEVER left me stranded during the nine years of ownership. Just recently it was published in a BMW magazine.
I have the 1984 533i and noticed you had problems with the differential mount. Mine completely separated from the bottom of the chassis a month ago; I had a patch built but am still suffering from a damaged differential and probably rear-r axle. What was the extent of your damage, and how were you able to effectively repair?
Regarding your comment/question: It is common for any mounts to wear-out with age. Are you saying your worn diff. mount which wore-out, somehow damaged the frame (where attached) and it needed to be patched? I've never heard of that happening. I'm assuming you replaced the diff. mount with a new one from BMW. It's a good idea to replace the 2 transmission mounts as well (not difficult). Check the condition of the trans. bracket too, and the torque on the bolts. These items can effect drive-shaft, differential and CV-Joint alignment - if incorrect parts are installed it can through things out of spec. and vibrations will slowly occur and sometimes worsen. This happened to me, after 2 years of owning my car - the original owner, had common auto. trans. issues at 90K miles., and took the car to a well-known trans. shop who charged them $2K for a re-build. A year a trans. leak developed. $1K later it was fixed. I bought the car shortly after. When I owned it, drive-shaft vibrations started after two years. My mechanic showed me why. This well-known shop which the orig. owners had the trans. repaired damaged 1/4 of the trans. bracket, and intsalled the wrong trans. mounts - this threw the drive-shaft out of alignment (plus the drive-shaft needed replacement anyways from wear at 125K miles.) We replaced the trans. bracket, mounts and diff. mount, and installed a new BMW-re-built drive-shaft. 80% of the vibrations went away. Now at 185K miles. I still have the orig. differential, CV-joints/half-shafts. I recommend NOT having a BMW auto. trans. repaired at a common trans. repair shop, the same goes with any major items on a BMW. Take it to BMW or a BMW mechanic who is knowledgeable, experienced and enthusiastic on working on older Bimmers.
I have just purchased a 1984 533i from a private owner in Pittsburg California. It's probably the nicest car I've owned. It has about 225,000 miles on it, mechanically sound, paint average, and interior is excellent. Before I changed the spark plugs, and gave it an oil change, it ran very nicely before the engine started missing. Since then, I have been having minor electrical problems (Brake light warning light) although there is no noticable problem with the brake lights at all. All in All, an excellent car, nice driver, and when its washed and detailed, you can't help, but notice it.
Greatly appreciated.
If you are referring to the Check/Control System (warning lights above mirror), overtime they do act up. My brake light bulb warning would come on recently - found out it was a fuse that needed replacing, and the contacts needed to be adjusted - very easy. Another odd sensor issue is my oil level warning light - it only comes on if I push the "test" button. The oil level is always normal. So yes, sensors do go wacky due to age, but overall no lights are ever on.
In 1983, the BMW 533i was the "fastest production sedan in the US", according to a popular automotive publication. Equipped with a manual transmission, top speed is 134mph. In addition BMW advertised the 533i as a limited production vehicle.
Hello to all 533I owners! I purchased my 1983 533I in June of 1996. I am the second owner -- the car had only 24K miles on it when I purchased it. It currently has over 236,000 miles on the original engine, which has never had any work beyond regular service. It is an amazing car that still handles and rides better than many cars, even ones that may be only several years old! Major repairs have been a clutch about 12 years ago at 165K miles, front suspension rebuild last month (did myself and saved a ton of $$$), and a variety of electrical parts, which seems to be the most common item that fails. Recent replacements include blower motors (both A/C and Heater) and a variety of switches. To my amazement, in addition to the original engine, this car has the original transmission, differential, alternator, starter, P/S pump, water pump, and other parts that I cannot believe have never failed. I just keep replacing brakes, filters, and fluids, and this car, again, is simply amazing. I really hope to make the 250,000 mark without a failure (almost there) and although at times thought about selling, I think this is now a forever car for me -- I could not bring myself to sell unless totaled or something. In addition, it is perfect inside and out, and has some modifications that I did way back when I purchased, including 16" BBS rims with fat tires, Dinan suspension, including springs, Bilsteins, adjustable sway bars & poly bushings, lowered, and Zender Aero kit (air dam, rocker panels, rear under bumper panel) and M5 rear spoiler. With the dark Graphite Metallic paint and gold BBS wheels, this car really stands out and gets regular comments (and offers to buy).
BMW's forever!
Sounds fair!
How do I fix an electrical problem with the 1983 bmw 533i series.
Re: fixing an electrical problem: Check out www.mye28.com - it's a great resource for those owning a `82-`88 5-series. Also refer to the Bentley manual (Robert Bentley Publishers). You may also wish to join the BMW CCA.
Hi, I just picked-up an '88 535i. Got a good deal, however noticed this on test drive and after purchasing: She sort of chokes or quickly hesitates in all gears (5 sp.) at around 3500 rpm. Also, she doesn't get up to top speed, and also creates a strange whirring sound when I push the rpms, again in all gears. Feels like the automatic limiter in my '89 325is, however, if that's what it is, it's kicking in way too early (?) Would really appreciate some input. I'm pretty sure the symptoms are related, but maybe not. Thanks, Dan.
I picked up on a 84 533i I found in a barn in 2006 (literally) it had 65,000 miles on it. It had some issues to address it was parked in the barn in 1992 so I had to evict the mice and had to clean it at least 6 times before it looked showroom. I had several engine issues that were stumpers, but with Mr. Bentley and the great help from the guys on forums on the internet and a few $$$$ they were resolve. Electrically it was a nightmare! Germans and electric seems to be a problem, but only need to get cruise to work and it is 100%. I've put 2000 miles on because it turned into sunny day car ONLY. And I was so impressed with BMW that I went and bought a 325 for a dailey. Oh and I did not mention I paid $2200 for the 533 which turn out to be the deal of the decade to me. I agree with all the 533 was ahead of the times for their time.
In resposne to the previous message. There is no elec. speed limiter on E28's. Your issue sounds fuel related. Possibly a vacuum leak.