SHE MADE IT!!!! 300,000 miles

[copracr]

congratulations to the OP. My little 99 540i is at 136 now, but one more ohio winter and it won't look so hot. two or three more and it will be a bucket. Should be around 175k when the rust starts preventing me from repairing it.

THen it will go to that junkyard in the sky or i'll sell the perfectly running engine to one of you guys with 300k+ miles

i hate ohio

[fabby318]

Yeah, the good old midwest, a.k.a. "rust belt". As we speak I'm trying to extract 3 rusted trans crossmember bolts that broke off, gotta love it!

That's why my current E39 will never see any snow and the f*ckin salt that goes along with it.

[SMP05]

Yeah, the good old midwest, a.k.a. "rust belt". As we speak I'm trying to extract 3 rusted trans crossmember bolts that broke off, gotta love it!

That's why my current E39 will never see any snow and the f*ckin salt that goes along with it.

I feel your pain, I'm from Nova Scotia and our roads are made out of salt in the winter. A fluid based undercoating helps (not the solid rubbery ones)

On another note, what do you guys use to track your maintenance? I just use an excel spreadsheet right now, but is there a better option?

[CSMBlack-540i]

On another note, what do you guys use to track your maintenance? I just use an excel spreadsheet right now, but is there a better option?

I use Excel as well but you can use this too:

http://www.ecarlog.com/

[DKING 528e39]

i wonder if an e39 can make it to 500k

[StevieV22]

Some guy on the forums has an e36 with over 600k so I guess I don't see why e39 would not be able to do the same.
Just comes down to how much $ you want to spend to see it run.

[siny528i]

Yes she actually made it! I am so very proud of her for getting me so far.

Congrats, man!
...and Thank You for the Hope!

Is yours Aspen Silber Metallic? Then I have same.

siny528i

[copracr]

I've attached a pic of what's left of my car at 500k

[elietania]

haha nice im at 270 k me now and the car still runing like new... i dont know if this is normal lol! and is gonna be s/c soon!

[M Audio]

Yes she actually made it! I am so very proud of her for getting me so far.

Pics for proof:







.

Hi, What is the counter to the right of the odometer? Trip? if so, how did it go from 299,999 to 300,000 - one mile, and Trip go 1.7 miles?

oh and congrats on 300k! , I'm about half way

[StevieV22]

Maybe because he's .3 miles from 300,001.

[StevieV22]

Maybe because he's .3 miles from 300,001.

[StevieV22]

Maybe because he's .3 miles from 300,001.

[topaz540i]

The i6 may make it to 300k but the lack of that extra 100hp in the v8 must take it forever to get there..... :p

[taggart]

300,000miles! Congrats! You probably hold the record for the longest lasting tranny, radiator and expansion tank!

[Fox530i]

If you think about it there is no reason why any E39 won't do unlimited mileage provided the body itself is in good condition. Everything else is replaceable - engine blows? No shortage of engines to slot in. Suspension screwed? Replace it.

etc etc.

The only thing that will kill an E39 is an owner who decides its not worth the cost of repairing. For those that do think its worth the cost of repairing there is no reason why it wont do 500,000 or even a million miles.

We rarely see cars with 300k in the UK but this is simply because residual values for used cars are so low that most people would simply buy another car if faced with a £1k bill. Thats not really the car expiring due to high mileage, if the same car had 30k on it and had a £1k bill it'd get fixed no worries as people wouldnt think 'well its not worth anything so...'.

[saakey]

Very cool... makes me feel better about buying my 196,000 car. I'm almost at 200k now... so this is great news!

...and since new cars seem to be getting uglier and uglier keeping this 'classic' only makes this car more original and cooler.

[wthensler]

Congrats! My '97 528i is at 293,000 and should hit the big three-oh in the next few months. I agree with a previous poster that these cars could easily hit 500,000 or more given TLC and regular maintenance. It's just a matter of how long you wish to keep it afloat.

Bill

[Sigil750il]

Congratulations on reaching 300,000.

I hope to get my 540 to 400,000 miles, after reading an inspiring article about a man and his 1970s BMW (forget the model) and how it has 400,000 miles.

[97heath528i]

I am only at 207xxx on my 97 528i. I am looking forward to hitting this milestone. I know mine can do it.

[StevieV22]

At the rate I'm going, I will be around 55 years old for me to get to 300k.
Scary to think about that.

[544iE39er]

1+,

Usually the I6 makes it to 300K.
V8 usually dies premature death haha...

Great. Than again just rebuilt the motor and new parts everywhere. If anything I'll buy a used 60K mile motor and build the hell outta that

[pjfox23]

Congrats. Such a good thing to see. Both of my e39s are over 200xxx miles and going strong.

[z3540i]

Original thread was from almost a year ago...I wonder how many he's got on it now....quick math says around 333k miles

[Jamaican71]

Maybe because he's .3 miles from 300,001.

Exactly!

The i6 may make it to 300k but the lack of that extra 100hp in the v8 must take it forever to get there..... :p

HARDY, HAR, HAR!!

Original thread was from almost a year ago...I wonder how many he's got on it now....quick math says around 333k miles

My work coverage area shrank a bit, so I'm only at 323k.

Just to update, the engine is running as strong as ever. No problems with the tranny and my tiny coolant leak disappeared when I swapped in a new Rad, expension tank and aluminum T-stat housing.
FYI Be sure to use a torque wrench on the T-stat bolts!! Hand tightening is actually too tight and causes the housing to sit crooked and pinch the o-ring! I replaced the o-ring and used a torque wrench to re-tighten and have had zero leaks from this area in 8+ months!

Things that have gone south in the last year:

Aux Fan - Fan became intermittent. Replaced, no problems since.
Roof rail trim suddenly fading
Driver's side window regulator failed (less than 1 yr old, under warranty)
Every door sill has fallen to pieces suddenly except the Left rear)
Trunk shocks are loosing steam.
Front suspension is due for a refresh. (123k on Billy sports and Eibach Pro springs.) Getting ready to order upper control arms, front wheel bearings, shock mounts, Tie rods, Sway links. Just replaced the Thrust arm bushings only. Night and day difference, but brought the other worn items to light.
My hood looks like a zit faced teen aged boy! No chance of filling the chips any more!