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Thread: E32 7 series series buying guide

  1. #1
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    E32 7 series series buying guide

    For the newbies. This car was produced from July 1986 till March 1994. 1986 production cars were sold in Europe and other countries. Before there was the E23 7 series, the E38 followed the E32 in 1994.

    That tells you what E32 stands for.

    Comments from various 7 series boards for buying a car

    Starting at the front..

    Front suspension is a problem area.. Drive at all speeds including highway and feel for shimmies or wobbles. An entire front end rebuild can set you back a thousand real quick. 750's are heavier and more powerful and therefore harder on the suspension. Look for uneven tire wear, especially cupping or scalloping. Its typical for the inside of front tires to wear first an all these cars. Its the factory camber setting.

    Engine should start instantly, run very smoothly and quietly. long cranking and rough idle can be intake manifold leaks and/or fuel pump or injector problems. These engines are very complex and will cost you surprisingly more to fix than a six or even a v8 and not just any mechanic will be up to the task of a drive by wire v12 with more electronics than the space shuttle. The valves are hydraulic so don't let somebody tell you they need adjusted to reduce valve noise like you can the 6 cyl. A Motor rebuild will easilly cost you more than the purchase price of the car. Fuel pumps.. (Yes Virginia, there are two) should be replaced by 150K if they have not gone out already. That'll be $600 in parts please.. What? Ohhh! You want them INSTALLED??

    Make sure all lights, accessories and power functions work properly. Seat back twist is very common on a car this old. Seat function motors can also go out. The LKM module is a frequent casualty as is the CCM module. On Board computer is a frequent failure, and instrument cluster bulbs require dropping the steering column or removing the air bag/steering wheel and there are something like 24 bulbs.. my dealer charged me 5$ a piece for the bulbs.

    Under the car, motor mounts, trans mounts, trans and rear end seals and drive shaft center bearing and U-joints are all likely failures. The drive shaft is not rebuildable and will set you back close to a grand if you are not careful.

    The trans should have no leaks and shift very smoothly and flawlessly. The trans can cost up to $5K to replace so pay careful attention. Fluid should be clear (red) and clean and if is smells burnt, then thats what you will be if you buy it!
    Rear swingarm bushings can wear, causing rear squirming when goosing the throttle in manual shift mode. Clunking in the rear end can be loose suspension mounts or broken bolts on the carrier.

    The 750's are iL's and most have hydraulic load leveling (LAD). This system can develop leaks and is complex and expensive to repair. Also makes strut
    replacement more costly.

    A car this old will likely need struts, maybe all 4, if not also springs. And exhaust, Ahh yes the lovely exhaust.. That system is VERY expensive to replace and I have seen quotes for a thousand just for the parts not including installation.

    Interior, look for wear, and cracking in the leather, especially in the drivers seat and arm rest. BMW wants $900 for a new leather cover for one seat.. Then it needs to be installed. I just had a phone quote from an upholstery shop for $2000 to replace just the seating areas on two front seats.

    The Heat and AC needs to work perfectly. The controller is a notorious problem in these cars and if the AC doesn't work, don't believe him that it just needs charged.. The heater cores/pipes develop leaks, (leaking coolant sometimes into the drain there, but sometimes onto your carpet) especially in older e32's (like an 89!). This is a BEAR of a job and requires the nearly complete disassembly of most of the interior and dash just to get to it! MUCHO Labor costs!

    As always, a mechanic along is good, but you would be MUCH better off leaving a deposit and taking the car to a BMW dealer for a complete inspection. These cars are very complicated and unique and it will be WELL worth the money to get a thorough inspection so you know where ALL the problems are and can consider that in your purchase decision.

    Remember, this was a $70K car 13 years ago and the maintenance and repair costs will be commensurately far and above your basic Chevy or Buick! These cars in their mature years are not for the faint of heart or light of wallet! And I am sure I have left a few things out.

    Most important of all is how and where the car was maintained. If was dealer maintained till the day you bought it and all records are available, then thats best. If Ronnie Ramjet had it and thought it was cool to drag race Chevelles with his V-12 but never changed the oil for 2 years, Run don't walk away and keep looking!
    You would probably spend more than the purchase price in maintainence the first year! Buy with your head and your calculator, not with your heart. The purchase price is just the beginning. Now you have to repair it if it breaks. These cars are addictive (ask any one of us) but sometimes love hurts!

    Sooo If you ain't skeeredyet... Good Speed and good luck! And welcome to the world of the e32 7's. These cars are like a certain woman I know (who will remain un-named). A true thing of beauty, but very high maintenance and demanding of a lot of attention... But she can perform like no other, and OOOOHHHHHH BABY!!! what she can do for you when you two are alone!!!

    Philly Bob

    740 Common Problems

    Engine / Drive Train
    Nikasil Engine block
    Transmission Valve body
    Transmission fluid is very expensive, $25 per liter
    Transmission Flex Disk (Normal wear item)
    Transmission mounts (Normal wear item)
    Oxygen sensors (Normal wear item)
    Idle control valve (usually just dirty)

    Suspension
    Front end components (these are heavy cars)
    LAD, Self leveling system. Installed on all iL cars in the US.
    LAD Accumulators (inexpensive), or Struts (Expensive)
    Brakes & brake disks (these are heavy cars)
    Sway bar links

    Cosmetic / Interior
    Seat back twist (or other seat position problems)
    Seat wiggle
    Door and windshield seals

    The transmission is sealed with no way to check with a dipstick. The fluid (Shell LA 2634) should be replaced at least every 100k miles. If not already done, this can cost over $300. The valve body can be a DIY job, the kit costs about $100. If it was done once, it should be good to go. If you notice any shifting problems with the car, offer a lot less for it. A rebuilt tranny will cost at least $2000 plus installation.

    If it has a Nikasil engine, stay away unless you get a great price. Engine replacements can cost $4000 or more. Make sure it is an Alusil block.

    The LAD is a great system but the struts are expensive. The system usually holds up pretty well, but you may need to do adjustments. A SUSPENSION LEVELING warning message usually means the system is out of adjustment. Use it for a barganing chip for a lower price if it shows up.

    The IHKA (Heater/Air Conditioner) system is complex and there have been a lot of problems with the older cars (88-90). It has not seemed to have caught up to the newer cars yet, but I could be wrong. The microfilter needs to be replaced on schedule.

    This is a partial list but I think it covers most of the big items.
    All prices are in US dollars. As always, get it checked by a competent BMW mechanic before you buy and make sure it has good maintenance history records.


    ======================================
    Eric Hall
    1994 740iL Black/Tan 80k
    Albany, OR
    -------------------------------------------------------

    before you buy: buying tips 735i/iL M30 'big six' engine

    http://www.bimmerboard.com/forums/posts/80219/

    Parts lists and dimension drawings:
    http://www.realoem.com/bmw/select.do
    http://bmwfans.info/
    Wiring diagrams for all production years
    http://shark.armchair.mb.ca/~dave/BMW/e32/

    Best Service Repair Manual:

    BMW 7 Series (E32) Service Manual: 1988-1994
    735i, 735iL, 740i, 740iL, 750iL
    by Bentley Publishers
    Softcover, 8 3/8 in. x 11 in.
    984 pages
    839 photos, illustrations, and diagrams
    Bentley Stock Number: B794
    ISBN-13: 978-0-8376-0328-5
    Price: $119.95
    http://www.bentleypublishers.com/product.htm?code=B794

    Online parts shops and repairs:
    http://www.e38.org/e32/

    BMW E32 wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_E32

    Repair Tips for DIY on my website


    SHOGUN'S TRICKS AND TIPS FOR THE SEVEN SERIES

    http://twrite.org/shogunnew/topmenu.html
    Shogun tricks and tips for the E32 series are HERE!

  2. #2
    Join Date
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    1998 740i 05/92 735i
    Finally someone did this! thanks shogun

  3. #3
    Join Date
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    750 il
    wow wish u posted this six months ago before i bought mine lmao

  4. #4
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    London, Ontario, Canada
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    BMW 733i, BMW 540i/6
    unbelievable job Shogun!


    mod make this a sticky...
    1994 BMW 740I E32: SOLD
    1984 BMW 733i E23: Hartge engine, Hartge strut brace, Centra type 7 staggered 16" rims
    1997 BMW 540i/6 sport: polished/ported throttle body & traction control unit, E60 short shifter, ss braided flex lines, 2000 M5 tail lights, genuine Alpina bumper lip, genuine M5 auto fold mirrors, facelifted color matched trim


  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by jcrosby7 View Post
    wow wish u posted this six months ago before i bought mine lmao
    It is since years on my website below, just have a look under
    Checklist>prepurchase and alerts

    Even with a German translation for the German speaking visitors of my website
    German speaking visitors are 38.4% according to my Geo tracker.
    Just changed the server and started new tracker count, the old website had >200.000 hits since 2003.
    My old counter tells me visitors are from:

    Europe 103818 50.13%
    North America 51044 24.64%
    Unknown 37158 17.94%
    Asia 10295 4.97%
    Oceania 3221 1.55%
    Africa 806 0.38%
    South America 545 0.26%
    Central America 198 0.09%

    One E32 world
    Shogun tricks and tips for the E32 series are HERE!

  6. #6
    Join Date
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    1998 740i 05/92 735i
    sticky?

  7. #7
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    May 2009
    Location
    salt lake city
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    1996 740 il
    so is this for the 96 740 iL to or what cause im new at this cause i was looking all over for the tranny dip stick thanks for the tip

  8. #8
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    No, all is for the E32 7 series. You are talking about the E38 series.
    Shogun tricks and tips for the E32 series are HERE!

  9. #9
    Join Date
    May 2009
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    salt lake city
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    1996 740 il
    but does it have the same thing no dip stick or you dont know

  10. #10
    Join Date
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    The 740 does not have a tranny dipstick. The fluid goes in from below, there is an overflow pipe inside the tranny oil pan. Correct fluid level is when it overflows at a certain temp and checking procedure.
    SI B 24 01 98
    transmission fluid level checking procedure and application chart

    http://www.bimmerboard.com/forums/posts/655603
    Shogun tricks and tips for the E32 series are HERE!

  11. #11
    Join Date
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    11/88 E32 750iL+98 E36M3
    Found this in the general 7 series forum and moved it into the E32 forum.
    Shogun tricks and tips for the E32 series are HERE!

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