Well I am not brand new to the site but I am still with in my first three months. My name is Travis and my bimmer story starts when I totaled my 03 Celica. I decided to start looking at BMW I have always liked the look of the car. So I started looking at 3 and 5 series and went to Global Imports I figured where else to go get a BMW than a BMW dealership long story short I did not buy from them and will never buy a BMW from them. I ended up flying to my parents place where my dad found a handful of BMW's I ended up finding my 540i two hours after landing. My BMW is a 2001 540i silver.
Welcome to the club!!! Great car you have there! Now change that radiator fan and fan clutch! Not trying to scare you, but it is a known problem for these cars. You can do it yourself, buy the bentley manual it will walk you through all of this. If you have a lot of miles and original radiator, you should swap that out with a new one too. All mentioned are notorious for failure, the fan clutch with horrific results. http://www.zionsvilleautosport.com/store/screen/prod/store_code/6134/product_code/E39SDCKII.htm http://www.zionsvilleautosport.com/store/graphics/images/explodingfan1.jpg http://www.pelicanparts.com/catalog/shopcart/BOOK/POR_BOOK_bmwsvc_pg6.htm
Now aren't you glad you posted!! just joking. But there are many things you should learn about and do for maintenance. Here's a good resource: http://blog.bavauto.com
Thanks granthr but a little late my fan already blew and I did go with the Zion cooling system upgrade so far the electric fan works great.
Ooo, sorry to hear that the fan went already!! Did it damage the hood? I am sure you are enjoying the car now!
Yea it damaged the hood and took out three powersteering lines which I had to have the dealer replace but other than some minor things the car is great. Can't wait to get into a driving school to have some real fun.
Welcome Travis..!! I have no advice to offer..just a welcome.. I had a 2006 BMW 3 ..little baby..and hated the run=flat tires and traded it. Big mistake...HUGE...I have a X3 ordered and am waiting. I should have just changed the tires, as Ive read on here instead of getting rid of car. Im sure your enjoying your BMW!!!