Sharing my build thread of my 545i on here. Enjoy the long read. Here goes.....
I was on the lookout for a V8 but that didn't work out as finding an E39 in that guise was a little difficult. They are also at an age where the engines need quite an overhaul with timing chains along with the usual oil leaks.
So since owning the E39 and loving the feel and becoming a recent convert of the 5 series I did research into the E60's. The E60 is quite a popular generation with a big following like its predecessor. Although they are little controversial with the Bangle styling, they have grown with me over the years.
I had been keeping a lookout for the V8 powered variants. The reason I wanted a V8 powered car is for a number of reasons. With this draconian push from governments around the world including ours telling us how bad ICE cars are, we really don't know what the landscape will be like later on with availability of petrol. I have never ever owned a V8 powered car and it has been on my basic must do check list of car ownership. I figured if I don't do it now, I never will. Then there is the sound of a V8 which is hard to beat.
After extensive reading on the V8 powered E60's, they have plenty of power on tap but like the E39 and practically every BMW out there, they have their inherent issues. This ranges from failing valve stem seals, and common oil leaks from the rocker covers, alternator bracket and so on. The plus side is there is zero issues with the timing chains on these unlike the previous M62 engines. Either way it can still be a money pit which ever way you look at it.
This of course meant the V8's were ranging in price from cheap to top end depending on the condition and history. When the E60 was first brought out with the N62, this was a 4.4 litre producing around 329bhp. Then some years after, it was discontinued with the N62TU with two variants, 4 litre making 302bhp (540i) and a 4.8 litre making 360bhp (550i).
I kept my search going and was nearly going to pull the trigger on a few but after finding out what the history was like in terms of taking care of the common issues, none had actually had the oil leaks or valve stem seals adressed. I knew if the valve stem seals hadn't been done then its something that would need to be done at some stage and its not a cheap job.
I then decided to stick with finding a 545i for a few reasons. One because they were slightly more available on sale even though there wasn't many made and in terms of parts that need replacing engine wise, the 4.4 in my view is the better buy.
So this brings me on to the car in question. This came up for sale last year and was in two minds about buying it as bids were low. I kept a watch and it then finished up at a price I wasn't willing to pay.
I messaged the seller a few weeks after and asked if it sold and as it happened it didn't and the buyer no showed. I got his phone number, spoke with him to find out more about it and arranged to view it. So one of things that mildly put me off was no service history with the car. On the other hand, it had been through successive MOT's so I figured it would have had some type of maintenance done to last this long.
So after viewing it and noticing the classic signs of the valve stem seal failure and the bodywork having issues on virtually every panel I chewed the fat over for a week. In that time I found out from BMW UK every visit it had made. I was able to speak to each dealer concerned with the recorded mileage which helped in tallying up the MOT history with the mileage. I carried out a Vcheck which not just checks for HPi write off etc. but also if it has been at salvage. Thankfully no records of it being clocked and most importantly a clean title.
So in a unusual uncharacteristic decision back in August, knowing this car could have potential pitfalls and with no history I made an offer. After a little negotiation, we settled on a price we were both happy with taking into account the work it was going to need.
So here it is, a 2003 E60 545i with a 6 speed auto in sapphire black and Dakota beige interior. 107k miles on the clock with Special feature is the tow bar but that will be getting ditched at some point lol.
Plans for this car is general tidying up, sorting out the mechanical issues and once its at a stage where I can rely on it to take up daily duties, it will start munching up the miles as the daily.
Spec list from Vin Decoder.
Code / Type
E60 / NB32
Chassis
Sedan (4 Doors)
Market
Europe (right Steering)
Engine
N62 (4.40 l / 245 kW)
Drivetrain
Rear-Wheel Drive
Transmission
automatic
Color
Black-sapphire Metallic (475)
Upholstery
Leder "dakota"/beige (LCBA)
Manufacturer
BMW AG / Dingolfing, Germany
Production Date
2003-09-15
Options
1CA Selection Cop Relevant Vehicles
205 Automatic Transmission
302 Alarm System
428 Warning Triangle
430 Interior And Exterior Mirror Packa
431 Interior Rr Vw Mirror W Aut Anti-d
441 Smokers Package
442 Cupholder
459 Seat Adjustm., Electr. W. Memory
494 Seat Heating F Driver/front Passenger
502 Headlight Washer System
508 Park Distance Control (pdc)
522 Xenon Light
534 Automatic Air Conditioning
540 Cruise Control
563 Lights Package
587 Lt/aly Wheels/double Sp. 116 W Runflat
606 Navigation System Business
644 Prep. For. Mob. Ph. Bluet. Interf.
672 Cd Changer Bmw For 6 Cds
698 Area-code 2
785 White Direction Indicator Lights
812 England Version
850 Add Fuel Tank Filling For Export
853 Language Version English
863 Europe/dealer Directory
877 Deletion Cross-over Operation
880 English / On-board Documentation
8SA Country Spec. Release Of Navigation
8SB Country Spec. Release Of Telematic
8SC Country Spec. Release Of Teleservice
8SP Cop Control
