A friend is looking at a 2002 525D Touring auto with 118K on the clock. Anything in particular to look out for? Any lurking horror stories?
The only thing he's mentioned is some inside edge tyre wear, but the last service picked this up and mentions a worn track-rod end, and the price sounds OK taking this into account.
in article DKVgl.28104$ snipped-for-privacy@text.news.virginmedia.com, Chris Bartram at snipped-for-privacy@delete-me.piglet-net.net wrote on 1/31/09 2:29 AM:
The 500 series is a nice ride .. with the 2000 or better model you have all the new technology in there for gas mileage and the like.
There is a computer printout of all the BMW certified mechanic repairs done to the car ... get it and see what the history is.
When purchased .. new tires, new brakes, and new oxygen sensor ... keep up the schedule repairs and maintenance. Likely do just fine over time. Water pump will need replacement in 30K miles likely .. but I would suspect that would be it.
Normal symptom is wheel shake at around 60 mph. It's difficult to assess wear in the ball joints as they're fluid filled and have some movement when new. However, complete track control arms ain't that expensive and are relatively easy to change. Fitting just the balljoints is really a workshop job.
It's an interesting point in that auto boxes unlike engines don't actually cause contamination of the fluid. Or at least when they do - due to excess wear in the friction plates etc - it's too late for changing the fluid to help. If it did they'd be fitted with proper filters. Sealed for life gearboxes ain't new - many final drives have been like this for 30 years or so. I'm just interested if anyone has proper research on whether this fluid does deteriorate in normal use. Problems with the 5HP ZF series ain't that common in the UK. The US GM version might be different.
It certainly hurts the wallet if it's not needed. BMW ATF costs.
Manual transmissions are a bit different - you often get waste products from the gears themselves - hence the usual magnetic drain plug to catch some of it. You don't normally get this in an auto. If you do it's past it anyway. ;-)
If it's the same box that CM magazine had, the fluid is procey, and no refill quantity is specified (or is there no level plug?). They had a transmission oil coller leak, and so had to guess the amount IIRC.
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