BMW Touring Droopy Bottom

[spike60]

Has anyone any first hand experience of BMW rear air suspension? My son is interested in a 2000 528i estate a dealer is selling which he says sits down at the back when parked for a couple of days and still has a slight lean after being run.

I see airbags are about £110 on Ebay, is it likely to be that simple? Pigs to change? MOT fail? Should we give it a miss despite good price for a clean car? It'll be me sorting it, not him, and while I have plenty of heavy airbag experience I've had nowt to do with car air suspension other than owning 144 Volvo with manual air assisters. Ta!

[320touring]

If a bag has failed the compressors often run flat out to try and keep it filled-this in turn causes the compressor to die.

 

Not as bad as the old sls on the e34 though!

[Junkman]

Check the 7.5 and 30 amp fuses behind the hatch in the inner rear wheel well.

Is the control light on?

[Squire_Dawson]

Bavarian shite

[Sigmund Fraud]

If it's a clean car, it would be worth at least a look. If worst comes to worst, can't you replace the bags with coils from a lesser version ?

[spike60]

Not seen the car yet, dealer says does rise up so assume compressor ok, but leans a little. Don't know about the light on the dash. Will it still have headlamp load adjustment on the dash, or auto if Xenons, or does it rely on the car always sitting level? Only has a short MOT, sets alarm bells ringing the dealer wants rid as is.

[spike60]

Kits are available to replace them with coils but the ones I saw were dear (£500), I think for MOT it would need something deleting from ecu or light will stay on, and headlight adjustment may be a problem too. Bit much to get involved with.

[nacho man]

There only on the rear and if its just the bag thats gone it aint a bad job even if you have to pay someone, e39's are a lovely car in my opinion. Not many e39's had xenons except m5's and a few high specced others.

 

It depends how cheap it is as for say 1500 give or take you could pick up a lovely one.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

E39 with short MOT:

 

The airbag is fixable - sound like one has done a 'ruptured arse' impression and has a slow leak.

 

Headlights - this is what puts many E39's into the breakers. They fill with consensation, but, even worse, the adjusters break. Waggle the back of the bulbs - most E39 bulbs will wobble about like a fart in the breeze - broken adjuster, MOT PHAIL. Good used lights are like gold dust and new non Xenons are around £125 plus VAT each. BMW do a repair kit for £25 that involves ungluing the headlight sections- not easy.

 

 

Make sure the airbag light behaves. Many don't.

 

Make sure the ABS light comes on and goes of when the car starts. If it doesn't it's the ABS ECU that's failed. £100 for a good used one, £245 plus VAT for a new Bosch one.

 

 

 

They were a lovely car, but E39's are now becoming a liability. They need to be mega cheap - that Touring sounds like £250 to me, bridge money if it turns into a disaster.

[spike60]

Thanks for the inputs, I think we'll be giving it a swerve on balance. I don't mind projects for mesel but when offspring lives 60 miles away, pregnant girlfriend etc not the one for him, smart as it is!

[londonm]

The short MOT, and the dealer not wanting to give it a new one would scare me off.