Classic BMWs

[SiC]

I know there are a few BMW lickers on here, especially for the older ones.

So a1985 E28 520i.

What to look at on them in particular?
Common part failures?
Where's a good place to get parts - is there any UK part specialists?

What type of fuel system on them? K-tronic? KE-tronic? Something else?

Decent to drive?

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

That pale gold one? They drive alright, good ride, handling OK, nice engine, not that fast with 125 bhp but they motor along OK. Bosch LE Jetronic which far better that that awful K Jet nonsense. Carry a spare fuel pump relay as they flake out. The engines are good, there's a cam belt and tensioner to change every 30k. The water pump is driven by a fan belt but you do them with the cam belt. Tappets are manually adjusted and there is a spray bar to remove and clean out. The heads can crack and one that old (all E28's) will have the 17mm head bolts that should be replaced by later Torx stretch bolts. Cheap and easy. Listen for a manifold crack 'blow'.

They can rust like all old cars, front wings, jacking points, bonnet, rear sills and inner sills around the rear axle beam mounts but they're not Sierra tragic for rot. Brake and fuel lines rust, particularly where they kick up to go over the axle. The front strut spring cups rot out. Good used strut bodies are £150 each. Manual boxes and diffs never go wrong. Central locking faults can be a PITA to fix, normally the relay. Dampers and rear beam bushes wear out so check for oily wetness around the struts.


Having said that, the 518i/520i is the least complex E28 and a decent one is quite useable. When they were new, the difference between these and Ford/BL shit was a chasm. You can buy almost everything from BMW at a price and regular service stuff is still available. Autodoc is your friend.

For 2300 quid, that's probably worth having. Spend £700 doing all the service and MOT bits and it's still cheap compared to most. I laugh at the £6000 ones. The most I ever paid was £600.

[Drum]

My brother has the previous 520 (E12?). He got it for nowt the jammy sod.

[SiC]

Thanks, useful info.

I know certain stuff like the belts are unknown and almost certainly way overdue on age. Mostly as it got shut in a garage for 10 years of its life. Intention would be to get an MOT first as that'll make it easier to get between my storage and home. I need to get this Dolomite done as a priority, so the BMW be shut away until I get time for a thorough look over.

There apparently needs to be a touch of welding underneath that'll need doing, Speedo doesn't work (probably because that leaking battery, wiring or sender?) and the brakes snag on a bit (lifting the pedal helps apparently).

The front strut spring cups rot out. Good used strut bodies are £150 each.

I know he never got a chance to replace the original welded up ones. Something I'd like to change before going on a spirited drive. However I'm struggling to find where replacements can be bought. Are new NLA on them?

For 2300 quid, that's probably worth having. Spend £700 doing all the service and MOT bits and it's still cheap compared to most. I laugh at the £6000 ones. The most I ever paid was £600.

Yeah, usual price rises though because 35 years old and now rare, while having that cool look factor. But does mean it's still positive to flog on and not loose too much if there is something terminal that happens.

[AMCrebel]

Just came on to mention head and exhaust manifold cracks - my only "wisdom" from when they were bangers, but our ecclesiastical member has got there first.

[mercrocker]

So, can we look forward to an SiC "Car" magazine back-to-back Test Special soon - Dolomite Sprint v. 520i?

[SiC]

Depends on the level of work it needs. Plenty to do on the Dolomite that I'm plodding extremely slowly on and I really don't want to overload myself with work...

Unfortunately garages are pretty packed at the moment so can't really farm it out. Nor really have the budget for doing that.

Also 1100 would have to go which would be a shame given I've not really used it apart from the odd potter around the block. But that's the most similar to my other BL chod and something 80s would be different enough to be keep my pick 'n mix interesting

[MRustbucket]

My dad had an E28 which he bought in Jan '85. He bought it new so it would have been a 'B' reg. His was the 2.8 in Cosmos with a blue interior. It was a good looking car which drove well and I liked it, but I wouldn't say the difference between an E28 and the Mk 2 Granada 2.8 Ghia was a chasm - though the BMW did have a lot more prestige. Maybe my opinion is coloured by my father's experiences. He had a lot of trouble with that BMW, mechanical and electrical - it was a real 'friday car'. Ironically, he replace it with one of the new-fangled XJ40s in 1987 - a 3.6 litre XJ6. One or two 'foibles' aside, the Jag was far more reliable than the BMW, which most people would probably feel is counter-intuitive. The Jag was a far better car in most ways, but then it was quite a bit more expensive. A '7' competitor, really.

TL:DR -E28s are nice old things. They're pretty.

[BenHar]

Thanks, useful info.

I know certain stuff like the belts are unknown and almost certainly way overdue on age. Mostly as it got shut in a garage for 10 years of its life. Intention would be to get an MOT first

I wouldn't drive it anywhere without changing the cam belt first.

Ben

[Sheefag]

Shouldn't this be in the 'Vile Hatred' thread?