V8manual

Sill rust is by far the worst problem on the E34 now. The rear sections in particular rot like mad. Jacking points are normally not far behind. If it has the plastic covers fitted this can be hard to spot. Always check closely & never take the sellers word that it is 'rust-free'. Repairs are tricky, time-consuming & potentially expensive.

You do have to remove the rear seats, c-pillar trims & parcel shelf to access the nuts that hold the top mount for the shock. £325 doesn't seem a complete rip-off although I always do my own work so I'm well out of touch with garage prices..... It's difficult to compare the same job on 2 different makes of car & prices will vary accordingly. Ignore anything a main dealer says, they are the biggest rip-off merchants out there! Thing is you should really have both done at the same time as 1), it's good practice & 2), they will have to pull it all out again to do the o/s when that fails!

It's much like any other car when it comes to 'nuts & bolts' so if you can handle the spanners you should be able to do most things. However if you want to keep it running to a reasonable standard & within a sensible budget you should really have a good knowledge of electrics/electronics as this is much more of a bugbear for an unknowing owner. The 750 in particular is packed with the stuff all of which is now getting on in years & faults can be difficult & expensive to resolve unless you are familiar with them & adept at fault-finding. Some E38 specific info here including a buyers guide (top right): http://www.meeknet.co.uk/e38/

It won't because there is no longer an analogue TV signal broadcast. Despite being great cars the technology is now 13 years old I'm afraid.

Highly unlikely as the powered boot was a rare option in the UK. Best way to check is to look for a hydraulic cylinder with pipes on the left-hand hinge in place of the standard gas strut or find the pump which is located above the battery. All cars had the standard soft close which is what you are describing.

Nah I was just taking the mick (755munich...)! :P R.E. having them welded-BMW exhausts are made from a corrosion resistant material so while it's possible to weld them with standard steel MIG wire they may not last long as it's difficult to get good fusion between the 2. Mine just broke again after about 12 months. :mellow:

You could have checked 2 days ago when I first told you! ;)

All I can say is:

I'd go with the water valves as I had the exact same problem with my E38 & replacement cured it. :) One of them will have failed in the open position.

It's likely to be the compressor or electromagnetic clutch on it given the symptoms as they are the only rotational mechanical parts in the system.

According to the wiring diagram it's fuse 75 behind the glovebox.

This might help a bit Grif: http://tech.bentleypublishers.com/se...%20A%20E39.pdf

Hi Mark. I have no experience of these 'aftermarket' warranties personally but have read many posts abut them on forums. The general consensus is that they are a complete waste of money!

At least it's an easy fix. :) Doesn't say much about the garage though but nothing unusual there! :D

The light means a brake hydraulics fault or pads low. If the fluid level is ok then I would guess the front or rear (or both!) pads need changing. Do you have the lower spec instrument cluster with the car symbol?

I've read of this problem several times on both E39's & E38's. It's a component failure within the LCM (light control module). The only real course of action is to get a second-hand replacement which may or may not need coding depending on the version/features.

Try the kick panel underneath the glovebox.

Yes they're one and the same thing.

No there's no fix although it shouldn't be too difficult to get the later holders with the different offsets to match the lights. Maybe the seller has still got them.

Style 5's? http://felgenkatalog.auto-treff.com/ EDIT: Actually probably not-the dish is quite a bit deeper on yours.

Thanks all! :) I shall endeavour to get some pics up later. :rolleyes:

Mirror heating is outside temperature dependant & a bit more complicated than you might expect. Here's the blurb: Mirror Heating Mirror heating is controlled by the peripheral modules in the doors. The heating function is active as of terminal 15 (ignition lock position 2). The activation time is dependent on the outside temperature. The general module receives the outside temperature from the IKE via the K-bus and determines a cycle time for heating operation. This time is transferred to the peripheral modules where it is carried out. Heating is no longer active at an outside temperature greater than 25 oC and it is switched on permanently at a temperature lower than -10 oC

Currently owned: Cosmos Black E38 728i Diamond Black E34 540i Orient Blue E34 525i Touring Cardinal Red '83 Capri 2.8i (the first car I ever bought back in 1992!)

Hi I'm Martin from Kent. :) Not new to BMW's or forums & thought I'd join up. Always done my own maintenance so hopefully I'll be able to offer some useful (occasionally useless!) advice along the way. Currently running a 1998 E38 728i (Dazh may know me from the 7SR), and 2 1994 E34's-a 540i 6-speed manual (my pride & joy!) & a 525i Touring. Cheers all!