Faults:

Lower control arm bushings.

Thrust arm bushings.

Outer tie rods.

Intake manifold gaskets.

Oxygen sensors.

Sunroof.

Passenger front window regulator.

Central locking.

Various false error messages from the OBC "check lights" i.e. Fog lamps, tail lamps, brake linings etc.

Engine stall/surging issue that was never answered by the dealer.

NEW A/C line blew within 3 months.

Left stranded after the traction control system blew a 10amp fuse.

General Comments:

The 5 series was a wonderful idea, but was over engineered, and thus destroyed any chance of the car being reliable or durable. The days of BMW's being cars that can last for generations ended starting with the E39 5. The car is beautiful in shape, and the interior is equally nice, but that is as far as it goes. It's pretty to look at, but you don't want one. They are now plastic, throw-away cars not intended to serve you longer than your lease agreement

The seats are made of very nice leather, but are so hard and provide no lumbar support, thus causing backaches and numbness in drives over 30 minutes long. In fact, the rear seats are much more comfortable than the front.

BMW tried to tap into the American market craze of "100,000 mile" maintenance intervals with the E39. They did this in ways like having a "sealed" transmission. There is no way to check the transmission fluid level, or any way to conveniently refill the fluid.

The M62(V8) and the M52(I6) engine cooling systems are also sealed, and thereby pressurized once the engine warms up. The cooling system is extremely prone to fail on several counts with absolutely no warning. The water pump impeller is made of plastic, and will shred over time, or if the impeller shaft bearing begins to fail. The pump shaft is mounted on a single bearing, that if it should fail, will crumble, sending the edge of the clutch fan into your radiator, thereby destroying it. The radiator itself is made of aluminum which is good, but the end tanks are made of plastic which fail repeatedly with no way to repair them, simply replace the whole radiator at a cost over $250 ea. The "expansion" tank for the radiator is also made of plastic, and over time the heat and buildup of pressure in the cooling system causes the expansion tank to fail, again with absolutely no notice and no way to repair it, simply replace it at $80ea.

Next item would be the intake manifold gaskets. Again the design is sound, but the execution is poor. BMW chose to use a style of gaskets that will dry and crack over time, causing many "rough idle" frustrations, and cost over $1,000 to have a dealer replace them. This would have been avoided if only BMW had modified their design to mimic what the rest of the world uses, O-rings!

Then we have the multitude of sensors that fail well before that "100,000 mile" mark of scheduled maintenance intervals. Many, if not most owners, have sensors fail within 30,000 miles. Many of which will leave you stranded on the road with no "Closed Loop" operation of the cars sensors so you can "limp" to a repair shop.

Now we come to my most favorite item to dislike about modern BMW 5ers, the front suspension. Bushings are plentiful and blow out in as little as 10,000 miles, causing an array of driving woes. Most frequent are the highway speed "Float" most commonly attributed to wheel bearings going out, and the infamous 40-50mph "Shimmy" in the front end that is usually cause by one of those super cheap bushings BMW uses.

There are many owners (Mostly young kids that have nothing better to spend their money on) that like to say "You have to pay to play." I do not subscribe to that theory since all of the troubles I noted above are NOT part of the regular maintenance items scheduled for service in your owners manual. These same "Pay to play" owners will also say that these items and the like are part of "Preventative Maintenance" when owning one of these cars. Again, I do not subscribe to this. What other car can you think of that recommends changing the radiator on a regular basis? Or completely rebuilding your suspension every 30-50k miles?

While there are many positive accolades that the BMW can claim, the rewards of a spirited drive in a BMW E39 5er do not out-weigh the frequent and often expensive downtime of owning one.

Before owning this E39, I have owned two other BMW's. An E34 525i and an E36 325i. Both served me well and gave little or no troubles. I sold both of them still running great at over 250,000 miles each. I just sold the E39 yesterday, and didn't even watch it drive away, I was just so happy to be rid of the millstone around my neck.

Faults:

When I got the car I replaced tires, windshield wiper rubber, bought new battery, and did an alignment (It's a 10 year old car after all).

Center brake light socket melted out ($10).

Upper radiator hose blew ($150).

Passenger side headrest stopped going up and down (don't care enough to fix it, the rest of the seat controls work fine).

Ignition coils and starter ($660).

General Comments:

For a 10 year old car, the 540i is impressive. When compared to most cars being sold today, the 540i doesn't feel anywhere lacking in power. If you hit some winding roads, the excellent handling and steering feel can't help but put a smile on your face.

The 540i has long highway gearing, so although it only does 0-60 in an average 5.7 seconds (for the auto) and 5.5 (for the manual), it has amazing passing power on the freeway, and the car pulls strongly and easily well into the triple digits.

At highway speeds, the 540i also displays an exceptional confidence and pose. 55 feels like 35, 65 feels like 45, and 90 feels like 70.

For the anyone interested in being engaged in the driving experience, the 540i provides the perfect feedback, at any speed, to put the driver in absolute control of the driving experience.

Strangely enough, some people expect a high performance V8 luxury sport sedan to be problem free, and I have to say for those delusioned enough to think so, Toyota makes a very reliable, poorly handling, overpriced, over-hyped, commuter sofa that will bore you to sleep every time you get behind the wheel. Or, there is the bus.

But if you are willing to pay a bit more in repair costs and maintenance to have to have a car that truly exemplifies the qualities of an "Ultimate Driving Machine", a drive in a BMW 5 series is waiting.