Test Drive BMW 5 E39 2000 Series 2003 Sedan

BMW 5-ER

The only Russian car, which deserves the solid five for the quality of assembly, power, comfort and prestige, is the five BMW. It is not true that Kaliningrad worst German.
When the head of the Moscow representation of one German car firm asked at a press conference, which Russian car he considers certainly good, he answered without a stick: BMW. Since 1999, the BMW fifth series in the Body E39 with indexes 523i and 528i have a manufacturer under the hood sign - Auto CJSC.
Rumors that cars from the caliber are much worse than the German, even before the release of the first car. Nonsense, "will tell you at any service center. - Kaliningrad five appear on Staa not more often than their German sisters. For example, no one of the carotor vehoc machines substituted under hydrate, since the air intakes on them are no longer in the front bumper, but much higher.
In addition, from the very beginning, the so-called package for bad roads began to be installed on our fives. It includes a set of reinforced shock absorbers, more rigid pendant springs with spacers, as well as steel protection of the engine compartment. This set in the Russian conditions is great saves the money owner, as the road clearance with it increases by 1.5--2 centimeters and, as practice shows, reinforced shock absorbers on our roads live significantly longer.
PRICE OF FREEDOM. Although the only complaint of service workers is associated with the suspension - invented it not in Kaliningrad, but in Munich. In Germany, on good roads, cars run no problems more than 100 thousand kilometers. And our roads and the corresponding drivers are still committed to breaking the suspension and 30 thousand km. Especially since the design of the front suspension on the top five is quite complicated.
The first to take on the ball of ball supports in which the backlash appears. Since they are assembled in a block with lower levers, then it is all assembly to change. Replacing the levers - the pleasure is not the cheapest ($ 300 per lever and about $ 75 for its replacement). In addition, when replacing levers in eight cases out of ten, it is necessary to change both silent blocks, but they are significantly cheaper - only $ 22.
If you do not replace the lower levers in time, then they pull the upper (another $ 250), and then shock absorbers ($ 150). The rear suspension lives much longer, and the Kaliningrad cars did not arise problems with it.
The fidth of the top five was also the sensors of the ABS. The system is regularly buggy, but not the fault of the electronic unit, but because of the concerns of Russian road services. The sensors mounted on wheels cannot withstand antifungal reagents and require replacement for the third season. It costs $ 35 per sensor and about $ 70 for work.

 
HOUSEHOLD CHEMICALS. Petrol engines M 52 TU (523i) and M 52 (528i) are designed for gasoline with octane number 91-98, so work perfectly on our 92nd. Alas, the ignition candles suffer from any domestic gasoline. If they are put on German standards to change closer to 100 thousand km of mileage, it is realistic to do it better with each TO-2, that is, every 35--40 thousand kilometers. If the car most time runs through the streets of a big city, then experts recommend at the same interval (35--40 thousand km) to make professional preventive nozzles. The fact is that with constant driving ride, as well as with short trips, when the engine does not have time to warm up, a large amount of Nagara is formed in the cylinders. Until some moment he does not greatly interfere with the operation of the engine, but when the limit comes, then all this amount of dirt is very difficult to liquidate. In contrast to cleaning the injectors of ultrasound, which is less effective and after which the nozzles sometimes fail, now on BMW's branded services, the WinN brand is purified by chemical preparations using special devices. But after this procedure, alas, the ignition candles do not live for a long time, so it is better to combine the cleaning of nozzles ($ 70) with a replacement of candles that cost $ 20, and another $ 40 for the replacement of the entire set.
Do not boil. All BMW motors are very sensitive to overheating, since they are made of aluminum cylinders. If the block head behaves from elevated temperature, then it begins to pull the fastening bolts, and they burst into the threads in the block itself. You can theoretically restore the threads, it is practically possible very rarely - the block walls have a small thickness.
 
Therefore, with a boiling motor at best, you hit the purchase of a new block head - about $ 5 thousand with work on the engine bulkhead. Sometimes it makes sense to replace the motor entirely on a similar, restored at the factory in Germany. This engine is given a plant guarantee, and it costs $ 6--8 thousand, which is almost two times cheaper than a completely new similar motor.
 
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER. According to the manufacturer's recommendations, the maintenance of the BMW of the 5th series should be held every 18--20 thousand kilometers. Works are carried out according to the schemes of TO-1 and TO-2, which alternate every 20 thousand km. The first includes the replacement of oil and the carbon filter of the ventilation of the cabin. With a second maintenance, more serious testing of all car systems and topping (or replacement) of all operational fluids is carried out.
Fully neglected by branded maintenance on a two-three-year car autopilot does not recommend. If only because when it passes it, you will definitely blow up the drainage holes that are located on the right and on the left under the hood. The procedure is the simplest, but important. Otherwise, you can get at least a serious body repair. The fact is that one of the drainage holes is located in a niche next to the brake vacuum amplifier. First, foliage and other rubbish are accumulated there, which we collect on the summer and autumn season. Then, in the cold season, condensate appears, which freezes at night and leads to a vacuum refusal. There were cases when the driver pressed on the brakes in the morning, and those stand with a cola. What can follow the subsequent repair - the traffic police will calculate on the site of the accident.
 
Bes in the edge. If the five hundred Kaliningrad assembly owner will be awkward from the fact that its vehicle is not one hundred percent German, we recommend exposing it to light tuning.
First, you can put the optics set, which appeared on 523i and 528i after restyling 2000. The front headlight kit exists in Chrome-Line and Shadow-Line (darkened), with xenon and without. The cost of the kit ranges from $ 2.4 thousand to $ 3.2 thousand. Depending on the color of the lamps (white or yellow), as well as on the presence of a parking sensor system. The cost of work and consumables are the same - a little more than $ 1 thousand. The only spoon of the tar is associated with the subsequent repair - the 2001-model year headlights change solely as a collection, and on previous models you can simply replace the diffuser, which costs about $ 70 together with the work.
Secondly, some owners force the engine of their car. Motor volume of the model 523i wizard is adjusted to 2792 cubic meters. cm and its power increases from 170 to 232 hp, which theoretically allows riding at a speed of 246 km / h instead of passport 228 km / h. The cost of the transformation of the 523rd in the 528th - $ 3.3 thousand. But the BMW 528i is already cleaned up to a volume of 3.2 liters. Power increases to 262 hp Against 193, and the maximum speed, again, theoretically, even shrinks for the Middle Eastern limit of 250 km / h. For all - $ 8.4 thousand. However, these operations should be approached carefully: experts do not recommend playing the factors to the owners of highly used cars, because with a change in standard characteristics, the load on the components and aggregates of the car significantly increases.
Text Nikolai Sukhov, photo Alexey Ilyin, drawing Alexander Krasnov

BMW 523i 528i
Length / Width / Height (mm) 4775/1800/1440
Working volume (cube. Cm) 2494 2793
Power (hp) 170 193
Curb Mass (kg) 1475 1500
Maximum speed 228 240
Acceleration up to 100 km / h (sec.) 8.5 7.5
Fuel consumption (l / 100 km) 10.2 10.4
Price in Moscow (1999 release) $ 18--23 thousand $ 20--26 thousand.

Cost of original spare parts (USD)
Brake Front Pads 107
Bolds brake rear 102
Brake front discs 220
Brake rear discs 126
Stabilizer Stand (PC.) 36
Cost and consumables from official dealers (USD)
Then 1 270 *
Then 2 350 *
Oil filter 13.
Air filter 25.
Fuel filter 38.
Candles (set) 120

The price includes the cost of oil and coal filter ventilation salon
 

A source: "Autopilot"