cost of owning 1998 740il
- Thread starter abolt
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If it still has the original radiator and expansion tank, get them replaced. The radiator runs around $225. Not sure about the expansion tank. It's supposedly an easy DIY, but I had mine done locally for about $115 in labor.
The other common issues are with the front suspension parts, especially the control arm bushings. That can get a bit pricey if you have the dealer do them. Find a good indie. You can hear the bushings if they're bad. It's a low, soft rumbling at low speeds.
Good luck with it. If it's in good shape, it'll bring a smile to your face with every drive. [driving2]
The other common issues are with the front suspension parts, especially the control arm bushings. That can get a bit pricey if you have the dealer do them. Find a good indie. You can hear the bushings if they're bad. It's a low, soft rumbling at low speeds.
Good luck with it. If it's in good shape, it'll bring a smile to your face with every drive. [driving2]
thanks guys,
There is no denying the perfomance and luxury, that I am sure of.![[pray]](/images/smilies/icon_smile_pray.gif "Pray [pray]")
The one I'm looking at has been under warranty until last year, and most of the "trouble" parts like radiator and power steering hoses have been change once. The one things that stands out in the service records is that the A/C has been worked on every year starting 01. Its a Texas car so the a/c gets used, but I'm not happy seeing it listed as "ac blows hot" every 4-6k miles.
I've tried to find the codes like.....64bmz17 which are listed under operation code on the summary history report I received from the dealer, but most service codes I found on e38.org are long numbers, but the 64 does seem to be part of the long number codes......I will likely ask the dealer about it, but I don't like the a/c trouble.
24 service records in all. With some body shop repairs also, that I am curious about.
There is no denying the perfomance and luxury, that I am sure of.
The one I'm looking at has been under warranty until last year, and most of the "trouble" parts like radiator and power steering hoses have been change once. The one things that stands out in the service records is that the A/C has been worked on every year starting 01. Its a Texas car so the a/c gets used, but I'm not happy seeing it listed as "ac blows hot" every 4-6k miles.
I've tried to find the codes like.....64bmz17 which are listed under operation code on the summary history report I received from the dealer, but most service codes I found on e38.org are long numbers, but the 64 does seem to be part of the long number codes......I will likely ask the dealer about it, but I don't like the a/c trouble.
24 service records in all. With some body shop repairs also, that I am curious about.
24 service records is not bad, considering I had my roadster in four times for a faulty amp guage. It generated 4 service records all because the mechanic failed to do the job properly three times. I would look into the body shop items, was it door dings or something more serious? Also see if you can find out what failed on the AC issue each time, was it the same part, mechanics failure or various parts?
I am new member of this forum and I have a 97 740iL and it's a fun to drive big sedan. The cost is all depending on what went wrong. Mine, ever since the local dealer touched it, everything started to fall apart. The climate control on the passenger side only deliever cold air. So, in the winter, tough to be a passenger. But the heated seat saved the day. The phone never worked. But the engine is awesome and so far other than the comfort issues, the car runs strong without any problem with over 100K miles on. Maintaining is not cheap but ...