Chuck W.

Yes it is;

Slow Guy

Chuck, what hit that car, do you know? It's a high hit, doesn't look like it did much damage to the frame (unibody?) and at the same time didn't push the side in very far so it couldn't have been that high a speed impact. I suspect you did damn well on that car.

TomF

Thanks for the tips. Since the 993 sold last night, I am seriously looking around for a practical but fun wagon. I just am not a MB wagon fan, I have driven the Audis and am just not a fan. They break too darn easy and are unreliable. Even under warranty, I hear lots of stories about Audis.

BMW it is. Probably a 528 Touring or a 325XIT if I can stomach the small size. I really would like to have the AWD since we are on rain and snow a lot.

Chuck W.

No idea what hit it. I did well, but found after buying it and removing the drivers door that both the A and B pillars needed to be replaced.

Father of 3

The BMW 4.4l V8 is one powerful mother of an engine. I've heard all of the same things everyone else speaks of: cooling system, water pump, radiator (I guess all could be considered cooling system), suspension mounts, catalytic converter. Overall I love our 740i sport, though the gas mileage sucks.

gonzilla

282 HP, 310 ft-lb of torque before 2002, 290 HP, 325 ft-lb of torque for 2002+! It definitely moves.

Slow Guy

I have no idea, do they still consider the cooling system a problem area on the 4.4? On my '97 M3 it's a weak link but every 60 - 75k mi and as easy/cheap as it is to DIY I don't consider it a big deal. I just did mine in last April. On a 740 I don't know how big a challenge it would be.

Father of 3

The water pump and radiator was even a problem on my 325i. At least you can say BMW's are predictaable.

gonzilla

The cooling system on the E39 is a weak link. The 4.4 V8 uses the same components as the 2.5 I6. So for the V8, the entire cooling system is a little anemic. The neck of the plastic tanked radiator is prone to cracking, the fan clutch tends to go out, as does the thermostat. Haven't heard much about the water pumps. When the fan clutch goes, you can have catastrophic problems because the fan starts spinning so fast it just self destructs sending shards of it flying. Hopefully your hood is closed if and when this happens. There are companies (like zionsville) that sell bulletproof cooling systems consisting of electric fans and aluminum radiators, but I think the general consensus is that using factory parts is fine as long as you are willing to consider them routine wear items.

Incidentally, here's a link to a guy whose fan exploded due to a worn out fan clutch:
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=235823

I think to do the whole cooling system overhaul it's a day long job (depending on how experienced of a wrench you are).

TomF

What kind of expense are we talking about in parts to do a cooling overhaul on a 4.4?

gonzilla

After a search on a bmw board, here's the parts list that I came up with:

Radiator
Radiator Cap
Expansion Tank
Radiator -> E Tank connection hose
Water Pump
Thermostat
Upper hose
Lower Hose
2 rear hoses
alternator hose (99 and up)
Fan Clutch

And apparently you're looking at around $600-700 in parts if you go OEM from online vendors. I know that a lot of people use bavauto.com and azautohaus.com for their parts. I'd guess it's about a 5-6 hour job at a shop.

Slow Guy

When I did my M3 in April I used the Stewart water pump which is generally considered the best WP for those cars. If they're the same on the 4.4 I would most definitely put it in a 5xx or 7xx (if it was not leased). They're about $175 but well worth it in my opinion. It's a shame they still have this problem in such nice cars.

Slow Guy

If you want genuine BMW parts use www.getbmwparts.com , they're Tischer BMW in MD. Think of them as the Sunset of BMW dealers only with a much better web site.

I've also had good service/prices from www.rmeuropean.com .

95 C4 993

We have been happy with the Mazda CX7, which is AWD. It scoots through the mountains with ease, gets around in the snow just fine, and been reliable. Fairly inexpensive, has a turbo, and not a bad vehicle. I dont drive it much and have no issues with it.

There are 3 AWDs in the household (C4, CX7, Explorer) and one 4x4 (Bronco).

Now Im starting to look at the Lexus 470 series and Landcruiser (basically the same thing) for a new SUV. No rush but starting to peek around because the Explorer XLT is approaching 150,000 miles (great shape, mechanically sound, and runs great--its been a trooper for the past 10 years) and eventually it will need to be replaced with something.

Wilder

Tom, I honestly encourage you to look at Audi again before you make a final decision. I recently bought an 06 A4 S-line and I'm extremely pleased with the car. It's my third Audi, the other two being a 95.5 S6 and a 97 S6 so I understand your concerns about reliability. Audi did have problems a few years ago but they've cleaned up their act and seem to have much better reliability than MB and BMW from my research. Here's what I like about my car:

- Great looks and more exclusivity (everybody and their brother has MB or BMW)
- 25/35MPG (2.0T)
- The best interior (no stupid gadgetry, just a nice, simple quality-built cabin)
- Technology: FSI and Quattro
- A $600 chip puts my car at 250HP/300TQ...plenty of fun for a 25/35MPG car

I've autocrossed my car several times and my times are within the range of my well-modified C4S. Even though the A4 has suspension work and it's chipped, it's still amazing considering the A4 is a 3,600lb, 4cyl sedan. Needless to say, when my fiancé's lease on her Volvo wagon is up in January, she's getting an A4 Avant.