Hi folks,

Just been to look at a 528i (build date on inner wing says September 1999). Care was great, only when I came to take a look inside the oil filler cap, there was a fair bit (enough to make a medium sandwhich!!) of the whiteish 'salad cream' deposit that can sometimes signify head problems. There were also a couple of visible drops of water below the cap, but no obvious signs of water on the dipstick. Dealer also reconed that he'd done an oil change about six weeks ago - if true, how come so much 'condensation' in such a short space of time ??

Dealer immediately says, "don't worry, that's just condensation sir as it hasn't been driven in weeks"..but well he probably would, I guess?!

Anyway, the car has clocked up just over the 100k mark, and the last owner seems to have done less than 5k miles in the last year, so it could well be he's correct with the condenstaion story.

In all other respects the car is fine, and the price is very keen too. So, do I chance my arm here & hope that it turns out OK, or that something minor is wrong, like a blocked crank case breather, or do I walk away??

Many thanks for all advice !!

Pete.

I agree, not worth taking the chance. The dealer might just be telling the truth, but if you were trying to sell the car to make your bonus, what would you say!!??  ditto the man above, if in doubt - walk, or get the dealer to give you a decent warranty with no small print so if you do have trouble, it won't cost you. I'm sure there are many other similar models you could look at and get better peice of mind though.

Good luck

Mike

i'd agree with all said already - if you've got nagging doubts at this stage, then think how you'll feel when it's a done deal !!

wait for one that you're entirely happy with, you know the old saying "buy in haste; repent at leisure"

I agree, It could be something as simple as a faulty Stat not allowing the engine to heat up enough allowing condensation to build up or something as serious as a cracked head. Still there is loads out there so keep looking. Let that one be...

Mick

... I've had several E39 5'ers and a small amount of whitey/brown deposit seems normal after a period of inactivity, or with regular "cold start" shunting around (as a dealer may do on his forecourt, as he rotates his cars on display) especially on the 6-cylinder cars.However what you're describing sounds like head/head gasket failure to me. Best thing to do, is clean it off, go for a longish drive, and see if any traces of the salad creamy stuff start to reappear! like everyone else, I'd walk though, there's no shortage of nice E39's for sale!

M5_Mark wrote: a small amount of whitey/brown deposit seems normal after a period of inactivity....especially on the 6-cylinder cars.

my car has just come out of winter storage and the filler cap was as clean as a whistle

When I was looking for a 5 I looked at a 520. It has been in the forecourt a while and the garage owner seemed to use it as his daily runabout. The day before I went to buy I checked the oil filler cap and there was a very light brown gunk gathered underneath which was not there last week. I walked away from that one.

Glas I did really as it was a '97 and at that time I was unaware of the Nicasil problems and I ended up with a 528 :-}

I Spent months looking for my E39, looked at hundreds and finally found one that ticked all the boxes. If in any doubt, walk away as if you purchase, you will find that doubt always in the back of your mind. As above, there are loads of minters out there to be had.

errr, lets throw some controversy in the mix...

get the system pressure tested from the expansion tank, also get the cylinders compression tested.

if these are ok, take the car for a longish and hard drive and the deposit should clear up.

My car gets a fair amount of mayo on the cap after a week of to and from the office driving (3 miles each way), and I can assure you she is fresh as a daisy!

2 things here - 1) the concerns you have can be a good 'stick' to beat the vendor with, and 2) if he's trade, you should get a good warranty for free in the deal too.

hi sleeper

can i ask what oil you use in your baby?

Hi Dutch, silkolene pro-s from oilman.

whysatthen?

you could do a head count of who uses which oil and who gets cream, see if theres any correlation

i use Castrol SLX II 0w30, 52k and salad-free!

I get this on my car (20000miles/2 years old) and it's due to condensation. I do a lot of 5 mile trips to and from work and the oil barely gets time to get up to temp most days.

It may be as simple as that.

Cheers

Simon