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Question

I am considering purchase of a 2000 740iL but VERY concerned about maintenance costs. Car has 66k miles and looks excellent, 2 previous owners, being sold by local Mercedes dealer in Florida that took in trade. Dealer says it inspected car in its shop and looks o.k. What are the things that usually go bad on this car from now until 120K miles, and approximate repair cost ??? What are the "pixels" everybody is always talking about ??? ANY ADVICE AND COMMENTS WOULD BE MOST WELCOME. Thanks, George in Tampa.

Submitted: 610 days and 18 hours ago.
Category: BMW
Value: $15
Status: CLOSED
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2000 BMW 740iL

Posted by BmwMasterTech 610 days and 16 hours ago.

Answer

Hello. I can provide you with some information for this vehicle. Let me start with the pixels, it is a common problem for the cluster to fail in the display and some of the pixels do not light up. Some people will dissassemble the cluster and spray contact cleaner inside but at the dealer the only thing we can do is replace the cluster (not cheap). But this would not effect driveability.

Some common problems:

  1. The valve cover gaskets leak due to age from brittleness. Oil will leak into the spark plug holes and contaminate the boots (coil over plug) and cause a misfire. Usually this is solved by cleaning out the plug holes, replace plugs, replace v/c gaskets. Parts about 150 and labor about 5 hours.
  2. PCV plate failure. On the back of the intake manifold you have a pcv plate that fails and causes oil to enter the intake manifold and can cause misfires. Fix, remove intake manifold and replace rear cover and front seal and intake gaskets along with fouled plugs. Not sure on total cost of parts (around 200-300) labor would be about 5 hours.
  3. Valley pan leak. Coolant can leak from a failed valley pan gasket. This is under the intake manifold and usually is checked during an intake reseal, as this is under the intake manifold. With the intake already off it should be another 2-3 hours for this repair since the cross over pipes for coolant must be removed.

These items are likely needed to be done anywhere from 60,000 and above. If this vehicle has a cpo warrenty then it would be covered up to 100,000 miles but only a certain number of year (this would have to be checked.)

Let me know if you can think of any questions and I will try to help.Thank you.

610 days and 14 hours ago.

Reply

Thanks for your advise...I just have heard so many horror stories about the 7 Series BMW. Funny thing is that in the auction market it is almost at the same level as the Jaguar XKJ V8, not a good sign.

Consumer Reports ratings show MAJOR PROBLEMS with the ENGINE and ENGINE COOLING in this particular model...any idea why ???

Accepted Answer

Hello. No, I'm not sure why. It could be the gaskets that they used during engine construction. I do know that BMW updates parts when they find a problem so after any repair most of the time the part will last a long time. Also, every car is different, some have problems right away and others never have a problem. Also keeping up or doing more maintenance like fluid flushes and services can keep the cost down by performing each repair as needed a little at a time. Most of the time we see in the dealer is the 7 series that no one has maintained and someone just bought and wants to know what it needs and then they are hit up with a huge list. I hope the information has been helpful to you. The 7 series really is a great car, if you are serious about it have it sent to a BMW dealer for an independent inspection (1 hour service) and they can go over the car and tell you what shape the engine and supsension is in. It could be one that is in great shape.Thank you.

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Expert: BmwMasterTech
Pos. Feedback: 98.1 %
Accepts: 
Answered: 3/22/2008

BMW Mechanic

Level 1 BMW Master Certification, 9 Years Dealer experience, Team Leader, Shop Foreman

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