BMW 7 E38 - good idea?

Yea it seems to be not "if" but "when" those ABS modules die....
Had to look back and see when I posted that. It was ~7 months ago and ever since I flushed the brake fluid and reset the lights with the Peake tool shortly after there have been no warning lights whatsoever (knocking on wood).

ABS hasn't engaged recently but traction control does kick in a few times per week so all is good at the moment.

I do get the itch to buy something else every once in awhile (XJR, AMG E55, Stingray etc) but every time I get in the old 7er it just feels so right. Awesome car.

 

Any E38 drivers that haven't yet done so, there's a deal right now for replacing the 4 crumbling woofers in your rear deck.
A guy on Bimmerforum has been rebuilding these with VW "Monsoon" speakers for some time. Chargers ~$275 for a box rebuilt with used speakers, if you send yours back for a core refund.
But there's now a guy on Ebay selling brand new Monsoons (bigger magnet, much stronger cone, 4ohm vs stock 8ohm) that are almost plug-and-play for ~$60:
Four (4) Brand New VW speakers. 4ohm. Factory original NOS New!! Monsoon, etc | eBay

He somehow got a crate of NOS speakers, and it raising the price as his stock depletes. I ordered last weekend, 4 for $50 shipped.

I'm ~1.5 hours in and halfway through replacing my old ones now, will finish the job tomorrow.

Tips and more pics here: https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?2331375-Another-rear-deck-speaker-upgrade&p=29603005#post29603005

If you don't want to mess around quite so much (removing the box and reinstalling it is over half the battle though) here's where you can buy the rebuilt box with used, but still MUCH better than stock 7-series speakers: speakers - E38 SOLUTIONS

What stock E38 woofers look like after 15 years:
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Oh wow look at that interior. I've never seen that dark shade of beige on an e38 in my lifetime. Is that really stock?? And it's white

The second best color this car is offered in

 

NM just saw the dyed comment. M5 engine may have to go in to mine at some point if and when the engine should blow up. I don't see the point in installing a manual into one of these things though, you're just really starting to make the car something that it isn't. At that point, just get an M5 LOL

 

The only other E38 with "Caramel" interior I've seen was in an Alpina B12. Really a shame they didn't put this in more 7s. Also another pic of the white S62's interior. Looks great for a dye-job!
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BTW my 7 is on week 3 with new front brakes and so far so good.
Put on Centric "Premium" rotors and Akebono "Euro Ultra Premium Ceramic" pads from Rockauto. ~$200 for both fronts.
Less initial "bite" than whatever stockish pads were on there but still plenty of power to lock the wheels if desired. Biggest difference is dust. There's virtually none now.

Also using a new method for removing the once-broken-loose lugs, then snugging them to be torqued by hand once on the ground. I've lusted after at proper cordless impact wrench but wouldn't use it enough to justify the cost.

Thinking also about new tires. The fronts are getting close. Hankook Ventus V12s look to be a solid price/performance/treadlife choice. Any tire input from E38ers here?

The new speakers are in and interior reassembled. Sounds beautiful IMO. Sat in it last night for about 1/2 hour listening to Sting, Dire Straits, and Pink Floyd CDs. Very happy with the results.

Conditioned the leather and cleaned up the inside while in there. Gray may be boring compared to caramel but BMW sure used fine leather and trim in these things.
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What would it cost to have a dye job like that done??

 

No idea, but certainly not cheap. Pretty much the entire interior needs to be disassembled to do a complete job like that. The doors alone have something like 10 different pieces that need to be removed.

The guy that did it show in-process pics in the car's build thread: https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?2310123-RVAE34-s-next-E38-project&p=29454099&highlight=dye#post29454099

 

sweet '01 740iL Sport on BaT, with recently done timing chain guides, VANOS, valley pan gasket etc:
2001 BMW 740iL | Bring a Trailer

 

oh well, you shoulda bought an E38!

The '01 with 135k linked above on BaT hammered for $10,600 incl buyer's premium.
Well over market value, 2 bidders duked it out from $6k to $10k.

 

strong money for a sweet looking '01 sport on BaT today: $17k incl buyer's commission 37K-Mile 2001 BMW 740i | Bring a Trailer

Not quite as valuable as this near-new E34 M5, but not too shabby!
14K-Mile 1993 BMW M5 | Bring a Trailer

My 740 is booked at NTB friday morning for new tires. Have a slow leak in one of the rears and all 4 (2 Michelin, one BFG, and the leaker is a "Velozza VZX") are getting pretty low on tread so treating her to $767 worth of BF Goodrich Comp-2 A/S rubber.
Supposedly a very solid all-around tire, with a 45k treadwear warranty that should never be needed assuming my Tesla 3 is delivered in about a year.

 

I randomly started thinking about my family's '98 740iL we had back then and realized how much I liked the alarm sound on that car. My friend's family in college had an '01 and I found out then they got rid of that whistle sound. The "wolf whistle" sound imo sounds the best. Here's and '01 with the upgrade: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iz0vV8DSsDo

 

Me too. BMW has become the Euro-Dodge. Avoid them used.

 

Nicest E38, maybe BMW I've ever seen.

 

Hey Nurburgringer, replace any window modules lately? I'm averaging about 1 per year LOL. 2 more to go until they're all aftermarket and an afterthought. The sport pack rears sure do burn alot of rubber too. I think I've only put about 25k on the new set I bought recently and they're getting close to gone. I mean crap, I hope I can get at least 35k out of them.

I pulled out my 01 siren and replaced it with the 97 one so I could return to the wolf whistle! Funny I remember my neighbor's dad's quit on his 97 back in the day, and they replaced it with the beep one. They hated it LOL.

I think I'm going to change my black interior to a cream color at some point. It's still in good shape as of now. Would love to have the car IU cream and crimson. Red on cream. Going to wait a bit longer, if I decide that I'm going to keep the thing indefinitely I will I'm on year 4 now, 210,000 miles. Car still feels great, but man you cannot go a whole calender year without something breaking on one of these LOL. I can only imagine owning a 95-98!

 

Hello, fellow E38 lovers. I'd like to buy a 2001 Highline Sport. If you should come across one for sale, would you be so kind as to send me a PM? Thanks!

 

What is a highline sport exactly? Never heard of it.

 

ha! So far still only the 1 rear regulator, but every time I use the driver's front (which is at least twice a day, this is the time of year in Houston when I drive with the window's down) I say a little prayer....

If these new BFGs last 25k I'll be a happy camper, but don't know that I'll keep the car that long. Will likely have to make a final decision on the Tesla 3 in less than a year, and if I go forward with that keeping the 7 doesn't make any sense. Will miss it terribly though.

The BFG Comp-2 A/Ss feel great BTW. Sidewalls look a little too "all seasony" for my tastes, but more concerned about ride/noise/grip and from what I can tell so far they are truly excellent on all counts.

210k on yours is awesome. you probably mentioned it, but is it still on the original chain guides?
Red over cream interior would look sweet.

"highline" as in contrasting color on carpet/leather, and piping I take it?
Good luck! I've only seen a few of these in the US and all were 740 or 750iLs, not "short sport" models. Definitely adds a ton of character.

And according to at least one person the "Ecru" leather isn't as durable as the standard leather:
https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?1727798-How-many-US-spec-E38-Highline-s
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Here's a car with the blue Highline interior: 2000 BMW 7-Series WHITE (CREAM) WITH BLUE PIPING | eBay

 

Here's a Sport, retrofitted with contrasting interior colors for a quasi-highline look:
https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?2340439-Oxford-green-II-740i-sport

Needs some TLC but I'm digging the green over tan color combo.

 

Pretty sure they're original. The previous owner did the tensioners at 150k. I was planning on servicing the motor at 300 which will be a ways away from now. What's the schedule on those? I thought you're just supposed to do the tensioners at 150? I though that chains should last pretty much the life of the car given nothing bad happens in there. I don't drive the car that hard, it's my daily cruiser ( I do about 10k a year). If the car is still looking good at 300, which it should, I'll make the decision at that point on whether to proceed or sell. Wouldn't mind upgrading to an arnage, but this car is such a good fit because its nice, but nice/expensive enough to the point that I would be pissed if it got hit/damaged. I'm definitely aiming for 300 though!

And As soon as I get the car back from getting the window fixed last week, I notice a small crack forming on the lower part of one of the side-skirts. It never ends with this thing! LOL good grief.

 

Thanks for pointing that one out! I'm holding out for the blue (or green) piping on the seats, though.

 

Driving home today and got the solid battery light going on. Looks like the alternator is now probably on its way out. Heheh, it never ends I tell you! LOL

 

I gave up on the 740iL Highline Sport search and purchased a 2001 750iL Sport, black on black.