Buying advice BMW 7 series (E38) 1994-2001 Common Issues Engines Inspection 

I have a 1998 Pre-Vanos E38 740IL BMW and it runs very well. Purchased with cash 9 years ago so I got more than my money out of it. I only had 4 major issues which I fixed all myself with patience. The first job I performed was changing the transmission fluid (it was having some major shuddering). I haven't had a problem with shuddering since I changed the fluid. Second was the sunroof leak. The drain was stopped up and I took my time cleaning that out - pretty easy with patience. No leaks since. The third and most annoying was the failing window regulators. I replaced all of them over time and one door I replaced twice. The fourth and final was the twisting front seats. With the help of RU-vid DIY I was able to fix both seats WITHOUT taking the seats completely out of the car. My car is a daily driver and still loving it. I will drive it until the wheels falls off 👍👍👍.

Let me add a comment to anyone buying a 4.4 e38 I am an auto tech highly experienced in bmw the only way you should even consider these cars is to have the pan dropped to check for timing chain guide pieces which is a very easy job and at that time to make sure oil pump bolts are tight this has happened walk away most engines over 80k have this problem so your chances of finding a used engine that's good is small insist that the engine is cold when you come to look at it when you start it up listen for a rattle in the very first couple of seconds this means the guides are broken . If the cars was ever overheated the guides will be broken even if they have low mileage good luck

The E38 never had a V6. The M52 straight 6 in 2.8 litre displacement found in the 728 had a reputation for being bulletproof as well as being a bit cheaper to run than either the V8 or V12.

Ahhhh my dream car

Got mine yesterday, excellent vehicle I was looking for a manual one and found it!

Thank you very much for presentation. 😎

Such a beautiful car. Elegant, sporty, classic, BOSS.

Interesting video, just had it show up on my feed.

you mean two straight six's joined together......

Also an E38 in the movie Fun with Dick and Jane with Jim Carrey ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-h0r8OfH5gME.html. Additionally the transmissions are serviceable. You can purchase kits that include filter and pan gasket just make sure to purchase proper fluid. The service involves pumping in the fluid from a filler tube in the pan (some trans have two holes, one to drain other to fill). Fill it with a hand pump until it overflows. Run engine to temp and pump in more while running in P (car must be level). Next apply park brake then go through each gear for several seconds. Each time pump in more ATF until it is topped off. Audi A8 Quattros are the same procedure. Also red dot in cluster may just mean they replaced the LKM or light control module since they are known to fail both in 3, 5, and 7 series. A simple compression test and looking under the car at gaskets will help determine condition. ;)

Drivig pleasure. 😎👌🏻

This car is a badass 🤟🏽 I love mine

I have a E32, looking for a armored version of this E38 and boosting it to get out of it's own way.

In the us, just bought a 8-10 clean one for $1100, 74,232 miles... wish me luck, love it so far

Now i drive a BMW 525i e39 and its a great car! But I still have to get used to it because in the past I have always driven Mercedes Benz like the W210 and the W208 (CLK). The body is way better than Mercedes. Not a single spot of rust and as many of you know that is way diffrent with Benzes. But I had alot of engines problems with the BMW. And I had never any engine problems with the Mercedes.

Im lucky to live in finland. I can get a good one for 3k-5k euros because we are more of mercedes country. But the diesel v8 I want is still bloody expensive. Also do you know about in problems on that engine? I cant really find any info, and you seem to research these videos quite a lot

i got mine my father passed it down to me we have had it for 23 years best car ever made

Eastern Europeans love E38,S When i meet polish lithuanian albanian latvian they love my car in manchester . very cheap car to run cheaper than a vectra or passat or mondeo to run and fix easy to fix but never break ,.realy D and go

2:52 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍

I own a 1999 728i with 220,000 ,quiet as a mouse and cheaper to service than a VW PASSAT. VAUXHALL VECTRA FORD MONDEO . Parts are cheap new clutch fitted about £600 a new cluth in the others ,about £1200 .so easy to work on a E38 .

謝謝

I live in Hungary i buy my bmw E38 750Li for 2900000 Ft i dont know how many is on euro but i like this monster

I live in Ghana and i want to buy one BMW E 38 750il, please what will you advice me?.

Guys I really want one and I live in Egypt considering its very hot in the summer what do you guys advice me with?

Great video, but.. "This car represents a certain time... and seems timeless". Those two things are completely contradictory. Either it totally represents the late 90's, or it's timeless and it doesn't represent any time. Personally I think it's very indicative of it's time and the design will age interestingly.

Whilst it might not compare to newer cars in regards to technology advances, newer cars can't compare to the elegance, build quality and uniqueness of this model.

You can pick up a good E38 in the UK from around £2-£3000 I should know I just bought another 2.8i Sport

Picked up a 740iL for 1500$ 😅

I’m about to purchase a 1994 730i E38, any advice?

It snows where am from.....

10,000 Euros? Here in the states you can get a decent 740 for like 4000$

ставлю лайк за то что бех люблю

Well in the US you can find driver E38's for $1500 lol

BMW - FREUDE AM FAHREN MÜNCHEN. 😎

Seriously, how could a V12 be more reliable than the bullet-proof, much simpler 6 in line (petrol) ?🤔🤔

The rear door of 740i is too short, 740iL’s rear door is too long.🙁

totally superficial, no mention of major cooling system and timing chain issues in the early models. Great car but needs much mechanical love to be reliable at this age.

He keeps calling it a “V6” 🤣

I had a 1999 BMW 740il n it was nice, but this guy never mention that the timing chain rails go bad n your engine will not run for it jumps time. That is the most common of all the 4.4 v8 engines n is very expensive to fix. Don’t buy one.

Jesus Christ, no one flew to the moon!

Inline 6 bolted together, not two V6’s. BMW never made a V6.

what v6 HAHAHAHAH straight 6!!!!

Why fuck it costs 7000$ in my country ?

This person clearly doesn't know anything about this vehicle. It was supposed to be a buyer's guide to begin with. Never stated the pros and cons of the vehicle. I lived in north America all my life. Never seen a rusted out e38.

I have a 96 E38 750il and love it. I have ageing parents and this car is ideal for moving them around but I also enjoy the V12 when traveling alone on suitable roads. I had mine fitted with a new exhaust setup and it sounds soooo much better than factory. Please have a listen and let me know what you think :) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-aW3PH2ZPjz0.html

Get your facts straight. There is no V6 engine for this car. Your named price 10k is a lie. DISLIKED.