Need more E34 ?

Not getting your E34 fix from the blog?

Here are a few forums/web sites that i frequent for my daily E34 news, pictures, DIY´s, and ownership stories, etc,.
Most of the best ones are U.S. based so better get out google translate or learn a new language (always fun).

Lot´s of great information, DIY´s and tips on the E34
http://www.bmwe34.net/

Probably one of the biggest
http://www.bimmerforums.com/

Yup, an E30 forum with a 5 series subforum.
http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/forumdisplay.php?f=179

Deals with the E34 M5
http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/e34-m5-discussion/

A U.K. forum from our friends across the sea.
http://forum.bmw5.co.uk/forum/63-e34-1988-1996/

A forum from our Spanish amigos
http://www.bmwfaq.com/forums/bmw-serie-5-e-34-e-39-1987-2004.152/


I´m sure there are more. If you know of any websites, blogs, forums (regardless of language and geographical location) that deal with the E34 please feel free to post them and i´ll add them to the list.

Decoding the VIN (Part I)

When i bought the car, i thought it was just a tarted up 525i with most of the goodies i wanted.
It was clear someone had spent time and money on it but i wanted to know what was factory and what wasn´t. So i needed to get the VIN decoded if i wanted to find out.

Over on Bimmerforums there was a handy post offering to decipher BMW VIN codes so, i sent mine in and this is what i got back.

    VIN long      WBAHD51020BGXXXXX
   
    Type code      HD51
    Type      525I (EUR)
    Dev. series      E34 ()
    Line      5
    Body type      LIM
    Steering      LL
    Door count      4
    Engine      M50
    Cubical capacity      2.50
    Power      141
    Transmision      HECK
    Gearbox      MECH
    Colour      SCHWARZ-MICA METALLIC (347)
    Upholstery      ANTHRAZIT STOFF (0411)
   
    Prod. date      1993-10-27
   

    Order options
    No.      Description
    240      LEATHER STEERING WHEEL
    243      AIRBAG FOR FRONT PASSENGER
    314      HEATED WINDSCREEN WASHER NOZZLES
    339      SATIN CHROME
    354      GREEN STRIPE WINDSCREEN
    401      SLIDING/VENT ROOF, ELECTRIC
    423      FLOOR MATS, VELOUR
    428      WARNING TRIANGLE
    438      WOOD TRIM
    481      SPORT SEATS F DRIVER/FRONT PASSENGER
    492      TRAY IN CENTRE CONSOLE
    498      HEADRESTS IN REAR, MECHANIC. ADJUSTABLE
    510      HEADLIGHT BEAM-THROW CONTR. F LOW BEAM
    520      FOGLIGHTS
    530      AIR CONDITIONING
    556      EXTERIOR TEMPERATURE DISPLAY
    564      INTERIOR LIGHT PACKAGE
    661      BMW BAV. CASS. III
    676      HIFI LOUDSPEAKER SYSTEM
    704      M SPORT SUSPENSION
    730      SONDERSERIE
    787      INDIVIDUALSERIE
    801      GERMANY VERSION
    860      LTRL TURN SIGNAL LIGHT FRT


It´s a well optioned car (for Europe) considering what one of these cost new back in 1993. Most of the ones you see still running are poverty spec models with standard (non-sport) cloth seats, a/c and 15'' wheels.
After comparing the options list with what was on the car, it became clear that it was completely stock and unmolested.

I did a little more digging and discovered some more interesting facts regarding this particular car, but i´ll leave that for another post.

A big thanks to Mike Kent from www.thebmwpartstore.com for decoding the VIN.

New Shoes!

The PO had put on a mismatched set of Falkens and Dunlops that were getting near the end of their life.  While I managed to squeeze quite a few km´s out of them, it was clear that they were more decorative than anything else at this point. 

In the past i had been happy with Falkens on the E30 but i wanted to try something new this time.
After reading a mountain of reviews i decided on the Toyo Proxes T-1 Sports. The reviews were positive and the price was right...add to shopping cart.

A week later the tires showed up. My first impulse was to stick my finger nail into the rubber to test their smooshiness ( I would have taken a bite too but my girlfriend stopped me)
I can say that these are far stickier than the Falkens so they won´t last as long.

Here she is at the shop this morning.

The old tires were pretty worn on the insides and wanting to start fresh i decided to have them do an alignment.

I haven´t had a chance yet to take the car out for a proper test drive with the new tires, but i will do a write up as soon as i do.

As you can see my posts follow no chronological order and i will be jumping between past and present in my ownership experience.

New eyes

I´ve owned the car for almost two years now and recently noticed how badly deteriorated the headlamps are.  Badly pitted glass and a cracked lens have reduced the clarity of the lighting, so i decided it was time to remedy the situation with a new set of these...

I have always loved how the E34 looks with the blacked out/cross hair headlamps. They give the car a slightly more modern look and pull the front end together.

I placed the order yesterday and with luck they should be here the following week.

The search begins

I´ve been a fan of older BMW´s for a few years now (mainly E30´s) but i´ve never really liked their larger offerings, thinking them bloated and lacking in the sportiness afforded by their smaller brethren. But when i had an encounter with a lamp post that laid up my 318is for a few months i decided i needed something larger, slightly more modern and with A/C.

As i began my search my choice of likely candidates grew even smaller. I needed something big enough to haul my dog, current significant other and my belongings in comfort. I also needed to stay within budget.

Enter the BMW 5 series. But which one? The E60 was out of my price range, too modern and too run of the mill. The E39 too rounded and bloated for my taste. The E34 fell neatly into my budget and ticked most of the boxes, but i could n´t get over how much it looked like an old person´s car.

Not wanting to rack my meager brain over having to make a decision i stopped looking and pursued other interests...mainly women and drink.

Not long after i came back to the search after stumbling onto a BMW forum and seeing some pictures of a beautifully modified E34. Slightly lowered, blacked-out headlamps, BBS type wheels and the glossiest paint i had ever seen, surely this did n´t look like something an octogenarian would drive.

I dug back into the classifieds with renewed vigor and found...junk. Everything i ran across looked like it had survived (just barely) some civil war or had been used to haul chickens cross country.

Now despondent that i would never find what i was looking for, i came across an ad that caught my attention, ´93 BMW 525i for SALE in good shape. I had found my car...

Beginnings

This is the very first post of the blog showcasing my very own E34 German Market only [E34] 525i Sport Limousine.

Over time i will be posting about my ownership experience, model history and upgrades. As well as trying to locate any owners of this particular model.

While the blog is in English i have added a neat translate button over to the right side of the page. I encourage everyone to post and share in the discussion.

Cheers,

Albert