My Unnecessary Barge- E38 BMW 728i
Discussion
A week ago I was minding my own business when I happened to glance at a WhatsApp group I’m a member of.
Following the link to the advert led me to a 1998 728i with 103,000 miles in the colours that always appealed to me .
I really had no need for it but having realised that my 2007 E83 X3 with 166,000 miles has probably reached the end of the road , it became clear that there could be room for another wagon .
Tacit approval gained from my long suffering wife , contact was made with the seller on the Saturday evening followed by a phone chat on Sunday morning and the transfer of a deposit .
Now I needed to arrange a flight as unfortunately I’m in N.Ireland and the vendor wasn’t !
EasyJet to Newcastle, taxi to meet the vendor and see the car . Had a great chat and I was happy with the car which looked like an honest example with scope for me to tinker and titivate .
Off we set to Cairnryan to catch the ferry home. It was a quiet 170 mile trip as my wife promptly fell asleep and woke up when I stopped in Portpatrick
Following the link to the advert led me to a 1998 728i with 103,000 miles in the colours that always appealed to me .
I really had no need for it but having realised that my 2007 E83 X3 with 166,000 miles has probably reached the end of the road , it became clear that there could be room for another wagon .
Tacit approval gained from my long suffering wife , contact was made with the seller on the Saturday evening followed by a phone chat on Sunday morning and the transfer of a deposit .
Now I needed to arrange a flight as unfortunately I’m in N.Ireland and the vendor wasn’t !
EasyJet to Newcastle, taxi to meet the vendor and see the car . Had a great chat and I was happy with the car which looked like an honest example with scope for me to tinker and titivate .
Off we set to Cairnryan to catch the ferry home. It was a quiet 170 mile trip as my wife promptly fell asleep and woke up when I stopped in Portpatrick
Since buying the car I have driven approximately 400 miles just to get a feel for it.
I have read that the 2.8 engine is a bit underpowered for this car but I have found it to be quite well suited - smooth and relaxing but able to row along very well.
So , what’s it like then ?
It is in need of a big service , possibly a wheel balance and alignment .
Bodywork is fair though I have a couple of friends dying to bring the paintwork back to life with whirly devices with soft foamy attachment things ( not really my thing tbh )
Interior is in remarkably good shape for the age , testament to the quality I imagine. My plan was to give it a thorough clean.
Headlining was not so good , billowing like a Bedouin tent in the Sahara each time a window was opened. I decided that it needs to be recovered along with the A , B ,C pillar trims and the parcel shelf .
I have read that the 2.8 engine is a bit underpowered for this car but I have found it to be quite well suited - smooth and relaxing but able to row along very well.
So , what’s it like then ?
It is in need of a big service , possibly a wheel balance and alignment .
Bodywork is fair though I have a couple of friends dying to bring the paintwork back to life with whirly devices with soft foamy attachment things ( not really my thing tbh )
Interior is in remarkably good shape for the age , testament to the quality I imagine. My plan was to give it a thorough clean.
Headlining was not so good , billowing like a Bedouin tent in the Sahara each time a window was opened. I decided that it needs to be recovered along with the A , B ,C pillar trims and the parcel shelf .
Fantastic car and a fantastic engine..
A 728i was my very first BMW back in 2010, a great start to ownership
Not teaching you how to suck eggs but if no paperwork to show, get the cooling system (stat, water pump, top & bottom hoses and viscous fan clutch) swapped out ASAP. Cooling systems on these (same for the E46s and E39s) is an Achilles heel & best to be swapped out as soon as for peace of mind.
Parts aren’t expensive and a decent Indy mechanic will have it all swapped out in a few hours
Comma G48 for coolant etc
Have fun in the best looking land barge BMW ever made
The M52 is a superb lump and it’s plenty powerful. The car will get to license losing speeds easily enough!
As above, if no paperwork, get the auto box serviced too,
Meeknet is a good website for the E38 but it’s mainly the V8 engined stuff
If you’ve a wobble when driving and braking it’s more than likely suspension arms, rears mainly, but fronts too. Meyle, Lemforder, TRW and Moog brands are the ones I tend to stick to
A 728i was my very first BMW back in 2010, a great start to ownership
Not teaching you how to suck eggs but if no paperwork to show, get the cooling system (stat, water pump, top & bottom hoses and viscous fan clutch) swapped out ASAP. Cooling systems on these (same for the E46s and E39s) is an Achilles heel & best to be swapped out as soon as for peace of mind.
Parts aren’t expensive and a decent Indy mechanic will have it all swapped out in a few hours
Comma G48 for coolant etc
Have fun in the best looking land barge BMW ever made
The M52 is a superb lump and it’s plenty powerful. The car will get to license losing speeds easily enough!
As above, if no paperwork, get the auto box serviced too,
Meeknet is a good website for the E38 but it’s mainly the V8 engined stuff
If you’ve a wobble when driving and braking it’s more than likely suspension arms, rears mainly, but fronts too. Meyle, Lemforder, TRW and Moog brands are the ones I tend to stick to
Edited by d_a_n1979 on Sunday 30th October 21:52
This brings me to this weekend.
Saturday spent removing headlining and trims including dismantling the glass sunroof in order to remove the sunshade cover.
When opening the sunroof I felt that there was a restriction and thought maybe the fabric from the shade had become caught .
A bit of investigation once I removed the glass panel and to say I was surprised would be an understatement!
The next photo shows what I retrieved from the sunroof cassette which I had to loosen and separate in order to remove it all .
Saturday spent removing headlining and trims including dismantling the glass sunroof in order to remove the sunshade cover.
When opening the sunroof I felt that there was a restriction and thought maybe the fabric from the shade had become caught .
A bit of investigation once I removed the glass panel and to say I was surprised would be an understatement!
The next photo shows what I retrieved from the sunroof cassette which I had to loosen and separate in order to remove it all .
Thanks Dan , there is some paperwork from the 2nd owner . I’m making an assumption that during his 22 years ownership it has gone from main dealer to not so main dealer . Possibly it was used as a second car after a while.
Once I get the X3 off my lift then it will get a good going over .
Have a photo of the filters
Once I get the X3 off my lift then it will get a good going over .
Have a photo of the filters
Court_S said:
That looks lovely OP; agree with Dan that it’s the best looking 7 (the last good one go my eyes if I’m honest].
I have to agree . By no rational thought could it be said I have a need for it . I just always wanted one so why not .Once I have done what I need to in order to be nice then I’m getting rid of my 428i . It’s ok but doesn’t really move me if that makes sense.
Ken986 said:
I have to agree . By no rational thought could it be said I have a need for it . I just always wanted one so why not .
Once I have done what I need to in order to be nice then I’m getting rid of my 428i . It’s ok but doesn’t really move me if that makes sense.
Totally get modern cars not tickling your funny bits; I had an M140i which was perfect on paper in terms of running costs, performance and practicality….left me totally cold in the end. I was much happy in the old 130i that I replaced it with.Once I have done what I need to in order to be nice then I’m getting rid of my 428i . It’s ok but doesn’t really move me if that makes sense.
An uncle had a really new 735i sport in dark blue with champagne leather in the early 2000’s. It was a lovely thing, he was kind enough to let me drive it on a few occasions too. Nice driving it, it didn’t feel like such a big car.
Congratulations on the purchase, OP. Happy motoring.
Always love a good barge. I'd rather be in one whilst stuck in traffic than a so-called 'city car'.
I would crack on with essentials - service, new brakes and discs, new whatever could do with being replaced as long as it's not stupidly expensive - you're making the car yours.
And as I always say: full interior valet. There's potentially 24 years' worth of dirt, grime, sweat and smell in those carpets and seats. I remember doing it to an old Jag I bought (log book loan reposession) and the difference was something else, not least given it had essentially been an ash tray on wheels.
Removing all that with a shampoo and leather restoration will again be making the car yours, eliminating the biohazards and uplifting your mood inside it further!
Always love a good barge. I'd rather be in one whilst stuck in traffic than a so-called 'city car'.
I would crack on with essentials - service, new brakes and discs, new whatever could do with being replaced as long as it's not stupidly expensive - you're making the car yours.
And as I always say: full interior valet. There's potentially 24 years' worth of dirt, grime, sweat and smell in those carpets and seats. I remember doing it to an old Jag I bought (log book loan reposession) and the difference was something else, not least given it had essentially been an ash tray on wheels.
Removing all that with a shampoo and leather restoration will again be making the car yours, eliminating the biohazards and uplifting your mood inside it further!
Thanks for the kind comments everyone.
Yesterday the seats were removed to allow me to clean the carpets and mats. It was definitely worthwhile as my Bissell carpet cleaner lifted quite a bit of dirt .
Plastics all given a rough clean up for now. A better effort to follow once the trims are reinstalled.
Yesterday the seats were removed to allow me to clean the carpets and mats. It was definitely worthwhile as my Bissell carpet cleaner lifted quite a bit of dirt .
Plastics all given a rough clean up for now. A better effort to follow once the trims are reinstalled.
Today the headlining and other trims were taken to the trimmer .
The initial choice of fabric left me feeling underwhelmed . Once I had returned home and had time to think , I got in touch and asked him to look for something that would do the car justice.
Hopefully tomorrow he will have news.
This evening I removed the headlights with a view to splitting them and cleaning the lens and reflectors etc.
The initial choice of fabric left me feeling underwhelmed . Once I had returned home and had time to think , I got in touch and asked him to look for something that would do the car justice.
Hopefully tomorrow he will have news.
This evening I removed the headlights with a view to splitting them and cleaning the lens and reflectors etc.
Edited by Ken986 on Monday 31st October 23:30
Ken986 said:
Thanks for the kind comments everyone.
Yesterday the seats were removed to allow me to clean the carpets and mats. It was definitely worthwhile as my Bissell carpet cleaner lifted quite a bit of dirt .
Plastics all given a rough clean up for now. A better effort to follow once the trims are reinstalled.
Horrible isn't it!Yesterday the seats were removed to allow me to clean the carpets and mats. It was definitely worthwhile as my Bissell carpet cleaner lifted quite a bit of dirt .
Plastics all given a rough clean up for now. A better effort to follow once the trims are reinstalled.
Did that myself with a previous Sapphire Black E39 530i Sport that had the beige interior; it 'looked clean' enough; but when I wet vac'd the carpets bleurgh... The OEM mats got a power washing, AG interior Shampooing and then pegged out in the greenhouse to dry; they came up superbly TBH!
Sounds like the right plan with the interior parts re-trim - what is it you'd ideally like to go for?
I'm thinking that if my E39 540i doesn't sell and I look to get the headliner re-trimmed due to the section that's sagged a bit over the drivers seat; I'll get that and the A/B/C pillars done at the same time; maybe as close to OEM as I can or alcantara has crossed my mind also
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