1996 740il same engine block prob as 1995?

i have 1996 740il (purrrrr) and i love it. bought in may '02, 7,000miles ago- 2 problems so far - leaky gas tank hose and broken radiator stem - just curious what my future holds. also throttle cable plastic bushing broke which sounds like it was a recall issue that I had checked out as done - how many times do they break?

currently 102,000mi - aspen silver with yummmmy lavander interior (not for everyone)

thanks for any feedback
ps i can not find any manuals for the E38 - is there any bmw manual that would help me figure things out (it took way too long to replace the turn signal light)

So far as I know of....



NO Service info OR Manuals for E38!!!!


NO ETK
NO TIS
NO ETM



The only way to get service info now is "if" you are a BMW dealer. From what I have read the info that "WAS" previously available and would run on ANY Windows based computer is NO longer available.


Now you have to have a $30,000 "special" BMW test machine that runs the software. And of course be a "dealer" to get access to the info.



Needless to say I'l keep my E32.

While the statement made by the previous post is true that the Service Manuals and ETM information is held in the BMW serive computers previously known as the MoDIC /DIS Systems, the standalone ETK and TIS CDs for Windows are still available from the Central Letter Shop (www.centrallettershop.com/cd.html) who are the Federally mandated supplier of service information. Also these can be found all the time on Ebay and other web based classifieds for car parts and manuals. Roadfly (http://www.roadfly.org/bmw/classifieds/general/) is another such place that I have seen these for sale as well.

I have read the claim that BMW was planning to stop making the stand-alone Windows CD's so that they can control the service information in the future, but the Federal Government recently told them that they will have to continue to suply service information to the independent service community and to consumers to comply with their import regulations. Now they may choose to create new more limited information resources that are just the limit of what is required by the US DOT, or maybe not?

Since your car is well documented in the ETK and TIS CDs that are widely available, don't be concerned about the recent rumors. Just buy a set now and have a good time owning and working on your E38.

Well...


I checked out the link.....And it seems the E38 info to some degree IS available. This is good news. (Didn't spend a lot of time on it as I have many projects that are more "pressing" right now)....


I've got an E32, and have thought about buying an E38 at some point in time. I had read here: http://bimmer.roadfly.org/bmw/forums/e38/ that the manuals were no longer available.

So far as how complete the info is, this remains to be seen. What I mean is BMW may be leaving things out of the info offered to "non-BMW-dealers", only publishing info that the Federal Government forces them to make available, in an attempt to "protect" their "BMW-Authorized-Dealers".



Personally I feel that BMW should offer the service CD-ROMs to ANY BMW owner FREE of charge upon request.

1: Most BMW owners do NOT do their own service work.

2: For those that do... the info would enable more BMW's to be still titled for road use 20-25 years from now.... This would be GOOD for BMW.... (Cheap advertising.)

3: This would also be good for BMW owners AND BMW as the more cars on the road translates to decreased costs of replacement parts.

4: Having the CD-ROMs could "help" if the car broke down, and the owner chose NOT to take the car to the dealer for service... (I.E. This would help the shop making the repairs /help the owner in lower repair costs /help BMW in the long run as more cars titled for road use in the long run is good "cheap" advertising.)

5: BMW should provide the CD-ROMs FREE upon request because..... you already "paid" for them when you bought the car. And "pay" each time you buy parts /get service work done..

6: CD-ROMs are cheap to manufacture.. Cost about what .25 cents to make?

BMW ETK (1 cd)
BMW TIS (1 cd)
BMW ETM (2 cd's)



So we're talking about 4 cd-roms.... at a cost of say .50 each to make.... another $3-4 for shipping... Total cost to BMW $6.00 -$ 7.00.

Round it off to say $10 off what they made off the car when it was sold... They will make this up in the sale of parts... and sale of new BMW's.


I would say this is pretty cheap advertising.



One last thing.... The above info being provided to "everyone" would be helpful to BMW itself (and BMW owners) because it would force BMW dealers to act like they DO have competition in the Service arena...


What I mean is BMW dealers would have to stop "raping" each customer.... (As the customer could have the service work done anywhere.)


This would be good for BMW in the long run.... Happy customers= Repeat sales.




PS: I used to work at an independent shop for many years... I was the one that got the jobs the "dealer" couldn't fix. I don't wear BMW underwear /and don't drink my coffee out of a BMW coffee cup.

I share your feeling on the 96' 740IL - I am scared to love it - I just got it with 114,000 miles on her. Should I be concerned re: transmission? My question is what is a sure indicator that my suspension is shot? I hear a thunk thunk noise when I go over bumps? Otherwise beaming happy with the compression and smooth ride.