To go Along with the Farewell, pics...

[MatzoBallsX5]

Here are some pics of the 540i I bought. It's coming out here late next week and as soon as it gets in, I'm putting 15-20% tint all around. So yeah, bye bye X5 on Thursday

[LeMansX5]

Looks great! Is that mk2 nav? It needs software upgrade. Check out the nav forum here. I like the Celis LEDs on E39 tail lights. And now they are standard on every BMW including the new E60.

[M_Six]

Nice. It'll look sweet with tints. Wish I could do that here. Illinois won't allow ANY tint on the front door windows.

Original radiator and expansion tank in that? If so, go with a Zionsville aluminum one around 60k.

[2002Silver4.6is]

You have some engine detailing to do bro!!!!

Sweet ride... enjoy!!

[MatzoBallsX5]

Ok, well I'm glad I posted the picture of the interior because I had no idea whether or not I needed to get an updated navigation system. How can I tell what system I have installed on this 540i? I'll check out that link you put, thanks LeMans.

I'll search and see if it's the original radiator and expansion tank. But just for my own personal info, what is an expansion tank?

At least I'll have a fun little project for the next few weeks or so, a lot and a lot of cleaning to do on the engine...

[M_Six]

Originally Posted by MatzoBallsX5

Ok, well I'm glad I posted the picture of the interior because I had no idea whether or not I needed to get an updated navigation system. How can I tell what system I have installed on this 540i? I'll check out that link you put, thanks LeMans.

I'll search and see if it's the original radiator and expansion tank. But just for my own personal info, what is an expansion tank?

At least I'll have a fun little project for the next few weeks or so, a lot and a lot of cleaning to do on the engine...

Expansion tank is circled. Either the radiator or the expansion tank will fail between 60-75k miles.

[AzNMpower32]

Originally Posted by M_Six

Expansion tank is circled. Either the radiator or the expansion tank will fail between 60-75k miles.

Yes, replace the radiator once you pass 75k miles since they're guarenteed to go south around 90k as mentioned before.

[MatzoBallsX5]

Looks like it's a good thing I added a 45,000 miles or 4 year warranty on the car. Is this easy to replace by myself? Hopefully it's all covered under the warranty.

[M_Six]

I have a 740iL with the same engine. First radiator went at 71k. I replaced the radiator and expansion tank then. This past Friday, just after I passed 145k, the expansion tank blew out. I wouldn't wait until 75k. If the car is over 65k with the original cooling system, replace it. If you don't plan on keeping the car past 120k miles or so, go ahead and replace them with OEM parts. If you want to keep it past that, it may be better to go with the Zionsville setup.

[M_Six]

Originally Posted by MatzoBallsX5

Looks like it's a good thing I added a 45,000 miles or 4 year warranty on the car. Is this easy to replace by myself? Hopefully it's all covered under the warranty.

I doubt they'll cover it under warranty unless it fails first. You can sometimes see telltale signs of it failing, like white stains running down the radiator or the need to add water more than once every two months. When the radiator fails, it's usually at the upper neck where the hose attaches. When the expansion tank fails, it's the sensor on the bottom of the tank which leaks and then finally blows out. Whether or not you can DIY depends on your mechanical ability. I had Midas replace it the first time because it failed suddenly and I had no way to get it to a dealer. Still, Midas did a good job. I bought the radiator at the dealer and had them ship it to Midas.