Love my 7 Series

BMWSeven · 02-22-2018, 01:27 PM

I love my E65...E66 actually. Properly wheel-ed, they are still modern looking and imposing.

uniqueMR · 02-22-2018, 04:48 PM

The-Traveler · 02-22-2018, 05:03 PM

Did you have leaking valve seals and the famous transmission issue?
I looked into getting one of these as a DD but settled for a 330i E90 after the one I drove was bellowing smoke during the test drive.

BMWSeven · 02-23-2018, 03:33 AM

Mine is a not for North America 730 Li. Basically it is a 530 powertrain with the space/luxury of a 7. Admittedly it has less gadgets (no EDC, Dynamic Drive, V8) but it does have the backseat toys (power recline and curtains) - and the N52 engine is pretty easy to live with.
The V8s, which is used in many other BMWs of the same era - do have the valve seal issue - yes it is expensive to fix, but an independent shop should be able to give you a better deal, and it is a one time/rare thing - unlikely you will need to do it twice.

The ZF6HP tranny is bulletproof if you maintain it right. Take care of the seals and regular oil changes and it will go on forever.

Give it the right wheel and the E65/E66 still looks modern to this day, especially in LCI form. Even the early ones like this still looks damn fine.

LCI

inandout · 03-02-2018, 11:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BMWSeven

I love my E65...E66 actually. Properly wheel-ed, they are still modern looking and imposing.

Ha,
My father just spent $2000 on his 650Li for replacing the trans seal/sleeve/fluid/battery after getting the "transmission fault. Drive moderately" warning. After the supposed 'fix', The car still shifted hard and ended up throwing a CEL. The dealer claimed that the transmission is toast. The car is only at 60K miles. They want 8K to replace the transmission.

Biggest POS ever.

BMW lost two households as customers.

Bt12 · 03-03-2018, 10:08 AM

That stinks...Could have bought an extended warrantee...

BMWSeven · 03-03-2018, 04:43 PM

First of all, sorry about your transmission. But it happens, sometimes the Mechatronic brains of the tranny fails, sometimes it doesn't. It's just a ZF 6HP transmission that is also used in Audis to Rolls Royces. I guess they are crap too? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZF_6HP_transmission

Secondly, when you have a car that is that old and worth next to nothing, why take it to a dealer? Find a good independent. They may also have options for refurb trannies.

02-22-2018, 01:27 PM	#1
BMWSeven New Member 5 Rep 23 Posts Drives: BMW E66 Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: Jakarta, Indonesia iTrader: (0)	Love my 7 Series I love my E65...E66 actually. Properly wheel-ed, they are still modern looking and imposing. Last edited by BMWSeven; 02-25-2018 at 12:24 PM..
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02-22-2018, 04:48 PM	#2
uniqueMR Colonel 1899 Rep 2,928 Posts Drives: ... Join Date: Dec 2017 Location: USA iTrader: (0)	__________________ Currently: '22 Ferrari F8 \| '24 Mercedes G63 \| '24 Porsche GT3RS \| '24 Volkswagen GTI Previous BMWs: 340i, 740i, 745Li, M3, M4 Previous Others: Audi, Ducati, Honda, Infiniti, Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, MINI, Mitsubishi, Porsche, Toyota, Volkswagen
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02-22-2018, 05:03 PM	#3
The-Traveler Lieutenant 161 Rep 594 Posts Drives: E92 M3 & G30 530e Join Date: May 2015 Location: Toronto iTrader: (0)	Did you have leaking valve seals and the famous transmission issue? I looked into getting one of these as a DD but settled for a 330i E90 after the one I drove was bellowing smoke during the test drive.
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02-23-2018, 03:33 AM	#4
BMWSeven New Member 5 Rep 23 Posts Drives: BMW E66 Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: Jakarta, Indonesia iTrader: (0)	Mine is a not for North America 730 Li. Basically it is a 530 powertrain with the space/luxury of a 7. Admittedly it has less gadgets (no EDC, Dynamic Drive, V8) but it does have the backseat toys (power recline and curtains) - and the N52 engine is pretty easy to live with. The V8s, which is used in many other BMWs of the same era - do have the valve seal issue - yes it is expensive to fix, but an independent shop should be able to give you a better deal, and it is a one time/rare thing - unlikely you will need to do it twice. The ZF6HP tranny is bulletproof if you maintain it right. Take care of the seals and regular oil changes and it will go on forever. Give it the right wheel and the E65/E66 still looks modern to this day, especially in LCI form. Even the early ones like this still looks damn fine. LCI Last edited by BMWSeven; 02-23-2018 at 03:52 AM..
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03-03-2018, 10:08 AM	#6
Bt12 Captain 391 Rep 960 Posts Drives: 2018 X5,2018 m2, 2018 x1 Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: Bicoastal iTrader: (0)	That stinks...Could have bought an extended warrantee...
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03-03-2018, 04:43 PM	#7
BMWSeven New Member 5 Rep 23 Posts Drives: BMW E66 Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: Jakarta, Indonesia iTrader: (0)	First of all, sorry about your transmission. But it happens, sometimes the Mechatronic brains of the tranny fails, sometimes it doesn't. It's just a ZF 6HP transmission that is also used in Audis to Rolls Royces. I guess they are crap too? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZF_6HP_transmission Secondly, when you have a car that is that old and worth next to nothing, why take it to a dealer? Find a good independent. They may also have options for refurb trannies.
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