Background

The E28 was the successor to the E12 five series and was thus the second incarnation of the five series. The new vehicle looked initially similar to the E12 but rode lower, had more engine choices and gained minor styling updates. It is perhaps a tribute to the old E12 that the basic design lived on until 1988! I recently found a 1987 520i for a friend, it cost less than you would imagine and is one of the most well balanced all-rounder saloons I've ever driven despite having 90,000 miles under its belt..

It is interesting to note the many similarities in chassis and drivetrain between the E28 and the classic E24 635CSi Coupe.

Models

The E28 was born in June 1981 with four engine choices in europe, this included BMWs first diesel powered car.

The management system on the 2.0 and 2.7 eta M20 engines was updated in 1984 to give a small power boost.

The most notable models arrived during 1985 in the shape of the M535i and the M5. The 535i has the 12 valve 218bhp big six engine while the M5 uses the 286 bhp twin cam 24 valve unit. The M5 also has modified suspension and brakes, the car was hand built by the Motorsport division.

US versions of this car were denied the smaller engines and had the normal US super-bumpers inflicted upon them.

Engines

The 5 series was best known in europe in 520i guise using the excellent M20 "little six" 12 valve engine. The larger 5's used the M30 "big six" engine from the six and seven series cars. European consumers also had the option of a 2.4 litre diesel unit or the 1800 injection engine from the three series.

The US market saw many of these cars arrive in "eta" form. The 2.7 litre eta engine was designed to use less fuel while still offering good performance, surely only Americans could ask for a 2.7 litre economy engine!This was a fairly durable engine whose only failing was its unwillingness to rev at high speeds.

*ABS was fitted to later models of some cars as standard. On many models it was optional. More US models had ABS than euro cars. Most 535i's had a limited slip diff but some automatics didn't.

See the engine details page for power figures. US power figures for this car were quite a bit lower than euro figures and the cars were a little heavier. In addition the 518i and 520i were never available in the US. The 2.5 litre unit was an M30 rather than an M20, most odd.

The 525e was called the 528e in the US, it has a 2.8 engine designed for fuel efficiency.

Some manual M5s, M535is and 535i models had the dog leg close ratio gearbox with first gear on it's own and second, third paired next to fourth and fifth.

Known Problems

Many of the larger engined E28s have TRX alloy wheels. These use a special size of tyre which is difficult to get and very expensive.

Electric seats can fail, especially headrests.

The 1800 engine in this car can suffer badly from valve tick if badly adjusted.

Ensure cam belts on the M20 engines are changed every 50,000 miles.

M30 engines can suffer from oil starvation on the camshaft resulting in damage. This is preventable with a new design of hollow bolt for the oil feed bar.

ZF HP 22 automatic transmissions can fail if revved strongly whilst in neutral or park.

Boot water leaks from the tail lights are not uncommon, check for rust here.

Carefully check fuel lines and tank for corrosion, especially where the filler pipe meets the fuel tank.

Flashing ABS warning light often means that wheel sensors are rusting badly.

Heating can stick fully on or off due to faulty heater control valve on the M30 3.0/3.5 engine, not that expensive to fix.

Check all the electrical goodies work, bits for these ain't cheap but they are generally reliable.

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