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Mar 12, 2017 20:01:20 GMT
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Zoom Pad this was the 5 series to have  |
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Started out with nothing and have most of it left.
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Mar 13, 2017 10:16:26 GMT
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Rear subframe bushes are easy to change with the right tool, can do all 4 in an afternoon no problem. It's not the subframe bushes that give problems. Those rarely, if ever, need changed. So, thanks to all the info on here, and guidance as to what to look for and what to avoid. In the end I jumped on a car that right to me for the right price. I picked up an E39 525i Auto SE Touring, mileage on the high side, but MOT'd till September so if it lasts me till then I'll be happy. It has a couple of rust bubbles, but I wasn't looking for a concourse one so not disappointed. Never mind the colour, that is a very clean interior which is rare in beige as it shows up wear so badly. So keep an eye on the following, now that we know specifically what you have: Radio may play up. If the speakers go funny, die on one side or somesuch, your radio unit is about to fail internally. Gearbox, the petrol facelift auto ones are not as unreliable as the diesels, but can still be troublesome. An oil change is irrelevant but will cost about £200 if you want to get it done - find someone who really understands what they are doing as you cannot just use a generic oil in them if the aim is longevity. Same applies if you need to replace the box at any time, the box needs fitted in a specific way or it will just fail immediately. And finally if there is no history of it being done recently, have the rocker gasket (£25) and the oil filter housing gasket (£5.50) replaced with new, as they crack and blow out oil there. These engines run a bit hot so they need their oil, plus when they blow oil out it burns up and puts a nice oil stench through the cabin filters, if it smells oily inside, they need done right away. Does this have airbags instead of springs on the rear? They nearly all do, springs are the rare option there. In fact I've only ever seen one touring with rear springs out of at least 100 of these, and that had been converted from the original airbags. |
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Mar 13, 2017 12:06:04 GMT
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Rear subframe bushes are easy to change with the right tool, can do all 4 in an afternoon no problem. It's not the subframe bushes that give problems. Those rarely, if ever, need changed. They do on the tourings as some the weight of the car and lateral loads are carried by the subframe bushes(shocks are captive in the subframe), as opposed to the saloon where the shocks+springs carry the weight of the car to the shell and the subframe is just hanging on the bottom of the car holding the suspension in the right place. |
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Last Edit: Mar 13, 2017 12:13:01 GMT by lufbramatt
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Mar 13, 2017 19:38:30 GMT
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Rear subframe bushes are easy to change with the right tool, can do all 4 in an afternoon no problem. It's not the subframe bushes that give problems. Those rarely, if ever, need changed. So, thanks to all the info on here, and guidance as to what to look for and what to avoid. In the end I jumped on a car that right to me for the right price. I picked up an E39 525i Auto SE Touring, mileage on the high side, but MOT'd till September so if it lasts me till then I'll be happy. It has a couple of rust bubbles, but I wasn't looking for a concourse one so not disappointed. Never mind the colour, that is a very clean interior which is rare in beige as it shows up wear so badly. So keep an eye on the following, now that we know specifically what you have: Radio may play up. If the speakers go funny, die on one side or somesuch, your radio unit is about to fail internally. Gearbox, the petrol facelift auto ones are not as unreliable as the diesels, but can still be troublesome. An oil change is irrelevant but will cost about £200 if you want to get it done - find someone who really understands what they are doing as you cannot just use a generic oil in them if the aim is longevity. Same applies if you need to replace the box at any time, the box needs fitted in a specific way or it will just fail immediately. And finally if there is no history of it being done recently, have the rocker gasket (£25) and the oil filter housing gasket (£5.50) replaced with new, as they crack and blow out oil there. These engines run a bit hot so they need their oil, plus when they blow oil out it burns up and puts a nice oil stench through the cabin filters, if it smells oily inside, they need done right away. Does this have airbags instead of springs on the rear? They nearly all do, springs are the rare option there. In fact I've only ever seen one touring with rear springs out of at least 100 of these, and that had been converted from the original airbags. Very useful info, thanks. |
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Mar 13, 2017 21:14:57 GMT
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Blimey,K7 RWE, my old car, would have loved to have kept it but it cost me a bomb to work and back being 4 x 4 Stuck to the road like curse word to a horse rug though.
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Last Edit: Mar 13, 2017 21:18:43 GMT by zoompod
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And finally if there is no history of it being done recently, have the rocker gasket (£25) and the oil filter housing gasket (£5.50) replaced with new, as they crack and blow out oil there. These engines run a bit hot so they need their oil, plus when they blow oil out it burns up and puts a nice oil stench through the cabin filters, if it smells oily inside, they need done right away. So, it's definitely time to do these gaskets, so a different question occurred to me first. Due to the fact that the For Sale area is limited to "Y" reg as the newest, I assumed the E39 is too new to be a "Retro Ride" and therefore shouldn't have it's own thread in Reader's Rides. By the same token, I don't really want to clog up my Aerosedan thread with technical details about the BMW, yet I value the community spirit on here and don't want go off and join too many forums. So, in short, what is and isn't allowed in Reader's Rides? |
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I'd be interested in its own thread. I think the E39 is regarded by many as the last proper BMW, an absolute tank, and it's shape is the last of the 'retro' BMWs along with the E46. I definitely consider it a modern retro/classic and don't think it would do any harm to retro rides. There are plenty cars of a similar age on here that I consider to be less retro, or there used to be, haven't been in here in a few years. But then I'm not the boss 😌
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Project Diary1975 Viva / 1988 T25 Camper / 1989 Mini / 1991 MX5 / 1992 Mini / 1994 Saab 9000 / 1997 Saab 9000 / 2008 Saab 9-5
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I'd be interested in its own thread. I think the E39 is regarded by many as the last proper BMW, an absolute tank, and it's shape is the last of the 'retro' BMWs along with the E46. I definitely consider it a modern retro/classic and don't think it would do any harm to retro rides. There are plenty cars of a similar age on here that I consider to be less retro, or there used to be, haven't been in here in a few years. But then I'm not the boss 😌 Agreed Oli. Not that I qualify for the executive class cars........ But how long was the production run of that car before your model? If it is a "run out model" and has 6 years of cars before it, it probably could fit in here comfortably. My Berlingo, though being a 2001 model, was the last of its shape before the face lift, and was around from 1996, making it a 21 year old car, thus in the Retro league. IMHO. It also becomes a reference document for others, which I why I get really pi$$€d when people title their threads "My car" or other nonsensical titles, so I just don't even look at them, grumpy? Not really, just that if you cannot be bothered to title a thread, the rest of it promises to be wibblepoo. Anyway, back to the question at hand, I suspect that even if not a lot of traffic, it will be a resource on here and many who know that Aerosedan and your 49 Chevy truck, will look in with interest knowing you are a problem solver Craig. Looking forward to a thread then........ PS. Maybe the moderators can copy and merge this thread with yours as there is so much information in it that people who do search could find useful. |
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Last Edit: Mar 25, 2017 8:20:40 GMT by grizz
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Mar 26, 2017 19:35:50 GMT
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Right! I've decided to turn this into a "trials and tribulations of ownership" thread, hopefully the mods will move it over to "Readers Rides" (I did ask, but they misunderstood and amended the title - I know how to do that  , but I don't want to bug them too much!!)
So, having heard the good news that disasterbus took a deposit on his T4 and hence removed the temptation to p/x the E39 for T4, I decided I better get cracking on some tidying up. I had taken Friday afternoon off, so started tinkering with the car. First order of business was the radio. It was crackling which is a symptom that surprisingskoda warned me about above. A quick Google revealed that you remove the radio by pulling off the volume knob and then insert a flat bladed screw driver and twist through about 60 degrees while pulling on the radio. Mine's the one with a cassette built in. It seems the BM54 radio has a common problem whereby the amps get fried, a DIY repair is possible with a repaire kit purchased for about £50, or you can send the radio off to numerous repair shops for about £80-£100. Having pulled the radio I discovered mine is actually a C53, but on opening it, it looks pretty much like a BM54 inside, but with added cassette deck (the BM54 can be remotely fitted under the rear deck when the car has a Satnav system). Anyway, once I'd worked out what I had, I fiddled a bit, but didn't actually change anything (I removed and re-seated the heatsink clips on the amp ICs) and popped the radio back in. (Pictures show radio removal)   Google also advised that one of the repair shops offering BM54 repairs was a 25 minute drive away, so I decided to shoot over there and see if they could help. On the way I switched the radio on and the crackling had gone away. I'm sure it is only temporary, but this combined with getting snarled in heavy traffic (every minute of progress showed 2 extra minutes of duration for the journey) got me concerned about getting back in time for the school run, so I turned around and headed home. Having pulled the rear load deck out to check if the car had a remote amp or anything (no it doesn't), I discovered numerous wires running from the passenger footwell, down the passenger sill (under the trim) through to the battery in right rear corner. I also noted some wires running from the battery area through a hole and under the car to the front. There wires were all disconnected. After the school run I started pulling the wires out. Discovered that the ones under the car led to an old siren, and to the front bumper. Maybe some sort of DIY alaram addition. I spent some time rolling around under the car cutting a myriad of cable ties and pulling it all out. The pictures show the pile of wire pulled out from under the car and also a roll in the passenger footwell that I still have to remove completely.   Oh, and I discovered that the E39 has a pop-up rear window. I didn't know this before and for some odd reason I think it's really cool!!  Next up is to fit a Parrot CK3100 that I had stashed in the garage from a previous project, more on that next time while I wait for some bits to arrive. |
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Apr 17, 2017 14:41:39 GMT
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As previously mentioned, the next job was to install the Parrot CK3100 bluetoth carkit. I had bought this for (and installed it into) a Mercedes Sprinter Ambulance that I was converting into a camper. When that project fell by the wayside, I pulled out the sound system and Parrot kit which had been installed but never used on the road. As noted before, I was waiting for some bits to arrive, the list was: - Charging cradle for iPhone
- piggy back "Add-a-circuit" fuse lead
- 12V to USB HitCar hard wired charging adapter
I then proceeded to pull my dash apart and fit these to the car. I'm very pleased with the results, for two reasons:
1) I can easily remove the installation when I get rid of this car; and
2) As I used Waze on my iPhone as a satnav, this now mutes the radio. Some pictures of the chaos and the aftermath follow (PS: I'm trying imgur for image hosting now as Photobucket is driving me insane - one of the reasons for the delayed posting):    After:   |
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You are a brave man Craig.
All that wiring as a DIY job...... would make me cry for sure.
Still, looks like you are having fun being back in a Retro daily.
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Phil H
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,448
Club RR Member Number: 133
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Apr 18, 2017 10:25:45 GMT
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Keeping an eye on this as I've just picked up a '99 E39 touring albeit a 520i for load lugging and Labrador transporting duties myself.
Think mine needs a VANOS rebuild...the 520 isn't a ball of fire but it's rather lacking in low down pull and has a bit of rattle when cold over 2500rpm.
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Last Edit: Apr 18, 2017 10:29:54 GMT by Phil H
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Keeping an eye on this as I've just picked up a '99 E39 touring albeit a 520i for load lugging and Labrador transporting duties myself. Think mine needs a VANOS rebuild...the 520 isn't a ball of fire but it's rather lacking in low down pull and has a bit of rattle when cold over 2500rpm. Cool. The longer I drive this one, the more I enjoy it. On the Vanos front, there'll be a thread update soon (I've done the work), but to be clear, there are so many good guides out there, I won't be repeating those, but I will be referencing the ones I used. I don't know if you've ever tackled something like this, but it was really easy, you just need to be systematic about it. |
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Phil H
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,448
Club RR Member Number: 133
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I'm fine with doing the job, just gathering information at the moment (such as whose kit people use). They do seem to grow on you, that's for sure  |
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Apr 19, 2017 13:58:39 GMT
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very nice purchase...ours are similar in behavior, Ill bet....same issues, OFHG, oil pan gasket, valve cover, vanos upkeep, ect.
watch for water pump failure?......driveshaft center support bearing play....and a few other small issues.
JP
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I know its spelled Norman Luxury Yacht, but its pronounced Throat Wobbler Mangrove!
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Sept 22, 2017 17:40:08 GMT
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The BMW did sterling service on the bike trip to Wales:  On the return though, it started smelling of oil again and stopped getting used due to a change of job which sees me commuting to London by train every day with the motorbike pressed into service to the station. I noticed the rear of the BMW had dropped to the ground, so suspected something was up with the air suspension. When I needed to drive the car the battery was shot. New battery, 5 mile trip, park car for multiple weeks while on holiday and business trips and ... battery flat again. It would appear that that the pump for the air suspension still runs when the car is off and kept trying to raise the car, which in turned killed the new battery as well. (I got it swopped, but still, not good!!). All of this was aggravated by the fact that MOT time was looming. Anyway, not really needing a daily right now and the BMW having put itself firmly in my bad books, I did the only sensible thing I could think of. I drove it to the local fire station, removed the battery (it was new after all), and told them to have fun with it!! So, the BMW is no more!!! (I did remove the car kit before dropping it off).... |
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, but I don't want to bug them too much!!)
