gte86
Part of things
Posts: 611
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Feb 17, 2021 21:48:17 GMT
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I have been after a BMW E38 for ages and now I have the money for one the reality of owning an English Bull Terrier and having another puppy en route mean a big saloon isn't ideal. So the next best thing is an E39. I'm after a Touring M Sport model. Looking for a petrol model. Ideally a 530i, probably going to avoid the V8 and wait for my midlife crisis to scratch that itch. Apart from tailgate rust, sill rust, rocker cover leaks, leaking air suspension and sunroof leak, what should I be looking for? I'm a mechanic by trade and I'm planning on keeping this car for years so I'm already planning a full service with all fluids, gearbox flush and filter and suspension arm/bush replacement. Any advise from owners much appreciated.
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Last Edit: Feb 17, 2021 21:58:26 GMT by gte86
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gte86
Part of things
Posts: 611
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Feb 17, 2021 21:48:43 GMT
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Bmw E39 Touring BenzBoy
@benzboy
Club Retro Rides Member 7
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Feb 17, 2021 22:01:58 GMT
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The big fluid-filled subframe mount bushes on the rear suspension are a bit of a task to replace, and not cheap. They're different to the saloon ones (bigger). When I did mine, I dropped the subframe and replaced pretty much every arm and bush... I also replaced the brake line that runs left-to-right over the subframe while it was accessible. God knows how you're meant to do it with the subframe in place! Don't bother with the cheapo suspension arms as they last literally days before the bushes disintegrate. Airbags too... those cheap Chinese ones on eBay are junk. I used Bilstein bags on mine and they're well worth the extra. I had an unsolveable suspension level sensor issue on mine which never went away despite me changing both level sensors (again, no cheap rubbish as they're just no good)
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gte86
Part of things
Posts: 611
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Feb 17, 2021 22:13:29 GMT
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Any recommendations for good quality suspension kits? I'm hoping to have some cash left from my budget to tidy the underneath up a bit. I'm not really looking at mileage in adverts, paying more attention to service history and bodywork condition
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Bmw E39 Touring BenzBoy
@benzboy
Club Retro Rides Member 7
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Feb 18, 2021 13:35:42 GMT
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I used Febi where I could. Pricey but worth the money, especially if you're planning on keeping the car for a bit. I cheaped out on a "bargain" ebay rear arm kit and they lasted a few hundred miles before the bushed ripped out, and I don't drive my cars hard.
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Bmw E39 Touring ballbagbagins
@ballbagbagins
Club Retro Rides Member 164
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Feb 18, 2021 13:37:42 GMT
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Mate had a saloon, sold it on due to crispy jacking points.
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alx
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 367
Club RR Member Number: 21
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Bmw E39 Touring alx
@alx
Club Retro Rides Member 21
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Feb 18, 2021 17:06:54 GMT
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My old E39 528i M Sport was pretty crusty under the scuttle panel, below the front windscreen. Check in there. You will probably already know about the dash losing pixels & wheel wobble around 70mph on a lot of E39's. I also had an ABS control unit that needed attention. Sent it off to be 'fixed' and £138 later it was fine. I enjoyed the E39. The 2.8 was OK but would have preferred the V8. Interior was lovely and it handled nicely for a big bus. Good luck with the search. AL.
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Last Edit: Feb 18, 2021 17:17:54 GMT by alx
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alx
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 367
Club RR Member Number: 21
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Bmw E39 Touring alx
@alx
Club Retro Rides Member 21
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Feb 18, 2021 17:15:34 GMT
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P.S. I've got a copy of the Bentley Manuals for the E34 & E39 if you ever need a copy. Cheers AL
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Last Edit: Feb 18, 2021 17:16:48 GMT by alx
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Feb 18, 2021 19:07:37 GMT
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body control modules fail after water ingress, the modules are under the carpet in the foot well. Its been a while since I've done one but off the top of my head they control the central locking, digital climate packs, electric windows (sided, o/s and n/s) and stereo. Any of these not working is likely to be the BCM. Defo worth checking for damp carpets and simple too stop happening but a pain to change as they are coded to the car Great cars though and the 530I is a peach of a car
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Maximum signature image height = 80pixels
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wildy
Part of things
Posts: 134
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Feb 18, 2021 19:38:08 GMT
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Check the upper rear arms. The ball joint seizes and as the arm is alloy it wears away. Eventually it can pop and the wheel tips in.
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brc76
RR Helper
Posts: 1,108
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Feb 18, 2021 20:25:38 GMT
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All mentioned before,
Rear brake lines where they go over the subframe, as mentioned before. Crispy rear subframe mounting locations. Crispy door bottoms. Body control module. Pixels on dashboard Front lower control arms are a pig of a job, not complex just corrosion fused parts causing frustration. 530i's also have heat hardened rocker gaskets that leak directly on the exhaust
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gte86
Part of things
Posts: 611
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Feb 18, 2021 21:00:09 GMT
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I'm looking for a M Sport ideally. Is it cost effective to try and change an SE to sport spec? I will be adding lows and possibly wheels anyway. I'm guessing heated seats are quite rare as I have only seen a couple with them fitted? Thanks for all the advise given so far.
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Bmw E39 Touring ballbagbagins
@ballbagbagins
Club Retro Rides Member 164
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Feb 18, 2021 21:15:04 GMT
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I'm looking for a M Sport ideally. Is it cost effective to try and change an SE to sport spec? I will be adding lows and possibly wheels anyway. I'm guessing heated seats are quite rare as I have only seen a couple with them fitted? Thanks for all the advise given so far. Changing bumpers is easy but getting a good colour match might not be. M.sport seats are an easy swap as is the steering wheel. Surely you'll have boring wheels aswell if you get an se.
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gte86
Part of things
Posts: 611
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Feb 18, 2021 21:53:42 GMT
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My friend has an E61 535d touring and is trying to persuade me to go for that. I'm a sucker for the cars I remember from my young. Something about the late 90s BMWs just looks so right. Yes I could get a cheaper better specced car but I've got my heart set on some 90s luxobarge action
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,256
Club RR Member Number: 170
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Bmw E39 Touring ChasR
@chasr
Club Retro Rides Member 170
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Feb 18, 2021 22:19:28 GMT
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I have been after a BMW E38 for ages and now I have the money for one the reality of owning an English Bull Terrier and having another puppy en route mean a big saloon isn't ideal. So the next best thing is an E39. I'm after a Touring M Sport model. Looking for a petrol model. Ideally a 530i, probably going to avoid the V8 and wait for my midlife crisis to scratch that itch. Apart from tailgate rust, sill rust, rocker cover leaks, leaking air suspension and sunroof leak, what should I be looking for? I'm a mechanic by trade and I'm planning on keeping this car for years so I'm already planning a full service with all fluids, gearbox flush and filter and suspension arm/bush replacement. Any advise from owners much appreciated. While these are a 'new' car to people on here, the oldest example will be 25 this year, and the youngest probably around 18 years old. As a result, and it being an old Beemer, it ain't going to be fresh . Most of the points have already been covered. Rust will be your biggest enemy. Check the sills as well. They can rot from within, leaving you with alot of the sill to change, despite the outer looking OK. Another one is the mirror bleeding, but this seems to affect only the M5. You can get the replacement glass for £100, and it's worth changing soon. If the liquid bleeds out of the glass, it will eat away the plastics and cloth trim. My friend has an E61 535d touring and is trying to persuade me to go for that. I'm a sucker for the cars I remember from my young. Something about the late 90s BMWs just looks so right. Yes I could get a cheaper better specced car but I've got my heart set on some 90s luxobarge action After being in a few E38s/39s and an E61 535d, I'd say that unless you can get a really straight E39, listen to your friend . As a friend of mine has found out, bringing up a tired E39, even with mates rates on labour and doing things yourself soon mounts up. Christ, I suspect I've saved £3k on the M3 over the years in labour. I won't even say how much I've spent on it. It's alot! But it's alot harder to bring a crappier car up to scratch than a nice one, and the cared for cars always seem to drive nicer. The 535d is a very cool thing. They are comfortable, yet so effortless in how they get up to speed. It's one of the few cars I wish I bought off my dad when I was offered the chance.
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Last Edit: Feb 18, 2021 22:20:44 GMT by ChasR
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body control modules fail after water ingress, the modules are under the carpet in the foot well. Its been a while since I've done one but off the top of my head they control the central locking, digital climate packs, electric windows (sided, o/s and n/s) and stereo. Any of these not working is likely to be the BCM. Defo worth checking for damp carpets and simple too stop happening but a pain to change as they are coded to the car THe E39 doesn't have a BCM - all those things are controlled by either the LCM and GM. There's no modules under the carpet in an E39. The LCM is behind the drivers footwell kick panel, and the GM is behind the glovebox. Both can suffer water damage in those locations though cracked solder joints from being too dry and brittle are much more commonly the fault if they fail. I'm looking for a M Sport ideally. Is it cost effective to try and change an SE to sport spec? I will be adding lows and possibly wheels anyway. I'm guessing heated seats are quite rare as I have only seen a couple with them fitted? Thanks for all the advise given so far. Very much effective. Other than the suspension differences (irrelevant to you) the changes are only visual parts, which you can add all of onto it for less than the price of a good 530i Sport Touring. I'd say you'd need a £3k budget to get anything worth driving, but a 530iT SE could be had from £1000-1250 up. Add on £400 of Sport bumpers, £100 of sport front seats, a £100 steering wheel and the only other differences remaining would be wheels, and a black headliner and different door-sill kick trims. If you don't care about having an original Sport, it's absolutely the way to do it, and open your scope of available vehicles up as they're hard enough to find. Heated seats are relatively rare also, however 530i Tourings tend to have a decent spec so one of the more likely cars to have them. Another one is the mirror bleeding, but this seems to affect only the M5. You can get the replacement glass for £100, and it's worth changing soon. If the liquid bleeds out of the glass, it will eat away the plastics and cloth trim. Any of the self-dimming mirrors will suffer this bleed. Interior mirror bleed on anything other than an M5 is very very rare, exterior mirrors will definitely be bleeding if they are the dimming kind, but that's a very rare option so unlikely to affect the OP unless a genuine "has every extra" car is found. My friend has an E61 535d touring and is trying to persuade me to go for that. I'm a sucker for the cars I remember from my young. Something about the late 90s BMWs just looks so right. Yes I could get a cheaper better specced car but I've got my heart set on some 90s luxobarge action After being in a few E38s/39s and an E61 535d, I'd say that unless you can get a really straight E39, listen to your friend . The problem is, the E6x cars are a piece of junk. As they get older, they are proving highly unreliable and values of E60s versus similar E39s are reflecting that. There are so many electrical gremlins in them, coupled with a much less involved driving experience, that they are much more costly to keep moving than an E39 (given similar conditions). They tend to be higher mileage (as years go on, average yearly mileage increases) and just as worn out as older cars, without any of the benefits. They've inherited all of the E39s faults without fixing any of them, and added a host more. Don't get me wrong, I've driven a fair few and they are certainly a decent car when they work, but that's the issue, WHEN they work. An E39 will always keep going, and is IMO the absolute pinnacle of a Daily Driver.
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gte86
Part of things
Posts: 611
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Call me old fashioned but I want a retro ride. This is the worst time to buy a car as viewing is a nightmare. Part of me wants to buy a 525 se touring for 1500 and spend another 1500 tidying up. I've got a total budget of around 4500 put I'd like some money back if possible.
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gte86
Part of things
Posts: 611
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Feb 19, 2021 12:04:25 GMT
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The pictures above really show how the E46 is a mini E39 in terms of design.
I've got a completely standard E46 325i Sport saloon with a manual gearbox. It's practical as it's got 4 doors and a large boot, has enough grunt to have fun if you feel like it but is also one of the comfiest cruisers I've owned, particularly as it has the alcantara seats rather than the leather.
I have noticed that prices of these are starting to rise quickly though, I suspect as a result of the 'COVID effect' but also due to dwindling numbers in general, as even the latest ones are now 16/17 years old.
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