Gabe79

I grant the colour (and the car itself) is pretty, but having seen a very-well-maintained model languish and not sell at $4500 recently here, I struggle to see $7k being a reasonable price.

$1200 is about $1000 more than what I'd want to spend. I have tyres off the rims already, I just need the rims refurbed, no additional work whatsoever. I'll get the tyres remounted on my own and wheels balanced and such. I think I might be better off going the ChrisFix method, given my budget. I'd only consider getting it done if the cost was really close to reasonable, and that because I struggle to find time to do it myself due to kids/life/etc...

I'll be in Torbay tomorrow, and a jaunt into Browns Bay would be easy. That said, I wouldn't buy it without a PPI. I live very near HellBM, if you can work out a schedule with Ray, I could bring it there. Else, Bellars is very close to Brown's Bay and the owner might be willing to take it in for you. All this said, usually time slots for PPIs are at a premium, so you aren't getting one on short notice at any of the BMW garages...

What did they charge for 4 wheels curb fix+painting?

It doesn't have to be. You can do an ipod/aux cable on the cheap too: http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/m5-e39-e60-tips-tricks/168081-e39-very-affordable-bluetooth-retrofit.html

I enjoy BMWs. I'll go out on a limb and say the main reason I got one was actually to learn how to wrench. I have no delusions on this point, and it's pretty common on these forums even for the words "It's cheaper if you do the work yourself" with the full expectation of having to do work on it. One can argue every car needs work, and this is true. That said... 'regular maintenance' in reliable cars means regular oil changes. Not overhauling cooling systems... When Jalopnik is saying BMWs suck for reliability, their other end of the spectrum are Toyotas that last a million miles. We joke about 'lifetime fluids' that last the life of the warranty, isn't that simply an acceptance that it's not really just the trans fluid, but the whole car that's engineered for that 'life of the warranty' ? That's sure what it feels like when reading about the newer E60 and beyond, specially given comments on this forum about any newer BMW with over 100k KMs on it.

I find this idea offensive. Such poor taste!

We use the term 'indies' for independent mechanics in the US too. I didn't realize it wasn't a thing here, assuming it isn't.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10607 "COP stands for "Coil on Plug"Its the type of ignition system BMW uses where the coil actually sits ontop of each spark plug, instead of in a central firing box.so COP control is the control unit for COP"

Combined, this would still not cost $2k, IF he does the work himself.

At $4k, that is an amazing deal. Well done! Exhaust, expect to pay ~$400 for an OEM one fitted, second hand, of course. Water pump, if you do the work yourself, shopping from fcpeuro, ~$100. Tint is easy, look up on youtube. Curbing on wheels, easy, but time consuming. I have had success with this If that's all that is wrong with the car, that was an amazing buy.

If you paid close to $4500 for it and end up spending even up to $2k more on it, it was still a good buy. $2k, if you're doing the work yourself, gets you very far with these too.

Their ad network is dodgy. It auto detects mobile browsers and abuses them. It isn't the sites fault as such. Even good gets hit by mobile ads sometimes. Binmerfest is like this too. It's annoying as hell on a mobile browser, but nothing to be too worried about. Don't click ok. ?

Supercheap? They have a bulb catalogue in the store.

If it's in good condition, that's a nice price.

This reads like something you could take to the disputes tribunal. That's nuts.

Changed out spark plugs. Good god, the person who changed them prior had them on so tight, I had to bust out the super-long breaker bar...

This video boggles my mind. I see Glenn's point, inexperienced mistake. I'd have had much more sympathy if he'd left out a bolt mounting your alternator, or your tensioner, or some other part of your engine. Killed your engine/car, whatever. Leaving out caliper bolts isn't killing the car, it's killing the driver, and passengers. I drive my kids in my car, I don't think I'd have been as kind as you come across as being in this case.

Thanks. I expect I'll do this later this year sometime when my parents from from the US to bring the parts for me.

I don't know what springs yet. Something FCP Euro sells. They say for spring selection to write them, so that's probably what I'll do. Probably something like this: https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw-coil-spring-4008446 and it's corresponding rear spring. Looking at these: https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/strut-assembly-front-e39-sedans-hd-35-114062 https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw-shock-absorber-e39-heavy-duty-be52828 Note under Fitment, they explicitly state Msport 1, or no-Msport. Do these fit on the Msport 2? Sachs is quite a bit cheaper than Bilsteins and from what I read, as good, but not as long-lived. Buying from FCP Euro I don't care about the long-lived part, but my question above stands and applies to Sachs too, do they fit Msport 2 suspension parts? The Bilsteins above state non-M, or M1 for the same part. For Sachs, they have different parts for non-M and M1, and no mention of M2 at all. https://www.fcpeuro.com/BMW-parts/530i/Shocks?year=2001&e=180&m=20&page=1&position=Rear

But such an ugly colour. That's the only thing I regret about my 530i, I wish it were pretty blue.

Can I ask how much you paid for yours and how much you've poured into it since? I'm curious what kind of financial commitment these beget.

It's never going to pass emissions compliance.

My car has this listed in options in the VIN decoder, which is what I am basing this all on: S705 M sports suspension II I don't need shocks and struts right now, but I do want springs to bring the car back to stock height after the previous owner lowered it and the thought occurred to me to look into what new shocks+struts would entail... From speaking with FCP Euro, they tell me Msport 2 shocks/struts don't have aftermarket/OEM equivalents. I'd have to order the original BMW parts, which are... a bit expensive. I was hoping to get the "M Sports suspension (S704A)" shocks and struts from Sachs. Would they fit and perform as Msport 1 would, or do I truly have to get the Msport 2 parts due to fit and such? Does this question even make sense? Thanks!

That colour... nom nom.