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Third time lucky.... After adventures with my E81( 2 door) 130i and my parts car E87 130i, I've now bought a Manual E87 M-Sport 130i! So far I've given it a thorough clean and a good drive around the Wellington hills, very happy with my purchase. Both photos from the sale listing. Its a Jap import that's been in the country since 2015, and I've got a folder full of extensive service history since then including major bits replaced like DISA valves, valvetronic, and waterpump. Car has been converted to NZ Navigation and is a high spec example from factory with black leather seats/silver trim/Idrive/Heated seats etc. Exterior is in exceptional condition bumper aside, interior is also quite nice. It has several mods: Ohlins Adjustable Suspension Works Emotion D9R 18" wheels BMW Performance rear spoiler Tints all round BMW roof racks Rear Wiper Delete Exhaust flap removed "eyebrows" As part of the purchase it had the PCV and relevant pipes replaced and MAF sensor changed after being picked up as a fault in a pre-purchase check. Outstanding issues with it include headliner sagging in the rear and front bumper damage from being backed into near the license plate. Will be fixing headlining shortly. I have had a go at cleaning paint marks off the front bumper somewhat successfully and the actual damage isn't obvious or structural. Will likely get it fixed but not a rush job. Otherwise car is in fantastic nick and drives beautifully. I'm planning to remove the eyebrows and BMW Roof racks asap, will need to find some roof rack covers for the roof. I also have a SuperSprint exhaust backbox to fit on. Think I'll replace the kidneys if/when I get the front bumper fixed as they're painted black. Big decision for me will be about the wheels, didn't originally like them but they're growing on me. They're quite special being 5x120 and relatively rare. I do like the 18" M-sport factory wheels which I have on my 4 door. Have been really enjoying the drive compared to my suspension modded E81, and stock E87 130i. Both which will be for sale now or shortly. Manual makes a big difference in the drive and feels like a bit more power is available. Adjustable suspension is a tremendous ride. So a very happy camper who finally got his manual 130i

When you sort this out let the rest of the e39 world know ?

As requested by some of you a stand alone projectthread for my E39 530i - this will stop me spamming the WDYDTYC thread lol Backstory - April 2019 I decided to look fo an E39, 530i to replace my mint E46 320i, the E46 had served me very well for 9 years, i had modded it to the end of my wishlist and after a BME Club trip to Tokaanu with a 3 year and 5week old, my theory about needing a bigger sedan with the arrival of Bodhi, was proven correct. upon my return home - the search began. After looking at a few as "do ups" i decided as mint as i could get for 7k ish was the way to go. I wont go too deep into the unicorn i let go the previous year, as it still burns me - and was recently sold again - a mint individual grey 530i, nz New, with color matched interior stitiching. After some further searching and a well timed post on the BMW Car Club NZ Facebook page a local example was coming up for sale, a couple of views, a test drive and it was mine. it was mint enough for the 6k price tag including a full service history, with a few things needed doing to fit my desire for a "Project " Since picking the car up in April i have done (all in the WDYDTYC thread) some optional other maintenance / replacement of worn parts - brakes rotors and pads -recon ABS pump & booster - GROM Bluetooth adapter - refurbished parcel shelf and installed child seat anchors -new rear suspension links, top hats, spring pads etc to even the rise height out -panel beating to the drivers side frot shock tower (under bonnet) to straighten it out -new "Pork chops" to replace smashed ones incl dnew hardwas for the centre undertray also ( this cobined with other wrok makes me think the car was nose dived at some stage or repeately abused leaving an angled driveway - new arm rest inserts and handle - Bavsound speaker upgrade (awesome) - tinted windows -Replaced front and rear windows gaskets - made hard in the front by a misalinged windscreen and lots of glue used by whomeeer did that job - spark plug change -gear box flush - oil change and all filters, cabin etc... - new camshaft intake angle sensor - 2nd hand mint drivers side auto dimm mirror - paint correction at Auto Niche, Hamilton - claybar and degrease wheels - replaced center caps in wheels Future works - 2003 sterring wheel with multifunction and paddle shift ( in the garage just need ot sort install) - refurb the style 42s - new passenager mirror or great 2nd hand one - fix rip in drivers seat side bolster ( on the look out for material from good condition m psort rear seat) - new windscreen cowel - newA pillar trims (middle clipswere borken whe nwindscreen replaced, i beleive) Any further updates will be sposted here in due corse Cheers the old E46 The new to me E39

176,000 kms. If there was one thing that my E39 530i taught me it was that one E39 is not enough. I loved that car. It rode beautifully, was uber comfortable and had a silky smooth straight six. But it was these exact things that I disliked about it too. It was too comfortable, too relaxed and too quiet. It rolled around corners, the standard seats had little support and I quickly grew used to the 230BHP/220 lb.ft power figures. Then a 540i came into the picture. NZ new, facelift, fully original, great spec and genuine motorsport. While not in my favourite colour for the E39, and not without issues, the spec and price won me over. So, here it is:

Excellent cond. Well maintained 202000 km. All M Sport options. lowered on H&R springs. Vehicle specs CIC upgrade kit available. $1 Reserve IMG_5848.MOV

I enjoy them both actually, electric feels more assisted but I wouldn't in a million years say its bad. But all 3 of my 130i drive differently, as all have different set ups. My 4 door parts car, which is an LCI stock auto is electric and feels a bit more assisted but otherwise drives nicely. The 2 door is an LCI auto but hydraulic steering. It's got upgraded shocks and sway bars, plus better wheels/tyres and feels even better on the road. It's quite flat around corners, steering feel is a bit better ie less assisted feel and a bit heavier. This car aka the new one is another improvement again, but that's down to wheels/suspension. The on road feel is amazing. Adjustable suspension is bit more forgiving on bumps than the 2 door but still grips superbly. Think also the lighter wheels/better tyres make the steering feel better too.

There's (at least) three types - hydraulic, hydraulic with active and electric without active. They may have also added electric with active later on (I didn't check). And yes @///M, not all LCI's came with electric (or active): https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/partxref?id=UD52-EUR-03-2007-E87N-BMW-130i&mg=32&sg=10&diagId=32_1509&q=32106777464&series=E87N

Pretty sure active steering was an option the original buyer had to tick when ordering. Great looking car! must be ridiculously fun with the manual

How do you find the hydraulic steering vs the lci's electric? Lovely car btw, Ohlins coilovers must feel special!

Congrats on the new vehicle Dan!

Great thread @BozzaFC

12.7V batt, and I'm an idiot. Just realised I hadn't actually turned one of these over without plugs. Just silently shoving air out the plugs.

Saw yours on the sales forum, was a beaut and priced well too. Got excited until I saw it was sold and driving away.

Hello folks. Currently driving a Prado and Colorado ute. I had a mint E38 740i M-sport back in Ireland but that ended thanks to hail on the road and a 3 series....picture attached. on the lookout for another e38 but having fun looking at all the knowledge here on the forum.

Thanks Brad, I wouldn't have been able to do it without a good base to start from, thanks again for selling me such a great wee car!

You can buy it as a personalised plate - you will need to prove ownership of car etc etc to [email protected] - they control the remanufacture of previously issued plates. There is a form (MR19) that you need to fill out, then flick that through with ID and the veh documentation. They'll 'release' the plate for reissue, then I guess you work with kiwiplates (was plates.co.nz back when I did it) to buy the thing. Any questions sing out, I can probably dig up some old emails or something to illustrate the process.

Head in floor well job are never nice but id agree with you on that one too. The E39 is fairly easy by comparison and is one of the reasons ive always preferred the 5 series over the 3, those extra inches sure make things much easier when it comes to working space. Fixed my passengers seat twist - 2x cable sleeves needed shortening for height and 1x for recline.

Why? It’s a percentage of the total value, so the currency is irrelevant. 15% of XUSD is the same as 15% of the equivalent NZD after the conversion.

Replaced the hedge hog on the e46 touring. I still maintain this is the worse job to do on an e46. I had put it off for nearly a year.

Fixed the electric tilt/lift function on the driver's seat in the 130, happy with that because it only cost me time.

Replacing the cvv and hoses is not too hard, just time consuming as the inlet manifold has to come off. Just take photos as you go and take your time.

I have tried the recommended test that Gaz advised and there was some oil smoke not a lot like big clouds of it. It was sort of more black smoke like unburned fuel. Is it a hard job to replace the CVV and its hoses? I will do this and sell it.

Got a chance to do some nice cosmetic upgrades just before Christmas. First was the rear parcel shelf. It was faded and looked tired. I took out the rear seats, c-pillars and lights and @str8_6 very kindly helped me to dye the shelf back to its former glory. With the c-pillars out, we used this opportunity to glue the loose material back up to where it should be. I also cleaned and conditioned the rear seats while everything was in pieces. After leaving it out of the car for a week to dry, the shelf was popped back in and I'm very pleased with the result. The rear of the car looks much fresher! Next I installed the shiny new 540i badge. I reckon it looks epic. I also bought new centre caps and valve caps for the wheels. I was going to wait until I got them refurbished but I got impatient. The centre caps seem to be a slightly different design to the old ones - more sleek without the bulky outline (they also fit a lot more snug). Finally I got round to getting euro plates. Man, what a difference euro plates make (see picture of the M62 in its second home).

Ordered some Re003s for the car today, managed to get onto a deal which was nice. 235/40/18s, the rears were dead on the car when purchased which I factored into the offer/purchase price to cover a new set. Also jacked up some touch up paint for the wheels, ordered a Bluetooth receiver for the stereo and sorted out a tool for the roof racks. Will take some photos of the car in a couple weeks when it's all tidied up.

180,600 kms. Over the Christmas period I was finally able to test out this thing. Intentionally, I set off for my drive home to the Manawatu in the evening to avoid all of the holiday traffic, and scouted out every tight, twisty back road I could find. Oh my. In spite of all my efforts, I was unable to get it to break a sweat. Its ability to hunker down and grip when coming out of a corner amazes me - it seems that the harder I accelerate out of a corner the harder it grips. And then there's the power. Regardless of whether I’m in 2nd or 5th, there is always oodles of torque. I found myself glancing away from the gauges for only a couple seconds before glancing back and seeing a stupid number. (It's hard to imagine how the M5 can be much better than this.) And obviously, in true E39 fashion, it was uber comfortable in between the go-fast moments, with a boot full of presents and other luggage. But best of all, it was flawless. Zero issues whatsoever. And what's more, even with all my spirited driving I still managed to pull off 10.2L/100km. On a side note, as I pulled into my garage last night concluding the 600 km trip I realised that I've already done 5,000 kms in this thing. I don't dare calculate my cost per km, but at least now I've got a car that looks and drives a hell of a lot better than it did only a few months ago.

180,000 kms. Vanos solenoids + gaskets installed. The engine is running smoother and has more mid-range torque. Unfortunately, hasn't fully gotten rid of my lumpy cold idle. I've noticed there is occasionally a puff of blue smoke on startup. PCV? Front + rear pads and rotors installed by Jon at Auto 38. Managed to source ATE parts from BM Workshop Auckland. Great service and reasonably priced. Highly recommend. The brakes feel great and the stopping power is immense. You can't go wrong with these brakes. Got the windows tinted last week. Took it to the same guy in Whanganui as I took the 530i to. Again, he's done a great job. I took the rear parcel shelf out too, which he said made the job a lot easier. I also had a few days spare so I spent some time on the paintwork. The paint definitely needed some love; it felt rough and lacked shine. Fortunately though, it had very few swirl marks. Using mostly AutoGlym products, I first gave the car a quick shampoo as it was covered in bugs from night-country driving. I then applied the Magma iron remover over the paint and rims and shampooed the car again. Then I clay barred the entire car, followed by another shampoo, polish and AutoGlym paint sealant. Really happy with the results! The paint has got so much more shine and is seriously smooth to the touch. Also took the M badge off. I'm liking the de-badged look at the moment, but I've got a 540i badge for it which I will put on eventually.

Got rid of a persistent alarm today. New bonnet sensor and now no more running to the garage to shut it up!

Gave her a quick clean the other day. Titan silver is growing on me... Also polished the tailpipe.

178,000 kms. My most anticipated upgrade. The headlights were badly faded and ruined the look of the car for me. Took it to Final Touch in Porirua to have them professionally refurbished. Really happy with the result. Has transformed the front of the car. Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to take good before and after photos, but this will do the trick. Before: After:

177,500 kms. More maintenance. Oil and filter change. Went with 5w30 this time as that is what BMW recommends. But I have read online and talked to others who have recommended 5w40 for its use in reducing vanos noise and reducing leaks. Anyone have views on this? Diff fluid change. Guibo replaced. Was perished. Had a code for a faulty electronic thermostat. New one swapped in. Power steering leak fixed by replacing leaking crush washers at the pump. Cheapest fix ever! Power steering fluid flush. Replaced rear brake hoses. Old ones perishing. Very happy with how the car is driving now. Steering feels smoother and more progressive with the fluid change. Only one leak remains, but unfortunately it's the rear main seal. If I end up doing something with the transmission I'll sort it then; I am yet to see the oil level change, and there is only an occasional small puddle under the car. I can live with this for now.

177,000 kms. The engine is very quiet, with little to no vanos rattle and no chain rattle. However, as preventative maintenance, I replaced the timing chain tensioner. Anyone with an M62: change this tensioner! Doing this, alongside regular oil servicing, is one of the best things you can do to prolong the life of your timing chain guides. The difference between old and new is uncanny. The old tensioner had almost zero spring action left. The one I swapped in is a new, improved design on the original. Sourced from Pelican Parts for not too much (just remember to buy a new o-ring too when you place your order). Thanks again to @adro for helping me with this! It's an easy job, and takes no more than 15 mins. Video.MOV

176,600 kms. Addressed a few cosmetic items that have been bugging me. Driver's side mirror. The 540i's came with auto-dimming side mirrors. At some point in this car's history the passenger side mirror had been replaced with the standard blue-tinted mirror. The driver's side was still the original auto-dimming, and surprisingly had no leaks and functioned perfectly. But the inconsistency annoyed me, plus I like the classic BMW blue tint. Found a cheap blue mirror glass off Ali Express for $25 and swapped it in. Also used the opportunity to give the mirror housing a good clean and remove any spiders and bugs that had made their homes in there. Old: New: The driver's door seal was ripped and looking terrible. Replaced this. This was surprisingly difficult. BMW makes the seals to the precisely correct length, so it took many attempts to get the seal to line up correctly without cutting any additional seal off. The interior was in desperate need of a clean. Gave it as good of a clean as I had time to do. Some time this summer I'll spend a weekend on the entire car. I also tried to adjust the coolant gauge to read more accurately, like I did in my 530i. I made the same changes to the code using PA Soft 1.4 as I did in the 530i, without any luck. Turns out the 540i is different. So I reverted it back to the original settings. If anyone knows how to do this for a 540i please let me know!

176,200 kms. After getting the trans issue sorted, it was time to catch up on some maintenance + tend to a few other issues. The car was leaking oil. Badly. The rocker cover gaskets were pissing out oil to the point where whenever I drove the car all I could smell was burning oil. Some of the coils were dripping with oil also. This confused me since the rocker cover gaskets had been replaced within the last 12 months. Turned out all the old bolt seals had been reused and so there there was no chance of creating a leak-free seal. The gaskets and all seals were replaced. Leak solved and car running much smoother + smelling nicer. The water pump to radiator hose was brittle and living on borrowed time. This was replaced. Coolant return hose also looking worse for wear. Replaced. Fluid flush with blue BMW coolant. Oil cooler hose replaced. The cabin air filters were filthy. Looked to have been cleaned with air instead of being replaced. New filters installed. Engine air filter was about 10 years old. New filter installed. Fuel filter dated 2009. New filter installed. Rear tyres. While they still had tread on them, they had been sitting (previous owner used different wheels) for a long time and were past their use-by date. Replaced with Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2's. Has reduced road noise significantly. These tyres are great. The old tyres were so old they had almost no traction. 30% throttle and the DSC was constantly on. Now: much better grip, feel and performance. Wheel alignment done with new tyres. Driving much smoother. The car was seriously behind on some maintenance, understandably in the circumstances. Car drove and ran far better with these items addressed. Now I am finally able to drive it and enjoy it.

The test drive highlighted a few things (issues). But most of all, it showed me how awesome these 540i's are. I've been in an E39 M5 a couple times, but never a 540i. This felt like a baby M5. The suspension was tight, the power was overwhelming (it pulls like a freight train) and the handling was far more confidence-inspiring than my 530i. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. I wanted it. However, several problems appeared. When we first started it it was misfiring and throwing a CEL. This was solved by the seller kindly replacing the coil packs on cylinders 6, 7 and 8 (where the misfire codes were). After getting out onto the road I realised how loud the road noise was (the tyres were years old); getting back in my 530i afterwards felt like stepping into a sound insulated haven. But most worryingly was the transmission. It shifted fine and initially seemed to have no issues. But about 5 mins into the test drive a spine tingling grinding noise presented itself from under the car. It would last about 2-3 seconds, the revs would drop slightly, and then it would disappear - only to reappear consistently every 10 seconds or so. It would do it most often while cruising along the motorway at about 80-100km/h. Knowing of the cost of repairs for these ZF boxes, I was heartbroken. Was this a failing transmission that would cost nearly double the value of the car to repair? After extensive online research, visits to transmission specialists and phone calls, I was persuaded that a simple transmission fluid flush and filter change could solve my issue. I took a gamble, and bought it. Jon at Auto 38 completed the trans flush and adaption reset. He called me and said he'd taken it for a test drive and the issue was not fixed. Bugger. I went to his shop and took it for a spin myself. All seemed fine; it was shifting smoother and felt a lot better. But about 2 mins into the road as I was driving up a slight incline the noise came back. F**k! I kept driving for about another 10 mins but couldn't get it to do it again. It had definitely improved. I decided to keep driving it for a few days to see if there were any other changes. Fortunately, the noise never came back, and still has not come back after over 2 months and 3,000 kms. It seems to be shifting fine. Here is a photo of the old fluid compared to the new fluid: I can only presume that based on the colour of the old fluid, this was original. PSA: change your transmission fluid! You'll have a better shifting transmission while simultaneously extending its lifespan! It's a no-brainer. At this stage I'm not sure how long the trans will last. Sometimes there's a slightly-too-long delay in engaging reverse, but only when I'm on a decline (ie front of the car pointing down). But other than that, I am having no issues. Seeing how many issues others have with these transmissions, I feel like I should have a plan in place for when this one goes. My plan at this stage is to look out for a lower kms used trans, refurbish the torque converter and put that in whenever this one signs off. Any advice appreciated. NB: at no point has the transmission thrown any codes.

Righto - have the M5 back... Check and set tyre pressures & reset tyre monitor Remove S85 auxiliary oil pump & replace profile gasket & clean down oil leaks Remedy power steering leak with replacement clamp Rescanned recurring fault code with lambda bank 2 - 'O2 sensor out of limit' & intermittent lean code comes up once at around 800RPM and then runs fine. Vanos codes not coming up again and it all looks OK Battery was a bit had it so new one has gone in. Next thing is ... New Michelin Pilot Sport 4s going on the rear this Thursday. Extremely good price from Hyperdrive.co.nz. Then back to Auto 38 for oil change oil analysis Maybe clean throttle bodies to see if it helps with fault code And in other news... Picking up the F30 335i Luxury Edition tomorrow... took it for a test drive on Sunday evening and was most impressed - amazingly modern in every way compared to my other vehicles and the twin turbo six is quite something.