Allanw

That's true - it's not good to leave it on a surface that didn't have rust - It's good to remove the majority of rust first though. Once the converter has converted any remaining rust, you sand off the converter residue to get bare steel - the converter has converted the bits the sanding doesn't reach. I don't like to leave the rust in there, because if the converter doesn't work ALL the way through the rust, it's still rusting underneath

Ah - I thought you meant a stain, like it was running down from a rusty spot above. That is just surface. I'd sand it back as best I could, rust convert, sand again when its done then lightly aerosol etch prime and coat with epoxy primer or even epoxy enamel. no reason why you couldn't brush it on.

My Mrs worked for Ewan McGregor and his wife in the UK as a Maternity Nurse (she is a Midwife). He had some actual light sabres from the movies..... of course it's just a handle - it doesn't have the blade/beam . Real ones must have been too dangerous I can't believe she didn't try to get me one! Your boy must think you're totally awesome Julian. Not because of the fine arts degree either

You need to fix the source though - where that line is coming from is where the rusty hole will be

Cluster usually, but the might smash it up for you for cheaper postage - sounds like ray has usful bit anyway... PS, i'm in Whangarei... it's a bit further north Better you broke, than If I'd broken it

You can always duct tape a couple of SC14's on there. Cheap and Chav.

"for the Boy"... uh huh - I've used that excuse myself I have the entire Gerry Anderson collection on DVD, amongst a lot of other things. Those look awesome - just before my second was born (actually while he was overdue!) we had to get a new fridge, dishwasher and barbeque, so we had a large castle in the lounge for a while. It was totally awesome for hiding all the toys - if you couldn't find anything, Solomon had put in in the castle Well done!

Look on Ebay - the wreckers from Lithuania often sell some cheap poked stuff.

There's a good reason for that There's not that many of them, and they are WAY better.

It's easy to spend $3-4K on an E39 or an E38.... AFTER purchasing one! most BMW's that seem cheap, are going to be poorly maintained. they may not have problems, but they may have a lot too!

Actually, so far no one has said they are unreliable. Many of the parts are the same as run of the mill E39's, however, there are also a number of M5 specific parts. Some of the specific parts can be very expensive. There's no point going into these things with blinkers on - IF someone has a Vanos failure, it can be VERY expensive. While it isn't a "common" problem, it pays to be aware, in case it happens! Just like the E46 M3 rod bearings, M52tu and M54 DISA valve failures, the Vanos seals issues, cooling systems etc. As I said, an "everyday" E39 can require a lot of money spent anyway.

Right - I think we've established it's a dumb idea. ...but if you were all about sensible, you'd not be driving a 540i, you'd have a Nissan Micra or something equally as hideous/boring/unloved etc

basically all speedos are off by a percentage, and they usually over-read, for "safety" sake - you don't want a ticket in your new BMW because the speedo is wrong. By the time it's been messed with etc over the years, it can end up reading anything though. Most new cars seem to over-read by 6 to 8 %

Is it factory manual, or converted? I didn't mean the oil is too thick, just that most oils are about 10 times thicker cold, than hot and can do funny things in the right situations.

At 145K, it may have it's original suspension, which is likely to be rooted. E39's do eat suspension, and Ideally the whole lot should be rebuilt together, as one worn part can lead to other parts taking more stress etc. The M5's suffer from Vanos problems too, sometimes. A 14 year old car may require cooling system parts, seals/gaskets, window surrounds, lock actuators, drivers door seal, brakes, belts/tensioners, power steering hoses, dash pixels, etc. The Generic E39 bits are OK, but some of the M5 specific stuff can be a bit eye watering! The cooling system bits don't suffer from the same heat stress either, as they only have 87C thermostas, instead of running well into the 90's + on the I6 and even higher on the "pleb" V8's ( ). I'd love an E39 M5, but am WAY to tight to buy one or part with the cash for the parts Just about any "everyday" E39 probably requires 2-3K spent on parts just to bring them up to scratch mechanically, unless it's owned by someone who knows what they're doing, AND is willing to spend the money to maintain it (NOT common!). Edit: If I did buy an E39 M5, I'd want to put standard bumpers and a hidden exhaust etc on it, just to be a bit Wolf in sheeps clothing

Not onto something - just thinking It really could be SO many things! I wonder about Vanos, but that usually affects the M54B30 the worst at cold idle - people report they start to run a bit rough, then can stall all by themselves. Has the Vanos had new seals? Does it run rough, then stall, or just stop dead. Is it the instant you let your foot off the gas, or does it idle for a bit first? When you say it struggles to start, does in not wind over properly, or does it miss and fart and have trouble getting going, unless you wait abit??? Weird things I've had similar involve oil pressure and hydraulic lifters, and Vanos could be affected by cold/thick oil. I had a suabru where I could drive home, leave it to cool down, start it for 20 or 30 seconds, turn it off then leave it over night. Next morning, I'd start it fine, drive to the end of my road and it would stall. It wouldn' start unless I held my foot down and cranked and cranked it, and it had no compression initially - just woulnd over like all valves were open - the hydraulic lifters would pressurize up and stop the valves closing completely - I could make it happen like clockwork! If I didn't do the 20 second run, it would never do it. It could be something Vanos related, where the cam isn't returned to the correct angle in time or similar - once it's warmed a tiny bit more, it's not an issue??? Also, the IAC valve as mentioned above, could be more sticky when cold - they can have oil residue in them that softens with heat - if they are sticky, the ECU can overdrive them to close, and it closes too much, but it can't pull it back in time. Not a bad thing to clean out anyway - they can cause issues! It's probably only something you can discover by watching real time data though.

I'd be tempted! The brakes are only really a problem if you go too fast too much and need to slow down Question... Why has the blower been rebuilt?

And the manifold wouldn't have to come off Part might cost the same though

Does it star back up stright away, or does it take some cranking? Does it sound normal while cranking?

Haha! Yeah. I'd probably do it... but I'm mad. It'd probably only take me 6 months. I ALWAYS have a spare car, in case I decide to do something myself

Very couple of hours, easy The V8's a bit more involved!

They're in Auckland - that IS parked!

No special tools needed for the M54 6cyl Arma - That vanos hose leak will just be 2 aluminium washers and about 10 minutes work max. Really easy. However, if the seals have never been done with the correct type, they'll be knackered

Drain the power steering reservoir, trim a small amount off the hose ends, and put them back on with new clamps (quality - not those tridon crap ones!). Don't over tighten either - that's as bad as being too loose and may distort or break the fittings. Get a new O ring for the cap too - they leak.