BreakMyWindow

The wheels have a hot date with Arrow wheels next week for a full refurb using the oem shadow chrome process. As you can see the current state of the wheels really lets down the appearance of the car, the original shadow chrome paint is bubbling and peeling off, and the driver side front wheel has been repainted at some stage in just plain silver - sticks out like dogs b@lls.

Same as an e39 M5 around town.

Can you post up a pic of the back side of the wheel? You might need to clean around the edges, there should be some markings there which we'll be able to tell if they're genuine or not. Replica replacements will be much cheaper to replace, but expect it to fail again driving over bumpy roads.

At least with the model of 540i you got (pre m62tu), you don't have vanos issues or a water-cooled alternator to worry about. The earlier 540i's are definitely more peppy up top than the sep 98' onwards ones.

haha. You also develop a high speed whine from the passenger seat area....

The LSD will make the car feel more predictable as to when it begins going sideways. You would also have more control during the slide. Corner exit traction will also benefit as you have power being distributed more evenly to the driven wheels instead of power/torque being sent to the wheel with the least traction. On the road, especially in Auckland traffic, no real benefit really. Jooles has plans to do some track work so it will really come in to effect there when the car is being pushed.

Both android and ios are very user friendly - they have to be to be able to compete with eachother. Ive been in both camps and each have their strengths and annoyances. Comparing the iphone 5 to the s4 I have to say build quality is like bmw with the iphone, S4 like a Geely.

Pretty sure 540i's if auto already have a trans cooler factory fitted, I know the Vanos models do (Sep 98' onwards). Have you got the rego or chassis # of the 540i you like? Bushes and balljoints in the e39 are common wear - expect to replace some Brownish coloured plastics for the cooling system a sure sign the end is near A full diagnostic check including the trans and once over by Ray is your best bet.

Have not seen an E39 sedan with self levelling, but they did come with EDC, which basically gives you comfort or sport damper settings. around 12-13l/100km of mixed environment driving for the Sep 98' onwards 540i. Slightly less for the 528i. Problem with the e39's are that they're getting old, and too expensive for some people to keep in good condition which is why they're on sold, and look to be a real bargain. If your heart's set on a 540i go for one that has the best Engine, drive-train and suspension condition, regardless of it being the M62TU model, or if it's a sport or non sport model. Especially if it's going to be towing that much.

With a locked diff :-) Agreed lots of fun, did this a while back with an old Hilman Avenger with a 1600 and 4 speed.

Finally got a spare for the M5, a genuine ACS type 3 in 18x8.5. Not too shabby.

Rules are rules, but in the E39's case I don't quite see how the main drive shaft would get passed the exhaust system...

The m62tu will do mega miles (my old one now on 310k)and still running strong, vanos never touched except for when the static cam timing was set during the chain guide job. In its day it was a high performance engine especially compared to ford and holden v8's back then which were of larger displacement and still outputting less power and torque. 400nm of torque available from a 4.4 at 1300rpm is an amazing accomplishment back in september 98. Like any performance car you gotta put up with special maintenance if you want it to last.

Yeah same here. Love to diy when I can or have the confidence. Far too much risk involved with this job imo. But hey, you'd have a sweet coffee table at least

Saw this on the wkend. Looks nice, if lowered on bump stops is your thing. Exterior is very tidy, and the owner is negotiable.

Had the guides done in my old 540i along with a new chain as the old one was scraping along the aluminium deflection plate. Back in 2009 I paid just under 5k for the job. Lots of labour.

http://www.supercheapauto.co.nz/online-store/products/Castrol-Edge-Engine-Oil-10W-60-5-Litre.aspx?pid=299204#Cross

Nice car, with some nice bits installed. A tad over priced imo. Given that the 540is is nothing special in terms of being recognised by bmw or a purist, I don't see what all the fuss is. The fact that it's a parts bin special only scares away buyers who are after a rare, collectable e34.

Pm me when you've got some spare time and we can hook the M5 up to gt1 and have a nosey. Am in eastern Auckland.

Agree! The 89-93 rs legacys sound awesome with a big bore. The 88 - 92 vr4's sound pretty angry with 2.5" straight piping from the turbo. Problem is they're all clapped out now. Molested and riding on bump stops.

Yeah I read some posts by old mr Doug tws Hill. Im not tracking my car so I think using a racing oil, which the original ester based tws blend is, is ott for a dd m car.

Its going in to the air you and I breathe. Common for the e39 m5 to drink a litre of oil between 1000-1500kms.

BMW M approved Castrol Edge tws 10w 60 vs Castrol Edge Titanium 10w 60. Both made by castrol. Both the same weight. One is not approved by BMW M. There is A LOT of discussion on the net about why the BMW M approved tws is so good, but does any one know any more about the Edge titanium version? It seems to be an Australasian variant of the Edge product, the 10w 60 grade is not approved by BMW M, but the 5w-30 grade is. I'm thinking a road car that doesn't get much high rpm use wouldn't really warrant the use of a racing oil like tws 10w60, besides I am changing the oil out every 5 - 8000 kms with 2 - 3 litres of topping up in between changes. Thoughts?

What happened at around 5000 rpm?

Im not sure how hard you can press an m6x engine. A handful of boost with an sc and a tune, sure. But to make insanity, I think you'd be looking at some strengthened internals. I guess we need Mr Crunchy to apply his magic to one to see if dreams of a stock m6x engine turns in to a good or bad dream.