dereklau007

Hi Adeeb, Being a noob when it comes to working on my car I can say that the parking brake shoes were pretty straight forward. Given they were a bit fiddly, however the hardest part was getting my old rotors off! If you google E39 Parking Brake DIY you should be able to find a DIY for a 1998 BMW 528i on bimmerfest that was pretty helpful when I did mine Hope this will inspire you to give it a go

I agree with Allan because more often than not the culprit is actually the Oil Filter Housing Gasket and that just goes everywhere. I've recently done this and while in there I did the CCV and associated hoses. You will still get some oil for a few weeks as there will be residual old oil around the place but now the area for me is bone dry and the bottom of the engine only has specs of old oil. I believe to do the oil pan gasket it is quite a PITA as you have to remove the sub frame (click here for DIY link)

100% sure because it's the ICV that's in my hand with the odd sound. As I originally posted "I cleaned it (ICV) with some carb cleaner and it was a little better however now after some twisting (like you would on a bike throttle) there is a rattling sound that I've never heard before" To clarify the noise it's more like a loose ball bearing in a can type of sound.

Hi Everyone, Halfway through my CCV, OFHG (including vanos oil line and crush washers) and 2 camshaft position sensor marathon I noticed that my ICV was a little dirty and wasn't moving around freely. I cleaned it with some carb cleaner and it was a little better however now after some twisting (like you would on a bike throttle) there is a rattling sound that I've never heard before. Did something break inside the ICV? Didn't want to reinstall everything and find the ICV is busted... Any help would be greatly appreciated. Car info: 2002 530i (M54 engine) Cheers, Derek

+1

Did a quick search online and came up with this link The shimmy can be down to a few things: 1) Balancing and alignment of the wheel/s 2) Bushings (as you've indicated) 3) Buckled or bent wheels 4) Tyre pressures There's other things as well such as torquing the lug bolts correctly, valve stem cap covers but not sure if they would have that much of an impact. The delaminating of the mirror is probably down to the degradation of the electro-chromatic (auto-dimming) gel in the mirrors. You can get replacements however it's not cheap... You can always replace them with non auto-dimming ones at a fraction of the price I would definitely get it checked out by someone who knows their stuff about e39 or BMWs so will know what to look out for. I'm not sure if the guide talks about the ABS/ASC/DSC module but that's also another area to watch out for. Depending on the engine you get there are other common things to look out for. For the M54 or M52 engines the usual things to look out for would be the cooling system, vanos, cam/crank sensors, seals/gaskets Didn't look into the M62 but I'm sure other's who own them will have more knowledge Maintained well it's a car to enjoy for a very long time Hope it helps

I was quite lucky that when I purchase my car I had it fully checked out and diagnosed. They had to replace the ABS/ASC module with a new one. IIRC would be around $800?

I've read on other forums that when you get a new (or second hand that is working) you need to recode it to your vehicle because the modules are specific to the cars. So the person that you sold it onto might have been lucky in terms of the module being the same specs as their current car (i.e. transmission, model, year etc) There are some people that say no need to code and others swear you need it coded (but also some sitting on the fence dependant on situation) Might be more confusing but an interesting read (please note that some of the information given is for cars that are equipped with DSC (whole raft of other sensors as compared with ASC)) More info Hope this helps and hopefully I haven't misunderstood the information

Lucky indeed! Thanks for the tip about washers and different screws. I was quite lucky that I was able to pick up the pieces since I was in the car park.

I know what you mean. Not looking forward to this or the engine/cooling system overhaul... Just delaying the inevitable so slowly starting to gather parts for the various jobs. All the best and keen to see how you get on

The good thing is when you do the suspension overhaul you will have a car that will be as good as new. If you are looking at doing a DIY or just lots of good information here are some good threads: Front Suspension Rear Suspension Hat off to the guy for putting together such a comprehensive DIY! Let us know how you get on with yours Cheers,

Ouch... I've also noticed that the screws ripped out the original mounting points on the underside of the bumper so that's going to be a pain to fix... Might have to wait and see if I can fix the mounting points before buying the Fender Liner...

Hi all, After an unfortunate meeting with a parking block and a ditch I need a new Right E39 Motorsport Lower Fender Liner (for the temperature sensor)... Does anyone have a good condition one lying around that I could buy? Cheers, Derek

Hi Dave, As the other guys have pointed out it would be the adjusters in the headlights. When I purchased mine I had them fixed by the car yard. My headlights are the facelift version with xenons so you couldn't just unclip the lens cover like the pre-facelift versions. Glenn from Botany Motorworx was able to get me in touch with someone that actually fixes these as a hobby. I think someone else on the forum also got this person to fix theirs. I'd give Glenn a PM or a call as he does have the contact. All the best and hopefully you will get it sorted. Cheers, Derek

I'm in the process of gathering all the parts to do a transmission flush and change the filter and pan gasket. My question is that BMW recommends using Esso LT 71141 however has anyone used a different fluid that is fully synthetic and have good results? It would be great if there are alternatives out there readily available in NZ. My car is a 2002 530i Motorsport Cheers, Derek

I believe that the 528i's (M52B28) last year of production was 2000. Then it was replaced by the 530i (M54B30). One way to find out exactly what engine the car has is to get the last 7 characters of the VIN and plug it into realoem.com Some extra information can be found on the official Alpina site about the E39 Alpinas Like Shane pointed out that if it is a genuine Alpina B10 it will have a price premium on it. Would be interested to find out what the real deal is with the car you are looking at. Cheers, Derek

Absolutely, I believe from factory it came with the option of staggered fitment or 8" all round. My car came with the 8" fronts and 9" rears. Not optimum to have 235's but still within the limits on the 9". The next time I need tyres I'll put the 235's I have on the rear on the front and get 255's for the rear. I have to admit that I don't push the car to its limits (or the tyres) so the less grip the 235's provide won't be noticeable for me.

Interesting things brought up. Would completely agree that the wider track would give better traction. In terms of stretch; only way to find out would be to test with 235's fitted to 8" and 9". With that said it would still be subjective... At that time I oly had a couple of hours before I needed to head up north so wasn't able to source 255's! Just a string of unfortunate events... Good trip though!

Just out of interest: How would you describe the handling? What tyres were they? What state were they in?

Hi Nathan, My wheels were staggered like what Ron said (235/45/17 and 255/40/17 front and rear respectively). I had the unfortunate situation a month ago where a nail went in the sidewall of one of my rear tyres so had to quickly get it sorted. Long story short I couldn't find any 255/40/17 in stock at the time so had to replace both my rear wheels with 235/45/17's (designed to fit 7.5" - 9.0" rims) Bridgestone RE002 at Tony Tyre Service in Papatoetoe for $235 each ($10 price beat guarantee as Hyper was selling for $245 each) My impressions so far is that they definitely give plenty of grip and are pretty quiet for a performance tyre so couldn't be happier with them! At that price for such a good tyre I couldn't say no... Now there might be better deals out there (not sure) but I was in a hurry so was the best I could do at the time. Cheers, Derek

Hi Jason , Welcome to Bimmersport! Very nice example of a NZ New 540i Motorsport. E39's really are taking over; I myself have recently bought a 530i Motorsport and absolutely love it! May I suggest a reverse camera and perhaps the Msport steering wheel? Cheers, Derek

Hi Miles, Yeah as Shane said they are pretty busy. I had to book mine in almost 2 months in advance for my car. It's harder for them when it comes to E39's due to the very tight gaps. Seth had to book my car in for a couple of hours to be on the safe side so that might also be a factor too (normally he books cars in 1 to 1.5 hours apart). On another note I upgraded to the Colour Stable tints and am very happy with them! I will have to take the car back to get Seth to look at a few spots and a long scratch along one of the rear passenger windows but otherwise very happy with the service and results. Cheers, Derek

Wow! Stunning example! Truly envious. If only I had the money to buy such a car when I was looking...

Hi Glenn, Thanks for the pointer will get this sorted in the next couple of weekends. Kind regards, Derek

Hi, I'm planning to change my diff oil and have been read that it's recommended to replace the drain plugs and sealing washers. The part numbers are: Drain Plug / Check Plug - 33117525064 Drain / Check Plug Sealing Wahser - 07119963355 Is there anyone that can help me source these items or is there a contact that anyone would suggest? Thanks in advance, Kind regards, Derek