dereklau007

Hi Miles, I bought my 530i from them very recently. I can not recommend taking it to a BMW specialist enough because there were quite a few things that needed fixing on my car. I had negotiated that if there were any issues they would get fixed otherwise the deal was off. So good company to deal with in my experience and could not be happier with my car. Just as a note I took it to Jerry Clayton in Takapuna and they did a comprehensive check. What I would say is (if you can that is) be present for the pre-purchase inspection. Cheers, Derek

Thanks! Yeah love the look of the E39 Motorsports! Paint's in reasonable condition but needs some bits touched up (got to love those phantom scratches and dents). If I ever get around to it would probably get the wheels done up too

Hi Bimmersport members! Thought since I've been on the forum and getting some very wise advice from members it would be rude not to introduce my car. Not the first E39 I've owned, have seen the light and come back to it after selling my 528i, moving to a Skyline (V35) and decided the E39 Motorsport is the way to go! I'm not expert when it comes to taking photos so do forgive the quality... Little mods: Reverse Camera, AV Input, Armrest Storage Compartment, TV in Motion (for passengers only) +1 to the E39 population on Bimmersport Cheers, Derek (Central Auckland)

Hi all, After I did a bit of research I know there are different options to enable TV in Motion on my car. It seems the most cost effective is using the Nav Coder. Does anyone happen to have a Nav Coder and could help me out by enabling TV in Motion? Thanks in advance, Kind regards, Derek

For all the help I have successfully installed my reverse camera and working perfectly! Take a little getting used to but it's a great feature. At first I thought I had bitten off more than I can chew. Great satisfaction when a project comes out great

Thanks for all the help. Initially I was considering tapping into the reverse light however as Grant has pointed out that if 12v acc is used then there is no delay in powering up. I'm still using the reverse light wire to trigger the relay so that once reverse gear is engaged it will connect pin17 to ground and the screen will automatically switch to the reverse camera input. Just one further question. I have a 5 pin relay and am slightly confused with using 87a or 87 as the pin 17 connection. Does it even matter? Thanks again, Derek

So I've done the time consuming part of installing the reverse camera and now up to the wiring part. I've only got one question, I've been trying to look for a 12v wire which I can tap into for powering the reverse camera but I'm lost to find one. I've read on other DIY's that people have tapped into a violet/white wire which is 12v (ACC or switched I'm not sure). This is for a 2002 530i Motorsport Thanks in advance, Kind regards, Derek

I removed the trunk based Japanese Navigation computer like most have suggested; however when I was in my car the screen itself went blank and could not control a single thing. All I did was unplug the system and physically removed it from the trunk and tucked the cables away in the rear wheel well. As soon as this happened I plugged the unit back in and I had the screen back... Can anyone give me some insight into what might have happened? I have a 2002 BMW 530i Motorsport imported from Japan. Cheers, Derek

Hi Josh, I've read online that it's a common fault with Auto Dim mirrors (rear view mirror and wing mirrors). From memory people say that its two pieces of glass with a conducting gel in-between, so when a small electrical current runs through it, they will dim. Over time it fails and there are some pictures of the mirrors with the gel coming out the bottom of them. If you click here, the link talks about the E39 M5 with auto dim mirrors and is a common fault. If mine fail I would just buy the manual dimming rear view mirror and heated, tinted aspheric wing mirrors. Edit: It might pay to give Glenn at Botany MotorWorx a call or a PM to see how much it might cost to fix. All the best, Derek

Hi Brent, Thanks for the quick reply. So I don't have to worry about water getting into the exposed plug? Or should I just tape them up with electrical tape? I'm getting after market mirror glasses made by Schmiedmann group. I can get them for $99 for a pair and they are blue tint, heated aspheric types. Cheers, Derek

Currently my wing mirrors are a bit of a mismatch (one has a gold tint and the other doesn't). I was about to purchase a pair of heated and blue tinted mirror glass replacements but on closer inspection both actually have the auto dim feature. My question is can I still install non auto dim mirror glass to my wing mirrors? I'll have to unplug the harness for the auto dim feature which will leave it exposed behind the glass but can connect the mirror heating function still. Any thoughts would be great. Cheers, Derek

Sorry to resurrect an old post, could I ask how people removed theirs? I've also got the pesky card reader just down by the driver's knee (side of centre console). Was planning on cutting the wires (tape them off so they don't short) and tucking the wires away...

Hi Seth, I would definitely be interested in that deal! Sorry to be a noob but I couldn't reply on the other thread. I'm actually getting a BMW 530i Motorsport checked out next week by Jerry Clayton so if that goes well it will be that car. However if that doesn't go well would I be able to book in my 2001 Nissan Primera? Thanks heaps, Kind regards, Derek

Maybe it's the silly season coming up however I have decided that I will make another exclusive offer to Bimmersport members at the new price of $8,500. New WoF, New Registration (till September 2009) and with 4 more lights or 7 months till the next oil service!

Thanks mate, can't really justify leaving the car sitting there and only driving it every now and then. The joys of working in the city!

New price! $8999 offer exclusive to bimmersport members!

***** SOLD ***** Hi all, I have decided it's time to sell my 528i for $8999. The following just a little list of what my 528i offers. 136000 kms WOF: April 2009 Registration: September 2009 Service history in Japan and New Zealand English Owners Manual Full black leather interior with woodgrain trim 4 airbags Dual climate air conditioning Electric rear sunblind ASC (Automatic Stability Control) Professionally tinted windows (35%) Electric telescopic & tilting multi function steering wheel Rain sensing wipers Headlight washers Factory TV + navigation system 6-CD Stacker with cassette 10 Speakers 2-way sunroof Electric heated seats with 10 way adjustability 3 memory settings for seats, mirror & steering wheel. 2 original remote keys 17" Chrome BMW wheels + full size spare wheel Full BMW tool kit First aid kit Cheers,Derek Lau

Something strange happened to my 528i, I opened the bonnet to replace my bulbs and found a hole near the top of the Oil Carrier, seems like something hard had struck it and created a small tear in the thick plastic with some residual marks a little further down the carrier. Has this ever happened to anyone else or am I just unlucky? I'm still wondering how and what caused it, however is it easy enough for me to replace myself or should I be getting a professional to do it? Cheers, Derek

That's a really good question... I haven't really thought about my price range but I was thinking only replacing the mid bass speaker and nothing else? So if I was to go aftermarket I would say just a pair of decent Mid bass speakers and under $200 I would say? Cheers Derek Lau

Thanks for the information guys and thanks for the spcific part number Glenn. Would you roughly know how much they would cost each? More than happy to get my hands dirty and change them myself (only difficult ones would be the ones where the cabin filters are located but should be easy enough to remove those) Now comes another question, what do you suggest the conservative mileage that spark plugs should be changed? Cheers, Derek Lau

I've just been reading around the current spark plugs avaiable on the market (nationally and internationally) and I came across the Bosch Platinum +4 and the E3 Diamond Fire spark plugs. Anyone know where in Auckland/New Zealand where I can get my hands on them? Or are they no better than standard OEMs? Only reason I ask is because my E39 528i has done just over 130k and looking back at the history it doesn't seem like the spark plugs have been changed. Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated Regards, Derek Lau

Thanks for all the tips and the information; it's all much appreciated. As for budgetwise... I want a good sound but I wouldn't say that I'm an audiophile so anything is better than its current state so definitely nothing that will break the bank.

Thanks for the tips. I have had a look and everything is all connected properly (from my understanding) and the distortion/crackling isn't all the time but just at random times when you really want to enjoy the music. In no way do I turn the music on insanely loud but I have a feeling that maybe the speaker has just given up. With the OE speaker was it $80 for a pair or for just the one? I was thinking of fitting an aftermarket pair on but since there might be mounting modifications then it kind of worries me. Cheers Derek

No doubt everyone would have come across this situation with the stock speakers failing (my assumption) and almost like its picking up white noises. Is there anything that I can do or should I use that as an excuse to upgrade the front mid bass speakers? On the subject of mid bass speakers, is there a good alternative that won't break the bank? I was looking at some Alpine's (Type E or S I forget) and also Infinity Kappa's which are both within budget and also 5.25" too which will slot in nicely. Any other suggestions? You will have to forgive me if this has been covered before but with new products and also new knowledge I might be able to have an effective fix without spending too much money. Thanks guys! Derek

Thanks for confirming guys, just thought maybe someone had a way around it but that's ok! I can also live with the 24h setting