I'm in love.......and this time its real ;-)

[wobbly47 0]

Hi guys just wanted to introduce my self as a new member to the forum,and live in the far north, the info on here is great and it really helped me with my decision to buy my new motor, and already has helped me work out a few things like the tv etc.....so thanks for that :thumb: I want to do as much servicing maintainence my self as i can as i have always done on other cars so i will be picking your brains as and when.

I've owned lots of different performance cars etc over the years but always fancied a beemer.....never happened till now not sure why, why did i wait so long??? Its a Awesome car (not a sports car tho...more of a big friendly giant!!)I have just collected my 99 540i e39 from Auck yesterday and cant get over how bloody lovely it is!!! Its a 1 owner 45k car as new!! It just needs some better wheels (anyone know what size i can go up to...saw some 19" for sale is that to big?) and id maybe like to give it the facelift treatment (what do u recon to the aftermarket kits?) and I'll be happy as.

Anyway u will be hearing from me again no doubt, thanks in advance for all the info

May the grip be with you.

Deano

[Guest Simon*]

Welcome Deano

Nice to have another 540 on here. You won't ever regret your decision

Everyone is going to pester you to put up pics of your car straight away so you might as well get snapping.

19" wheels will go on ok - 18's are pretty respectable too and perhaps more suited. There are some nice kits about and Ray at HellBM (a forum sponsor here - look him up) will probably be able to help you out with parts, kits, etc.

There's heaps of knowledge here and you should find all the support you need both mechanical and electrical for looking after your car.

Cheers mate!

Si

[3 SERIES 93]

Welcome Deano!

Youll find lots of valuable info on this site.

Photos are a must!

[kiwi535 538]

Hi guys just wanted to introduce my self as a new member to the forum,and live in the far north, the info on here is great and it really helped me with my decision to buy my new motor, and already has helped me work out a few things like the tv etc.....so thanks for that :thumb: I want to do as much servicing maintainence my self as i can as i have always done on other cars so i will be picking your brains as and when.

I've owned lots of different performance cars etc over the years but always fancied a beemer.....never happened till now not sure why, why did i wait so long??? Its a Awesome car (not a sports car tho...more of a big friendly giant!!)I have just collected my 99 540i e39 from Auck yesterday and cant get over how bloody lovely it is!!! Its a 1 owner 45k car as new!! It just needs some better wheels (anyone know what size i can go up to...saw some 19" for sale is that to big?) and id maybe like to give it the facelift treatment (what do u recon to the aftermarket kits?) and I'll be happy as.

Anyway u will be hearing from me again no doubt, thanks in advance for all the info

May the grip be with you.

Deano

be aware the e 39 has an odd wheel spec.The offset is shared with just about every mid/large sized BMW ie 5,6,7 8 series ie about 20mm,but the hub diameter is 74.1 mm as opposed to the 72.5mm for the others.

The M5 had 18 inch wheels but its up to you really.As long as you stick with the same overall width and dia overall tyre diameter) i cant see you will go wrong.Check your cooling system is up to scratch,isa slight weakness in the V8

ie hoses,pump thermo and rad must all be good

[bravo 35]

Hi guys just wanted to introduce my self as a new member to the forum,and live in the far north.

Welcome, and whereabouts in the north?

[1rotty 40]

Yoohoo,yet another 540.You're going to love it.Welcome.

[*Glenn* 854]

Welcome Deano.... I'm gunna get some sh*t here...but anyway... I had a great day today

540"s are great Autobaun cars.. However...on our very twisty roads behave like beached whales unless a whole lot of money is thrown at them.. still great cars, I have alot of respect for them... but be carefull... theres many a guy on here that will try and convince you they are as good as compacts and E30's... they lie

[1rotty 40]

Welcome Deano.... I'm gunna get some sh*t here...but anyway... I had a great day today

540"s are great Autobaun cars.. However...on our very twisty roads behave like beached whales unless a whole lot of money is thrown at them.. still great cars, I have alot of respect for them... but be carefull... theres many a guy on here that will try and convince you they are as good as compacts and E30's... they lie

Hey Glenn at least you're right about one thing-you are gonna cop some sh*t lol

Cruise sounds great-have to do a HB convoy up there next time!

[*Glenn* 854]

Hey Glenn at least you're right about one thing-you are gonna cop some sh*t lol

I don't mind ...Ive got broad shoulders... I can also give and take... 540's are still great cars.. I like John Deers too & Kenworths

[wobbly47 0]

thanks for the welcome guys, I'm sure you will all hopefully save me some hard lessons with the BMW that's why this sort of thing is so great!! Simon cheers 4 the info, re wheels I only thought of 19" cos theres some genuine ones for sale on the net with new'ish tyres.....they were in my budget ie the tyres were "free" so to speak cost wise. 3 series... Re pic's will get some up tomorrow. ;-)

Kiwi 535 thanks for the wheel info I'll check that out, i think these are off a quite new BM looking @ them. Re coolant rad issues do these go with age or mileage?? I had a good look round mine and the thing looks as new...should i put any additives in the coolant to stop any issues, or will the bmw coolant have any corrosion inhibitors? Also guys re servicing/oil changes.....i come from the school of thought of regular oil changes ie every 5000k......would you do this with one of these or is there no need with modern oils these run and the fact the motor never seems to need to break a sweat to get up and go?

Bravo I live between whangarei and kawakawa......u from up here........ignore that lol just seen u are from the bay in your profile!!

Cheers Rotty.....nice 540i you have there ;-)

Hey Glenn as i said in my post its a big friendly FAST giant......sorry i agree it aint a sports car in the wigglies although considering its the size of a small cathederal they aint bad, I drove a msport 540 before i bought this one and that was really quite precise very different feeling car.......shame it was a guttless tired dog..would have loved it otherwise........re handling 540 guys........to save me learning the hard way i.e putting on its roof, if you enter a corner on or near the limit in one of these cars power off or on normally will they tend to naturally oversteer/understeer.......ive owned lots of four wheel drive and front wheel drive cars before and know exactly what to expect of it on the limit........normally lots of understeer......unless you provoke some violent liftoff oversteer ;-) So suppose what im asking is how will it react?............dont say badly u buggers!!!

cheers Deano

[greenday-rulz21 6]

Welcome mate, I'm a bit biased toward a nice example of a e39.

Re oil changes. The little green squares on your instrument cluster are the service indicators, whenever they get down its due for a service. I believe that is every 15k? Thats honestly all they need mate, my fathers got a schnitzer 540 and his never uses a drop of oil between changes. Goes off the indicators on the dash and it runs mint.

Also re the handling. I don't know if you know but the 8 cylinder e39's have a recurring ball setup for steering. This gives quite a different feeling opposed to rack and pinion which is used on all other e39's.

The thing that fascinates me about the 540 is that you don't even feel as though you are moving at 100k. You have to get up to 140k + to really feel the speed but when you get up there they hang on like sh*t to a blanket.

Cheers,

Nick

[Huttey 0]

Welcome, another E39 540, excellent !! Have fun with your big toy

[rogan 7]

theres many a guy on here that will try and convince you they are as good as compacts and E30's... they lie

The e30 is one of the most overrated cars in history. Who makes a car where the pedals, seat and steering wheel don't line up and the gap between the brake and kick panel isn't big enough for a decent width foot. My wife had an e30 and now an e46. They're both miserable although the e46 is definitely nicer. If you're vertically challenged they're probably nice to drive but if you're taller than average then forget it.

I have an e39 540, it's a nice cruiser but as said it's a sporty boat. Interior and boot space is woeful considering the exterior dimensions. Under every panel there's some kind of electical gadgetry. Get the cooling system checked to avoid any future problems. The 540 e39 is a very nice car, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

[kingkarl 136]

The e30 is one of the most overrated cars in history.

That's your opinion. Many people will disagree with you... myself included haha.

[1rotty 40]

Hey Glenn as i said in my post its a big friendly FAST giant......sorry i agree it aint a sports car in the wigglies although considering its the size of a small cathederal they aint bad, I drove a msport 540 before i bought this one and that was really quite precise very different feeling car.......shame it was a guttless tired dog..would have loved it otherwise........re handling 540 guys........to save me learning the hard way i.e putting on its roof, if you enter a corner on or near the limit in one of these cars power off or on normally will they tend to naturally oversteer/understeer.......ive owned lots of four wheel drive and front wheel drive cars before and know exactly what to expect of it on the limit........normally lots of understeer......unless you provoke some violent liftoff oversteer ;-) So suppose what im asking is how will it react?............dont say badly u buggers!!!

cheers Deano

If yours has EDC the handling will much softer & less precise than an M-sport.

You would have to be a maniac to flip one of these-keep the traction control on & keep power on thro bends altho having said that the ASC will help you if you do lift off.

I'm lucky in that mine has m-sport suspension so i'm spoiled but while i've enjoyed some nice fast windy runs I cant imagine getting it anywhere near the limit on a public road.I'll save that for a track day some time

You could always put Bilsteins or similar on it & then you could really get into all those cool roads you've got up there

[wobbly47 0]

If yours has EDC the handling will much softer & less precise than an M-sport.

You would have to be a maniac to flip one of these-keep the traction control on & keep power on thro bends altho having said that the ASC will help you if you do lift off.

I'm lucky in that mine has m-sport suspension so i'm spoiled but while i've enjoyed some nice fast windy runs I cant imagine getting it anywhere near the limit on a public road.I'll save that for a track day some time

You could always put Bilsteins or similar on it & then you could really get into all those cool roads you've got up there

cheers Rotty........didnt think id get it near the limit although its nice to know what the natural tendency of the car is in a "situation"..........Whats the EDC....(must get a english manual), really would have liked a Msport setup one just couldnt find a nice one this end of the country......hoping fitting some 18" and low pro's might tighten her up a bit......having driven mine for a couple of days now its actually deceptivley good round corners, when u check out the speedo its not doing bad for a big saloon......it just that because you feel our sat on your sofa at home with your feet up lol.....it feels slower than it is!!....talking track days.......do u guys put any together at all?? Puke would be fun!!

I'll post some pics took a few today.

cheers guys

[wobbly47 0]

not great photos, ill take some better ones.

[wobbly47 0]

[Creaver 55]

Looks real tidy! Good stuff

Edited January 27, 2009 by Creaver

[wobbly47 0]

Looks real tidy! Good stuff

thanks mate!!

[kiwi535 538]

not great photos, ill take some better ones.

better than a poxy little three series(IMHO)

[Greg111 13]

Nice car mate, also like the garage,,,,heaps of room to play/pull apart things ha.

[darkwolf 0]

I had the exact same wheels on my 540i when I got it. I have just upgraded to 19" wheels as well. I'll flick up some pics when I can (probably tonight when I get home). They're unbeleivable. Really hard to explain but I get a wierd chest when I look at her now. I think they might be a bit too big as you loose some of the comfort of the car. But it makes it great through the corners. Also - don't get directionals (or maybe just the Falken FK452s that are on the mags atm) they're rubbish in the wet. Also they spin far too easily (though that could just be the power of the 540i).

[wobbly47 0]

I had the exact same wheels on my 540i when I got it. I have just upgraded to 19" wheels as well. I'll flick up some pics when I can (probably tonight when I get home). They're unbeleivable. Really hard to explain but I get a wierd chest when I look at her now. I think they might be a bit too big as you loose some of the comfort of the car. But it makes it great through the corners. Also - don't get directionals (or maybe just the Falken FK452s that are on the mags atm) they're rubbish in the wet. Also they spin far too easily (though that could just be the power of the 540i).

cheers greg, yup the garage is the only reason i bought the house!!

Darkwolf ....cheers for the info re tyres wheels........love to see some pics of yours! I've just ordered a set of 18" M6 replica wheels 4 mine with 40 pro dunlops on them....hope im not going to lose to much comfort got a great deal from Johno at mag-tyre direct through here, must admit when i look in the garage i get a warm feeling! keep looking for excuses to go somewhere feel like a teenager who just got my licence! Love this BMW.!

cheers Deano

[darkwolf 0]

Ok so I took some photos with the new wheels. You'll have to excuse her, she is a bit dirty as she has just had a day of gravel and hitting a bird at 100KPH which blew a high beam bulb :'(. Which reminds me to warn you that 540s (or at least my one) seem to attract birds. ~1 hour after ownership I dented the bonnet from hitting a bird at 100KPH, hit me square on between the drivers side headlight and the grill.

Also don't hit possums. I had a choice of possum or pot hole a couple of days after getting my mags. Chose possum. Bad choice. Broke the fibreglass front splitter. Probably going to be expensive to fix. I haven't yet had the time to find out.

All in all - LEAVE WILDLIFE ALONE. Your baby will thank you later.

Anyway close up of the drivers front mag:

And a profile shot:

I think good call on the 18s. 19s are a bit big really. I would have loved to get these in an 18 but a friend found an awesome deal for me and I couldn't turn them down. At the time I thought that an inch wouldn't make too much difference but it does.

The good thing is that I don't really have to use the S-EDC button anymore as it's firm enough through the corners. Though if I'm really pushing it I will.

Edited January 29, 2009 by DarkWolf