New Toy

[BreakMyWindow 1878]

Picked it up from Nelson last Weekend. The same car that was advertised earlier in Jan for around 17k on trademe.

The car has had some rangi mods done to it, i.e spray painted matt black over the wood trims, and the front bumper has had a quick and nasty re-spray to hide the stone chips. mechanically all is well except for the thermostat being stuck open, and leaking Valve cover seals.

Will start a project thread to fix up the rangi-ness.

This one has some rare options which include a full Alcantara line Boot trim, and rear parcel shelf. Rear passengers get to control the stereo from the arm rest, and also get seperate fan controls. beers kept cool in the cooler box as well. Only 2 at a time though.

Some pics :

[39KiwiTouring 2]

I like it, well worth the tidy up efforts

[jeffbebe 1560]

Yep, love the interior. I'm a big fan of wood but in this case I think a darker finish (piano black) trim might suit the caramel leather better.

Valve covers will be a bit pricey won't they? Looking forward to seeing this as it comes along.

[DarinD 8]

Not that much work compared to what the car is worth. Beautiful piece of machinery!

[Michael. 2313]

Awesome. Can't go too wrong - put a bit of TLC in it and you'll be away laughing.

[MD13 496]

Beautiful car! Loving the miami vice car phone

[BreakMyWindow 1878]

Yep, love the interior. I'm a big fan of wood but in this case I think a darker finish (piano black) trim might suit the caramel leather better.

Valve covers will be a bit pricey won't they? Looking forward to seeing this as it comes along.

There is a little bit of change from $400 for all the bits to do it properly. Parts are coming in from the US&A.

[jeffbebe 1560]

There is a little bit of change from $400 for all the bits to do it properly. Parts are coming in from the US&A.

For the dash trim or valve covers... or both? I'm interested because I've just got a 540i and reckon the valve covers will need replacing somewhere down the track (plus I like things to look... just so!).

Edited May 17, 2013 by jeffbebe

[BreakMyWindow 1878]

That's for the 2 valve cover gasket sets, inlet manifold, 8 spark plugs, plus the sh*t load of rubber seals and o-rings you need to do the s62 valve cover gasket job properly. Around $390NZD delivered from www.ecstuning.com I went for genuine BMW parts which ECS is good for. A few other sites show cheaper prices, but they're cheap and nasty.

The M62 should be a bit cheaper as you don't need to remove and re-seal the inlet manifold. What year 540i did you get?

[BreakMyWindow 1878]

There is some 'spider-web' type rust kicking in around the front windshield pillars (who ever did the last windscreen job didn't touch up the bare metal deep scratches they made!) as well as on the roof, and a small patch by the passenger rear door. Pays to get on to stone chips before the rot sets in, especially in the south island. This will be the first repair so far.

[Apex 693]

Congratulations, glad to see this car had been saved and has gone to someone who will restore it to its former glory, I for one love that interior.

Have fun, do a skid.

[tmase 19]

Great fan of E39 M5s, nice to see another one on the board. Best of luck with the fix-up. The black paint and the tan interior are a cool combination.

[Tristan 338]

Great to see another E39 M5 on the forum. Love the interior and the E39 shape. Looking forward to seeing how you progress with it!

[jeffbebe 1560]

That's for the 2 valve cover gasket sets, inlet manifold, 8 spark plugs, plus the sh*t load of rubber seals and o-rings you need to do the s62 valve cover gasket job properly. Around $390NZD delivered from www.ecstuning.com I went for genuine BMW parts which ECS is good for. A few other sites show cheaper prices, but they're cheap and nasty.

The M62 should be a bit cheaper as you don't need to remove and re-seal the inlet manifold. What year 540i did you get?

Ah... I misunderstood and thought you needed to replace the rocker box covers themselves (which are around $500 per side for the M62). Mine's an early 2000 M62TU.

[M3_Power 636]

Glad to see someone willing to rescue this!!! Awesome and congrats!

[KwS 2429]

Very jealous! Love the colour, interior and the high spec features.

Good to see it go to a good home, kept an eye on it on TM, sure looks better here than it did in the listings.

[Tristan 338]

How's the car going?

[kiwi535 538]

you are all bastards.I keep coming back to one of these.I normally loathe tan interiors but there is something about that one thats is better.Of course the S62 and manual box could well have something to do with it

[Allanw 1072]

you are all bastards.I keep coming back to one of these.I normally loathe tan interiors but there is something about that one thats is better.Of course the S62 and manual box could well have something to do with it

It's not a bad colour - not like old-man-beige - it's far more caramelly.

Realistically, the S62 and 6 speed would probably overcome pink leather

[BreakMyWindow 1878]

Bit of an update.

With some decent weather on the wkend, i managed to open the taps up. But only when the engine fully warmed up which means coolant temp needs to be at least 78deg. With the stuck open thermostat, it means that the engine will go down to as low as 72 deg on the mway cruising. I cant get over how quick the M5 is for such a large barge of a car. When my 540i was up to 140km (flooring from about 70km/h) the M5 is just about to go in to 4th gear doing approx 170km/h.

The car is currently at a panel and paint shop getting the stone chips.. now called rust chips repaired.

Have received my orders placed for the parts required to replace the thermostat, and valve cover gaskets. Once done I will be getting it scanned to check for any other problems. Driving it suggests that there can't be much else wrong, it pulls from down low, and all the way to the redline. Not a big fan of the short shift, as it makes shifting when cold a PITA, but after some research this seems to be quite common.

Once she's back from the panel and paint shop, and It's had a cut and polish I'll post some pics up.

[jeffbebe 1560]

I cant get over how quick the M5 is for such a large barge of a car. When my 540i was up to 140km (flooring from about 70km/h) the M5 is just about to go in to 4th gear doing approx 170km/h.

I imagine the feeling is like me going from the 528 to the 540... The 528 felt like a big car that the engine had to work hard to move. In the 540 it feels like a small car that's raring to go! The M5 must be nuts... When I drove the F10 it was plain ridiculous for a car that's even bigger than the E39.

Once she's back from the panel and paint shop, and It's had a cut and polish I'll post some pics up.

Can't wait. Like many others on here I watched that car with interest on TM. Glad it went to a good home.

[BreakMyWindow 1878]

from a 528i to the 540i is a 100hp difference, along with an extra 140nm. 540i vs m5 100hp and 60nm or so extra, so the difference should be less apparent then the 528i vs 540i. I remember test driving my 540i when owning my 528i and I can't say the difference was night and day like between the 540i and M5. Must be the manual transmission?

[vtgts300kw 90]

from a 528i to the 540i is a 100hp difference, along with an extra 140nm. 540i vs m5 100hp and 60nm or so extra, so the difference should be less apparent then the 528i vs 540i. I remember test driving my 540i when owning my 528i and I can't say the difference was night and day like between the 540i and M5. Must be the manual transmission?

Don't forget how much noise plays a part in the experience of it all. Tends to clouds your judgement. Take the CSL for instance.

[jeffbebe 1560]

from a 528i to the 540i is a 100hp difference, along with an extra 140nm. 540i vs m5 100hp and 60nm or so extra, so the difference should be less apparent then the 528i vs 540i. I remember test driving my 540i when owning my 528i and I can't say the difference was night and day like between the 540i and M5. Must be the manual transmission?

92bhp between 528 and 540. 112bhp between 540 and M5 - that's a fair difference. Also, for me anyway, the difference was night and day between my 528 and the 540. Think you're just high on that M5 buzz!

Edited May 27, 2013 by jeffbebe

[hybrid 1044]

The main thing is lower end torque curve on a S62 is more aggressive, this is mainly because it has variable intake and exhaust where as a m62 only has variable intake. The extra CC also help down low. The HP thing only really come in around the top.