twiggles94 8 Report post Posted November 28, 2015 (edited) Hey fellas, Ian here, just dropping a friendly hello and introducing myself! I just recently bought my dad's e39 525i, thought I'd sign up on here to learn more as well as hopefully share some things with you guys. My near future plans are to respray the exterior, and update the head lights and tail lights (Was thinking of getting some aftermarket OEM style halos off ebay. Anyone have any experience there?). Mechanically it is very sound at only 78xxx k's, the old man always took good care of it as well and it was only used as a spare car in the family. Only faults are that the front bumper isn't mounted properly on one side (caught on a parking block reversing out), the factory radio has stopped powering up and the paint job is starting to peel. I'm planning on fixing the bumper myself before sending it in for the paint job to try and save some $ and also replacing the factory stereo unit with an aftermarket one. Any input and suggestions welcomed. Cheers! Edited November 28, 2015 by twiggles94 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NUSTAD 243 Report post Posted November 28, 2015 Welcome and welcome to the e39 experience. I would be tempted to plastic polish the lights before springing for eBay versions which can look cheap depending on what you buy. 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Breaker 980 Report post Posted November 28, 2015 What Glenn said x2 ^^ Check out a few threads on E38/39 audio issues, all the same. They may help. Try get along to the monthly coffee sessions, lots of chances to learn and find out more, They are a great car, you'll be hooked soon, if not already Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
twiggles94 8 Report post Posted November 29, 2015 Hey guys, I'm hooked already hahaha! Thanks for the replies. I had polished them before in the past for a WOF, thing is I'm not really fond of the look of these especially the orange indicators. Do you think it might be a better idea to wait for a second hand pair of OEM halos to come up? What do they usually go for and will it fit my ride without further mods (the non xenon ones)? As for the audio issues, I will have a look on here to see what I can dig up. Tomorrow I have a free day, so if all goes well I'll fix the bumper too, do you guys know of any decent and affordable painters around Auckland by any chance? Won't be colour changing so door jams and engine bay won't need any work. My panel beater does decent work for me and in the past has quoted me around $1k for a respray of the same colour, but this was for different and smaller car, so the e39 I'm guessing would be slightly more. Cheers! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
twiggles94 8 Report post Posted November 30, 2015 (edited) Right, so after digging around a bit on the net it seems that the majority of aftermarket headlights are rubbish and will just fog up even quicker or break. So not too sure what my options are anymore. Edited November 30, 2015 by twiggles94 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Arma 134 Report post Posted November 30, 2015 Welcome! Good to see another e39 owner. :-)I got second hand Xenon facelift/angel eye headlights for mine for about $600 for the pair - though the headlight adjusters were broken (which is fixable). Halogen ones would go for fair bit cheaper than that I'd imagine - I'm sure one of the parts suppliers will have a pair if you ask around. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
twiggles94 8 Report post Posted November 30, 2015 Hey Adeeb, first of all that's a beutiful e39 you got there buddy. Yea I think I will opt for original Hella angel eyes if I can get my hands on some second hand ones. I got a question though that may seem dumb. Are most of the OEM angel eye style headlights Halo or Xenon? Without mods my e39 would only take the halos right? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Allanw 1051 Report post Posted November 30, 2015 Welcome! Good to see another e39 owner. :-) I got second hand Xenon facelift/angel eye headlights for mine for about $600 for the pair - though the headlight adjusters were broken (which is fixable). Halogen ones would go for fair bit cheaper than that I'd imagine - I'm sure one of the parts suppliers will have a pair if you ask around. At one stage, we got brand new Hella Halogens for a bit over $600 a pair. E39 halogens are seriously CRAP - my 70's VW Beetle has better lights. The xenons are much better (still quite average though). I'd not consider another set of halogens, if you ever drive at night! Pre facelift might be differnt??? You can replace the lenses easily on the prefacelift, and can get them with clear corners. They are on ebay etc. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
