Jane - My Green German Girlfriend

[Eagle 1662]

Given the many variables here i personally i wouldn't recommend those kits at all, mainly NZ is not a harsh environment for cars to ever had need of a kit like that. There's is just too much unneeded hardware in it which hit you in the wallet twice - purchase price and added shipping costs (which are going to be high enough as it is) 

Get Sachs struts\shocks (they are alu) and Lemforder mounts 

Check condition of your bump stops,  dust sleeves and shims and order if worn (most of the time rear will be ok even at high k's, fronts bump stop and sleeves are usually perished or missing depending on k's, shims are usually fine - front bottoms will be the ones that are worn if anything)  

Everything else on that list simply doesn't wear or can be reused without issue

[adro 1083]

3 hours ago, Olaf said:

@adro?

More than welcome to take my E39 for a spin.

I haven’t done my shocks yet but my tyres are new and it might give you an idea of what a 214,000 km on original shocks feels like..... @Mikan recently did the shocks in his M- Sport touring (OEM Sachs) ....probably more relevant as to what you are trying to figure out than mine but the offers there. 

[Olaf 3317]

11 hours ago, Eagle said:

Check condition of your bump stops,  dust sleeves and shims and order if worn (most of the time rear will be ok even at high k's, fronts bump stop and sleeves are usually perished or missing depending on k's, shims are usually fine - front bottoms will be the ones that are worn if anything)  

Everything else on that list simply doesn't wear or can be reused without issue

I've a slightly different perspective:  I just wouldn't re-use bump stops under any circumstances.  They're not expensive, and if the closed-cell foam hasn't died in the previous 15-20 years, it certainly won't be performing as new... and a failure in the next year or two requires removal to replace.  Same goes where bellows-type dust boots are in use, the plastic goes hard and brittle, and if it hasn't failed yet it soon will.  Why risk $40 of parts on a thousand dollar job?  YMMV.

[Eagle 1662]

Fair enough, we all have our personally preferences. I tend use new stops much of the time but these are on much older. higher mileage cars. Some times getting new stops for the rear will put me over the GST limit so i wont bother as long as they are in reasonable condition.

The amount of cars with no bump stops is quite surprising even with new shocks and from my experience many garages don't tend to replace them for whatever reason. 

[BozzaFC 300]

Today: quick clean, vacuum, fresh coat of Rain-X applied, 68 litres of 95 swallowed whole, topped up the tyres and went for a cool summer evening cruise; Jane is a happy, thirsty girl!

Last top up I put 98 in her because the BP in Otaki only offered that or 91 and it could well have been a placebo, but I swear she pulled harder with the 98. Am I crazy, or should I change Jane's diet?

[balancerider 758]

Probably some performance benefit in running 98 (as long as it's not the horrible Gull biofuel rubbish) - car looks nice, though is the tow bar removable?

[BozzaFC 300]

Here is a comparison of the ride heights with the handbrake off. I can comfortably fit 4 fingers in the passenger side rear wheel arch, and just fit 3 in the driver side arch

[BozzaFC 300]

7 minutes ago, balancerider said:

Probably some performance benefit in running 98 (as long as it's not the horrible Gull biofuel rubbish) - car looks nice, though is the tow bar removable?

Thanks! Unfortunately, it's built into the bumper. Personally I would prefer not to have one as my dad has a Hilux if I ever need to tow anything, but at least it will stop the bumper from being damaged!

[BozzaFC 300]

On 12/2/2018 at 6:10 PM, Olaf said:

Hey Bozza, you're welcome to try both vehicles when we can find a mutually convenient time.  The e46 is bog-stock, standard springs, Sachs OEM shocks; the only changes are the thicker ARBs (Msport front, Cabrio rear), and the staggered rims with wider rubber.  So standard ride height.

Here's Jane on RealOEM (based on your VIN?https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/partgrp?id=DT62-EUR-10-2000-E39-BMW-530i 

To give you some idea of standard shock refresh parts, looking up 2001 530i on FCP:

Rear (Sachs/OEM) https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw-shock-absorber-kit-rear-170855kt 

Front (Sachs OEM) https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw-strut-assembly-kit-front-556832kt-kit-556832kt 

Plus your springs, as you've indicated they need doing.  Hopefully your tension struts etc are sound and you can do those another year.

You may get away saving on a few bits... but then you get it apart, didn't buy the shims, find them worn... many of the fasteners are single-use, so better not to try and scrimp on those.  The feel of a car when it's been fully done is superb; most reckon my e60 is driving like a new one.  You might get away without some of the hardware like "shock mount plates" and "shock mount supporting cups", take advice.

If you're keeping the car for a number of years, you'll get the value out of it.  It's not a cheap job, though, and I understand your caution.  You don't want to fire 'the parts canon' at it unnecessarily.  Comparatively speaking, around USD100 per corner for OEM shocks is pretty reasonable.  It'd be interesting to see if Sachs OEM for e39 have Alu shock bodies; I think the Bilstein touring are steel (it was this way for the e60), which saves a few bucks and adds a little weight.  Going Meyle shocks/struts and carefully selecting Lemforder/Sachs/Corteco/Rein/Meyle parts may save you $100-200 or so on your overall parts cost, so worth considering.

One thing's for sure, with your suspension refreshed, you'll get much better wear out of your tyres, assuming sympathetic driving.  Another area you may be able to compromomise budget a little is Bridgestone RE003s in place of Michelin PS4.  Not as good, though still very good for the money, and should save you a further $200+?

Hope that helps.

3

Cheers Olaf, I'll flick you a message once I get my rims repaired so you can have a go in mine too. I'd be keen to get your thoughts on it.

Apart from springs, are those kits missing any parts? 

Thanks

Edited December 7, 2018 by BozzaFC

[kiwi535 538]

towbar can be very hndy at times,bike rack,trailer of rubbish to the tip...dont need a hilux for that

[BozzaFC 300]

15 hours ago, Olaf said:

I've a slightly different perspective:  I just wouldn't re-use bump stops under any circumstances.  They're not expensive, and if the closed-cell foam hasn't died in the previous 15-20 years, it certainly won't be performing as new... and a failure in the next year or two requires removal to replace.  Same goes where bellows-type dust boots are in use, the plastic goes hard and brittle, and if it hasn't failed yet it soon will.  Why risk $40 of parts on a thousand dollar job?  YMMV.

Yeah, I agree. I don't mind spending a little more for the peace of mind and convenience of already having the parts, and not having to re-order when they're inevitably found to be worn

[BozzaFC 300]

On 12/2/2018 at 9:23 PM, adro said:

More than welcome to take my E39 for a spin.

I haven’t done my shocks yet but my tyres are new and it might give you an idea of what a 214,000 km on original shocks feels like..... @Mikan recently did the shocks in his M- Sport touring (OEM Sachs) ....probably more relevant as to what you are trying to figure out than mine but the offers there. 

Cheers @adro, I would be really keen to try an E39 with the m-sport suspension. You're more than welcome to have a go in mine, too

[BozzaFC 300]

Had my two buckled rims repaired at Advanced Wheel Repair this week and now she’s driving 100x smoother than before! Very pleased with the results. 

Also would highly recommend Advanced Wheel Repair to anyone with damaged rims. Took them only 2 days to fix mine and only charged $180 per wheel. 10/10!

Now time for new rubber ?

[qube 3570]

lol.. only 2 days.. only $180.. thats a long time and a lot of money..

[BozzaFC 300]

Consider the alternatives: buy a new set of wheels, or find two new style 81 wheels; both of which would have cost vastly more. Also, other repair shops I looked at other were charging around the $300 mark for each wheel, and had at least a week turnaround. 

I actually over exaggerated the time it took. Dropped them in in the morning, and got a phone call the next morning. So really closer to one day. In any case, a couple days and a few hundred dollars to get my favourite wheels back in perfect condition I am going to be a happy chappy

[GorGasm 563]

My wheels took a week and $2000 to repair.  2 days and $180 seems fair to me.

[Olaf 3317]

looks like Jane has sussed you a new soundtrack, and had her older sister model for the cover...

[Olaf 3317]

(sadly their music is a bit naff.  they do like to put BMWs in their vidjos, though).

[BozzaFC 300]

Had a listen to a couple songs before and I was going to say something but didn’t want to hurt your feelings ?

[GorGasm 563]

What are you talking about?  People on the Internet don't have feelings.

[Olaf 3317]

9 hours ago, BozzaFC said:

Had a listen to a couple songs before and I was going to say something but didn’t want to hurt your feelings ?

catholic tastes, me.  This morning it's been as broad as Miles Davis, FC Kahuna, Fever Ray, Kryptic Minds, Jah Wobble, and the not-hits just keep on coming.

 

[BozzaFC 300]

Small but extremely satisfying upgrade tonight:

Have plenty of spares if anyone needs one

[balancerider 758]

a Jeff Gray plate surround would be a nice touch to go with that!

[BozzaFC 300]

Had a spare afternoon today so decided to get out the toothbrush and attack the steering wheel. Spent about 30 minutes and pretty happy with the result. 

It looks a lot better but feels even nicer! Had to take it for a drive afterwards; couldn’t stop feeling it up...

[Eagle 1662]

Yeah do this on most cars i buy, can't stand a dirty wheel. Woman's cars are the worst ive seen, all those oils etc creating that horrible tacky feeling and its usually bad enough you can scrap it with a fingernail. Even continues over to the indicator stalks sometimes.