BozzaFC 300 Report post Posted January 31, 2019 (edited) 146,800 kms A couple weeks ago on my drive home from work I hit 10,000 kms in Jane, and what an enjoyable 10,000 kms they’ve been. Last night I was driving home from work at 3.30am. In my daily commute, I blasted down the motorway from Petone into Wellington city; climbed up the twisty hill to Kelburn, ‘She Talks to Angels’ playing in the background, air con keeping me cool on this hot Wellington night; got to the turn off to my flat, decided screw it and just kept driving. Ended up at Makara Beach at about 4am. Just my car and me. Literally no where else I would have rather been. My first 10,000 kms, in review. Edited January 31, 2019 by BozzaFC Grammatical error 4 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Eagle 1662 Report post Posted January 31, 2019 Im certain you still enjoy it much more once you refresh the suspension and get some good rubber on. I did about 10,000km also when i first bought it for a daily driver into the city, it was fine for that as it was all slow placed. Once i changed job and started a long commute with a good twisty section of road near the end, i had to either sell it or refresh the suspension felt like driving a truck. Granted yours probably isn't as bad as my 230,000 old parts at the time but its one of those things you never regret doing. 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BozzaFC 300 Report post Posted January 31, 2019 Thanks Eagle, I agree. It’s something I will definitely be doing this year. I am considering doing the vanos first though. When she’s been sitting for a day or so, the cold idle for the first 30-60 seconds is slightly rougher than when she’s warm. From the reading I’ve done online, it sounds like a vanos refresh could remedy this. If not, it’s still a sensible item to tick off that will probably be rooted anyway @Olaf took mine for a spin earlier this month. I think his words were something along the lines of ‘it certainly is tired, and would benefit from refreshing, but it certainly isn’t f**ked either, yet.’ 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Eagle 1662 Report post Posted January 31, 2019 Yeah Vanos seals are probably the best $150 ive ever spent on a BMW to date and you'd probably benefit esp with that shorter diff ratio. Lots of things could cause rough cold idle on these - vacuum leaks and followed by the CCV system being the most common. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BozzaFC 300 Report post Posted February 10, 2019 147,800 kms Got the windows tinted earlier this week at Tint Magic Whanganui. $320 and really pleased with the result. Good colour and a quality job done on the E39, which is notoriously hard to do well. Would recommend them for anyone in the area ? 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NZ BMW 368 Report post Posted February 10, 2019 Must. Resist. Urge. To. Buy. E39. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BozzaFC 300 Report post Posted February 10, 2019 @NZ BMW Do it, you won’t regret it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BozzaFC 300 Report post Posted March 11, 2019 149,400 kms. After hearing the horror story of another member's E39 overheating, I couldn't drive Jane without staring at the coolant temp gauge. After realising that I would get the same utility from staring at my left thumb, I decided it was best to do something about the ridiculously buffered temp gauge that comes in these cars. With the advice of @Allanw, I bought a cheap OBD2 scanning tool, and set about adjusting the temp gauge ranges. This was actually a lot harder than I anticipated. It took me about an hour to get all of the software downloaded onto my laptop (user error), and a lot of the forums that have discussed re-coding these gauges were written from an E46 perspective. In my naivety, I assumed that since my E39 shares the same M54 as the E46, the process would be identical. It turns out that the coding side of things is completely different. This took another long while of internet trawling before I was finally able to get it done. As a result, instead of my temp gauge telling me I'm at 'normal operating temperature' from about 75C to 115C, it is now reduced to roughly 85C to 95C. One of the best mods I've done for my mental stability (and for the engine's sake of course), and highly recommend it for anyone with this era of BMW (E38, E39, E46 etc.). If anyone wants any help with this I am more than happy to help. Increased accuracy of our temp gauges is objectively a good thing; it gives the driver more notice when their car may be overheating or running too cold, AND hopefully prevents people booting their cars before they're actually at 'normal operating temperature'. More accuracy = greater chance of survival of these engines/cars and I am all for that! I also checked for error messages, and was pleasantly surprised by the lack of any current fault codes! She treats me well, this old girl does. 4 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Olaf 3321 Report post Posted March 11, 2019 13 hours ago, BozzaFC said: As a result, instead of my temp gauge telling me I'm at 'normal operating temperature' from about 75C to 115C, it is now reduced to roughly 85C to 95C. One of the best mods I've done for my mental stability (and for the engine's sake of course), and highly recommend it for anyone with this era of BMW (E38, E39, E46 etc.). If anyone wants any help with this I am more than happy to help. Increased accuracy of our temp gauges is objectively a good thing; it gives the driver more notice when their car may be overheating or running too cold, AND hopefully prevents people booting their cars before they're actually at 'normal operating temperature'. More accuracy = greater chance of survival of these engines/cars and I am all for that! Great job! Mate, I wouldn't know where to start! I'd love a hand with doing my e46, thanks; let's get this on the 'round tuit' list. ? 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BozzaFC 300 Report post Posted March 11, 2019 More than happy to help, @Olaf! With all the software downloaded, it’d be a 5 minute job with your E46. Just message me with a time and place etc 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BozzaFC 300 Report post Posted March 12, 2019 I’ve had a slow leak in one of my tyres over the past few weeks, and finally got around to getting it fixed this morning. One screw and one nail, both lodged into the same tyre at opposite ends. Took it to Thorndon Quay Beaurepaires, who fixed it free of charge. Highly recommend Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BozzaFC 300 Report post Posted April 9, 2019 (edited) 152,053 kms. Quite a bit of love spent on Jane over the last couple weeks: Vanos seals refreshed Auto transmission serviced Rocker cover gasket replaced Sump gasket replaced Heater hose replaced Oil change I had these jobs done by Jon at Auto 38 two weeks ago. I've done 2,000kms since then, meaning I've had some time to get a feel for the results, and I'm really pleased. When people say that refreshing the vanos seals makes for a great improvement in their cars, they aren't lying! I drove from Wellington to Whanganui (200kms) after the seals were done which bedded them in nicely. The biggest takeaway is how much perkier the car feels; it's far more lively and torquey in the lower rev-range. Whereas before she would have chopped down from 5th into 4th when accelerating from 70km/h up to 100km/h, she now just pulls in 5th. And with only 150kms on the clock when this was done, I'm sure my vanos seals were in far better shape than others'. Highly recommended upgrade for anyone with these cars! Also running smoother and is slightly smoother on cold start, although not completely as smooth as I'd like it. But a great result nonetheless. Transmission service also returned great results. As soon as I took off from Auto 38 I noticed a change. Firstly, the shifts are far smoother (and they weren't rough to begin with!). And additionally, the up-shifts seem to come sooner, which could be the reason I've seen my petrol consumption drop from 10L/100km to 9.7L/100km! Sump gasket had a minor leak, so the gasket was replaced. Also got the rocker cover gasket done as one of those '"while you're in there" jobs - no record of it being done in the service history. Jon noticed the heater hose was getting quite soft, so replaced that to avoid any side-of-the-road-E39-coolant-system-failure moments! Hard to believe I'd already done 8,000kms since the last oil change in late November, but it was time for one of those as well! Overall, got a few of those checklist jobs done and the car has never run better. I chased an E60 M5, E92 M3 and E39 M5 over the Paraparas last weekend, and Jane held her own (although struggled a bit on the straights!). Love driving this car, and looking forward to putting many more miles on the clock Next on the to-do list: Replace folding radio wood trim with an uncracked piece (have the piece, just struggling to find the time to get the swap done), New rubber (I hear a set of Michelin PS4's calling Jane's name), Potentially a bit of suspension work. Undecided on how much I want to spend on suspension at the moment, when it's far from being buggered. Have a clunk that appears occasionally when coming to a halt. Might look into that soon. Edited April 9, 2019 by BozzaFC Added pic - taken at National BMW CC Festival in Turangi last weekend. Jane chilling with her big siblings 3 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BozzaFC 300 Report post Posted April 9, 2019 Went to see @Autoglym a wee while ago and bought a few products that I've been meaning to put into use. I finally got around to spending a day getting the Oxford Green paint to sparkle. Washed (with AutoGlym shampoo), clay barred, washed again, polished, and finally waxed. Also bought some leather cleaning product online and attacked the leather, before conditioning it. This was the most in-depth car clean I've ever done, and I'm pretty chuffed with how it's turned out. The paintwork is uber smooth to touch! And the leather is much less shiny, and nicer to the touch as well. Took this pic after labouring on her for an entire day: 5 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Autoglym 255 Report post Posted April 9, 2019 Nice work, looks great!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Allanw 1071 Report post Posted April 10, 2019 On 4/10/2019 at 12:13 AM, BozzaFC said: And with only 150kms on the clock when this was done, I'm sure my vanos seals were in far better shape than others'. Good work! It makes a MASSIVE difference. Our manual 525i was REALLY easy to stall before they were done, but not after, and that mid range improvement is very obvious (maybe more so in a manual too) Regarding the 150kms though - at 115 kms, mine were so worn/hard, that the Vanos pistons dropped out under their own weight. Most M54's will have poked seals from much lower mileage/years. Yours have probably been poked for years already. The original BMW Orings were NOT the correct spec for the environment, and I'd be surprised if they weren't knackered after about 5 years, regardless of mileage. Always worth doing, from what I've seen. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Olaf 3321 Report post Posted April 11, 2019 I’ll be getting my VANOS seals done (at long last) in May. looking forward to that! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BozzaFC 300 Report post Posted April 19, 2019 Took some pics of the old girl tonight with @adro 8 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mikan 173 Report post Posted April 19, 2019 Beautiful stuff! Nice work guys. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BozzaFC 300 Report post Posted June 14, 2019 155,500 kms. New rubber time. In preparation for the new Michelins I got Auto38 to check my suspension as my old Eagle F1s were wearing unevenly. The LF lower control arm and LR upper arm were shagged, so they were quickly replaced. This also got rid of an annoying suspension clunk issue I had ?. Then a new set of Michelin PS4s. I can’t believe how much the old worn tyres were holding this car back. It’s got way more traction, the steering is more responsive, it handles a LOT nicer and the overall drive is noticeably smoother. Finally got this car driving exactly how I want it to. Really enjoying it at the moment. 3 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Eagle 1662 Report post Posted June 14, 2019 They certainly are the best tyre around for the money in my experience. Tbh once you fit new dampeners and replacement springs (even if std ones) you'll probably be doing some word eating haha. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BozzaFC 300 Report post Posted July 7, 2019 (edited) 156,597 kms. Just achieved my second 10,000 “achievement points” in the old girl this week. Second 10,000 has been much the same as the first 10,000. Everything just keeps on working. A quick clean yesterday to celebrate the occasion (was also used to chauffeur my sister and date to their school ball last night) ? Edited July 7, 2019 by BozzaFC Additions 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Eagle 1662 Report post Posted July 8, 2019 I know you'll get a good run out of it and its already miles better than your average flogged import. Mine has just hit 290,000km and while im going to give it another birthday soon to keep on top of things, most engine related parts are original and still in working order. I wish my paint was as nice as yours, open road driving and living outside really takes a toll. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BozzaFC 300 Report post Posted July 8, 2019 Yeah, the condition it’s in really is a testament to its past owners. Having been garaged for most of its life really makes a difference. She’s been nothing but reliable in these 20,000kms. No such thing as even a sluggish start - sparks into life instantly, every time. Regardless of how long I don’t drove her for. Only unexpected item I’ve had to replace was the radiator, which developed a crack two days into ownership. But even that didn’t leave me stranded. If you keep up the maintenance on these cars, they can give you many happy miles for a fraction of the cost of a newer Japanese car Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BozzaFC 300 Report post Posted November 15, 2019 (edited) ≈ 158,000 kms. Final update. The rear door sill covers were old, tired and crumbling away every time I opened the doors. At about $50 a piece from FCP, this was a really nice upgrade to the backseat. Alas, all good things must come to an end. A really exciting offer that I couldn't turn down presented itself. After 13 months, she gave me a really enjoyable and reliable 22,000 kms of ownership. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend an E39 to anyone thinking about buying one - they're comfortable, engaging to drive and are built like tanks. Jane went to a friend who will look after her and I said my final goodbyes. Edited November 15, 2019 by BozzaFC 5 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BozzaFC 300 Report post Posted November 15, 2019 (edited) Final pictures before send off, next to the new '39: To be continued... Edited November 15, 2019 by BozzaFC 3 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
