hunter 408 Report post Posted December 31, 2019 (edited) As requested by some of you a stand alone projectthread for my E39 530i - this will stop me spamming the WDYDTYC thread lol Backstory - April 2019 I decided to look fo an E39, 530i to replace my mint E46 320i, the E46 had served me very well for 9 years, i had modded it to the end of my wishlist and after a BME Club trip to Tokaanu with a 3 year and 5week old, my theory about needing a bigger sedan with the arrival of Bodhi, was proven correct. upon my return home - the search began. After looking at a few as "do ups" i decided as mint as i could get for 7k ish was the way to go. I wont go too deep into the unicorn i let go the previous year, as it still burns me - and was recently sold again - a mint individual grey 530i, nz New, with color matched interior stitiching. After some further searching and a well timed post on the BMW Car Club NZ Facebook page a local example was coming up for sale, a couple of views, a test drive and it was mine. it was mint enough for the 6k price tag including a full service history, with a few things needed doing to fit my desire for a "Project " Since picking the car up in April i have done (all in the WDYDTYC thread) some optional other maintenance / replacement of worn parts - brakes rotors and pads -recon ABS pump & booster - GROM Bluetooth adapter - refurbished parcel shelf and installed child seat anchors -new rear suspension links, top hats, spring pads etc to even the rise height out -panel beating to the drivers side frot shock tower (under bonnet) to straighten it out -new "Pork chops" to replace smashed ones incl dnew hardwas for the centre undertray also ( this cobined with other wrok makes me think the car was nose dived at some stage or repeately abused leaving an angled driveway - new arm rest inserts and handle - Bavsound speaker upgrade (awesome) - tinted windows -Replaced front and rear windows gaskets - made hard in the front by a misalinged windscreen and lots of glue used by whomeeer did that job - spark plug change -gear box flush - oil change and all filters, cabin etc... - new camshaft intake angle sensor - 2nd hand mint drivers side auto dimm mirror - paint correction at Auto Niche, Hamilton - claybar and degrease wheels - replaced center caps in wheels Future works - 2003 sterring wheel with multifunction and paddle shift ( in the garage just need ot sort install) - refurb the style 42s - new passenager mirror or great 2nd hand one - fix rip in drivers seat side bolster ( on the look out for material from good condition m psort rear seat) - new windscreen cowel - newA pillar trims (middle clipswere borken whe nwindscreen replaced, i beleive) Any further updates will be sposted here in due corse Cheers the old E46 The new to me E39 Edited January 1, 2020 by hunter spelling and added more stuff 9 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hunter 408 Report post Posted January 8, 2020 Removed spotlight covers last weekend to give them a clean up and remove some overspray from a previous masking miss. Front bumper has been repainted at some stage. After a degrease and clay bar most of the silver had gone. At this point I decided to respray in black as I'd found a can of duplicolor in my recent garage clean up. This has worked well and they are all black again. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hunter 408 Report post Posted January 13, 2020 Took the car, and the Family around Hampton Downs international circuit this past weekend, as part of the BWM Festival, sponsored by the BMW Car Club NZ and Coombes Johnston. It was a cool event and the kids (4 and 11 months) loved going out on the track, for 1 lap, then they both fell asleep with 3 to go... Car handled well, with no sign of spongy brakes of the past. I manged to wind 3rd out a few times despite the crowded cruise session. With radio off (and kids asleep) its nice to hear the 3 liter sing. onlything i can think of that would make it better (it is a family car in M Sport trim after all) is better tires. the Altrenzo (yuck) and old Eagle F1s offer different handling characteristics and once they are up for replacment i'll be looking at all 4 - something sporty yet quiet. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hunter 408 Report post Posted February 11, 2020 Car visited Supreme Panel and Paint Works this week to have a dent in the side skirt removed. Totally my fault it was the when I knocked my roof rack over, and it struck the car. Being sealed to the under body meant proper attention from the pros was required. Massive thanks to Murray and the team. 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hunter 408 Report post Posted February 14, 2020 Today I refitted my black kid eyes grilles, they needed some jiggling and clips re inserted. They now sit much flushed to the bonnet. Also received a package from a facebook group member in sth island containing a full back seat of msport fabric. Bargain really at 30$ I will be using the material to reupholster the drivers seat side bolsters in the future. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hunter 408 Report post Posted February 26, 2020 Came across an interesting but annoying issue this week, where the car wouldn't go into Drive. it felt like the something was stopping the gear stick from moving backwards into Drive. I removed the auto gear lever boot, nothing looked broken or missing. and have verfied this with youtube videos and RealOEM diagrams.....highly technical! I tried shifting the can into drive with the boot up, so i could see the mechanism. I noted the little metal prong that engagees into a plastic slot was hitting the side of the plastic slot. With a jiggle, Drive was engaged, i repeated this with a little pressure towards the drivers side of the car and drivewas engaged successfully. Without the pressure applied, the prong still hits. ive applied a little grease to ease the insertion and its doing the job, but the areas didnt appear to have been greased previously.... Has anyone encountered this before and keen to hear how to resolve or, if this is simply a wear issue with a 20 year old car. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Eagle 1662 Report post Posted February 26, 2020 Had similar problems on a E39 and a couple of Japanese cars at work but it was always the going from drive to manual gear selection. Both times it was caused by wear on plastic pieces which needed the shifter assembly replaced. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BM WORLD 1283 Report post Posted February 26, 2020 have sold quite a few shifter units from e39 over the years Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hunter 408 Report post Posted February 26, 2020 49 minutes ago, BM WORLD said: have sold quite a few shifter units from e39 over the years What are they worth Brent? 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hunter 408 Report post Posted February 26, 2020 1 hour ago, Eagle said: Had similar problems on a E39 and a couple of Japanese cars at work but it was always the going from drive to manual gear selection. Both times it was caused by wear on plastic pieces which needed the shifter assembly replaced. Damn was hoping it wasnt a potential replacement - will see how long the grease holds up and add itto the things ot kepp a close eye on list Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BreakMyWindow 1874 Report post Posted February 26, 2020 yeah my wagon does this only you need to ever so slightly wiggle the shifter over to the left as you move it down from N to D. Was quite bad when I first got it thinking I'd need to fix/replace but It seems almost non existent now. probably a combo of knowing the knack to it and the car being used much more often than it was with the PO. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hunter 408 Report post Posted February 28, 2020 After some more searching I found this old thread https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?1636607-Transmission-hard-to-put-into-quot-Drive-quot Which explains exactly my issue. So looks like the white plastic spindle broke....and I either need to bodge it or replace the whole thing.... More pics from my car with shift boot off. That white ring should he attached to the middle of the gold metal peice..... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hunter 408 Report post Posted February 29, 2020 (edited) Today I have used some strong adhesive to mend the broken spindle. It's a snug fit and is in nicely. I will leave a day or so to cure. The true test will be if it sticks when moving between auto and steptronic modes as that usually when the boken piece stays on the little shaft pictured above. Edited March 1, 2020 by hunter Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hunter 408 Report post Posted March 2, 2020 today I discovered the adheive wasn't strong enough / didtn have enough coverage - whatever, it didn't work and the broken piece came lose again when shifting into Tiptronic.? I had a close eye on it with the shift boot up and caught the ring beofre it fell inside the lower mechanism. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hunter 408 Report post Posted March 13, 2020 (edited) Busy week this week. Car went into Mosens for a shifter swap to one that doesn't clash internally, works perfectly so happy there. Finally found an excellent condition auto dimming mirror from Ebay. took 4 weeks to get here but worth the wait and 1/3rd the cost of new one here. Old vs new. Edited March 13, 2020 by hunter 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hunter 408 Report post Posted March 15, 2020 (edited) Cleaning up the M3 wheel with paddles I bought aaaaaages ago and kinda forgot about. Intent is to add this upgraded wheel to the e39 with cruise control, stereo control and paddle shift for the steptronic auto. Cleaning made easier by chemguysnz citrus based all purpose cleaner. Works like magic as you can see on the M colored stitching. Edited March 15, 2020 by hunter 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hunter 408 Report post Posted March 23, 2020 Detailed the car this weekend, was supposed to be in Tokaanu for bmw annual festival but couldn't make it. 2 bucket method, chemical guys citrus wash, 2 foam soaks with bug remover mixed in. Fireball Hydrophobic treatment, then into the garage for a wax and trim blacken. Took the caliper covers off too, from previous owner. While I liked the silhouette the shite plastic was broken on all 4, and ultimately quite ricey. Was going to have drivers seat repaired next week, with new foam, material for the out bolsters. Thanks to the virus that will have to wait. Small price to pay to keep us all safe!! 4 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hunter 408 Report post Posted April 12, 2020 The lockdown really gives one time to get to the little things! Today I Took a razor blade (Gillette mach 3 to be exact) to my pilled MSport seats in the E39. Working slowly I got rid of all the fluff on the passenger's side front seat. Quick wipe down with some interior cleaner and it looks far less scruffy and a lot newer. I'll do the drivers side where needed, after the seat is repaired with new material and new foam. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hunter 408 Report post Posted April 26, 2020 Did a spot of cleaning on the E39 today. Inspired by a mates efforts on his M3. Rear lights were removed, exposing several layers of gunk. Cleaning was done by Chemical Guys all purpose cleaner, clay bar, detailing brushes. Finish protected by Chemical guys wax, and quick detailer. 3 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hqstu 780 Report post Posted April 27, 2020 On 4/26/2020 at 4:37 PM, hunter said: Cleaning was done by Chemical Guys all purpose cleaner, clay bar, detailing brushes. Finish protected by Chemical guys wax, and quick detailer I use Selleys liquid sugar soap and a rag ? 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hunter 408 Report post Posted April 27, 2020 4 minutes ago, hqstu said: I use Selleys liquid sugar soap and a rag ? Lol. Use what ya got aye ?? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hunter 408 Report post Posted May 9, 2020 While in was doing the headlight job a couple of posts ago I noted one of the air con tubes into the cabin had a huge crack in it. Now we are at level 3 I felt safe enough to get a part of sort this out. 2and hand air con tu e arrived from a TM seller this week for a very reasonable price. fitted it today. I noted the foam gasket on the replacement tube wasnt as good as the one i was replacing, some careful cutting, cleaning and gluing later and old gasket in place and tube fitted to car. Aircon feels way better now especially since the other tube was loose and fixed too. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Eagle 1662 Report post Posted May 9, 2020 Seems odd that it would crack unless something its been struck with something in the past Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hunter 408 Report post Posted May 9, 2020 Yeah I'm not sure or when it happened. I'd been under bonnet plenty of times and not noticed before.....no glancing Marks from a strike or anything look like it has popped, frature is from seem to seem. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hunter 408 Report post Posted May 30, 2020 (edited) MF wheel with paddles project coming along slowly. have new bottom trim peice for the wheel and new airbag, had the one that was sold with it double checked and it's a recall one. As my car had already had the check ot wouldn't apply pist fitting so just bought a new one. Latest challenge is the functionality and wiring of the MF and paddle shift. I'm no good at electronic work and even though the car build sheet says it is wired for MF plugging the MF panel in to the existing slipring, which should be compatible shows no activity for cruise control or audio. So looks I need to get a retro fit wiring kit, they are in very short supply from BMW given the age or have someone help custom make the MF harness and paddles connections. Edited May 30, 2020 by hunter Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
