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Defector · Fanatic

Background:

Despite the hunger for an ‘M’ and some frantic attempts to get the numbers to work, I at last admitted defeat and gave up on my dream of an E39 M5, at least for the moment.

With my farther waiting in the wings to take my [link] 528i off my hands to replace his E34, the hunt was on finding a replacement that would tickle my fancy.

Some 700 miles, £200 of petrol and and an overnight stay in Preston later, and we repatriated a great 540i from Cumbria, back to its more southern roots.

The Car

1999 E39 540i
* M62TUB44 Engine
* Manual 6 Speed Gearbox
* Servotronic Steering
* Jet Black
* BMW ‘Individual’ Champagne interior with heated sports seats
* Xenon Headlights
* M-Tech Aerodynamics Package
* M-Tech Suspension
* M-Tech Multi-function steering wheel
* 18" BMW 2 Piece Cross Spoke Comp II wheels
* Glass Tilt/Slide Sunroof
* Climate Comfort / Gradient Tint Windscreen
* Electric Fold / Heated / Auto-Dip Wing Mirrors
* Auto-dip rear view mirror
* Electric Rear Blind
* Rear Passenger Door Window Blinds
* High OBC
* Comms Pack with integrated Phone
* Park Distance Control
* Tyre Pressure Control
* Professional Hi-Fi with DSP
* Rain Sensor
* Cruise Control with multi-function wheel

BMW Project number 5 commences!

Defector · Fanatic

Journal

Modification Apr 08

With the increase in power and the grin pulsing the loud pedal was giving me, the first thing to do was swap the Origin B2 unit from my previous car to this one!

Repair Apr 08

Unbelievably, on the trip down from picking the car up in Cumbria, a stone flicked up on the motorway and smashed the passenger side front fog light. A PM to the friendly forum parts finder, Sphinx, and I had a replacement in a matter of hours! Thanks mate, pleasure as always.

Maintenance May 08

Regardless of service history, I always like to give a car a going over shortly after purchase:

From Chandlers BMW (Total: £102)

From GSF (Total: £22)

2x A/C Filter
From Opie Oils (Total: £45)

5 litres Silkolene Pro-S 5W40 Oil (already had remaining 2.5l spare)

During this service I noticed a number of concerns, including various nuts and bolts fastened too tightly or not tightened sufficiently. In addition, the M62s remote oil filter housing had sheared both its rubber mountings and was just sitting in the engine bay.

Repairs May 08

The previous owner had been given an advisory about the front brakes in February during an MOT. Unfortunately he elected to purchase a very cheap set of drilled and grooved discs from e-bay and some Ferodo 'performance' pads. Neither were proving very effective, so changing them was a priority

From Chandlers BMW (Total: £85)

1x Front Brake Pad set
From GSF (Total: £100)

2x Non-grooved or drilled, Vented Front Discs (Brembo)

I had also been aware of a dragging front passenger side calliper and this was confirmed by a small bonfire in that area on the way to my parents house. During the brake change I gave the calliper a thorough clean but had trouble pushing the piston back but eventually managed to do so. I also noted significant overfill of the brake fluid. I hope that all of the above actions will rectify the issue.

Repairs May 08

During my previous service, I had noticed that the remote located oil filter housing had sheared both its rubber mounts and was just 'sitting' in the engine bay. I suspect an unscrupulous garage or previous owner had put an airgun to the filter top. Rolling Eyes

A mere £7.50 from the parts department and a couple of minutes and the filter was back firmly seated to its proper location.

Repairs / Maintenance May 08

I decided to get the car into the dealership to change some fluids, as I like to have the peace of mind of knowing these are done. A week earlier I rather stupidly grounded the car out on a speed bump and the exhaust was blowing through the centre bushes. I asked them to sort this out as well. I also asked them to check the engines rear coolant hoses, as these are prone to failure on the M62.

Whilst in the dealership, BMW noted some other points that needed attention. I decided to get it all over with and be done with it, despite the heavy cost. The work broke down as follows:

At Chandlers BMW (Total: £1002)

A lot of money, but noisy exhaust was now sorted and the car felt much better.

Repair May 08

Yet another thing the previous owner had forgotten to mention on the e-bay add was the knackered auto-dip wing mirrors. These were breathtakingly expensive from the dealer at £200 a piece, just for the glass. What’s more, they couldn’t be replaced with normal heated glass as the auto-dip mirror housings were completely different to the standard housings.

Luckily I managed to pick up a set of genuine auto-dip mirror glass from a Polish seller on e-bay. With a bit of haggling, I managed to get the set for £175, a significant saving.

The above are discussed in more detail here.

Modification June 08

The car came with some pretty rare, and very nice looking two piece BMW/BBS wheels. They were however in need of 4 new tyres and a decent refurb to sort out the heavily corroded polished rims.

I decided that I’d rather plough money into my favourite E39 style of wheels rather than fix the two piece wheels. After a few months of failed bids and I managed to get hold of a set of genuine E39 M Paras without tyres for £500. They weren’t mint but were in much better condition than the outgoing wheels.

I bought a set of Nankang NS-2s for £300 and the job was done. I also managed to sell the old wheels for £260, so overall it cost me about £540.

Modification June 08

The Vavona wood trim has never been my favourite, but I was conscious that I didn’t want anything to clash with the Champagne leather. I ended up going for the same trim I bought for my last E39, known as ‘Cubic’ by BMW or ‘Piano Black’ by most people. I got a set for £120 from e-bay again and bought a missing piece of trim for the TPC button from the dealer for £14. I’m really please with the result and I think it works really well with the black interior and light leather.

While I was there, I replaced the broken rear cupholders with the ‘cubbyhole’ unit. I got the unit from good old e-bay for £20, although I suspect it would be a similar price from the dealer.

Repair June 08

I managed to break the drivers interior door handle whilst exiting the vehicle. It turns out a design flaw causes the plastic to snap over time. I bought another unit for £25 from BMW, and after looking through some threads on the forum, fitted it in 10 minutes.

Modification July 08

The UUC metal gear knob was beginning to annoy. Apart from looking tacky, it was rather impractical, turning into a branding iron when left in the sun. I ordered my favourite gear knob from BMW for £65, the leather ‘M’ illuminating unit from the E36 Evo. Being lighter, it also had the effect of improving the feel of the gear change.

Repair August 08

I finally managed to get round to fixing the dodgy pixel display on the instrument cluster. I had researched this to some extent but came across some recommendations from another forum of someone repairing the units considerable cheaper than other outfits and much closer to home.

After speaking to the man in question, named kartophel on e-bay, I dropped off the cluster and an hour later, and £80 in cash I had a fully functioning unit. Furthermore, he assured me it would not break again like a new BMW unit would.

Repair September 08

The washer jets had been playing up for some time, with only a dribble hitting the screen. After initially incorrectly diagnosing a blocked pump filter, I managed to fix the issue by repairing leaking pipes under the bonnet insulation.

Repair September 08

The V8 had begun to sound like a Harrier Jump Jet on start-up, which was becoming slightly annoying. Some research suggested it was the Secondary Air Pump, another E39 design flaw. I also purchased an EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) valve, as this often fails as a result of the pump failing.

At Chandlers BMW (Total: £60)

1x EGR valve
Euro Car Parts (Total: £159)

1x Secondary Air Pump

The above items are discussed in more detail here.

Modification September 08

As per this thread, I had received an e-mail from myshowplates.com informing me that changes to number plate laws meant that by November of 2008 I would no longer be able to buy plates off the internet.

I had bought from them before and while not into stupid pictures or comments, I like a GB sign on a black background and a border. However, the official plates require a BS number and the name of the place who made the plate, which often breaks the border and ruins the look. I quickly ordered a set for £30 before the deadline and added some dealer surrounds I picked up from the parts department for £1 each. Car now looks much smarter.

Maintenance November 08

It was 6 months since the last oil service, so it was time to change it again:

From Chandlers BMW (Total: £27)

From GSF (Total: £22)

2x A/C Filter
From Opie Oils (Total: £65)

2x 4 litres Fuchs Titan SuperSyn 5W40 Oil

Repair December 08

Having dropped down the list several times, I finally managed to get round to removal of the UUC Short-Shift kit.

As the job is a massively fiddly affair and one in which is made extremely tricky without hydraulic ramps, I opted to pay BMW to do it. I asked them to replace every single bush and clip so the whole linkage system is new. Total cost was £405 with parts. Whilst the longer throw will take some getting used to, it's a joy to change gear once again. Result!

While it was in, I asked them to adjust the handbrake which was requiring more and more effort to operate effectively on a hill. This is now razor sharp, although added an additional £34 to the bill.

Both fairly minor changes, but make a huge difference to the driving experience.

The above items are discussed in more detail here.

MOT January 09

The first MOT following the purchase of a second hand car is always a bit nerve racking. What a pleasent surprise then when the 540i passed with only the chipped windscreen as an advisory. Total cost £29.99, result!

Repair January 09

The cars constant nagging that I had stupidly sold the old wheels with the RDC transmitters in place, was starting to piss me off. With the cheap MOT I decided to splash out to get it sorted at the dealer. It ended up costing even more than the originally eye watering price I had in mind, thanks to the system needing even the spare to be included for it to work. With all 5 wheels now with the correct gear in place, the system finally worked, albeit with a total repair cost of £450!

Repair March 09

As per my previous E39, I was amazed to look down at the bonnet one day to find half the badge missing. A quick trip to the dealer and £12 later and all is well again.

The above items are discussed in more detail here.

Maintenance June 09

A years ownership had come around quickly, but it was time for a full service again:

From Chandlers BMW (Total: £95.80)

From Opie Oils (Total: £91.50)

Repair December 2009

The Viscous fan had started, on occasions, to sound like a 747 during take off. Whilst it would have been cheaper and easier just to replace the fan clutch, I opted for a complete overhaul of the coolant system. The car was approaching 90k miles, and it seemed prudent. While I was there, I decided to replace both V-belts as well.

From Chandlers BMW (Total: £439.05)

The above items are discussed in more detail here.

MOT January 10

I was hoping for a similar outcome to the previous MOT but alas it wasn't to be. The car failed on the headlights being out of alignment, one of them being 'bouncy' as well. In addition, despite a thorough brake overhaul next on my hitlist, the handbrake failed as well.

I was hoping I could get aware with it being adjusted and cleaned up until I completed the overghaul but the MOT station disagreed. End result was new discs and pads at the back. I usually budget for about £200 for MOT and this came in at around that, so I considered it a PITA part of the brake overhaul sorted for me and another years MOT.

From Se-Tyres [MOT Station] (Total: £239.99)

Repair March 2010

Following previous issues with a sticking front brake caliper, I decided a complete overhaul was necessary:

From Bigg Red (Total: £371)

From Chandlers BMW (Total: £309.27)

From GSF (Total: £108.22)

The above items are discussed in more detail here.

Repair March 2010

The wipers had begun to 'park' incorrectly on the screen and the auto-wiper function had begun to work erratically. Some research revealed a failing/failed wiper relay was the issue. Therefore a quick trip to the dealer and a few minutes getting to it and issue resolved.

From Chandlers BMW (Total: £16.40)

Repair March 2010

Having gone out to the car to drive to work, I was shocked and enraged to find some delightful person(s) had slashed the tyres on the driver's side of the car. Given the staggered set-up, and the tyres on one side had been destroyed, all 4 would need replacing.

From mytyres.co.uk (Total: £425.20)

Maintenance May 10

Following the change to the tyres. The car had exhibited a vibration at around 50 mph. I took it to a respected local tyre fitters with a hunter machine to get the wheels balanced and a full alignment check. Whilst this was useful, it appears the issue is elsewhere and the adjustments had no effect.

From Discount Tyres Direct (Total: £82.13)

Maintenance June 10

Following the refurbishment of the brake calipers, it became apparent that I would not be able to fully bleed the system correctly myself, despite 3 separate attempts. As the system is shared with the clutch, I was concerned about any effect this might have, as well as being eager to get the brakes working 100%. I reluctantly handed over the car to the dealer, to get the system bled properly. While they were there, I had them replace the fuel filter as this had not been done for just over two years.

From Chandlers BMW (Total: £160.57)

The above items are discussed in more detail here.

Sphinx · Fanatic

Your welcome dude!

Congrats on the purchase. Very Happy

Motor looks Cool

Motor looks familiar though - I am sure I have seen it somewhere before - maybe at one at the shows?

Any mods planned?

Whats the power like compared to the 528i? Bet it goes like a rocket!

Sukh Rai · Driver

Stunning motor Cool

, congratulations

Defector · Fanatic

Thanks guys! Very Happy

She is very quick, currently putting a very large grin on my face! Razz

Hopefully some updates in this thread as work progresses.

Some further discussion on the purchase here.

Dales · Learner

Stunning car defector, must be sore on petrol though, thought about one for a while myself,

Ali · Enthusiast

What's the steering response like?
I've heard many different responses on this matter but never had a drive in the 540i myself

Defector · Fanatic

Murph · Driver

When I had my 540 I didnt know any different (had 2), but when I got the 330d I found the steering to be such a joy to drive... I still look at other 540's though wishing I still had mine, lovely motors! Mine averaged 22mpg around the houses, hit 33mpg on a good run. That V8 will never let you drive 'sensibly' Defector! Very Happy

Great car you have there!

Tinker · Fanatic

You get used to the steering ... I know I did in the B10 and my Dad's 540i Wink

it never put me off.