BMW E39 540i Shed and a half budget
Discussion
It's a rainy Saturday so I thought it was about time to do a Reader's Car bit on my BMW.
I've had 2 E34s previously, a 525i SE and a 540iA. I missed the V8 immensely, it was a joy to burble about in and so comfy with big leather chairs, fully electric including the headrests!
A change of circumstances or two later my health is pretty rubbish. I have a Golf 1.4TSi DSG for everyday use, easy parking outside the hospital mostly it seems (Google on my phone tells me I work there!). A sensible daily driver on a lease which is someone else's issue if it goes wrong as I can't do as much as I'd like and a simple job can take me a day or two rather than an hour, then 2 days to recover!
In July I decided on one last hurrah of V8 silliness on a budget. Good E34s are now out of my range. Everything I looked at was rusty in the expensive places and would need too much work. The best E39s were just too far for me to travel quickly and easily from Bristol.
Scanning eBay I found, in Cornwall, a dark green, 1998, E39 540i, 108k, looks tidy, has history, advert well written. We chatted on the phone and I went down the next evening from Bristol to Bodmin. I checked what I could, noted the faults I could see and went for a test drive. It drove nicely but the alignment was out. It had a new track rod end, Aha! All in all I decided I wanted it knowing over the coming months I would do a bit at a time to get it right.
It was up for £1795, I paid £1550 with MoT until March and stood scratching my head working out how to get it home. A quick phone call and the next morning at 7am my friend and I left Bristol. Kudos to the Golf, comfy and capable doing 700 miles in 24 hours. My mate drove the BMW home utterly trouble free and only costing twice as much in fuel
Interior – leather comfort seats (extendable thigh support is heaven for my shoddy hips and knees), heated for the passenger my side is kaput for now. All the usual electric windows, mirrors etc Dual zone climate, auto dimming mirror, rain sensing wipers, cruise, stereo controls on steering wheel, perfect pixels on dash (it'd been done just before I got it). 2 pixels out on the OBC/Radio display. Whizzy glass electric sunroof tilt/slide with blind.
Seats in good condition no rips, tears or really nasty surprises. Due some Gliptone niceness soon – they've had a quick spritz for now.
Seatbelts are meant to be cream, fronts were grey! Changed for a very clean black set. Rears will get a scrub as they're not bad. All cupholders broken so fronts replaced with blanking plate, rears with storage tray.
Headlining black with fag smoke – damp terry cloth wipe several times and it's all good.
Carpets utterly gopping. Floor mats put through washing machine and the main carpets attacked by Henry followed by some damp cloth wiping. Next spring the seats will be out and the whole lot given a wet vac.
Inside it's a very comfy and calm place to reside. It smells clean and leathery, everything bar the one heated seat works nicely. I love the sunroof!
Exterior – It's subtle. Original ambers, no fancy wheels, no chrome, a few marks here and there. Nothing shouty about it at all. Exhaust is original and hidden behind the bumper. Some clown (ahem) has even put a 520i badge on it.
The headlights were changed as one was faded beyond polishing and the other the wrong one for that car. I wanted a matching pair with correct bulb fitments. Ebay is very hit or miss when it comes to the quality of used parts. I ended up buying 3 headlights and with the two I had already made a lovely pair from scratch. Inner lenses cleaned etc. I have a box of spare bits to sell on or keep in the “just in case” area of the shed!
The boot leaked. Rear lights popped out, cleaned up thoroughly and popped back in. Boot seal removed, cleaned up and put back. Job done. Oh and there was a minor leak at the bottom of the rear screen leaking into the battery compartment. Dab of sealant saw to that.
Oily bits - Next up was the oil leak – the MoT reports mentioned oil leaks and the bills showed replacement of the rocker gaskets. My local indy BMW garage (White Cube, Fishponds, taken over by chap who worked there under previous ownership) had a look at this as I don't have a garage to work in and it kept raining. Both gaskets falling apart, spewing oil al over the engine. A certain amount of doubt was cast over the previous work! They apologised for what they had found and asked if I'd prefer to do it myself. I paid them. Also had the headlights aligned correctly at the same time. £300
Now happy the engine wasn't about to go bang I had the alignment set up by FCM in Bristol. Lee is great and does all my cars and many others for Pistonheaders. An hour of jiggery pokery and all was good. While it was up in the air we had a poke about underneath and found it to be in remarkably good nick. That was further good news.
The tyres are not very old, a matching set of Goodyear Efficient Grip. Worth a chunk of the purchase price of the car.
Next week comes the bodywork bit. The obligatory rusty wheel arch which is being cut out, along with the panel behind, and replaced.
After that it needs a brake fluid change and an auto box service. Main dealers in Bath offer a good price on this and I fancy a day out doing my Christmas shopping (probably loafing in a cafe using the internet to be fair!) Cosmetically I will give it a proper clay and polish at some point. I may be able to get hold of a large garage to keep it in for a week or so as that's how long it'll take me. Failing that it will have to wait until spring!
Driving it – This is the good bit. It's big, lazy and relaxed, trundling about at our lovely 20mph Bristol speed limits. Prod it and it goes. Flip the shift into sport mode and bury the throttle and it really goes. It's no sports car in spite of M-sport suspension. For me it's a fast lounge with a decent sound track. This is what I need in my life. When I feel utterly crap I can just get in and burble out of town, stereo off.
Petrol - I've done a trip to Devon and back, effortlessly and frugally too. At the speed limit or a touch below due to traffic I've managed a very steady 34mpg. In town I try not to think about it, but it is about 18mpg. I don't use it in town unless I have to. It's for pleasure drives out and away.
A keeper – As I said up top, this may be my last hurrah in terms of a V8 I can play with and I really like it. I plan to do the North Coast 500 next year. I don't mind spending a bit more to get it mechanically sound and looking tidy. I'm not going for concourse, just a tidy, usable treat without breaking the bank.
What's it cost? So far, with every single pipe, cap, clip, trim piece etc included it stands me at £2200. Had I been physically able to do all the work myself this would be a chunk less - about £300. I don't feel too bad about that.
I think that's about it for now. I'll pop up more as life goes on.
I've had 2 E34s previously, a 525i SE and a 540iA. I missed the V8 immensely, it was a joy to burble about in and so comfy with big leather chairs, fully electric including the headrests!
A change of circumstances or two later my health is pretty rubbish. I have a Golf 1.4TSi DSG for everyday use, easy parking outside the hospital mostly it seems (Google on my phone tells me I work there!). A sensible daily driver on a lease which is someone else's issue if it goes wrong as I can't do as much as I'd like and a simple job can take me a day or two rather than an hour, then 2 days to recover!
In July I decided on one last hurrah of V8 silliness on a budget. Good E34s are now out of my range. Everything I looked at was rusty in the expensive places and would need too much work. The best E39s were just too far for me to travel quickly and easily from Bristol.
Scanning eBay I found, in Cornwall, a dark green, 1998, E39 540i, 108k, looks tidy, has history, advert well written. We chatted on the phone and I went down the next evening from Bristol to Bodmin. I checked what I could, noted the faults I could see and went for a test drive. It drove nicely but the alignment was out. It had a new track rod end, Aha! All in all I decided I wanted it knowing over the coming months I would do a bit at a time to get it right.
It was up for £1795, I paid £1550 with MoT until March and stood scratching my head working out how to get it home. A quick phone call and the next morning at 7am my friend and I left Bristol. Kudos to the Golf, comfy and capable doing 700 miles in 24 hours. My mate drove the BMW home utterly trouble free and only costing twice as much in fuel
Interior – leather comfort seats (extendable thigh support is heaven for my shoddy hips and knees), heated for the passenger my side is kaput for now. All the usual electric windows, mirrors etc Dual zone climate, auto dimming mirror, rain sensing wipers, cruise, stereo controls on steering wheel, perfect pixels on dash (it'd been done just before I got it). 2 pixels out on the OBC/Radio display. Whizzy glass electric sunroof tilt/slide with blind.
Seats in good condition no rips, tears or really nasty surprises. Due some Gliptone niceness soon – they've had a quick spritz for now.
Seatbelts are meant to be cream, fronts were grey! Changed for a very clean black set. Rears will get a scrub as they're not bad. All cupholders broken so fronts replaced with blanking plate, rears with storage tray.
Headlining black with fag smoke – damp terry cloth wipe several times and it's all good.
Carpets utterly gopping. Floor mats put through washing machine and the main carpets attacked by Henry followed by some damp cloth wiping. Next spring the seats will be out and the whole lot given a wet vac.
Inside it's a very comfy and calm place to reside. It smells clean and leathery, everything bar the one heated seat works nicely. I love the sunroof!
Exterior – It's subtle. Original ambers, no fancy wheels, no chrome, a few marks here and there. Nothing shouty about it at all. Exhaust is original and hidden behind the bumper. Some clown (ahem) has even put a 520i badge on it.
The headlights were changed as one was faded beyond polishing and the other the wrong one for that car. I wanted a matching pair with correct bulb fitments. Ebay is very hit or miss when it comes to the quality of used parts. I ended up buying 3 headlights and with the two I had already made a lovely pair from scratch. Inner lenses cleaned etc. I have a box of spare bits to sell on or keep in the “just in case” area of the shed!
The boot leaked. Rear lights popped out, cleaned up thoroughly and popped back in. Boot seal removed, cleaned up and put back. Job done. Oh and there was a minor leak at the bottom of the rear screen leaking into the battery compartment. Dab of sealant saw to that.
Oily bits - Next up was the oil leak – the MoT reports mentioned oil leaks and the bills showed replacement of the rocker gaskets. My local indy BMW garage (White Cube, Fishponds, taken over by chap who worked there under previous ownership) had a look at this as I don't have a garage to work in and it kept raining. Both gaskets falling apart, spewing oil al over the engine. A certain amount of doubt was cast over the previous work! They apologised for what they had found and asked if I'd prefer to do it myself. I paid them. Also had the headlights aligned correctly at the same time. £300
Now happy the engine wasn't about to go bang I had the alignment set up by FCM in Bristol. Lee is great and does all my cars and many others for Pistonheaders. An hour of jiggery pokery and all was good. While it was up in the air we had a poke about underneath and found it to be in remarkably good nick. That was further good news.
The tyres are not very old, a matching set of Goodyear Efficient Grip. Worth a chunk of the purchase price of the car.
Next week comes the bodywork bit. The obligatory rusty wheel arch which is being cut out, along with the panel behind, and replaced.
After that it needs a brake fluid change and an auto box service. Main dealers in Bath offer a good price on this and I fancy a day out doing my Christmas shopping (probably loafing in a cafe using the internet to be fair!) Cosmetically I will give it a proper clay and polish at some point. I may be able to get hold of a large garage to keep it in for a week or so as that's how long it'll take me. Failing that it will have to wait until spring!
Driving it – This is the good bit. It's big, lazy and relaxed, trundling about at our lovely 20mph Bristol speed limits. Prod it and it goes. Flip the shift into sport mode and bury the throttle and it really goes. It's no sports car in spite of M-sport suspension. For me it's a fast lounge with a decent sound track. This is what I need in my life. When I feel utterly crap I can just get in and burble out of town, stereo off.
Petrol - I've done a trip to Devon and back, effortlessly and frugally too. At the speed limit or a touch below due to traffic I've managed a very steady 34mpg. In town I try not to think about it, but it is about 18mpg. I don't use it in town unless I have to. It's for pleasure drives out and away.
A keeper – As I said up top, this may be my last hurrah in terms of a V8 I can play with and I really like it. I plan to do the North Coast 500 next year. I don't mind spending a bit more to get it mechanically sound and looking tidy. I'm not going for concourse, just a tidy, usable treat without breaking the bank.
What's it cost? So far, with every single pipe, cap, clip, trim piece etc included it stands me at £2200. Had I been physically able to do all the work myself this would be a chunk less - about £300. I don't feel too bad about that.
I think that's about it for now. I'll pop up more as life goes on.
Edited by Six Fiend on Saturday 14th November 19:19
A friend of mine has one of these in silver (complete with V8 and slushbox), we took a trip down to Bath in it for university - a good six hour journey, and my god was it pleasant to be in. So comfy and quiet, lovely car. Plus, when you put your foot down, it really goes!
Needless to say, the next time I had to drive down that way in my 52 plate skoda fabia with a tiny petrol engine, it wasn't anywhere near as pleasant. Cracking purchase, would love one of these myself. Currently looking at a V6 MG ZT instead - love the idea of a bargain barge with a big lump under the bonnet.
Needless to say, the next time I had to drive down that way in my 52 plate skoda fabia with a tiny petrol engine, it wasn't anywhere near as pleasant. Cracking purchase, would love one of these myself. Currently looking at a V6 MG ZT instead - love the idea of a bargain barge with a big lump under the bonnet.
I think with one more not too bothered owner it could easily have become poorly!
I never understand why people leave so many simple jobs which could make a car great again. Mostly it's just the filth needs removing and a little bit of DIY intelligence.
Just been out for some V8 sound track. Needed a fix!
I never understand why people leave so many simple jobs which could make a car great again. Mostly it's just the filth needs removing and a little bit of DIY intelligence.
Just been out for some V8 sound track. Needed a fix!
Wheel arch cut out, lots of metal replaced, welded, finished and sprayed. Got it back a couple of hours ago...
And some now it's had a clean...
Feels better to drive now
Next job is to refit the kick strips etc to the n/s/r door sill. All of a five minute job!
And some now it's had a clean...
Feels better to drive now
Next job is to refit the kick strips etc to the n/s/r door sill. All of a five minute job!
Edited by Six Fiend on Friday 20th November 04:02
Thanks Max, I take your points, but I like the original ambers on this one. For me it's about keeping it low key and original.
As for the badge, yes I know it's the wrong one, as in not an E39 badge (yes you spotted it's off an E60), very few will notice and it's just a bit of a giggle I don't take life or myself too seriously. If this was an immaculate example I really would do it properly, it's not quite so pretty close up
As for the badge, yes I know it's the wrong one, as in not an E39 badge (yes you spotted it's off an E60), very few will notice and it's just a bit of a giggle
I don't take life or myself too seriously. If this was an immaculate example I really would do it properly, it's not quite so pretty close up Edited by Six Fiend on Thursday 19th November 17:02
bmthnick1981 said:
Excellent sheding but i agree get the correct e39 520i badge on it. Nice subtle car.
£30ish for a new one from BMW, doesn't sit well with my wallet as an essential item. Maybe when the brake fluid and gearbox service have been done I'll keep an eye on eBay etc just in case...
S. Gonzales Esq. said:
Time for a Bristol E39 gathering? I might be able to persuade you that 'simplifying' the exhaust system is a good idea.
Hehe, do you remember my silver E34 540i with the Brian Blessed exhaust? I just popped to Tesco at Eastville and took 49.8 miles to get back to Fishponds. I like empty roads
Would like to hear yours from inside as I'm tempted to go a touch louder if funds allow next year...
Edited by Six Fiend on Friday 20th November 01:59
I like that, really classic colour combination.
For the rubbing strips try a bit of this:
It will look streaky after the first application but with a couple of coats it gives the plastic trims back that nice deep, satin finish and lasts ages. It's much cheaper and longer lasting than the dedicated plastic treatments from the car cleaning brands.
For the rubbing strips try a bit of this:
It will look streaky after the first application but with a couple of coats it gives the plastic trims back that nice deep, satin finish and lasts ages. It's much cheaper and longer lasting than the dedicated plastic treatments from the car cleaning brands.
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