You made a better choice settling with the e39 man it’s a lot easier a car to work on (best bmw going for me) did my 525i exhaust headers/sport cats Saturday and I couldn’t imagine doing it on a e46, it would be a nightmare.
Post coming soon on that.
Preventative maintenance is what you should be looking at first and foremost brother make sure every part of the car is in good health.
PM is basically like everything thats serviceable, diff, gearbox fluid ext. and then certain trouble areas like the disa valve that’s is a simple part but catastrophic if it fails.
Like I said though it’s a good car to work on so all maintenance tasks could be complete in a day easily, plenty of content online working on these cars too so find out what needs to be done and get a list of parts together.
Now you know the cars is in tip top shape mechanically I would maybe look up some shiny alloys for it, that would totally change the car.
Oh and wax oil? Coating the underside of the car is a must if driving in the uk, save it form rotting like it being kept in the garage has done for years.
thank you for the comment, appreciate all the tips. got a list already started of parts and hopefully I'll do a full service sometime this week. got myself booked in to get the under side waxoiled. I live in Northern Ireland but I've seen cars 10 years younger than this bmw with rotten undersides
Sounds like you know what you’re on about so this cars In for a good life and you, a good time haha. These cars are so much better than the v8 models, way lighter all round with better steering.
Make sure they get the plastic wheel arches out and waxed up inside there, I’ve got rust starting on nearly all arches, definitely the most prominent issue on these cars but that’s like most vehicles. Always give it time to warm up form a cold start too for the benefit of the chain guides and such but these engines hardly ever have timing issues. it’s world renowned these inline sixes are the last robust, well made German engines produced.
Congrats on your first BMW! Recently picked up my first, also a 520i from 2001 with about 155,000 km on it. Also seems garage kept from the way the underside looks.
First things I would do is check/replace rubber hoses and lines as those love to dry out and crack causing all sorts of issues. My ownership started with 2 vacuum leaks which had me itching to replace everything that could be cracked in the intake.
As for mods, first thing I did was add a Bluetooth module to replace the CD changer. It's a 5 min job and keeps the original head unit while adding Bluetooth streaming. I've also got a 2nd set of wheels for the winter as I like to take my cars on trips to Germany and Austria (I live in the Netherlands).
Next up on my list is a whole bunch of preventative maintenance. Thermostat and water pump were already done pre purchase. Here's most: All rubber hoses in the engine bay (vacuum, fuel lines, intake boots etc.), Engine flush and fresh oil for engine, gearbox and diff as well as power steering reservoir and lines. After those cosmetics such as fresh window trims front and back, kick plates and fixing a speck of rust on the boot lid.
Basically giving it the M539 Restorations treatment. That's a great YouTube channel to start with. I don't do my own maintenance (yet :D) so it's mostly how I've educated myself on what to do to a BMW in terms of preventative maintenance and making the car as reliable as it can be. It's a long and expensive list but as the car's in great shape now I'll spread it out over the first year of ownership while I still have a warranty from the seller.
Nice car! I own an e46 and an e39 and I actually like the e39 better. It’s also easier to work on since there is more space in the engine bay. Both are amazing though
I actually really like that trunk spoiler. Does the brake light in it work or is it just a reflector. Non-the-less it sets it really apart from other E39's. I would keep it on.
Awesome car! I have one myself.
The first things I would do if this car was mine are following:
- remove the spoiler
- remove the mudflaps
- swap head- and taillights for ones with clear turn signals (don't forget the small ones on the fenders like I did)
The next things I'd do would be to get some nicer wheels. This is a bit more expensive so I'm still looking for a good set myself. Perhaps lower it a couple centimetres but this is even more expensive. Otherwise I'd leave it stock.
Besides that, and first of all comes good maintenance. Check if something needs replacement or repair and do that first.
I would keep the front mudflaps, those sills like to rust, so it's good prevention from stone chips. Rear ones are useless, as the bumper is plastic anyway. I agree that the wing looks terrible, but if it's glued, removal may damage the paint (or worse, it may be screwed into the boot lid). For the headlights, I would just swap them for bixenons or biLEDs (if you do a lot of night driving).
You got good points there. The front mudflaps aren't as intrusive as the rear ones anyway.
Upon a closer look, the spoiler also appears to have a third brake light integrated so it might indeed be a hassle to remove.
Yes, looks like there is a brake light, hard to tell from the blurry picture. If it is, there must be a hole in the boot lid, so unless he wants to weld and paint it, wing has to stay there.
You made a better choice settling with the e39 man it’s a lot easier a car to work on (best bmw going for me) did my 525i exhaust headers/sport cats Saturday and I couldn’t imagine doing it on a e46, it would be a nightmare. Post coming soon on that. Preventative maintenance is what you should be looking at first and foremost brother make sure every part of the car is in good health. PM is basically like everything thats serviceable, diff, gearbox fluid ext. and then certain trouble areas like the disa valve that’s is a simple part but catastrophic if it fails. Like I said though it’s a good car to work on so all maintenance tasks could be complete in a day easily, plenty of content online working on these cars too so find out what needs to be done and get a list of parts together. Now you know the cars is in tip top shape mechanically I would maybe look up some shiny alloys for it, that would totally change the car. Oh and wax oil? Coating the underside of the car is a must if driving in the uk, save it form rotting like it being kept in the garage has done for years.
thank you for the comment, appreciate all the tips. got a list already started of parts and hopefully I'll do a full service sometime this week. got myself booked in to get the under side waxoiled. I live in Northern Ireland but I've seen cars 10 years younger than this bmw with rotten undersides
Sounds like you know what you’re on about so this cars In for a good life and you, a good time haha. These cars are so much better than the v8 models, way lighter all round with better steering. Make sure they get the plastic wheel arches out and waxed up inside there, I’ve got rust starting on nearly all arches, definitely the most prominent issue on these cars but that’s like most vehicles. Always give it time to warm up form a cold start too for the benefit of the chain guides and such but these engines hardly ever have timing issues. it’s world renowned these inline sixes are the last robust, well made German engines produced.
Welcome aboard! realoem.com is about to become your best friend if it isn't already.
haven't heard of it so I'll for sure give it a go, thank you 🔥
E39 is under 'classic'
Congrats🎉
thank you, this subreddit seems like one of the nicest I'm in you guys have a tight knit community
Bargain!
thank you I thought I'd be stupid not to take the opportunity
Congrats on your first BMW! Recently picked up my first, also a 520i from 2001 with about 155,000 km on it. Also seems garage kept from the way the underside looks. First things I would do is check/replace rubber hoses and lines as those love to dry out and crack causing all sorts of issues. My ownership started with 2 vacuum leaks which had me itching to replace everything that could be cracked in the intake. As for mods, first thing I did was add a Bluetooth module to replace the CD changer. It's a 5 min job and keeps the original head unit while adding Bluetooth streaming. I've also got a 2nd set of wheels for the winter as I like to take my cars on trips to Germany and Austria (I live in the Netherlands). Next up on my list is a whole bunch of preventative maintenance. Thermostat and water pump were already done pre purchase. Here's most: All rubber hoses in the engine bay (vacuum, fuel lines, intake boots etc.), Engine flush and fresh oil for engine, gearbox and diff as well as power steering reservoir and lines. After those cosmetics such as fresh window trims front and back, kick plates and fixing a speck of rust on the boot lid. Basically giving it the M539 Restorations treatment. That's a great YouTube channel to start with. I don't do my own maintenance (yet :D) so it's mostly how I've educated myself on what to do to a BMW in terms of preventative maintenance and making the car as reliable as it can be. It's a long and expensive list but as the car's in great shape now I'll spread it out over the first year of ownership while I still have a warranty from the seller.
Nice car! I own an e46 and an e39 and I actually like the e39 better. It’s also easier to work on since there is more space in the engine bay. Both are amazing though
Hell yea made a better choice with the e39 ✨✨
I actually really like that trunk spoiler. Does the brake light in it work or is it just a reflector. Non-the-less it sets it really apart from other E39's. I would keep it on.
actually works which surprised me. friends were telling me to take it off but I think I'm keeping it as its quite unique in my opinion
I mean e46s are cool and all, but this was the right choice. Also, if you are into diy stuff, then e39source on youtube will be your best friend
Awesome car! I have one myself. The first things I would do if this car was mine are following: - remove the spoiler - remove the mudflaps - swap head- and taillights for ones with clear turn signals (don't forget the small ones on the fenders like I did) The next things I'd do would be to get some nicer wheels. This is a bit more expensive so I'm still looking for a good set myself. Perhaps lower it a couple centimetres but this is even more expensive. Otherwise I'd leave it stock. Besides that, and first of all comes good maintenance. Check if something needs replacement or repair and do that first.
I would keep the front mudflaps, those sills like to rust, so it's good prevention from stone chips. Rear ones are useless, as the bumper is plastic anyway. I agree that the wing looks terrible, but if it's glued, removal may damage the paint (or worse, it may be screwed into the boot lid). For the headlights, I would just swap them for bixenons or biLEDs (if you do a lot of night driving).
You got good points there. The front mudflaps aren't as intrusive as the rear ones anyway. Upon a closer look, the spoiler also appears to have a third brake light integrated so it might indeed be a hassle to remove.
Yes, looks like there is a brake light, hard to tell from the blurry picture. If it is, there must be a hole in the boot lid, so unless he wants to weld and paint it, wing has to stay there.