Detailing World Forum banner

BMW E39 530i Sport

221K views 640 replies 77 participants last post by  Andyblue 
#1 ·
Hi All,

Well...finally managed to sort myself out a car that I've been longing to own for some time. I owned a 1996 520i SE quite a few years ago which I actually really liked but it had no toys, no power and was pre-facelift. So always said I'd get a facelift with some power and better trim.

This is a treat to myself as I'll be turning 30 this year, it's a proper project and will be a labour of love. Not like my bangernomics thread!

This is a 2002 530i Sport Auto, 138k Full Service History.

Auto Lights and Wipers
Auto Dip Mirror
Xenons
Sat Nav (with Aftermarket GROM Bluetooth adapter that works through the nav unit)
Electric, Heated, Memory Sports Seats.
Electric Adjustable Steering Wheel
Sunroof
Front and Rear Parking Sensors
18" M Parallel Alloys

Being the sport it comes with dark headliner, sport front and rear bumpers, sport steering wheel and sport suspension.

This has a rear muffler delete which is very loud and... awful. First thing on the list is to get a genuine BMW rear silencer for it.

I checked the car over as best I could, got to have a decent test drive in it, no smoke, no rattles, no overheating! No rust bubbles or anything. No dings or dents. Paintwork needs a polish and obviously has some stone chips and scratches but we shall sort them :buffer:

As far as I can see...an honest car.

240 Miles home and it didn't miss a beat, didn't make any funny noises, didn't overheat and surprisingly got 30mpg out of it.

I did notice it needed new rear tyres. They are at the tread level indicator and probably a little past it tbh so I did negotiate money off the price and we came to a deal we were both happy with.

The Risk...MOT is out on 7th of March. Oh so very close, more on that below, let's have a looky...

Pictures















The BMW and my friends Kia we went up in.



Yes, I know. The Alloys.

I thought I was a fan of them, I saw the same colour combo on a black Z3 and thought it looked nice. I think they work well on a black car with the black middle and polished rims but I want this to be an OEM+ type project so they will be restored to OEM. They look a bit drug dealer on the 5.

Also maybe I'll get some spacers as they look a bit tucked in on that photo.

The biggest issue for me and is the first non MOT related item I'll sort, is that rear muffler delete. The back box has been cut out, a pipe welded in with tips welded on the end. A tidy job welding wise actually but...it drones, drones, drones. I want to hear the straight 6 not that racket and whilst cruising on the motorway I don't want to hear anything, not a constant drone!

Left yesterday morning at 9am, got back at 11pm, with stops and playing with the car at service stations etc.

So...as of today...

I have ordered 2 new tyres to be fitted tomorrow afternoon, 265/35 R18s are not cheap ha and MOT is booked for Saturday morning.

I have joined and spoke to the Local E39 club and sourced the MOT at near trade price via club discount and hopefully thanks to the club will have exhaust sorted quickly too.

Thanks for reading :thumb:
 
See less See more
8
#10 ·
Sweet car!
Inside and out. :thumb:
I had the same engine in an e46. They are bullet proof if looked after.
I highly recommend a panel filter and a few cheeky holes in the wing side of the air box- not too many- just gives a lovely subtle induction roar that’s only in attack mode and doesn’t drone (OEM+ right!??)
Good luck with the mot, with how it sounds like it drives hopefully you will be fine
Happy motoring
 
#12 ·
The e39 is widely recognised as one of BMW's finest ever models - and the straight-6 petrol is a beaut. :driver: Just check it's had the water pump done [typically last c. 100K], also the bottom of the radiator can bow and eventually split, dumping the coolant.

Water pump is cheap, so do the thermostat too while in there,and read about the correct system bleeding procedure which can be tricky to get right [i.e. getting ALL the air out].

All the best with her, looks like you've landed a v nice example....wheels excepted. ;)
 
#15 · (Edited)
Thank you all for your kind comments. I really am excited about this car and the way it should progress.



Yes this should have a single exit exhaust pipe. The truth is these are a single piece right the way from the back box to where it joins the cat. There is no separate middle section. However...seems it's common for people to cut the back boxes off and replace them with pipe or a stainless silencer.

So there are OEM Genuine BMW 530i Sport silencers available that I will fit by using a joining clamp for the time being, until I get my other cars sorted and sold as I cannot live with the drone and need a quick fix, but after I will then have it welded on.

The e39 is widely recognised as one of BMW's finest ever models - and the straight-6 petrol is a beaut. :driver: Just check it's had the water pump done [typically last c. 100K], also the bottom of the radiator can bow and eventually split, dumping the coolant.

Water pump is cheap, so do the thermostat too while in there,and read about the correct system bleeding procedure which can be tricky to get right [i.e. getting ALL the air out].

All the best with her, looks like you've landed a v nice example....wheels excepted. ;)
Thank you, the radiator has been recently replaced within the past 4 months. The thermostat housing looks newer than the rest of the plastics and pipes and I'll have a look through the receipts if any evidence of water pump. If not or not recent enough, I will be doing it.

This was owned by an E39 Enthusiast, so I am hoping...that they always kept an eye on all that stuff.

But you are correct, these do suffer from their cooling systems and I do plan to do a full overhaul, thankfully at the moment I can see fresh new coolant in the expansion tank and it's not used any in the 300ish miles I've done so far. It gets to temp pretty quickly and stays bang on, as you said, thermostats are known for keeping these running too cool.

Todays plans are getting tyres fitted. I haven't gone for a premium brand yet as I want to see what the MOT outcome is going to be and......I've decided I am definitely going to get the wheels put back to silver middle and polished rims, so when that happens, I'll buy a full set of premium tyres that they can fit once the refurbs have been done.

This will be within the next couple of months as I'm already getting drug dealer comments from those who have seen the car and I know it's stupid to double dip on the tyres but I'd feel more comfortable with a matching premium brand all round and with my time constraints, MOT saturday and this afternoon the only afternoon I can get tyres, left me with little option :(
 
#20 ·
Always neat when you could work towards a goal and then finally get it :) Good luck with the MOT and generally the car .. so far so good it seems. Reminds me of the 330ci I once had, which I think as an E46 was from 2000 back then ... maybe the same engine, which was smooth as smooth goes.
 
#29 · (Edited)
ECP have got up to 70% off all items, last day today. As I'm ordering a few bits for the bangernomics cars to get them ready for sale I may as well do a service on the 5.

I'm now wondering what oil to order. I know the previous owner had a service done when he got it in October but....he has done a lot of miles and wherever he got the service they gave him some oil 'out the drum' in a bottle to top up when needed.

So just to be sure, I want to put some good stuff in it, with fresh filters.

I'm going to put in Castrol Magnetec 5w-40 so that it lubricates better when up to temp. It exceeds the spec for when the car was new and fits all the recommended specs... ACEA A3/B3/C3 and LL04

I've never ever been fussy over oils before, so might as well start now :)
 
#31 ·
ECP have got up to 70% off all items, last day today. As I'm ordering a few bits for the bangernomics cars to get them ready for sale I may as well do a service on the 5.

I'm now wondering what oil to order. I know the previous owner had a service done when he got it in October but....he has done a lot of miles and wherever he got the service they gave him some oil 'out the drum' in a bottle to top up when needed.

Now I know it could be good stuff etc but I do believe I've saved this car from an owner not fully geared up to do it justice, the previous owner to him however, was a true E39 enthusiast.

So just to be sure, I want to put some good stuff in it, with fresh filters.

I'm going to put in Castrol Magnetec 5w-40 so that it lubricates better when up to temp. It exceeds the spec for when the car was new and fits all the recommended specs... ACEA A3/B3/C3 and LL04

I've never ever been fussy over oils before, so might as well start now :)
Before you hit the buy button, take the part numbers and try them in carparts4less website - you might find them cheaper there, and can use SALE16 code until midnight tonight I think
 
#34 ·
You are right but I'm not sure where you read I was going to put cheap low rent rubbish on this car?

Nothing Except OEM or better for this.

Castrol Oil and Branded filters are the same product wherever you buy from, just not the price! Be silly not to shop around.
 
#40 ·
Midrange tyes have got to be better than linglong or gowind, i'm sure that you don't need telling how ££ a project eat, but the only way to get the car to a level that you want is to spend a few quid, if your handy with the spanners it keeps the cost down and gives you a sense of achievement that money can't buy, only a true petrol head will understand that.
 
#41 ·
This is it. I've had comments from plenty of people already asking me why I want such an 'old' car and why I've bothered getting a car with over 100k miles on it and won't that cost a lot in fuel etc. :wall:

Seems to me that for some reason, cars always get a bad rap in these types of scenario.

Thankfully all you guys and girls on here understand why!

Yep I am handy with the spanners and have a very close friend who would do anything a bit serious, timing chain, bottom shells etc etc all that sort of stuff.

I'm quite lucky because if I didn't do those things...the cost of getting it to where I want or in case anything big goes wrong on it...would cost a fortune. Like you say. Being able to do a project and most things yourself really is a sense of achievement.
 
Top