VIDEO: BMW E39 M5 Drive By
Discussion
Motorrad said:
It's not a problem restricted to the M5. E39s are rust boxes, maybe not nearly as much as a Mercedes of the era but it's common to find wheel arch rust, boot rust and more seriously rot around the rear arches/sills/jack points.
Oh right... I've had a good poke around both of mine and they're both completely rot-free, so I'm not too worried...TheAngryDog, I do notice that the fuel filler area tends to retain water after I've washed them (and very occasionally when it rains, if the wind is in the right direction at the right speed to get the rain in at the required angle) - why they couldn't have just shaped it so water ran out, or put in a drain otherwise, I don't know... I always take care to dry out that area with an absorbent cloth if there's any moisture evident (especially after a wash), and (touch wood) I've no problems.
RoverP6B said:
TheAngryDog, I do notice that the fuel filler area tends to retain water after I've washed them (and very occasionally when it rains, if the wind is in the right direction at the right speed to get the rain in at the required angle) - why they couldn't have just shaped it so water ran out, or put in a drain otherwise, I don't know... I always take care to dry out that area with an absorbent cloth if there's any moisture evident (especially after a wash), and (touch wood) I've no problems.
It is a massive water trap. Spilt petrol also causes rust in there. I used to leave some Polish in there with it not wiped off as it was recommended for it to be done. Don't know if it made a difference though!
RoverP6B said:
It really makes you wonder, doesn't it? The E39 is widely regarded as one of the finest, best-engineered cars ever made, yet they go and spoil it with stupid little things like that - a most un-German lack of thoroughness...
The E39 is a cracking car but flawed. Id have another!Patrick Bateman said:
Ignoring rust, what M cars from the e60 onwards won't have a lot of the same things (and more) requiring replacement at 15 years old and high miles?
Many cars at 15 years of age and high mileage regardless of what it is will need replacing. But likely to be a lot cheaper!Motorrad said:
RoverP6B said:
Rust, really? I've never seen a rusty E39 and mine are both completely rust-free
It's not a problem restricted to the M5. E39s are rust boxes, maybe not nearly as much as a Mercedes of the era but it's common to find wheel arch rust, boot rust and more seriously rot around the rear arches/sills/jack points.
My E39 M5 goes in for £2k worth of rust repairs next week. Rear jacking points, sills, panel beneath boot lid, fuel filler area, wheel arch, boot lid. It's a 2002 car and looks immaculate but will be nigh on worthless unless I get the work done...Will need some welding and fabrication work hence the slightly wallet busting cost. I still love the car though.
Chuffmeister said:
Wheel arches and lip on boot are common places for rust on an E39. Still a nicely balanced car though.
And tailgates on Tourings, and bonnet leading edges where stone chips have taken hold. Yes, they're lovely (which is why I'm on my third) but all 20+ year old mild steel cars will rust, and some colours of BMW seem worse than others. Galvanising is terrific but it does not make rust impossible: eventually its protection is lost. But it does mean that most galvanised cars from about the 1990 to 2003 era get scabby about a decade later (in age terms) than most 1970s and 1980s cars did.
tjk123 said:
My E39 M5 goes in for £2k worth of rust repairs next week. Rear jacking points, sills, panel beneath boot lid, fuel filler area, wheel arch, boot lid. It's a 2002 car and looks immaculate but will be nigh on worthless unless I get the work done...Will need some welding and fabrication work hence the slightly wallet busting cost. I still love the car though.
Credit to you for getting it seen to properly rather than what most people do which is shunting it on and letting it die slowly in a less caring owner's hands. Who's doing the work? Lowtimer said:
Credit to you for getting it seen to properly rather than what most people do which is shunting it on and letting it die slowly in a less caring owner's hands. Who's doing the work?
It's going to a guy in Oxford who has repaired a few of these and has one himself too, so seems to know all about the weak spots and how to sort them. I've spent so much on the car that it's a no brainer, it's a keeper so the work has to be done. Chuffmeister said:
Every time you view one, you have to watch an advert longer than the video itself. Come of PH, sort it out. There's more advertising than web site.
You mean there are people on the internet who don't have adblock?!As for E39 rust, maybe I've been lucky with mine, but the only rust on my E39s is the front corner of the O/S front wing on the 520i Touring where it's had some paint bashed off it (there's a wee bit of surface corrosion on the now-bare metal). Otherwise, there's nothing on that car, and the 535i saloon is as clean as a whistle, not a spot of rust on it anywhere.
The only rot on my 2000 535i is a few bubbles on the bottom of the front o/s sill which will be sorted in the next few weeks and I've repaired a scab on the panel between the rear bumper and bootlid where they go, that's it. And I had a good look underneath it a few weeks ago when I was fitting a new pair of lamda sensors. Oh, and it's covered 185k! In fact, I seem to see a lot pre-2000 e39's in really good condition around this neck of the woods, They may rust but they definitely don't rust like other cars of the same age.
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