RE: PH Heroes: BMW E39 M5
Discussion
I forgot to add my own wee negative, re the battery.
Since I've had it, the damn thing simply will not stand for more than a few days without needing a jump (ahem.)
Used daily or every other day, it's fine but anything over three days and you're knackered. I've had battery after battery and had it checked over but nothing untoward.
My remaining theorem is that the tracker is a sapper (as it turned out to be on another Beemer I've had.)
Crap, really.
Since I've had it, the damn thing simply will not stand for more than a few days without needing a jump (ahem.)
Used daily or every other day, it's fine but anything over three days and you're knackered. I've had battery after battery and had it checked over but nothing untoward.
My remaining theorem is that the tracker is a sapper (as it turned out to be on another Beemer I've had.)
Crap, really.
Can I just add (on a +ve note, this time) that coming in today, I took advantage of the relatively light pre rush hour masses and gently thrummed the foot controlled organ stopper: the poise in this car never ceases to beguile, it absolutely is that perfect blend of comfort and poise combining speed with solidity.
Yes, if you get the bugger going, it's automotive nectar.
Yes, if you get the bugger going, it's automotive nectar.
derestrictor said:
I forgot to add my own wee negative, re the battery.
Since I've had it, the damn thing simply will not stand for more than a few days without needing a jump (ahem.)
Used daily or every other day, it's fine but anything over three days and you're knackered. I've had battery after battery and had it checked over but nothing untoward.
My remaining theorem is that the tracker is a sapper (as it turned out to be on another Beemer I've had.)
Crap, really.
DeR - I'm sure you've heard of them and I'm not trying to teach Grandad to suck eggs but how about a trickle charger from accumate. The smart solution provided that you keep the car in a garage or have outdoor electrics ?Since I've had it, the damn thing simply will not stand for more than a few days without needing a jump (ahem.)
Used daily or every other day, it's fine but anything over three days and you're knackered. I've had battery after battery and had it checked over but nothing untoward.
My remaining theorem is that the tracker is a sapper (as it turned out to be on another Beemer I've had.)
Crap, really.
Edited by lazy on Thursday 3rd January 13:32
Re the warranty cost, I don't know what might've happened to the price for cars with less than 60k on the clock, but I just renewed this morning and the price for mine has gone down from £1868 to £1554. Still not exactly cheap but three hundred quid off the price is better than a kick in the nuts. The same exclusions apply apparently (meaning many suspension components aren't covered).
Edited by roadcraft on Friday 4th January 10:50
I owned an E39 M5 (2000) Silverstone blue.
Superb car all round. Only minor niggle was getting the seating position just right with so many adjustments available. After my M5 I bought an E46 M3. The M5 was the better car to drive, the M3 turned more heads. On the whole would take the M5 anyday. Hated the Ride of my M3 with 19 inch wheels, very choppy and the M5 just seemed to have loads more grunt. I bought an Evo FQ-360 MR recently for a change, I like the car, the ride is good but miss the BMW build quality and creature comforts. Will probably by another M5 next. (Best thing about the M3 IMO was the handling, especially the way the back end communicated in corners)
Superb car all round. Only minor niggle was getting the seating position just right with so many adjustments available. After my M5 I bought an E46 M3. The M5 was the better car to drive, the M3 turned more heads. On the whole would take the M5 anyday. Hated the Ride of my M3 with 19 inch wheels, very choppy and the M5 just seemed to have loads more grunt. I bought an Evo FQ-360 MR recently for a change, I like the car, the ride is good but miss the BMW build quality and creature comforts. Will probably by another M5 next. (Best thing about the M3 IMO was the handling, especially the way the back end communicated in corners)
I had a 2001 M5 which I did 40K miles in. Swapped it for an Alpina B10 3.3 , did another 40K miles in that and swapped it for a B10 V8s. 70K miles later, my thoughts on the 3, for what it is worth...
1) M5 is a lot faster. Although the BHP difference between the B10V8s and the M5 is only 20 or 30 BHP ( Alpina are normally conservative on their numbers ), the auto box blunts the performance. The engine growl is fantastic and the car feels really special ( especially in Sport mode ). However, it is a highly strung engine - like just about everyone I had trouble with the Vanos ( £5K of warranty work ). I would be pretty worried to run one of these without a warranty now, and, on high mileage cars ( 60K + ) it is getting on for £2K a year and that is simply too much
2) Unlike most of the world, I didn't really get on with my B10 3.3. Mine was a MY 2000 and it didn't feel very quick at all. Only had a 5 speed gearbox which meant it didn't cruise that well on the motorway ( 4000 rpm at about 90 mph ). Also, the older models had a very large diameter steering wheel which made the whole thing feel a bit bus like. Also had comparitively bad oil consumption ( Litre every 800 miles, though, having read this thread, that is not as bad as some )
3) Been running the B10 V8S now for nearly 3 years. It makes an interesting comparison with the M5. To cut to the chase, when driving 9/10th's or 10/10th's, the M5 is a far better car. It feels a lot sharper and is significantly quicker. The rest of the time, the Alpina murders it. Maybe it is due to the onset of middle age, but the M5 is not that comfortable a car to do long journeys in. The seats and suspension are quite hard, the clutch is heavy and the gearbox agricultural - it is no fun whatsoever in a traffic jam in London. The Alpina corrects all these problems and also has a certain Q car uniqueness which even the M5 can't match
BUT ( and here is the big BUT ) I am now starting to question the point of all of them. The thing is, living in SE England, there simply isn't the opportunity to exploit any of these cars performance to anything like their potential these days and you end up driving around with a heavy guzzling V8 at 20 mph all the time and wandering what is the point. In many ways, I suspect that you would actually have more fun and get more satisfaction just driving an E39 530i and really pushing it. The M cars ( and to a lesser extent the Alpinas ) are these days a bit like the proverbial hammer to crack a nut....
1) M5 is a lot faster. Although the BHP difference between the B10V8s and the M5 is only 20 or 30 BHP ( Alpina are normally conservative on their numbers ), the auto box blunts the performance. The engine growl is fantastic and the car feels really special ( especially in Sport mode ). However, it is a highly strung engine - like just about everyone I had trouble with the Vanos ( £5K of warranty work ). I would be pretty worried to run one of these without a warranty now, and, on high mileage cars ( 60K + ) it is getting on for £2K a year and that is simply too much
2) Unlike most of the world, I didn't really get on with my B10 3.3. Mine was a MY 2000 and it didn't feel very quick at all. Only had a 5 speed gearbox which meant it didn't cruise that well on the motorway ( 4000 rpm at about 90 mph ). Also, the older models had a very large diameter steering wheel which made the whole thing feel a bit bus like. Also had comparitively bad oil consumption ( Litre every 800 miles, though, having read this thread, that is not as bad as some )
3) Been running the B10 V8S now for nearly 3 years. It makes an interesting comparison with the M5. To cut to the chase, when driving 9/10th's or 10/10th's, the M5 is a far better car. It feels a lot sharper and is significantly quicker. The rest of the time, the Alpina murders it. Maybe it is due to the onset of middle age, but the M5 is not that comfortable a car to do long journeys in. The seats and suspension are quite hard, the clutch is heavy and the gearbox agricultural - it is no fun whatsoever in a traffic jam in London. The Alpina corrects all these problems and also has a certain Q car uniqueness which even the M5 can't match
BUT ( and here is the big BUT ) I am now starting to question the point of all of them. The thing is, living in SE England, there simply isn't the opportunity to exploit any of these cars performance to anything like their potential these days and you end up driving around with a heavy guzzling V8 at 20 mph all the time and wandering what is the point. In many ways, I suspect that you would actually have more fun and get more satisfaction just driving an E39 530i and really pushing it. The M cars ( and to a lesser extent the Alpinas ) are these days a bit like the proverbial hammer to crack a nut....
B10 V8S has puntus inevitablum writ large all over it: is there a more elegant, executive thug profile in Christendom today? As for those champagney interiors...
{Have to take issue with the old M5's touring credentials: I much preferred 3 micro jaunts about France in that than a later B5 Alpina
}derestrictor said:
I forgot to add my own wee negative, re the battery.
Since I've had it, the damn thing simply will not stand for more than a few days without needing a jump (ahem.)
Used daily or every other day, it's fine but anything over three days and you're knackered. I've had battery after battery and had it checked over but nothing untoward.
My remaining theorem is that the tracker is a sapper (as it turned out to be on another Beemer I've had.)
Crap, really.
i once had a car that had a faulty alternator that worked perfectly when driving but once you left it parked it reversed its' roll and then stole all of the battery's charge. Was the devil to find and i changed or chased a lot of things before i found it out. Might be worth a look?Since I've had it, the damn thing simply will not stand for more than a few days without needing a jump (ahem.)
Used daily or every other day, it's fine but anything over three days and you're knackered. I've had battery after battery and had it checked over but nothing untoward.
My remaining theorem is that the tracker is a sapper (as it turned out to be on another Beemer I've had.)
Crap, really.
Andy
Derestrictor wrote:
I forgot to add my own wee negative, re the battery.
Since I've had it, the damn thing simply will not stand for more than a few days without needing a jump (ahem.)
Used daily or every other day, it's fine but anything over three days and you're knackered. I've had battery after battery and had it checked over but nothing untoward.
My remaining theorem is that the tracker is a sapper (as it turned out to be on another Beemer I've had.)
Crap, really.
I've got the same problem, and (obviously) trickle charge it about once a week. I had a mechanic look at it, and the drain isn't too high when nothing is switched on, but is higher than it should be. Glad to hear I'm not alone. Of course, I should drive it every day and solve the problem...
I'm going to stop reading this thread now - too many horror stories for the owner of a 101,000miler, non-warrantied, previously-new-VANOS'd M5 (It's the one in the PH hero's article ('cos I wrote it)), especially one on which I had to dish out £4700 in the last 4 months of last year on mechanical repairs and still needs 4 new tyres...
I forgot to add my own wee negative, re the battery.
Since I've had it, the damn thing simply will not stand for more than a few days without needing a jump (ahem.)
Used daily or every other day, it's fine but anything over three days and you're knackered. I've had battery after battery and had it checked over but nothing untoward.
My remaining theorem is that the tracker is a sapper (as it turned out to be on another Beemer I've had.)
Crap, really.
I've got the same problem, and (obviously) trickle charge it about once a week. I had a mechanic look at it, and the drain isn't too high when nothing is switched on, but is higher than it should be. Glad to hear I'm not alone. Of course, I should drive it every day and solve the problem...
I'm going to stop reading this thread now - too many horror stories for the owner of a 101,000miler, non-warrantied, previously-new-VANOS'd M5 (It's the one in the PH hero's article ('cos I wrote it)), especially one on which I had to dish out £4700 in the last 4 months of last year on mechanical repairs and still needs 4 new tyres...
Edited by mattpallot on Tuesday 8th January 14:44
I changed the battery a couple of years back and its never lost charge since,they seem to last 3 to 4 years max,the genuine ones are reasonably priced.
Back to the topic,and 9 stars would be my vote-nothings perfect but this thing comes close.
The synergy of all the controls;torque, throttle ,ride ,looks ect is what makes you want to
keep driving it forever...
The engine is very impressive and the sound at w.o.t through tunnels with an X pipe and cat back system is exotic and mesmorising,then heft it in to a right hander and the thing feels like its on tip toes and go over a crest or in to a compression and the damping as stated earlier is superbly controlled it actually leaves you amazed and left to wonder just how clever the M engineers actually are.
The E60 was very marketing led in its development,in comparison to the purity of this beast.
Back to the topic,and 9 stars would be my vote-nothings perfect but this thing comes close.
The synergy of all the controls;torque, throttle ,ride ,looks ect is what makes you want to
keep driving it forever...
The engine is very impressive and the sound at w.o.t through tunnels with an X pipe and cat back system is exotic and mesmorising,then heft it in to a right hander and the thing feels like its on tip toes and go over a crest or in to a compression and the damping as stated earlier is superbly controlled it actually leaves you amazed and left to wonder just how clever the M engineers actually are.
The E60 was very marketing led in its development,in comparison to the purity of this beast.
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