My E39 540i Touring

[Max M4X WW]

RS Grant said:

Pappagallo said:

Sadly it'll never sound like one of those but you'll get a nice tune or two out of it! I was lucky and found a lightly used Eisenmann 550i rear section for a bargain price. It gives just enough noise without being lairy or annoying.

Max M4X WW said:

This was mine with both rear cannons removed and the Y still there, see my channel for a video with just one rear cannon removed..

http://youtu.be/_a33CLgP7GY?list=UUPc4PvwyEyhSsUlW...

Yeah I'm wanting something subtle when cruising, but don't mind it bringing a bit of noise to the party on the occasion it's given some decent throttle... your car sounds good Max. I was looking to remove both rear boxes and replace with a straight bit of pipe. Two pictures below show the standard system and the sort of replacement I'm after.





Cheers,
Grant

It will drone slightly, I suggest you have your backbox cut off and see what you think of it before spending cash on a replacement.

Stoatman said:

Not to derail this thread , but am still going to see the linked 540. I know the wheels should be killed with fire but I'm trying to look past them.

Are there any obvious things to look for which would make you walk away ? I have never owned an automatic, should the gear changes be seamless ? . I have read also about weak cooling systems , but does this manifest itself in daily driving or just let's go one day ?

Main things to look at are the cooling system and gearbox like you say. Then see how it drives at ~70mph.

My expansion tank popped within a week and the water pump went 18 months later the day before the car was being collected by the new owner. The gearbox had been re-built but still hunted around and lurched sometimes in S/D modes. M was fine.

[RS Grant]

Stoatman said:

Not to derail this thread , but am still going to see the linked 540. I know the wheels should be killed with fire but I'm trying to look past them.

Are there any obvious things to look for which would make you walk away ? I have never owned an automatic, should the gear changes be seamless ? . I have read also about weak cooling systems , but does this manifest itself in daily driving or just let's go one day ?

Gearchanges in the 1998 540 have been better and smoother than the changes in the 2011 335i... which is absolutely ridiculous. But it should shift almost seamlessly in D, with only a slight lurch if taken to the redline. This link: http://forum.bmw5.co.uk/ is the owners club that I use and has given me a lot of valuable information on these cars.

As I said before, I would also take a look at the car, providing the actual car is a good one.. the wheels/badge etc can all be dealt with very easily.


Cheers,
Grant

[carpetsoiler]

I'm currently selling some E39 fitment Rondell 0058s if you're interested.

Basically BBS RS740s, but with a big lip and no split aspect. Full set of 5, ET13 (fills the arches on an E39 lovely), 8.5J square setup.





I've always wanted a 540i Touring. Something about them I find deeply appealing. Probably because it's the big brother to my current car- the E36 328i. I'm after a manual though.

[RS Grant]

Wee update on the 540i.

After poking around and checking over the engine bay.. I noticed that there was slight oil residue on the oil filter housing, located just behind the passenger side headlight. I did a bit of reading and assumed that the place I bought it from (who I asked to change oil for me before collection) had used pattern parts rather than OE BMW parts, because it seems that the rubber o-ring doesn't seal as well if not a BMW part. So I bought an OE filter/rubber seal and booked it into the specialist I use to do the job.



I got a phone call to say that the oil change was done, but that the water pump was grumbling and did I want to have it replaced. So currently waiting for a water pump to arrive and be fitted up... the car in it's current position:



Sitting next to my friend's long term 2002 project:




Cheers,
Grant

[RS Grant]

carpetsoiler said:

I'm currently selling some E39 fitment Rondell 0058s if you're interested.

Basically BBS RS740s, but with a big lip and no split aspect. Full set of 5, ET13 (fills the arches on an E39 lovely), 8.5J square setup.





I've always wanted a 540i Touring. Something about them I find deeply appealing. Probably because it's the big brother to my current car- the E36 328i. I'm after a manual though.

That E36 looks fantastic, I've had a soft spot for a late E36 M-Sport Touring for years. But finding one, specially one in decent condition is almost impossible!!

Are the Rondells 17" rather than 18"?? ...because I'm not sure that 17" are big enough on an E39 for me. Lovely looking wheels though.


Cheers,
Grant

[carpetsoiler]

RS Grant said:

That E36 looks fantastic, I've had a soft spot for a late E36 M-Sport Touring for years. But finding one, specially one in decent condition is almost impossible!!

Are the Rondells 17" rather than 18"?? ...because I'm not sure that 17" are big enough on an E39 for me. Lovely looking wheels though.


Cheers,
Grant

Thanks she's knocking on, but still pulling well! She's not in great condition, but will be after I've scraped together funds for metal work to be sorted, a respray, etc. I'm more about the performance- she's packing around 250bhp and handles incredibly well.

The Rondells are 17", but they're E39 fitment- and they suit the car well.

This is an idea of what they look like as 17s: http://up.picr.de/3389564.jpg

Also, you won't completely ruin the ride quality with 17s.

[RS Grant]

carpetsoiler said:

Thanks she's knocking on, but still pulling well! She's not in great condition, but will be after I've scraped together funds for metal work to be sorted, a respray, etc. I'm more about the performance- she's packing around 250bhp and handles incredibly well.

Sounds good, do you have a build thead for the car??

carpetsoiler said:

The Rondells are 17", but they're E39 fitment- and they suit the car well.

This is an idea of what they look like as 17s: http://up.picr.de/3389564.jpg

Also, you won't completely ruin the ride quality with 17s.

Thanks for the offer, but I've sorted out some wheels for the car now, will be typing up an update shortly...


Cheers,
Grant

[RS Grant]

Well after booking the car in for an oil change and being told that the water pump should be replaced.. I asked if my friend (owner of the garage) could give the rest of the car a good look over to make sure it was tip top. He phoned to tell me that he had seen what looked like a very small leak from one of the rocker gaskets and asked what I wanted to do. So I asked him to replace both gaskets for peace of mind.

While the car was away, I was trying to tie up a deal with some 18" Hartge wheels but had reached a stalemate where I wasn't prepared to pay any more and the seller wasn't prepared to drop any lower. So by complete chance one evening while on Facebook, I saw an advert for some freshly refurbished 18" Alpina wheels in E39 fitment... after chatting to the seller and finding out he had bought them in error for his E46 Touring, a deal was agreed.

Here are a few pictures of the wheels/results:



Plus...



Equals...






Really, really happy with them and the difference they've made to the car.


Cheers,
Grant

[Mark A B]

Seeing the larger pics really makes a difference mate! I might be in the area next week sometime so will try pop in! Love the wafter... Haha

[Max M4X WW]

Yes!

[JordanTurbo]

Amazing the difference a good set of wheels can make!

Looks lovely.

[g3org3y]

g3org3y said:

Lovely car.

CSLs on this would be criminal

Type 32 multispokes or Type 5 cross spokes would be my preferred option. Otherwise, a set of 18 inch Alpina Softlines would look lovely.

Great choice OP, looks perfect.

[sixpistons]

That looks absolutely spot on now mate!

[ManicMunky]

Beautiful car, wheels look perfect!

[LittleEnus]

They look perfect. Great choice, much better than even the parallels!

[Robatr0n]

I cannot believe the difference a set of wheels have made. That looks sensational!

Reckon they'd work on my E34?

[RS Grant]

Mark A B said:

Seeing the larger pics really makes a difference mate! I might be in the area next week sometime so will try pop in! Love the wafter... Haha

Yeah, the difference is even more impressive in the flesh.. no worries, when you know what your movements are then just give me a shout mate.


Cheers,
Grant

[RS Grant]

Max M4X WW said:

Yes!

JordanTurbo said:

Amazing the difference a good set of wheels can make!

Looks lovely.

sixpistons said:

That looks absolutely spot on now mate!

ManicMunky said:

Beautiful car, wheels look perfect!

LittleEnus said:

They look perfect. Great choice, much better than even the parallels!

Thanks very much for the comments.

Just wish that some of the named drivers on the policy felt the same way, haha... as yet, I've still been the only driver of this car because it's apparently 'way too big' for anyone else to drive. Bloody women!!


Cheers,
Grant

[RS Grant]

g3org3y said:

Great choice OP, looks perfect.

Haha!! Go on... I know you want to say it, I'll even start it: "I told yo......"




Cheers,
Grant

[RS Grant]

Robatr0n said:

I cannot believe the difference a set of wheels have made. That looks sensational!

Reckon they'd work on my E34?

Yeah I'm sure they would, they really lend themselves to quite a few different BMW models.




...think they look great on either saloon or touring.


Cheers,
Grant