2002 E39 530i Sport
Discussion
MOT failure today. It isn't due till June but I needed to get it done early. Unfortunately because it failed I'm technically not allowed to drive it till it passes, so it's staying overnight at my trusted indie till the correct parts (mostly suspension) come in from BMW tomorrow. I can't remember exactly what it failed on as I couldn't stay on the phone long, front suspension bits and rear arb covers maybe? Costs less than £300 including the MOT and labour so all in all not too shabby!
sparks_E39 said:
MOT failure today. It isn't due till June but I needed to get it done early. Unfortunately because it failed I'm technically not allowed to drive it till it passes, so it's staying overnight at my trusted indie
I hope your trusted indy didn't tell you that, because it simply isn't true.Direct.gov said:
You can still drive your vehicle if it fails the test and its existing MOT certificate is still valid (ie you got it tested before the expiry date).
It's one of the reasons why you can get a car tested up to a month early - so you've got time to sort the failure points if applicable.Edited by Fox- on Tuesday 1st April 18:20
E65Ross said:
Best of luck with the fix, hope it's not too costly!
replacing developed a mild vibration under high speed braking which I'll get looked at soon. Barges are great but being heavy they don't do suspension components many favours!
All fixed Ross! It failed on both front tie bars/rods and the NSF upper anti roll bar joint dust cover. Only advisory was rear tyres which I knew about anyway. Costs in my blog replacing developed a mild vibration under high speed braking which I'll get looked at soon. Barges are great but being heavy they don't do suspension components many favours!
I guess mines at that age now where suspension stuff is going to need replacing.
Edited by sparks_E39 on Tuesday 1st April 18:33
sparks_E39 said:
E65Ross said:
Best of luck with the fix, hope it's not too costly!
replacing developed a mild vibration under high speed braking which I'll get looked at soon. Barges are great but being heavy they don't do suspension components many favours!
All fixed Ross! It failed on both front tie bars/rods and the NSF upper anti roll bar joint dust cover. Only advisory was rear tyres which I knew about anyway. Costs in my blog replacing developed a mild vibration under high speed braking which I'll get looked at soon. Barges are great but being heavy they don't do suspension components many favours!
I guess mines at that age now where suspension stuff is going to need replacing.
Edited by sparks_E39 on Tuesday 1st April 18:33
Sparks my 530 failed this last MOT on a drop link perished and the headlight washer pump failed. Annoying little niggles! Due a service soon, only one green left! does yours use any water? I find i'm topping mine up once a month or so now. (along with the oil but I know what that is!)
Are any of you chaps heading to the Morgan SS? I'm on the list and should be heading there in convoy with a mate in his S4.
Ross, on the E39 a wobble under brakes is normally the thrust arms, same on your '65?
Are any of you chaps heading to the Morgan SS? I'm on the list and should be heading there in convoy with a mate in his S4.
Ross, on the E39 a wobble under brakes is normally the thrust arms, same on your '65?
I was a tad relieved because this was the first MOT in my ownership, but other than those small problems it was fine. Mine doesn't use or lose any water now I've had much of the cooling system renewed. I'd suggest you may have a small leak somewhere. I'd get the system pressure tested by your garage and they should be able to spot where it is. It shouldn't really use any between services. Mine uses about a litre of oil every 1200 miles which is normal for these engines.
S3_Graham said:
Ross, on the E39 a wobble under brakes is normally the thrust arms, same on your '65?
Expect so 
I don't think they're a massive job, IIRC. Will probably wait until the next service to be honest, it's not major. It was much worse when I got the E38 so got that done relatively quickly.sparks_E39 said:
I was a tad relieved because this was the first MOT in my ownership, but other than those small problems it was fine. Mine doesn't use or lose any water now I've had much of the cooling system renewed. I'd suggest you may have a small leak somewhere. I'd get the system pressure tested by your garage and they should be able to spot where it is. It shouldn't really use any between services. Mine uses about a litre of oil every 1200 miles which is normal for these engines.
I'm probably doing a litre of oil every 1000 or so miles but I know i've got a bit of a weep from the oil filter housing. Big job and my mechanic reckons there's no point unless it gets drastically worse!The water again i'm probably topping up once a month, so about 1200 miles. Not a huge deal, its not overheating or anything and it still runs fantastically! Just gave the old girl a clean! looks fab again.
SS next weekend then anyone?
New air filter today.. the old one was a make I've not heard of. Stuck a Bosch one in there instead.
Old one was minging, definitely not replaced at the last service (main dealer) I don't know if this is just a placebo effect, but I'm sure the car seems to run and go a bit better now. Might even see a slight MPG increase. Sound normal? I'll see when I go to Donnington for the BTTC this weekend (400 mile round trip)
Old one was minging, definitely not replaced at the last service (main dealer) I don't know if this is just a placebo effect, but I'm sure the car seems to run and go a bit better now. Might even see a slight MPG increase. Sound normal? I'll see when I go to Donnington for the BTTC this weekend (400 mile round trip)
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