SORN'ing an 18 year old e39 over winter.more harm than good?

[DegsyE39]

Evening chaps, currently running an old E39 And an E38 , The E39's good for its age couple of 20p sized bubbles on the rear arches, Sills are crumbly just in front of the rear wheels but jacking points are solid.. Floors/bootfloor seem A1, Its not on mega miles just turned 100000 the other week..

Heres the thing ive been laying it up over winter to avoid the crap and salt for the past maybe 3 years, this time i might go the whole hog, And SORN then put it on the drive from December to Feburary/March time and just buy a £400 shed like last year... ill be able to roll it back in forth start it etc.
Any need to take any precautions for a 4 month layup? Would tire flatspots be an issue? And shes weeping oil from both banks of the V8 (Headgasket both sides)

Should i just run through the winter? Do bmws of this age handle 'being left to rot for a while' , Ive got an e38 as well... Its not perfect but on 156000 and i think the best i could find sub £3k. I mean i know im on borrowed time with these cars in a way? But is leaving them sat for long periods more detrimental? More likely to let moisture accumulate in drainage channels door seals etc?

Best regards , Thanks.

[Depthhoar]

DegsyE39 said:

Evening chaps, currently running an old E39 And an E38 , The E39's good for its age couple of 20p sized bubbles on the rear arches, Sills are crumbly just in front of the rear wheels but jacking points are solid.. Floors/bootfloor seem A1, Its not on mega miles just turned 100000 the other week..

Heres the thing ive been laying it up over winter to avoid the crap and salt for the past maybe 3 years, this time i might go the whole hog, And SORN then put it on the drive from December to Feburary/March time and just buy a £400 shed like last year... ill be able to roll it back in forth start it etc.
Any need to take any precautions for a 4 month layup? Would tire flatspots be an issue? And shes weeping oil from both banks of the V8 (Headgasket both sides)

Should i just run through the winter? Do bmws of this age handle 'being left to rot for a while' , Ive got an e38 as well... Its not perfect but on 156000 and i think the best i could find sub £3k. I mean i know im on borrowed time with these cars in a way? But is leaving them sat for long periods more detrimental? More likely to let moisture accumulate in drainage channels door seals etc?

Best regards , Thanks.

Plenty of pros & cons. I lay up my M5 over the winter from the end of October to the beginning of May but mine goes into a heated and humidity controlled garage so I don't have to worry about issues with leaking door seals etc. To avoid flat spots I pump the tyres up to the maximum suggested in the handbook and use tyre cradles at each corner.

If you're keeping the car outside you have to decide whether an all weather car cover would be a good thing or not. Some say the car covers trap moisture underneath (even the so-called "breathable" ones) and gently rub the paintwork when it's windy. A outdoor 'carcoon' would be better but expensive at circa £500.

I would also remove the battery and keep in on a smart charger over the winter (Ctek are the 'go to' brand - approx £60) and change the engine oil and filter immediately before the lay up (run the car up to full working temperature with new oil in it so the valve lifters/VANOS are filled with fresh oil for the duration of the lay up).

I run my other E39 right through the winter up here in the Scottish Highlands and the salt has taken a terrible toll. I'm doing a bodywork light-touch 'resto' which is documented in 'Reader's Cars' here (some corrosion porn for you):

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

My M5 fires up first turn & like a startled rabbit when I start it for the first time each May. No sticking lifters, or VANOS noise after 20 seconds at tick-over.

[DegsyE39]

Jesus that rots shocking what years the car? :O

Mines the very first of the m62's so no vanos Its the M62B35, im gonna be moving the car back and forth every 2 or so weeks, Would this negate the need for Tyre cradles?

The rust protection on these cars is feeble frankly, To be frank the cars ''patinated'' and worth about £600 but im really fond of e39s and ive had mine 8 years.

All i can say is F****n road salt!

[BorkFactor]

It should be fine, I took my 328i off the road for 6 months a year or so ago as I did a suspension refresh. It was totally fine afterwards (once the battery had been charged!) and hasn't given any issues at all a year since it has been back on the road.

[Depthhoar]

DegsyE39 said:

Jesus that rots shocking what years the car? :O

Mines the very first of the m62's so no vanos Its the M62B35, im gonna be moving the car back and forth every 2 or so weeks, Would this negate the need for Tyre cradles?

The rust protection on these cars is feeble frankly, To be frank the cars ''patinated'' and worth about £600 but im really fond of e39s and ive had mine 8 years.

All i can say is F****n road salt!

My 530d has a June 2000 build date. Rust protection is probably no better or worse than most other 15 yr old cars exposed salt each winter. Had various Merc W124s that rotted in places, same deal with the Saab 900 'Classic's I owned and ran for some time. The Audi 100 Avant (the one that 'beat the Germans to the beach' in the TV ads back in the 1990s) was probably the most rot resistant car I have owned. Areas most prone to rot on the E39 are the boot lid, fuel filler area and jacking points. Most cars suffer wheel arch rot sooner or later.

You should be OK without the tyre cradles if moving the car every now and then - just keep the air pressure up to the max recommended in the handbook. Can't emphasise too much the importance of a smart charger because if you don't keep the battery properly charged it will die over the winter no matter how new it is. A decent charger is much cheaper than a new battery.

I can't shake off the E39 habit either!

[OctaneV8]

In a similar situation with my e39 540i6, it's got tax and test on it for another 6 months but I just don't get to drive it much and rarely choose to use it in the winter. Can't decide whether to SORN or sell it. If you have the space to keep it then go for it.

[HustleRussell]

It's got the tinworm. Use it heavily, lightly, not at all... It's still rotting.

Fix the rot.