My M5 project - 2014 to 2015
Discussion
Here it is folks.
I've had the car since July 1st 2013. It was the first one I looked at, it felt "right", had lots of bills and was in pretty decent condition, save for a few rust spots and missing pixels on the dash.
It also had a non genuine M5 passenger side door mirror and refurbished, silver alloys. Semantics.
Should I have bought it? I'll go to my grave asking that one!
So here I was, the proud owner of an E39 M5, a car that I had wanted for quite some time (there are old posts on here from me wanting one, plus deliberating over getting a 540i (LPG), 530i or a 530d. In the end, circumstances played out and I was able to buy an M5.
I remember the first time I gave it a little tickle in first gear after I picked it up. I laughed like a mad man. I drove it the 220 odd miles back up North, not really giving it the beans, just cruised up, enjoying the peacefulness, and the knowledge that if I wanted to go faster, then I could.
It's a shame I had to buy it, for no other reason than I will never get that first drive with it again. It had around 106924 miles on the clock when I picked it up. This is how the milometer looked the next day, after I had got it home and had a quick drive around.
As you can see, there are missing pixels on the display. A quick trip to see Rudi fixed this issue
It is now sitting on 118792 miles.
This is how it looked the following day.
Some of you will have seen these pics before.
Since owning the car, I have spent money on maintaining it, including 2 oil and filter services, one plugs, air filter and pollen filter service, new front discs and pads, new oil cap, new centre console arm rest handle.
I have also replaced the gear knob for the leather one
I had to replace the rear tyres in late July, too much enthusiastic driving wore the Michelin PS3's down, so I replaced them with Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2's
In the correct 275x35x18 flavour.
The rear diffuser decided to make a bid for freedom so I had to replace this. Luckily Jamie Peers sold me his in excellent condition, in the same colour, for a cracking price.
Unfortunately this did come off so I was driving around diffuser-less for a while.
I since painted the front kidney grills black and replaced the rear lights for aftermarket tinted ones (these will be for sale soon).
You will see that it has the Sport bar fitted for the lower grill. I have since replaced this with a genuine M5 grill bought from Cotswolds. I also have some genuine Hella Xenon AE's to fit. I will be sourcing some silver grills again.
These are Celis look, using the standard bulb holders. I have some genuine Hella Celis lights to go in place of these.
I also bought a leather hand brake handle and have fitted that, as well as some smoked side repeaters, which I may keep on.
So that is largely how the car sits right now. It isnt without faults sadly, of which I will I cover below.
Firstly, it has a well documented starting issue. The fuel pump doesnt always prime when the key is turned. When it does, it doesnt always start, it sometimes coughs, and then starts on the next attempt.
It also has some body work issues - Rust. The boot lid is rusty and too far gone for me to bother doing anything with it. It could do with 2 - 4 doors due to parking dings, and the drivers side rear quarter and the rear arches have rust on them in the usual place. There is a small bit of corrosion starting in the fuel filler area as well as someone keying the passenger side rear quarter.
So, with all this in mind, the car comes off the road on May 16th (when the MOT runs out). This is planned work.
Facelift Steering wheel
Facelift rear view mirror
So that, along with the light will bring it up to face lift visual spec. Also, being a 99 car, the rear PDC was only an option, so I have all of the PDC kit ready to retro fit which will be getting done.
As part of all this, the suspension bushes are going to get replaced with Poly bush items. All 4 cam shaft sensors will be replaced as it has a stutter around the lower RPM range, as will all of the lambda sensor's. I plan on replacing the fuel pump as I think it may be faulty. I will be replacing the fuel filter.
I believe it actually has the VANOS accumulator pump fitted. I also plan on doing a VANOS Solenoid board refresh and replacing the timing chain tensioner.
Then the biggy. It needs paint and the rust removing. I will attend to the rust areas shortly to stop them getting worse (I am hoping to do this myself) and then sending it off for paint.
I would be looking at having the interior spruced up. There is wear on the drivers side bolster but it just needs re-dying.
An alloy wheel refurb in Shadow Chrome should hopefully complete the work.
Thanks for reading, I will try and keep this thread updated, though it is going to be a slow process.
I've had the car since July 1st 2013. It was the first one I looked at, it felt "right", had lots of bills and was in pretty decent condition, save for a few rust spots and missing pixels on the dash.
It also had a non genuine M5 passenger side door mirror and refurbished, silver alloys. Semantics.
Should I have bought it? I'll go to my grave asking that one!
So here I was, the proud owner of an E39 M5, a car that I had wanted for quite some time (there are old posts on here from me wanting one, plus deliberating over getting a 540i (LPG), 530i or a 530d. In the end, circumstances played out and I was able to buy an M5.
I remember the first time I gave it a little tickle in first gear after I picked it up. I laughed like a mad man. I drove it the 220 odd miles back up North, not really giving it the beans, just cruised up, enjoying the peacefulness, and the knowledge that if I wanted to go faster, then I could.
It's a shame I had to buy it, for no other reason than I will never get that first drive with it again. It had around 106924 miles on the clock when I picked it up. This is how the milometer looked the next day, after I had got it home and had a quick drive around.
As you can see, there are missing pixels on the display. A quick trip to see Rudi fixed this issue
It is now sitting on 118792 miles.
This is how it looked the following day.
Some of you will have seen these pics before.
Since owning the car, I have spent money on maintaining it, including 2 oil and filter services, one plugs, air filter and pollen filter service, new front discs and pads, new oil cap, new centre console arm rest handle.
I have also replaced the gear knob for the leather one
I had to replace the rear tyres in late July, too much enthusiastic driving wore the Michelin PS3's down, so I replaced them with Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2's
In the correct 275x35x18 flavour.
The rear diffuser decided to make a bid for freedom so I had to replace this. Luckily Jamie Peers sold me his in excellent condition, in the same colour, for a cracking price.
Unfortunately this did come off so I was driving around diffuser-less for a while.
I since painted the front kidney grills black and replaced the rear lights for aftermarket tinted ones (these will be for sale soon).
You will see that it has the Sport bar fitted for the lower grill. I have since replaced this with a genuine M5 grill bought from Cotswolds. I also have some genuine Hella Xenon AE's to fit. I will be sourcing some silver grills again.
These are Celis look, using the standard bulb holders. I have some genuine Hella Celis lights to go in place of these.
I also bought a leather hand brake handle and have fitted that, as well as some smoked side repeaters, which I may keep on.
So that is largely how the car sits right now. It isnt without faults sadly, of which I will I cover below.
Firstly, it has a well documented starting issue. The fuel pump doesnt always prime when the key is turned. When it does, it doesnt always start, it sometimes coughs, and then starts on the next attempt.
It also has some body work issues - Rust. The boot lid is rusty and too far gone for me to bother doing anything with it. It could do with 2 - 4 doors due to parking dings, and the drivers side rear quarter and the rear arches have rust on them in the usual place. There is a small bit of corrosion starting in the fuel filler area as well as someone keying the passenger side rear quarter.
So, with all this in mind, the car comes off the road on May 16th (when the MOT runs out). This is planned work.
Facelift Steering wheel
Facelift rear view mirror
So that, along with the light will bring it up to face lift visual spec. Also, being a 99 car, the rear PDC was only an option, so I have all of the PDC kit ready to retro fit which will be getting done.
As part of all this, the suspension bushes are going to get replaced with Poly bush items. All 4 cam shaft sensors will be replaced as it has a stutter around the lower RPM range, as will all of the lambda sensor's. I plan on replacing the fuel pump as I think it may be faulty. I will be replacing the fuel filter.
I believe it actually has the VANOS accumulator pump fitted. I also plan on doing a VANOS Solenoid board refresh and replacing the timing chain tensioner.
Then the biggy. It needs paint and the rust removing. I will attend to the rust areas shortly to stop them getting worse (I am hoping to do this myself) and then sending it off for paint.
I would be looking at having the interior spruced up. There is wear on the drivers side bolster but it just needs re-dying.
An alloy wheel refurb in Shadow Chrome should hopefully complete the work.
Thanks for reading, I will try and keep this thread updated, though it is going to be a slow process.
Edited by TheAngryDog on Saturday 17th May 21:39
Edited by TheAngryDog on Saturday 17th May 21:42
Edited by TheAngryDog on Saturday 17th May 21:44
No updates to speak of, but I have been prioritising some work etc. Since my last drive of this on Thursday last week, I am missing it, and missing that I know I cannot drive it.
First thing is to check the rest of the bodywork to make sure there is no deeper rot. Then I am going to rub down the rust areas and treat. Any advise on this is appreciated. If there is no deeper rot, then the work will continue.
I will be replacing various body panels: N/S/F wing, rear bumper, front bumper, passenger side doors, boot lid.
The rest I am going to have a think about what needs to be prioritised.
I am going to be polybushing the front suspension, so I'll be taking off the front thrust arms and fitting the new bushes IF the ball joints are ok.
I will be replacing the passenger side door mirror as it isnt a genuine M5 one, and doesnt power fold.
I will also be fitting new rear discs and pads, and checking on the condition of the hand brake shoes, and then getting it all adjusted as currently it doesnt bite fully.
The rear lights will be available to buy soon, if anyone is interested
I am planning a clean up under the bonnet, refurbishing the spark plug cover, replacing various other parts.
I reckon I am going to be into this for around £4k when all done. Worth it? Yes.
I have ordered some Bilt Hamber Deox gel to hold the rust at bay for a while.
So yesterday I took delivery of the Poly bushes, Timing chain tensioner, Celis light adapters and VANOS solenoid cover gaskets.
I've just been putting things in order of Essentials, desirables and potential needed parts.
Bushes
Cam Sensors
Light adapters
Thrust arms
Timing chain tensioner
Passenger mirror
Steering Wheel
Interior Mirror
Solenoid refurb
Rust repair
Doors
Wing
Boot lid
Fuel Pump
lambda sensors
Crank Sensor
Ignition switch
MOT
Tax
Leather treatment
These are all the parts I intend to / may need to / would like to buy. The total is £2538.61. Obviously this is without any kind of labour if needed. Certain parts more not need to be replaced, such as the fuel pump, ignition switch and thrust arms, shaving around £400 off the total.
First thing is to check the rest of the bodywork to make sure there is no deeper rot. Then I am going to rub down the rust areas and treat. Any advise on this is appreciated. If there is no deeper rot, then the work will continue.
I will be replacing various body panels: N/S/F wing, rear bumper, front bumper, passenger side doors, boot lid.
The rest I am going to have a think about what needs to be prioritised.
I am going to be polybushing the front suspension, so I'll be taking off the front thrust arms and fitting the new bushes IF the ball joints are ok.
I will be replacing the passenger side door mirror as it isnt a genuine M5 one, and doesnt power fold.
I will also be fitting new rear discs and pads, and checking on the condition of the hand brake shoes, and then getting it all adjusted as currently it doesnt bite fully.
The rear lights will be available to buy soon, if anyone is interested
I am planning a clean up under the bonnet, refurbishing the spark plug cover, replacing various other parts.
I reckon I am going to be into this for around £4k when all done. Worth it? Yes.
I have ordered some Bilt Hamber Deox gel to hold the rust at bay for a while.
So yesterday I took delivery of the Poly bushes, Timing chain tensioner, Celis light adapters and VANOS solenoid cover gaskets.
I've just been putting things in order of Essentials, desirables and potential needed parts.
Bushes
Cam Sensors
Light adapters
Thrust arms
Timing chain tensioner
Passenger mirror
Steering Wheel
Interior Mirror
Solenoid refurb
Rust repair
Doors
Wing
Boot lid
Fuel Pump
lambda sensors
Crank Sensor
Ignition switch
MOT
Tax
Leather treatment
These are all the parts I intend to / may need to / would like to buy. The total is £2538.61. Obviously this is without any kind of labour if needed. Certain parts more not need to be replaced, such as the fuel pump, ignition switch and thrust arms, shaving around £400 off the total.
mwstewart said:
Wow, that's a lot of work. Wouldn't it have been better to buyer a lower mileage example to start with?
Lower mileage is no guarantee that parts do not need replacing tbh. I've seen some low mileage ones needing alot more than this. Some of it I am going to be replacing just for preventative maintenance. mwstewart said:
Sure, understood. It'll certainly be very nice when you've done. I'll keep an eye on the thread for updates.
Cheers, I hope it will be too 
.Hopefully it'll pass it's MOT on Saturday and then Saturday afternoon I can fit the fuel pump I'm being sent to rule that issue out.
eztiger said:
Good work.
The rust on mine isn't quite as bad as yours (that I can see!) but it terrifies me.
Currently on the fence about whether to throw money at it and fix it. Or just leave it and drive it until it rots. Seems a shame but I can see getting started on the rust just being a never ending battle.
How good is the stuff you're planning on putting on it to hold the rust back a bit?
As regards lower mileage models none of this stuff is really mileage related. It's just age. Rubber perishes. Bodywork rots. When I was looking to buy I didn't see one that didn't have a spot somewhere.
If you want to keep it a for a few years, sort the rust. The Jacking points are the critical area, and if these are gone, it can almost write the car off as an un-economical repair. It also depends on age of car, miles etc.The rust on mine isn't quite as bad as yours (that I can see!) but it terrifies me.
Currently on the fence about whether to throw money at it and fix it. Or just leave it and drive it until it rots. Seems a shame but I can see getting started on the rust just being a never ending battle.
How good is the stuff you're planning on putting on it to hold the rust back a bit?
As regards lower mileage models none of this stuff is really mileage related. It's just age. Rubber perishes. Bodywork rots. When I was looking to buy I didn't see one that didn't have a spot somewhere.
Having seen various reports about the Bilt Hamber Deox gel, as long as its done properly it seems to do a decent job. Time is the proof though. Where and how bad is the rust?
Get it into a bodyshop and get a quote, you dont have to take it
Well, another twist in this journey. I have just changed job roles, which means I will be commuting to Sheffield and back 8 times a month, so I will be getting a second car after all, as I dont fancy much doing 1k a month at 20mpg in the M5..
Well, another twist in this journey. I have just changed job roles, which means I will be commuting to Sheffield and back 8 times a month, so I will be getting a second car after all, as I dont fancy much doing 1k a month at 20mpg in the M5..
Thought I'd give this an update. I'm currently commuting at 300 miles a week in to work and back at around 24mpg. It has just ticked over 122k miles.
The car was up for sale for a while but I have decided to keep it, put some money into it and see how I feel about it next year. I cannot really think of anything else for the kind of money I'd get for this that would do the job better.
To this end I have had the polybushes fitted to the thrust arms, but sadly the brake judder is still there, so this is annoying me. I am hoping that it isnt the discs that were fitted back in February. I plan to have the run out checked on the discs and wheels to see if this is culprit. I also wonder if the rear discs are causing the issue, as the juddering doesnt seem to come through the steering wheel, just the brake pedal and the car, and having had something like this on an old car, replacing the rear discs did the job.
I plan to get my AE headlights fitted in the near future to bring the front end up to date, and I have other work I need to do to it. I may end up taking it off the road soon to get some of the work done.
Also, the starting issue the car had was resolved by the fitment of a replacement fuel pump. Who would've thought a new fuel pump would've been faulty pretty much from the off?
The car was up for sale for a while but I have decided to keep it, put some money into it and see how I feel about it next year. I cannot really think of anything else for the kind of money I'd get for this that would do the job better.
To this end I have had the polybushes fitted to the thrust arms, but sadly the brake judder is still there, so this is annoying me. I am hoping that it isnt the discs that were fitted back in February. I plan to have the run out checked on the discs and wheels to see if this is culprit. I also wonder if the rear discs are causing the issue, as the juddering doesnt seem to come through the steering wheel, just the brake pedal and the car, and having had something like this on an old car, replacing the rear discs did the job.
I plan to get my AE headlights fitted in the near future to bring the front end up to date, and I have other work I need to do to it. I may end up taking it off the road soon to get some of the work done.
Also, the starting issue the car had was resolved by the fitment of a replacement fuel pump. Who would've thought a new fuel pump would've been faulty pretty much from the off?
Edited by TheAngryDog on Friday 5th September 02:24
So I still have this, as I cannot bring myself to sell it for some reason, despite the interest I have had in it.
At the moment though I do have other things that my money needs to be spent on first, so I am in a quandary! Also my current job has me working away most of the time, and as I currently only have the one car, I am putting over 1500 miles a month on this, and that isn't cheap lol, so my time has been quite limited.
Basically I need to do the following work to it still;
Fit facelift steering wheel that I have bought.
Repair and fit AE head lights.
Source Face life rear lights and wiring adapters.
Fix leaking vapour seals on back doors.
Fit drivers side door seal.
Fix brake judder.
Fit new cam shaft sensors.
Refurbish VANOS Solenoid boards.
Sort paint and rust.
Replace squeaky suspension top mounts.
And there are other jobs that I would like to do it as well.
The thing that keeps going through my mind though is, what would I replace it with for the money that does what the M5 does? I'd like a VXR8 but they're £16k, or an E55K Merc, but good ones are also in excess of £16k, and they do not seem to be rated very highly. I do not know if I could live with an E60 M5 and I cannot afford an F10 M5.
At the moment though I do have other things that my money needs to be spent on first, so I am in a quandary! Also my current job has me working away most of the time, and as I currently only have the one car, I am putting over 1500 miles a month on this, and that isn't cheap lol, so my time has been quite limited.
Basically I need to do the following work to it still;
Fit facelift steering wheel that I have bought.
Repair and fit AE head lights.
Source Face life rear lights and wiring adapters.
Fix leaking vapour seals on back doors.
Fit drivers side door seal.
Fix brake judder.
Fit new cam shaft sensors.
Refurbish VANOS Solenoid boards.
Sort paint and rust.
Replace squeaky suspension top mounts.
And there are other jobs that I would like to do it as well.
The thing that keeps going through my mind though is, what would I replace it with for the money that does what the M5 does? I'd like a VXR8 but they're £16k, or an E55K Merc, but good ones are also in excess of £16k, and they do not seem to be rated very highly. I do not know if I could live with an E60 M5 and I cannot afford an F10 M5.
TotalControl said:
£578 ?! 
You could buy another car for that.
Edit - realised I forgot to ask the original question: does the gear lever have the option of the illumination from factory?
Hahaha, I've paid £100 for a running car before You could buy another car for that.
Edit - realised I forgot to ask the original question: does the gear lever have the option of the illumination from factory?
Edited by TotalControl on Friday 2nd January 17:04
and right now wish i had another one! Fuel pump has packed up on the M1!The illumination is standard on the M5.
Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff