Restoring my E39
Discussion
The time has come to rework the old girl.
I bought her as one of the last AUC cars and happily broke the 100k mark some time back.
Have had a few of the usual rust spots sorted over the years but now want to get her back to showroom and need some help/advice.
Firstly I want to refresh the handling department. After having a huge laugh when the local dealer quoted for parts.
They wanted almost 5 grand for suspension clutch and flywheel (over 1400 just for this!).
I expected a premium but quoting all the parts from c3bmw came in a lot lot less.
I trust them but has anyone used them for oem parts?
Next is body work. Once mechanicals are sorted I want to get any little rust spots and bodywork sorted. Can anyone recommend somewhere in the southwest pref but will travel to get the right job.
The car is a keeper.
Cheers
I bought her as one of the last AUC cars and happily broke the 100k mark some time back.
Have had a few of the usual rust spots sorted over the years but now want to get her back to showroom and need some help/advice.
Firstly I want to refresh the handling department. After having a huge laugh when the local dealer quoted for parts.
They wanted almost 5 grand for suspension clutch and flywheel (over 1400 just for this!).
I expected a premium but quoting all the parts from c3bmw came in a lot lot less.
I trust them but has anyone used them for oem parts?
Next is body work. Once mechanicals are sorted I want to get any little rust spots and bodywork sorted. Can anyone recommend somewhere in the southwest pref but will travel to get the right job.
The car is a keeper.
Cheers
For suspension components most people use Lemfoder parts, which are the same as OEM with the BMW logo ground off!
When doing the bodywork, if you plan to keep the car for any length of time, it's worth checking all the underside carefully. You should check under all the plastic under trays, which are quite easy to remove, and up inside the sills via the holes for the jacking points, Ideally remove the fuel tank and rear sub frame too, you get rust under there that you can't see until they are removed.
Bottom line, these things rust quite badly, so check everywhere you can as thoroughly as you can!
When doing the bodywork, if you plan to keep the car for any length of time, it's worth checking all the underside carefully. You should check under all the plastic under trays, which are quite easy to remove, and up inside the sills via the holes for the jacking points, Ideally remove the fuel tank and rear sub frame too, you get rust under there that you can't see until they are removed.
Bottom line, these things rust quite badly, so check everywhere you can as thoroughly as you can!
I'll be following this quite closely as I am in a similar predicament. Second owner of an '01 E39 with 78k miles on it now. Most suspension is still the factory stuff, also need some bodywork as living on the street people have literally destroyed my car including a sideswipe. Dissapointed to see a bit of rust forming underneath the paint by the rear bumper too.
Have been debating what to do with it. Sink £5~6k for all the above or sell as is and get a slightly newer car such as E91 or similar (also 6cyl petrol tho). But then obviously I'll face the same situation again in a few years. Also wonder whether a newer car won't pull as many strings as the old E39 though?
I’ve recently used these guys for some bodywork. Local to me, but not you unfortunately.
http://carbodyrepairspecialists.com/
Worth a look at their Facebook profile too.
Judging by the Porsches in there when I picked my M5 up, people are happy to have them look after their very nice machinery
No affiliation, just a happy customer.
As for some parts, try eBay Germany, and Rockauto, there’s the odd surprise, although if the parts are wrong….
http://carbodyrepairspecialists.com/
Worth a look at their Facebook profile too.
Judging by the Porsches in there when I picked my M5 up, people are happy to have them look after their very nice machinery
No affiliation, just a happy customer.
As for some parts, try eBay Germany, and Rockauto, there’s the odd surprise, although if the parts are wrong….
I regularly use C3 for parts and cannot fault them. Kirby is also a member here and a long time E30 M3 owner / enthusiast.
There are lots of OE parts available from alternative sources than the main dealer. I'd be inclined to uprate thinks like bushes, as the E39 is quite a heavy car.
There are lots of OE parts available from alternative sources than the main dealer. I'd be inclined to uprate thinks like bushes, as the E39 is quite a heavy car.
e30m3Mark said:
I regularly use C3 for parts and cannot fault them. Kirby is also a member here and a long time E30 M3 owner / enthusiast.
There are lots of OE parts available from alternative sources than the main dealer. I'd be inclined to uprate thinks like bushes, as the E39 is quite a heavy car.
C3 are great!There are lots of OE parts available from alternative sources than the main dealer. I'd be inclined to uprate thinks like bushes, as the E39 is quite a heavy car.
A good point about OE. The only thing I'd say is to avoid eBay; more people seem to be selling defective stock or even fakes on there. I myself got caught out from a known supplier who really should have known better.
If you do go genuine try bartering with your dealer. If that is not your bag Cotswolds or Harry Fairburn are two dealers I'd be in touch with.
All thanks for the heads up.
Will try Cotswolds as been great in the past, thing is even they were a gulf apart from the likes of C3. Will go C3 (bushes were going to be done too).
Thanks for heads up on rust under the boot. I guess if I am about to spend a good few grand I want to make sure it will last. At the minute no garage but that will hopefully change with the next house move.
Will try Cotswolds as been great in the past, thing is even they were a gulf apart from the likes of C3. Will go C3 (bushes were going to be done too).
Thanks for heads up on rust under the boot. I guess if I am about to spend a good few grand I want to make sure it will last. At the minute no garage but that will hopefully change with the next house move.
SebringMan said:
e30m3Mark said:
I regularly use C3 for parts and cannot fault them. Kirby is also a member here and a long time E30 M3 owner / enthusiast.
There are lots of OE parts available from alternative sources than the main dealer. I'd be inclined to uprate thinks like bushes, as the E39 is quite a heavy car.
C3 are great!There are lots of OE parts available from alternative sources than the main dealer. I'd be inclined to uprate thinks like bushes, as the E39 is quite a heavy car.
A good point about OE. The only thing I'd say is to avoid eBay; more people seem to be selling defective stock or even fakes on there. I myself got caught out from a known supplier who really should have known better.
If you do go genuine try bartering with your dealer. If that is not your bag Cotswolds or Harry Fairburn are two dealers I'd be in touch with.
Googling part numbers can be helpful in finding alternative supplies of some parts. Especially if they've been used in other models and/or manufacturers.
Will you be doing a thread covering your restoration?
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