Finally settling down with a nice E39 Touring and a Dog
Discussion
Cast your mind back to a Saturday evening in February. My OH and I go and see a 10 week old puppy, decided to have her!
Only problem being is that she has a MK1 TT and I had an A4 Saloon. I needed something modern, reliable, cheap to run and an estate...A browse on EBay finds a 525d touring on under 90k miles, with full history and 1 owner for all but the first few months of its life....I had to. The first owner shows as 'Damon Hill' too...I suspect it was his BMW dealer in Warwick, but still!
My first weekend with it was eventful. It was clear I overpaid at £2.4k.
the rear suspension sank overnight, it didn't like starting cold and the thermostat(s) where knackered. There was a horrible diesel injector knock most of the time too. To top all this, the MOT certificate which was in the car turned out to be for another car! (I only took a casual glance at its no previous advisories and 3 months left...lesson learnt). This actual car had a long list of Advisories and 3 weeks MOT left! This was all from a very professional seeming dealer just off the A5 near Nuneaton. Do not trust them.
I wrote to them, livid. No reply. It left me in a tricky situation - fight a battle and hand the car back - but I really liked the car, apart from the faults. Or put up with it.
Given I cover nearly 1k miles a week in it, and my focus was on bringing up the puppy - I chose to just suck it up and crack on. The Advisories where rectified at nearly no cost (I used to be a mechanic) and I managed to fix the rear air suspension and thermostats temporarily. I also got it terracleaned, It sailed through the MOT with little bother thankfully! The emissions were very low too.
Over 5k miles later and I'm in love with the thing, the dog and my OH loves it too - the first time I've actually seen her appreciating decent handling when she was driving it. The ride/handling balance is superb, the engine sufficient (for now) and I've seen my average mpg climb from 33-35 to 40-45 ish with a bit of work.
Work carried out so far:
-Interior deep clean - getting rid of 15 years of dirt made all the difference.
-Modified Transmission Controller - it actually feels modern now!.
-Disconnected EGR - for...*ahem* off-road use off course. Noticable increase in low rpm smoothness and power, works very well with the transmission controller.
-Oil & Filter Service
-Terraclean (a-la Ed China) - It actually worked, no trouble with the emissions for the MOT and the diesel injector noise is gone - transformed the car.
-2 Pirelli P7's
-A thermostat from a 1.1 Renault 5 - only temporary but it worked fantastically for keeping the coolant at 88 degrees. For £7 it was a bargain bodge.
-Painted the wheels, and touched in badges.
Work incoming, I have these bits ready to go on this weekend (weather/sleep dependent)
-Correct Replacement Thermostat
-Water Pump
-'Utility' (Police) spec front brakes - 324mm front discs (from 298mm), beefier calipers. New DOT 4 fluid.
-Casting various PU Bushes for experimentation's sake!
It's proving to be the ideal tool for everything I throw at it. Load lugging, my 75 mile each way daily commute, fun on country roads, sitting in traffic. It doesn't even drink much. The puppy happily see's its big boot as home, as a few stress free 4 hour trips with her have proven - A testament to the ride, ventilation and NVH back there.
Its similar in feel to my old W124 320TE (which had sportline suspension) but with better steering and a better gearbox.
Planning to support a friend and former employer in running this at the Spa Classic, Le Mans Classic and the 'Dix Mille Tours du Castellet' at Paul Ricard this summer, so some fun covering miles in Europe is planned...
Some photos...
Only problem being is that she has a MK1 TT and I had an A4 Saloon. I needed something modern, reliable, cheap to run and an estate...A browse on EBay finds a 525d touring on under 90k miles, with full history and 1 owner for all but the first few months of its life....I had to. The first owner shows as 'Damon Hill' too...I suspect it was his BMW dealer in Warwick, but still!
My first weekend with it was eventful. It was clear I overpaid at £2.4k.
the rear suspension sank overnight, it didn't like starting cold and the thermostat(s) where knackered. There was a horrible diesel injector knock most of the time too. To top all this, the MOT certificate which was in the car turned out to be for another car! (I only took a casual glance at its no previous advisories and 3 months left...lesson learnt). This actual car had a long list of Advisories and 3 weeks MOT left! This was all from a very professional seeming dealer just off the A5 near Nuneaton. Do not trust them.
I wrote to them, livid. No reply. It left me in a tricky situation - fight a battle and hand the car back - but I really liked the car, apart from the faults. Or put up with it.
Given I cover nearly 1k miles a week in it, and my focus was on bringing up the puppy - I chose to just suck it up and crack on. The Advisories where rectified at nearly no cost (I used to be a mechanic) and I managed to fix the rear air suspension and thermostats temporarily. I also got it terracleaned, It sailed through the MOT with little bother thankfully! The emissions were very low too.
Over 5k miles later and I'm in love with the thing, the dog and my OH loves it too - the first time I've actually seen her appreciating decent handling when she was driving it. The ride/handling balance is superb, the engine sufficient (for now) and I've seen my average mpg climb from 33-35 to 40-45 ish with a bit of work.
Work carried out so far:
-Interior deep clean - getting rid of 15 years of dirt made all the difference.
-Modified Transmission Controller - it actually feels modern now!.
-Disconnected EGR - for...*ahem* off-road use off course. Noticable increase in low rpm smoothness and power, works very well with the transmission controller.
-Oil & Filter Service
-Terraclean (a-la Ed China) - It actually worked, no trouble with the emissions for the MOT and the diesel injector noise is gone - transformed the car.
-2 Pirelli P7's
-A thermostat from a 1.1 Renault 5 - only temporary but it worked fantastically for keeping the coolant at 88 degrees. For £7 it was a bargain bodge.
-Painted the wheels, and touched in badges.
Work incoming, I have these bits ready to go on this weekend (weather/sleep dependent)
-Correct Replacement Thermostat
-Water Pump
-'Utility' (Police) spec front brakes - 324mm front discs (from 298mm), beefier calipers. New DOT 4 fluid.
-Casting various PU Bushes for experimentation's sake!
It's proving to be the ideal tool for everything I throw at it. Load lugging, my 75 mile each way daily commute, fun on country roads, sitting in traffic. It doesn't even drink much. The puppy happily see's its big boot as home, as a few stress free 4 hour trips with her have proven - A testament to the ride, ventilation and NVH back there.
Its similar in feel to my old W124 320TE (which had sportline suspension) but with better steering and a better gearbox.
Planning to support a friend and former employer in running this at the Spa Classic, Le Mans Classic and the 'Dix Mille Tours du Castellet' at Paul Ricard this summer, so some fun covering miles in Europe is planned...
Some photos...
bungz said:
I like these alot. My fave recent BMW.
My only concern of that age is erm they rust like a b
d, how does yours check out?
Amazingly good from what I can tell. I'm keeping an eye on the brake lines, but the arches and sills (apart from the little damage behind the RH wheel) seem perfect. Given my weekly mileage, rust is quite low on the list of worries on a car for me - mechanical maintenance takes priority. It's rare for me to keep a car longer than 6 months, although I'm hoping to keep this for much longer. My only concern of that age is erm they rust like a b
d, how does yours check out?crosseyedlion said:
I needed something modern, reliable, cheap to run and an estate
Looks great, although I'd argue an E39 only ticks one of your criteria off that list 
Rust, suspension, and cooling issues put me off an E39 unfortunately, but if I had your mechanical expertise I'd definitely have gone for one. You just can't beat it for effortless class and road presence.
Jimi.K. said:
Looks great, although I'd argue an E39 only ticks one of your criteria off that list
Rust, suspension, and cooling issues put me off an E39 unfortunately, but if I had your mechanical expertise I'd definitely have gone for one. You just can't beat it for effortless class and road presence.
I know, but in the end the heart ruled over my head. Rust, suspension, and cooling issues put me off an E39 unfortunately, but if I had your mechanical expertise I'd definitely have gone for one. You just can't beat it for effortless class and road presence.
I've had 2 v8 E34 estates, a 540i, 740i & 750iL (e38)...so I justified it to myself that I know the cars quite well.
And I'd rather spend 200 a month maintaining and restoring something I enjoy than 100 running something I don't. Or 200 a month on something I'll always own vs. something I'd hand back etc...
Experience has taught me just to buy what I enjoy and stick to it. I've been burnt too many times financially changing cars prematurely or running sensible cars I don't love.
Live and let live and all that.
Max M4X WW said:
Looks great! I am a fellow E39 owner but mine is a 525i.
I looked at these briefly as we are going to need an estate for tip work and my wife's commute in a few months - not sure the diesel will get warm enough for decent economy though. What sort of journeys are your figures from?
Its a mixture of 30% fairly enthusiastic country roads, 10% hilly town driving, 20% stop/start/slow M1 traffic jams and 40% open motorway at 80-90. I looked at these briefly as we are going to need an estate for tip work and my wife's commute in a few months - not sure the diesel will get warm enough for decent economy though. What sort of journeys are your figures from?
It does seem to take about 5-10 miles to get up to temp, helped a lot in the depths of winter by blocking the front grill. It depends on the commute really.
crosseyedlion said:
Max M4X WW said:
Looks great! I am a fellow E39 owner but mine is a 525i.
I looked at these briefly as we are going to need an estate for tip work and my wife's commute in a few months - not sure the diesel will get warm enough for decent economy though. What sort of journeys are your figures from?
Its a mixture of 30% fairly enthusiastic country roads, 10% hilly town driving, 20% stop/start/slow M1 traffic jams and 40% open motorway at 80-90. I looked at these briefly as we are going to need an estate for tip work and my wife's commute in a few months - not sure the diesel will get warm enough for decent economy though. What sort of journeys are your figures from?
It does seem to take about 5-10 miles to get up to temp, helped a lot in the depths of winter by blocking the front grill. It depends on the commute really.
Maybe of only been the 530d.
Cheapstraitsix said:
Was under the impression these had a webasto pre heater?
Maybe of only been the 530d.
Mine has one fitted, no idea if it's working. Hot air comes through pretty soon after starting though. In reality the pre-heater is for comfort (it's on the heater spur of the circuit) not for faster engine warm-up times. Maybe of only been the 530d.
crosseyedlion said:
Max M4X WW said:
Looks great! I am a fellow E39 owner but mine is a 525i.
I looked at these briefly as we are going to need an estate for tip work and my wife's commute in a few months - not sure the diesel will get warm enough for decent economy though. What sort of journeys are your figures from?
Its a mixture of 30% fairly enthusiastic country roads, 10% hilly town driving, 20% stop/start/slow M1 traffic jams and 40% open motorway at 80-90. I looked at these briefly as we are going to need an estate for tip work and my wife's commute in a few months - not sure the diesel will get warm enough for decent economy though. What sort of journeys are your figures from?
It does seem to take about 5-10 miles to get up to temp, helped a lot in the depths of winter by blocking the front grill. It depends on the commute really.
I think I need to drive a manual and auto 525/530d and see what I think.
I have an E39 530d Auto Touring, great car. We live in the south of France and it was bought specifically for the long journeys we do from time to time, also for the occasional load lugging and lastly for the dog! It does all those things wonderfully and with the added reassurance of lots of airbags and lots of weight and metal up front in the event of disaster. It has cost almost nothing beyond servicing, tyres and the odd balljoint etc - until this year. Suddenly we have had, in addition to consumables like front discs and pads plus front dampers, a new diff because the BMW Garage technician stuffed changing the oil seals and a broken front subframe where the antiroll bar attaches. I suppose I should logically call time up but there is no rust and it is the complete all-rounder so I shall just pay up and carry on with it, happily!
I've owned two, both 528i. I loved them. The only reason I sold them was the fuel costs and at the time I wanted a motorbike.
My step dad is on his second. He's had two 520s. Current one is a 520d and can't remember what the other one was. We are massive fans of them here.
It's the only car that I regret selling. Although i now have a 330D so can't complain too much!
They are just so comfy to waft around in.
My step dad is on his second. He's had two 520s. Current one is a 520d and can't remember what the other one was. We are massive fans of them here.
It's the only car that I regret selling. Although i now have a 330D so can't complain too much!
They are just so comfy to waft around in.
Lovely looking car OP. 
E39s still look great IMO.
When my nephew became a Dad 2 years ago his 325ti had to go, so I found him an E46 Touring and he loves it.
I'd never owned an estate, but I thought his looked really good so when I decided to replace my own 325ti the search was on! But I couldn't find one without rusty wheelarches, so I ended up with an E91 325i instead.
I'm starting to get the "estate" thing now!
E39s still look great IMO.
When my nephew became a Dad 2 years ago his 325ti had to go, so I found him an E46 Touring and he loves it.
I'd never owned an estate, but I thought his looked really good so when I decided to replace my own 325ti the search was on! But I couldn't find one without rusty wheelarches, so I ended up with an E91 325i instead.
I'm starting to get the "estate" thing now!
crosseyedlion said:
If i was only doing 20 miles each way, I'd just find a tidy 530i - as standard they have a better (ZF) autobox vs. the Diesels (GM) 'box. Upgrading the transmission controller has helped hugely though.
Hmm, may just look for a nice 520/525/530 then. I wasn't aware the autobox is different, the one on mine is 'bad' enough supposedly.E39s look so good on those alloys but they do take their toll on the ride quality.
I had a 523i for a couple of years and aside from a crank & cam senor it was bulletproof for 25k (perfectly acceptable for a 20 year old car with 80k on it). One of the few cars that you can drive for six hours straight in total comfort as the seats/suspension setup on SE models is 70% boat 30% sports car
I had a 523i for a couple of years and aside from a crank & cam senor it was bulletproof for 25k (perfectly acceptable for a 20 year old car with 80k on it). One of the few cars that you can drive for six hours straight in total comfort as the seats/suspension setup on SE models is 70% boat 30% sports car
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