Robert, I'm still unable to reply to your PM from a while ago, but thanks for your help in my search for an M5! Now the excessive spending begins... What place do you recommend for sourcing the updated lights?
Call me on 0403858259 and I will give you some tips and information. There is also a major BMW event this weekend with a couple of E39 M5's going. You picked up the most meticulous example I have ever seen, besides Dimi's. Can't wait too see it Huw. Does Alex know?
I had a nice conversation with the previous owner down in Canberra. Such a pleasure to talk too. I want more pictures. Get one of the boys to add you to the M5 mailing list where they talk during the day about tech, mods, cruises and events etc..
Robert, I'm still unable to reply to your PM from a while ago, but thanks for your help in my search for an M5! Now the excessive spending begins... What place do you recommend for sourcing the updated lights?
I recommend purchasing the lights from Schmiedmann, where you can get both front and rear facelift Hella OEM angel eyes and celis tail lights for $1100 shipped compared to the $2000 price tag from your local BMW dealer. What else do you want to know?
A few interior upgrades worth doing would be to upgrade the steering wheel to the later E39 M5 steering wheel, 12:9 MKIV satnav system, and armrest phone delete. Any plans for modifications?
Is there much maintenance to be done on the car or has he spent a bit of cash in the past few months in keeping it in good order? Great buy nonetheless.
Finned diffuser or carbon diffuser.
TV in motion unlock (worthy purchase) let me know when you are looking at purchasing it because I am looking at purchasing one for my dad.
Number plate lights and interior lights.
Robert, I'm still unable to reply to your PM from a while ago, but thanks for your help in my search for an M5! Now the excessive spending begins... What place do you recommend for sourcing the updated lights?
If you need advice ask one of us who actually own and drive and M5. Robert does not own and M5 he just gathers information and pretends he knows everything about them.
I just don't pretend and gather information about BMW M5's mate it comes from knowledge and also having a father who has owned a plethora of BMW's for over 20 years to date and being around him has helped and grown my BMW knowledge. I will be looking at getting one maybe next year. I have always had a soft spot for them. Willing to help if need be Huw.
Dimi, Huw knows that I don't drive an M5 so what are you on about. Keep your nasty comments to yourself please. Funny you say that when you always ask me for advice and opinions on mods and upcoming purchases for the M5 as well as my BMW mechanic. You just shot yourself in the foot!
If you need advice ask one of us who actually own and drive and M5. Robert does not own and M5 he just gathers information and pretends he knows everything about them.
Any questions regarding parts n what not feel free to pm me or ask here I'm always checking online. I bought mine about 5-6 months ago and spent a lot of time upgrading it and gathering info. Congrats and welcome!! I have done front and rear light upgrade.. I can give u part numbers and where I ordered from. My best suggestion would be to contact mohum on this board.
Huw, feel free to ask us owners anything. I've owned mine for 2 years & 30 000 ks now and am happy to share my actual (not to be confused with vicarious) experiences, in both Sydney and Melbourne. Others who you may want to interact with include Stu M5, Bentong, Jrobbo, Apples, dimi. There are others too but I can't remember all their names.
If you need advice ask one of us who actually own and drive and M5. Robert does not own and M5 he just gathers information and pretends he knows everything about them.
Your post was clearly not needed mate. If you have nasty things to say its best you don't same them at all. I'm sorry that I don't have $3500 to spend on an Eisenamm exhaust when I can get the exact same one as yours for $1800 shipped. Big difference aye mate?
Some basic points to keep an eye on whilst owning the E39 M5 are the MAFS ( Mass Airflow Intakes), a very common problem and about $250 to replace but is a very simple DIY job. You can test by accessing the secret menu (have a search to find out how to access this) and choosing option 4 (I think), good MAFS should be given a reading of about 140 or more simply engage sport in 3rd gear at about 3000rpm, the car should feel like it lurches forward. The thermostat is also poor, if the water temp gauge doesn't get above 1/3 it's gone, budget about $170. The VANOS can rattle on idle, this is not an issue apart from the noise itself and disappears under load however it is a nasty job if you need the vanos repaired or replaced.
They were facelifted in 2001, a lot of cosmetic stuff like angel eye headlights, new rear lights, 12:9 wide screen monitor in the dash, grey tachometer dials, it looks generally fresher all round. The VANOS was also modified which makes it more reliable and efficient. Might be worth doing those upgrades above to yours if you want to freshen the car up a bit and make it look much newer. Some examples also had black tachometer dials which looked really sharp in the interior.
Enjoy the 400hp..........
I will give you my dads BMW mechanics number who is mobile which means he can come to your home or office. He worked for Canterbury BMW as the head mechanic for for than 18 years now. I have referred him to Dimi already so if you want to be next let me know. He knows these cars very well and can tell you all the faults and problems to watch out for and what preventative maintenance should be completed to avoid issues. I think you should get him to do routine check on your car especially since you have just bought it to see if anything needs replacing.
Also, remove the rear silencers from the exhaust, the noise is amazing and it doesn't drone. Only problem is it can frustrate some owners such as Dimi who had his stock mufflers put back on due to the irritating and booming noise.
I also recommend you have a look at this website in your spare time as it provides such insightful information through not only videos but through detailed DIY's.
Expensive jobs are front discs and pads at around $2000 depending on whether you go aftermarket or OEM but I recommend you purchase all your parts overseas if possible. The clutch and flywheel are over $1,000(clutch and flywheel can last anything from 10,000-120k kms depending on how you drive it). The tyres are expensive if you go for top brands, but I've always found having seen the brands my dad purchases you shouldn't go wrong as long as you don't drive it like you stole it. If you need to upgrade the tyres I have no hesitation in recommending Michelin Pilot Super Sports.
Generally speaking the early cars can have pretty horrendous oil consumption, and they drink Castrol TWS Motorsport 10-w 30 at $31 per litre. Cars built after March 2000 have redesigned piston rings which slow the oil consumption quite considerably. If you want I can recommend you a place who sells TWS Motorsport 10-ws 30 for $16.00, massive saving.
Last but not least I also recommend you buy a BMW Peake code reader to check for any fault codes if they occur which is a handy tool to have for the car.
If you want to have a photoshoot done, let me know as I have close mate who is professional photographer and just spoke to him and he said he would be more than happy to do a photoshoot. So keep that in mind. Crisp photos of the car, surely thats indeniable.
Thanks for all of the suggestions guys. Unfortunately my post count isn't high enough to respond to PMs but I've read them all.
Egogoose- could you please send me the part numbers of the updated lights that you got? I just want to double check I'm getting the right ones. There are so many variations! I'm guessing I want the hella ones with xenon.
Yeah no problem.. I'm not at home now. I would strongly suggest u contact mohum regarding ordering parts. U can get them from him. Great guy and great customer service. That's what I ended up doing with all the rest of my stuff... I'll send u the part numbers of what I got. Easy install on the own xenon hella btw.
I'd like to gather a list of BMW M5s/540s in Australia.
We seem to be a bit all over the place at the moment and I keep seeing the guys in the States finding each other over the general forums and it makes me jealous. haha. If someone lives around the corner from me I'd definitely like to know...
Has anyone updated their DVD nav disc? Mine is from a 2006 M5 (Version 13) and I'm keen to update it. Local dealer says it's around $400 which seems a lot for what looks like a simple DVD. Any info/advice would be appreciated.
Cheers
just a word of warning in-case someone on here is considering the below.
http://www.manheim.com.au/damaged-vehicles/4201332/2006-bmw-e60-m5-sedan?referringPage=SearchResults
this is known as matter of fact
For anyone in the ACT area that’s interested or needs there rod bearings done on there S85 M5 or M6, I’m in the process of changing mine out so if you wana have a look or even see what work is needed for this job let me know.
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