[NousDefions]

I recently purchased an '03 M5 with 70K miles on it, and wanted to know what you guys thought--based on age and mileage--what stuff I should put at the top of my list to do. I had a good PPI done before I purchased it, and the only issues were torn thrust arm bushings and a slightly weeping valve cover. I haven't found a whole lot of information on a strict replacement schedule for most of the parts like some Japanese cars I've owned (NSX, for one).

I'm planning on the following so far:

-Full front thrust and control arms with HD bushings
-rear ball joints
-Water pump, thermostat, and hoses
-CPS sensor
-Valve cover gaskets (one is weeping slightly, might as well do both)

The wheels are a little rough, so they'll be getting a trip to Prince Wheels in NC for a complete refurbishment as well. I'm also planning on deleting the mufflers.

Thanks for your help!

 

[jfoj]

When doing the thermostat, check out the oil separators as they probably will need to be cleaned out, also check all the oil return hoses that connect to the oil separators, they may be soft and might need replacement. Oil change with 10W60 TWS. Watch our for stripped oil drain plug, go easy on it, otherwise you will be into Helicoil!

Other things to think about are, headlight adjusters, they are a REAL PITA, but can be done without splitting the headlights, but you need to be a partial magician to pull this off, fuel tank breather, possibly fan clutch and maybe trans & diff fluid if you do not know the history.

Fuel pump & battery are other items that can go around this age, better to replace them on your terms rather then being left stranded.

One thing to watch out for, if you fill the car up with the ignition switch on in the radio position, the fuel gauge will not move until the car is turned of for at least 15 minutes.

 

[NousDefions]

Thanks for the advice! I'll probably end up getting euro-spec headlights which should eliminate any problems in that area, but I'll definitely be swapping out all the fluids... better safe than sorry.

The car also has the stock clutch, which I will also be changing within a year or so. When that happens, I'll probably go ahead and do everything else around there that can be done (RMS, bearings, etc.)

 

[MPowrd]

As long as you're doing front thrust bushings and arms and rear ball joint, consider putting good shocks like a set of Koni yellow sports in there. You'll save on labor since the suspension will already be partially apart (especially the rear). I got my M5 with 100,000 on it and in addtion to the suspension bushings being shot, the stock stocks were as well. I kept the stock springs for ride comfort and ground clearance, but the new Konis and bushing really tightened up the suspension.

Other than that, I think you're covering the normal items I would be concerned about.

Enjoy the new ride!

 

[NousDefions]

As long as you're doing front thrust bushings and arms and rear ball joint, consider putting good shocks like a set of Koni yellow sports in there. You'll save on labor since the suspension will already be partially apart (especially the rear). I got my M5 with 100,000 on it and in addtion to the suspension bushings being shot, the stock stocks were as well. I kept the stock springs for ride comfort and ground clearance, but the new Konis and bushing really tightened up the suspension.

Other than that, I think you're covering the normal items I would be concerned about.

Enjoy the new ride!

Thanks for the advice! The car had KW coilovers installed not too many miles ago, so I think I'm set in the springs/shocks department.

I've read all of the threads about the different bushings, and I'll probably end up going with the Powerflex. I like the idea of how long they last and how well they handle, and coming from the cars I have previously driven, I'm not too terribly concerned about wringing the last ounce of ride comfort out of the car. Not having to pre-load the bushings is nice too, although not a big deal.

 

[feeblebob]

The advice above is for the fan clutch, not actual transmission clutch. Wise to check, it seems mine has failed as I've noticed this afternoon

 

[Great Pretender]

The advice above is for the fan clutch, not actual transmission clutch. Wise to check, it seems mine has failed as I've noticed this afternoon

Well mine failed at almost exactly 70k miles, causing this to happen:

The fact that the exploding bits of fan severed the coolant top hose meant the car was undriveable.

Total damage bill was approx £1200.

 

[BrendanSC]

I bought my 2002 3 months ago with 70k miles. Here is my maintenance list. I'm big on PM as the damage from a seized fan clutch might cost more than all of this (sorry for your troubles Great Pretender, electric fan for the replacement?). Plus I like my car smooth. Even the missus noticed the difference when I changed the plugs. Amazon is your friend for plugs, MAFs and O2 sensors. Shop around for the rest.

Already done:
New plugs (NGK)
New Air Mass Sensors (VW)
New air filters
New power steering hoses and reservoir (it was leaking) parts, flushed fluid too
Oil change with TWS 10W60 and new filter
New oil pan gasket. Not necessary but I wanted to drop the pan to see what was in there

Planned:
Pre-cat o2 sensors
Vanos o-rings
Fuel filter and maybe a fuel pressure regulator while I'm down there
Water pump, plus related jobs:
- pulley
- belts
- cooling hoses
- fan clutch
- oil separators
- thermostat - works fine but you have to take it off to do the water pump anyway...$47.92 at ECS

Transmission fluid change
Diff fluid change

Previous owner did the brake pads and clutch so I don't have to. Yet. When I'm done with all the PM stuff I will move on to suspension and braking.

 

[BrendanSC]

Oh and see if you can get your hands on the Peake code tool. So far my reading here tells me to only replace the CPS when they throw a code. It will cost you $400 to replace 4 of them. This PM adds up too :typing:

 

[NousDefions]

Well mine failed at almost exactly 70k miles, causing this to happen:

The fact that the exploding bits of fan severed the coolant top hose meant the car was undriveable.

Total damage bill was approx £1200.

Holy moly! I plan on replacing the fan clutch when I replace the water pump and thermostat.

Brendan, I'll probably end up doing all 4 CPS's when I swap the valve cover gaskets, along with the evap purge valve. Seems like I should do everything I can one I have all of those plenum bolts off.

 

[BrendanSC]

Yeah I probably will too. I will take the plenum cover off later in the year to check vacuum hoses, clean idle control valve etc. At that point I may talk myself into new valve cover gaskets and cleaning throttle bodies if I feel brave. I admit it. I have a problem.

 

[feeblebob]

Come on guys, nothing posted yet that's not on my list! Need more PM!

 

[feeblebob]

Quoting - 'New oil pan gasket. Not necessary but I wanted to drop the pan to see what was in there'

Out of interest, what did you find in there? I was going to drop it as it seems a simple part to remove while under the car, apart from preferably a new gasket, I guess, although RealOEM states it to be steel. There's an oil level sensor in there it would seem prudent to clean, but I'm guessing that this area generally is where the real [email protected] from the oil will settle over time.

 

[BrendanSC]

Out of interest, what did you find in there? I was going to drop it as it seems a simple part to remove while under the car, apart from preferably a new gasket, I guess, although RealOEM states it to be steel. There's an oil level sensor in there it would seem prudent to clean, but I'm guessing that this area generally is where the real [email protected] from the oil will settle over time.

I guess I had some reason/excuse, some oil weeping around the pan and I wasn't 100% on where it was coming from. Turns out it was the passenger side solenoid. I could have done some degreasing and investigated from outside but I've done this on a couple of cars and the gasket wasn't expensive so I went for it.

The pan has a steel gasket and it's easy to do while you are changing the oil. I got an elring gasket from ECS for $15. The biggest issue was that my torque wrench started lying to me so I had to tighten the bolts from muscle memory. It's 25Nm so little more than finger tight. The pan is VERY soft. From now on I think I will use an oil extractor to change my oil and leave the pan alone.

I wiped out the pan and the sensor with a paper towel but I didn't want to foul the sensor up by rubbing oil into it so just a cursory wipe. The pan was clean. No metal or plastic, not even a flake do I am not losing sleep over chain guides and such. As for what you can see when you remove the lower pan, not much. Mostly just the bottom of the pump. There are some photos here and there on the board.

 

[feeblebob]

Many thanks for the reply, when I asked what you could see, I just meant was there some black residue or anything sitting in the pan itself. I'm just thinking that removing any sort of 'baked-on' crud would reduce early contamination of new oil and improve condition generally. Might just be me being over-enthusiastic, but that's just the way I think

 

[vantaam5]

Only the oil drain plug is 25NM,NOT the oil pan bolts!!!!!!!!!

You will snap each of these bolts trying to tighten them that hard or destroy the threads in the upper oil pan.

Dropping the lower oil pan and clean out the residue helps only a bit,most is found in the upper oil pan and in the cylinder heads.

But sometimes you find some interesting stuff in the lower oil pan.

What I found so far in S62s:

-a few times parts of the chain guides

-cam sprocket bolts

-Vanos parts

 

[BrendanSC]

- what vantaam5 said . sorry I didn't make it clear about the torque

The pan bolts came off with 3 fingers worth of pressure on the ratchet handle and that's how tight I put them back on. Now that you mention black residue there was a little under where the dipstick touches down but not anywhere else

 

[KevinM]

Good information so far. There are three major camps: 1) replace everything that might fail given a certain mileage; and 2) perform maintenance and replace those items which may cause significant performance issues or cause damage; and 3) replace or do only what is needed to drive the car.

I'm fortunate not to have to worry about maintenance costs, but I'm generally in camp number 2 because replacement parts can be defective and/or be installed incorrectly. I have to control myself to not be in camp 1, and often am. For example, I replaced my MAFs at 60K just because, even though I was getting good numbers from the MAF test. No performance gain for me, but I really didn't expect any. By the way, since OE MAFs are available from Bimmerzone or AutoHausAz for a reasonable price, I see no reason to go with the VW version. If you've got a few hours, you can do a search on this...

So, at 70 K, my "mixed" maintenance program, assuming no running issues and no codes, would be:

1. Diff and tranny fluids depending on last change (if even changed given the "lifetime" fill BS that BMW propagates)
2. Oil change just to reset program under your ownership
3. Plugs, depending on when last changed - my opinion is that these are good for 50K
4. Fuel filter if not done (as above regarding BMWs opinion that these do not need to be changed)
5. Air filters - I recommend every other oil change. Cheap insurance. My choice is OE paper filters.
6. The fan clutch is a wild card. Given the damage failure can inflict (as above) I'd replace it at 70K miles.
7. If MAF test shows substandard results, replace with OE. If previous owner used oiled filters, definitely replace and change to OE paper (K&N fans, no need to argue with me, just my opinion. A search will give the OP the information needed to make his own decision).
8. Check the power steering system thoroughly - the hoses are prone to leaks.
9. Brake fluid and coolant flush if not done per spec. BTW check your brake pad thickness if you don't know when or if they were replaced. At 70K they will be due if not done prior. I wouldn't wait for the "check brakes" light on that one.
10. Consider pre-cat O2 sensors, esp. if the car is down on power at all.

Get Peake code reader and make sure there are no codes that have not yet tripped the SES light (or better yet, if you have access to a GT1 scanner, use that).

I'm sure there are other things I am forgetting. Have fun!

 

[feeblebob]

Fair do's, most of the crud remains higher up. For the effort required if I'm under there, it would be worth knowing if it's dropped any seals or bits of guide, for information....

Kevin - All those things are on my list, yes, I confess to being a number one, and always have been. Hoping my tools including ramps arrive today/tomorrow, then I can have a good look around, esp. underneath and see how things are.

In terms of immediate maintenance, would no-one else be suggesting having a look underneath at guibo/centre bearing/diff seals/exhaust mounts/rear ARB brackets?

 

[trbo930]

<table style="width: 960px; height: 57px;" class="tborder" align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="1"><tbody><tr><td class="thead" colspan="2">:37</td> </tr> <tr title="Post 1997630" valign="top"> <td class="alt2" width="125" align="center">feeblebob</td> <td class="alt1"> Come on guys, nothing posted yet that's not on my list! Need more PM!

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</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">Ok , coolant every three years , brake fluid renew & flush every 2 years , engine air & climate filters every 15,000 k miles & i like to do the often overlooked fuel filter (no fun doing one on the ground) every 30,000k miles.
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