BMW M5 Forum and M6 Forums banner

Finally done bringing my beast to level she deserves, it "only" took $11k+, lol

3K views 23 replies 15 participants last post by  jsdsm5 
#1 · (Edited)
I though some here may be interested in this happy ending story:

I finally have fully sorted M5 with 111,7K miles on the clock with $20k+ in all records ($11.7K me and $8.5k PO's).

I bought it in April last year with 109K miles on the clock. It had clean Carfax with exception of damage report (not accident) where PO managed to hook front bumper on some sort of obstacle in the parking lot and he used insurance for new OEM bumper.
It was always southern car with 3 previous owners and all records. It was in good shape cosmetic (somewhat excessive hood road rash by my standards) but it needed some mechanical addressing.
So, after I brought it home and slowly addressed all issues and added some nice upgrades: ($11K is parts only and countless hours of hard work as I've done everything by myself with exception of my neighbor TIG welding exhaust system).
After 14 months and 3k miles added, she has full bill of health:
In chronological order starting from the moment I brought it home:

Change all fluids with Liqui Moly products (oil, brake fluid, power steering fluid, diff fluid, tranny fluid). Notably, I left coolant alone as it just received new radiator with BMW coolant prior to mu purchase.

New Autocraft Gold battery (paid by PO).

Added VDO oil pressure gauge in place of fog light switch. Very OEM looking and quite useful upgrade.

New BMW OEM ZHP weighed shift knob and new coin storage box.

Euro style leather armrest with storage (seller from Europe, brand new leather!).

New OEM power steering hoses.

New Mahle OEM fuel filter.

New BMW spare key.

New all 4 Genuine BMW wheels, new spare tire kit plus new front Michelin Super Sport tires (rear ones just installed by PO).

New NGK 3199 spark plugs.

New BMW OEM rubber trunk mat and front mats.

New Bosch OEM MAF's.

New Bosch OEM O2 sensors, all 4.

New BMW OEM kidney grills.

New Spal cooling fan kit (fan clutch delete). This is somewhat custom kit I designed myself that I have on all of my BMW's and it works flawlessly. It uses extra sensor incorporated in the lower radiator hose and it triggers the fan if coolant returning to block exceeds 185F. it works well in tandem with factory 79C thermostat.

Full custom exhaust system (from front to rear):

Supersprint headers, high flow 200 Cell Metallic HJS cats, custom made X pipe, 2.5" Vibrant performace resonators, Supersprint Magnum mufflers. All components in between are SS T304 Vibrant Performance tubing and are TIG welded. It's worth mentioning that I've closely followed specs of full Supesprint exhaust system that sells in excess of $7K+.
According to Supersprint dyno, this is about 35HP upgrade which I haven't confirmed but butt dyno agrees and sound is awesome.
Also, I've saved about 80lbs as OEM exhaust while well built is a heavy monster plus OEM exhaust has 2 major flattened areas where flow is quite restrictive.


Completely new front and rear suspension:

Bilstein B6 struts and shocks (OEM springs retained) which pretty much keep the stock height with slightly firmer ride. All control arms front and rear replaced with Lemofrder ones. Tie rods and steering shaft replaced by PO. All mounts, spring pads etc are replaced as well. And of course, the alignment at end.

New LUK clutch and LUK flywheel with every single component replaced while in there: Rear main seal, slave cylinder, pivot fork, guide bushing, release arm spring, etc...all parts either genuine BMW or OEM.

New OEM diff input seal, driveshaft carrier bearing, driveshaft u joint etc...

New OEM BMW shifter kit replacing every single component.

New OEM BMW motor mounts.

New OEM BMW high pressure steering line.

New all 6 rubber brake lines (OEM FTE and ATE).

New genuine Sharp LCD for navigation screen.

New all 10 trim body trim pieces (4 x Genuine BMW, 6 x aftermarket).

New BMW driver side "M5" door sill (passenger side replaced by PO)

Just did oil change #2 at around 2k miles with Liqui Moly 10W60 and took advantage to replace Vanos screen. No noticeable consumption although I'm sure it probably would use some at extended oil change intervals.

$500 woorth of brand new spare parts not installed yet (found good deals): Genuine BMW water pump, OEM Pierburg fuel pump, genuine BMW instrument cluster plastic shroud.

I'm probably forgetting some smaller items.

Few pics:

































 
See less See more
17
#4 ·
It really does. As most here know, OEM struts/ /shocks are great but they wear out relatively quickly. While they were not completely shot when I removed them, it was obvious that they lost a lot of original pressure.
 
#3 · (Edited)
Nice.
How does B6 work with the stock springs? I've heard conflicting feedback.
Is ride height higher/lower/same?

PS: Did you buy B6 for 540i? As far as I know, Bilstein officially says B6 does not fit M5.
 
#6 ·
Yes, these are for 540i according to Bilstein catalog. But, after lot of research I can pretty much say with certainty that Bilstein simply refuses to acknowledge these are direct fit for M5.
I understand that besides physical fit it's also important to consider the different weight of M5 vs 540 but I simply like the setup and I can't find any negative points.
I've done some extensive speeds and cornering and it's firmly planted.
Also, my understanding is that they use to show this as direct fit for M5 long time ago. I've installed quite a few sets of Bilsteins over the years and B6 IMO is best of both worlds: You retain stock height while switching to higher quality shocks / struts.
I've also read few reviews here where guys have don the same with positive results. Height is pretty much identical.
 
  • Like
Reactions: TexaZ3
#7 ·
Thanks.
Parts have been sources over few months watching for good deals: FCP Euro, Rm European, Parts Geek, Bavarian Autosport, ECS Tuning etc..
Some were replaced "while in there". For example, clutch was replaced before and it had about 50k miles on it but I had to replace leaking rear main and it simply made sense to refresh everything.
Also, Supersprint headers are extremely expensive in US (about $3k) but I've sourced them in UK for $2300 shipped.
 
#8 ·
$11k sounds like a lot of money until you see the new OE wheels and Supersprint exhaust stuff in the list. That's a good chunk of money that you didn't *have to* spend, the car would have been fine without those things. Just felt like pointing that out, because we as car enthusiasts think that everything we do to our cars is 100% necessary when a lot of the time it isn't.
 
#9 ·
I totally agree with your point. I wanted to bring this M5 the way I like it and it couldn't be cheap. Whenever I sell it I'm aware that I'll loose money. But any decent enthusiast will have hard time finding fault with my upgrades.
Supersprint headers are not just eye candy but major improvement over OEM exhaust system. A lot of people don't realize that OEM M5 headers while sufficient, are still quite restrictive plus the OEM exhaust system is pan flattened at 2 places which is really not good for flow.
Also, the original OEM wheels were in quite bad shape. Po was a nice guy and called himself and enthusiast but when I test drove the car brake pedal pretty much sank to the floor and he causally mentioned "there might be issue with brakes, not sure really", lol.
Anyway, I felt this car deserved everything it got and I'm just enjoining it now. i'm not going to have it sitting on the lift and worrying about value while missing on fun.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Deepan
#11 ·
Thank you.
I compared it to the removed factory one, I couldn't see any design differences. It's pretty much like driving new car since everything is new in that area.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Deepan
#13 ·
Actually, none. It barely moves, even after spirited driving. I believe the main reason is rubber trunk mat and tire cover have good friction between them plus the actual tire and wheel are not exactly light.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Deepan
#18 ·
Excellent post! Very helpful to others, while considering as noted you went far beyond just "bringing up to code."


Kudos on donut spare. That and a jack were my first purchases, have saved me twice. Really like the oil pressure gauge. Where did you re-route fog switch?
 
#19 ·
Thank you.
I didn't "have to" replace pretty badly scratched up but otherwise good straight wheels and replace complete OEM exhaust system and some other stuff. I just felt that 3 previous owners took "good" care and not "great" care which M5 deserves.
But, besides aesthetics I also \wanted to improve on technical point: OEM exhaust system is heavy pig with restricted headers and 2 flow choking points right before OEM resonators. The fact I saved 80 lbs and gained 30 HP in process is undeniable. The sound is added bonus of course. The final potential benefit is that this exhaust system will support foreced induction if I ever go that way.
Haven't connected fog lights yet. I played with an idea to do it like on my previous 540 but it's a lot of work and you have to cut holes in lower dash, post #5:
https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?2285540-External-Oil-Pressure-Gauge
I'll probably go with small aftermarket switch and integrate into slim panel next to "Sport" button for clean OEM look.
 
#20 ·
I've always wanted to have a custom gauge pod built on the dash above the monitor. I know it's kind of race-car but I think it'd be neat and functional.
 
#23 ·
Nice work! Glad to see another one fully refreshed and ready to be enjoyed!
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top