New E39 530i

[lucas999]

Hi everyone,

I am very excited to say that I just bought my first BMW a little less than three weeks ago. It is a 2003 530i 5M/T with the sport package and the cold weather package. I had been looking for a 2002/2003 530i sport with a stick and the cold weather package since last September. The car I bought is Jet Black and has a beige interior. It only had 128,000 miles on the clock when I bought it and has no rust whatsoever. I have checked all of the common E39 rust prone spots and found no signs of corrosion. The P.O. took very good care of the car and washed/waxed it often. He was the second owner and had owned it for 8 years. The ~500 mile road trip home after I bought the car was uneventful and went smoothly.

When I arrived to buy the car (I had a BMW guy go look at it so I had flown down to drive it home) it was in much better condition that it had seemed o be in the photos. The interior is immaculate (aside from a slightly floppy headliner on the rear pillars) and BOTH cup holders are functional. (I don't dare use them The P.O. had the water pump, radiator, and thermostat housing all replaced around 100k miles and gave me receipts to prove it. Also, he had the VCG replaced.

Unfortunately, the car does have some non-vital issues; the rear defrost doesn't work, the passenger seat heater blows a fuse, the passenger seat has the common E39 seat twist because of the detached cable, both headlight adjusters seem to be broken, the aforementioned floppy headliner on the rear pillars, and the paint on the top of the rear bumper cover is somewhat messed up because of the sun. I will be frequenting this forum to fix these problems. I have decided that, since none of them are vital, I can take my time fixing them in order of priority over the next few of months. I am most worried about the headlight adjusters, as in Maine, good-working headlights are required to pass Maine inspections (I am not sure of the exact requirements of the headlights in Maine). Luckily, the car doesn't need an inspection until next April so I have time to fix the adjusters. My car is a Nov/2002 build and I believe that I cannot bake open the headlights. I have found DIYs for these style lights for both going in from the back without taking the lens off and for cutting into the headlight housing. I am going to try the first method and hope for success. Also, the paint on the style 42 rims is coming off on the lip. I will look into options for restoring them eventually. The car has a Takata-made airbag and I have the paperwork for getting the recall done. I am worried that it will take ages to get the repair done. However, I am not too worried about driving it, as last time I checked BMW has not recorded any abnormal airbag inflations.

I also believe that many suspension components are original and are most likely due for replacement. I think that the front passenger side shock may be shot, but will do a visual inspection in the morning. Even so, the car is great to drive. It feels really solid and well made. Half the time, I have to shut the doors twice because I don't push them hard enough the first time because they are so heavy! The doors are much heavier than they are on my mom's E61 530xiT.

Overall, I am very pleased with my purchase and think that I got a great deal. The seller also included a Thule roof rack and a car cover from BavAuto. The BMW-guy I had look at the car before I flew down to get it said that the price I paid was a steal and told me that he would be interested in the car if I ever decided to sell it. I am excited to own my first BMW and am looking forward to becoming part of the community!

Best,
Lucas

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[MarcoZandrini]

The E39 chassis is considered by many experts to be BMW's best chassis ever. BMW dropped its standard V8 into this chassis and decided to not build an M5. It is that great of a car!! A lot of people here and abroad berated BMW to the point it built and sold E39 M5s. These M5s are real autobahn panzers!

Your car has the M54B30 engine. It's a jewel of an engine (I own a 2001 330Ci with this engine). The engine's only weak spot is the crankcase ventilation system (CCV). It's a bad design. I jokingly (I think!) say the CCV was designed by an engineer who'd been fired by Audi. The issue is the M54B30 engine (and only this engine) have low tension oil control rings (LTOCRs). These rings require consistent crankcase vacuum that the CCV is incapable of providing. So, if the engine starts to burn more than a quart of oil (BMW LL01) every ~750 miles you should look into an oil catch can (OCC). My car's engine, even after replacing the CCV, was burning a quart of Mobil 1 0W40 oil every 400-500 miles. Btw, the car has been meticulously maintained by me since new. I installed an oil catch can and the engine burns zero oil!

The engine can leak oil at the oil filter housing gasket (OFHG). It's a $6 part that seems to need replacement every ~50k miles. It isn't hard to change.

Good luck with the car!

[lucas999]

Thanks @MarcoZandrini

I will definitely keep track of how often I add oil and will keep track of the miles. I had to add about a quart a few days ago, but I am not sure how quickly it had lost that oil, as I have not owned the car for a very long time. I live in Maine and have read that cold weather can be especially taxing on the CCV system, so that will be something I will keep an eye on. I assume that leaking oil would be visible if there is a bad oil filter housing gasket. I will take a close look at it. It is probably not a bad idea for me to replace it whether is it bad or not if it is a simple job and the part is that cheap.

I jokingly (I think!) say the CCV was designed by an engineer who'd been fired by Audi.

That sounds about right! Haha.

Thanks!

[XAlt]

Great car. Seat twist should be manageable but remember to disconnect the battery before. Remember not to put anything on top of the seat when it's heated or you'll get a nice tint job. Tape up your jack points, wind enters and destroys your headliner from there and the factory ones are road debris at this point.

Broken adjusters on a 2003 are an easy excuse to upgrade to some Umunitza or however it's spelled. Pretty sure the suicide bags were only on last gen Camries.

[MarcoZandrini]

Glad you like it!

Yeah, keep track of oil burning. Anything more than a quart every 1000 miles is excessive.Also, check for leaks. The oil filter housing gasket is a common leak as is the valve cover gasket. BMW changed th VCG material a couple of years ago. The new ones are very good as they seem to last much longer. If you decide to replace the VCG, buy the 13 grommets.

[lucas999]

Tape up your jack points, wind enters and destroys your headliner from there and the factory ones are road debris at this point.

I would imagine that will be extra important for me to do living in Maine with all the salt on the roads in the winter. Thanks!

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Broken adjusters on a 2003 are an easy excuse to upgrade to some Umunitza or however it's spelled. Pretty sure the suicide bags were only on last gen Camries.

I think I will have to wait to go Umnitza until after I get the other little problems sorted... although it is tempting! The airbag problem affects many makes and models around the world and more keep getting added to the recall. Here is a link to a Car and Driver thing about the recall: http://blog.caranddriver.com/massive...vehicles/#list I have read that it is only for the sport package e39s with the round airbags (that is why 02s and 03s are the only e39s on the list).

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Glad you like it!

Yeah, keep track of oil burning. Anything more than a quart every 1000 miles is excessive.Also, check for leaks. The oil filter housing gasket is a common leak as is the valve cover gasket. BMW changed th VCG material a couple of years ago. The new ones are very good as they seem to last much longer. If you decide to replace the VCG, buy the 13 grommets.

I have recently noticed a slow oil drip from the plastic panel under the car. I will look more closely at the oil filter housing where the gasket it and hope it is the cause. Thanks!

[MarcoZandrini]

I'm betting the OFHG is bad. While you're in there you might as well replace the VANOS pressure hose and its 4 crush washers. It resides above the OFH.

The OFH is held in place with 6 bolts. They are of differing lengths. You do not want to reinstall them in the wrong places!!! Use a piece of cardboard with holes corresponding to the bolts' location. Buy the gasket at the dealer as this will ensure you're getting a gasket made of the latest material. Thoroughly clean both mating surfaces. If you're doing this outside you can use CRC Brake Clean. Nasty but effective stuff. As this will be the first time replacing the OFHG I suggest you practice reinstalling the OFH without the OFHG so as not to disturb the gasket when you install the OFH for real. I put a verrrry thin bead of high temp RTV on the OFH, outboard of the gasket. I allow it to set up and then carefully install the OFH. Do not over torque the bolts as they are steel and the block is aluminum.

[Jwohl]

Dear Sir,

I love your new ride! Classical. Thumbs up!

[lucas999]

I'm betting the OFHG is bad. While you're in there you might as well replace the VANOS pressure hose and its 4 crush washers. It resides above the OFH.

The OFH is held in place with 6 bolts. They are of differing lengths. You do not want to reinstall them in the wrong places!!! Use a piece of cardboard with holes corresponding to the bolts' location. Buy the gasket at the dealer as this will ensure you're getting a gasket made of the latest material. Thoroughly clean both mating surfaces. If you're doing this outside you can use CRC Brake Clean. Nasty but effective stuff. As this will be the first time replacing the OFHG I suggest you practice reinstalling the OFH without the OFHG so as not to disturb the gasket when you install the OFH for real. I put a verrrry thin bead of high temp RTV on the OFH, outboard of the gasket. I allow it to set up and then carefully install the OFH. Do not over torque the bolts as they are steel and the block is aluminum.

Thanks! I think this will be the first project I do on this car. Thanks for the tips!

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Dear Sir,

I love your new ride! Classical. Thumbs up!

Thanks!

[BimmerBreaker]

OEM headlights are the best quality, Id fix those before going aftermarket. Car looks good

[M5CHOTT]

You will be happy with your purchase for a long time to come! They are excellent cars, and smart to go with the m/t! I've had nothing but good experience with the s54b30 engine and the e39 chassis is so timeless! I actually just bought another e39 Friday...
Cheers!
M5chott