My E39 tried to kill me yesterday

[ferguscan]

Hi all,

So, I'm on the on-ramp, fixing to merge onto the freeway. All of a sudden (without any warning or noise) my car starts swerving on the road, and is very difficult to control.

I manage to pull over onto the grass, and get out of the car. I see that the right rear wheel is completely askew.

I get it towed to the garage, where they show me what happened. The ball-joint on my wishbone (control arm?) had completely separated. The ball had come out of the joint! See number 18:

488910

The joint never made a noise before separating, and I never touched it.

That's it for me and BMW (at least for now). I have kids (luckily they weren't in the car at the time) and can't take chances on this stuff. I'm off to buy a WRX :)

Good luck everyone, and I hope this doesn't happen to you.

Stuart

[AnotherGeezer]

Those parts (and most of the bushing loaded parts) need to replaced by at least 120k. How many miles did those particular parts have on them?

That's a fairly rare failure point but I think someone has experienced that before in at least one topic.

[sealbeach740]

Truly glad no one was hurt, especially the kids.
You do have to realize you're talking about an 18 year old car. I would tend to think if it was inspected regularily (which any car 18+ years old should be) that the bad joint would have been found.

Of course a much newer car won't give you problems like that, but I would think almost any 18 year old car will have its issues - some worse, some not as bad, but issues none the less.

Best of luck with the WRX.

[Fuddy]

yeah because WRX's don't use ball joints

[Only1Balto]

Glad no ones hurt, but I'd just replace the 18 year old worn part and keep driving on. I'm sure this is a very rare occasion as its the first time I've ever heard of anything like it happen. If it happened more often I'm sure BMW would not be known for their craftsmanship and reliability. No telling what would have happened if the same thing happened in a scooby...

I had one of my SRT-4's throttle cable snap when I was getting onto the freeway and the car went WOT. Stranger things have happened in cars.

[DatTugrut]

This is a common problem on old Toyota Tacoma and 4runners. They have time after time been proven to be extremely tough and reliable trucks. You cant blame the lack of preventive maintenance/repairs on the whole car.

[16valex]

It is probably ebay's el cheapo he used.

[aspensilver540]

Glad no ones hurt, but I'd just replace the 18 year old worn part and keep driving on. I'm sure this is a very rare occasion as its the first time I've ever heard of anything like it happen. If it happened more often I'm sure BMW would not be known for their craftsmanship and reliability. No telling what would have happened if the same thing happened in a scooby...


BMW is not known for reliability.

Best of luck to OP, but with old cars get everything inspected!

[RuskiE39]

I'm sure your kids will be much safer in a WRX :)
After all, BMW's are definitely not known for their safety!

[s14b23]

Very Funny that ppl like these are even registered on the forum;) I'm sure he never replaced/inspected it and most likely it was el cheapo crp or smbdy restored ball joints before selling a car:) you know how??
Simply if you have a play in the joint hit it hard with a hammer few times. Believe it or not it's gonna be ok for 1-2kmls.
E39 is a well made solid car, which simply needs maintenance, it takes only a second to realize what piece of sht Subaru is when you open a door, needles to say any small accident in Subaru can make you disabled or even worse. Ask mechanics about famous Subaru head issues and be happy with I6, which can last 200k easy.

[Only1Balto]

BMW is not known for reliability.

Best of luck to OP, but with old cars get everything inspected!


Really? Dang I thought so... so many old bimmers around here its ridiculous

[AnotherGeezer]

He means his car. :D

[ferguscan]

Thanks for the thoughtful replies everyone (well, most of you).

No current-model (2008 or newer) Scoobies in my vicinity. I'm starting to re-think my divorce from BMW :)

I definitely need to get rid of my current car. 120k with original suspension, but it's incorrect to characterise it as poorly maintained. I've done tons of stuff to this car, including:

- misbehaving alarm sensors
- vanos seals
- trans fluid
- diff fluid
- entire cooling system
- most every gasket in the engine
- fuel pump
- CCV
- wheel bearings (front and back)
- drive shaft CV joint
- half shafts

and the list goes on :)

The old girl is just too much work (and danger) for me to handle.

I'm wondering though, if I shouldn't go look at an 04 545i, or an 07 335i

Any suggestions or helpful feedback?

Thanks,

Stuart

[Evilyeti]

Glad no ones hurt, but I'd just replace the 18 year old worn part and keep driving on. I'm sure this is a very rare occasion as its the first time I've ever heard of anything like it happen. If it happened more often I'm sure BMW would not be known for their craftsmanship and reliability. No telling what would have happened if the same thing happened in a scooby...

I had one of my SRT-4's throttle cable snap when I was getting onto the freeway and the car went WOT. Stranger things have happened in cars.


Wouldn't be surprised if the suspension components are that old if he manages to almost lose a wheel, but things like this have NOTHING to do with the car's brand, this is called non existing maintenence.
But regarding bmw and reliability... those two words don't go together.


And to OP:

You should probably take the bus instead if you can't even keep an E39 maintained enough, to not lose suspension components during your commute.

[ferguscan]

Wouldn't be surprised if the suspension components are that old if he manages to almost lose a wheel, but things like this have NOTHING to do with the car's brand, this is called non existing maintenence.
But regarding bmw and reliability... those two words don't go together.


And to OP:

You should probably take the bus instead if you can't even keep an E39 maintained enough, to not lose suspension components during your commute.

** Your claims of non-existent maintenance are BS. See repairs list above. Some more items I can think of:

- cam sensor
- crank sensor
- all four wheel speed sensors
- traction control throttle actuator
- brake pads and sensors
- transmission selector cable snapped

EDIT: of course the above list doesn't include "normal" maintenance items that have also been done, like engine oil, air filters, spark plugs, fuel filter, etc...

and the list goes on and on. Care to share what you've had to do to your car?

[RuskiE39]

** Your claims of non-existent maintenance are BS. See repairs list above. Some more items I can think of:

- cam sensor
- crank sensor
- all four wheel speed sensors
- traction control throttle actuator
- brake pads and sensors
- transmission selector cable snapped

EDIT: of course the above list doesn't include "normal" maintenance items that have also been done, like engine oil, air filters, spark plugs, fuel filter, etc...

and the list goes on and on. Care to share what you've had to do to your car?

What do all those components have to do with suspension parts? :rolleyes


Very Funny that ppl like these are even registered on the forum;) I'm sure he never replaced/inspected it and most likely it was el cheapo crp or smbdy restored ball joints before selling a car:) you know how??
Simply if you have a play in the joint hit it hard with a hammer few times. Believe it or not it's gonna be ok for 1-2kmls.
E39 is a well made solid car, which simply needs maintenance, it takes only a second to realize what piece of sht Subaru is when you open a door, needles to say any small accident in Subaru can make you disabled or even worse. Ask mechanics about famous Subaru head issues and be happy with I6, which can last 200k easy.

:lol:buttrock

[Evilyeti]

I suppose you don't have a mandatory "inspection" or TÜV or something that you need to pass?

I've always considered control arms and tie rods and ball joints(if seperate from control arm) normal wear and tear items and if any of them show symptoms of wear, replaced them. Unless you replace everything at the same time, you'll always have something to replace every year :)
Afterall they're pretty cheap, easy to replace and they keep your wheels attatched to the car.

[ferguscan]

I suppose you don't have a mandatory "inspection" or TÜV or something that you need to pass?

I've always considered control arms and tie rods and ball joints(if seperate from control arm) normal wear and tear items and if any of them show symptoms of wear, replaced them. Unless you replace everything at the same time, you'll always have something to replace every year :)
Afterall they're pretty cheap, easy to replace and they keep your wheels attatched to the car.

** No mandatory inspections. And that's a good tip. Certainly how I will approach my cars from now on.

[ezbmr]

Probably found out you were seeing other cars..women will do that to you.


I got to find some time to get two boxes full of lemforder parts installed in my car. Looking forward to it. My car has been pissed...she will not be ignored. Except for shocks my rear suspension is original and angry..

[woolshire]

First, we are all glad nobody was injured and as a bonus, the car wasn't damaged further.
You have done a lot of maintenence to the car, and the suspension work isn't that hard, especially with the excellent DIY's that we appreciate people putting together for us.
I suggest working your way through the suspension, prioritizing before you start. I worked my way through mine over the last three years. Front and back all fresh now and the car drives and rides superbly. Sounds like you might want to start with the front end control arms (control and thrust) and end links. But check out all suspension components, front and rear, first.

[IndiansFan]

Stuart:
You have already replaced many items that are common and necessary with E39's, except the suspension components. Replace them and keep driving. Google Inspection I and Inspection II if you do not know about them. They will give you a good basis of what to do and when.

Your "old girl" is really only at mid life. With what you have already replaced, I would not consider your car to be dangerous and or time to replace. Many come here asking advice about purchasing cars with 120-150K miles. I put 275K miles on my e34 before I sold it. I gave it to my daughter at 225K miles because I knew she would safe it it. My 528iT just turned over 250K miles last month.

I will not slam you as some others have, but rather tell you that in 15 years and 300K miles of driving these cars, I have never felt unsafe and only had to be towed from the freeway once.

Driving an old car, be it a BMW or Ford, requires the ability to listen to you car thru your ears, hands and seat of the pants.

Good luck with which ever road you decide to pursue.

[ross1]

Hi all,

So, I'm on the on-ramp, fixing to merge onto the freeway. All of a sudden (without any warning or noise) my car starts swerving on the road, and is very difficult to control.

I manage to pull over onto the grass, and get out of the car. I see that the right rear wheel is completely askew.

I get it towed to the garage, where they show me what happened. The ball-joint on my wishbone (control arm?) had completely separated. The ball had come out of the joint! See number 18:

488910

The joint never made a noise before separating, and I never touched it.

That's it for me and BMW (at least for now). I have kids (luckily they weren't in the car at the time) and can't take chances on this stuff. I'm off to buy a WRX :)

Good luck everyone, and I hope this doesn't happen to you.

Stuart

Really? :rolleyes Your 18 year old car (with how many miles?)breaks and you blame the brand. Try an inspection every decade or so, your kids will appreciate it.
Let us know how that Subaru works out in 18 years.

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[ferguscan]

Probably found out you were seeing other cars..women will do that to you.


I got to find some time to get two boxes full of lemforder parts installed in my car. Looking forward to it. My car has been pissed...she will not be ignored. Except for shocks my rear suspension is original and angry..

** Quick! Replace it now, before something falls off! :)

- - - Updated - - -


Really? :rolleyes Your 18 year old car (with how many miles?)breaks and you blame the brand. Try an inspection every decade or so, your kids will appreciate it.
Let us know how that Subaru works out in 18 years.

- - - Updated - - -

** 120K miles. I've done a lot of maintenance on this car (hadn't replaced the suspension, though it was on my list). Truth is, I love it still. But I can't keep up with its demands.

Even if I switch to something Japanese (not a certainty - I do still have a 335i in the back of my mind), I'll be back to BMW one day. I'm sure of it.

[ross1]

** Quick! Replace it now, before something falls off! :)

- - - Updated - - -



** 120K miles. I've done a lot of maintenance on this car (hadn't replaced the suspension, though it was on my list). Truth is, I love it still. But I can't keep up with its demands.

Even if I switch to something Japanese (not a certainty - I do still have a 335i in the back of my mind), I'll be back to BMW one day. I'm sure of it.

If you like the way this car is/drives/looks etc. then just inspect it, determine it's needs then do the repairs at once rather than waiting for failures. You might not be so lucky next time.
Went through this with my wife's E39 a year and a half ago. It cost a couple G's to put it back in top shape. Certainly cheaper than a replacement and is "the devil you know".
A big spend hurt but is vastly superior to being nickel and dimed and inconvenienced with many small failures.
Suit yourself but if you like this car's manners you'll likely NOT enjoy a Subaru.

[sealbeach740]

** Quick! Replace it now, before something falls off! :)

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** 120K miles. I've done a lot of maintenance on this car (hadn't replaced the suspension, though it was on my list). Truth is, I love it still. But I can't keep up with its demands.

Even if I switch to something Japanese (not a certainty - I do still have a 335i in the back of my mind), I'll be back to BMW one day. I'm sure of it.

You do bring up a good point. BMWs (especially as they age) do require quite a bit of maintenance to keep them road worthy. Probably more than any Japanese car (but probably similar to other German cars). It's usually a decision on whether one wants to the enjoyment of driving a German car & will put up with the constance maintenance, or, if they would rather have less maintenance/issues to deal with, but drive a much less inspiring car.

Judging by how many people leave the BMW family, only to come back later, these cars do have a unique draw to them....

[RuskiE39]

OP, what have you learned from this thread? :)

[alpinweib]

I have not heard of this type of failure before, at least not on this forum anyway. It's pretty rare, and if it happened to me i would consider myself lucky and take it as a sign to replace the suspension and keep driving the car, not to get rid of the car...but maybe that's just me.

For reference, my car had 225K miles on ALL original suspension before I replaced it. 120K hardly seems like much.

[eohagan]

yeah because WRX's don't use ball joints

:rofl:

-kid

[ferguscan]

Thanks again for the input everyone. I'm definitely selling the car. I will almost certainly get another BMW in the future, but this one has to go. Too much bad blood.

Either way, I still have to fix the suspension before selling it. I'm not going to go nuts and replace everything though. Could anyone suggest a list of components that are safety critical? I would think:

- two upper arms on each side at the rear
- tie rods at the front

and no doubt some of the arms at the front too.

What say you?

[cnn]

You blame BMW safety for your failure to do an inspection?
This part would have been detected during a routine inspection!

Detail in the thread below:

1998 BMW 528i Complete REAR Suspension Overhaul
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?1662186-1998-BMW-528i-Complete-REAR-Suspension-Overhaul

[LTBU]

ITT: OP wants safer car; sells german bmw artillery tank.

If you've done all of the aforementioned maintenance, then aside from your suspension, the car should be in pretty good shape. Whats the point of all that work if you're just gonna give up towards the latter stages of work? As others have mentioned, you can't blame the brand simply because you didn't do your inspections

Ps: My car (http://i.imgur.com/tDwKSID.jpg) vs Jap car (http://i.imgur.com/3gBB7m7.jpg)

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yeah because WRX's don't use ball joints

Ball joints don't exist outside of Germany duhh

[Evilyeti]

Well, if you're going to sell it anyway, i'd say the best bet is to inspect the components before you rush to replacing everything. It would save the new owner some occasional work, if you just repalce everything, but cheapskate like i am, i would just replace the parts that need replacement.

It's pretty easy to get a feel of what stuff is worn when you have the car on a lift. Have a friend shake the wheel by hand in different directions(using two hands ofc) while you feel the ball joints, if you feel even a slight slack in any ball joint, you need to replace it(meaning you replace the control arm). The same shakedown method applies to tie rods and stabilizer links. Don't forget there's an inner joint on the tie rods also, under the rubber boot.

Edit: Video refrence http://www.youtube.com/v/scFbb43fwqk?version=3&start=357&end=383&autoplay=1&hl (http://www.youtube.com/v/scFbb43fwqk?version=3&start=357&end=382&autoplay=1&hl)

Regarding control arm bushings, just take a small pry bar to have some leverage and see how much deflection the bushes show, it should be pretty easy to understand how much deflection is normal i suppose. Also if the bushings have cracks(i wouldn't care much about small hariline cracks if it doesn't show much deflection), they probably are about to fall to pieces.

The big frame bushings on the rear axle are probably harder to inspect, i have not had a reason to suspect them on my E39 yet as they've been replaced shortly before i bought the car.

But i do imagine that you're not that mechanically inclined to do this yourself, so your best bet is to take the car to a mechanic and tell him to inspect the suspension components for what needs to be replaced.

[RVAE34]

yeah because WRX's don't use ball joints

This lol

Suspension components should be done as preventative maintenance.

[gmak]

Thanks for the thoughtful replies everyone (well, most of you).

No current-model (2008 or newer) Scoobies in my vicinity. I'm starting to re-think my divorce from BMW :)

I definitely need to get rid of my current car. 120k with original suspension, but it's incorrect to characterise it as poorly maintained. I've done tons of stuff to this car, including:

- misbehaving alarm sensors
- vanos seals
- trans fluid
- diff fluid
- entire cooling system
- most every gasket in the engine
- fuel pump
- CCV
- wheel bearings (front and back)
- drive shaft CV joint
- half shafts

and the list goes on :)

The old girl is just too much work (and danger) for me to handle.

I'm wondering though, if I shouldn't go look at an 04 545i, or an 07 335i

Any suggestions or helpful feedback?

Thanks,

Stuart

I'm glad no one was hurt. The minute after I get back from being under my car, I'll be looking for the ad. :cool

[Navymr]

My brother was killed in a honda wearing his seat belt. Engine came Into driver seat and crushed him. His girlfriend walked away due to no seatbelt and ended up on the hood of the car. I have bought nothing but bmws solely on safety and comfort of course. A good friend of mine has totaled 3 (e30,e38,e39) none his fault one t-boned driver side, one hit head on. Walked away without a scratch in all of them. I've pulled lots of parts from totaled bmws in scrapyards and not once did I say to myself "they didn't walk away from that one". Yea they need a little maintenance but they all do. I know after 3 years of driving my 20 year old bmw what has maintained and what hasn't. For that reason I'm sticking with her. I cracked a head put a new one on myself and still running over 200k miles strong.

[ferguscan]

You blame BMW safety for your failure to do an inspection?
This part would have been detected during a routine inspection!

Detail in the thread below:

1998 BMW 528i Complete REAR Suspension Overhaul
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?1662186-1998-BMW-528i-Complete-REAR-Suspension-Overhaul

** There's no doubt that this was my fault. I should have taken a pry bar to the suspension during inspections.

If it was just the ball joint, I would replace the suspension and move on. But a ridiculous list of things has gone wrong on this car.

This is the straw that broke the camel's back :)

I will be back to BMW, but for now I need a newer Japanese car. One that doesn't consume so much of my life :)

I have looked at your rear suspension DIY, and was already planning to do it. Can you recommend which parts are safety-critical? Even if I'm selling, I will need to make the car safe.

Thanks very much!

EDIT: by the way, I never meant to imply that BMW is unsafe in general. Only that my car, in particular, is unsafe.

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My brother was killed in a honda wearing his seat belt. Engine came Into driver seat and crushed him. His girlfriend walked away due to no seatbelt and ended up on the hood of the car. I have bought nothing but bmws solely on safety and comfort of course. A good friend of mine has totaled 3 (e30,e38,e39) none his fault one t-boned driver side, one hit head on. Walked away without a scratch in all of them. I've pulled lots of parts from totaled bmws in scrapyards and not once did I say to myself "they didn't walk away from that one". Yea they need a little maintenance but they all do. I know after 3 years of driving my 20 year old bmw what has maintained and what hasn't. For that reason I'm sticking with her. I cracked a head put a new one on myself and still running over 200k miles strong.

** I'm very sorry to hear about your brother.

[Aryana]

An old BMW is not a car...it is a lifestyle. :D I've already spent $3k in parts on mine and I've only had it for a few months. I enjoy working on it though and pretty soon it will be good to go for another 10 years/100k miles.

[zM3]

If it was just the ball joint, I would replace the suspension and move on. But a ridiculous list of things has gone wrong on this car.


OP, you didn't mention if you're the original owner of the car?

A friend of mine just had to replace a ball joint on the verge of failure on a Ford Focus with 99k miles. Only one side (front right)...other side is fine. This is not a typical failure for a Focus with that mileage (as a single data point, I have one with 120k miles and the ball joints are not on the verge of failure). It's possibly related to the fact that she hit a huge pothole and/or curb with the right front wheel around 1k miles before coincidentally having the suspension inspected (and verified by a second mechanic).

My point is this - if you're not the original owner, who knows what happened to your E39 before you got it. If you *are* the original owner and are now about to buy a used car to replace it, be sure to get a very thorough PPI (regardless of car brand) - and even with that, be ready for a surprise or two down the road, which can happen to any car (reliability is just statistics, not guarantees).

[1998323idriver]

yeah because WRX's don't use ball joints

Lol...

[1998323idriver]

yeah because WRX's don't use ball joints

Or any other moving and wearing suspension components.

[robhoy]

Wow, there are a lot of hardasses on this forum. The OP clearly stated that he performed a lot of maintenance. I had something even worse happen to me in a Honda CRX. Front lower control arm snapped with no warning. Luckily it was not at speed so I didn't flip. Scared the bejesus out of me and never felt comfortable driving that car again. And I'm not ignorant of cars or their maintenance. But finally I did get another CRX and greatly enjoy it when I'm not driving the BMW. So OP, I understand where you're coming from. Though I do agree with others that a newer BMW would def be safer than a WRX... Anyway, good luck out there!

[Aryana]

You lost me at CRX...

[spitfire23]

He'll be back to BMW in no time flat..... nothing compares to it. I've owned and driven plenty of other cars (read: cheated on ) but the only true love of my life are BMWs..soulmates since I was 8. And I've always come crawling right back.. lol.. I think about having affairs when I have to "make it rain" on the parts stores especially now with an active tranny issue... but this time I'm committed..while also becoming quite handy at the same time.. don't wanna be a playa no mo.. lol.

[Sigil750il]

Replaced my rear ball joints little over two weeks ago. To say they were shot is putting it mildly. You could move it with little resistance in all three dimensions, and the rubber was torn. Essentially, my rear wheels were wobbling like crazy, and it caused some serious tramlining. Looking back, I'm lucky it didn't catastrophically fail and separate while I was driving. I'm fairly confident that they were never replaced in the car's entire life (Build date 09/00, so its 13 years old now). I just hit 124,000 miles. A 120,000 mile service life sounds about right, but err on the side of caution and check them regularly, especially if you start noticing stability issues. It can also mess with your alignment, so don't get one done with worn ball joints, or it'll just wobble it out of alignment again.


From a service standpoint, ball joints in the rear are stupid. They're insanely difficult to remove and put back in, and the access alone is grueling. It's almost as if BMW specifically designed them to be nonremovable. IMO, the performance benefits they provide don't outweigh the drawbacks.

[91318foundation]

BMW - bring money weekly

[sealbeach740]

ferguscan - I have to give you props for taking an e-beating over some missing maintenance on your E39. You've handled the jabs (mine included) with a sense of humor & didn't resort to name calling (like many others have).

If you do decide to get rid of this car, I hope you find another down the road & come back to this site & let us know how you're doing.

[bmb527]

Weather it has tits, wings or wheels, it is going to break down on you! You have already spent a bundle on maintenance, so why not just do the suspension overhaul and keep on keepin' on? You could take it to any shop and have them give the suspension the once over. Replace the parts they say are worn, and then plan and budget the rest to be done soon.
I find it funny that people say BMW's aren't known for reliability. I have been around them for decades, I have owned my own for 4 years. Regular maintenance is the key. I am a stickler for inspections and when I find something is wearing out, it gets replaced. I have never been left walking, or in need of a tow yet. The E39 is a fantastic car, great performance and gorgeous looks. They are well worth the effort to keep going.

[Sigil750il]

Weather it has tits, wings or wheels, it is going to break down on you! You have already spent a bundle on maintenance, so why not just do the suspension overhaul and keep on keepin' on? You could take it to any shop and have them give the suspension the once over. Replace the parts they say are worn, and then plan and budget the rest to be done soon.
I find it funny that people say BMW's aren't known for reliability. I have been around them for decades, I have owned my own for 4 years. Regular maintenance is the key. I am a stickler for inspections and when I find something is wearing out, it gets replaced. I have never been left walking, or in need of a tow yet. The E39 is a fantastic car, great performance and gorgeous looks. They are well worth the effort to keep going.


^This. BMWs get an (undeserved) rap for being unreliable, expensive and a hassle to own. They need regular maintenance, same as every other car, whether its a $5000 Toyota or a $1,200,000 Bugatti. Apparently, people don't realize this, and whine when their BMW breaks down. While BMWs are mechanically complex, its because they're well made. Keep up with maintenance and its a great car to drive.

[Aryana]

I've had quite a few Japanese cars that I took to over 300k miles, and none felt as nice as my e34 when it had 350k on the clock. I completely stopped doing maintenance on it for the last 50k too...only oil changes. It never left me stranded in 20 years.

[jstern]

PO-Sorry to read about your suspension failure and glad no one war hurt. No pry bars needed to check ball and socket joints on BMWs-ball joints, tie rod ends, sway bar links, etc. Jack up the car, let the suspension hang and squeeze each ball & socket joint with a pair of 16" adjusting pliers. If you see any movement in the joint when you squeeze, replace it.

[DailyDSM]

A neglected car can't be blamed on the manufacturer. My 2000 M5 just ticked past 220k miles, was severely neglected by previous owners, and the car is still quite reliable. That being said, I will be taking a close look at all suspension componenets this weekend.

[ferguscan]

Some readers of this thread might be happy to know that my work circumstances changed yesterday. I am no longer getting rid of the BMW. And I'm happy about it :)

I have ordered the parts for Cam's excellent suspension DIYs. Both front and back.

I will install them, and get my car thoroughly inspected by an indy mechanic.

I will post the results.

Thanks everyone, for your suggestions and comments. Long live the E39! :)

[Aryana]

Glad to hear it and good luck with the suspension rebuild.

[alpinweib]

Some readers of this thread might be happy to know that my work circumstances changed yesterday. I am no longer getting rid of the BMW. And I'm happy about it :)

I have ordered the parts for Cam's excellent suspension DIYs. Both front and back.

I will install them, and get my car thoroughly inspected by an indy mechanic.

I will post the results.

Thanks everyone, for your suggestions and comments. Long live the E39! :)

good to hear! You won't regret it!