540i and 528 suspension

[ease160]

Hello all.

Could someone please tell me what suspension parts are interchangeable. My friend has new 528 control arms and other components I'd like to use on my 540i. Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks.

[shogun]

Which 5 series model? I assume it is E39, so I will move it to the E39 subforum.

Please complete the details: My Cars: 540i/6spd
model, built year, month

[edjack]

This site will help you identify interchangeable components. Why do you ask?

www.realoem.com.

[geargrinder]

x2 to the REALOEM but a tip or two might be helpful for learning / ease-of-use... some n00bz seem to take a while to figure it out...

1. For each part concerned, click through and "find it" in the diagrams, using his car (ex: "1998 528" -> "Front Axle" -> "Front Axle Support" -> "Left Tension Strut") (you can start with either car and go either way really but since its a pile of 528 parts you're wondering about might as well go that direction...)
2. Find and click on the actual part number down in the list, (ex: "31121141717")
3. That will bring you to a single page for the part, showing what chassis generations it was used on. Now click one last time on where it says "Part XXXXX was found on the following vehicles: 5' E39   (02/1995 — 12/2003)"
4. Now you will see a list of which specific cars that part crosses over for, and can look for your car - "5' E39, 540i, Sedan, M62, MANUAL, USA, (DN53)" - in that list. If that does not appear, then the part isn't common... you can confirm by independently doing the same starting w/ 540i and noting down part numbers, but I wouldn't bother...

Short story by the way:

Most everything on the front won't cross over, as the front subframe is significantly different - yours is steel, his is aluminum.
Most things on rear will cross over.

But check the specific parts that you have.

HTH.

Why do you ask?

Yeah ed he spells pretty clearly...

My friend has new 528 control arms and other components I'd like to use on my 540i.

[waters17]

I wrote out a reply to this last night, but deleted it by accident because the buttons on the mobile site don't work correctly.

To add to GG's reply, and since you asked about more than just control arms, you might also want to decode your VIN to see what suspension setup your 540i has. The 540i came with different suspension setups depending on options and year. While most of the suspension on the 540i is the same, there are some differences.

After you decode your VIN, you'll see what your suspension option is.

Suspension code examples:
S704A is the M-Sport suspension
S705A is the M-Sport II suspension

RealOEM is a great resource, but for some reason I always use the ETK site.

https://www.etkbmw.com/

https://www.bmwdecoder.com/