"What did you do to your E39 today V2.0."

[seagreen323i]

Am I forced to bend over and pay 500$ for a new heater control valve? I keep having bad luck with used ones.

Otherwise the oil is nice and fresh, the diff was a little low but has been changed, the belt no longer squeaks and the pulley no longer growls. Idle is much better after new spark plugs. The heater valve still leaks and I hate those things now.

Didn't get around to the transmission fluid, got too cold outside for me to wanna do that.

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[computiNATEor]

You can rebuild the heater control valve. New brushes and valves

[MotorMouth93]

If the heater valve is just leaking you can buy a seal kit for $30ish. I ultrasonic cleaned the parts of mine and put it together with new gaskets a few weeks ago and its holding up so far.

[Nfs021]

I've seen mixed reviews on rebuild kits. Maybe it depends on where you get them from?

I got an obnoxious code for my aux pump in INPA. But it works fine otherwise. Hell some guys had the same issue as me. Replaced the pump with a new BMW part and they still have the fault code!

[seagreen323i]

Well the problem is both of these valves are rebuilt. The housing is definitely cracked on one and I've yet to investigate the other.

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[StephenVA]

New or junk yard time...

[seagreen323i]

Just to clarify here I am absolutely not talking anything bad about Jim, I have purchased multiple parts and have never had an issue from any of them except this one time. Jim immediately emailed me back offering a full refund of my money and to cover shipping costs, this was at 10pm my time.

I have absolutely no issues out of the rebuilt vanos units I purchased from him or any other part.

We have to be real here, this at its newest is a 20 year old part that has had new o-rings installed. If you expect everything to go perfectly with a 20 year old plastic part living beside the exhaust headers containing 30 psi of pressure you are living in a fantasy world.

There is no drama here, I hate drama. I'm a to the point kinda guy. Jim has helped me out IMMENSELY with my 540 and honestly I'm not sure if I'd still have it today without his guidance and willingness to put up with my stupid questions.

This is a fluke, this is a once in a blue moon kind of thing to happen and I literally do not care that it happened. The issue was immediately addressed, I didn't even ask for a refund and it was offered immediately.

As far as I can tell I'm the only person that has ever had a single issue with any part Jim has sold.

Let's be real, stuff happens. That is a fact of life, it's how you clean up that matters. And this was the easiest experience I've ever had dealing with an issue, and it is EXTREMELY unlikely that anybody else will have any issues.



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[MotorMouth93]

I've seen mixed reviews on rebuild kits. Maybe it depends on where you get them from?

I was frankly shocked when my rebuild kit actually fit and didn't leak.

[Nfs021]

Yay stitching is coming apart on the steering wheel. Actually don't care, wheel needs to be replaced anyways. Leather is all worn, cracked and done for.

However it'll have to wait. Still much more other work that needs to be done such as driveshaft and rear subframe/diff bushings replacement, parking brake overhaul etc. 20230207_130300.jpg

[Jason5driver]

I was frankly shocked when my rebuild kit actually fit and didn't leak.

Link to Heater Valve repair kit ?

[seagreen323i]

Figured out the issue with the valve, all is good now.

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[MotorMouth93]

Link to Heater Valve repair kit ?

I got it on ebay a couple years ago and just recently got around to installing it. I found it in my email but the China-based seller is no longer operating it seems. I'd probably just pick a kit on Amazon and buy it.

[DrCharles]

JWe have to be real here, this at its newest is a 20 year old part that has had new o-rings installed. If you expect everything to go perfectly with a 20 year old plastic part living beside the exhaust headers containing 30 psi of pressure you are living in a fantasy world.

First thing to do is replace that ancient 2.0 bar radiator cap with a 1.4 (20 psi) which BMW recommended decades ago... and I also recommend an 88C or 95C thermostat. That will take some of the load off the plastic parts.

[MotorMouth93]

First thing to do is replace that ancient 2.0 bar radiator cap with a 1.4 (20 psi) which BMW recommended decades ago... and I also recommend an 88C or 95C thermostat. That will take some of the load off the plastic parts.

The radiator cap doesn't determine system pressure on our cars, it just determines when it vents in an over-pressure scenario. System pressure is determined by how much air is in the system and coolant temp.

[DrCharles]

The radiator cap doesn't determine system pressure on our cars, it just determines when it vents in an over-pressure scenario. System pressure is determined by how much air is in the system and coolant temp.

I know how it works. I was responding to seagreen's post where he said 30 psi. That's a 2 bar cap and a really hot system.

[philly98540]

I agree with MM.

bmw did the 2.0 cap on ours to prevent boil overs during all possible conditions with that 105-110 degree stat in there. The cooler stat can go with a lower rated cap.

[seagreen323i]

My car has the 1.2 bar cap, I doubt the doner car did. Hence the mention of the 30psi in the valve.

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[Jason5driver]

Replacing the left rear window regulator on the 528i …
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Not sure whether to remove the old sticker shields over the holes …
They look moldy and rotted …

[Nfs021]

3 years after the fact, but I'm finally going to replace the back glass. Been drving me nuts not having working defrost grids. Of course that's not my fault one of the previous owners installed god awful aftermarket tint on the car years before I got it causing the grids to be lost during it's removal.

Already got the outer seals from FCP. I am not going through my insurance because the glass is not broken or cracked. So I'd have to file a claim and pay my deductible. And I'm not doing insurance fraud lol. Plus they always insist on being cheap asses using aftermarket glass, seals, and installers that never seem to get installation right causing wind noises and leaks.

Going to have the glass shop my work uses for replacement. One of the guys there has plenty of experience replacing BMW glass and even has the special depth tool to make sure it's installed at the correct depth. Only downside is the glass went up in price. Last time I looked back in Dec, it was $347.49. It's now $464.58. Ouch! But hey it's genuine so that's all that matters and is ordered.

Oh and for those wondering "Why not just get glass from a junkyard car"? Because even the local junkyards are a crapshoot with glass. Seen plenty E39's with bad defrost lines. And many were tinted too. And this is one of those things I prefer to have new since parts are still available.

[seagreen323i]

Got a "Nickle and dime" cart ordered.

Just some general things that needed to be done

Hood support struts, trunk support struts, a jackpad that broke, wiper blades, the center black insert for the armrest, fuel door hinge has a crack in it, wires and connectors for servotronic retrofit, and driveshaft cv joint gasket because it's leaking.

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[computiNATEor]

Oh, hood struts. I need to do those, but honestly rarely need to open it these days. Next time it’s up will be for my next oil change, in all likelihood.

[SW530]

3 years after the fact, but I'm finally going to replace the back glass.

Curious what this ends up costing you and where you get the glass. Only the bottom two rows works on my rear defroster and I can see where the runs are broken in two places and I have the repair kit types (3) ready to go.. but it's the sort of project that can go south for a variety of reasons and once I set my mind on fixing the issue I won't stop even if I have to install a new rear glass and get it tinted. A rear glass that comes with a decently dark tint would be perfect..

[seagreen323i]

Oh, hood struts. I need to do those, but honestly rarely need to open it these days. Next time it’s up will be for my next oil change, in all likelihood.

Welp mine is open every other day because I abuse it. Can't blame the car, 80% of its life is spent above 4000 rpm.

If I was a smart man I'd get something else to abuse but alas hear I am.

Both of my roommates have turbo miatas and I try my best to keep up, poor 540 gets the short end of the stick.

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[Jason5driver]

Trying to install the door card after replacing the window regulator …
The cubby was completely detached from the door card panel .
Also , the inside bottom of the door card had significant dirt a mold caked to it after sitting for so many years …

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[sleuth255]

They are a pain. There's an insert in the middle of the door panel that often gets left on the door when the panel is removed. Its the primary piece that keeps the door panel from flexing when closing the door from the inside. I found I could remove that insert from the door then put it back into the slotted area of the door panel to make re-assembly go a lot quicker! It looks like BMW actually designed the door panel for this technique.