Danny's Japan Rot 540i Touring Thread

[Dking078]

Are those from FCP? G.A.S. makes some nice mono ball control arms also.

Nope. lemforders were from autohauzAZ, which I could technically warranty. but I swore to never to a TAB job solo again

https://www.ecwid.com/store/mhe/#!/S...egory=13660413

Yearly maintenance be dammed, I just want something the WORKS (and take some canyon beatings). this is my 3 pair of rubbers

[scottieducati]

great write up there.


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[computiNATEor]

Nope. lemforders were from autohauzAZ, which I could technically warranty. but I swore to never to a TAB job solo again

https://www.ecwid.com/store/mhe/#!/S...egory=13660413

Yearly maintenance be dammed, I just want something the WORKS (and take some canyon beatings). this is my 3 pair of rubbers

I'm very happy with my Syncro Design Works monoball bearing front control arms. Available from FCP Euro.

[dannyzabolotny]

Weird... I have Lemforder arms with PFlex black thrust bushings and can’t say NVH is an issue at all.... would imagine the Meyle HD would be even softer.

I do reckon my bushes will need frequent re-greasing though to keep things quiet.

The Meyle HD arms were awful from day one, honestly. Way too much NVH through the steering wheel and they always had the 50-65 shimmy to some extent, regardless of how I had them installed (I reinstalled them like 3 times just to see if I could make them work better). I don't know what it is about my touring but it just doesn't like stiffer bushings. The rear end feels like crap with the Meyle HD subframe bushings as well.

Yeah, I feel no increased nvh with Meyle HD X5 bushing. Smooth sailing and a tad better steering response.

I immediately felt increased NVH when I installed the Meyle HD arms, and they've never felt right to me. Might be because my touring is pretty low and on 18's? It's always had a rather firm ride, and on rough roads (which are all I drive on), the Meyle HD thrust arms were way too annoying, like the steering wheel would jerk around endlessly.

It may be just me... but one of my lemforders failed within 3k miles. (circumstances of which are... questionable so it may be an isolated case)

Truth be told im done with rubber TABs. I'm going with Mooseheads next.

I had a set of Lemforder thrust arms where the bushings failed after about 10k miles, but since I have everything from FCP Euro I can just keep swapping out Lemforders until the end of time. With the coilovers, there's excellent access to replace the thrust arms and I can do a pair in about an hour at this point.

With how rough the Meyle HD bushings felt, I can't imagine monoballs would feel any better.

--------

Today, Graham and I installed the new pair of Lemforder thrust arms. Since the touring has coilovers it was actually a lot easier than previous installations, due to all the extra space from the smaller coilover shock body. I didn't have to loosen the strut pinch bolt and drop the strut to gain access to the ball joint nuts, which was awesome and saved a lot of time. The Meyle HD arms looked to be in pretty good shape in terms of the bushings, but the ball joints were quite loose... I wonder if the ball joints ended up wearing more due to the stiffer bushings. Or maybe the ball joints used in the Meyle HD arms are of a lower quality, hmmm...

With the Lemforder thrust arms installed, the ride feels significantly better in the front, with significantly reduced tramlining, NVH, and shaking. The 50-65mph shimmy that I've been complaining about for ages is completely gone! Now I can do smooth 0-80 pulls on highway on-ramps without having the steering wheel shaking my hands loose. Handling doesn't seem to be any worse, so I'm calling this a win! Even if I need to replace the Lemforder arms more often, it's worth it for the nicer ride and lack of shimmy.

Next up is to replace the rear subframe bushings— currently I had Meyle HD bushings installed there and I'm not pleased with them. Bumps are very harsh and crashy in the rear, regardless of what I have the Konis adjusted to. Lemforder subframe bushings will probably improve that considerably, and at that point the de-stiffening of the touring will be mostly complete.

It's weird because I've installed Meyle HD stuff on other cars with no issues, but my touring seems to hate that stuff. It had a very stiff ride to begin with, and the HD stuff just made it worse. So I figure going back to stock will be a good way to reset things to factory specs so I can enjoy the touring on road trips again instead of being shaken and bumped to death.

[dannyzabolotny]

I'm also thinking about maybe raising the ride height a little bit in the front... it looks cool with the front so low but it doesn't quite match the rear, and the rear is about as low as I'd want it to be considering how little suspension travel it has at this point, plus the potential risk of rubbing under load.



Bonus picture, I helped a friend wash his Z3 S54 M-Roadster today, and snapped a pic to show the difference between Imola Red and Japan Red. You can see how Japan Red is brighter and has more orange tones as opposed to the more straightforward red of Imola Red.

[computiNATEor]

Japan > Imola, IMO.

[scottieducati]

I definitely notice the PF black subframe bushings but man does it keep the back end tight. Smooth over anything save for hard edges like expansion joints, chunks of missing tarmac, etc. my setup has so few miles on it though, so I’ll have to save judgement till she lives through the winter.


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[itsbrokeagain]

Danny, 10 bucks says those ball joints were the cause of all your shaking. My truck has PF thrust arm bushings in the front and I developed a shimmy after a long road trip to Albany, and when I took a look at the front ballboints and the lower control arms, the joints on those too were junk. OE equipment dead at 155k miles. Now doing 80+ is a non issue.

I think Meyles can be fine, but make sure the rest of the suspension is in good working order, or your brand new parts end up taking a beating. Most people neglect to check their ballboints it seems.

[dannyzabolotny]

Japan > Imola, IMO.

Agreed, it’s far more unique. I do get tired of sounding like a total snob every time I correct somebody... “um, it’s actually Japan Red, not Imola Red, k?”

I definitely notice the PF black subframe bushings but man does it keep the back end tight. Smooth over anything save for hard edges like expansion joints, chunks of missing tarmac, etc. my setup has so few miles on it though, so I’ll have to save judgement till she lives through the winter.

That’s kinda how the Meyle HD subframe bushings are... smooth on good roads and hell on bad roads. Due to the heat here, the highways have expansion joints every few feet, so it’s like a constant BUMP BUMP BUMP with these. It gets a little annoying. It’s less of an issue when I’m on a road trip on a highway with smooth asphalt, but the majority of my driving is local where the roads are not very smooth.

Fun fact, the Meyle HD subframe bushings on my car used to be on your car, I bought them from the previous owner— he didn’t like how they felt on that car. That probably should have tipped me off but it was a good deal so I went for it.

[dannyzabolotny]

Danny, 10 bucks says those ball joints were the cause of all your shaking. My truck has PF thrust arm bushings in the front and I developed a shimmy after a long road trip to Albany, and when I took a look at the front ballboints and the lower control arms, the joints on those too were junk. OE equipment dead at 155k miles. Now doing 80+ is a non issue.

I think Meyles can be fine, but make sure the rest of the suspension is in good working order, or your brand new parts end up taking a beating. Most people neglect to check their ballboints it seems.

The rest of the suspension is 100% brand new Lemforder stuff: control arms front and back, tie rods, center link, sway bar links, it’s all new. The Meyle HD arms were purchased brand new, that’s why it was so surprising to see the wear on the ball joints since those were new with the arms.

Supposedly the Meyle HD parts are better, but maybe it was only the bushing side that was reinforced and the ball joints were still the cheap usual Meyle quality. That would explain why people with the Meyle HD bushings pressed into Lemforder arms may have had better luck with them.

[dannyzabolotny]

Today I had some free time so Graham and I swapped in the black cargo panels to kick off the tan to black swap. It came out really nice and the rear of the touring is a lot quieter now with all the trim pieces intact. A lot of the tan pieces were falling apart as we removed them, so they were very much due for replacement.

Before (don't mind the mess, I was hauling a bunch of stuff the other day).



After.



I still need to vacuum and shampoo the carpeted bits but it looks pretty darn good otherwise. Can't wait to swap the rest of the interior now. Honestly, the rear cargo area stuff was what scared me the most because of all the intricate little bits and because of how rare/hard-to-find the touring stuff is. Now that it's all swapped over I feel a lot better about doing the rest of the interior. Should be smooth sailing, especially since I have two full black interiors to pick bits from.

I also drove around an abandoned mall a few minutes away from the shop, scoping it out for some future... "parking lot activities."

[blackknight530i]

Today I had some free time so Graham and I swapped in the black cargo panels to kick off the tan to black swap. It came out really nice and the rear of the touring is a lot quieter now with all the trim pieces intact. A lot of the tan pieces were falling apart as we removed them, so they were very much due for replacement.

Before (don't mind the mess, I was hauling a bunch of stuff the other day).



After.



I still need to vacuum and shampoo the carpeted bits but it looks pretty darn good otherwise. Can't wait to swap the rest of the interior now. Honestly, the rear cargo area stuff was what scared me the most because of all the intricate little bits and because of how rare/hard-to-find the touring stuff is. Now that it's all swapped over I feel a lot better about doing the rest of the interior. Should be smooth sailing, especially since I have two full black interiors to pick bits from.

I also drove around an abandoned mall a few minutes away from the shop, scoping it out for some future... "parking lot activities."

If you have a couple extra of the plastic covers for the back seat lower where the cargo net clips onto, I'd love to buy them from you. I failed to get them from the seller when I got my black interior. I could probably just dye my tan ones black, but scratches would show easily.

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[dannyzabolotny]

If you have a couple extra of the plastic covers for the back seat lower where the cargo net clips onto, I'd love to buy them from you. I failed to get them from the seller when I got my black interior. I could probably just dye my tan ones black, but scratches would show easily.

Unfortunately I don't, I just have one of everything from my 2001 540it parts car and I'm using it all for this red touring.

Today I tackled another long-awaited project that I've been dreading somewhat... the hatch struts. I replaced all four struts with brand new Stabilus units. People really make it out to be a much harder job than it actually is. All I needed were the usual tools and a long-ish pry bar from Harbor Freight. The hatch struts were certainly the trickier of the four, as they required quite a bit of force the pop the ball end on and off. All of the struts that I removed were original from 1999, so they were long overdue for replacement.

Obligatory before and afters:





It made a huge difference! The hatch used to take a lot of force to lift up and it wouldn't stay up very well, especially if the car was on a driveway or an incline of any kind. Same goes for the glass. Now they both stay up very well and require very little effort to open. It's not a sexy mod, but it's definitely one that I'll appreciate every day.

[BimmrMeUpSnotty]

That’s something I have to take care of on my wagon too. I already have the glass struts, but I still need to order the tailgate struts. What I can’t believe is how heavy the glass feels when the struts are shot.
Glad you decided to keep the red wagon Danny.

[dannyzabolotny]

That’s something I have to take care of on my wagon too. I already have the glass struts, but I still need to order the tailgate struts. What I can’t believe is how heavy the glass feels when the struts are shot.
Glad you decided to keep the red wagon Danny.

I dreaded it for so long, but the actual job wasn't all that bad. Agreed, the glass and hatch feel like they weigh a million pounds with dead struts, whereas now they both open with relative ease.

I'm glad I decided to keep it too, especially now that I've been fixing some of my biggest annoyances with it. The to-do list is getting smaller which is pretty cool. Here's where it's at now:

[x] Replace thrust arms with Lemforders
[ ] Replace brake pads with Hawk HPS
[ ] Replace subframe bushings with Lemforders
[ ] Replace rear axles
[x] Remove lowering links
[x] Get new front tires
[x] Get new rear tires
[ ] Alignment
[ ] Replace AC compressor + condenser + drier + flush system + recharge
[x] Diagnose & repair gas leak
[x] Install coilovers in the front
[ ] Rebuild Vanos units
[ ] Powdercoat valve covers
[ ] Replace water pump + thermostat
[ ] Retrofit Evo XR 2.0 projectors + new headlight lenses (Euro style)
[x] Replace aux fan
[ ] Get OE kidney grilles
[ ] Get M5 front bumper (OE)
[ ] Get M-Sport rear bumper (rep)
[ ] Manual swap
[ ] Black interior swap
[x] Replace hatch pull handle + trim piece
[x] Replace hatch + glass shocks

That list is in no particular order, it's just a collection of things that I realistically want to do with the touring. Next up will be replacing the rear axles with good lower-mileage units to see if I can get rid of that 70+ vibration/shake. The axles had quite a bit of play when I had the touring running with the wheels in the air, so the axles are definitely on their way out with almost 213,000 miles on them. After that, I'll install the Lemforder subframe bushings and that should make my ride feel pretty darn good.

[geargrinder]

I dreaded it for so long, but the actual job wasn't all that bad

As those of us with some credibility have been tellin' you all along

[itsbrokeagain]

Danny spend the money on PF subframe bushings. You won't be disappointed.

[dannyzabolotny]

Danny spend the money on PF subframe bushings. You won't be disappointed.

I already bought Lemforder subframe bushings, so that’s what I’ll be installing. Currently I have Meyle HD bushings and they’re way too stiff so I’m going back to OEM. I can’t imagine the PF bushings would be more comfortable. The rear end is tight enough already with all the new parts, I don’t need a ton of stiffness in the subframe bushings. I’m tired of feeling every single expansion joint in the road.

[geargrinder]

Having “race” RSF bushings in the M3 I’m a believer in diminished returns after a certain point. Stiffer than stock is good. Too much stiffer starts to go the other way. Much crappier ride for no better handling.

All the fanboi racekar kiddies think “uncomfortable = fast!!!” So you can never convince them that anything short of Delrin is anything but lame, but they is wrong.

[BimmerBreaker]

After that, I installed new wiper blades front and back (more like Graham installed them while I watched, he was oddly excited to install the wiper blades so I let him). Bosch for the front, and SWF for the rear. I didn't want to deal with just replacing the inserts, seemed like too much of a hassle. Again, these are all from FCP Euro, so I shouldn't need to buy them ever again.

Next up on the agenda are the thrust arms, which will be replaced with Lemforders. For whatever reason the Meyle HD thrust arms never quite worked with the touring, they were always too stiff and still prone to the 50-60mph steering wheel shimmy.

I was excited because none of my cars are the clip-type quick removal wipers It's very satisfying to replace those slide-clip wipers...

And you didn't even mention the best part of the thrust arm replacement - we did it without even removing the front wheels!

Also I could sell you the valve covers off the X5 4.6is I'm parting if you want. Think you chose the finish on them as I recall. Was also thinking you may want to call a BMW dealership to see how much they'd charge for an alignment, think if anyone *should* be able to do it right, it'd be them...?

[scrib99]

I’ll 2nd the alignment at the dealership. I have wasted plenty of money at different shops just to have to go back to the dealership and get it done. Around my area is was $145

[dannyzabolotny]

Having “race” RSF bushings in the M3 I’m a believer in diminished returns after a certain point. Stiffer than stock is good. Too much stiffer starts to go the other way. Much crappier ride for no better handling.

All the fanboi racekar kiddies think “uncomfortable = fast!!!” So you can never convince them that anything short of Delrin is anything but lame, but they is wrong.

Yeah, I kinda bought into that whole racecar thing when I first bought the 540it, thinking that stiffer = better, but now I'm starting to realize that it made me hate the car. Sure it was great in the twisties but it drove like a brick in normal driving. Now I'm taking everything back to OEM, and after replacing just the Meyle HD thrust arms with Lemforder it's already a huge improvement in ride quality. I can't wait to replace the rear subframe bushings with Lemforders, it's going to be so plush and nice.

Plus I have a lifetime warranty on all this stuff, so even if the softer Lemforder bits don't last as long, I can just replace em whenever they go bad. Thrust arms are super easy now with coilovers.

I was excited because none of my cars are the clip-type quick removal wipers It's very satisfying to replace those slide-clip wipers...

And you didn't even mention the best part of the thrust arm replacement - we did it without even removing the front wheels!

Also I could sell you the valve covers off the X5 4.6is I'm parting if you want. Think you chose the finish on them as I recall. Was also thinking you may want to call a BMW dealership to see how much they'd charge for an alignment, think if anyone *should* be able to do it right, it'd be them...?

What type of wipers do your cars have? I've never paid too much attention to the differences... mostly I just stare at your Z3 Coupe and have impure thoughts about buying one.

Oh yeah, replacing the thrust arms without removing the wheels was baller. Made it super easy to jack the wheels up to their normal ride height (measured beforehand) for proper torquing. Sure beats flopping around with almost no room under ramps.

I might just take you up on the X5 valve covers, though I've gotta see if there's an easy way to close up that extra breather hole on the driver's side cover (it's blocked off on the E38 and E39).

Not sure I'd trust a dealership to do a good alignment on a lowered, non-stock 540it.

--------

The other day I went to the weekly car meetup here in Scottsdale. Lots of cool cars, and I was in good company— Z3 M-Roadster, my car, and a super clean, all-original 2002 M5. That's the stuff that gets me excited, not the silly teenager-owned 335i's that I usually see.



I should probably polish my headlights properly one of these days, they're starting to look a little foggy again. That should hold me over until I get new lenses and new projectors.

[whiteghost1]

A few days after that picture, my license plate went missing randomly. Looks like it fell off with the plate filler... how odd. Thankfully Arizona makes it quite easy to get a replacement plate— I got a new plate for $10 that same day, and that was on a Sunday afternoon. Gotta love third party MVD offices!

I'm honestly surprised I never got pulled over looking like this:

Hey Danny - how is the plate filler panel secured to the hatch?

Mine is loose and the security fasteners(?) I have on there are stripped (I believe the fasteners that are on there are original). I’m hesitant to remove my plate filler until I know how it is secured, as it’s still holding on.
In your pic above it looks like a couple of empty holes.

I can’t find anything online in pics or threads. I went to the dealer and they couldn’t tell me how it’s secured + they gave me the wrong replacement fasteners.

Can you help me out?
Did you just use a bolt and nut?

[BimmerBreaker]

What type of wipers do your cars have? I've never paid too much attention to the differences... mostly I just stare at your Z3 Coupe and have impure thoughts about buying one.

Oh yeah, replacing the thrust arms without removing the wheels was baller. Made it super easy to jack the wheels up to their normal ride height (measured beforehand) for proper torquing. Sure beats flopping around with almost no room under ramps.

I might just take you up on the X5 valve covers, though I've gotta see if there's an easy way to close up that extra breather hole on the driver's side cover (it's blocked off on the E38 and E39).

Not sure I'd trust a dealership to do a good alignment on a lowered, non-stock 540it.

My wipers use a different clip style, just a little more fiddly. On the Z3 I also have to get the wiper to rest vertically on the windshield to remove them (a fun feature of the clamshell hood...). This actually reminds me I need to order the correct wipers for my gf's car, and then ponder why it had the wrong ones to begin with...

Didn't realize the X5 had different valve covers but if you can make it work I'd be down to sell them otherwise I'll let em go with the 4.6 engine

True a dealership may not be the best choice for a lowered car... may also want to try the other Firestone first too. You never know

Now time to buy a black euro dash and swap the rest of the interior?

[dannyzabolotny]

Not too much to report, been driving the 540it as usual. The transmission is temperamental but it still works most of the time. I really should order the parts to do the 6-speed swap already, but I’m gonna try and wait until I can get a lift installed in my shop... otherwise I’ll have to do it on jack stands which would be less than ideal.

On the bright side, I did get to polish my headlights, and that turned out real nice.



Before:



After:





I chose to remove the headlights to minimize the mess. For the polishing I used Meguiar’s Plast-X on a Meguiar’s foam polishing pad on a Harbor Freight DA polisher. It worked out quite nicely! I probably could have gone a little more aggressive, but I wasn’t aiming for perfection since I plan on replacing the headlight lenses with Euro clears at some point in the near future.

After that, I went to the weekly car show and parked next to a newer M3. I gotta say, I still prefer the E39.



Annoyingly enough, it seems like the touring has developed a steering wheel shimmy at 40-45mph... it’s much milder than what it used to be and it’s not present at all with higher speeds. I figure I’ll take a look at the front suspension and maybe retorque everything. It was fine for a while so I’m thinking something must have gotten loose— time to bust out the threadlock! I drive a lot on bad roads so there’s a good chance something vibrated itself loose.