Euro E39 touring - noob to the forum

[adm750]

Wanted to say hi to all the "touring" aficionados on the site. I've been guilty of lurking w/o posting and appreciate the valuable info I have found on this site over time...so thank you. I don't think I have permission to post photos yet of my 2003 Euro 525 sportwagon but certainly will once I do. Carbon black w/M-tech body over Cinnamon, Sport, Individual pkg...purchased new in Bonn, Germany then brought back to the States and federalized by the original owner. I am the second owner. It's been one of the most enjoyable cars I've owned. Ride quality...uniqueness...and (despite being a no-grunt 525...) it's capabilities on the open roads as well as the twisty back roads never fails to bring a smile to my face. I'm proud to say that she always draws compliments. There are little niggling things that occur with the car where I need to take more time to research the forum for advice before I go asking for it (electric cooling fan needs replaced...common.....and the axle drive flanges continue to pull out of the diff...once?? sure...common. Twice...not common...drive axle boots might be harder than woodpecker lips so this will probably wind up as my next project...) but the car is worth the trouble. Mine is bleeding down overnight....again.....lol. Now, with that being said, I replaced the reservoir tanks last year, level sensor link from corrosion, but I have yet to begin a comprehensive diagnosis on this latest issue past leak testing all of the fittings. The weather and holidays have me working in a restricted envelope but I will tackle digging deeper while on Christmas break. Maybe I can enlist the wisdom of the forum and pose a question to the group about replacing the air springs in the rear. Leaking bags may or may not wind up being the root cause, however with the car having roughly 160k on it, they are getting replaced regardless. I wondered if anyone had experience with Aerosus and their replacement parts..? Arnott is certainly the default go-to for replacement bags, however OEM (obviously...), Bilstein, and Aerosus are the only suppliers where I have found "sport" versions of the bags offered. I know the Arnott's are preferred and of high quality and I might go that route....but my concerns are any changes to the feel by not using a "sport" bag. Although softening the rear by using a bag tuned for the non-sport suspension (as described by the Arnott rep I contacted...) might not be a bad thing either. So I have mixed emotions here. Even with my "cost +10%" pricing I still get from the dealer I use to work at, the OEM bags are still hedging $220/ea. I'd love to save a few bucks as I am maintaining two e39's currently but we all know that saving a few dollars can be costly at times. The Aerosus sport bags can be had for roughly $225 per pair !! If anyone has any experience with that supplier, I would greatly appreciate the input. Take care all...I look forward to becoming a part of the touring community. ...and anyone know of any routine BMW cars/coffee...or cars/beer get together in the Canton area ?? Keep me posted if so...Best regards and happy holidays to all,Tony

[Plattus1000]

Welcome. Can't wait to see the car. I'd stick with sport bags because and I could be wrong but they aren't like the same exact shape and footprint as the non-sport. Again, I could be wrong. If you want a softer ride in back, pick softer shocks.

[MrFlam]

I'm eager to see pictures! Does the car still have all the euro indicators? I guess we will see in the photos.

[geargrinder]

Well most of what I know about SLS I made into a post just a few weeks ago

http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/sh...-Failure-Modes

You replaced reservoirs!? That seems odd. Unless a mechanic broke the connectors on you. I could go on about what could be wrong but it's all in that thread. As said there also, it's very unclear at the moment what the difference is in sport/non-sport bags... Would love to have one of each in my hand and see if there is one ...

How did your PO import that car!? Less than 25yrs... Unless it's one of those sneaky illegals like he was a diplomat (not supposed to sell it when he leaves ) or it came through Canada where the time limit is shorter?

[dannyzabolotny]

How did your PO import that car!? Less than 25yrs... Unless it's one of those sneaky illegals like he was a diplomat (not supposed to sell it when he leaves ) or it came through Canada where the time limit is shorter?

Isn't it pretty easy/legal to import a car that more or less already exists here? The only issue is with importing something that was never sold here at all. I've seen some JDM MR2's from 1995 here with the steering on the right, and they're a bit newer than 25 years.

It's not like he imported some 530d touring that never existed here, the 525i touring was sold in the US.

[BimmrMeUpSnotty]

Didn't the big three, BMW, Mercedes, and Porsche have the program that would bring the buyers to the Fatherland, the car would be presented, they get to drive the car on the autobahn, tour around if they want, then drive the car to the docks, and the manufacturers took care of shipping the car to their home dealership?

[geargrinder]

Isn't it pretty easy/legal to import a car that more or less already exists here? The only issue is with importing something that was never sold here at all. I've seen some JDM MR2's from 1995 here with the steering on the right, and they're a bit newer than 25 years.

It's not like he imported some 530d touring that never existed here, the 525i touring was sold in the US.

Typically that's a Yeah, no.

Jalopnik generally is highly irritating when it comes to anything bmw related, but this article is not bad for an overview. Everything he says about "substantially similar" is right. Basically if it's not a usa/Canada car then it's a hugely dicey proposition.

Back when my Merc was brought in, the laws were totally different. But the OEMs hate gray market and EPA hates loopholes for non compliance, so they conspire to use BS safety and emissions as an excuse to basically ban imports. Oh sure they pretend they aren't but really it's impossible.

http://jalopnik.com/here-are-the-fou...uni-1682067632

Maybe the 525iT slipped in as ok - there is a list of "ok" cars aka substantially similar, but its short and arbitrary. Cars that by any common sense would be on the list are not (probably because the mfr opposed it and pretend that the euro version isn't similar even if it is).

A lot of those JDM cars slip in via canada, and then over the border. Some states are more ZFG, some are more dickheaded (CA, etc), so if you want to sneak a car in, that's a way to try (would never work in my state but in the red states it's difft story). Florida is famous for leaky ports too, like customs "looking the other way" or whatever happens down there (coming in with other 'commodities'?), it always seems blatantly illegal imports turn up licensed in Florida and how they got in was a mystery.

Used to be kinda into the topic as there's a lot of non-available Audis i'd love to import (think S and RS Quattro wagons) but all the Audi dudes know it's basically impossible. If you want to import an Ur-RS2 for instance, Canada is no problem bit no-go in the USA for another few years. And also I do own a gray market car so I have a whole giant pile of paperwork on federalizing it back in the day (again, pre-ban).

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Didn't the big three, BMW, Mercedes, and Porsche have the program that would bring the buyers to the Fatherland, the car would be presented, they get to drive the car on the autobahn, tour around if they want, then drive the car to the docks, and the manufacturers took care of shipping the car to their home dealership?

Yeah as far as I know bmw still does. "European delivery". You are buying a USA spec car tho. When you do the euro tour they have to leave some equipment Euro standard for the strict German regs, but then when time comes to ship, they convert the last bits to USA (ie make your lights shittier, code the clutch interlock cuz we too stoopit to not drive through garage doors, etc). So it's basically same as a usa cae when you take delivery again back home.

[dannyzabolotny]

Hm, I think there's still a way this could be here legally. A lot of US military personnel buy BMWs in Europe and then have them shipped to the US once they're done with their deployment. Since OP said the original owner brought it here and federalized it that means it could have been brought here via that route.

A friend of mine had a 1997 528i that he bought brand new in Germany while in the military and then he shipped it to the US. If you bought a car in Germany you could probably spec it out however you wanted, including Euro-only stuff like the M-Sport package on any trim level. My friend had an interesting gold color on his 528i, with a black interior and no sunroof. It was quite the unusual combo when brought over to the US.

[adm750]

Hey all...thanks for all the greetings and the posts. Now I'm worried I'll disappoint everyone once I can post photos...lol....it's really much like has been stated in the post. All the big three did have euro delivery options....but that let you purchase a US spec car and simply have it shipped back to your dealer when you were finished with your 'vacation'...we had customers do it all the time and I promoted that through the service department as well when my clients were replacing or renewing their steed. This one was a euro spec car that had to be converted when it came over. Nowadays....it's not as whack as it was in the past. They changed the cluster to a US cluster...and added something on the emissions side (and possibly changed the front lamps...) but since the cars are compliant in all parts of the world, a lot of things are the same...actually very little to do. There's no VIN tag on the dash, but I do have a VIN tag riveted to the driver's a-pillar trim like an old P51 mustang placard... I have all the documentation from correspondence prior to purchase, all the way through it's final service records when we took care of it before I took ownership of it. So, I'll have to look over what JKT did...but again...it really wasn't shit. Now...my 79 euro 635 was a true grey car....no-cat dirty motor...dogleg 5-speed....dash all in German.... The wagon jut looks like a 540 sport with an m-tech body. Even BMW enthusiasts compliment me on making it look like a 540 sport. I chuckle a bit and tell them "no...it's a 525 and it was like this from the factory...". A couple cool things come with the car...like the first aid kit...and the warning triangle. and the front bumper grille insert is open for the brake coolers. We used to have to drill holes in the panel for the US M5 guys that did track days....but the brake coolers on this car are not blocked off. So that's kindof a cool little tidbit.

Geargrinder...Thanks for the link to the SLS thread...I've already been perusing that. And I replace the tanks because some jack wagon thinks its a great idea to dump salt all over the roads here in Ohio. I'd rather save the brine solution for my Thanksgiving turkey...but no...we get to drive through it. The tanks perforated from rust...internal and external. When the spare tire well filled with water killing the SLS, the pump pushed water all the way into the tanks and into the bags. I had to remove the bags, dump the water....and let them sit out in the summer sun to dry....

[geargrinder]

Hm, I think there's still a way this could be here legally. A lot of US military personnel buy BMWs in Europe and then have them shipped to the US once they're done with their deployment. Since OP said the original owner brought it here and federalized it that means it could have been brought here via that route.

A friend of mine had a 1997 528i that he bought brand new in Germany while in the military and then he shipped it to the US. If you bought a car in Germany you could probably spec it out however you wanted, including Euro-only stuff like the M-Sport package on any trim level. My friend had an interesting gold color on his 528i, with a black interior and no sunroof. It was quite the unusual combo when brought over to the US.

Yes military can buy cars, and some OEM's tailor sales to them, but its basically just like European Delivery. They have to choose a model that is US compliant meaning crash tested meaning US sold if it ever gets sent back here.

That would include normally some crash safety stuff (Euro dashes for our cars for instance), lights, emissions flash/tune, often fitting different exhaust cats (Euro regular cats are fine but EPA has 'cold start' standards that are tougher...) etc. etc.

Here's BMW's military program where they say all cars you can choose from are "USA Compliant" which means what I just explained. So your buddy got to choose a car that was the same platform as was sold over here. Had he said he wanted a 520D Touring for instance, sure he could buy it over there, but it'd have been a no-go when it came to re-importing it.
http://www.bmw.com/com/en/general/co..._overview.html

Now. When some of those get imported, could steps get skipped? Maybe. Maybe easier for the minor things (example - dash) to be missed or overlooked w/ the military car, as I bet the customs process is a bit different when its service people bringing them in. But the rule is all the USA regulatory related equipment and software has to be re-fitted to the car period. The car can't escape customs impound until it passes 2 inspections - an EPA OK (motor/emissions related systems are all approved), and a DOT OK (crash tested model, plus all the lights safety cluster etc etc). Then it gets 2 stickers and the AOK to be released. I have all this paperwork for my car, and that was back when those thing were 'easy'...

And yeah, so non-safety and non-emissions stuff like different colors or stereos or whatever would all be OK on an "approved" car... but believe me, for most part it's best to consider it impossible. VW and Mercedes do everything they can to tell the government that any gray market cars may not comply so they better keep them out. Total BS but nonetheless, its what the deal is.

This one was a euro spec car that had to be converted when it came over. Nowadays....it's not as whack as it was in the past. They changed the cluster to a US cluster...and added something on the emissions side (and possibly changed the front lamps...) but since the cars are compliant in all parts of the world, a lot of things are the same...actually very little to do. There's no VIN tag on the dash, but I do have a VIN tag riveted to the driver's a-pillar trim like an old P51 mustang placard... I have all the documentation from correspondence prior to purchase, all the way through it's final service records when we took care of it before I took ownership of it. So, I'll have to look over what JKT did...but again...it really wasn't shit. Now...my 79 euro 635 was a true grey car....no-cat dirty motor...dogleg 5-speed....dash all in German.... The wagon jut looks like a 540 sport with an m-tech body. Even BMW enthusiasts compliment me on making it look like a 540 sport. I chuckle a bit and tell them "no...it's a 525 and it was like this from the factory...". A couple cool things come with the car...like the first aid kit...and the warning triangle. and the front bumper grille insert is open for the brake coolers. We used to have to drill holes in the panel for the US M5 guys that did track days....but the brake coolers on this car are not blocked off. So that's kindof a cool little tidbit.

Maybe your car is indeed one that qualified and was approved for "substantially similar" but if so it's an interesting exception for sure. Usually the OEM's are asked "is this car OK" and usually they say "fork no its not! (un not because of facts but because we don't like gray market imports unless we're the ones bringing it in!)". Could have been military program certainly. The M-sport aero kit was theoretically available to USA buyers so no problems with that.

Bummer about your tanks rusting, that's amazing. We got salt here but no signs of rust at all on mine...

[AquilaBMW]

PICTURES! PICTURES! PICTURES!

So, ADM, you still work for a dealership? BMW? Or used to work at one of these places? Might reach out to you for a lil help in figuring out my 525iT M-Sport. Maybe we are the only one in the us with Bona-Fide 525iT M-Sports? LOL! We can start our own very short Registry Thread

GG - So, do 525iT M-Sport not qualify for that registry? Just curious - I know it's posted as a 540iT thread.

[adm750]

Hey Aquila! I no longer work for a dealer. I worked inservice departments for about 20 years. From a tech back in my rotary days withMazda to managing a couple shops (Volvo and BMW...) but I'm out of that lifenow. Prior to my exit, I had been with BMW for 9 years. I cameon the scene and bought my wife her 97 528i while still under CPOwarranty, (it was our first family car and we still have it....250k on itnow...old faithful....), and the E65 was doing its best at making us all wantto find new careers... haha. The dealership supported a good hobby, plus it wasa blast back in the day. I had all the tools, fluids, and shop equipmentI've ever needed so It's a bit of a struggle now that I can't just"throw it up on the lift..." to check things out...or mount upmy own tires. I spend a lot of my time dragging myself around the garage floormaking repairs any more to keep our cars up. Please don't hesitate toholler if you need. I'll be more than happy to help in any manner I can. I'malso down for the registry...2 cars strong and counting !! lol... I never seefactory M-sport wagons...hell...I hardly see wagons in general which is why Ilike them so much. Yours is really a nice car. I loves me some Imola. Thatthing is just stunning....and seeing your car is what made me say "eff it!!I'm getting on the forum..." the other day.


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apparently my "space bar" was on strike for most of that post....

[adm750]

Welcome. Can't wait to see the car. I'd stick with sport bags because and I could be wrong but they aren't like the same exact shape and footprint as the non-sport. Again, I could be wrong. If you want a softer ride in back, pick softer shocks.

Thanks Plattus...totally agree.... Now, have YOU had any dealings with Aerosus replacement bags by chance...? My dilemma is pitching out the cash for OEM sport bags. I don't mind the money so much....but the $$$ saved can be applied towards other things the car needs. So...I thought I would check them out as a supplier.

[geargrinder]

I see wide range of reviews for aerosus. None for E39. So hard to tell w modern auto parts when a brand ,right be really making parts or just supplying same crap from whoever or whatever factory whereever.

INA parts now for instance seem to be a crapshoot - was a good OE brand but who knows what part comes in the mail.

[adm750]

I see wide range of reviews for aerosus. None for E39. So hard to tell w modern auto parts when a brand ,right be really making parts or just supplying same crap from whoever or whatever factory whereever.

INA parts now for instance seem to be a crapshoot - was a good OE brand but who knows what part comes in the mail.

thanks for the info...! I think I might roll the dice and order the Aerosus bags. I know I really can't go wrong with the Arnotts...but I would prefer to keep a "sport" bag in place.
I wound up pulling the air pump assembly out of the car over the holiday weekend and checked the lines and mating areas for leaks. I found no leaks at all....but I did end up removing both left and right solenoids as well as the third one by the pump. There was a lot of water corrosion on the solenoid bodies and all the O-rings were dry and had that white powder from the corroded solenoid bodies. I used Parker O-lube (best shit on the planet for o-ring assembly) on all O-rings during reassembly. I pulled the air tank / feed line fittings off at each air bag, removed both of the clear O-rings on each bag fitting (2 per airbag...), cleaned the fittings, then lubed those O-rings prior to reinstallation as well. Pump body got disassembled and gaskets and pump piston lubed prior to reassembly too....ass still sags. I might do it all again with a new bagpipeandy gasket - piston ring kit. The bottom line...it still needs bags but the system fills a lot quicker than before

[geargrinder]

Yep. Still not sure what "Sport Bags" really means at all. Is it a different dimension? But let us know what you find.

Did you take any pix of your solenoid / pump assembly work? Another member would REALLY like to see/hear about your work there I think...

http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/sh...k-of-SLS/page2

[adm750]

Yep. Still not sure what "Sport Bags" really means at all. Is it a different dimension? But let us know what you find.

yeah...no $#it huh..!!? I asked them for a spec sheet on both parts (sport and std) so I could see what the big mystery was but she said they have nothing like that. Is it durometer difference or an OAL difference..? I'd hate to fit a standard bag then have it look like a '70 Chevelle back in the 80's...I'd be forced to fit a Schrader valve under my lic. plate...haha. They outsource production so unless I can find out who makes the bags for them I'm still left guessing. My old dealer keeps the standard bags in stock...but not the sport bags. If I ordered OEM, I was gonna have a peek at both and report out to the group.

Did you take any pix of your solenoid / pump assembly work? Another member would REALLY like to see/hear about your work there I think...

http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/sh...k-of-SLS/page2

...and no...like a dumbass I didn't. I still can't post pics. Grrrrr....but I will most likely do all of that again just to get pictures for the group. It's easy....and was a 1-beer job due to the lower temps. 2-beers max on a warmer day...

[AquilaBMW]

And.......................... no pics ��

[adm750]

And.......................... no pics ��

yeah, no kidding.... I'm lost ball in high weeds trying to figure out how to post them.... http://images.bimmerforums.com/smilies/confused.gif

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[adm750]

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[geargrinder]

ha ha sadly even your emoticon post was a fail.

but got the pix up now... tip: either you need to hold your camera still more, or, clean some schmutz off the lens I think. a few blurries in there.

Looks nice. Not huge fan of the two-tone steering wheel, that'd have to go for me....

[adm750]

how many washer pumps does one car need...?
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...raise your hand if you've been here before....
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ha ha sadly even your emoticon post was a fail.

but got the pix up now... tip: either you need to hold your camera still more, or, clean some schmutz off the lens I think. a few blurries in there.

Looks nice. Not huge fan of the two-tone steering wheel, that'd have to go for me....

haha on the emoticon thing...! figures huh..! plus...I'm no photographer that's for sure....lol...
...
The two interior pictures were taken the morning after I got it home. It was really dirty and the leather was as dry as a popcorn fart. It took me a couple days going through the interior to get everything cleaned up and get ALL the leather parts treated. It just looks bland, dirty, and unimpressive in those pictures....it doesn't "pop" like it does now after giving it the attention it needed.
I'm on the fence about the two-tone wheel myself. It's unique but the top part is pretty worn and dirty...and that takes a lot away from how it could look. It was killer when new. I've had no success with cleaning it either. One of my old contacts will re-color it for me at no cost... and I may go that route when I can let him have the car for an afternoon...but I'd really prefer to have it re-covered in two-tone Alcantara.....

[geargrinder]

how many washer pumps does one car need...?

2 for a touring that is a stripper.
3 for a touring w/ headlight washers.
4 for a touring w/ headlight and intensive washers.

(I'm in the last category, and have an M3 with 2, therefore I just keep a brand new spare on the shelf cuz they *amazingly sensibly* are all the same part...)

[adm750]

here is our '97 sedan.....528i with almost 250k on it..
I bought this when I took over the service department at my first BMW dealer...had about 82k on it and was still under certified warranty. Cali car so no heated seats...but has the extended bass (or M-audio..can't remember what you call it...) with DSP sound. It's not s sport pkg car...but I run an e39 sport wheel and tire set. That actually made for a very good combo on the road. It's been a GREAT road car...never downshifts when we run through the mountains on the WV turnpike...3000rpm - needle on 80mph and pulls off 32+mpg all day long...(calculated - not avg fuel mileage on obc). The wagon is much more high strung...it wants to settle in around 90mph...but I've calculated nearly 36mpg out of that car...fully loaded...running at those speeds.
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2 for a touring that is a stripper.
3 for a touring w/ headlight washers.
4 for a touring w/ headlight and intensive washers.

(I'm in the last category, and have an M3 with 2, therefore I just keep a brand new spare on the shelf cuz they *amazingly sensibly* are all the same part...)

yep...same here. 4 on mine. it has intensive and headlamp washers. I disconnected that pump so as not to be wrecking wax jobs on accident. plus, when they really could prove useful, it's too darned cold and lines are freezing anyway...

[geargrinder]

32+mpg all day long...... nearly 36mpg out of that car...

Ha. I'm lucky if I get that in kilometers per gallon.

I really should have bought an I6 car for a winter beater / daily gas mileage car. But then I'd prob just try to turbo it or S54 swap it. Or both.