Importing a 530i M-Sport from Canada to US?

[BimmrMeUpSnotty]

I tend to drive my i6’s more when it comes to daily driving, but when I hop into the 540, it just feels like an old glove that fits just right. I don’t even think about the steering feel, it is just so natural, what is it? A full turn of the wheel on the i6 is like a full turn and a half of a black C hair? Adapt and overcome if it bothers you.

[Joe///540i]

Doesn't bother me. I feel the same as you. There is a lot of hand over hand though for example when backing out of a space and cutting it when stopped or at a slow roll. The number of hand over hands required coupled with the almost power-steering-less feel and muscle it takes is a PIA, especially if my GF drives it.

[BimmerBreaker]

My two cents:

I haven't spent a ton of time behind the wheel of a six cylinder E39, but the steering is not remarkable on the 540. When I get into the 540 there are basically two things that go through my head: it sounds really nice, damn I'm going to have to fix this next thing with the suspension or steering. For the same amount of effort I've gotten my E46s to the point where I get in and just enjoy them. Even the beater sedan. I've replaced the steering bits on the 540 (steering link, tie rods, control arms) and it sticks to the road just fine, but it's just not a particularly nimble car -- the steering ratio is slow and the heated wheel belongs on a school bus. Don't get me started on that Getrag six speed box. The power and speed are nice though.

The E46 with a ZHP rack is just night and day compared to a V8 E39. The ZHP rack is weighted perfectly. It's fast but not tiresome on a long trip. The wheel is right sized -- that non-MFL, non-sport wheel is my favorite of the two stage airbag wheels.

Yeah I agree with these sentiments... the steering box, even refreshed with brand new components, never feels like I'm directly turning the wheels. There's always that slight on-center numbness, a weird deadspot. It reminds me a little of my 96 Tahoe where theres a good 3" of wheel travel in either direction at speed before the wheels actually respond. Not 3" of wiggle on the 540, but there is a dead spot in the steering range and that irks me. And even when turning, the feedback just isn't there. Like there is resistance in the steering wheel, sure, but on the cars with racks, you like feel the suspension suspensioning through the turn. The boxes are just much more detached

Gah. This old topic.

I BTB a totally done up suspension E46 M3 (come to think of it all my mods aren't even in my sig..) w a well done M5 boxed moderate-aftermarket suspension 540.

Have BTB'd them whole time by the way, for years, from both stock to the present.

In zero way is the steering box a big deal. I6 fanboiz claiming otherwise are “confirmation biasing” out the ass. If there’s a difference it’s very minor. No you can’t feel a pea under a mattress w the R&P and no the box isn’t like drivng a 1979 Buick Electra 225.

The biggest difference is the 540 vs M5 ratio. Yes the stock 540 ratio is a bit housewife slow. That makes people think it’s worse than it is.

Maybe a tiny red C hair less feedback but lord people if you were blind stuck back to back in different cars with your loved ones life on the line for you to get it right 7 out of 10 times, Grammy and Mommy and Wifey would have a bullet in the head before you were half way through.

Idk, say what you will, but I do a lot of back to back driving with 540i's and my Z3 and 525i. I notice a HUGE difference. I am very sensitive to how my car feels and responds and behaves, more so than most probably, but with that I definitely notice a substantial difference in feel and behaviour between the rack and boxes

I know 100% if you had me in a car and wanted me to tell you blindfolded if a car has a box or a rack I'd get 100% right. I'm not saying the rack is better, but I am saying there IS a difference and if people prefer the rack, so be it.

So I think I finally get what you guys are talking about on steering ratio which is not so much the “tightness”. It takes more “turns” for lack of better words to makes a turn or say a u turn for example than my 530. I do wish this was better.

I don't consider the number of turns to steer to be the determining factor in how they feel. The turning ratio is a very small part of how the system feels, my issue with the box isn't the number of turns that it takes, its the lack of feedback it provides to the operator.



And suspensions dont really change steering feel unless you start altering caster angles and other things dramatically. Lowering a car on coilovers really doesn't change the steering feel. Installing offset bushings on a control arm might, as it changes the suspension geometry and thus the wheel turn-in and roll behaviour.

I can very succintly summarize my perceived differences between the box and the rack:
The steering racks feel like you are directly connected to and steering the wheels and you feel what the wheels are doing
The steering box feels like you are turning an elastic band that has a little "stretch" before providing your input to the wheels, and wheel feedback to the driver also gets dampened by this "elastic" effect

I definitely see why some might like the box. On an E39 it makes sense, its a luxury sports car. The box is more luxury-esque, the rack more sporty-feeling. I could see preferring either one, it's purely subjective, which is why I prefer the objectively better steering rack

[Joe///540i]

I don't consider the number of turns to steer to be the determining factor in how they feel. The turning ratio is a very small part of how the system feels, my issue with the box isn't the number of turns that it takes, its the lack of feedback it provides to the operator.

Ok, I am fine with the feel, it's the turns that bug me.

[dannyzabolotny]

To me, the racks are overly sensitive, like I already feel every crack and pebble in the road, I don’t need even more feedback. Over long distances the box is much easier to drive with as well, since the steering wheel is less twitchy. The amount of turns is a little annoying at times but I’m so used to it that I wouldn’t have it any other way. Doesn’t get in the way of canyon carving either. I’ve taken my 540it on some super tight mountain roads and done just fine.

[alabbasi]

I've not read all responses but in my mind, it's simple. If it's over 25 years, anything can come in. If it does not, it needs to have a sticker that says the following:

emissions_cert.jpg

As far as I understand, if you're trying to get in without that sticker, it will have to go through a federlization process.

[cpf9]

Quick update: I test drove a few cars, decided the 530i Sport is the best fit for my needs after all, and decided not to pursue the Canadian import option just to get the M-sport bumpers.

This morning I put a deposit on an '03 530i/5 Sport in exactly the spec I was looking for. I'm thrilled. I will be collecting it next week and will post pics and more info once I bring it home.

Most likely I will put the M-Sport bumpers on it eventually. I started looking at aftermarket bumper kits on eBay. Any recommendations? I would usually avoid aftermarket bodykits but using OEM parts would not be economically feasible.

[Joe///540i]

Quick update: I test drove a few cars, decided the 530i Sport is the best fit for my needs after all, and decided not to pursue the Canadian import option just to get the M-sport bumpers.

This morning I put a deposit on an '03 530i/5 Sport in exactly the spec I was looking for. I'm thrilled. I will be collecting it next week and will post pics and more info once I bring it home.

Most likely I will put the M-Sport bumpers on it eventually. I started looking at aftermarket bumper kits on eBay. Any recommendations? I would usually avoid aftermarket bodykits but using OEM parts would not be economically feasible.

Congrats! Glad you went with an '03. Good move. Love to her more details - color, options, etc. of course pics too. No experience with aftermarket bumpers, but from what I have read, expect the fit to not be perfect but I guess it's not too bad of a trade-off for the price.

[cpf9]

Thanks! I'm not going to post full details about the car until I have it my hands next week (I'm a little superstitious like that). But I'll be sure to update the thread when the car arrives!

Also, just in case anyone finds this thread in a future search, I looked into importing a Canadian car quite extensively. It's not actually that hard. Here's what I found:

1. The Canadian market E39s are essentially already compliant with US regulations on pollution and safety. All you need is a letter from BMW attesting to this fact to show at the border. You can obtain one by calling BMW USA Customer Services in advance. Give them the VIN and they will provide the letter. I actually did this for a particular car, and they emailed me the letter of compliance within 24 hours, promising a hard copy by mail in 5-10 business days.

2. The only additional issue is that Canadian cars have gauge clusters in KPH with no MPH markings. This will need to be swapped out for a US market MPH gauge cluster in order for the car to be titled/registered in the US.

I read online that BMW will charge an arm and a leg for this, insisting that you buy a brand new cluster from them to do the swap. So I reached out to a couple of independent shops in Montreal and discovered that they could do this for a very reasonable price if I provided a used MPH gauge cluster for them to work on. They would even make the MPH cluster read the correct odometer mileage.

3. I didn't get any further in the planning process, but I believe the only thing left to do would be to show up at the border with the car and pay import duties.

[computiNATEor]

Thanks! I'm not going to post full details about the car until I have it my hands next week (I'm a little superstitious like that). But I'll be sure to update the thread when the car arrives!

Also, just in case anyone finds this thread in a future search, I looked into importing a Canadian car quite extensively. It's not actually that hard. Here's what I found:

1. The Canadian market E39s are essentially already compliant with US regulations on pollution and safety. All you need is a letter from BMW attesting to this fact to show at the border. You can obtain one by calling BMW USA Customer Services in advance. Give them the VIN and they will provide the letter. I actually did this for a particular car, and they emailed me the letter of compliance within 24 hours, promising a hard copy by mail in 5-10 business days.

2. The only additional issue is that Canadian cars have gauge clusters in KPH with no MPH markings. This will need to be swapped out for a US market MPH gauge cluster in order for the car to be titled/registered in the US.

I read online that BMW will charge an arm and a leg for this, insisting that you buy a brand new cluster from them to do the swap. So I reached out to a couple of independent shops in Montreal and discovered that they could do this for a very reasonable price if I provided a used MPH gauge cluster for them to work on. They would even make the MPH cluster read the correct odometer mileage.

3. I didn't get any further in the planning process, but I believe the only thing left to do would be to show up at the border with the car and pay import duties.

FYI, forum user BlackKnight530i (owner of "Fixels") will "mileage correct" instrument clusters, too, for a reasonable price. He also fixes the broken pixel issues that plague the "high" OBCs. Erasing the mileage from the cluster requires extensive disassembly and soldering work, so I was happy to pay him to do it.

Be aware that if you source a used cluster, you will need to do some reprogramming on it; you need to make the VIN and options match (or else you may/will get a mileage "tamper" dot on the cluster). And, as I ran into recently, if you get a non-nav cluster and put it in a nav car (and probably vice-versa), you may need to do some tweaks with NCSExpert or other programming tools.

[blarf]

Thanks! I'm not going to post full details about the car until I have it my hands next week (I'm a little superstitious like that). But I'll be sure to update the thread when the car arrives!

Also, just in case anyone finds this thread in a future search, I looked into importing a Canadian car quite extensively. It's not actually that hard. Here's what I found:

1. The Canadian market E39s are essentially already compliant with US regulations on pollution and safety. All you need is a letter from BMW attesting to this fact to show at the border. You can obtain one by calling BMW USA Customer Services in advance. Give them the VIN and they will provide the letter. I actually did this for a particular car, and they emailed me the letter of compliance within 24 hours, promising a hard copy by mail in 5-10 business days.

2. The only additional issue is that Canadian cars have gauge clusters in KPH with no MPH markings. This will need to be swapped out for a US market MPH gauge cluster in order for the car to be titled/registered in the US.

I read online that BMW will charge an arm and a leg for this, insisting that you buy a brand new cluster from them to do the swap. So I reached out to a couple of independent shops in Montreal and discovered that they could do this for a very reasonable price if I provided a used MPH gauge cluster for them to work on. They would even make the MPH cluster read the correct odometer mileage.

3. I didn't get any further in the planning process, but I believe the only thing left to do would be to show up at the border with the car and pay import duties.

The letter from BMW will list everything that needs to be changed for the car to be legal in the US. Typically for an E39 that's just going to be the speedometer although later E39s may vary — I think ISOFIX/LATCH was mandated in the US (2002) before it was required in Canada. Nobody looked at the cluster in my 540, but I'd still bring one just in case. You can swap the cluster easily without having to code anything and either swap it back or code it after you satiate the feds.

As for 6 vs 8, IDK what you're on about GG. Driving the E46 and the E39 back to back is a world of difference. The ZHP rack is perfectly weighted, the smaller E46 steering wheel works beautifully with the quick ratio, and there's just the right amount of on-center feel. The 540 is none of those things, even after replacing the control arms and steering linkage. That's just the nature of the beast. With the 540 compared to a six: there are two extra ball joints, a bushing, and a height adjustment for the center link. You're simply not going to get the same feedback and that super slow steering box really detracts from the overall experience. In E46 land the M3 got a slower rack than the ZHP but also got different front suspension geometry than the non-M cars. The M5 merely got a different steering box.

[f355spider]

Been there, done that. I am not up on current regulations, but back in 2003, I imported a Canadian market 2001 540 M-Sport still under warranty. Not a huge deal. Had it inspected at the Vancouver BC BMW dealer (The BMW Store) on Burrard ST. They did a recall, fixed a couple things (agreed to by seller) and then I paid for the cluster swap ($900 for a factory BMW refurb). I called BMW Canada and they faxed me a letter with the VIN number stating the car meets all USA regulations and is importable (it was free then, I hear they now charge a fee?). Later drove to border with all papers, showed the paperwork for cluster swap (customs guy thanked me, as he would otherwise had to walk out in rain to inspect), reviewed document from BMW Canada that car was importable, then they examined sales receipt and charged me around 3% inport duty. But hey, they take Mastercard and Visa.

Interesting that while the warranty transfered to the USA, the free maintenance program did not. Back then it was for four years (now only three), so I had to drive back to Vancouver for the oil and various filter changes. Not a big deal, I had a girlfriend up there at the time.

Again, note: BMWs sold in North America are the same (emissions/crash standards) and can be sold in either USA or Canada, but you do need the letter from BMW proving that is the case for customs.

[AnotherGeezer]

Quick update: I test drove a few cars, decided the 530i Sport is the best fit for my needs after all, and decided not to pursue the Canadian import option just to get the M-sport bumpers.

This morning I put a deposit on an '03 530i/5 Sport in exactly the spec I was looking for. I'm thrilled. I will be collecting it next week and will post pics and more info once I bring it home.

Most likely I will put the M-Sport bumpers on it eventually. I started looking at aftermarket bumper kits on eBay. Any recommendations? I would usually avoid aftermarket bodykits but using OEM parts would not be economically feasible.

Welcome to the club.

[cpf9]

Update: here's the car I bought!

https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...errerid=746890