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/// M-Tech E39 540i

Hoska91

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Okay so I've been missing from the forums for a while, picked up a VF SSV then an 06 XT Forester and now I've picked up this.

Car: 99' E39 M-Tech 540i
Transmission: Auto

Mods: Deleted Resonators.

Wish List:

Bumpers and trolley strips (Repair & Repaint)
Wheels/Tyres Replace
Headlights
Cluster LCD Fix
New Roundells
Dash Colour Conversion
Head unit Conversion
Exhaust
Springs & Shocks



The car is basically stock besides some deleted resonators to give it a little note, ideally I'd like a full exhaust but that might be down the road!

These things are incredible for the year they came out of, compare this to a VT and the refinement and engineering on it is worlds ahead.

The car was basically bought as a "semi-responsible daily", it's going to need a little bit of work to get up to scratch but I'm enjoying driving it so far.



 
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stockies

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Can you get the carphone working?
 

Mike Litherous

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Cool.
I got an earlier e34 540i with a 6spd manual that I'm playing with. The little v8 certainly punches above its weight.
Returns good fuel economy for what it is also.
 

Black5

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Okay so I've been missing from the forums for a while, picked up a VF SSV then an 06 XT Forester and now I've picked up this.

Car: 99' E39 M-Tech 540i
Transmission: Auto

Mods: Deleted Resonators.

The car is basically stock besides some deleted resonators to give it a little note, ideally I'd like a full exhaust but that might be down the road!

Congratulations...
I think.

I hate to be the one to say it, but someone has been telling you fibs.
That is definitely not stock for a '99 and looks to be a bit of a mongrel "parts bin" car with a '99 base and lot's of bits from other models.
Headlight assembly appears to be from an E38 sedan, not E39. (They don't fit properly!)
Twin exhaust outlet was not standard so this has been changed. (could be a good thing.)
Sport model wasn't released as a model until after 2000 so all the "sport" bits are add-ons.
Front spoiler is a non-genuine M5 copy and I suspect the rear bar is too.
Clear tail-lights are after-market.
Wheels are from a later 7 series.
Steering wheel is from a later Sport model and looks genuine. (but most likely didn't come with this car)
I has the update 7" Screen (upgraded from the 4" screen this car likely came with -again a good thing), and to work properly should also have come with an upgraded Mark 3 or Mark IV Nav to replace the Mark II it probably came with. (also a good thing)
Seats are not "sport" seats, but are the standard comfort seats this model came with. (should be electric with memory.)
If you are lucky, they might have upgraded to the sport diff as well which has lower gearing.
Things to watch out for on these cars:
Transmissions were sealed and promoted as having "lifetime" fluid, so most have never been opened/serviced. High mileage ones will need a rebuild sometime around 150-250K.
(Servicing high mileage ones that have never been done before accelerates failure!)
Cooling systems are crap and prone to failure. Get an alloy radiator and replace the hoses stat or it will leave you on the road somewhere. Around every 80K everything will need replacing.
Water pump failure is common and it's a PITA to get to.
Door handles wil break and Window/Door/boot actuators will fail.
Crappy plastic timing chain guides will need replacing by around 100k or else could cause dramatic engine failure.
Sunroof drains will block and fill your front footwells with water.
These cars are hard on brakes and suspension.
Soft pads mean great brake feel but lots of dust and frequent replacement.
Harder pads mean discs will not last.
It's a trade off.
Electronics - where do I start! LED displays will fade and fail. (If they haven't already). Annoying but repairable, but takes time/knowledge/$.
Ignition switch failure will make lights go on and off randomly.
The MID display will constantly beep and warn you about something not being right.

Don't get me wrong, it's not all bad. They are a fantastic drivers car with a great engine and are a beautiful thing to steer when they are working, but I hope you are handy with the spanners or make friends with your local Indy. You will see a lot of him.

All joking aside, PM me if you need any info and i'll try to help if I can.

By the way, the ///M badge is in the wrong place and is misplaced on this car. (That's why the purists in their E30's are laughing at you as you drive past)

Also have a look the forum below for better subject matter experts and assistance.
Plenty of E39 experts on there that have persisted longer than I did.
(Don't let 'em know Black5 sent you - They may not like me any more since I went to the "dark side" a while ago. :)

BMW Forums
 

yZoH

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Tidy'ish. Got the last 7 digits of the VIN handy? So we can grab the build sheet.

I'm a little curious.

Headlights, tails, bumpers, chrome rings on cluster & potentially steering wheel have all been fitted/replaced. Especially being a 99 those are not mtech seats & the badge on the trunk is an eBay special.

Appears to just be an executive as it's also missing the ///M-Tech trunk lip & the Tbar lower front grille.

Cheers
Mat
 
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Hoska91

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Tidy'ish. Got the last 7 digits of the VIN handy? So we can grab the build sheet.

I'm a little curious.

Headlights, tails, bumpers, chrome rings on cluster & potentially steering wheel have all been fitted/replaced. Especially being a 99 those are not mtech seats & the badge on the trunk is an eBay special.

Appears to just be an executive as it's also missing the ///M-Tech trunk lip & the Tbar lower front grille.

Cheers
Mat

Was wondering when you'd chime in :p, I did a quick Vin search, while it doesn't appear to be an M-tech it does appear to be a highly optioned vehicle.

I paid under market value a fair way for a standard 540i so I'm still happy with it, enjoying driving it a lot.

The LCD display has conked it so I might have a go at fixing that.

There's also actually a difference in clear coat on the boot and you can tell the a lip was fitted but is no longer there which is a shame.

VIN: GF10898

This is honestly just something for me to putt around in for a while but I'm enjoying it so it may turn into something further
 

Black5

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No options listed here.
Series options were all standard for the 540 in Australia.

Vehicle information

VIN long WBADN62010GF10898

Type code DN62

Type 540I (EUR)

Dev. series E39 ()

Line 5

Body type LIM

Steering RL

Door count 4

Engine M62/TU

Cubical capacity 4.40

Power 210

Transmision HECK

Gearbox AUT

Colour TITANSILBER METALLIC (354)

Upholstery STANDARDLEDER/GRAU (N6TT)

Prod. date 1999-05-10




Order options
No. Description
204 DRIVE VERSION EXPORT

261 SIDE AIRBAG FOR REAR PASSENGERS

302 ALARM SYSTEM

339 SATIN CHROME

354 GREEN STRIPE WINDSCREEN

403 GLAS ROOF, ELECTRIC

415 SUNBLIND FOR REAR WINDOW

428 WARNING TRIANGLE

431 INTERIOR RR VW MIRROR W AUT ANTI-D

441 SMOKERS PACKAGE

456 COMFORT SEATS, ELECTRIC. ADJUSTABLE

500 HEADLIGHT WASHER SYS/INTENSIVE CLEANING

508 PARK DISTANCE CONTROL (PDC)

548 SPEEDOMETER WITH KILOMETER READING

602 ON-BOARD MONITOR WITH TV

629 CAR TELEPHONE (GSM) W CARD READER FRONT

672 CD CHANGER BMW FOR 6 CDS

676 HIFI LOUDSPEAKER SYSTEM

710 M LEATHER STEERING WHEEL

810 AUSTRALIA VERSION

818 MAIN BATTERY SWITCH

823 HOT CLIMATE VERSION

825 RADIO CONTROL OCEANIA

864 OVERSEAS/DEALER DIRECTORY

876 RADIO FREQUENCY 315 MHZ

880 ENGLISH / ON-BOARD DOCUMENTATION

925 SHIPPING PROTECTION PACKAGE




Series options
No. Description
202 STEPTRONIC

210 DYNAMIC STABILITY CONTROL (DSC)

280 LT/ALY WHEELS SPOKE STYLING

438 WOOD TRIM

520 FOGLIGHTS

534 AUTOMATIC AIR CONDITIONING

540 CRUISE CONTROL

555 ON-BOARD COMPUTER

853 LANGUAGE VERSION ENGLISH
 
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Hoska91

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Clearly I know nothing about BMW then haha, I assumed an M wheel etc would be an option.

Regardless of what it is I am enjoying it, I probably should have mentioned it was an economical write off but it doesn't really bother me, it was repaired professionally but I might try and get back to the standard or facelifted look.
 

Black5

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Clearly I know nothing about BMW then haha, I assumed an M wheel etc would be an option.

Regardless of what it is I am enjoying it, I probably should have mentioned it was an economical write off but it doesn't really bother me, it was repaired professionally but I might try and get back to the standard or facelifted look.

Go the facelifted look if possible, as it's much nicer.
Start with losing the ///M badge and getting the E39 headlight assembly with Angel eyes as the E38 lights don't look right at all and this in itself will transform the look of the car :)
As long as the drivetrain is solid, much of the rest is readily available from overseas, (some good pricing in the US for some parts) or local wreckers, (although pricing not so favourable), and if you are handy, DIY is definitely possible.
The M5 Hero car had a lot of fans, (and rightly so), so many of these got transformed into lookalikes and there are heaps of reproduction parts and "upgrade" bits available.
It's been a few years since I had mine, so my contacts are probably out of date, but the BMW community is usually very helpful despite their blindness to anything older other than an E30.

Enjoy.
 

Hoska91

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I think first steps are going to be getting the M Bumper repaired, i already have a quote from a mate of my dads so he's going to sort it out and repaint the trims colour coded to clean it up.

After that i will definitely be looking into headlights.
 
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