If you don't already have an E39 to modify - You can check out my video on 11 reasons to get one: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Y1Y70MsHWJk.html By the way, I’m setting a goal for this channel to reach 5,000 subscribers by the end of this year. You know what to do to help! 😉 Thank you!! 😁
That was a great video. To come up with 50 items that really can improve your e39 is not easy but you did it. I have a 2003 e39 and I found myself nodding a lot. Note: the only things I have actually done is to refinish my wheels, fix all the dropped pixels, and purchased new all weather mats but I could relate to all your 50 suggestions and each one had merit. Thanks for sharing.
Refinishing the wheels should have definitely been in the video since so many of these cars have rims with 20 years of chips and scratches on them. Thank you for your beautiful comment! Cheers
#1 Mod: Bring all e39 maintainence up to date. #2 Mod: get a second or 3rd job to be able to get yourself out of debt bringing your e39 maintenance up to date. #3 Mod: too late for mods you are most likely knocking on deaths door after paying off your e39 ownership debt, now its time to save up for funeral costs. The end.
Dude this car is easyest maitenances and parts cheap. Payed 1500 euros for good shape 530 diesel sedan and zero issues. Oil change(engine,gearbox) with filters 160€. Goes second technical check without issue. Runs all the time. Doesnt matter warm or cold.
@@FVBmovies thanks. yeah know that. Mine engine doesn't have flaps. Checked on first day when i bought. 1999 530d 135 kw automatic, but no flaps, maybe previos owner changed engine, because intake manifold doesn't have flaps and they arent removed. Just simply manifold.
E46 rims do NOT fit on e39. God knows why bmw thought it was a good idea but its the only one with 74.1 mm center bore and e46/most/all bmws have a 72,6 mm bore. Use spacers, wheels that are 80 and a adaptor or swap to e60 hubs, or you have to stick to oem e39 rims. its easily the biggest downside to e39s
I just purchased a 525i with 90k, and it came with some of the mods you listed, along with coilovers and springs. Upon inspection, the oil filter reservoir was not maintained, and spilled oil deep into the alternator. Once i replaced both of those, the gas cap, and valve cover (was slightly cracked) & gasket, it's been treating me very well. I was saddened to see your but based in the USA, as I wanted to meet up and get your opinion on some things in person. This was an excellent video, as you offered loads of excellent information, in a clear and swift manner, without wasting loads of time. You're a natural, keep it up!
I just got a 2003 E39 530i (automatic sadness) and this video is awesome showing me all the things that I can do just to give it that shine. Love all the lowkey not too crazy ideas.
I bought E39 and now I'm watching your videos and it makes me soo gratefull that I have chance to drive this car and its so dope!! And I'v got my car licences last week and this is my first car and so amazing feeling to drive it !!
This is one of the best information on how best to upgrade and update the bmw I have a bmw 540i 1998 and shall use your great information once again thanks O'Brien
For 540i (M62B44tu engine, not sure about 535i) you can fit larger throttle body from N62 engine to get more power. There are upgrade kits, or you can just buy a throttle itself and repin the connector. Works better if chip-tuned. Great video!
#20: This is such an underappreciated upgrade. My Mercedes CLK came with some generic rubber floor mats and they were just horrible, they didn't even stay put. So i got a set of genuine MB fabric floor mats, they were like 100€ including shipping but very much worth it. Many Nordic people get rubber mats because they're supposedly better in bad climates but i haven't noticed any adverse effects with these fabric mats.
I’d like to add a few things. First, how to get bluetooth. I personally went with a BlueBus at first, but after extended time using it decided I may as well go all out and upgrade the headunit. Of the many options, XTRONS offers the best option. $510 for wireless CarPlay, a crisp full-size OLED screen, android style functionality, etc. Next, a phone mount. PanaVise made E39 M5 phone mounts. They’re hard to find, but they’re actually built into the vehicle’s dash, behind the trim. Super sleek. Super sturdy. Next, a Resler Module + IBUS software. This is specific to the E39 series vehicles, designed specifically for them. The lightshow you described? Does that… and so MUCH MORE. So much more. Please look into this one. What a gamechanger. The control and data you gain with it is remarkable. It installs behind the headunit, and they actually make a harness that fits right into the XTRONS headunits so it’s plug and play. Amazing upgrade. Next, the central rear view mirror. It auto dims. Auto dim breaks after years of use. There’s a business named Radar Mirror who will fix it for you for far cheaper than buying a new one. There’s a few more mods not mentioned in the video I didn’t mention in this comment, but these alone are worth looking into. Seriously. Great vid still!
Extra mods would be: webasto with app/ or controller, heated steering wheel, tint, vented and drilled brembo breaks discs/pads, 5.1 break fluid brembo or hella, eonon head unit and jl audio 5.25 speakers :) also you can replace the speaker wires with thicker once so you can add an 4 channel amp. Also adding jl audio tweeters if they exist
Teodore engleski ti je odlican. Video je sjajan. Ako moze informacija vezana za automatsko otvaranje gepeka, koje oprugice ide za to? Imas li specifikaciju? Hvala unaprijed.
Hey Saša, thanks for the nice comment. I'll leave a link in the description for you of a video of a guy who did it. I haven't looked into it myself but springs are pretty cheap I'm sure you could figure it out from parts from a hardware store. See you!
Gde si našao weather strip na metar, molim te, to me izluđuje, al me više izluđuje njihova cena iz BMW hahaha Inače svaka čast za kanal, odličan si. I svaka čast za E39 ;)
Mod 4 automatic. E46 hand shifter into e39 👍 Engine mod. Regrinded block of 2.0 and put everything from 3.0 or 2.5l. And my beloved chasis mod. GTR modeeeee....🥰
Btw, if on budget, you can fix the missing pixels by shocking it with piezo from electric lighters. Just click it with wire connecting to screen in various places, and it will make pixels work for some time. Sometimes it fixes the issue for weeks/months, sometimes for days or less, depends on weather 🤣
@@market_car oh just two bucks? okay i missed the price tag, that's pretty cheap, but you also need to consider time spend disassembling, re-soldering, etc... For me its easier to just give it a shock once in a while :D
@@market_car well yeah theres always risk, but if the pixels are somewhat gone, it wont live long anyways. At least it worked perfectly with radio unit, when pixels started to "leave the chat" :D Over time i just got fed up that i need to do it over and over just so that the pixels are working, so that i just bought "new" radio mid unit from local scrapyard. Worked perfectly untill i sold the car, so dont know whats up with them now :D
awesome video, mate. Is there any chance you can do a similar video about the x5 e53, please? I've been obsessed with this car for quite some time now and really debating selling my e90 facelift 330d to buy one. I saw you made videos about the e70 and was wondering if you can make one about the e53 as well 🤝
Hope I will. Just need to find someone with it. The E53 is a seriously cool car these days and I was actually considering to upgrade to it from my E39.
Very informed list. I can already tell you're a true enthusiast. What a great car to work with - every minor fix and improvement is greatly rewarded. This car gives me so much happiness. I can't help but feel sorry for everyone else in their 2023 chinese EV which already looks used 200,000km after 5000km, with their dumb face trying to find the climate controls
Dobar video,ja sam na mojoj E39 problem sa mrtvim pikselima rešio sa upaljačem,razbije se ceo upaljač i izvadi se deo koji baca varnicu (mora biti onaj upaljač na klik logično) samo se prinese žica na ekran i škljocne i pikseli ožive,to sam video negde na interneti i stvarno je radilo. Ali dobro eto ne mozemo svi znati sve 😊
Original badges aren't that cheap anymore. Their part prices have doubled and tripled in the last two years. I payed over $60 for one badge and the two rubber parts...
I got mine off of AliExpress and they cost me less than $7 shipped. Not only can I not tell the difference but it’s better than having chipped out ones nonetheless.
interior LEDs will flicker when turning on or off I dont recommend it unless theres a way to code the car to not smoothly turn them on and off which doesnt work on leds
@@market_car I was disappointed in 2012 on a 2007 e90 but LEDs may be better now? They light up and off progressively with incandescent bulbs so are you sure there's no flickering when turning on and off?
50 - original ones only, the china ones will scream cheap 49 - double grills screams china, the simple black ones depends on taste and preferences however the fitment will be a concern, again original ones or original look at least 48 - shadow line trims - yes if you're after a sporty look and if you car is finished in a light color 47 - silver bulbs yes philips or osram are fine if you have the white tail light and white front headlamps otherwise with amber ones won't make any difference. China leds excluded 46 - agree 45 - change it if you really hate the original one however don't retrofit the e60 shift rod, will get you shorter gear changes but you lose the smoothness... 44 - agree 43 - not the china white ones, get the brown or black ones from usa 42 - neah 41 - if other original model fits yes the china ones will not last and often they are too bright 40 - the facelift model are in amber or white but both do have angeleyes 39 - facelift tail lights - again white or amber both have leds 38 - passenger presence sensor is in fact a net under the upholstery - the black box is the control module you trick - not the right way to fix the issue. If you not replace the net at least you can cancel the check by software coding not that crappy resistor 37 - replace bulbs doh.. 36 - before replace the battery check for power drain issues - there are some modules that can cause this huge problem so there's no point to blindly replace the battery. 35 - agree 34 - yes if sporty look is your thing sure but not forget about the front mud flaps guards aka porck chops 33 - sure, original only - check the gasket and look for rust underneath 32 - yeah original or depo or tic are fine they are the same as e46 for m sport bumper I believe 31 - if the windshield is still original can be done otherwise you should visit a shop for doing this right valid for front and back side. You will not get weather in your car whatsoever but you will get rust! 30 - The right way imho is to replace the cover lens if needed, projector asambly (hella evox-rv2 are plug&play), adjusters, D2S osram 4300k, original ballasts and retrofit intensive washer system. 29 - neah.. 28 - M47d20 engine on e39 does not have swirl flaps! the TU1 revision was mounted on e46 and others but not in e39, never, so this is a misleading information. The weak point on M47 of e39 is the vp44 pump as it does not have common rail injection system as well as the ABS 001 pump electronic part...No turbo issues if regular oil changes are done earlier as a preventive maintenance like every 8-10k km 27 - totally agree 26 - agree however those black ones neehh.. 25 - yeah 24 - I would not replace the heated steering wheel with the M one..well cover over the original broken leather? no way... 23 - not my thing but well yeah if is glued not drilled 22 - oe only 21 - agree 20 - agree 19 - no way! the 136hp variant does not hold up even stage1 for long term - the 150hp of the e46 is a different story - easily holds up 190hp stock internals but again NOT the 136hp one 18 - b4/6 struts eibach coils black/red 17 - m5 rims are the best looking but not so strong. Consider upgrading the brakes also, rotors calipers master cylinder and so on but on a 520d? not worth it... 16 - totally agree 15 - not worth it on this engine 14 - retrofitting the seat heating is not that easy so better get a car equipped from factory (is doable but not that easy) - replacing the broken heating element is a different story 12 - modlight2 module broke my hvac unit not working right and sometimes blocks the k-line signals - don't do it 11 - nop - retrofit the e38 hydraulic system or forget it 9 - replace only the rubber valeo last about 1year bosh 3 months - original ones few years 7- when is raining your foot will slip an alu pedals they look cook but not worth... 6 - yes! proper wiring required 3 - a propper lsd is very expensive not worh in a 520d... 2- yes original ones are alu finished but glossy chrome look loos as well... 1 - not one bulb there are several led's across the pcb - not recomended but doable still...
Before doing any of these mods, do the essential work- thermostat, water pump, regular fluid change (not flush), serpentine belt, sill rust. Headlight adjusters have to be fixed for MOT (and lighting up the road!). Those chrome bulbs are not road legal in the uk, and e46 wheels will not fit e39 without modification. Coilovers do not improve the ride over OEM shocks/springs. Get the best tyres you can afford. Even most mid priced are pretty crap on e39, it’s a high performance car. The duck tail will lower your mpg without any other benefit. You’re reducing aerodynamic efficiency- which is really high for the age of the car and still higher than most modern cars (look it up!). Straight piping will fail an MOT (M54 is a great sounding engine straightpiped admittedly). Then, if you have any cash left, you can play with the vanity mods shown in this vid. It’s a good list, but get the reliability and safety things done first!
You forgot the most important mod of them all... rear muffler delete so you can be not only be driving in style but also be obnoxious to neighbors at 2am kekw
Sve pohvale iz Bih komso imas sub. Nemam jos auto al u planu mi je E39 to mi je san al svi govore da znaju da understeer dosta ima li kakvih modifikacija sem guma da se popravi to.
Hey Mr. Sharp! Much love to BH 🇧🇦. Stop listening to people who don't have what you want and go get your E39 ASAP. By the way, under/oversteer is definitely not a factor in 99% of the driving I'd done, but in the times it was: mine mostly oversteered - and I had a huge smile on my face every time it did. Good luck.
Chrome trim is better then downgrading to black. The orange is a lot nicer then the cheap basic white. The preface lift is obviously more sporty with the classic grill below and Ferrari turn signals. This guy is just a werid Frankenstein with bad taste.
Zakon Bimmer serije 5 E39 🥇 Meni lično je još jači pre facelift Bimmer E39 od 1996 do facelift 2000. godine. 🥰 Prijatelju, nemoj zamjeriti ali pukla ti šofer šajbna. I to dobro.🙁 Ovdje u Sloveniji bio bi oštro kažnjen i zabranili bi ti vožnju sa tim Bimmerom. Pozdrav iz Slovenije
just got an 1997 5359 e39 at 18 just before christmas, will be using alot of the tips in this video. for the angel eyes/headlights lci's would you be able to link where to get them from pre facelift to new facelift (2000 prior to post 2000 year)
