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E39 Touring thread! What do you think!

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e39it
102K views 489 replies 106 participants last post by  bmdubya1198 
#1 ·
I have been on the forums for a few months now and must have to say that the amount of information for Bimmer owners is incredibled. It is really nice to see enthusiasts, owners, and lookers all hanging out in the same place. Everyone pretty much willing to help each other out with tips, tricks and advise on how to keep their cars at their best.: :thumbup:

Would like to start a thread especially for us Touring owners as there seems to be many of us here on the forums. True, that alot of the info would be the same as the E39 sedans but we have the entire rear half of the car to discuss about. We could keep all of our pics, advice, helpful links, repair tips and etc. all in a localized thread.

What do you guys think? Can we do this? Touring owners show your support!



Sorry for the phone pic.
 
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#142 · (Edited)
M5 brake conversion.

I am looking to upgrade the brakes on my touring. I have a good line on some used M5 brakes. Can anyone veryfy the list of parts needed below? Will I be needing the dust shields as well? The shields seem to be the hardest parts to come by used since the breakers want to sell the entire knuckle assembly.

1. (used) M5 front calipers/carriers
2. front backing plates (dust shields)
3. (used) M5 rear calipers/carriers
4. rear backing plates
5. new SS brake lines front/rear
6. new rotors front/rear
 
#147 ·
I've always loved your red touring. It's a red e39 and its a freaking wagon! Red E39s aren't very common to begin with.

My wagon has been out of commission for a while too. I'm picking it up from the shop and I'm going to treat it nicely this weekend. Time to put some parts on.
You have any pictures of your wagon?
 
#155 ·
Curious, what are the benefits? Are the pitons in the calipers smaller/larger than the non - "M"?
Hard for me to tell, are they smaller? Lighter? Aluminum vs Iron?
I see spacers, are those because your using stagered wheels?

Good looking Touring by the way!
Well after driving for about 15miles to brake them in, I notice a much more positive feel to the brakes now. Seems to take less pedal effort to stop the vehicle as well.

As for the calipers, they are larger and deeper than the standard 528 setup that was on there. Pad size would be about 30% larger and the rotor is at least an inch or more larger in diameter. I see in your sig that you have a 540, so I am sure that the difference in size would not be as drastic.

Yeah those are 12mm spacers up front just to flush out the stance abit.

Thanks for compliment.
 
#156 ·
Been having fun reading this thread. I just got a new to me, 2003 BMW 525i M-Tech Wagon. Completely bone stock right now and dying to get some performance mods going. And cosmetic, those MTech bumpers are calling me for sure.

Where is the best place to get those?

And any ideas or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Have a great day!

Bill
 

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#158 ·
Congrats. I think you have the best wagon built known to man. Is it a 5 speed, or an auto? Hopefully manual, but i am pretty happy with my auto in mine, especially with the Dinan tranny software upgrade. I like the 6 vs. V8 better model because it doesnt have the air suspension in the rear along with the known to fail rear carrier bushings, and the 6'r is more reliable and less costly to run and maintain than my 8. I havent had any issues with mine but it only has 76k on a 2003 model year.

Where do you live? That may determine where yo go for parts...
 
#165 ·
I like the 6 vs. V8 better model because it doesn't have the air suspension in the rear along with the known to fail rear carrier bushings...
Lots of touring 6s (528it and 525it) have rear air suspension. It was an option. None of the 540iT tourings have rear metal coil springs, they have SLS (self leveling system) or EHC (electronic height control) only.

Besides replacing the rear sport air springs, (leak after X years of use / 120k +/- miles) I haven't had a problem with my system going on 12 years and 207,xxx miles. Note: there are different part numbers for sport versus non-sport rear air springs and for left versus right in each kind.

The part numbers apply to 528it, 525it and 540it with SLS/EHC.

Non-sport Pneumatic Spring, Left 37121094613
Non-sport Pneumatic Spring, Right 37121094614

Sport Pneumatic Spring, Left 37121095081
Sport Pneumatic Spring, Right 37121095082

The rear carrier bushings = subframe bushings = are the same on 528it, 525it and 540it.

Part # 33311094036

They are liquid filled from BMW to dampen NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) and can be replaced with the same or Meyle makes a solid rubber replacement. I have replaced mine (with BMW supplied OEM) and several other sets (using OEM or Meyle) on other enthusiasts tourings. It is an afternoon job at most and the touring needs to stay up on jack stands preferably overnight to let the lube on the bushings evaporate and for the bushings to set.

The rear carrier bushings tend to fail sooner on the 540iT due to the torque/hp of the V8 versus the I6s. Typically, 540iT owners need to drop a carrier bolt and large washer to inspect their bushings for failure around the 100k mile mark. I6 touring owners seem to get a little more mileage (~ 120k miles) before their rear carrier/subframe bushings fail.

Remember: on the touring the entire rear suspension is captive to the subframe. Meaning, besides the drive shaft attaching to the rear differential, ALL shock and road force transfers through the rear carrier/subframe and then the bushings eventually to the unibody. That is why the rear carrier bushings on the tourings are a key part of the rear suspension "system". E39 sedans rear shocks/towers attach directly to the unibody.

I have the Franklin E39 touring subframe bushing removal tool for rent if you need it. Lots on this forum and others have DIY/used it over the years and we have all saved a boatload of $$$ versus having an Indy or dealer do the work.

Cheers.
 
#167 ·
How do those M5 Rear brakes compare to what is stock on a 540it M Sport? Just the cross drilling or is it a larger rotor and different caliper? Besides the cross drilling, would there be any benefit as an upgrade/replace? Will need to do brakes in the next few months and looking at what I can do while I have the wheels off :D
 
#169 ·
New member, touring photos

Hey gang,

I've been on Bimmerforums for years, but just joined here. Thought I'd share a few photos of my last touring. I miss her and hope to get another soon.







The PO added the style 42 wheels. I didn't do a lot of mods as it was our daily driver, but I did install the Euro hitch and use it to tow our trailer a few times.

Looking forward to being on here more!
 
#170 · (Edited)
Hi There Touring Team!

I haven't been on here in ages, it's nice to see the support for E39s and especially E39Ts. There are some beautiful examples on here.

I guess I will join the parade with my latest addition - Stasya Olga (Don't Ask... :rolleyes:)

She arrived with issues first week of 2013 and I am in the process of solving them.

No Sound - Radio is completely dead, but Navigation works.

Tranny - I think it is about to die. Just noticed this . Almost seems to over rev, and it clunks down into low gear when slowing down.

Needs new shocks probably, but an upgrade was already planned.

Front Fog lights dead, bumper to be replaced.

Driver's seat has a rip - will be replacing with E38 or M5 seats for dual tone interior.

Rear leak on driver's side. Bad enough that there was mold (see picture).

Missing CD cartridge for CD player.

Brake Lights - Weird Action. The brakes lights seem to work intermittently. They come on and all, but they seem to go off even when the brakes are applied or if you come to a stop. I am suspected something wet somewhere or a faulty brake light switch?

Needs new key - don't have master key with remote lock.

Rear Tail Gate and Glass will need new shocks soon... not looking forward to that.

I guess it could be worse for $3.5K....:dunno:














Had to vacuum the water out of the rear foot well....



Packed up the Shop-Vac used to get the water out. At least the rear tail gate works, but needs new shocks:





On the way home with her sister:





 
#171 ·
Hi There Touring Team!

I haven't been on here in ages, it's nice to see the support for E39s and especially E39Ts. There are some beautiful examples on here.

I guess I will join the parade with my latest addition - Stasya Olga (Don't Ask... :rolleyes:)

She arrived with issues first week of 2013 and I am in the process of solving them.

No Sound - Radio is completely dead, but Navigation works.

Tranny - I think it is about to die. Just noticed this . Almost seems to over rev, and it clunks down into low gear when slowing down.

Needs new shocks probably, but an upgrade was already planned.

Front Fog lights dead, bumper to be replaced.

Driver's seat has a rip - will be replacing with E38 or M5 seats for dual tone interior.

Rear leak on driver's side. Bad enough that there was mold (see picture).

Missing CD cartridge for CD player.

Brake Lights - Weird Action. The brakes lights seem to work intermittently. They come on and all, but they seem to go off even when the brakes are applied or if you come to a stop. I am suspected something wet somewhere or a faulty brake light switch?

Needs new key - don't have master key with remote lock.

Rear Tail Gate and Glass will need new shocks soon... not looking forward to that.

I guess it could be worse for $3.5K....:dunno:


Im asking 4.5 for mine in more or less perfect shape outside of high miles and the amount of flack im getting for the asking price is driving me batty.
 
#174 ·
Rear leak on driver's side. Bad enough that there was mold (see picture).
Door vapor barrier too.

Pull the rear seat, door jam trim, lower "B" pillar trim, inner door weather stripping, rear cover stow-away brackets on carpet in 2nd row (hex head bolts) and then pull that carpet back ASAP.

There is 2-3" of foam under that carpet that is probably saturated. You need to press, shop vac, hook up a box fan and blow air on that carpet/under-foam to get it dry otherwise you'll continue to have mold problems.

I recently went through this and with the carpet/under-foam pulled back (propped up) and a box fan blowing on it ... it took several dry days to get the carpet dry enough that I was comfortable putting it back together.

Like mentioned, check the sunroof drains but 99% of the time it is the door vapor barrier that has come un-tacked (dum-dum/ weather stripping sealant) and needs to be re-done.

Good luck.
 
#179 ·
Damn, that's a nice wagon! And with a stick I think you should be asking more, that's a rare piece (I know, mine is a stick also). Maybe it's the mileage scaring them off? You have it advertised on any forum lists?
 
#187 ·
Off topic for sure, but touring related non the less, My cousin just picked up an 03 X5 and I noticed his rear mounted factory subwoofer has 2 speakers vs the tourings single speaker. Anyone ever heard of a retrofit or if this is possible? I am looking for a little more bass without going aftermarket or losing storage space.
 
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