Clearly, with the list of things to be fixed, the M5 went through some updates in fairly short time. I tried to sort some of them myself – typically to buy new tires or to fix dead pixels on the radio and dials. The experienced community members had tried to talk me out of this saying, there were community experts doing this, but I wanted to give it a try. I ordered the pixelfix kit, bought some tools, watched several tutorials and went for it. A week later I realized my efforts were hopeless and called the expert. He then fixed both displays in a week. After getting them to the M5, everything worked. Pure joy.
Category: General
Since the beginning, I have accepted a premise that the engine really have gone only through 20.000 careful kilometers and therefore should be OK, not needing any bigger attention. The sound and run was very soft, quiet, all typical negative signs were missing (ticking VANOS units, rod bearing noise etc.). The engine was pulling nicely, no smoke, nothing. But because the M5 is infamous for severe engine failures, I am slightly affected with a little paranoia that something actually could happen. The obvious ways to identify bad signs, like diagnostics or compression test, do not always tell the truth, which does not help to the psycho terror of the owner. However, after long discussions with more experienced M5 owners in the community, I have accepted the fact, that I should not be worried too much about the engine because when something happens, I will have to sort the issue anyway. So why should I be stressed now, right?
I said in the previous article that I was really lucky to get a well maintained piece. Because I’ve been obsessed with M5 for some time, I can also say I’m very much aware of almost everything related to this car. Characteristics, figures, typical issues, standard and non-standard behavior, maintenance costs and spare parts availability. The following post will be a bit longer.
I know this post may be amusing for some but the intro is mainly for the ordinary non-BMW positives readers. So bear with me.
The E39 M5 had some pretty impressive figures, when it was launched back in 1998. And it was not only about the engine and power. The car was at the top offering for 5 series, with all attributes defining the supersedan term.