Hey guys, thanks for welcoming me to E39source! I’ve been a YouTube subscriber for quite a while now, and actually met some of you at the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix last summer. My name is Mike, and I’m 25 years old and live/work in West Chester, PA. I currently have two E39s: a 1997 528i, and a 2000 M5.
My 528i is a 3/96 build, with almost 305k miles on it now. This was my first car, and I’ve owned it for over 8 years and 60k miles now! I’ve done so much maintenance to this car, most notably the top end rebuild that was done at 275k miles due to a leaking head gasket. At the time the head gasket was replaced, all seals in top end were replaced, along with the addition of S52 cams and Raceland headers. I also fitted a new radiator and water pump. This is an automatic-transmission car, and as far as I know, the transmission fluid is still original. The engine is the original M52 as well. As far as mods go, I’ve done quite a bit to this car to make it my own. Performance wise I already mentioned the S52 cams and headers but this winter I’m going to have a Supersprint resonator delete, and a Vibrant muffler installed.
Exterior mods include: M5 front and rear bumpers, Slimmbones carbon fiber front lip, carbon fiber rear diffuser, gloss black shadowline trim, DJ auto headlights, clear sidemarkers, Euro Hella Celis tail lights, OEM facelift kidney grills, and a trunk lip spoiler. The wheels are 3 piece OZ Mitos in 18×9 and 18×10. They were originally 2 piece 18×8.5, but I bought new lips and barrels, and did a custom brushed finish on the faces myself. Suspension wise, it is sitting on a set of Broadway Static coilovers with 12k front and 10k rear springs, along with Powergrid adjustable front sway bar endlinks and a 540i RSB w/Beastpower brackets.
Interior mods include: custom dyed Cinnamon seats, black ultrasuede headliner, titanium trim, sunroof delete, suede sunvisors, black door panels, black carpet, black lower dash, silver gauge rings, M5 leather center console, euro M5 leather armrest, M5 dead pedal, Hamann e-brake handle, re-wrapped sport steering wheel, self-dimming rear view mirror, homelink retrofit, Pioneer touch screen headunit, Bav sound speakers, and a Sound Ordinance subwoofer. This is the car that has taught me how to work on cars and I honestly never want to get rid of it. Future plans include a 5-speed swap with an LSD, and the biggest plan is to turbo it!
Onto the 2000 M5! I got this M5 from my father as a college graduation present about a year and a half ago. He had bought it a few years prior with 87k miles on it, and it currently has 110k miles. It has needed a good amount of maintenance since it became mine, but I’m not complaining. So far I’ve replaced: spark plugs, clutch master cylinder, front and rear rotors/pads, pre-cat O2 sensors, rear view mirror repaired by Radar mirror, both MAFs, headlight adjusters, fuel filter, battery, driveshaft w/guibo, csb, rear cv joint, motor/trans mounts, shifter bushings, trans/diff fluid, and oil pan gasket. I’ve done all of that work myself and have really enjoyed it for the most part. Currently the car is at the shop getting a new flywheel and a South Bend stage 1 clutch because I did not have the time to do it myself. As far as mods go, it has a decent amount done. I myself have added: BBS CH wheels 19×8.5 and 19×10, H&R spacers for the front wheels, gloss black kidney grills, ZHP shift knob, technical graphite trim, carbon fiber front lip, and an Infinity subwoofer. The car came with a Dinan tune, Dinan strut bar, Dinan pedal covers, Dinan suspension, Beastpower RSB’s, Supersprint X-pipe and Magnum mufflers, Active Autowerke intake/brake ducts, Rogue SSK, Coco mats, and a bunch of audio work that includes Alpine crossovers and amps along with a Pioneer touchscreen head unit. Future plans include a facelift steering wheel, maybe facelift lighting, headers, and just keep up with the maintenance and enjoy the car for what it is.
