2021
As the E39Source, LLC service business gains more momentum, I started having the opportunity to work with some very special and unique BMWs (and their owners!) This car is nearly my identical twin; a gorgeous Silverstone/Silverstone 2001 M5. We completed loads of driveline, suspension, and cosmetic improvements on this car, and delivered it to a very happy customer in late January. Per customer request, I thoroughly test-drove this car until we were happy with it’s drivability and new feature functionality. I made a video about our newly available services here.
Which one is mine?
On Valentines day, I surpassed 220,000 miles!
March and April were spent enjoying the car. Here’s a few shots from the hills above La Jolla, CA. A third shot follows of a long over-due Ralphs grocery store visit.
South view to La Jolla.
North view over the Ellen Browning Memorial Scripps Pier.
Packed to the gills.
For May, it was finally time to replace my original driver’s mirror glass; I had noticed that it was starting to yellow. These items are costly, but still available. I view replacement as an investment for the future, since BMW will likely never manufacture this glass again. Costs are high because they were only for the M5, and they include the same auto-dimming technology as the rear view mirror. I also had to snap a photo of the once-in-a-lifetime 222,222.
Old on top, new on bottom.
May 7th, 2021.
June brought fresh fender liners and hardware front and rear. Mine were starting to get brittle and had begun to fade to gray. I figured while these are still available, I should refresh them all. I noted that my brake pads and rotors showed wear during this job… more on that later.
As you may have noticed in the photos above, my front lower fender liner (‘pork chop’) installation looks different The rubber strip on the outside edge of this trim is now tucked behind the front bumper. Months earlier, a YouTube viewer emailed me and asked why I hadn’t installed these correctly, pointing out that mine were sticking out from the outside of the bumper. I informed him that mine were correct, and that every M5 I had ever seen had them installed like this. He turned my attention to some exceptionally low mileage (and presumably un-touched) E39 M5s where the fender liners were indeed tucked in. A photo from the E39 M5’s debut in Geneva confirmed that I had indeed been incorrect all these years. It looks much better tucked! Thanks Ádám!
By the time August rolled around, I was ready to deal with a job that I had putting off for a few years: the windshield. I replaced my original windshield back in 2011, but over the next decade and 62,937 miles it had picked up it’s fair share of pitting. While there were no large chips or cracks, it’s appearance had started to drag down the rest of the car. Replacing the glass lead to me to also replace the following items: windshield seal, cowl, cowl grill extensions left and right, wiper arms, wiper blades, wiper hardware, and engine firewall trim. I opted to buy Genuine BMW brand glass, and I gave the dealer a VIN for a 2002 M5. This meant that I got the glass made for the RLS (rain light sensor) prism, which I had retrofitted as part of the automatic headlight retrofit a year prior. My installation of the new prism on the old glass was good, but not as good as a fresh windshield of course. Video here. Here are some shots of the fresh items.
All old cowling and wiper arms removed. I took this time to do a thorough cleaning in there. Everything I had removed was original, sans the new cabin boxes and HVAC snorkels from last fall.
Fresh windshield loaded up in the trunk. The car that can do it all! Long live split-folding rear seats.
Brand new wiper arms, for cosmetic purposes only.
2000 model year E39s had different plastic screw placement compared to the facelift cars. Therefore, there is a plastic cover that covers up the un-used hole!
People often over-look these side ‘grill extensions’. Mine were original, and while they looked fine when left undisturbed, crumbled to dust upon removal.
With the fresh glass, I wanted to protect it. Kevin from Elite Finish hooked me up with some S-Tek Dynoshield clear film to help prevent stone chips. While the car was in for this, I had them do the annual ceramic coating maintenance, consisting of CARPRO Reload application. It’s amazing to see the paint shine after this!
20 year old 224,000 mile paint.
The service business is hot. At this point, we have 4-8 E39 M5s in the shop from across the country at any given time. I’m honored that my clients trust me enough to send their prized M5s thousands of miles for my custom and caring service. Just in time for Labor Day, I got some red white and blue (Imola Alpine and Lemans) photos in front of the shop, followed by one featuring my own car for the M logo colors!
My custom plate has arrived!! I think it’s only fitting to brand the car at this stage.
Another small job- the hood insulation. Mine was original and showing it’s age. Photos are before, during, and after. Odd to think that after 11 years of ownership, I had yet to see the inside of my hood.
Old and tired.
No rust!
Fresh.
November 24th, a real unpleasant day. I was on my way to get gas when my front left tire’s sidewall failed. It felt like I hit something large, but I think what I felt was the air pressure escaping and the wheel hitting the pavement. I looked in the road and found nothing, so I still don’t understand exactly what happened. This is where the can of warms begins. It was about time for tires, and about time for brakes. I also had new under-body heat shields and some clutch plumbing parts ready to go. I feared this would cost me some downtime, and it sure did. This project spans all the way to early February, 2022, so I’ll get started here and continue on the next page.
Pop. The wheel had a slight knick too, unfortunately.
My first time needing a tow truck in 11.5 years and over 83,000 miles.
Close-up of damage.
Step one: Replace the front left wheel with new. Since my wheels were 2014 dated factory replacements, the new wheel’s finish matched perfectly!
I can’t just replace one tire! Time for a set of Michelin’s latest Pilot Sport 4S tires.
Fresh wheel, tire, wheel center cap, and M sticker!
If the wheels are coming off, I figured it’s time to do the brakes. I had toyed with the idea of installing European ‘floating’ rotors for years, so I figured now is the time to do so. These improved rotors are designed to perform better with the focus on heat management. In example, slowing down from high speeds on the Autobahn. As an added benefit, they each weight a few pounds less than the USA’s downgraded alternative.
USA front (left) and European front (right).
USA front (left) and European front (right).
Front rotor installed with fresh stainless steel set screws. Note the odd color is simply a Zinc rust-inhibitor for storage and transporting, it wears off immediately.
Rear European rotors. Fun fact, these are directional instead of 2x the same for the USA ones.
Rear view.
Rear hub and dust shield cleaned up, fresh parking brake shoes, springs, adjuster, and hardware.
Rear rotor installed.
Well, my front right caliper’s piston boot was in a sad sate. Totally torn. Between this discovery and the rear caliper pistons unwillingness to smoothly compress back into the caliper, it was now time to do the calipers too. Factory replacements were no longer available, and I didn’t like any of the available aftermarket options. I found a source to have the factory calipers sandblasted, powder-coated, and fully rebuilt with fresh seals and hardware. The only down side: he wanted six weeks to do the job.
Front right caliper piston.
While I waited for the calipers to return, it was time to do some other maintenance and upgrades to the car. This included replacing the differential and transmission fluid, coolant and expansion tank, power steering hoses, reservoir, reservoir bushings, bracket, fluid, fuel filter, outer tie rods, rear left wheel speed sensor, and door gasket (on chassis) for the front left door. The next upgrade is the BMW E65 (2002-2008 7 series) brake master cylinder. The cylinder is essentially a plug and play modification to bring a more firm (updated) feeling to the pedal. My booster was original, and the fluid reservoir was yellowing. So let’s refresh it all!
Brake booster, master cylinder, and fluid reservoir removed.
New (factory) brake booster and E65 master cylinder installed. The only required modification here is a thread adapter for one of the hard lines. Easy installation.
Fresh brake fluid reservoir installed, nice and white!
2021 Summary:
Expanding service business, my Silverstone twin
220,000 miles!
Driver’s side mirror glass
Fender liners and all hardware
Windshield, cowl, cowl grille extensions, wiper arms and blades, engine firewall trim
E39SRCE California license plate
Hood sound insulation replacement
Blown tire leading to:
Front left wheel replacement
New brake pads, European rotors, parking brake rebuild, all hardware
Brake booster and fluid reservoir
E65 7-series brake master cylinder
Outer tie rods
Fuel filter
Differential oil change
Tranmission fluid change
Coolant flush
Coolant expansion tank
Front diver door gasket (on chassis)
Power steering hoses, reservoir, reservoir bushings, bracket, and flu id Rear left wheel speed sensor