Project "Vader" BMW E39 part 1

One could buy a car that has no issues but where's the challenge in that?

This is Vader. She's a very classy but also very badass looking BMW E39, 523i. she was bought with a few minor issues but she has 18in schnitzer mags, She’s completely facelifted, she looks good inside out and most importantly, she only has 57k on the odo. She was barely used by her previous owner but underuse could also do bad things to a car.

I thought I’d document my progress so those who are interested could have a reference on what it’s like to restore a euro car with some minor issues. it’s not for people who don’t have a lot of time in their hands. Repairing a bmw or a benz is going to be more expensive than repairing your average japanese car but if you know where to look, it's not going to be as expensive as most people think

If you've ever seen an episode of Wheeler's dealers, this will be my version of it.

Front passenger's side door

When I first tested the car, this door was actually completely functional.It was only when I got the car home that it decided to not open from the inside or out. As with any problem, I did my research first before having it fixed. According to the forums, there was no way to remove the door sidings without destroying them it so I mentally prepared myself for the sight of Vader’s beautiful leather sidings looking pretty badly mangled. I didn’t have the heart to do this myself so enlisted the help of a professional. He removed the screw near the door handle, he pulled rubber seal around the door from the inside and then he pulled the siding upwards. It took a lot of force to remove the door card but thankfully, only the clips got damaged. They were the regular sort of clips that you could buy from any auto shop cheaply.

Apparently the lock motor had seized and that’s what caused the door to jam. The lock motor was repaired for a measly 650 pesos that included the labor for opening the door. If I bought a new one, it would’ve cost me thousands of pesos. It really pays to know the right mechanics/eletricians.

The door siding was undamaged

Rear doors: 

When I got the car, the rear doors couldn’t be opened from the inside but they could be opened from the outside so they were easier and cheaper to fix. Cost to fix: 500 for both doors

Headlamps:

The car has facelifted headlamps with angel eyes and HID projectors. The lenses though were cloudy and in bad need of polishing. I have a buffer so this should be a job that I should be able to do myself.

ABS warning light:

Vader’s ABS warning light on the dash was intermittently lit when she was bought. That was the biggest question mark in my to repair list. Definitely a part needed to be replaced and i wasn't sure how much it was going to cost.

Like always, I did my research first before deciding on what to do. The car has a speed sensor on each of its 4 wheels. The first step was to clean the sensors. That didn’t fix the problem but the mechanic found one likely culprit for the ABS warning.  The sensor for the right rear wheel had frayed wiring. I had an electrician replace and rewrap the wires but that didn't fix the issue. The ABS warning light was still lit and it was lit permanently this time.

The right rear ABS speed sensor

The thought of not having the issue repaired crossed my mind because I didn’t think that it was that important ( a lot of cars nowadays don't even come with ABS) and finding a sensor at the right price might be a pain---but then I drove it again on the highway for the first time after the abs light went on permanently and the transmission wouldn’t shift past 2^nd. My heart sank. I thought I had a transmission failure until I started reading up on abs sensors again and realized that this was supposed to happen. Apparently this was a safety feature. The transmission wouldn’t shift beyond 2^nd so you could utilize engine braking to slow down. Replacing the ABS sensor became mandatory….

I brought the car to royal dragon near banawe to have have her scanned. They also sell euro car parts and they have a BMW/mercedes technician so it was a one stop shop for everything. Upon scanning, it was determined that my front right sensor was also malfunctioning. The front sensor was replaced for 2500. The repaired right rear sensor was detected by the computer. I took the car out on a testdrive and she was shifting fine again and the annoying ABS light was no longer on

Paint:

Most of the car’s paint was in good condition except for the frontmost part of the hood. It looked like the car was garaged but the front end wasn’t covered completely. The hood had stains  caused by running water dripping from the roof. There was also a scratch on the trunk and a few paint chips on the rear bumper. I had the hood painted for 2500. The trunk and the bumpers were also retouched.

Tuneup:
The previous owner of the car was kind enough to include a set of spark plugs and fuel filter in the sale. I'll only have to pay for labor

 

 to be continued