LEGENDARY BEAST

LEGENDARY BEAST - the trials and travails of my BMW e39 M5 ownership.

[e39m5beast-blog]

"Secret Menu" - Unlocking the Dashboard Instrument Cluster

1) Key to ignition pos 2 (no need to start engine). 2) Fasten the seat belt to get rid of the “Fasten Seat Belt” message. 3) Press the right button on the instrument panel, and hold it until “TEST-NR. 01″ comes up (5 to 10 seconds). 4) Press the left button on the instrument panel, and the vehicle id comes up (last 7 digits of VIN). 5) Add up the last 5 digits to get the “unlock code”, e.g. the unlock code for “AB12345″ would be 15 (1+2+3+4+5). 6) Repeatedly press the right button until “TEST-NR. 19″ appears. 7) Press left button -> “LOCK : ON” 8) Repeatedly press left button until “LOCK : xx” appears, where “xx” is your unlock code. For instance, for the aforementioned lock code 15, you would press the left button until "LOCK: 15" appears.

9) Press the right button. All modes are unlocked now.

To check a specific measurement, click the right button for various test numbers and the left button to pick sub options within those test numbers.

Now, just move the steering wheel down a bit so you can see all of the new information. ;)

[e39m5beast-blog]

M5 Vs M5 Vs M5 Vs M5

"...I mention this because a few years back a red E39 M5 pulled into my neighbor's driveway during an open house. I've never moved so fast, nor spazzed so hard, in my life. There I was, a working auto journalist who had just returned from Maserati camp, drooling like teenager in the beer aisle. Embarrassing? Sure, but if you spend five minutes a week on Jalopnik you know damn well you'd do the same. That's the kind of car the E39 M5 is."

[e39m5beast-blog]

2000 BMW M5 Road Test

Nice review of the e39 m5 from Edmunds that results in such memorable feelings like:

"The M5 is the world's finest sedan with stunning acceleration, eye-popping grip, anchor-imitating brakes, ballerina-like chassis dynamics, decadent luxury, and people-and-stuff moving practicality all rolled up into subtle but aggressive and purposeful-looking bodywork. At any price, this car, to take a page from a Jack Nicholson movie, is "as good as it gets.''

[e39m5beast-blog]

Studying the M5's specs gives you a clue: 400 horsepower, 395 pound-feet of torque, 11.0:1 compression ratio, 7000-rpm redline, six-speed manual gearbox, and 18-inch wheels should make for a lot of fun in any car. But it only takes one drive to convince you beyond the shadow of a doubt: BMW has herewith created the greatest super-sedan of all time.

Motor Trend

[e39m5beast-blog]

Great vid of Sabine in the 'Ring Taxi M5 being chased by an e46 M3.  It's old and of bad quality but the content is mesmerizing.  Watched it twice before posting.  The girl has done 30,000 laps around this track.

And yes, those are vans on the Nurburgring.

[e39m5beast-blog]

This is a great source for DIYs, product reviews, and maintenance information.  Check it out and enjoy!

[e39m5beast-blog]

The Circular Pattern of Taking the Old to New

The first day of ownership of my M5 involved taking it to BMW of Tulsa to figure out what was causing the SES light to trip.  After a Post Purchase Inspection, their recommendation of replacing the spark plugs and a coil solved the issue for two days.  The third day of ownership involved finding a good indy: Rennsport in Tulsa.

They did a once around and determined the laundry list of fixes that my precious M5 needed:

Headlight adjustors broken

Rear Sunshade brackets broken

Driveshaft guibo replacement

Underbody panels missing

Aftermarket suspension bushing replacement

Torn driver's seat bolster

Dark driver's side rear view mirror glass

Oil filter housing mounts broken

Rear window passenger sunshade replacement

Seat heaters broken

Mismatched front and rear tires

My own review revealed the above but also the use of plastic zip ties to mount the rear sway bars.  Yeah, plastic zip ties (more later).

Now before you go ballistic on me about buying a car with so many issues, please realize that the car was BMW dealer serviced in Dallas, had more detailed service records than any used car I've ever seen, had a high AutoCheck score, clean CarFax, and pristine exterior and interior (outside of the aforementioned torn driver's seat bolster).  And realize that no used car is perfect.

Since then, I've repaired or replaced or installed:

OE driveshaft guibo

BeastPower Rear Sway Brackets

Oil filter housing mounts

Rear window passenger side sunshade replacement

Mounted Michelin Pilot Super Sports

UUC Short Shift Kit and DSSR (wow, a revelation!)

OE radiator

Euro 2 piece front brake rotors

ECS Stainless Steel Brake Lines

Euro brake ducting

OE underbody panels

OE floor mats

AFE Performance Air Filter - Pro 5 R

Used driver's side seat leather (better than 90% of M5 leathers)

All German Auto Sunshade Repair Kit

Evolve Alpha N ECU w/ SES Delete

Euro sliding armrest with storage tray

MKIV navigation computer

16:9 monitor

OE front and rear cup holders

OE rear trunk release switch

OE windshield fluid nozzles and hose

Wrapped Bruyere wood trim with 3M Gloss Bubinga

OE hood struts (don't buy the knockoffs)

OE coolant expansion tank

OE fender liners

OE driver's side rear view mirror glass

And the list won't stop there:

new suspension bits

KW V2

Evolve Medusa headers

Dinan Exhaust

Evolve Alpha N retune

Rebuld brake calipers

Navigation software update to v32

refinish Style 65 wheels 

Umnitza Hella OE headlights

That should take the Legendary Beast to the standard where I'd like it.  Oh, I'm sure they'll eventually be a re-spray of the Avus Blue paint but for now, I like it with all of it's, albeit insignificant, road rash and orange peel.

Perfect.

[e39m5beast-blog]

This is the first picture of my "new to me" M5 that we've taken.  Fresh off of finishing the paperwork and a short drive from Dallas, TX, we stopped for lunch at an In-N-Out near Plano.

I was ecstatic.  The e39 M5 was one car that I had always had dreams of driving but had never really considered buying one.  Perhaps that didn't make sense but as an enthusiast, there's a line between imagining driving a car and actually buying it.  Well, on an impulse, I searched eBay, saw the color I "imagined" myself in and bid (much to my loving wife's surprise).

There it sits in all of it's 147k Avus Blue glory.  The guibo is already shrieking for attention and the SES light is demanding attention like a flare on a cold winter night.

And I love it.

[e39m5beast-blog]

Here's a good cut out drawing of a right hand drive e39 m5.  Great detail of the 4.9L s62 V8 engine.  However, there isn't any view of one of the best engineering and technical aspects of the car: the individual throttle bodies.  No one did that in a 72k 4 door luxury car; well, except BMW.

To give the drawing more realism, the artist should have given the Style 65 wheels more wheel dust and the SES light should be flaring like a bonfire on a cold winter night.