Hello there, it has been a while but things were going well with my lovely E39 . I had been burning 5litres 5W40 every 1000 miles and constantly replacing fouled plugs. Now after twelve years (Nov 2024) I tried to loosen oil rings with Redex and destroyed all compression. After searching around in vain, I eventually let my BMW independent strip down and quote for a rebuild as there was no compression at all. So car was transported to garage May 25 to have oil rings replaced and other worn/dirty parts replaced. Estimate was £2500. After endlessly chasing garage owner/mechanic for six months, my engine is in hundreds of pieces; this was their quote. Total rebuild of cylinder head to include new guide, recut valve seats and valve faces. Decoke cylinder head, lap in valves and fit new valve stem oil seals. Carry out engine rebore, fit new pistons and rings to conrods, reassemble engine with all new crankshaft bearings, fit all new timing chain components including guides/tensioners etc. check oil pump found to be within BMW wear tolerances. Refit engine to car, carry out oil and filter change, replenish coolant to strength, run engine and bleed coolant system, check for any leaks etc, carry out extensive roadtest Labour: Oil filter: Engine oil: Engine coolant: Consumables: Specialist repairs: inc complete gasket set/bolts, upper/lower chain kits and conrod set, big end and main bearings, valve guides, valves refaced and seats cut, head tested, resurfaced and d-coke Engineer repairs: inc engine rebore and new pistons/rings TOTAL: over £5k!! Yes it is a lot! My E39 chassis is totally rust free, has original paint that is excellent although I need bubbling on right front wheelarch repaired and painted along with scratched front and rear bumpers. Wheels need refurb as well. So perhaps another £1k. Everything is in excellent working order. Prices of E39s are the on the rise. This is a keeper; my perfect car (within my budget) although who wouldn't want an E39 M5? Anway cutting long story short I reluctantly decided to go ahead. Three months later (9months in total) after more chasing, I eventually got car back February with new MOT. Apart from a few miles I did not drive car for a month because of the following issues. ABS and ASC warnings coming on after few miles that garage told me "just came on the morning I collected car" . Code readers said NSF signal fault so I replaced that sensor with two genuine BMW and one new Bosch sensor but no improvement. ABS module had probably gone faulty while with garage Investigating condensation on windows identified leak from rear door barrier thst over a very wet winter while with garage had soaked rear carpet so I had to remove all seats, centre console and HVAC controls to remove carpet and dry in the house for a week. Then repair vapour barrier. No windscreen washer as hoses had been very poorly bodged with incorrect colour/bore pipe with super glue and bits of copper! I had to replace them from pump to jets with proper black hoses/junctions. I had to replace all four three year old 5mm treaded tyres as the sidewalls had cracked and were misshapen from standing for many months. I also took the opportunity to have the wheels refurbished by South West Wheel Repairs in Exeter that did an excellent job. Engine under tray was missing. Garage assured me this would be found and replaced when I returned for 500 mile engine oil and filter change, so I left it at that. Rear bumper had been resprayed (actually quite well) but I was not told about any incidents. Once back to commuting gently and running engine in for 500 miles, I noticed other issues. Aircon was not working at all, just hot air. Engine was very tight, easy to stall and consumption down from 31 to 26 mpg. Mechanic told me this was to be expected and would improve after 5000 miles. Vibration/misfire while driving and progressively worse over 65mph and worryingly bad over 70mph. I have had all four wheels swapped around, changed pressures, had wheels balanced, tyres off, wheels checked and rebalanced but no improvement so issue is elsewhere. Oil leaking from sump gasket. A job I spent three days doing for MOT 7 years ago, and not something I was ever going to tackle again. I am not enjoying driving what should be a smooth comfortable old 5series. Anyway car is back with garage last week to have oil changed and remedy issues. I have been looking at images I took last year for insurance and found this one that clearly shows aluminum heat shield protecting ABS module from exhaust; another item that I now realise has not been refitted to my car whilst with garage. As I understand it omission of this shield is the primary cause of the circuitry in module breaking and causing expensive time consuming repairs. So I awaited the return of my beloved E39 in good-working order but honestly expected a vast host of problems, bills and excuses. So met garage owner yesterday after sending firm and detailed email of all problems and concerns and request to rectify FOC. His response was polite and friendly No specific explanation of recommendation that the rebuilt engine requires a 5,000-mile running-in period and will remain "tight" during this time Bad vibration from 65mph. He suspects Prop-shaft coupling need replacing at my expense ABS/DSC warning fault. He suspects ABS pump has failed whilst the car was with them last year. He can repair at my expense. Engine undertray missing. Why, despite me making him aware of this eight weeks ago and again when booking in three weeks ago, he still has not found the original item or sourced a suitable replacement to fit when the car was with him last week? A pattern part is on order to be fitted in future. Exhaust heat shield not refitted. He gave me an explanation that it no longer needs to be refitted to E39s That I do not understand or accept; I would really like the original part refitted for peace of mind that the ABS module is protected from excessive heat. I highly suspect he has lost this shield as well. Air conditioning not functioning. He suspect the compressor has failed whilst the car was with them last year; again, He can repair at my expense Oil leak on sump. Apparently this was leaking from valve cover. This will be replaced FOC. Why has a gasket that typically lasts eight or nine years failed in only eight weeks? I have also requested documentation confirming the components that were replaced (particularly pistons and rebore), including details of the parts fitted and any supporting records available, such as copies of supplier invoices, parts receipts, or photographs taken during the rebuild process. This request arises from the fact that the vehicle was returned with multiple faults and several components not refitted, which has led me to question whether all work specified on the invoice was completed as described. Whatever I do I will lose face and need to spend considerably more money and not see my car for many more months. Pay this garage reluctantly, Pay another garage Do nothing and drive car but not enjoy the experience. I said earlier this was my perfect car but neither my wife nor I have much affection for this 5series at the moment Sell car at loss Try to find other specialists and pay to get their opinions Get legal advice Sorry for long post. I do welcome your considered opinions.
A beautiful car that seems to have been sadly let down by the garage. I'm reading this as shoddy workmanship as well as not fulfilling the initial and agreed brief/work. After all that you have put into the car, I'd strongly suggest you keep it and get the work sorted out. Given the sum involved, and the seeming lack of engagement nor ownership from the garage, I'd be speaking to a legal rep to get their stance on a way forward. Might cost you a few more quid in the consolation, but at least you will know where you stand. Whatever you do, good luck and keep the faith.
Do you have legal cover with your home insurance, car insurance or even breakdown cover? If so you might be able to use that to take on the garage.
Well here goes. Collected my car last Tuesday and am even more annoyed. After waiting months for my engine undertray to be replaced , I get some tiny cheap ebay part that only covers the radiator not the sump or steering. (better images to follow). The garage's response to my concerns are detailed here I cannot believe his refusal to fit ABS Heatshield and an unbelievable excuse about it containing asbestos. I spoke to two car breakers that found this nonsense. I am concerned that driving without any heat shield will further damage my ABS. Another garage questions whether my car will fail MOT without the heat shield seen here 2024. and today I have given the garage more than enough time to respond professionally, but their work is poor quality, their care atrocious and absolutely no respect for customers, especially one that has paid them a lot of money. I hope that you realise that this is not a personal vendetta but based on facts. I will be contacting every ombudsman and Federation I can. feel free to spread the word about this establishment.
AI States - The ABS module in E39 models (particularly those with I6 or V8 engines) sits very close to the exhaust headers. Heat cycles bake the module, leading to expensive failures. A heat shield acts as a thermal barrier, significantly reducing the temperature the unit is exposed to. Why would a design engineer specify a heat shield if it's not required? The undercarriage cover should extend right under the gearbox, more than half is not there... Very disappointing service from this company, the E39 is a fabulous machine, I loved mine....still miss it now. Good luck with the ombudsman...
It gets worse. Just tried to read ABS error codes but none of my four code readers are getting power from the OBD port in car! Fault found. Fuses for OBD 44, 56, 58 are fine OBD Pin 16 had no supply. It is a red/bk cable. Red/bk in fuse panel (25 radio/instruments.) was blown. Replaced with another 7.5A, OBD working now.
Wow, this really is a tale of p!ss poor workmanship followed up by even worse management and relationships. I can only hope that you are successful in taking them to the cleaners!
The heat shield that’s missing would appear to protect the Aircon lines, it is too low down to protect the ABS. It needs replacing. It’s obviously a piece of poor design by the BMW engineers, and does nothing to protect the ABS. Looking on YouTube several owners have made their own attempt at creating a shield for the ABS module. Although I didn’t feel any of them were particularly outstanding, I believe a Miss Marsh of them could produce something worthwhile in protecting the ABS. As to the rest of the mess created by the garage and the claim that the engine’s not being run in as the cause for the car stalling, I’d be looking elsewhere, I’d have little trust in their competence. Good luck with sorting it. It's a lovely looking car.
