Cynical Car Guy: What is it like to live with a BMW E39?

[@RNFORLAW]

I just love my 528i E39. Been running strong for 7 years...Will probably keep her forever or buy another to tinker on. Just a good looking luxury /sport car that's really fun to drive ~

[@kimkimpa5150]

is your 528i still going strong Paul? :)

[@winner580320]

I️ completely disagree with it being a 2+2.... you’re seating position looked very strange. l have one and there is ample leg room in the rear. Also how could you call an e38 “small”??

[@myfriendmoses]

Agreed, I'm 6'2" and can fit in the back comfortably so long as the driver or passenger doesn't have their seat all the way back

[@epicon6]

M.J. Anderson I’m 6’2” and i found my e39 sedan backseats useless. Hated having 3 passangers because i always had to change my seat position. If you have a combination on 5’7” and 6’2” it’s fine but all my friends (even girls) are close to 6” or taller. Switched to a 750iL and never getting anything else again than long wheel base models.

[@bradxvIII]

i'am 5"8 and i can easily and comfortably have a nap on the back seats ! and i'am not thin 200 pounds !

[@Minerva___]

Great video on the E39. Despite the known issues, I ended up buying my first BMW and its a 2001 E39 540. The car came with complete service records and all of the major concerns had been addressed at the proper intervals so I’m sure if I just keep up with the regular maintenance I should have a fairly reliable E39! Thanks for putting together so many great videos, they include many of the modifications I already had in mind! Love your content, subbed and looking forward to more. Greetings from California!

[@TheMomusCollection]

Hey Adrian, thanks for the kind words!

[@jacksonmay153]

any updates? still have it?

[@Minerva___]

@@jacksonmay153 still have it! Still daily drive it. It’s been pretty good without any major issues yet. The biggest one was an issue with the mass airflow sensor. I was driving around on side streets and the engine would just cut out, as if I had stalled (it’s a 6 speed). I was away from home at the time so but found some articles online that said I could unplug it and the computer would run a default setting and to my surprise, the car ran perfectly fine without the MAF sensor connected. I went home and purchased a new one and that was that. I’ve had some other repairs done but nothing major. My local BMW specialty shop has recommended a front end suspension refresh and actually, now that I think about it there was a knocking that was happening at the front right wheel a few months after purchasing which turned out to be a thrust arm. I replaced that but would absolutely want to have the entire front end redone soon. Nothing crazy but I can imagine if the suspension is the original it’s in desperate need. I would say the big thing right now is the VANOS. I’m fairly certain it’s not operating at 100% but haven’t had the chance to bring it in. I feel a dip in power if I smash on the gas. Still, it’s been a real pleasure to drive and I absolutely love that it’s a manual.

[@jacksonmay153]

@@Minerva___ on nice. I some maintenance will be expected given the age of the car. But at least it sounds like it has been manageable.

[@Minerva___]

@@jacksonmay153 absolutely, much like any other car. If the maintenance records weren’t so well documented I would have passed on it.

[@peterhuber3625]

We have had an e39 2003 530i for nearly 6 years now all original except for M grill upgrade. It has nearly 230000 miles on it and it glides along as smooth as silk. A fantastic driving machine with plenty of rear leg room btw.

[@realone2917]

Peter Huber ever had to replace Timing chain? I’m considering buying a 98 tomorrow but it had 160k miles and I’m paranoid timing chain will break

[@kalesander7286]

Real One did you buy it? On the petrol straight six you should never change the chain.. only the V8 has chain issues

[@jooky87]

Man, your description of the e39 is pretty much what I always thought to be the case; I’ve had my standard 2000 e39 528i for 12 years now. Don’t we love it! The designer Wolfgang Reiztle was once my CEO at a different company. Good products are the product of true effort in design.

[@ovidiurusu2861]

i like how relaxed this car makes you feel. like there are no worries in the world. But it has to be at least straight six. Nice vid by the way.

[@MrMurph111]

Just bought a 2002 525i Sport with slate green metallic exterior and two tone stone green leather interior. The car only has 86k miles and I purchased it for $2,500 US.....excellent car, runs great and pulls like a train above 4,000 rpms, love it!

[@LimitlessCXIVI]

Hahahaha 7:46 you had me rolling man "The fluids like to leave in the objects they are in" no necessarily though, unless you don't keep your car well maintained.

[@gigel99324]

LimitlessCXIVI replacement is not maintainance

[@LimitlessCXIVI]

@@gigel99324 if you’re a true car guy you don’t follow the manual, you follow your intuition. .

[@brynar65]

I drive a E39 530i -01 since 2005 and had some smaller issues during my 150.000km with the car. Nedless to say I'm so satisfied with the car I don't see no point in changing it for a newer. The overall costs are low, the overall build quality is very good. Smaller rust problems and service maintenance I fixed by my self. The only downside is the higher fuel consumption comparing to more modern cars. The driving pleasure has never left the car.

[@marioperez-kb2wl]

My 2002 530I has gone through some issues including getting smacked on the left passenger door, radiator, I removed and replaced the front bumper, the paint is still holding up but has too many chips. Still love driving it 101K.

[@woahslowdown]

I got an E39 530i about a month ago and I love daily driving, even though my driving only gets ~15 MPG, I love everything about it

[@mobabo5514]

Ben Perone check your air intake boots and viscous clutch fan. i changed them on my car and its defo improved the mpg and mines a 1999 523i autobox

[@steelcitydahmer1462]

New O2 sensors may help out with your MPGs

[@joshbriggsDayZBeast]

Its a real shame you've experiences the e39 through automatic gearbox, the manual 528i is an astounding car and very fuel efficient, responsive as hell and gets up to speed with easily, my grandfathers had done 170k miles and averaged 34mpg

[@TheMomusCollection]

Hi Josh, each to their own ;)

[@epicon6]

I loooooove the E39. I had a 2003 540i but gave it up because i like the bigger size of the E38 750iL

[@edadson]

i actually have a 2001 540i.. ohhh what a thrill to drive it..

[@WindlePoones]

Hi Momus, I enjoyed your fact based presentation on your E39. I have owned four of these dream machines and just love them to bits. I agree with most of what you have stated, but they are so easy to maintain and if you DIY the cost is minimal. If you can’t DIY, independent mechanics can make keeping them on the road very affordable. The first three in my ownership achived the following mileages; 1st E39 528 Touring 330,000 miles, (Not kilometres) 2nd E39 528 Touring 280,000 miles, 3rd E39 Sedan 528 (With LPG) 179,000 miles. All were sold on at the end of my ownership. The 528i with LPG is the most economical car I have ever owned. Regularly returning the petrol equivalent of 26 mpg, in stop start town driving, 47mpg cruising motorways at 70mph and astoundingly on motorways with the cruise set at 60 mph I would be rewarded with the petrol equivalent of 61mpg. My 4th and current daily driver is a 530i M-Sport E39 Touring, (A very lively beast) with every option BMW had on offer when it was new. It’s one of the last of the E39’s that BMW ever produced. It will need a fair amount of TLC. However I bought it as a restoration project and it will be worth the effort. The alternative for the funds I had available was an E61, but in my opinion the E61 is the only real dog that BMW have produced. In summary, the big six cylinder touring variants have bomb proof engines and gearboxes, with an unbeatable in class load area (1525 litres). In general heavily built and very well screwed together motor cars. Thank you for posting your very informative videos.

[@TheMomusCollection]

Thanks for the feedback! Nice to hear more from other E39 enthusiasts. The only thing I don't agree with is the Touring's load volume: at the time it was its biggest drawback, the Mercedes E Class T-model beating it by far with 1975L!

[@robnicholls5827]

This is a good overview, I have the same 1999 E39 528i here in the USA, only 105K and it works fine, great car. Owned it for 15 years works great

[@iswearivefeltthisbefore]

Rob Nicholls I have the exact same car as you, I absolutely love it!!

[@TheMomusCollection]

Great cars indeed!

[@knkjkjn]

I agree with you 100%. I have a 97 520ia for 3 yrs now, and agree that this car really fells like it's made for 2 to max 3 ppl. Although the rear seats are quite comfy ,the rear is still crammed. Also this car has an insufficient heater and AC for it's size i feel. My auto-climate control works as it should but just can't heat/cool down the interior sufficiently if it's very cold or hot outside. The interior also has the lack of real storage compartments and the door panels should have softer upholstery. This car is just not practical at all but it's still comfy. But there are good things about it too: Reliability my has 350.000km on it and the engine is still in good condition for that mileage, although I had to renew the cooling system, and change some sensors which is to be expected at this age.Oil leaks are minimum. Transmission still shifts smooth and still fells young. Rust isn't a issue either so the chassis aged well. Also the car is dynamic to drive with great handling but it's not a sport car at all which is not the purpose of that car. I am a safe driver anyway so ,sportiness or lack of it is not my concern. The seats are comfortable and stiff which I like. Overall I am planing to keep my e39 for long time or change it for another e39 with less km on it so there are more positive characteristics of it than negative ones.

[@panvomacka9079]

I dont know which universe you guys live in. You must be huge or have reeeeally long legs. The guy in the video looks sized like me, and i have like 10cm space in front of my legs when i sit in the back. My friend is 205cm and he can sit behind himself, which is not common in many cars. Are you saying that all smaller cars like golfs, passats, octavias... are made for 2ppl as well? Why do they even bother then? 2nd point - sportiness. Have you driven any other car this size? Even newer cars are mostly dull compared to this. Yes, they might have more power, but this car is much more responsive and fun in the curvy backroads then most E-segment cars. And comparing to the boring A6 which he says in the video that is more nimble? Man, you have something seriously wrong with your suspension. I have driven an A6s from that period and they're boats compared to e39.

[@driftestonia]

I had facelift e39 530d (manual gearbox ofcourse) for 1.5 years, was great fun to drive and to own it, acceleration was very powerful for a car that got 6.4l/100km combined. Had over the medium option list, facelift halogens were actually better than e70 with new xenon bulbs. Unfortunately had it too long and it took every penny I had so the best thing to do was to sell it because of the age of the car (2002). Now I have e90 320d ecomobile and damn I miss my e39 so hard, had great time driving it and it was kind of in flawless condition both in technically and even the body had zero rust and paint was nearly in perfect condition. Apparently yeah these cars are getting old and will need more maintenance than newer cars (brake lines rusting out near rear passenger side wheel etc etc)

[@jgripen969]

driftestonia You went from an E39 5 series to an E90 3 series? But why?! E39’s are reliable, you just gotta make sure it hasn’t been abused. I’m no expert when it comes to the diesel variants as i hate diesel, but i do know that the diesels like to blow their turbo in BMW’s. These diesels werent that reliable allround really. I’ve got a 540 and it’s been rock solid so far. Only issue has been the headlight adjusters (previous owner slapped on broken one’s because he was cheap and OEM Hella lights are expensive) and the radiator top hose mount broke. Electric fan was also dead when i bought it but previous owner had mounted another fan on the inside instead of replacing the old one hahah. Watch out for 99 and 00’s E39’s though, heard something about electric problem in those. And of course, you should ALWAYS buy a low mileage one. Anything above 28 000km is a big risk unless it’s been really taken care of.

[@gigel99324]

J Gripen plastic becomes brittle, metal gets rust. It's way more expensive to keep an old car in good condition than judt buy a newer one that doesn't have any problems.

[@hanzkranz1319]

I have a E39 523i build in 1997, 160tkm, and there is absolutly NOTHING leaking, even the Differential isn't leaking, but rosted hard... And i have the first Halogenlights, and be ok with it, i also have the first Navigationsystem MK1 with 4:3 Screen, without Seatheating, and yellow blinkers!!! And i love it!!! It think the yellow blinkers look much better to the colour of my car, then the new one's!!! And it's also cool if you hunt cars on the left Autobahnline with old yellow blinkers ;) - And the car drives quicker as BMW said when it's new, 228km/h, mine 20Years old 240km/h!!!

[@TheMomusCollection]

That's impressive. Happy motoring ;).

[@dangerousfreedom4965]

Sealed for life means sealed till failure.

[@billykid9684]

Very nice video man, i am also a proud owner of a bmw e39, and i can relate to everything you are saying. Its a superb car overall 👌🔥

[@toriyansa]

My first bmw is E39 528i when i was 17 and just got my driving licence and now 4 years later i still have that car and it drove well never got an issue like you have mentioned on the videos like fluid in that car doesn't wanna stay in the car or bla bla bla, and fuel consumption is good for a 6cyl engine, and you say E39 is like a 2+2? Well in your country maybe but in my country this car is big it barely fit in my driveway 😂😂

[@TheMomusCollection]

Thanks for the feedback!

[@AdamAus85]

Mate is that an aftermarket front bumper? I hit a kangaroo with my E39 m sports and the bumper is toast. Genuine bumper bar is almost a thousands Australian dollaroos. If that is aftermarket, the fit looks pretty good (especially where bumper meets front fender, which seems to be the main problem with aftermarket(.

[@TheMomusCollection]

Indeed it is! Fitment is great, not sure if you can get these in Australia, but it's a part by DM Autoteile ;)

[@aivarasbeniusis3024]

Hi,you have a beutiful e39 right here.I myself am thinking to buy e39 but,if I will im considering 2.5 or 3.0 facelift diesel.I would do a proper chip tunning.What do you think?Is it worth it?I drive 60-80 km a day.

[@TheMomusCollection]

Thanks! Not a diesel guy myself, but they do have nice torque. Go with a 3.0 for best performance. About the chip tuning, i would not recommend it. Yes, these E39 diesels are reliable cars, but putting the extra stress on an old engine, with possibly high mileage, is not great. Instead, invest the money in maintenance and a turbo rebuild / replacement, this will get you a lot of lost power back.

[@joegallardo9784]

You slipped your Spanish speaking there brah! 🏄🤙🏻 I do like it.

[@justiceforall007]

I'll take it any day.❤️

[@Degas93]

Good point on diesels. I hate that the locals all buy bmw diesels in lithuania- it kills the whole feel of ''luxury car'' and drives the petrol ones out of the market ;/

[@kunum5775]

I have had my e30 530i for four years or so. Good solid car and daily driver. Very dependable. I would highly recommend!

[@bonsaiman1963]

Kunu M5 so 530i 3-series????

[@patriknestic8973]

E30 is 3 series

[@goldfish8196]

Great channel! Thank you

[@KevinGonzalez-jf9ic]

Great e39 vid, hoping to see some more. Keep up the good work

[@TheMomusCollection]

Thanks bud!

[@MuntiionCars]

Looking forward to get one soon. Good informative review.

[@bmw-e30]

You are critical of a 20 year old car which you have owned for 6 months. You didn't reveal the car's service and maintenance history. You may not be aware that BMW did not provide a lifetime guarantee with these cars.

[@TheMomusCollection]

Hey MsCelicagt4, thanks for the feedback!

[@555films4]

Your E39 looks nice :)

[@ausquiano29]

Your videos are entertaining though. You are a true MacGyver, especially with the exhaust tips 👍🏼👍🏼

[@TheMomusCollection]

Thanks man!

[@somerandomguy3239]

i own a 520i same as yours was. It's a nice car but i unfortunately got the wrong engine. It's a heavy car, she deserves at least a 3.0. That's why i think that my e39 is a bit dull especially considering that i wanna invest somewhere around 4000 euros in upgrades just like you did. But the taxes here are INSANE. i make about 330 euros per month. the anual fee just because it's yours for a 3.0 it's about 500 euros. so yeah 2.0 is all i can afford. But i think it's a great car overall, i do recommend it if you can afford it. Really comfortable daily driver! subscribed! Do more bmw. e90 would be really nice to watch or the e60 :)

[@gigel99324]

somerandomguy dude... Stop working for a car. Get a megane or something and buy something smart. Land, apartment, house

[@somerandomguy3239]

Alex Gunner fortunately i already own a house so I don't have to worry about that but even if I didn't I would still work for my car because it's what I love. I'm now managing everything fine doing little by little. I expect a raise to 500 Euros next month so that would be amazing! The corruption here is unbelievable .. I'm planning to move to some other country but I need to know for sure that I have work already when I go so that's a bit tricky but yeah, I've been poor all my life so it's kinda the only way I see life 😁😁

[@Sankara-Setu-Mutanda-75]

So right about the free fluids😂😂😂

[@denizozturk841]

This guy needs way more subscribers and views

[@TheMomusCollection]

Hey thanks buddy!

[@peterpeeters3720]

Clown. Talking like 'the Germans' in a warmovie.

[@jaynareynolds3684]

I think you're off base with your assessment of the e39. IMO, it's much better than your critique. The e39 is arguably one of BMWs finest achievements. It's been called the Bavarian Masterpiece by automotive aficionados around the world.

[@TheMomusCollection]

Luckily, opinions can differ.

[@mukeshrughoodoyal1138]

Your e39 isvery beautiful...i own 523i e39

[@senadselimovic8649]

I may do a review on my e39, u didnt say how much km ur e39 got. Ur e39 looks good, the best e39 is with the M package to real feel the sportinees.

[@TheMomusCollection]

Hey man, at that time it must have had +-201500km on it. Looking forward to your review!

[@AlanTrades]

How can we add Bluetooth and navigation? Do you recommend a deck?

[@TheMomusCollection]

Hey there, check out this navigation unit install video we made with our E39 ;) kzbin.info/www/bejne/j3fFh5tpiNqIq8k

[@banpowel9784]

It’s the best driving car within that bracket

[@TheMomusCollection]

To each his own.

[@Magina1989]

I think it's to early to make a video of living with a e39. But anyway nice vid and car!

[@nickpapadelias815]

Its not about living with this car its about experience its performance its not a mini van!

[@TheMomusCollection]

It's also just an ordinary family sedan.

[@507MPower]

Hey dude, love your videos but what was all that about the A6 being more agile than the E39? I've owned several Audi's in the past, including a couple of S's, and still wake up in the middle of the night screaming as I audisteer onto a tree. I then bought a E39 530i for a daily driver and it was as if Morpheus gave me the red pill, you know? I mean, I may not be as fast but I sure do feel alive and most importantly, I'm a much better driver than I used to. I sincerely believe you are the victim of your crime, the auto box ruins all the fun for you 'cause the 528 is really no slouch. I swapped the 5speed manual with the 6speed ZF one from the E60 + the 3.38 rear diff of the 520i e39. The 5er now does 0-100 kph in 6.5, measured with a Vbox. Not bad for a 17 year old bimmer with 210k kms on its back. Keep the videos coming, love + peace.

[@TheMomusCollection]

Hello, to me the Audi A6 is far more agile in the corners. This has nothing to do with a gearbox or acceleration times.

[@Gearsandco]

gorgeous e39!

[@Plamen2007]

have you lived in the netherlands at all? your accent is strangely dutch

[@blackdotlv]

how did you plug parking sensor holes?

[@TheMomusCollection]

What do you mean?

[@blackdotlv]

@@TheMomusCollection in front bumper, on the moldings there are holes for parking sensors right? did you buy parking sensors or did you plug them some other way?

[@TheMomusCollection]

@@blackdotlv you can buy the front with or without PDC provisions 😉

[@blackdotlv]

@@TheMomusCollection i somehow mixed up bumpers😁 i ordered one with PDC holes so i have it now, i dont want to buy new moldings i was thinking that they are making plastic plugs or something for pdc holes but cant find any place to buy them in Europe.

[@TheMomusCollection]

@@blackdotlv I would just get the new moldings, you can get them. From the dealer for next to nothing.

[@147NITRO]

bought my 2001 BMW 530i in M-trim from japan with 78 000 km had it since 23/06/2016 now has about 97k kms had to rebuild the whole cooling system everything broke swaped stock cooler for e46 330 one that doenst like to break every month or so now Oil is leaking from OIL filter, ATF likes to leak sometimes And black alcantara roof fell down

[@TheMomusCollection]

Gotta love these things! Can‘t say i didn’t warn ya ;)

[@147NITRO]

yeah indeed the build quality of interior, driving feel and all those Small details of german cars totaly make up for those unreliable parts everytime after driving US/JP car when i get into my beamer i feel so good but i wouldnt recommend buying one if you dont have money to maintain it

[@TheMomusCollection]

Exactly! This is the reason i love driving german cars of this era too.

[@1250GSX]

We have an e39 528i and a 540i and the v8 shits all over the six performance wise. And it averages around 11l per 100km which isn't much worse than the 6. Just some facts. Cheers.

[@TheMomusCollection]

Thank you for your feedback

[@runner3033]

You'll find sour grapes like this all over the place on that subject. +70hp and +100tq max power is not 'almost the same' or whatever he said. All the additional torque is available down really low, too. Almost 1.5 sec faster to 60mph. No comparison.

[@epicon6]

I had no oil leaks on my 540i and it had 385 000km

[@TheMomusCollection]

It had probably been taken care of by then 😉

[@epicon6]

Mömus Could be. I never checked maintainance history before 265 000km

[@MrMelodynelson]

got a want to sale mine.

[@sheldonm3535]

Of course u can live with it. Can live with any car. Just depends how much money u wanna throw at it.

[@TheMomusCollection]

Thank you or your feedback. This episode was more about what is like to live an E39, not about whether you can live with it or not.

[@dangerousfreedom4965]

What country are you from? Nice vid just subbed 👍

[@TheMomusCollection]

Thank you! From Luxembourg!

[@dangerousfreedom4965]

Mömus Thank you, do you speak German or French at home?

[@TheMomusCollection]

English ;)

[@dangerousfreedom4965]

Mömus no disrespect meant, you just have a very unusual accent

[@paulscott1091]

what no burnout

[@francisvermeulen5440]

You're too cynical mate! Just lately I was able to keep up at a traffic light sprint with a Porsche Cayenne with my 1996 540iA.

[@TheMomusCollection]

Nice one! I'd sure love to have to the extra grunt of the V8 model you have, enjoy it!

[@francisvermeulen5440]

Just making this comment because you say in the video that the V8 model is hardly any faster than the 528i. The auto version that I have does 0-100km/h in 6.5 secs and even today that's pretty fast.

[@thomaspowell3739]

If fluids leak so much from these cars??? They can't be reliable? Sounds to me like a very badly put together engine

[@TheMomusCollection]

Maybe, but comparatively it is quite reliable. What engine of 20+ years old do you know that is faultless?

[@thomaspowell3739]

Mömus I do...I had a Lexus LS 400 with 200.000 miles and 20 years old and absolutely zero leaks.....

[@TheMomusCollection]

And no other faults?

[@thomaspowell3739]

Mömus none. 2nd Lexus and there built like tanks, the 1st Lexus never leaked Also and apart from servicing, wear out items, it was Also faultless

[@florianrazvan4777]

👍

[@Ivan_2201]

I don't like those painted style 32s