Restoring a V12 BMW 850i That Spent 10 Years in a Garden - PT11

In this episode of project Marseille, 1991 850i, we are restoring BMWs first multi-link rear axle. The E31 rear suspension has 11 rubber bushings and 14 ball joints. Since this car was abandoned for 10 years in a garden in the south of France, everything is in a poor state. Nonetheless, the mission is to completely overhaul this old, rusty suspension.
2nd channel - / @m539plus
Ed, E31 V12 parts - v12throttle.com/
Foliatec 2-K Spray - www.foliatec.c...
Jordan, ABS pump repair. Use code: 10LESS4M539 - mtechniqueabs....
New Merch shop! - m539restoratio...
You can support me on Patreon! - / m539restorations
Follow me on Instagram - / m539_restorations
Aqua (vapor) blasting cabinet 1215 - www.vaporblast...
Find Liqui Moly oil and additives for your car - liqui-moly.to/...
BendPak lifts - www.bendpak.com/
Luuk, BendPak & Quickjack Europe - liftmotive.com/
Massive thanks to Radu from RT Design Studio for making new merch happen! - www.rt.md/
Email: [e-mail]

[@han7l]

Without Sreten and contributors like him, KZbin would be just another social media junk platform. Thanks, real contributors.

[@030Cappucino]

Indeed, his content and himself as a person are High Class Quality.

[@Ye-Olde-Veteran-FR]

KZbin is no different from all previous "communications media" (stone tablets, hand-inked scrolls, printing press = newspapers and books, radio and then television etc.) All offer a way to "say something" -- but sadly -- 90 percent of those using any of these "media" -- have nothing to say. Thus do we all CHERISH anyone (author, poet, thesbian, mechanic) who indeed DOES have something novel, interesting and/or useful "to say." Thanks Sretan, for being one of THOSE.

[@christophermcelligott1593]

And never any garbage KZbin Music playing over the videos!

[@pakiw2]

I must agree with you. Funny thing I don't even like bmw, but Sreten's attitude and passion for cars is just mesmerizing.

[@mihai08]

ADHD at its best 😊

[@Tychohuybers]

This man is repairing like 8 cars simultaneously, researching and finding parts and/or solutions for very specific issues, recording sound and video, doing voice overs and editing, responding to emails, ... All on his own. I refuse to believe Sreten sleeps. This man is just built different.

[@marknelson8724]

He should get an editor to lessen his work load, but then he would probably just work on cars more. I wonder if the wife has free time?

[@zonda4388]

@@marknelson8724 He has an editor, but does the final tweak himself

[@likits1999]

@@Tychohuybers His channel is definitely superb. His attention to detail is out of this world. Did you see the tape up of the exposed wires on the factory wiring harness? Wow factor, right there! When I grow up, I wanna be lime him!!! :)

[@EricGonzalezM]

People underestimate how much time you spend researching which parts you need and where to buy them. I have 4 cars and sometimes it takes me a week or more of digging through part diagrams, websites, forums, Reddit, etc. to find the right part... and then when I get it it doesn't fit

[@bimmerjames]

Don’t forget he’s repairing 8 bmws at once, literally a fate worse then death

[@gio.rodriguez]

The red press conference was stressing me out! 🤣

[@Archfile375]

Yup, in front of my OSHA Manual as well

[@JaakkoIsWatching]

Things were flying like on Hydraulic Press Channel.

[@jeffwatkins9495]

Sreten is the only dude I know that buys front control arm assembly’s only for the boots. Simply amazing.

[@rudigerthuy9052]

Is there another solution?

[@stanelder9995]

I was wondering that myself - I’m a little surprised that the BMW community hasn’t figured out where to source the rubber balljoint covers and spring clips yet - many joints could be saved/reused if split boots were caught early and the balljoint cleaned out, regreased and rebooted…..?

[@slacko1971]

@@rudigerthuy9052 Super glue the split

[@bimerev]

@@rudigerthuy9052 maybe fits from e39 which is multiple times cheaper :)

[@martinbcooper]

@@rudigerthuy9052 There are generic replacement ball joint boots of all sizes available online but that wouldn't be OEM IE: that's not the Sreten way!

[@imranqureshi3601]

Sreten is the level 100 Master Technician. I own a 2000 750iL here in the UK and referred to all of the Project Dubai episodes to help me when I worked on my car. It gets driven most weekends. In fact, I'll be soon be referring to one of the episodes to fix the sagging headlining. Thank you Professor Sreten for the support you provide.

[@shaidjamu5997]

20000 Level, last boss

[@martintazky]

I love the BMW chime to cover for words which are not in line with youtube 😂😂. Fantastic idea

[@amyboehm802]

I love it too, but that chime gives me chills every time I hear it. "Oh FFS, it's 36 F out?! Really?!?!?! You give me a heart attack for THAT?"

[@Spookex166]

@@amyboehm802 My friend once pranked his dad (He owned a shop that worked on BMWs) by playing the chime sound from his phone while in the passenger seat of a BMW, said that it did scare him quite a bit

[@grinnerzakaminicide1201]

Bloody genius I tells ya!

[@FuelMotorSport]

This man is on a different level running the chime

[@fortza11]

You are the only one who restores cars on YT that is worth watching, the way you, with respect for the model make them as good as new - it´s so cool to watch.

[@jswjr6001]

There are a few other channels, like legitstreetcars, and thecarcarenut, that are also superb for this style content.

[@legioner9]

Mad4Motors is a channel I recommend. That guy is great.

[@theorenhobart]

vice grip garage. the older vids where he resurects junkers sitting in mud for 20 years. gets them running and drives them 1000km. the drive is as entertaining as the mechanics. good stuff out there. this is a great place to share ! thx Sreten for creating an entire community !

[@guyh954]

I don't even like BMWs. I watch Sreten religiously. I completely concur!

[@lithriandel01]

Look up RRC restorations. He is also a beast and does motorbikes too.

[@sageyowns26]

editing the colors over the bolts you’re removing is a next level upgrade i didn’t even know we needed

[@sageyowns26]

such a humble guy you don’t even put the link for the new second channel in the description!

[@jimtaylor431]

What I love about KZbin, is that it's enabled a relationship where us viewers can get the niche content we crave (as lets be honest, not everyone wants to watch someone spend an hour rebuilding a rear subframe) but with an adequate amount of viewership and patreon donations it gives Sreten the money to not only take on projects that would otherwise be economically unviable but not worth the time to most people either. But you're saving fantastic examples of some of BMW's very best cars (and some unreliable Italian stuff.. ahem) and boy are we grateful for it. I hope it remains interesting and enjoyable for you to keep doing this Sreten as you have to know how very appreciative we are!

[@keithposter5543]

Spot on!

[@stilley78]

I honestly don't know how watching 48 minutes of pressing bushes and ball joints could be so interesting, but it really is. Anything Sreten does is interesting. Project Marseille is probably my all time favourite project. I can't wait to hear that V12 purr.

[@ДаниилСемёнов-в8р]

Every episode with e31 brings me a great joy. I remember these cars back then they were new. A little boy back then, i still remember the first time i saw one on a street. Oxford Green. It looked like a space ship, i instantly declared myself that ill buy one then ill grow up. Unfortunately, while owning (and still do) a various classic BMWs i never managed to get a e31. And now the prices are sky high here. Thank you, Sreten, for saving these cars.

[@rgbennett70]

Congratulations on 600k subscribers.

[@M539Restorations]

Thank you!

[@Nockwolves]

the problem with watching your videos is that you than start evaluating all other cartubers against your maniacle level of detail! It's just so unbeliveble the level of detail you go to... That car will drive as 100% new. Insane.

I love subframe restoration videos, very satisfying.

[@M539Restorations]

Thank you!

[@JayaePC]

I particularly like the editing on this one, the little red highlights were very useful. Always enjoy continuations on these big projects!

[@klssn34]

Not just the little red highlights but the small quick intermissions like zooms and slowmos, really takes it up a BIG notch

[@Ellendemetinternet]

For that age everything comes perfectly loose, looks a bless to work on

[@rudigerthuy9052]

Most of the time, the quality of the bolts sustaines age and corrosion, that's why i like to tinker with older Beemers. In this case, the car lived in a Mediterrean climate, that's always advantagious.

[@eugenealymov2723]

This was a very enjoyable video. The filming quality is just superb. Those close up shots are amazing. Imagine driving a car like this in the 80s or the 90s. This was better than 99.9% of cars on the road then. It still is better than most modern cars on the road. Shame that BMW took it in a completely different direction in the past 10 years. Oh well. Looking forward to part 12

[@died4us590]

I'm so happy to have something i love to watch, because i just got out of the hospital. I had a knee replacement that should have taken 45 minutes, take over 3 hour's, because there were tumors inside, and infection, because the surgeon only took xrays, when i told him that i had an MRI around covid that showed them. He said it was a mess inside, so i had to stay inpatient, instead of going home. I am happy to be home with one of your video's to watch on the older BMW, the other oldie that has a little rust is what I've been waiting on as well, but you've made this lady in the mitten state over here in the US, just peachy. G-d bless.

[@rebmcr]

Hopefully you got a new OEM+ bushing fitted rather than a Lemförder one ;)

[@M539Restorations]

I wish you a fully and quick recovery, man!

[@kartaroundtheworld]

600k subscribers ! Congrats man !

[@M539Restorations]

Thank you!

[@husseinhaddadi5446]

It should be more than 1m

[@mdariff839]

It will soon 😊​@@husseinhaddadi5446

[@DustyPearl-13]

@@M539Restorations You deserve much much more Sreten and you know it...Even 6M wouldn't be enought IMHO....Keep up the amazing work and you will definitely get there! Cheers from Montreal, Canada

[@danielrauer5864]

This is ansolutely amazing as I suppose there are more people like me: never owned a BMW, probably will never own one as I do not especially like them, am not even a mechanic. But I really admire all the dedication and Sretens style in general.

[@drakelangham4412]

If every repair shop had at least one guy as passionate and conscientious as Sreten, the world would be a better place.

[@theorenhobart]

but that ain't how the regular world works. the gifted people make the average look bad and so you are soon squeezed out. i know

[@johnburrows8281]

It’s the attention to detail that matters, without your intricate knowledge and experience, we wouldn’t get to see how much care and time you put into restoring these beautiful machines. The pressing looked dangerous, I tip my hat, that I don’t where to you sir in acknowledgment to your expertise. Perfect KZbin channel, and long live the bimmer scene.

[@basedfaisal]

Another instant classic, thanks for all your hard work Sreten!

[@alainbjoseph]

Watching Streten's videos while working on my BMW is so encouraging and refreshing.

[@maxjan232]

I truly believe the amount of knowledge you share with every single video paired with the entertainment factor is such a huge win for the BMW community. Said that, one can only assume how much work and effort goes into your productions in the background. Thanks Sreten, I love your videos!

[@danielw8302]

Another amazing video Sreten - thanks so much - I swear these should be on the NHS mental health wellbeing site - they are so relaxing, thorough and concise. All that at the perfect pace, i love the way you edit the repetitive tasks at speed but then real time for the initial instruction. Most of all however, it's the content, the cars and humour in your narration that makes this one of my best subscriptions. Would be very interested in a 'M539 Restoration Mk2' channel where you might show some of the behind the scenes stuff.

[@danielw8302]

I can't believe this!!! I have just had a look at the community tab and guess what!!!? - no-one is ever going to believe that I wrote the above before seeing the post in the community!

[@BhekumuziTshabalala-j4y]

Been waiting for 2 years plus for work on the 850 , can't wait for more videos. You being you , I know this is going to be enjoyable like all your projects . Thoroughly enjoyed the Alpina B7 by the way. Thank you

[@TheFancyCashew]

“This bolt is an eccentric millionaire” 😂

[@Ojref1]

Congrats on 600K subs, hope you see 1M soon, you deserve it!

[@misforyoutube8452]

This is sooo good, the attention to every little detail is insane. The E31 will be better than new for sure!

[@clivejones5880]

This is the best rear end rebuild of an 8 I've ever seen. Thank you! Now, if only I had a workshop like this to rebuild me own...

[@pierregodin1]

I also enjoyed the laser beam effect!! They are perfectly in line with the fact that your videos are still the best tutorials on youtube for whoever wants to start refurbishing BMWs. Perfectly clear and thorough. Beside all the fun adventures you share with us, it's the main reason why I am a supporting member of your beautiful channel!

[@pedromartins1846]

You're just a machine. what a proper way to work and show the audience what a true love for car's is! keep it strong!

[@Stranger2k1]

Perfection. Just perfection.

[@ParkerZeph]

One of the most underrated things to do, this thing is going to ride with pin point precision! Awesome work.

[@camswims67]

For what it’s worth I enjoyed the new visual/sound effects!

[@witoldtosta4242]

Excellent refurbish. I can say Sreten's work is just fantastic. 30 year's old car will be like it left the factory yesterday.

[@Ibrahim-rc8sn]

I really like your videos, I am currently studying mechanical engineering, but watching your videos really enlightens my day

[@theorenhobart]

this is 'real world' mechanical engineering. i pity the work you will be forced to do to make a living

[@douglasberg2881]

This is not Engineering, but repairing. Engineers design and calculate

[@Ibrahim-rc8sn]

it is far more than designing and calculating, I work on mulitple projects where we build top tier racing cars, TUfast eco team , we broke the world record and it makes a lot of fun to do engineering stuff

[@xjr358]

Thank you, Sreten, for everything you are doing for the community!

[@grahamaker1648]

Was a fan of the new edit sounds and magic oh well. Nice video on the reassembly enjoyed it all the way

[@neildonaldsonlotusexcelresto]

That looks absolutely stunning. I have one of these to do when I have finished my Lotus. A 1991 850i

[@martinbcooper]

Beautiful machine! E31 was peak BMW in my humble opinion.

[@alebigna]

Hi Sreten, super great job. Beautifully done!!! Ale

[@McMaster1500]

Very satisfying to see the E31 come together. Good job Sreten!

[@GalvanizedGreatness]

I gotta say thanks for sharing your content for the years you have I’ve been enjoying your videos since the green e31 you really solidified my interest in bmws and now I can’t stop buying them 😀

[@gtoger]

This car is one of the few BMWs I would actually consider owning myself. I like it a lot.

[@Conor42203]

For me it wouldn't even need to be a v12 any e31 would do they're all gorgeous

[@theorenhobart]

i got an old one, not 850 but it's nice and has been good to me. i'm learning so much from Sreten !

[@sceletox]

Babe wake up ! M539 Restorations uploaded a new video !

[@VladiDusil]

Aww man I liked the Star Trekky Beam The Parts Away effect. Suppose you can't appease everyone. Anyway, ready to see the 850i at the concours soon!

[@johnholdens]

Beautiful job, Streten. More entertaining than any Netflix series!

[@pauloantunes2440]

Congratulations, Sreten, on 600k subscribers!

[@dunchet]

Félicitations pour ce travail for project Marseille :)

[@han7l]

I need to video my jobs so I have a record of where all the parts go when I reassemble. Genius!

[@theorenhobart]

unless you do it everyday all day, it's the only way you'll get it back together

[@design2drive]

this is so satisfying to watch. my depression is cured

[@Саня-ц4ы3п]

Sreten is a bad boy , using that sockets with impact. Yeeh baby , i like that shit 😏😁

[@rodneydelaney9227]

Great video. I've just acquired a 2004 E46 330i SE Auto, with 30,000 original miles.

[@Sako85]

I have to admit I don't really like BMW cars HOWEVER the 850 is one of my favourites of all time. Some cars don't age very well but this one still looks current with classic lines and excellent proportioning. Well done for rescuing it. 👍 Thread string on the ball joint boot clips and wind them on without using a risky screwdriver.

[@vfischer66]

I really like the new color coding, with red on parts that will be removed. That being said your videos are so clearly sturctured and edited its hard to miss a step. Would keep the color coding still.... The laser beam sound effect was a little bit to much for me, didnt quite have a fitting "feel" for the old cars... I really like that you are testing new stuff and let the community decide on the usage :)

[@RPDBY]

The amount of money (as well as dedication and perseverance) these jobs take is insane

[@TheBPJo]

Hey Sreten, great video - I always enjoy watching an episode while eating dinner. I wanted to mention something I noticed: The silver sockets are usually not designed to be used with power tools and the higher dynamic loads. Hazet makes some great power tool usable sockets and extentions etc. - may be they are kind enough to support you with a set for christmas :) Safety first!

[@M539Restorations]

Thank you! I have a set of impact sockets, I just forget to use them in the moment 😁

[@FreiherrDinkelacker]

I bought a Müller-Werkzeug 745100 Wrench Extender because of your videos! What a great piece of shop equipment for a low price. Thank you!

[@interesting7906]

The bolts and nuts look almost brand new! No 'chinesium' alloys were used aback in the 80s. 😂

[@karleriksson6489]

Ohh, I miss my 850 CIA 1991, what a lovely car it was . I really like to look at yours videos

[@PilotsTubeHD]

The transparent dust boots are also TPU (thermoplastic Polyurethane). Most black dust boots are CR (cloroprene rubber). There are also black TPU boots as you are using, most likely Elastollan. Long term salt spray tests show that TPU is much better than CR. So I wouldnt look for black or transparent, but rather for the material. Great Video as always!

[@M539Restorations]

Thanks for the input! However, my real-life experience has shown that transparent boots don't last as long as black rubber boots. E39, E60... use transparent boots on the rear control arms, and they are always the first to fail.

[@PilotsTubeHD]

@@M539Restorations Dust boots can be quite tricky, although one might think it's an absolutely simple and basic component. Especially the neck ring of the dust boot must be tight enough to seal, but loose enough so the ball pin can rotate without twisting and turning the boot. The latter leads to a failure at the bottom ring, since there are sharp edges and rough surfaces where the boot eventually rotates over. TPU boots are slightly stiffer than CR boots, so the neck ring must really fit perfectly, which it often does not.

[@user-cr6oe6yv5x]

So relaxing and satisfying to watch after a hard week. Thank you 😊

[@tomassrdynko3908]

Tbh, i didnt mind the new edits, it was just something different

[@markwgoldsmith]

A thumbs up isn't enough! Excellent work, pleasure to watch!

[@j_arce]

Good video, but I wish there were some visual and audio effects when showing the repeated removal of parts (as an example). Maybe a red glow and a sci-fi sound? Just a thought!

[@camswims67]

😂

[@M539Restorations]

@@camswims67 😅

[@C0RREB0RRE]

I like it that you always trying new things to make the video more interesting, and even more that you are open for suggestions. Keep up the great work my man!!!

[@Littlemosslad]

🎉🎉

[@packerman1203]

Maybe split the video in half and add a gameplay video on one side

[@JohnKaufmann]

That bushing puller kit is impressive. Nice work !!! Congratulations on the new press. I've struggled with that one you used at first for quite some time

[@rasmusboxberg]

Why can't I like this multiple times? Great quality video! :D

[@dayalanvelan3070]

Look forward to every single video . Attention to detail is first class . Keep up the awesome work and God bless.

[@danielmccarthy1982]

Awesome... the 850i is my dream BMW, but now I've glimpsed perfection how can I live with anything less. Damn you Sreten!

[@iamEllah]

As a girl that wishes she'd studied mechanics I truly enjoy watching your content. Your personality around your craft and attention to detail is unmatched

[@robertalvarez15]

Great video, as usual. Kudos on the editing as well ;)

[@DustyPearl-13]

Superb content as usual...Thank you Sreten for keeping us entertained....! Much love and support from Canada!

[@aptacy21]

600k subscription, im with you from beginning your channel. Thank you for your job!

[@sheldonarkinstall2784]

A great episode, so satisfying watching the transformation! Continue the great work.

[@nanouk_gaming8796]

You are one in a million Sreten. I love watching your videos

[@av8bvma513]

Yeah! Ima gwanna watch this AGAIN! (and then, maybe, maybe, WATCH IT AGAIN!) Top Stuff, My Man! Major Kudos! Much Respect!

[@stevenielsen5217]

As Sreten stated, Ed from V12Throttle is a blessing to the community! I'm lucky to live close and he has performed much much work and installed his high quality parts on my '91 850.

[@99unclebob]

Another video of one of my favourite cars, you turn your videos into great works like a film industry except better i remember how awesome the ride was in one of these cars new in 1989, A truck customer of mine had one he'd bring by our facility and we'd go for lunch and a spin in the car afterwards, just pure joy, 👍

[@hareendragamage8662]

Ball Joint "Fully Functional" "Rebuild and Reconditioned" ❤💪🏾 amazing job sreten. World need more people like you. 😊

[@kennthaful]

It’s a beautiful trip u have made so far. Always a pleasure to watch u work. I did watch some of your older videos- and i need to say - u deserve all the best! Keep em comin’ - been around since we were like 4500 people on this channel! Greetings from Sweden! 🎉

[@nitnoi8514]

Your videos I watch with the utmost pleasure without wanting to miss one or any second inclusive every word you speak, from over the 50 I watch weekly briefly. Your videos speed and selection, explanotory teaching either in English, German, Spanish (amigo) or Italian including whistles 😗I love🥰🤗 Then to consider that at max I would only change a flat tire... 😄😜

[@InCountry6970]

The red highlights on the diff bolts was way cool, thanks for the fun. And great video, as usual.

[@SantaRosaSteve]

Yes truly satisfying to watch as well as to do! Amazing video as always and particularly when you are working on an E31 for which I have fond memories.

[@editedfluke]

The replay at 6:37 is something I didn't know I needed.

[@Chris_Ba]

I really enjoying watching your work. Great job!

[@Mercy4u4]

Awesome transformation of a piece of real 1980 BMW engineering, as well as handling accomplishment as Sreten indicates. Very enjoyable process, and really appreciate his new Press Conference tool too!

[@atefelabed8365]

Ah man, that is so satisfying, the whole assembly looks gorgeous now!

[@szczupak011]

I'm a Discovery Chanel kid from early 2000 and this kind of videos are like magic to me. Amazing, keep it up!

[@aguedoflorencejrjalin3742]

Senor, your tools are really really superb. By watching you, I am inclined to dismantle my 1991 Toyota Sedan and make it look brand new. You're such an amazing inspiration on how to be a professional mecgznic with enormous passion. Keep safe always

[@theorenhobart]

do it. carefully : )

[@KuNeTeRo]

Amazing episode again!!!

[@benoitmagnan3125]

this is one of the most "ASMR" EST episodes!! haaaaaawrggggg! (drooling)

[@javierrodriguez5225]

God knows I've been waiting for this. Thanks Sreten, please give us more!!!!

[@rhrdskns]

Top work Sreten. Hats off you are the final boss of attention to detail.

[@BAXSimon]

As always, proper work ! It's nice to see how well is made this rear axle !

[@petermather2489]

Another class video 👍

[@Ulford]

You're editing skills are fantastic and you're videos are mesmerizing. I just love your attention to details.

[@cruzo2355]

I'm so happy for your new "press conference" tool as it was my own! I was thinking as well about your pressure cleaning tool. What if you cut it it the right side and weld some metal sheet, so you gain a bit of more space. More width. That will require wider glass. But that's not a problem in Germany!!! I would do that in my shop. Well on the end some painting cabin and some stove for puder coating! 😅😂🤑😁😉

[@wisama7091]

Sreten I really love your videos man.

[@Phaeton91]

For the future, when you want shield exposed wiring, please use shrink socks/wrap with glue. It will be much more durable, gives better protection and looks heaps better than the tape. Keep at it! The content is the best there is on youtube!