Materials to Maintain Your ZHP IIIII Hand Protection IIIII Tools to Maintain Your ZHP
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  1. #151
    Join Date
    Nov 2014
    Location
    Portland, OR
    Posts
    10,243
    Wow, you knocked a ton of stuff out over a weekend, great work! You really don't skimp on getting a car into great shape.

    +1 on a nice inspections guy. Always great to have. Should ask what days he works...

  2. #152
    Nice job. Hope you pass the TUV next time round.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


    2006 Coupe | Black Sapphire Metallic | Natural Brown | Gruppe M Intake | Corsa TSE3 | Michelin PSS on Apex ARC-8 | Koni Yellows |

  3. #153
    Join Date
    Oct 2016
    Location
    Frankfurt, Germany
    Posts
    682
    Quote Originally Posted by Sockethead View Post
    Wow! that's a helluva lot of work to be doing on the ground! Suspension work isn't all that complicated but it"s a PITA.
    That's cool you found a decent TUV guy... I imagine some of them are dicks.
    Working on the ground with the piece of cardboard under my butt and wrestling with suspension absolutely sucks. It's pretty straightforward job but it's hard work getting those ball joints off.

    I was expecting some grumpy German who didn't speak English but this was a nice change.

    Quote Originally Posted by slater View Post
    nice work, man!! that's a good day's work.

    that torque wrench looks sweet. i want one.
    Thanks, Peterman! That torque wrench is the only tool I brought with me from the US. I had a lot of nice tools there that I had to give up but I love this thing and had to pack it in the suitcase. You can find them pretty cheap on Amazon.

    Quote Originally Posted by BMWCurves View Post
    Wow, you knocked a ton of stuff out over a weekend, great work! You really don't skimp on getting a car into great shape.

    +1 on a nice inspections guy. Always great to have. Should ask what days he works...
    Thanks, Will! As all of us on here, I'm big on preventive maintenance and while in there logic. Getting it into tip-top shape is always the end goal. I want to enjoy my time with this car and have a proper driving experience.

    The way it works is that I could take it directly to TUV or Dekra station like I did with my previous M5 where they just perform inspections all day long and nothing else. Those places are usually more strict.

    The other route which I took now is to take the car to a random shop. In this case it was the closest tire shop to my garage where they have one TUV guy who they call every time the car comes in for the inspection. TUV guy comes in do his thing and they charge you the standard price of $120. Next time I go in it should be the same guy hopefully.

    Quote Originally Posted by san View Post
    Nice job. Hope you pass the TUV next time round.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    Thanks, San. I really hope so, I'm not a patient man and can't wait to finally drive it.

  4. #154
    Join Date
    Nov 2016
    Location
    Charlotte, NC
    Posts
    3,130
    Man it's amazing how much you can knock out in a single day with no lift and limited tools. Also super impressed with how thorough the TUV guys are. I know it's annoying, but I like it! Nice to know that all of the cars on the autobahn are in good mechanical shape.

    Speaking of die autobahn...I spent some time on it last week and cruising around 220 kph in my friends AMG. It was a weird feeling, but of course that car was perfectly stable at speed. Then I got on an ICE train to France that liked to roll through the fields at 320 kph and that was so smooth it was...dizzying. I got sick to my stomach watching the trees/landscape go by at what seemed to be life in fast forward. Oddest feeling ever and my tummy is turning thinking back to it now.

  5. #155
    Join Date
    Oct 2016
    Location
    Frankfurt, Germany
    Posts
    682
    Thanks, Pizzaman!

    TUV guys are indeed thorough and they take around an hour to complete the inspection. It is a bit annoying for some stuff like if you have aftermarket parts on your car but other than that, I love how they make sure that the car is mechanically roadworthy. It's a nice peace of mind. TUV guy also told me that especially with cars like M5 that are capable of achiving great speeds, it simply has to be in perfect condition.

    That's the speed I usually cruise on die Autobahn. The car just doesn't feel it and you feel perfectly comfortable driving at that speed.
    ICE is amazing, it can be pretty expensive if you don't buy your ticket on time but it's the best way to travel if you want to get somewhere quickly. That'll be some memorable train experience. Glad you had a nice time in Europe.

    I replaced the rear right ball joint and fixed the handbrake, then took it back to TUV yesterday and this time it passed!
    Went to get it registered this morning and after waiting for one hour in line, hit another obstacle and couldn't register the car. There's a problem with documents and certificate of ownership so I'm back in the ring with Italians.
    Last edited by Sreten; 06-20-2018 at 12:30 AM.

  6. #156
    Join Date
    Oct 2016
    Location
    Frankfurt, Germany
    Posts
    682
    Took about 5-6 emails with Italian ACI (like DMV) to fix their mistake. Luckily, it was easily corrected and I managed to register the car 2 days after that!



    Customizing plates in Germany is very limited since you have to have 1 to 2 letters and 1 to 4 numbers in that order. I wanted to get M539 but it was already taken and not having enough inspiration at the moment, just added another M.

    Changing the rear ball joints was tricky but the press tool I bought made it super easy. It took no effort to remove the old ball joint and press in the new one.
    The tension in the swing arm is pretty strong so I loosened the 2 rear bolts to make it easier to maneuver and avoid putting stress on the bushings. I did so much work on the suspension that alignment is a must in any case.

    The tool that I used: Asta A-9055 - https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1











    Both ball joints looked intact from the outside, but the right one was totally toast and it was the same with the left one, only that one didn't show any play in the wheel. Always a smart move to replace everything in pair when it comes to suspension.

    Got the new rear guide links too. The rubber on ball joints was gone but they were still fully functional.





    In the midst of that, I killed the 4 year old BMW battery with short drives. I could've probably recharged it and got more use out of it but having a good battery puts my mind to ease so I replaced it with trusted Exide 100Ah.



    Next was sorting out the horrible shifting. I decided to try BMW MTF-LT-2 fluid which I got from my local dealer for $25 per liter.



    I have no idea what they put in that poor gearbox but that stuff was just nasty. It came out all dark and smelling like death. Not to mention that it was overfilled and oil started coming out as soon as I removed the fill plug. This all made for one incredibly crunchy and sloppy shifting.

    With the new fluid, crisp and precise shifting is thankfully back and now it feels like a proper BMW. Even the cold shifting is pretty good.

    Next on the maintenance list were power steering lines. They were replaced at some point but from the looks of it, they used some custom made lines. It wasn't too bad but they were leaking at the PS pump and PS cooler.



    Installed proper BMW lines, new reservoir and completely flushed the system.



    Then some cosmetic touches.

    New wheel center caps.





    New hood roundel.





    Removed the M5 badge from the interior trim which PO installed for the reasons I can't understand.





    Having an M5 badge in a wrong place was really bugging me. Off it went and I used the badge I previously removed from the interior since it looked more fresh.





    Secured in place with double-sided tape.



    ZHP shift knob.



    The famous rear view mirror leak didn't miss this M5. I ordered a replacement glass from X8R from the UK and did the repair on my own. They claim this is a permanent solution that will not leak again. It's fairly easy to replace and they have a youtube video for the whole process.







    It worked out great and the mirror is fully functional again. Cost of the glass was $135 shipped.

    I treated the car with much needed hand wash and went for a blast down the Autobahn. Man it feels good to be back behind the wheel of the beast.

    I smashed the camera on my phone and the pictures are coming out weird, sorry guys for that.







    I have to get an alignment done this week and I decided to replace the struts & shocks which will complete the suspension overhaul.
    Original struts do feel tired and the rear ones have leaked at some point as there is oily stuff all over them.

    Ideally, I would want to go with OEM shocks but they are only available from the dealer and cost stupid money. Koni yellows are half the price and I have been wanting to try them. I find adjustability unnecessary for my use to be honest so I haven't made my mind up which route I wanna go.

  7. #157
    Nice work as usual.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


    2006 Coupe | Black Sapphire Metallic | Natural Brown | Gruppe M Intake | Corsa TSE3 | Michelin PSS on Apex ARC-8 | Koni Yellows |

  8. #158
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Charleston SC
    Posts
    6,149
    Damn, you get a lot of stuff done at once... that's a lot of work.
    The Koni yellows are nice shocks even if you never adjust them. I installed mine a few years ago on full soft and haven't touched them since. Good call on replacing them, any time fluid is leaking out, they are most likely sucking air back in. Neither is good
    Dinan CAI &Throttle body, ESS Tuning TS2, Bimmerbrakes gen3 headers, UUC SSK & DSSR. Achilles oil pump, VAC oil pan baffle
    M3 Motor mounts, UUC Trans mounts, Modified clutch style LSD 3.15, TMS front subframe reinforcement, Koni Yellow sports,
    H&R sport springs,
    UUC sway bars, BMW Perf. Rotors, UUC SS brake lines, Hawk HPS pads, CSL replica wheels,
    Rotora strut bar, FXR HID conversion, M3 Mirror conversion, BSW stage 1 speakers

  9. #159
    Join Date
    Nov 2014
    Location
    Portland, OR
    Posts
    10,243
    Quote Originally Posted by san View Post
    Nice work as usual.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    +1

    I am consistently impressed by not only the quality of the work you do, but the volume at the same time. Well done.

    I still lust after your M5 now more than ever. I cannot get over my favorite BMW blue.

  10. #160
    Join Date
    Nov 2016
    Location
    Charlotte, NC
    Posts
    3,130
    Man your updates are awesome. Impressive work, as usual. Was there ever an LED tail light option for the e39, similar to what the e46 coupes got later in life? I remember seeing some, but I think it was a guy opening the OE tail lights that you have and putting in LED panels. Really modernized the back of the car.

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