Did you notice that after replacement the oil gauge shows more than usual and the water temperature too? I have the Black gauge and it never reaches 210 as yours did before you replaced it.
Yeah, I've got my eye on two E39 525i. They're both post facelift, years 2001 and 2002. Neither have the high OBC. Is there any real benefit to the high OBC over the low apart from aesthetics? The 2002 has the newer steering wheel found in the very late E39's and E46's.
Well I plan to just drive it for now and work on little things as you do, upgrade bits here and there. Maybe its possible to retrofit a high OBC into a low OBC car. I'll look into it more. Thanks
Nice vid. I have all the same problems with a 2002 BMW E39 540i sport. I am amazied at BMW's contribution. I live in London, UK, the local dealers may well laugh at me if I ask...but I going to. Cheers dude.
Ryan, I see that there are kits that can be purchased to replace the ribbon cable (which most claim is the culprit). Every one of the LCDs in my 530i have this issue, so I was considering purchasing the replacement ribbons. Have you heard anything about these kits?
wow, $490, not bad. I just got a 1985 BMW E30 325e 5 Speed manual with 123,000 miles from the original owner (my old neighbor for 10 years) for $500. I can't wait to pick it up. It feels great to own a BMW.
I've wondered about the gauge cluster screens and why some E39's have a smaller almost square screen where as like in your M5 it has a widescreen display. Any idea why this is?
I have a 2001 bmw 740i..I am having issues with my speedometer hand; it quit working and the steering wheel is difficult to turn. Any ideas what could be the problem?
@RyanKnowsTech What if you bought a used one? You can get a refurbished one for around 400 euros where i live.. i imagine you could get something even cheaper on ebay. It all depends if you dont mind that its a used thing.. But if it doesnt look good to you it doesnt matter anyway. Your m5 looks stunning though. Wish my 530 looked that good :)
Hi, thanks for the vid. I have an 01 LMB. Don't have the pixel problem but where did you get the silver brake handle. I have same trim and would like that one. d
@RyanKnowsTech In my country a majority of cars are diesels... a liter of diesel costs 1.30 euros... 1 gal = 3.785 L so a galon where i live would cost over 5 bucks a gallon.. gasoline is aroudn1.50 euros at the moment so driving is not cheap around here..
@robwilco1 Maybe someday... but I still don't know if I like the way it looks in an E39. Let me know if you ever want to make some videos on your 530i!
@robwilco1 Nothing wrong with that! You have a facelift BMW E39 5 series... one of the best sedans ever produced. We had a 2003 530i M Sport from 2003-2005. My dad only drove it 8k miles... such a shame.
***** actually there's no soldering needed, the whole procedure is press-fit. its a little tricky disassembling the cluster though. but hey, while you're in there, put on some gauge rings
Why not take it in to VDO Repair? They do the fix by adding a new ribbon to the cluster and they come with a lifetime warranty on the pixels, I got my radio MID fixed through them and it was only $195. The Cluster fix is a little more expensive at about $300 but thats way less than what you paid. Just a thought I guess. Do a search for VDO Repair, they have a website and everything.
I just picked up a really clean '03 530i / Auto / sports pkg. I love her!! Does BMW still sell those e39 M5 silver interior trim pieces for the console and doors/dash, or would I have to go aftermarket for that kind of stuff? The fake wood is "ok" but I want my car to be more modern inside. Also, how much better are the M5 seats - really? I think it would be cool ( except on my wallet, haha ) to pick up a used black M5 Driver's seat for my 530i and give it a racy touch. P.S. - Isn't it ironic how wonderful BMW cars are designed and engineered, then they put in stereos that pretty much suck?? My radio in my traded in '02 Acura CL blew the doors off the stereo in the 530i! Thank you to all in advance for replying! :)
I don't believe BMW sells those pieces anymore, neither do sites like ECS tuning... your best bet would be to find a set on eBay. Even then, if your car doesn't have the Tire Pressure Monitoring system (look for a button integrated into the trim behind your wiper stalk, you would have a "dummy button" there, unless you can find a set without that button. I added a set of "Cubic" trim recently, and while expensive, it looks MUCH better than the wood. As an alternative, you could always wrap your wood trim with some kind of 3M wrap to make it look like the aluminum trim on the M5. As for the M5 seats, they are better support-wise than the E39 sport seat, but I am not sure if it would be worth it to just swap out one seat.. that would look a little strange. BMW's stereo's aren't too great. If you have DSP (look for the button on the top right corner of the radio, try messing with those settings (or just the bass and treble. Lots of people add the 10" M Audio subwoofers, or add an aftermarket sub or two. -Bobby
Right, right. You make a lot of good points here. As for the stereo issue, I'm just going to get an aftermarket, clean-looking adapter plate/kit for the dash and get a new stereo and good speakers. I like the idea of keeping the car factory, but there is almost no bass in the stock unit and I love sound/music too much to settle on the Bimmer head unit/speakers. Not to ask a dumb question, but if the Tranny fluid is low, will the onboard diagnostics tell me on the dash? My mechanic told me I need the tranny seal fixed by the driveshaft but I don't want to drive it then all of a sudden ruin the trans because it ran dry with no warning :(
1970borntorun You can do that too, but if you have DSP, it can be a pain to wire in. The cluster will NOT tell you if the transmission fluid is low, and there is no dipstick for it under the hood, so it has to be checked and flushed/refilled from under the car. -Bobby
hey Ryan, Great video again, This is a problem i would love to address in my m% but other things first. Still waiting for the weather to clear up and shot a video. Thanks for the update.
I just called them and no recalls or nothing on mine. Ive replaced the odometer twice with other used ones that worked fine the first week then pixels started burning out.Its a bigger problem then just a single odometer.
SS actually I just got a silver ribbon cable from England for less then 20 bucks and fixed mine in under an hour in my pajamas. LMAO, BMW paid 75%! What a stroke they gave that guy.
Ivica Mihalic Yes, guess I've forgotten how many they were. When you disassemble the main plastic cover and start unscrewing PCB screws, there are several hidden ones under the plastic and the only way to access them, is to drill it in exact place. One near fuel gauge and another under tachometer, one under speedometer and one between LEDs. Check this article for details and pics: www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?1754837-My-E39-Pixel-Repair
They are not willing to make any more repairs not even part of the cost; they were asking me to take the car to a dealer and get a diagnostic but they didnt guarantee they'll fix it even after having the dealer diagnostic..no sense to me to take the car to the dealer, pay for diagnostic (around 150 dollars) and no guarantee they'll fix it neither for free nor paying a percent of the cost
@robwilco1 I don't think I like the one they used in 2003. It looks too new for the car, looks after market to me. Besides, it would cost me around $2,000 I think for all the damn parts I'd need.
Anybody looking for a good pixel repair place guys at BavTek inc in riverside california can fix this for you if your in the area go by there or call and ship your cluster and have it fixed just wanted to share this as i recently tried contacting bmwna and they would fix for 1500 plus tax said hell naw found these guys and they did an amazing job on my e39 just saying i kinda owe them they do a good job
Hey man, love your vids! I'm a bit surprised you're not registered to M5board.com. There's a wealth of informaton to be found there including lots of DIY's you won't find anywhere else. Why don't you check it out? Keep up the good work!
I just got off the phone with BMWNA they only offer 25% to replace this faulty part. Needless to say I won't be buying another BMW and will be moving to Porsche
I think the grey looks fantastic. What another great upgrade to what is turning into a fully restored E39 M5!
Did you notice that after replacement the oil gauge shows more than usual and the water temperature too?
I have the Black gauge and it never reaches 210 as yours did before you replaced it.
Good video! I agree, the grey gauges look better than I expected they would.
Yeah, I've got my eye on two E39 525i. They're both post facelift, years 2001 and 2002. Neither have the high OBC. Is there any real benefit to the high OBC over the low apart from aesthetics? The 2002 has the newer steering wheel found in the very late E39's and E46's.
So these high OBCs were not implemented during the facelift at the end of 2000 beginning of 2001? and simply just part of a package?
Well I plan to just drive it for now and work on little things as you do, upgrade bits here and there. Maybe its possible to retrofit a high OBC into a low OBC car. I'll look into it more. Thanks
Nice vid. I have all the same problems with a 2002 BMW E39 540i sport. I am amazied at BMW's contribution. I live in London, UK, the local dealers may well laugh at me if I ask...but I going to. Cheers dude.
The new panel looks nice. I like the gray as well...
Have you thought about changing the steering wheel?
Ryan, I see that there are kits that can be purchased to replace the ribbon cable (which most claim is the culprit). Every one of the LCDs in my 530i have this issue, so I was considering purchasing the replacement ribbons. Have you heard anything about these kits?
Is your gear shift knob replaceable? IF it is, how does it come off?
Is it hard to replace my low coolant bulb? It burned out. Please reply.
wow, $490, not bad. I just got a 1985 BMW E30 325e 5 Speed manual with 123,000 miles from the original owner (my old neighbor for 10 years) for $500. I can't wait to pick it up. It feels great to own a BMW.
I've wondered about the gauge cluster screens and why some E39's have a smaller almost square screen where as like in your M5 it has a widescreen display. Any idea why this is?
My '03 X5 has one line gone and the odometer is fading after 125,000 Miles. Might replace but otherwise am not really fussed.
I have a 2001 bmw 740i..I am having issues with my speedometer hand; it quit working and the steering wheel is difficult to turn. Any ideas what could be the problem?
I don't know solder, etc. Where can I take my cluster and ribbon to get it fixed?
good video, i have to do this to my 98' 540 mine is wayy worse %40 of the pixels are gone
@RyanKnowsTech What if you bought a used one? You can get a refurbished one for around 400 euros where i live.. i imagine you could get something even cheaper on ebay. It all depends if you dont mind that its a used thing.. But if it doesnt look good to you it doesnt matter anyway. Your m5 looks stunning though. Wish my 530 looked that good :)
Is it? Unbelievable! Do you have any plans to change the pedals?
Hi, thanks for the vid. I have an 01 LMB. Don't have the pixel problem but where did you get the silver brake handle. I have same trim and would like that one. d
Hope you kept your old cluster. I imagine you could make some good money for it because fixing the pixel issue is super easy for some.
@RyanKnowsTech In my country a majority of cars are diesels... a liter of diesel costs 1.30 euros... 1 gal = 3.785 L so a galon where i live would cost over 5 bucks a gallon.. gasoline is aroudn1.50 euros at the moment so driving is not cheap around here..
@RyanKnowsTech Sadly its only a 2001 530d and its a touring :(
Another great informative video! Do you still like your E39 M5?
@robwilco1 Maybe someday... but I still don't know if I like the way it looks in an E39. Let me know if you ever want to make some videos on your 530i!
@robwilco1 Nothing wrong with that! You have a facelift BMW E39 5 series... one of the best sedans ever produced.
We had a 2003 530i M Sport from 2003-2005. My dad only drove it 8k miles... such a shame.
i thought it was just a crappy ribbon cable and you could just replace the cable for an hour of work?
Yeah I think that can be done. If you're skilled enough so solder ribbon joints.
***** actually there's no soldering needed, the whole procedure is press-fit. its a little tricky disassembling the cluster though.
but hey, while you're in there, put on some gauge rings
Why not take it in to VDO Repair? They do the fix by adding a new ribbon to the cluster and they come with a lifetime warranty on the pixels, I got my radio MID fixed through them and it was only $195. The Cluster fix is a little more expensive at about $300 but thats way less than what you paid. Just a thought I guess. Do a search for VDO Repair, they have a website and everything.
I just picked up a really clean '03 530i / Auto / sports pkg. I love her!! Does BMW still sell those e39 M5 silver interior trim pieces for the console and doors/dash, or would I have to go aftermarket for that kind of stuff? The fake wood is "ok" but I want my car to be more modern inside. Also, how much better are the M5 seats - really? I think it would be cool ( except on my wallet, haha ) to pick up a used black M5 Driver's seat for my 530i and give it a racy touch. P.S. - Isn't it ironic how wonderful BMW cars are designed and engineered, then they put in stereos that pretty much suck?? My radio in my traded in '02 Acura CL blew the doors off the stereo in the 530i! Thank you to all in advance for replying! :)
I don't believe BMW sells those pieces anymore, neither do sites like ECS tuning... your best bet would be to find a set on eBay. Even then, if your car doesn't have the Tire Pressure Monitoring system (look for a button integrated into the trim behind your wiper stalk, you would have a "dummy button" there, unless you can find a set without that button. I added a set of "Cubic" trim recently, and while expensive, it looks MUCH better than the wood. As an alternative, you could always wrap your wood trim with some kind of 3M wrap to make it look like the aluminum trim on the M5.
As for the M5 seats, they are better support-wise than the E39 sport seat, but I am not sure if it would be worth it to just swap out one seat.. that would look a little strange.
BMW's stereo's aren't too great. If you have DSP (look for the button on the top right corner of the radio, try messing with those settings (or just the bass and treble. Lots of people add the 10" M Audio subwoofers, or add an aftermarket sub or two.
-Bobby
Right, right. You make a lot of good points here. As for the stereo issue, I'm just going to get an aftermarket, clean-looking adapter plate/kit for the dash and get a new stereo and good speakers. I like the idea of keeping the car factory, but there is almost no bass in the stock unit and I love sound/music too much to settle on the Bimmer head unit/speakers. Not to ask a dumb question, but if the Tranny fluid is low, will the onboard diagnostics tell me on the dash? My mechanic told me I need the tranny seal fixed by the driveshaft but I don't want to drive it then all of a sudden ruin the trans because it ran dry with no warning :(
1970borntorun You can do that too, but if you have DSP, it can be a pain to wire in. The cluster will NOT tell you if the transmission fluid is low, and there is no dipstick for it under the hood, so it has to be checked and flushed/refilled from under the car.
-Bobby
Ok, well I have the non-DSP radio, thankfully. My mechanic told me it's about a grand to fix the tranny seal. is that about right ??
1970borntorun I am not sure, I know it is a very labor intensive job though.
-Bobby
Can this be done on a 1998 BMW 540i?
How do I share a video of issues I'm having with my BMW X5 2003 need help
More about sharing: www.e39source.com/participate
hey Ryan, Great video again, This is a problem i would love to address in my m% but other things first. Still waiting for the weather to clear up and shot a video. Thanks for the update.
The problem with those is the wiring.. Buying the wiring off eBay and swaping it would've been the same.
I just called them and no recalls or nothing on mine. Ive replaced the odometer twice with other used ones that worked fine the first week then pixels started burning out.Its a bigger problem then just a single odometer.
That's amazing, an old car, but still having the MPH version available.
4:05 - Personally, I think you're a chump for paying $491, when it can be fixed for $30.
Maybe your $30 fix is made in China? Or should I say "Jyna"?
some e39 source cant even fix a $6 ribbon cable replacement had to send it away... chump is right
SS actually I just got a silver ribbon cable from England for less then 20 bucks and fixed mine in under an hour in my pajamas. LMAO, BMW paid 75%! What a stroke they gave that guy.
Thanks for the video, good job. Still $500 for another BMW inherent problem, how frustrating that BMW does pay 100%.
That problem is fixed by 17-30$ ribbon cable. You can DIY, if you have some basic tinkering skills :)
did you fix it yourself or?
Ivica Mihalic Yes. Just be careful when drilling the plastic for those two screws. There are pictures on the web showing how to do step by step.
4 screws you mean?
Ivica Mihalic Yes, guess I've forgotten how many they were. When you disassemble the main plastic cover and start unscrewing PCB screws, there are several hidden ones under the plastic and the only way to access them, is to drill it in exact place. One near fuel gauge and another under tachometer, one under speedometer and one between LEDs. Check this article for details and pics:
www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?1754837-My-E39-Pixel-Repair
that what also amazes me that BMW can give you any part you want towards an old car !!! thanks BMW
They are not willing to make any more repairs not even part of the cost; they were asking me to take the car to a dealer and get a diagnostic but they didnt guarantee they'll fix it even after having the dealer diagnostic..no sense to me to take the car to the dealer, pay for diagnostic (around 150 dollars) and no guarantee they'll fix it neither for free nor paying a percent of the cost
@robwilco1 I don't think I like the one they used in 2003. It looks too new for the car, looks after market to me. Besides, it would cost me around $2,000 I think for all the damn parts I'd need.
Anybody looking for a good pixel repair place guys at BavTek inc in riverside california can fix this for you if your in the area go by there or call and ship your cluster and have it fixed just wanted to share this as i recently tried contacting bmwna and they would fix for 1500 plus tax said hell naw found these guys and they did an amazing job on my e39 just saying i kinda owe them they do a good job
Hey man, love your vids! I'm a bit surprised you're not registered to M5board.com. There's a wealth of informaton to be found there including lots of DIY's you won't find anywhere else. Why don't you check it out? Keep up the good work!
how to*
hey thanks man for the info i will contact bmw thanks!
bmw got such sexy dashboards
excellent
I just got off the phone with BMWNA they only offer 25% to replace this faulty part. Needless to say I won't be buying another BMW and will be moving to Porsche
Oh jeez, the good old 158k mileage days.
@GETaYOTA If I kept it, BMW would have charged me full price for my new one.
You got screwed.
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