The cigarette lighter when using a phone charger will always stay on… that’s normal. 👍 I’ve had my 03 530i for over 10 years. Oil leaks are very common, once addressed well worth it. Looks like needs tlc but certainly a car you can enjoy!! Congrats! A lot of car for the money you paid. It’s getting much harder to find nice examples and these will certainly become classics.
This car is actually pretty neat. Kinda funny how we both ended up with early 2000's luxury sedans! It's definitely nice having all the creature comforts that you don't usually get with other cars. I bet this interior would clean up really well with a good detail too. Looking forward to seeing what you end up doing with this car!
definitely a nice find for $2500, not without its quirks but if you can figure out your oil leak & refresh all those common gasket & bushings & the cooling problems (if it has them, or hasn’t been done already) this is a great buy at $2500. Lot of people have that “beater” mentality with an almost 200k e chassis but the ones with good bones clean up so nice
Not sure what the oil leak is but almost all of the cooling system was done about 50k ish miles ago so I figure I have at least a little while before something goes super wrong. I always keep an eye on my temp and fluid level though
I just bought a 2003 530i two weeks ago with similar things that need work on. Can’t wait to see more of this car and hopefully get to see how you tackle some of these issues. I’m doing all my window regulators this Thursday as well as upgrading to an enon radio.
Change thermostat, thermostat housing, hoses, valve cover gasket, pulleys and tensioners and belts. That’s a good start. But while you’re in there check the alternator. Would be a good “while you’re in there “ part to change out. Then plugs and coils and fluids. Also the brake lines along side of the valve cover are known to burst and cause fires. Change those to stainless steel.
also i believe that cig lighter does stay on no matter what unless you close it, but idk if closing it actually kills power to it. I always unplug my shit when i’m not using it, just a kinda precaution
@@GuciTheBulldog1 had to pass on it my man. Things been kind of rough lately. I'm still in the market for one. I just had to dumb some money on the other daily's. Fingers cross I can get one this year man. Something about big body sedans are dope.
The stuff I used is a product made by Rislone. It is used in replace of a quart of oil and is apparently safe to use in any gasoline vehicle. I have had really good luck in the past with using it on Subaru vehicles that burn a lot of oil, seems like it has helped a little bit on the BMW, but unfortunately I think most of my oil loss is due to the leak and not oil consumption. It did definitely decrease the frequency at which I was adding oil though
E39 530is are great but this is a 'PARTS' car. I have never seen one that looks this bad. I have two them a they look like show cars compared to yours. You don't have a.c. button below the compressor button in the right position. Press it two times. You have a long, long list of things to do. Why are you presenting this car now? Is this a before/after video?
Being that there are perfect examples of these out there, I usually like to buy lower end examples of vehicles and fixing them up / bringing them back to new. This was intended as a before/after video but I’ve decided to move on to other projects that interest me more. Congrats on the showroom examples, but I think I’ll leave those to you lol. I like parking places without having to worry about door dings or scratches.
a parts car? you and i have wildly different definitions of parts cars then. if it runs and drives and has solid body panels then it is NOT a parts car, even if not perfect.
Nice find. Clean 530s are as rare as clean 540s.
The cigarette lighter when using a phone charger will always stay on… that’s normal. 👍 I’ve had my 03 530i for over 10 years. Oil leaks are very common, once addressed well worth it. Looks like needs tlc but certainly a car you can enjoy!! Congrats! A lot of car for the money you paid. It’s getting much harder to find nice examples and these will certainly become classics.
It's crazy how even when these cars aren't in great condition they're still badass
It’s definitely not pretty but it drives like new!
Spec'd out and banged out nothing a classic original bmw color paint correction can't fix.
I just got a 2003 530i and I love it I hope to see more videos for this car you earned my sub thanks for the info
This car is actually pretty neat. Kinda funny how we both ended up with early 2000's luxury sedans! It's definitely nice having all the creature comforts that you don't usually get with other cars. I bet this interior would clean up really well with a good detail too. Looking forward to seeing what you end up doing with this car!
These 5 series E39 are amazing , very good body & the engine is one of the most reliable BMWs out there .
definitely a nice find for $2500, not without its quirks but if you can figure out your oil leak & refresh all those common gasket & bushings & the cooling problems (if it has them, or hasn’t been done already) this is a great buy at $2500.
Lot of people have that “beater” mentality with an almost 200k e chassis but the ones with good bones clean up so nice
Not sure what the oil leak is but almost all of the cooling system was done about 50k ish miles ago so I figure I have at least a little while before something goes super wrong. I always keep an eye on my temp and fluid level though
I just bought a 2003 530i two weeks ago with similar things that need work on. Can’t wait to see more of this car and hopefully get to see how you tackle some of these issues. I’m doing all my window regulators this Thursday as well as upgrading to an enon radio.
Change thermostat, thermostat housing, hoses, valve cover gasket, pulleys and tensioners and belts. That’s a good start. But while you’re in there check the alternator. Would be a good “while you’re in there “ part to change out. Then plugs and coils and fluids.
Also the brake lines along side of the valve cover are known to burst and cause fires. Change those to stainless steel.
Thanks for the tips! I ended up selling the car but I may get another one in the future
@@slushboxer whenever you’re ready for another one. I have a few for sale 525,528,540 and M5s
M Sport with shadow line trim 👌
You ever wanna dive deeper get a ‘95 e34 & play with the suspension
love my '95 and i love my e39 530i
also i believe that cig lighter does stay on no matter what unless you close it, but idk if closing it actually kills power to it. I always unplug my shit when i’m not using it, just a kinda precaution
Thinking about it man. Seen one online 2002 170k miles just never had a bmw so kinda debating selling my daily rn.
It was my first BMW too, and my daily driver at the time. Really impressive car and I regret selling it often.
@Sassquatch
Did you buy?
@@GuciTheBulldog1 had to pass on it my man. Things been kind of rough lately. I'm still in the market for one. I just had to dumb some money on the other daily's. Fingers cross I can get one this year man. Something about big body sedans are dope.
@@SassquatchTX
Plate says "GetU1" 😁
@@GuciTheBulldog1 my buddy in the navy wants me to join the BMW GANG TOO 😂
Good choice
That cigarette lighter plug is a bmw thing ..my old e30s did the same
What’s the engine treatment you used and has it worked? Also, all E39’s burn a bit of oil…normal stuff…tks!
The stuff I used is a product made by Rislone. It is used in replace of a quart of oil and is apparently safe to use in any gasoline vehicle. I have had really good luck in the past with using it on Subaru vehicles that burn a lot of oil, seems like it has helped a little bit on the BMW, but unfortunately I think most of my oil loss is due to the leak and not oil consumption. It did definitely decrease the frequency at which I was adding oil though
I’m planning on buying one but he says the car dies after 2 days of no driving you think it’s just the battery that needs replacing
Probably has a parasitic draw somewhere in the electrical system
About to buy a white one for the same price..
I'll never sell mine 😊
E39 530is are great but this is a 'PARTS' car. I have never seen one that looks this bad. I have two them a they look like show cars compared to yours. You don't have a.c. button below the compressor button in the right position. Press it two times. You have a long, long list of things to do. Why are you presenting this car now? Is this a before/after video?
Being that there are perfect examples of these out there, I usually like to buy lower end examples of vehicles and fixing them up / bringing them back to new. This was intended as a before/after video but I’ve decided to move on to other projects that interest me more. Congrats on the showroom examples, but I think I’ll leave those to you lol. I like parking places without having to worry about door dings or scratches.
a parts car? you and i have wildly different definitions of parts cars then. if it runs and drives and has solid body panels then it is NOT a parts car, even if not perfect.