Hi all,
After 9 years (almost to the day) I have decided to sell my e39 525iA Sport in Sapphire Black Metallic with Sand Beige leather interior.
Brief History:
I imported the car from the UK on 2nd March 2006, I bought it from BMW specialist Northover cars in Whitstable in Kent. Previous to that it was owned by a local in Whitstable who purchased in from Lind BMW in Kent. Lind registered the car on the 23rd December 2002 & the build date is 20th November 2002. So I reality it is a 2003 car. The previous registration was GL52GLF. I completed a HPI Check on it at the time & called Lind to verify the history. In fact I did it twice in error & I put the wrong mileage in the first time! The car has 51k miles when I bought it. They told me that the car was a demonstrator car from December 2002 to September 2003.
The miles are high but as most of you know I spent 4.5 years working Dublin during the week living in Cork at the weekend. So the mileage from 80k to 130k were mainly done on the M7/M9 motorway so easy miles.
Options:
The car is a facelift model & has some desirable options from the factory including Xenons, auto lights, auto wipers, intensive wash system (i.e. a second washer system), Isofix, front arm rest, in-dash CD, Full auto climate control, to name but a few. The full specification is listed below.
In addition to what was installed from the factory I have also installed: OEM fire extinguisher, e46 M3 steering wheel with functioning paddles (purchased new), Premium Pioneer speakers all round, Sony “Sound on Top” amplifier, DICE iPod integration, interior & exterior door handle illumination. I also swapped out the kidney grilles to the full chrome OEM grilles as seen on the V8 & M5 e39s.
Maintenance:
I have a folder full of receipts for work carried out during my ownership. A lot of it has been documented too on the thread over on BMW driver. There is somewhere in the region of 15k of receipts, maybe more of receipts documenting everything that I have done to the car during my ownership. The car has been fastidiously maintained as many of you will know. I have completed a lot of work myself on the car & I have always used OEM parts where parts are needed (just ask any of the part advisors in Kearys, they know me by first name!)
The car has Bridgestone tyres all round with about 3-4mm of tread left. It never had budget tyres!! In fact I also have a spare, spare alloy wheel (i.e. 6 alloy wheels) & tyre which I will include depending on the deal struck.
I also have a set of Lemforder arms for the front of the car that I have not yet fitted, they cost close to €600 (have receipt). Again depending on the deal done I will also throw these in.
I have a set of OEM rear brake pads that I bought thinking I needed them but didn’t, I will also include these. I changed the fronts (with OEM pads) last year.
The car has always had Castrol Edge 5W-30 with an OEM filter. It is coming due an oil change, I will also ensure that the oil is changed prior to purchaser collecting. The same goes for the brake fluid, I only use ATE SL-6 brake fluid. It is due soon so I will also change this ahead of purchase. The coolant was changed last year.
The car is fitted with tailored Canon Rubber mats as well as proper OEM Cream beige mats which are in good condition. I also have another set of OEM Cream beige mats still in the packaging if the right deal is struck.
Car Care:
The car has always received regular waxing & the paint work really is in excellent condition. I have only use the best of products on the car, including the leather interior.
Tax & NCT:
The car is taxed until the end of April 2015. It is a 2.5 litre car but bear in mind that the facelift e39 520i is actually a 2.2 litre car. The tax on the 525i is only €100 more than the 520i of that era.
The NCT is out but is booked for end of February, the only issue will be the front control arms. As mentioned above I have these bought but not fitted yet. Depending on the deal struck I can do this work & get it NCTd. Some of you may want to take the car as it is. I might use this NCT booking slot for my new car & re-schedule the e39 test.
e39 Known Issues:
The e39 is known for some issues, here’s the status for my e39:
1. Splash guards under front bumper – replaced & intact.
2. Front cup holder – replaced twice.
3. Front wheel hub drone – replaced, both sides.
4. Rear door leaking – seal replaced.
5. Pixel fail in instrument cluster of MID – MID replaced, no pixel damaged.
6. There is no rust behind the mudflaps (removed annually to check.
7. No rust anywhere on the car.
8. CCV system has been replaced.
9. Rocker cover gasket & oil filter housing gasket replaced.
10. Alternator is rebuilt.
11. Cooling system is overhauled thermostat, pipes, water pump & radiator.
12. New fuel pump has recently been fitted (with fuel filter
Specification Sheet:
Model description: 525I
Market: Europa
Type: DT42
E-Code: E39
Chassis: Limousine
Steering: rechts
Doors: 4
Engine: M54 - 2,50l (141kW)
Drive: Heckantrieb
Transmission: automatisch
Body Color: Black Sapphire Metallic (475)
Upholstery: Standardleder/beige E36 Sandbeige E (O7SN)
Production date: 20.11.2002
Assembled in: Dingolfing
Code Standard Equipment
S202A Steptronic
S520A Fog lights
S853A Language version English
Code Optional Equipment
S210A Dynamic stability control
S249A Multifunction f steering wheel
S302A Alarm system
P337A M Sports package
S339A Shadow-Line
S428A Warning triangle and first aid kit
S431A Interior mirror with automatic-dip
S434A Interior trim finishers
S441A Smoker package
S470A Isofix-System
S473A Armrest front
S481A Sports seat
S500A Headlight wipe/wash/Intensive cleaning
S508A Park Distance Control (PDC)
S521A Rain sensor
S522A Xenon Light
S534A Automatic air conditioning
S650A CD player
S661A Radio BMW Business (C43)
S694A Provisions for BMW 6 CD changer
S705A M sports suspension II
S710A M leather steering wheel
S715A M Aerodynamics package
S775A Headlining anthracite
S785A White direction indicator lights
S788A BMW LA wheel, Individual
L812A NATIONAL VERSION GREAT BRITAIN
S850A Additional Export tank filling
S863A Retailer Directory Europe
S877A Delete cross-pattern operation
S880A On-board vehicle literature English
Link to my thread on the car for BMW-Driver:
http://www.bmw-driver.net/forum/showthread.php?t=26225
Pictures of the extras fitted:
I thought I'd post up some detailed pictures of extras/features fitted to the car. Some of these things became standard on the next generation % but back then they were considered "extras".
OEM Fire Extinguisher
SMG Paddleshift wheel (along with "wife inspired" fuel light on)
Auto Headlights
BMW In-dash Business CD & MID
Boot lid release from in cabin
DICE Integration kit for iPod (only bit you can photograph!)
Illuminated Door handles (you can just about make it out)
Driver seat wear:
A lot of people will be wondering if the driver seat bolster is worn but it is in remarkably good condition:
Although the miles seem high the maintenance completed, the care and attention received by the car means that it is in good shape. Most on here know I am a bit of a perfectionist so rest assured it is a good car. My asking price is €3,500. Yes you can get one for half the price on DoneDeal but it won’t have had a quarter of the love & care this machine has received.
The e39 is one of the best cars BMW has ever built & I will be sad to see it go. I would love to hold on to it & I would if I had somewhere to keep it out of the weather.
Thanks for taking the time to look!
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Originally Posted by Chris P. Bacon
