2002 E39 530i Sport Touring (Japanese import)

I'm not new to these forums but I haven't posted in a VERY LONG TIME!

I've been through a number of cars since I sold my Slate Green 530i Sport many years back; now I'm in the E39 touring that I wanted from the off, when I sold my E38 728i and bought the Slate Green saloon early 2010s

I'm not going to upload all the pics; far too many But the link is here to my full project that's on Pistonheads and I've put a few pics below for you to see how it was when I bought it and how it is now:

Project: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=47&t=1797122&i=0

When I bought it:






Half way through ownership; sat on E38 Style 37s:



Sold the 37s, put the car onto its winter Style 66s and Avon WV7 winter tyres:



Then onto some LMs via BMAutosport:




Into the body shop for a front-end refresh (flat, dull paint and peppered with stonechips):





Out of the body shop wearing new wing mirror covers and OEM BMW Jap / US spec number plate plinths:




Sold the LMs and back onto the winter 66s:



First full wash & detail of 2021:



Decided that I much prefer the looks, drive/comfort & handling on the 66s, so another set purchased, refurbished in BMW Ferric Grey and shod with all new Michelin PS4 tyres all round



And this is how it is now:



Hope you like it

 

Hello and welcome, or is it welcome back....??

Really smart looking E39, so good to see someone lavishing the care and respect on one of these cars. It looks absolutely spot on sitting on those style 66 wheels.

 

Much appreciated, thank you...

Welcome back I think haha

Yes; the car is totally corrosion free and it's being kept that way; so nothing has been skimped on. Plus I've serious OCD when it comes to the cleanliness and level of car for my cars

 

Thanks

And no, I've bought & refitted the Jap plate plinths (they were removed when the first UK owner had it in late 2018 and stupidly removed them) and the Alcantara interior is to stay. Much prefer it to leather and its in keeping with the cars originality.

I class the car as 'OEM+' - I'm keeping it as original as I can, but with my OCD touch.

You'd be surprised as how much the Alcantara interior is preferred over leather too

 

that is a very nice example of an E39 touring and the fact that it has been imported from japan is unusual for a BMW. l know a guy that regularly used to import normal JDM cars but never heard of anyone importing a BMW from japan

respect for the way that it looks

 

Looks like a fantastic example, E39 are wonderful machines and were so far ahead of other competitors in their day, I loved mine and still miss it.

 

Thanks

They're quite popular now, they're always corrosion free. Just need to change a few bits (or in my case strip lots of gadgets out) to make it UK friendly...

Fortunately I bought mine after it'd had a few bits done (UK cluster etc) and it'd had all the DVLA paperwork done etc

 

Cheers. I do love this car. My 3rd E39 and for me, the best one yet

 

Nice car congrats!

How many miles?

Kev

 

My 550 E61 2006 is like a time warp machine, from Japan,48k miles. Had it nearly 8 weeks, I am first UK owner and only 1 owner in Japan. My local Indy, Will, had it up in a ramp and said that’s the best he has seen even better than a E39 he has seen also from Japan, what are the chances of that, same car E39 I wonder.

Anyway, had my doubts about getting a car from Japan but now very pleased I have and left all of the Japanese labels/stickers on.

 

Just ticked over 95k, bought it with 89k miles in March 2019

 

Yes, they really are immaculate underneath

The E6x is a lot less prone to rust than the E39 series, so you're very fortunate there ;)

I've left all the Japanese labels & stickers on mine too

 

Nice. Looks a lot like my E39 (same colour, same style 66s), except mine is an SE saloon. Mine needs some panels respraying though, I will definitely get round to it this year!

 

Welcome , that looks like a very well preserved ,and well looked after E39, good to see .

 

Cracking example
Well done you for preserving....


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Lovely car. I had an e39 530iA Sport saloon and it was great. A real sweet spot.

Enjoy it.


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What a great example.

I've still got a soft spot for the E39 tourings.

After my 540i touring, I was very tempted to order a runout model 530d Sport (M-Sport?). Chickened out and sometimes regret not doing so.

My 540i had Style 32 wheels, which I liked best of all, unusual for a touring of the time, was fitted with a staggered set. Mine was pre the Sport model, but had sport seats, M-Tech suspension and M-Tech steering wheel.



Peter

 

I remember yours well and if I remember rightly it had an engine issue towards the end?


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Correct. Yes, an unusual issue with the valve guides in one cylinder, wearing badly and believed to have, at least in part, caused piston and bore scoring. BMW's UK Engine Guru had to get involved, to authorise a new engine. Thank goodness for the extended warranty.

Left a bad taste, as it took so long for BMW to get it sorted, (12 weeks). Was all forgiven, once back in the driving seat and the V8 did its bit. Learned a lot, how to deal with BMW when issues arise.

Peter