Loadmaster

At first guess before reading your full account, I was thinking it may have been the driver's seat belt internal mechanism. Good find though.

I'd better get driving then!

Turned over to 40,000 miles this afternoon. That's an average of 2222 miles per year over its 18 year life and 5500 in my posession since I bought the car in April 2018...

Another one bites the dust...

Nice job Dan - Fitting to yours for the winter, or selling?

18th Birthday yesterday (the car, not me ) .... and still trying to delay the miles ticking over to 40k. Got about 30 to go ...

No apology required! Takes a while to take in all the info and sections within this forum.

Welcome to the forum. Black wheels and grilles look good against grey bodywork.

^^^^^^^ I think I'd agree there, despite my aforementioned loathing of winter! 30 degrees upwards is too much for me. My perfect scenario would be to live somewhere that averages 25 degrees all year round (and only rains at night). Fat chance!

Must be one of the lowest mile E39 M5s around. Absolutely stunning!

That's the sort of winter I do like! The crappy one down south is just freezing wet miserable rain!

Two sticks of this Gummi stuff fell through my letterbox this morning. Just done the first application to the rubber seals around the doors of the E39 and one of our other cars. Occassional application will hopefully will keep the seals flexible and less likely to be met by doors frozen shut on the forthcoming freezing winter mornings. I really hate winter...

Hi Jim, as the car's previous owner for nine years, all I can say is that it made the same gentle whistling sound during all that time. I'm certain that a neighbour's E39 525, which he owned for a few years around 2003 /2007, did the same thing. Strange one I know, but it was never commented on by any of the garages that it went to, which were always BMW main dealers, or latterly, BMW Indies.

Sad times, another airline and tour operator is gone with the loss of thousands of jobs. Changing times and business model to blame. I remember when I was made redundant back in March 1991 by Air Europe, however that was dodgy dealings and financial mismanagement at the top. Still, I met Mrs Loadmaster there and she's still about!

Sitting in Malaga airport at the moment waiting for our delayed EZY flight back to Gatwick Who are we losing Dan? As for me and mine, it was only ever to be around two years of ownership but when I see articles like this it does make have long thinks. Not from a possible appreciating value point of view, just from owning and driving the best marque of 5 Series and all that goes with it, good and bad. But at home we do need to adjust the family fleet next year, with all the potential options of what goes and what we replace with. Just have to see what happens, but losing the 540 is not my preferred option, but we have to be practical about it.

What a great article and makes me feel good about owning one. Maybe I'll rethink my plan to sell the 540 in April next year...

Welcome to the forum Steve Going by the year, yours will be in the F07/10/11fold. Take a look in the relevant tech section further down the home page and post your queries there.

Welcome to the forum Tony.

15:45 - it's Strongbow o'clock here in Nerja...

I just ordered some of that Gummi stuff on Amazon.

Starting to get hot now. When it comes to drinking, I'm proper lightweight. However, I could drink this stuff all day long.