BarryM

This might help:

Probably the same era as the car

Nice, and given the choices you have good on you for not just parking it at the back to slowly deteriorate. Looking forward to seeing some photos of the repairs and finished result

I'll have a look and see if I have any more of those connectors in my wiring box but prob won't have time until the Christmas break I'm afraid

Well I think you need to remove the drop down door under the dash airbag and then you can unclip the GM to pull it out but the wiring is pretty tight down there

You might find my post on July 3rd helpful, it wasn't all plain sailing with the connectors but as I've salvaged various bits from a local breaker E39 I found what I needed

I ordered pin with attached wire 61130007449, you just solder what you need onto it. I wasn't convinced on the ABS plug being the same so managed to get a genuine plug from an E38 as they have servotronic too

My battery pack fires up my V8 with ease connected directly to the battery in the boot, never even thought about doing it under the bonnet

I'm aware of them and they work fine but I don't think the saloon is as open as the touring, not a big deal but I was just making a point that the E39 is quite a well insulated car If you push on the top of the boot lid with it closed you can hear a click as it flexes but once you glue it to the inner bracing it's more rigid.

I think it’s because the E39 is so air tight, drop one of the windows a fraction and they shut very well. I’ve got sound deadening in my doors which adds a little to the weight and they ‘clunk’ very nicely with no effort.

With the battery easily accessible in the boot I just connect directly across the battery terminals with my battery jump pack

The E39 was a great car but anything that's 20 years old is gonna need some ongoing tlc and using one as a daily is brave in my opinion, especially if you can't diy! We have a 1 series as a runabout and my E39 is only used when we go further afield or I fancy a drive and it's magnificent for that. Like Dan I've spent plenty on preventative maintenance as well as on improvements but its a hobby more than an essential for me. Good luck and try to find time to do more yourself (never easy depending on circumstances).

Wow, a year on and I've managed to route the wiring to the GM3 and worked out the new coding, can't change the steering box myself so must book this in with my mechanic!

I hope this car's a keeper after all the outstanding work you've done to it!

I think they quote those higher prices to try and put you off choosing them to do the work and most wouldn’t do it to the same standards as you!