E39 M5 Problems10/29/2021
The BMW M5 has always been positioned as a supercar in sedan’s clothing. Yet in this revised BMW M5 Competition we may just have that. It’s an impossible concept to live up to for any car. 1996 - 2003 bmw e39 5-series: 528i, 525i, 530i, 540i & m5 2000 - 2006 bmw e53 x5: 3.0, 4.4, 4.6is, 4.8 & x5 m typical problems that require our service: cannot read what your lcd says missing or distorted pixels dark burnt out light bulbs (5x) both lcd glass and ribbon are replaced with brand new parts.Perfection.We’re simply pointing this out as buying any old performance cars comes with risk. Almost any failures are fair game on an engine with nearly 20 years of wear and tear. Again, the S62 powered M5 and Z8 aren’t getting any younger. 4 Most Common S62 Problems. The actuators are known to go bad and when they do, you’re looking at about 1000 a piece in OEM.This week I solved a problem with my E39 M5 having a vibration at highway speeds. Solving BMW Vibration on My E39 M5. And that’s made even more impressive when you realize that this car is roughly the same size as a 7 Series from a decade ago.Probably the most popular 5 Series among BMW enthusiasts is the E39-generation.Most of that popularity comes from the E39 M5 being the best M5 in the model’s storied history. But what makes this M5 so good (and perhaps where it’s predecessor didn’t deliver as well) is its ability to drive smaller and deliver engagement at almost any speed. It’s a gaudy number and only 10 shy of what the mythical McLaren F1 produced from a BMW sourced V12.
E39 M5 Problems Drivers Sedans EverWhile there will be another M5 and it will once again redefine performance for a four door sedan, it will have the added weight of a hybrid system. At least in it’s current petrol powered formula. This revised 2022 BMW M5 Competition is in many ways the end of the road for the ultimate four door BMW. E39 prices tanked as many high dollar German luxury cars tend to do, but a recent explosion in old M. BMW suspensions have a reputation for being sensitive.The E39 generation BMW M5 is heralded as one of the best analog drivers sedans ever produced. It was not coming from the steering wheel, and was not connected to accelerating or braking.E39 M5 Problems Full Requiem LetsBut how do you address that complaint given that this is an M5 – a car that can and should go from the office to the track in one afternoon. While we never had issues with the first version of the F90 M5, BMW heard plenty of feedback that the ride was too harsh. There are two key areas that have changed ride and performance. The 2022 BMW M5 Competition – What’s NewBut before we go full requiem lets talk about what this revised M5 brings to the table. And despite the concerns we had about M adding xDrive and an automatic, we were quickly made believers of this new M formula. This time we had it on home turf and decided to head up to the northern reaches of Michigan (the Midwest’s own version of the wine coast) and some of the best roads within 1,000 miles.The 2022 BMW M5 is incredible on the track and the smooth roads of Southern California – this we know. An M5 As Daily Driver?We’ve driven this generation M5 in many scenarios from the track to the winding roads of Southern California. The result is a car that is slightly more comfortable yet no less affective.Add to this the gorgeous aluminum sub-frames, aluminum forged control arms and tons of bespoke suspension components and it’s no surprise how effective this car is on track. But crucially they also increased shock rates by 10% which helped to maintain the precision and feedback the M5 is known for. ![]() That EngineThe 2022 BMW M5 is headlined by the absolutely gaudy 617 hp figure. This suits no car on earth more than the M5 enhancing its ability to be all things to any situation. The trunk is as big as ever and the backseats are as inviting as any 5 Series.More than perhaps any car, the electrification of the driver controls (throttle and steering specifically) have allowed M engineers to create proper disparity between comfort and sport settings – something LCI has subtly furthered. But the M5 can also be a docile daily driver that can commute with semi-autonomy and total comfort. And here in 2022 with the LCI revisions and the Competition package, the M5 has achieved it.With 0-60 under 3 seconds there’s no question the revise F90 can make your eyes bleed with acceleration. A big part of that performance is down to the excellent xDrive system which we found to be fairly invisible in most circumstances. Yes this is electric car territory with all the sound and furry of a petrol engine. That means everything from the daily commute to 2.8 seconds to 60 when necessary. The broad range of the power-band combined with the engine’s shocking ability rev (for twin-turbo high capacity V8) creates one of the most impressive power-plants we’ve ever tested.Much like the best M5s (the E39 certainly included) this F90 M5 is a master at doing anything and everything with excellence. While unchanged since its launch in 2018, that 553 lb-ft is really the defining factor of the M5 in many way. Coreldraw x8 codeBetter than an E90 M3 and shockingly not far off from the 1M in our garage. Overall we averaged 16.5 mpg in most city driving. The result is a redline that comes up much quicker than you’d expect and car that feels almost instinctive in the way it reacts to throttle inputs.Another surprise was the the M5 overall efficiency given the gaudy power figures. Like the new M3 and M4, BMW has focused on fitting this car not with monstrous turbos but ones that can react quickly and feel more linear in power delivery. While it loses out to the E60 in steering feel it’s immediacy of power and even turn-in blows that car away.But what we keep coming back to is the engine’s ability to rev quickly – all 4.4L of it. It turns out that xDrive isn’t the enemy we thought it was.Despite a torque converter auto and all wheel drive, the 2022 BMW M5 Competition still feels surprisingly more tactile and immediate than the previous car. But more importantly (and this is key), the revised 2022 BMW M5 Competition is utterly rewarding to drive.This revised 2022 BMW M5 Competition is an M5 in the best tradition. The reality is that BMW has once again carved out their niche with a real performance sedan that defies logic and physics. Comparing apples to apples is simpler and that’s where BMW has a distinct advantage of being more driver focused and yet just as comfortable as the AMG E63 and Audi RS6.What’s clear is that if you want the ultimate petrol powered executive transport capable of basically anything, nothing quite matches to what the M5 delivers. While options like that aren’t even a viable on the Tesla Model S Plaid, that car’s performance is in another league for roughly the same money. Should I Buy One?Our test car came very well equipped at $136,045 and included such options as the Bowers & Wilkins Diamond Surround Sound System and M Carbon Ceramic brakes. As that speed inched upwards we saw it fall to 21.6 – still respectable given how the there are many smaller M cars that have had trouble achieving close to that. ![]()
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