Motortrend's Cars - Gojira

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Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
motortrend
So, as some of you know I got an M5 a short time ago, making this thread now to document what I do to it repair wise and mod wise, for now some pics I took today.

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So for now the most important thing on the list is fixing the power steering leak which might be clamps or might be the hoses, or might be the reservoir itself, hoping the repair is less than 300 labor included or I might just do it myself.
After that comes getting it aligned, the owner told me that the mechanic had problems getting it aligned and it disaligned quickly, may be something in the suspension that could need changing, I'll go to the mechanic and get a second opinion from a local shop that does alignments.

On the cosmetic side I found a couple of fixed scratches that I might give a wet sand and polish since they are not very well done with the touch up, but I might just leave that alone.
Another thing I want to do is replace this foam piece which I guess was broken during switching a filter or simply rotted and broke:
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After that I want to fix the plastic cover of the driver doorsill which is broken, should be an easy fix.
There's other bits that I want to do but are less of a worry since they're not that bad such as slight peeling on top of the steering wheel (I'll probably eventually re-dye it) and some small stains on the trim which might dissapear with some cleaning.
Today I treated the leather with leatherique and it came out quite well, plus it helped remove that smell it had of storage and cigs.

Looking forward to a happy ownership :)👍
 
Awesome car mate, can't wait to hear of the progress you make with it! Keep us up to date.
 
^thanks!
hawkeye122
Sweet car. How much did it cost to purchase?

15700, hoping that It's enough with 4-5k in repair costs for the next 2-3 years, a little scared sometimes when I read about some parts but I feel pretty relaxed since the car has had the worrying items replaced. What's actually worrying me a little more right now is finding a buyer for the IS, I bet the first person that sees it in person will take it, but I haven't received any calls yet.
 
Envy level:10. That's absolutely my favorite BMW of all time. Good choice going with your right foot over that Lexus you have! Is that M3 yours also? Because I like that too. Double-dual tips are just plain sexy.
 
Thanks, no the M3 is my dad's car, and driving that along with the realization that a manual 4 cylinder accord was faster to 60 than the IS helped me make the decision.
 
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Went to get the car aligned today, turns out there's a suspension part that needs changing and is what is causing the misalignment, the past owner just told us it was because of the holes in the roads and all it needed were eventually the suspension bushings :grumpy:
Anyway tomorrow it's going in for the power steering fix and I'll see how much it is for the control arms plus labor, then compare it to the internet price.

Today I drove the car some more and noticed that the third gear grind is at 3K+ which is sort of annoying and worrying because I think the synchros cannot be replaced individually. It's nothing that affects daily driveability, just annoying at times, I'll look into it.
 
Went to get the car aligned today, turns out there's a suspension part that needs changing and is what is causing the misalignment...

The eccentric bolts? Those will tend to start slipping after a while, which will throw the alignment off.
 
Mate, that's a nice driveway 👍

Second pic with the M3 in it looks fantastic. Put it in the import picture thread. It deserves it :lol:

Very nice. Keep us updated
 
thanks, The transmission doesn't worry me that much, it could be a very expensive replacement but I will probably get used to the tricky 3rd gear and just have a fluid change and see if it helps smoothen out the shifts.
Thanks, I do like LMB quite a lot
 
Thanks 👍
Today I left the car at the shop to get it some things done, it's getting the bushings changed and the power steering hoses changed as well along with the liquid refill and getting an alignment. All will come out at about $800, a tad steep and I could possibly take 300+ out of that if I did it myself but I just don't have the time currently nor some of the tools needed and the car really doesn't seem to be needing anything else soon so it's justifiable. Next thing to go will probably be the rotors and after that possibly something related to the radiator.

Today at the shop I also found out it has a supersprint X pipe aling with the dinan axleback which explains that awesome sound and that bit of drone near 2K RPMs
Here's a vid of the same setup:

I like how people look when the car is turned on, but it's not loud to a point it's annoying to others, only people that care about an exhaust sound will notice. (If I turn it on at a wal mart's parking lot probably nobody would notice)
 
Thanks 👍
Today I left the car at the shop to get it some things done, it's getting the bushings changed and the power steering hoses changed as well along with the liquid refill and getting an alignment. All will come out at about $800, a tad steep and I could possibly take 300+ out of that if I did it myself but I just don't have the time currently nor some of the tools needed and the car really doesn't seem to be needing anything else soon so it's justifiable. Next thing to go will probably be the rotors and after that possibly something related to the radiator.

Today at the shop I also found out it has a supersprint X pipe aling with the dinan axleback which explains that awesome sound and that bit of drone near 2K RPMs
Here's a vid of the same setup:

I like how people look when the car is turned on, but it's not loud to a point it's annoying to others, only people that care about an exhaust sound will notice. (If I turn it on at a wal mart's parking lot probably nobody would notice)


i love how the car tries to twist itself when you rev it up due to all the torque. no replacement for displacement :P
 
Nightmage82
i love how the car tries to twist itself when you rev it up due to all the torque. no replacement for displacement :P

Same, I Love it when i have a foot outside the door on the floor and I rev it and feel my foot move Because Of the twist.
Also, car should be ready to go by tomorrow 👍
 
Today I drove the car some more and noticed that the third gear grind is at 3K+ which is sort of annoying and worrying because I think the synchros cannot be replaced individually. It's nothing that affects daily driveability, just annoying at times, I'll look into it.

Yeah, sounds like a third gear synchro. Good luck with that, since you're right, the transmission is a whole unit.

Thanks 👍
Today I left the car at the shop to get it some things done, it's getting the bushings changed and the power steering hoses changed as well along with the liquid refill and getting an alignment. All will come out at about $800, a tad steep and I could possibly take 300+ out of that if I did it myself but I just don't have the time currently nor some of the tools needed and the car really doesn't seem to be needing anything else soon so it's justifiable. Next thing to go will probably be the rotors and after that possibly something related to the radiator.

Warned you about steep maintenance costs. ;) :P
 
Yeah, sounds like a third gear synchro. Good luck with that, since you're right, the transmission is a whole unit.



Warned you about steep maintenance costs. ;) :P
I already got the hang of 3rd gear, it's all good, just need to try a high rev shift from 2-3 now and perfect downshift rev matching.
I was expecting the maintenance, it did seem expensive but the car should really need nothing else for the next year at least unless something unexpectedly breaks.
This and enjoy that gorgeous ride.
Thanks!
 
Got the car back :D they did a Very good Job, cleaned the leales liquid as Well, Very organized. Sadly the car still goes to the right a bit which I think is the wheel's fault as they are replicas which tend to not be very strong and they've taken a few potholes in their life, so if I find a cheap replacement they're going in. Also, one rear shock is shot (I feel nothing though) and the others are on the way so when I sell the IS that's going to get done.

Other than that, loving the car 👍
 
Subscribed. The E39 M5 was one of those poster cars of my childhood along with the Lamborghini Diablo 6.0 and Aston Martin Vanquish.
I have learnt so much about them over the years and everytime I see one (rarely) I still do a double-take in awe and appreciation.
And if you do need to do the regular E39 stuff (window regulators, rear roll bar brackets, etc) please show us eh? :)
That goes for aftermarket parts too, that exhaust sounds the tits.

Keep us updated. 👍
 
Subscribed. The E39 M5 was one of those poster cars of my childhood along with the Lamborghini Diablo 6.0 and Aston Martin Vanquish.
I have learnt so much about them over the years and everytime I see one (rarely) I still do a double-take in awe and appreciation.
And if you do need to do the regular E39 stuff (window regulators, rear roll bar brackets, etc) please show us eh? :)
That goes for aftermarket parts too, that exhaust sounds the tits.

Keep us updated. 👍
Same here, not quite a poster car but I loved the thing in NFS hot pursuit, especially in cop car trim and how it could keep up with the supercars.

Did some headlight refurbishing today as they were a little cloudy in some places
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Oh my now that's an awesome machine, my favorite M car. Over here in the UK they seem to have dropped a lot in price, and that's why my brothers looking for one :D really hope he can get a decent one too, he's finding it a little difficult looking for one that has been well looked after. Is yours a 2001 model?

The exhaust modification is a bonus, really like the sound of it. 👍
 
Yes it is a 2001, it is Sometimes difficult to find te right one with maintenance records and that you know has been treated right but when you do find it it's worth it.

Even though there's a bit
Of drone right under 2K when accelerating, it's a small spot and it sounds glorious in 2nd gear with the windows down
 
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