Jun 212023
 
One and a Half M5 Jobs

My 2002 M5 needed some relatively minor work recently. The car is old enough to be graduating from college this year, so it’s no surprise things are breaking. I tackled these at home rather than a club DIY event and I was partially successful. The first issue was the HVAC blower died. No air was […]

Jan 302023
 
BMW M Lighting Upgrades

Things have been slow on the DIY front this winter. The club DIY events don’t kick back in until March. I’m lucky that I don’t have to daily drive either of my cars in bad weather. In the meantime I’ve been researching BMW M Lighting options for both of my cars. Like many BMW topics […]

Nov 122022
 
E39 M5 Sensor Replacement

Last weekend I replaced some original sensors in my 2002 BMW E39 M5. Scandinavian Import Servicenter in Rockville, MD kindly invited the DIY program back into their beautiful facility. Last year I replaced my power steering hoses and reservoir at the same location. This time I needed to replace some sensors that were original to […]

Jul 302013
 
E39 M5 Wheel Damage

Last Saturday I was feeling particularly good about my 2002 M5. Over the past few weeks every fluid (minus power steering) has been refreshed  on the car. Brake, coolant, oil, transmission and differential fluids have all been replaced. I had just removed an old and faded clear bra from the car the week before. Then a […]

May 162013
 
Beltway Blowout -- The M5 Gets a Flat Tire

Earlier this week my E39 M5 had a flat tire, driver side rear. This happened to me while I was traveling on the Washington Beltway, heading north 95/east 495 going from Tysons to Alexandria. The loss of air pressure was very quick, and I pulled off onto a narrow shoulder area as quickly as I […]

Jun 072012
 
BMW M5 Going in the Wrong Direction?

It’s always fun reading positive reviews on the car you own. This is especially true if you’re a BMW enthusiast and M car owner. Usually you can be confident the reviews will be glowing, and your car judged superior to the competition. That was certainly the case back in 2000, when my E39 M5 model […]

Dec 272011
 

2011 is almost in the books, and it delivered plenty of good material for Work, Wine and Wheels. I’ve a lot to be thankful for, including an increased number of readers. Here’s a look back at some content that proved popular with them. For Work posts, I tried to discuss important trends in technology communications. […]

Oct 172011
 
Northern Virginia M5Board E39 Meetup

Sunday I got to meet a lot of fellow M5 owners I knew only via M5Board.com. The meeting place was the parking lot of the Fair Oaks Mall in Fairfax, and 13 enthusiasts showed up on a beautiful fall day. It was a blast to meet the members behind the board handles I’ve gotten to […]

Jun 282011
 
Adjusting a Bilstein Suspension on an E39 M5

About a week ago I finally adjusted the Bilstein PSS9 suspension on my 2002 E39 M5. As I wrote back in April, the car came with this very expensive and desirable modification when I purchased it. It also came with a Rogue short shift kit, Dinan exhaust and some nice cosmetic mods like sensible grade […]

May 102011
 
Selling a Car Private Party

I’m currently selling my 2001 530i private party, and I recently bought a 2002 M5 the same way. When it comes to cars, if convenience is paramount to you and you don’t mind spending more when purchasing or losing money on a trade-in, stop reading this post now. But if you can devote just a […]

Apr 262011
 
Fog Light Bulb Replacement on the E39 M5

This past weekend I swapped out the fog light bulbs in my new (to me) E39 M5. I had hoped my first post after purchase would be detailing how I adjusted the PSS9 suspension. But I don’t have all the answers I need, so that will have to wait. The stock fog light bulbs on […]

Apr 122011
 
Chris Buys a M5

Last week I bought an amazing car, a 2002 BMW M5. I had been thinking about picking one up for about six months, and keeping my eye on the used M5 market. But I was in no hurry — it had to be the right one and until I found it, my 2001 530 was […]