Used BMW E39 Spares in Pretoria

Parts for the E39 5 Series

The E39 is the fourth-generation BMW 5 Series, built from September 1995 to May 2004 as a four-door saloon and a five-door Touring. Unlike the E34 before it, it was not built at Rosslyn: the E34 was the last 5 Series produced in South Africa, and E39s were built at Dingolfing in Germany, with assembly in a few other countries.

The E39 in South Africa

The E39 was South African Car of the Year in 1997, in 528i form. A 2007 News24 used-car review of the E39 sets out how the local range grew. The six-cylinder 528i and the cheaper 523i sat below the 540i V8, which arrived as an automatic in the first half of 1997 and gained a six-speed manual version with a body kit in the second half of 1998. The 5.0-litre V8 M5 followed in December 1999, and the 530d added a straight-six turbodiesel. The Touring came late here: the 525i Touring only arrived towards the end of 2001.

Pre-facelift or facelift?

News24 says the whole range had a mid-life makeover for 2001, centred on new lights: the ring-shaped surrounds in the headlights at the front and LED lights at the rear, with more colour-coding and new wheel designs. If you need a headlight, tail light, bumper or grille, tell us the year and send a photo of the front or back of the car, because a part from the other version may not fit.

Which six-cylinder engine?

The engines changed during the E39's life too. At launch the petrol sixes were BMW's M52 engines; from late 1998 these became the M52TÜ with double VANOS, and with the 2000 facelift the M54 replaced the M52. That is why the 523i and 528i gave way to the 525i and 530i. The early 525td and 525tds diesels used the M51, while the 530d used the newer M57 from 1998. The engine code on the block, or the VIN on your registration certificate, tells us which parts match.

The cooling system

Cooling parts are the classic E39 weak point. Writing in Hagerty about his own E39 530i, Rob Siegel lists a plastic expansion tank, a plastic thermostat housing, a radiator with plastic tanks, hoses with plastic necks moulded into them and often a plastic impeller on the water pump. He explains that the plastic becomes brittle with age and heat cycles, and can then crack suddenly. Our explainer on how a BMW cooling system works covers each part, and if the car is already overheating, our article on water pump, thermostat and radiator faults helps you find which one has gone.

The E39 M5

The E39 M5 moved from the straight-six of earlier M5s to a V8: the S62, with a displacement of 4,941 cc. Every production E39 M5 was a saloon with a six-speed manual gearbox. Say clearly in your request if that is what you drive. Our M5 guide covers all the M5 generations, and BMW's larger saloon of the same era has its own 7 Series parts page.

What BMW owners ask us for

In the 12 months to 18 October 2026, 40 BMW part requests came through our request form, across all BMW models. Engines were named in 5 of them, gearboxes in 4, and radiators and grilles in 3 each. Our parts come from accident-damaged vehicles, which we have been stripping for over 15 years, and they are tested before they go out.

What to send

Send the year, the badge on the boot lid, saloon or Touring, the part and a photo of the old one. Add the VIN if you have it. We will check the match and come back with a price.