Restoration of BMW's greatest sedan - the E38 740i M Sport.
The 2001 740i M Sport was the shorter of the two E38 bodystyles and included an upgraded M-Technic suspension, 18-inch M-Parallel wheels, color-matched side skirts, Shadowline trim, and a 4.4L V8.
The plastic trim around the top of the windshield had fallen apart after 25 years of wear, so I replaced that and the old wipers.
Since the Bluetooth module is open source, I had Claude add a hidden menu item that runs a 007 missile launch sequence. I crack myself up sometimes…
Had a few dents removed from trunk lid and it looks great… the guy also showed me where it looks like the car has been resprayed on the roof after some bodywork.
Had the control arms replaced because the ball joints were toast, the radiator expansion tank replaced to fix a(nother) coolant leak, and the oil changed.
Installed the Apple CarPlay kit from Carphonics with BlueBus for audio. Carphonics is installed inside the TV module the car is already wired for, so you can keep your factory head unit. I removed the old Motorola and SRS modules, which allowed the TV module to bolt right in and BlueBus has plenty of room. Clean look and easy retrofit.
And as an added bonus, BlueBus is open source, so you can tweak it if you’re handy with C (or have a Claude subscription…) Vibe-coded my way through a few Bluetooth pairing and menu issues.
Tracked down a rattling noise to a missing grommet on the bracket that holds the parking brake cable, which was causing the bracket to bang against the chassis over bumps.
If you’re hearing rattling from the rear passenger seat area near the first aid kid or rear armrest, check the parking brake cable bracket under the car. The grommets disintegrate over time and you get metal-on-metal noise.
Something in the trunk lid was rattling - a loose metal cap from one of the rubber trunk stops was rattling around. The caps seem to break off these over time and that allows the spring to come loose and the ejector collapses. Also swapped out both failed hood buffer stops whose ejectors had collapsed as well.
And replaced the BMW emblem which had fallen off.
New headliner and pillars upholstered by a local upholstery shop.
New radiator to fix leaking end tanks which left a puddle of coolant under the car. The alternator was also cracked and leaking, so it was replaced as well.
Unbolted seat rails to pull the seats and cleaned the carpets - Dr Beasley’s carpet cleaner, a drill brush attachment, and a Bissell Little Green extractor. New Lloyd’s floor mats. Epoxied a cracked seat rail cover.
Had the burnt-out gauge cluster LCD pixels repaired. New trunk struts. Replaced armrest storage trays with an eBay donor. Cleaned the hazard switch - someone had spilled something sticky in the console (soda?). Unplugged the TCU to dismiss “BMW Assist Inactive” warning after I removed the old, fraying carphone charging cord. Replaced rear quarter window sun shade.
Safety inspection, changing oil, brake fluid, and coolant, power steering pressure hose, timing chain cover gaskets, valve cover gaskets, AC compressor replacement, transmission service.
2001 740i Sport with 71,833 miles. Jet Black over Sand Beige leather and garage kept. Oil under the car, a burned-out gauge cluster LCD, a sagging headliner, and a low coolant light. Two sets of floor mats were stacked on top of each other, hiding dirty carpets underneath. But the body was straight, the paint was in very good shape, the undercarriage was rust-free, and the leather was crisp. Overall, the car looked great.
I got lucky when I saw this car at a local auction and decided to take a gamble on it. This site documents what I've done to the car and how I did it in case it helps someone else with theirs. There's a small but helpful community of E38 owners on forums and YouTube that have given me some great advice and put together helpful DIY guides.
I've learned that these cars have a cult following, and I get regular thumbs up pulling into parking lots or impromptu conversations at the gas pump. It's always fun to hear about how someone learned to drive in one of these or their dad had one growing up!