It took me longer to walk out to the shop than it took to replace the FSU. I can't recall if it's mentioned in the linked thread, but you have to remove the panel under the glove box, just pull it straight back toward the passenger seat. There aren't any screws to hold it in. You only have to remove one Phillips head screw for the whole job.
All the work I've had to do on the E39 has been amazingly simple because the BMW engineers did such a fine job in the design. Even replacing the driver's window after some jackass smashed and grabbed my V1 was so simple I can't imagine paying someone to do it for $250-$400 plus the cost of the glass ($250).
The alternator swap was easier than all the cars I've ever worked on!
Here's the old and new FSU with the under glove box panel.
And a flashlighted shot of the hole it goes into. See the cutout in the airduct? Everything just snaps into place. It's like the engineers knew the part would fail.
I'm a lifelong BMW buyer since this car...hell my E39 ain't going anywhere. I get 24-27 mpg on my daily 72 mile commute and it's comfortable as hell. Why would I get rid of it?
E39 love my friends...E39 love
