E39 Braking woes! lil help?

[Vtec?lol]

Guys, I've been wanting a V8 powered e30 for a while and instead I bought an 02 540iA sport.
My cars brakes aren't worn hardly at all in the front. When I apply the brakes both the front wheels sit back in the wheel well and the car kinda surges back and forward a little bit. Like a rocking motion but not the motion you get when your struts or shocks are bad. I also get a vibration @ and above 60mph and when I press the brakes it slowly fades away. Not sure what's the issue. Any ideas before I bend over for a Bmw dealership?
***UPDATE****
The car has 174k miles lol.
I also found a braking problem. The rear passenger brake caliper isn't getting any fluid. The caliper itself moves freely. I unhooked the line and mashed on the pedal for what seemed like 30min and not a drop of fluid came out. hmmm. any ideas?

[MattAvino]

Top end shock/strut mounts bad?
Control arm ball joints?
Any bad bushings?

[Vtec?lol]

I unbolted the front wheels and got under there and yanked on the strut and wheel hub and I get no play.
I did notice the back of the control arms or the CAB's seem to be a little ripped.

[redsubdivisions]

Only time you should go to the dealer is for a recall that doesn't cost you anything or for something that is dealer only (radio coding, for instance). There isn't a German car specialty shop around your area? I would go that route first, if anything.

[nrubenstein]

You have trashed bushings, which is a very common E39 issue. Replace.

[Vtec?lol]

Just the bushings you think?
I'm new to my area and haven't been referred to any decent shops yet. I'd feel safer at the dealer for now.

[agent]

You probably need thrust arm bushings. Unless you own or work at a shop it's exponentially easier to purchase and replace the entire arm with the bushing already pressed in. I bought Lemfoerder arms with the upgraded Meyle HD bushings from EAC when they were running a special - they were about $320 IIRC.

There is a wealth of info in bimmerfest.com's E39 section. I prefer it to the post whores and flame wars that is bimmerforums.

[mikeedler]

Only time you should go to the dealer is for a recall that doesn't cost you anything or for something that is dealer only (radio coding, for instance).

keep preaching that until you get bent over by a "euro shop" that has no idea how to work on your car. I work at a dealer and know the prices are stupid, but usually the mechanics there know what they are doing. Yes, a car as old as an e39- you should be able to find a good shop somewhere if you do some research first.

that being said, those bushings just need to be replaced and as stated earlier, it is probably best to replace both arms complete on both sides- should last another 10-15 years. It's a common e39/e53 problem

[Vtec?lol]

ugh. Is that the equivelent to like a lower control arm? or is it the arm forward of the front wheel assembly?
I find it odd that I get the shaking but no shaking in the steering wheel.

[tjts1]

Here's an idea. Learn to fix your own shit if you're driving a 10+ year old car.

[Vtec?lol]

Tjts1 here's an idea...... Wtf??
I'm learning how to fix it just like the rest of the cars I have however this is a new chassis to me. I'm not talking about taking it to a dealer for them to fix it, just for a diagnosis. That way I can trace down parts and install myself so I get a good learning as to what the issue really was. This is

Thanks for all the input guys. You've helped me plenty

[immajackuup]

strut bearing?

[naplesE30]

In a city as big as houston you ought to be able to find several good euro shops easily.... Join the BMWCCA its worth the parts discount alone, plus members are very helpfull I have found.. espc with the 540 as you will be replacing valve cover gaskets/entire cooling system at some point. Good luck, and the dealer diagnosis is def a good idea.... have them do a ppi for you to find everything that is in need of service....but be sure to be seated when you read the report...I hope you had one done before you purchased. It can be a costly mistake to skip it espc in the e39 chassis.

[jlevie]

A 10 year old E39 with over 60k on probably needs a full suspension refresh (bushings, control/thrust arms, shocks, mounts, etc) and it being a 540 it is overdue for a cooling system refresh (radiator, hoses, water pump, et al). These are very nice cars, but they demand regular maintenance. Defer the maintenance and you'll wind up with very expensive repairs.

[Vtec?lol]

The car has 174k miles lol.
I also found my braking problem. The rear passenger brake caliper isn't getting any fluid. The caliper itself moves freely. I unhooked the line and mashed on the pedal for what seemed like 30min and not a drop of fluid came out. hmmm. any ideas?

Coolant system is new. an yes IU am starting to painfully see how much maintenance these things require.