Summary: MOT passed, refurbished alloys, some bodywork, pipe cleaning and painting, and ultimately, for sale.

The M5 passed its MOT last month, and at the time they advised that the brake and fuel lines under the car looked a bit corroded. It’s entirely common for these to gain a bit of surface rust, but of course the danger is that they get so bad they lose structural integrity. The M5 has therefore spent the last couple of weeks up in the air with belly panels off while I dropped down all fuel and brake lines for inspection.

As I expected, I was relieved to find that a general build up of grot and surface corrosion was the only issue. After few hours of scrubbing with emery paper followed by some painting, we’re now in a position where the underside of the car looks very healthy indeed.

Above, nice clean brake lines. Below, nice clean fuel lines (although, not yet fully clipped back into place).

However, that’s not all that’s happened by a long run! In my March update I noted that there was a spot of rust under the boot lid. Since the MOT the car has spent a week at a local body shop to not only have that seen to, but also a little rust along the bottom of the driver’s door, and most notably it’s had all 4 alloy wheels refurbished. The result is that the M5 has never looked so good during my ownership! I’ve also treated it to new wheel bolts and centre caps.

All this leaves me in a strange position where I’m entirely satisfied with the car’s condition, and that leaves me in a bit of a quandary. I’ve done under 10,000 miles in nearly 3 years of ownership. Snoop’s arrival vastly reduced the scope for M5 usage, and now we’re expecting a baby in October, I really can’t see the super saloon getting much use at all. Now is the sensible time to move this car on – I’ve never been more confident in its condition, or in the fact that I’m really unlikely to require its services that often. Enquiries are of course welcome via this site; it’ll go on the usual sites at the end of the month.