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  #121  
Old 01-12-2017, 06:22 PM
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Looking spectacular Danny!

I've always been impressed with how well the German finishes hold up over time. It seems like they are indestructible

When I had my Porsche 951 painted, the experienced German body man would only use the Sickkens base and clear coat paint system. It came out phenomenal.


I think the metallic beige/gold color is a repeating theme

Years later when my E46 got pounded in a Wisconsin hail storm (and I thought I was relatively safe up there from hail ) I prevailed upon the insurance company for a real paint repair not PDR and asked the body shop what the factory paint system was because that's what I wanted used on the car. He said it was Sikkens and he had some experience with it and I was glad to hear that brand again because I knew how well it came out in my 951. Here it is on my E46 after painting:



Well, to make a long story short, I highly recommend the Sikkens brand paint system because it is a German factory finish that has done well for me.



Mike
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2003 E53 4.4i Pearl Beige
2003 E46 330Xi Monaco Blue
2007 E90 335Xi Black Sapphire Metallic
2011 F25 X3 28i Black Sapphire Metallic
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  #122  
Old 01-12-2017, 06:30 PM
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dannyzabolotny, looks great!
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  #123  
Old 01-12-2017, 07:44 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by semcoinc View Post
Looking spectacular Danny!

I've always been impressed with how well the German finishes hold up over time. It seems like they are indestructible

When I had my Porsche 951 painted, the experienced German body man would only use the Sickkens base and clear coat paint system. It came out phenomenal.

I think the metallic beige/gold color is a repeating theme

Years later when my E46 got pounded in a Wisconsin hail storm (and I thought I was relatively safe up there from hail ) I prevailed upon the insurance company for a real paint repair not PDR and asked the body shop what the factory paint system was because that's what I wanted used on the car. He said it was Sikkens and he had some experience with it and I was glad to hear that brand again because I knew how well it came out in my 951. Here it is on my E46 after painting:

Well, to make a long story short, I highly recommend the Sikkens brand paint system because it is a German factory finish that has done well for me.



Mike
I wonder if the paint used on the X5 was German or American... it was assembled in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Though I imagine BMW used high quality paint, given the high MSRP of these cars when they were new.

I will say that the E53 X5 has much better paint quality than the E38, E39, and E46, especially after 15+ years. I rarely ever see old X5's with bad paint, whereas every other E38/E39/E46 has peeling paint and failing clear coat, especially in the darker shades.

Quote:
Originally Posted by bcredliner View Post
dannyzabolotny, looks great!
Thanks! I can't wait to do a full-on paint correction to see how shiny I can get this paint, there are quite a few swirls.

------

One other thing I forgot to mention was that I replaced the window shade hooks, the cabin air filter, and the engine air filter a few nights ago. The only filter I haven't touched yet is the fuel filter, so I'll have to do that at some point soon.
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  #124  
Old 01-12-2017, 08:23 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dannyzabolotny View Post
I'm very pleased with the Sapphire Black Metallic color— its metallic nature hides dust and rock chips quite well. The last black car I had was a 2003 Mercedes S500, and it always looked dirty since it had non-metallic black paint.
Weird how my Jet Blk M5 doesn't seem dirty at all
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  #125  
Old 01-12-2017, 08:59 PM
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Quote:
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Weird how my Jet Blk M5 doesn't seem dirty at all
Well is the water in Georgia super hard and full of calcium/minerals like it is in Arizona? If I wash my X5 and don't judiciously dry it with towels right afterwards then it's immediately covered in awful white water spots. The rain leaves white water spots as well. It's always a little weird when your car actually looks dirtier after a hard rain...
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  #126  
Old 01-16-2017, 02:29 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dannyzabolotny View Post
I wonder if the paint used on the X5 was German or American... it was assembled in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Though I imagine BMW used high quality paint, given the high MSRP of these cars when they were new.
I believe Sikkens was the factory brand across the line at that time, might still be. I remember looking into it when I had my mustang painted Laguna Seca Blue.
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  #127  
Old 01-18-2017, 06:04 PM
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I've noticed that the right front vents blow hot air no matter what, so it looks like the heater valve is on its way out. I looked at getting a rebuild kit like I did for my 750il's heater valve, but it turns out that a brand new Genuine BMW heater valve is only $200 for the X5, since the X5 uses a simpler valve design. So I ordered that + a new Bremi ignition coil to replace the old 2001 ignition coil I borrowed from another car.

I also ordered matte black kidney grilles from ECS Tuning. They were a little pricey at $70, but I've heard from many people that they have the best fitment so it should be worth it. My current kidney grilles are some weird wannabe facelift E53 grilles with silver slats. They look pretty bad and the fitment is pretty poor.

Oh and I ordered the Ammo NYC wheel regimen as well as the Ammo NYC interior regimen. I'm excited to give the interior a real deep cleaning this weekend.
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  #128  
Old 01-18-2017, 06:19 PM
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This heater valve , recently purchased by me is working well

New Heater Control Valve Solenoid fits BMW E60 E63 E65 E66 | eBay



Mike
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2007 E90 335Xi Black Sapphire Metallic
2011 F25 X3 28i Black Sapphire Metallic
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  #129  
Old 01-18-2017, 07:06 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by semcoinc View Post
This heater valve , recently purchased by me is working well

New Heater Control Valve Solenoid fits BMW E60 E63 E65 E66 | eBay



Mike
I saw a few cheaper ones too but I figured I'd get a proper Genuine BMW one since it's only $200. Especially here in Arizona where it's critical for the AC to work properly in the summer. And since I got it from FCP Euro, it's warrantied for life.
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1995 750il | 2003 Mercedes S500 | 2003 540i/6
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  #130  
Old 01-18-2017, 08:30 PM
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Good call Danny

I run a little tighter budget ship on selected parts.

Mike
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2003 E53 4.4i Pearl Beige
2003 E46 330Xi Monaco Blue
2007 E90 335Xi Black Sapphire Metallic
2011 F25 X3 28i Black Sapphire Metallic
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