new to me 05 6spd got some questions

[freedo]

hey all, just picked up this 05 6spd with 161k to replace my 01 5spd with 247k on it. its a sport model with rear springs. my 01 is also a sport but has rear air ride. can i swap the rear air ride from the 01 into the 05 and put the springs into the 01? in my searching i only found people with air ride issues or removing air ride to install springs, not the other way around. if there is a thread on it already a link would be appreciated. the pano roof cover also only moves a few inches at a time, i assume this is not how its supposed to work. also wondering if these have the front driveshaft spline issues like the pre facelift ones do. thanks for any help and if theres any other facelift issues i should look out for lmk. ive had my 01 for 110k miles so not new to the e53 platform, just my first facelift one.

Untitled by tim wilson, on Flickr

Untitled by tim wilson, on Flickr

Untitled by tim wilson, on Flickr

[andrewwynn]

What I do to test for cross compatibility is search for the part on the newer model and see if real oem shows that part on the older model.

(Or when real oem doesn't differentiate, just look for the year range).

The issue you'll have other than coding is: does the newer model have the wiring harness just in case it might have air springs. (look for that harness in the older car and look for empty connectors in the new one).

I loved having air spring since I would often carry 1000# of tools and even tow a trailer at the same time. I'm definitely in approval of the project.

[freedo]

Originally Posted by andrewwynn

What I do to test for cross compatibility is search for the part on the newer model and see if real oem shows that part on the older model.

(Or when real oem doesn't differentiate, just look for the year range).

The issue you'll have other than coding is: does the newer model have the wiring harness just in case it might have air springs. (look for that harness in the older car and look for empty connectors in the new one).

I loved having air spring since I would often carry 1000# of tools and even tow a trailer at the same time. I'm definitely in approval of the project.

thanks. i picked it up friday night and have been so busy with putting the turbo motor back in my drift car for a event in a week i havent had anytime to even look at it for any of the wiring and stuff.

[Factory6speed]

There was a thread here recently about putting the air springs on over the coils. It's probably right down on the first page or so if you scroll down.

The pano roof you can try initializing it just by holding the button, and use the manual crank, but the tracks are probably all dirty and jammed up with leaves etc. So you'll probably break some of the plastic parts in the track if you force it to move. You're probably going to have to drop it out and buy the repair kits. It's not as bad as you'd think.

[freedo]

Originally Posted by Factory6speed

There was a thread here recently about putting the air springs on over the coils. It's probably right down on the first page or so if you scroll down.

The pano roof you can try initializing it just by holding the button, and use the manual crank, but the tracks are probably all dirty and jammed up with leaves etc. So you'll probably break some of the plastic parts in the track if you force it to move. You're probably going to have to drop it out and buy the repair kits. It's not as bad as you'd think.

scrolled back about 10 pages and couldnt find anything on converting to bags. the pano roof i am more than happy to leave closed and never touch again. would have loved for it to be a slick top

[andrewwynn]

 I never updated this particular thread on this topic but I ended up abandoning this project. The bigger roadblock I run into is that cars are not prewired for it: this doesn't mean it can't be done but it would require a lot more work that I'm willing to spend on this.

You'd basically have to recreate the whole wiring: based on WDS there are some connection in the front of the car, some in the trunk, then run the wire to the pump under the car... Way too much work for me. And after is all done the unknown of the coding remains...

Found this in e70 thread. This is my prime concern. I searched a bit for a thread where somebody did this and had no luck.

I've seen in the past where somebody reverse an air spring delete.

If you find that thread you'd find most of what you need to know if you find that e53 unlike e70 were prewired for air possible. (I think the odds are fair this is the case. I used to find capped off wiring quite regulatory on my e53s).

For inspiration;

https://xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-forums/...uspension.html

[freedo]

Originally Posted by andrewwynn

 I never updated this particular thread on this topic but I ended up abandoning this project. The bigger roadblock I run into is that cars are not prewired for it: this doesn't mean it can't be done but it would require a lot more work that I'm willing to spend on this.

You'd basically have to recreate the whole wiring: based on WDS there are some connection in the front of the car, some in the trunk, then run the wire to the pump under the car... Way too much work for me. And after is all done the unknown of the coding remains...

Found this in e70 thread. This is my prime concern. I searched a bit for a thread where somebody did this and had no luck.

I've seen in the past where somebody reverse an air spring delete.

If you find that thread you'd find most of what you need to know if you find that e53 unlike e70 were prewired for air possible. (I think the odds are fair this is the case. I used to find capped off wiring quite regulatory on my e53s).

For inspiration;

https://xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-forums/...uspension.html

interesting, so coding is possibly the only concern which can be taken care of fairly easily i assume. hopefully thursday i'll finally be able to dig more into it

[Factory6speed]

Here is the recent thread where someone was talking about putting air springs on. https://xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-forums/...oil-shock.html

If the sunroof is not leaking and the glass is all securely attached to the car never touch the button. I wasn't that lucky and had to do the repair.

[andrewwynn]

That's the exact thread I referred to about putting air back in that was removed. Unfortunately iirc, the air was never coded out so didn't need to be coded back in

[X5chemist]

Nice ride. Facelift versions don't have trouble with front splines. I thought they did and bought an aluminum spacer. Since mine is an '06, I passed on the spacer to a board member. So cool to have the original window sticker.