Intro/ Future Plans '04 3.0i Black

[TheGodfather]

Hey guys,

I will be aquiring a 2004 X5 3.0i black on beige. The vehicle is bone stock, and I lose sleep everynight thinking of ways to change this.

My ideas so far:

22" Style 168 silver rims.
- The norm seems to be staggered, however is it possible
to have 10.5 wide front and rear for a more aggressive look? Or will the fronts only hold 9.5?

Upgrade AE lights to brighter white
- I did a bit of reading and it seems it is difficult to rig a canadian 04's DRL so that only the halos come on like the newer bimmers. True?
- I would also like to get rid/ conceal the orange reflectors. To my knowledge eliminating them on '04 OE headlights is not going to happen. Suggestions?

Tint all around

Change grill
- This is a tough one for me. I was always into the titanium look, however it seems too gneric. I have never been a fan of blacked out vehicles or parts however I have seen a couple of matte black grilles and it was pretty slick.

- As my first mod, I actually already painted the grill black. It turned out pretty good. It was more a spur of the moment thing to keep me fixed until I can get the big stuff done.

- Does anyone know where I can get a black racemesh like grill? Do you think that would look good?

4.8is rear and front spolier
- If I can find it at a good price
- I will more likely just settle for the skid plate

Nicer exhaust tips for 3.0i, maybe upgrade exhaust system in the future, but is not really a priority.


I am hoping to get all this done before I start uni again in september.

I am currently driving a 1998 ML320, which I have spent alot of time working on due to its initially dated look and lack of quality. I wont have nearly as many problems and aesthetic hurdles to overcome on an '04 X5.

Picture of ML, it maybe a little "chromey" for some tastes. IMO the ML's take to chrome a lot better than X5's. The amount of work I will need to put into the X5 to make it my own wont be nearly as much as was needed for the ML.






Anyways, I hope to be sticking around and use this forum as long as I did on benzworld.org

[Michelle]

Great list of things to do so far!

[X Foomph]

Hi there GF,
from Down Under and congrats on your about to be new ride, sounds nice Wow, you gonna be one busy trooper.

Originally Posted by TheGodfather

My ideas so far:

22" Style 168 silver rims.
- The norm seems to be staggered, however is it possible
to have 10.5 wide front and rear for a more aggressive look? Or will the fronts only hold 9.5? Staggered is the way to go. 168's in 22" look mean. My understanding is that sizes should be as follows; 265/35/22 front and 295/30/22 rear. Thread from Jan last year: 22" Style 168

Upgrade AE lights to brighter white
- I did a bit of reading and it seems it is difficult to rig a canadian 04's DRL so that only the halos come on like the newer bimmers. True? Sorry I'm not sure. You need to speak with mrbmwX5 (Tom) or TwinsPoppa (Jose), if anyone knows, these guys do. Watch out though, they're infectious
- I would also like to get rid/ conceal the orange reflectors. To my knowledge eliminating them on '04 OE headlights is not going to happen. Suggestions? You need to buy Euro delivery h/lights, they come stock with clear corners. Some guys here have done it, they look great. Or have a look on ebay.

Tint all around Nice one, plenty of threads here on tinting. It seems to come up as a topic every month.

Change grill
- This is a tough one for me. I was always into the titanium look, however it seems too gneric. I have never been a fan of blacked out vehicles or parts however I have seen a couple of matte black grilles and it was pretty slick.

- As my first mod, I actually already painted the grill black. It turned out pretty good. It was more a spur of the moment thing to keep me fixed until I can get the big stuff done.

- Does anyone know where I can get a black racemesh like grill? Do you think that would look good? Check out one of the best X5's on this site (IMO) with race mesh grills, proudly presented by richirich: Sunny Day - Took some pics after a detail!

4.8is rear and front spolier
- If I can find it at a good price
- I will more likely just settle for the skid plate Easy mod with big impact.

Nicer exhaust tips for 3.0i, maybe upgrade exhaust system in the future, but is not really a priority. Plenty of threads here, just do a search for them.

Your ML ended up looking the goods, well done

Throw up a pic of your ride 'as is'.

Safe driving to you

Foomph

[TheGodfather]

Thanks for the welcomes,

Foomph, I appreciate the suggestions!

I have seen richirich's silver racemesh grille before and this is what got me to want a black one.

I will probably not replace the OE headlights with shotty ebay ones. I guess I will have to live with the orange, or tint the corners to conceal them a bit.

I will post of pictures of my stock x5 soon, or at least after one major mod.

[BMWLOVER]

Wow that ml turned out really nice! I'm sure the x5 will too!

[mrBrigante]

hey man ironically i just got rid of my benz, im also on benzworld.org and just finished getting a 04 black on beige 3.0 x5 good luck with your build as i can see eye to eye with you because the day it got delivered i had the tints euro plate and led reverse lights waiting for it lol

[TheGodfather]

Thanks BMWLOVER, even with all her flaws I still love her.

mrBrigante we seem to have identical rides, should be intersting to see what you do with her.

I saw this ride and I cant help but want to emulate it to a degree,



I hope 993turbo doesnt mind.

I also came across this picture while contemplating black wheels and it made me drool,



I figured out the wheels shown are EtaBeta Tettsut black rims. I would possibly get these if I could find where to get 22inch ones.

The second x5 really gets me because its completely stock apart from the wheels, and it looks amazing. My ride is identical to it, running boards and all, except I have orange corners not clear euro ones on my headlights.

[RichiRich]

Welcome!!


Let the modding begin!!!


RR

[jayjay_dee]

Mod season is here!!!

[TaMbALoLoNg]

Sweet job on the ML...