What did you do to / for your E53 today??

[X5chemist]

Used the X5 as a parts runner. Chased down a misfire on my C10. If only BMWs had easy to find misfires.

[sidneyj]

99% done with the Alcantara headliner project. I even did the D pillars which were initially not part of the plan. I broke the D pillar cap that covers the tail gate latch and am waiting on a new one from Germany. I’ll have to get that piece re-done. They sorta clash a little bit with the carpeted trim in the back. I may just end up doing all the trunk area parts with the same fabric. All in all it wasn’t that difficult, just tedious. I got hung up here and there but powered through and got it done. I did all the removal and reinstalled all the parts after an upholstery shop installed the Alcantara. The original fabric was actually starting to pull away in a couple places. I didn’t notice it until I removed it from the interior.


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[Fifty150hs]

Originally Posted by sidneyj

99% done with the Alcantara headliner project. I even did the D pillars which were initially not part of the plan. They sorta clash a little bit with the carpeted trim in the back. I may just end up doing all the trunk area parts with the same fabric. All in all it wasn’t that difficult, just tedious. I got hung up here and there but powered through and got it done. I did all the removal and reinstalled all the parts after an upholstery shop installed the Alcantara.


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Nice!

[sidneyj]

Originally Posted by Fifty150hs

Nice!

Thanks! When I open the shades all the way there’s about a half inch or so that sticks out and is exposed. Wondering if that’s normal? I still need to put the glass back in after I replace the pano seal and initialize the glass so maybe it will extend further back after that. Can anyone else confirm if your shades retract fully 100%?






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[X5chemist]

Take my money and do mine!

Nice work and look!

[sidneyj]

Originally Posted by X5chemist

Take my money and do mine!

Nice work and look!

I swear I could do it the next time in 1/10th of the time it took me on this first try.

[LA02MAX]

I just did my headliner in alcantara as well, and love it! Getting the headliner in and out was relatively simple....but re-covering it was very difficult. That OEM glue on the pillars and the sunroof shades is naaaaasty.

I can confirm that my shade sits like yours when it's fully retracted. Nice work!

[Salty B.]

Not so much I did anything but after getting stuck at DCA overnight thanks to 6” of unexpected snow, once I got back to ATL I was kinda concerned about the –8C temps here but the old bitch fired right up.

Anyone ever swapped the driver and passenger seat bottoms? The pass. side heater heats evenly unlike the driver side which burns my left ass and upper leg while the right ass is still chilly. Plus the passenger seat cushion isn’t all smooshed. Seems like swapping the entire bottom cushion without removing the leather etc. would be less hassle.

[workingonit]

Originally Posted by Salty B.

Not so much I did anything but after getting stuck at DCA overnight thanks to 6” of unexpected snow, once I got back to ATL I was kinda concerned about the –8C temps here but the old bitch fired right up.

Anyone ever swapped the driver and passenger seat bottoms? The pass. side heater works event unlike the driver side which burns my left ass and upper leg while the right ass is still chilly. Plus the passenger seat cushion isn’t all smooshed. Seems like swapping the entire bottom cushion without removing the leather etc. would be less hassle.

As a quick and cheap temporary solution, why not try a heated car seat cushion, or a 12vdc car blanket.

I've no need to travel in very cold weather anymore, but when I did, I sometimes used a car blanket on my cold seats (especially one very cold winter, where only the A/C worked on my '67 Dodge Monaco 500...had to run it for defrosting). I tried the inverter in my '04 Chevy 2500HD to power my wife's electric blanket, that she used in the house (110vac for household use), but the 400 watt inverter kept quitting.

Now, I would try a 12vdc heated car/truck seat cushion (maybe) or 12vdc electric car blanket (probably), if I needed one. Cheap to try, there are plenty of choices on Amazon, and even if it doesn't work as well as you want, you can use it without heat, or lose it for around $40-50.

I would get the electric blanket-type, since I previously used un-heated car blankets. I like this one:

• 1) by Westinghouse https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09T977VX5...888ab6a39&th=1 which is a single heat model, or this one:
• 2) by Sealey https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BVWJ2HYT...hlbWF0aWM&th=1 which has three-temp settings.

I'm adding the Sealy to my Amazon list, but winter in N.Texas might be over before I actually order it.

[Salty B.]

Originally Posted by workingonit

I'm adding the Sealy to my Amazon list, but winter in N.Texas might be over before I actually order it.

I had no idea these even existed, so thanks!

The Westinghouse has an "upgraded" version also with three heat levels, same price, and probably made in the same factory in China as the Sealy altho the latter has two extra USB ports that could be useful. Gonna order that one as it can still get pretty cold here.