***PIX OF THE NEW X5*** (Still a work in progress). Enjoy!

[Herr Bauhaus]

Looks great! The only thing I would change are the wheels, the 214 style wheels just don't do it for me. I had them on my sapphire black X5 for 9 months until I decided to shell out the extra money for ferric-gray 215's. Together with Aerokit and front window tint the X5 is near perfect.

[C's Bimmer]

Originally Posted by hiren04

REALLY niCE and REALLY CLEAN!!

question- which dealer do you order from? i need to get the aluminum step rails and i want to do the kidney's like yours, but maybe matte finish not high gloss..

Garry Romani (Parts Manager) - BMW of Newport (Rhode Island). Tell him you are an E60.net member and you will get 25% off. I believe there's a dealer on the West Coast that does this too. I can't remember the dealers name though...

Garry is where I got my Aero Kit from at 25% off.

[C's Bimmer]

Originally Posted by Herr Bauhaus

Looks great! The only thing I would change are the wheels, the 214 style wheels just don't do it for me. I had them on my sapphire black X5 for 9 months until I decided to shell out the extra money for ferric-gray 215's. Together with Aerokit and front window tint the X5 is near perfect.

I might be following in your footsteps too. I'm going to try the 214's for now. To be quite honest, I'm not in love with the 215's though. If I do decide to upgrade to 21's or 22's, I'll be going with something else most likely. I'm a huge fan of the Hamann Race Edition wheels. Those are the 3 piece forged wheel with black mesh centers and a nice lip. Those are true classics, but they are not cheap. We'll see... I'll keep the 214's on for the summer and see how they look, after I get them powdercoated.

[Michelle]

It looks great so far! Keep posting pics as you progress!

Can't wait to see both the X and the M in person at the Tri-State Meet!

[C's Bimmer]

Originally Posted by Michelle

It looks great so far! Keep posting pics as you progress!

Can't wait to see both the X and the M in person at the Tri-State Meet!

Thanks Michelle. My wife is due with our baby girl at the end of June, so depending on how she is feeling (and how big she will be), I might just come alone that day with the X5 and leave the M at home. If she feels like driving that day, then she'll drive the X and I'll drive the M. Regardless though, I will be there.

[mrbmwx5]

looking good so far.... cont... on

[jeep]

Nice rides , you have a tough choice, which one to drive today

[HaroldC]

Nice cars

Makes me miss my M5.....

[C's Bimmer]

Harold - We've met before at some of the past M5 meets. I was good friends with Ed (bonehead). I remember your car from one of the Floyd Bennett Field meets a few years ago. Sorry to hear that you gave up the car. I loved the 21" Hartge's you were running on that thing. Your car looked so tight.

Originally Posted by HaroldC

Nice cars

Makes me miss my M5.....

[King]

Wow, looks like we have the same taste! I am picking up my Jet Black (2008) 4.8i at the end of the week. There's not too many jet blacks out there, most people get the sapphire. I would kill to have the carbon black which I hear is finally going to be an option this year!

I have also looked into a few upgrades before I take delivery and I am also leaning towards the all black look although I think painting even the emblems might be a little overboard.

I looked into the carbon fibre roundels. All I could find were 'stick on' vinyl which go over the existing emblems.

I looked into the aero kit, but I think to get the complete look I might get the M Sport kit. It's a lot more money, but I like the fact that the bumpers and wheel arches will be all black. The kit will also mean eliminating the running boards and swapping out the roof rails! The new parts will give it a much more agressive look rather than just painting the existing bumpers. It's so obvious when people do that!

As for wheels, I checked into the Hamann 21" black with chrome lip but they are just WAY out of my budget! We're talking over $12K!! I may have to find something else that looks similar.

I also have the ventilated seats - I didn't realize they had a massage feature. But if they do, heck all the better.

As for springs, from the research I did, Hamann seems the way to go although again they are twice the price! They seem to have just the right height. Spacers, not sure about which brand to go with. It would have to be nothing more than 20mm.

Can't wait though! Make sure you post some more pics of your progress!