To Mod or not to Mod

E61Silver · #1 03-30-2006, 03:09 PM

My general view is that a lot of mods really do not improve the car.

BMW is a very high end company and if a Mod made the car better they would add it to the stock car.

Cars today are very refined machines and in most case you are better with the stock car.

Please list the mods that you think improves the car and the cost of the mod.

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Wagner · #2 03-30-2006, 03:27 PM

Sorry but this post is pretty much subjective and pointless...that being said "give me the gold".

PersonaNonGrata · #3 03-30-2006, 03:29 PM

Are you trying to stir the pot?

:

Two comments:

BMW, and other high end car manufactureres, do create some incredible cars but there are always things that can be improved upon. BMW doesn't always roll out the perfect product. That is quite an understatement. An example of this is how European manufacturers have to meet US regulations for bumper height so they simply jack up the car with taller springs at the expense of both looks and performance. There are always ways a car can be made better than stock. Rememner that manufacturers including BMW make products that have to appeal to the mass market and meet regulations. Some design decisions are made purely to appease the masses or to reduce production costs, not because it makes the product better.

Many mods are done because we like doing them. They are totally subjective and done because we enjoy them and want to make our rides a little more personalized. I don't think any of us would claim that any of our mods make the X5 extraordinarily better but they can make it more enjoyable and in some cases, like brake pads, camber plates, tires, shocks, springs, etc can help performance. We're not trying to reinvent the X5. We're just fine tuning it.

NOC · #4 03-30-2006, 03:34 PM

To mod or not to mod, that is the question???
It all depends on the owner, some people are happy w/ just owning a BMW, but when you are a member of a BMW site, such as this, all the mods that people post and talk about just make you an addict to modding so it takes your car to another dimension.
I love to spend extra money on my X5 because I enjoy making it different.

UCrewX5 · #5 03-30-2006, 03:36 PM

I agree that BMW in it's stock form offers much of the best that is out there. Hence, a lot of my "mods" are to take advantage of the latest and greatest that BMW has to offer. For example:

- I replaced my 4:3 narrow screen with the 16:9 widescreen
- I replaced my MkIII with a MkIV
- I replaced my original radio module with one from a 2003 so that I could have BMW Aux Input
- I added the BMW video module
- I retrofitted the BMW Bluetooth kit
- I "upgraded" my steering wheel from the standard sport wheel to the BMW M-wheel (one of the best mods for the $, IMHO)

And the list goes on.....

As PNG stated, it's all about personalizing your vehicle.

motordavid · #6 03-30-2006, 03:37 PM

I'm basically "modless", and have little
desire for 150 dB stereos, watching Oprah
while driving, etc.

But, I enjoy reading about posters' mods and
seeing them.

BMW, et al, make some fine cars, but they are
catering to a broad mkt and pinching any costs
possible, along the way.

I do like my new 132 wheels and my BeamER Spinners, though!

If I had a "free run" at the mod store and someone to
install the stuff, I'd probably get the front undercarriage
thing, (painted), and diff. tail pipes, mud flaps and that's
about it. But, if one wants to do lotsa mods, hey, more power
to them.

The whole damn society is so pablum oriented and
dumbed down, that different stuff and different strokes
are a good thing, imo.
BR,md

LeMansX5 · #7 03-30-2006, 03:42 PM

Mods is personal preference, may not have anything to do with performance. Just like people decorate their home or persanalize it to their own taste, some may like home theater while others may like an exercise room in their basement. I put running boards and ///M wheel because that's what I like.

R8DX5 · #8 03-30-2006, 04:06 PM

When you say “improves the car” what exactly do you mean?

One might say that adding Running Boards improves the look of the vehicle, giving it more of an aggressive look. Others might say it looks good as is.

One might say that adding Dinan products such as an exhaust or engine software improves the performance of the vehicle giving it more horse power. Others might say it already have enough horses so I’ll just have a cow.

But don’t have a cow man.

xx3 · #9 03-30-2006, 04:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by x54.4blue

My general view is that a lot of mods really do not improve the car.

BMW is a very high end company and if a Mod made the car better they would add it to the stock car.

Cars today are very refined machines and in most case you are better with the stock car.

Please list the mods that you think improves the car and the cost of the mod.

I think you should note, that BMW does offer a wide range of accessories. So you can add to your specific BMW needs.

Some needs are specific. Say a bike rack... Not everyone needs to tow bikes on their car, so BMW offers a part specific to those people. I wouldn't want a stock car with a bike rack, a ski box, and all the other mods that other people use. I'd like to accessorize my car just the way I want and need to, and BMW lets me do that...

E61Silver · #10 03-30-2006, 04:31 PM

One might say that adding Dinan products such as an exhaust or engine software improves the performance of the vehicle giving it more horse power. Others might say it already have enough horses so I’ll just have a cow.

Making the car profrom beter is a good mod I just wonder if the cost is more than the benift?

I added a bumper step that protects my painted bumper, cost was abot $100, that seemed worth while.

Making your car look different is a questionable mod, its looks great the way they made it. It seems like some mod for looks result in the looking silly. A great example is lights for the washer ports. You and the kid driving the Honda Civic will look very different.

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