Looking spectacular Danny! :thumbup:

I've always been impressed with how well the German finishes hold up over time. It seems like they are indestructible :dunno: :dunno:

When I had my Porsche 951 painted, the experienced German body man would only use the Sickkens base and clear coat paint system. It came out phenomenal.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Ey...=w1182-h886-no
I think the metallic beige/gold color is a repeating theme ;)

Years later when my E46 got pounded in a Wisconsin hail storm (and I thought I was relatively safe up there from hail :pullhair:) I prevailed upon the insurance company for a real paint repair not PDR and asked the body shop what the factory paint system was because that's what I wanted used on the car. He said it was Sikkens and he had some experience with it and I was glad to hear that brand again because I knew how well it came out in my 951. Here it is on my E46 after painting:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/2A...=w1182-h886-no

Well, to make a long story short, I highly recommend the Sikkens brand paint system because it is a German factory finish that has done well for me.

:thumbup:

Mike

dannyzabolotny, looks great!

I wonder if the paint used on the X5 was German or American... it was assembled in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Though I imagine BMW used high quality paint, given the high MSRP of these cars when they were new.

I will say that the E53 X5 has much better paint quality than the E38, E39, and E46, especially after 15+ years. I rarely ever see old X5's with bad paint, whereas every other E38/E39/E46 has peeling paint and failing clear coat, especially in the darker shades.

Thanks! I can't wait to do a full-on paint correction to see how shiny I can get this paint, there are quite a few swirls.

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One other thing I forgot to mention was that I replaced the window shade hooks, the cabin air filter, and the engine air filter a few nights ago. The only filter I haven't touched yet is the fuel filter, so I'll have to do that at some point soon.

Weird how my Jet Blk M5 doesn't seem dirty at all :nanana:

Well is the water in Georgia super hard and full of calcium/minerals like it is in Arizona? If I wash my X5 and don't judiciously dry it with towels right afterwards then it's immediately covered in awful white water spots. The rain leaves white water spots as well. It's always a little weird when your car actually looks dirtier after a hard rain...

I believe Sikkens was the factory brand across the line at that time, might still be. I remember looking into it when I had my mustang painted Laguna Seca Blue.

I've noticed that the right front vents blow hot air no matter what, so it looks like the heater valve is on its way out. I looked at getting a rebuild kit like I did for my 750il's heater valve, but it turns out that a brand new Genuine BMW heater valve is only $200 for the X5, since the X5 uses a simpler valve design. So I ordered that + a new Bremi ignition coil to replace the old 2001 ignition coil I borrowed from another car.

I also ordered matte black kidney grilles from ECS Tuning. They were a little pricey at $70, but I've heard from many people that they have the best fitment so it should be worth it. My current kidney grilles are some weird wannabe facelift E53 grilles with silver slats. They look pretty bad and the fitment is pretty poor.

Oh and I ordered the Ammo NYC wheel regimen as well as the Ammo NYC interior regimen. I'm excited to give the interior a real deep cleaning this weekend.

This heater valve , recently purchased by me is working well

New Heater Control Valve Solenoid fits BMW E60 E63 E65 E66 | eBay

:dunno: :dunno:

Mike

I saw a few cheaper ones too but I figured I'd get a proper Genuine BMW one since it's only $200. Especially here in Arizona where it's critical for the AC to work properly in the summer. And since I got it from FCP Euro, it's warrantied for life.

Good call Danny :thumbup:

I run a little tighter budget ship :D on selected parts.

Mike