This isn't ab an E53, but it *could* be
 

We've just done it. We bit the bullet. We faced the music. We're running the race. We're in it to win it.. yeah.. all of that... :D

We've eyed a replacement for our 2002 (the year) BMW for a few years now. I'm not telling you which BMW cause I've decided it doesn't matter for this thread. So there. :p: We bought it new and took delivery at the Performance Center waaay back in 2002. While 107k may seem like a lot of miles, the little M54 does just fine. But after 15 years of 'wife-centered' maintenance, the damn thing handled like a ham sandwich.

Fast forward to this December in the search for a replacement while on vacation. We stopped into a dealer 'cause.. WTH.. we were there. We drove at least 6 cars and settled on the 'one' we knew was the next one. Everything was rt. So nice. It even made my E53 seem like I needed.. well.. speakers at least. :rofl:

Price? $60k Holy bejeezus. This is a good place to allow a serious concession: We spent right about that amount on the E39 17 years ago. And we were within a few thousand of the E39 for the wife's car in 2002. General car purchasing philosophies aside, the biggest differences weighing in are income of course, and our current obligations. I admit that 'obligation' may seem like a weird way to characterize a daughter who wasn't here 17 and 15 years ago. But when you think ab spending that kind of cash, emotion has a way of flying out the window. At least it does for us. And so we arrived at a plan that can be executed yr to yr as we save for the next 'one'. We might get there this next December. But even if we do, a daughter who is a new teen this summer evolves into one only a couple years away from commanding her own Bimmer- if she's lucky.

Now, I don't pretend to think that your reasons for rebirthing an old car are the same as ours, but since this one was ab the same age as many of our E53's, I thought the process might apply to our chassis as well. Enjoy.

The list:

• Koni FSD Sport spring and shocks
• Eibach front and rear anti roll bars
• KW(?) Rear strut mounts
• New suspension bushings all around

• New Continental tires
• Akebono ceramic pads front and rear (had them before)
• Brembo Slotted rotors on all corners
• Goodrich SS lines

• CCV
• intake boot
• A few other gaskets
• Window regulator and vapor barrier.

(yet to be installed)

• New center console, cupholders, rear door, ash tray cover.
• Eonon 5.1.1 Android radio
• Rear bumper moulding. (love tap a few years ago. Time to make better)

Considering aluminum or some other trim to replace worn wood trim/dated look

We picked up the car today. I was going to do the brakes myself, but my buddy who owns the shop didn't charge me to install them since he was already there with the SS lines and other stuff. "Dude. It's four bolts." :rofl:

Our bill for the labor, bushings and the engine work: $5k
Our bill for brake and Koni parts including tires and radio- $4k

Before anyone freaks, do take note- Over 17 years, I've dropped 3x that upgrading and SC'ing my E39 540i6. We keep cars. We over maintain them- or at least I *try* with 'hers'. :rolleyes: Our next set of replacements will nearly certainly be our last. Our car 'note' is maintenance costs.

Now, I have yet to realize the full value from all of this work- the interior work hasn't begun. But my, oh my.. the DRIVE! I remember this feeling with this car. It was the drive from Spartanburg delivery to visit family in Atlanta. The new car was so solid. So taught. So responsive. I had driven the E39 for a couple years, but compared to the POS Mazda it replaced, this car was.. whats the phrase? Well, it was just the bees knees. :cool:

THIS was basically all new underpinnings. New brakes and new power from fixing the the slouchy throttle response. And when I do the interior including the radio, I think she is going to be as thrilled as she is with the work so far.

So, yeah. I might be $9k into a car that I couldn't move to some idiot teen for $4k. But I am $9k into a car that will keep my portfolio from a $60k punch. To me, that's a $51k win. In a few years, this car will be fine for my daughter to crash into something bigger than it is. I always say that a maintained car that was safe in 2002 is still safe today. Today, I have zero problem with her taking it on for herself. By that time, we'll have set aside what's needed for the new one. Oh, we also don't like loans. We paid off the house last year. :rofl:

It was such a nice drive, I considered applying some of the experience from the community here about door speakers and mid ranges and all sorts of things. That's a lie. I'm going all in on the speakers. :rofl: I won't talk ab all that here, but I will enjoy the drive. It's wonderful to remember that brand new feeling from a 15yr old car. I think I'll go change the oil. Mostly cause I know it was in warm weather in 2016 and she only puts on ab 9k/yr but I just can't remember when I last did it. ;)

Love it. I'm having the same discussion with the girlfriend. Trying to keep her off a leased Subaru and in the E46 xi since we bought it for $3800.

All in I guess we're at $5k. Just some fluids and shocks next. If we go at this rate, for 100,000 miles the car will average 5 to 8 cents per mile driven.

The Subaru, a 39 month lease at 309/month and 48k miles, is $12051 and costs 25 cents a mile, plus new tires soon/oil changes and a respray of the bumper from getting hit in a parking lot. And after 3 years the car gets returned and nothing to show for the money spent.

The E46 should easily last another 5 years or more. I don't plan on selling it ever, and if the motor gives up a 3.0 will get dropped in. She doesnt realize it fully yet (she's scared of it after the fuel pump died Friday the 13th and the axle popped out on the highway this morning causing a loss of all drivetrain power) but in the long run this will make a big difference when it comes to buying a house.

In case you haven't noticed, I loathe car payments. Any kind of payments.

This is good to hear and thanks for posting. Glad some of us are in this for the long haul. Last year I spent for an engine-out service. 6months prior I replaced all the major gaskets (valley, front, oil pan, etc) including the timing chain. Apparently the indi I was at didnt do it right so everything needed to be redone. That was a pivotal decision as I knew my bill was over the value of the car. But I also knew for the same amount I wouldnt find another just as clean. So told the wife to enjoy her X5 for the foreseeable future.

And oh, I finally replaced the center cupholder. Oh my god what a pita it was. But Im glad I did. Next weekend, rear airbags...

2002 with an M54 - I'm thinking she has an E46 ZHP?

Either way I would have done the same thing - My car note on the E53 is maintenance and occasional mods to keep my interest (hence the speakers now, damn you), but I'm in it for the long haul with this.

PDR and lower rear door inner seam rust to fix it up this year, and hopefully a new radio unit after I'm done with speakers. Is it just me, or do you feel like each oil change the E53 just runs better and better? I swear its a real feeling.

Maybe I'll get to replacing the cupholder (rubberized soft touch is peeling in some places) and finding a good set of sport seats (finally) to swap in this year. Its always the little things and finding time to complete. I have 2 boxes full of brake parts to refresh all 4 corners (caliper pins/bushings/bleeders/piston seals and dust boots, SS lines, rotors, pads, and BMW parking brake hardware/shoes set) and as soon as the weather warms up hopefully I can find the time on a weekend to do it, or just bite the bullet and pay the indy.

Wife got a 35D so I'm in for the long haul for that too, would like to pay it off sooner if possible. Someday when the emissions crap takes a dump it will all get deleted and a nice tune and drive the wheels off it. She loves having the awd back, as well as the roominess (coming from a Jetta TDI wagon), and now she is in love with diesel torques. Maintaining it to the level of my E53 will keep me busy no doubt, and keeping on top of the interior vaccuming as we take our dogs places, etc.

Its all a journey but I'm glad Prop that you are like me and keep things like the vehicles we love. Not many of us around anymore, people are dropping cars and using Uber, or just leasing every couple years because cars are a commodity.


Either way I think you guys did the right thing - I know you don't like loans but I always think of it as a car payment - so that $10k invested is basically 18-24 months of a typical new Bimmer note. We almost stretched ourselves with a gently used F15, but seeing the total amount financed, and the monthly note (since we don't do long term loans it was HIGH), we had to decline and stick to what would be comfortable for us. Unfortunately we still have the mortgage for another 25 years (or sooner, depending how good life is to us) but got in on the low locked in APR that is insane and looks like it might tick a bit higher but nothing like the 90's rates. I'd like to pay our house off sooner, probably should start working on that. But even if it was paid off, we still would be just as frugal with our cars and not extending ourselves.

I feel the same way about my cars. I'd rather spend money making actual improvements than sending hundreds of dollars a month to a bank. And to get something as nice as my X5 4.6 or my 540i Touring would cost me like $50k or more nowadays, which is well beyond what I want to spend on any car.

I get a lot of grief from friends and family (mostly good natured) on my car habit and the frequency and expense of repairs. Most of it falls into the "You spent how much on a ten year old car? My Corolla is only $300 a month!"

I get that comparison on the surface, but to my personal values and way of thinking it doesn't hold up. As I see it, the ~$35k I've put into my X5 has bought me a capable, fast, luxurious truck that I love to drive, in excellent condition (now), and with a warranty on the major failure points (via my indie who did the work). I could not buy a new or even CPO car with this feature set for anywhere near that price. The difference is I put all my expense up front in repairs and upgrades, where the Corolla owning friends put it into monthly payments and forget to include higher insurance, maintenance costs, etc when doing their comparison math.

Beyond that, I value a sense of ownership - I carefully chose the model, I carefully chose the specific car, and I put effort, money and time into making it exactly what I want. I always look back at it with a smile when I park, and I will never wonder which one is mine in a crowded lot.

So yeah, I'll pretty well always choose to own an older, curated vehicle over something new and disposable.

Bingo. People like to mention their low monthly payments on a new car but forget about all the other costs. My girlfriend has a 2013 Hyundai Elantra GT that we bought brand new, and overall it costs more than any of my old BMWs.

The purchase price of the Hyundai was $23,000 or so. Financed at a decent rate so our payments are like $380 a month. But then there's also insurance which has to be full coverage as per the financing contract— that's like $150 a month versus like $50 for both of my BMWs. The registration costs are higher since the car has a higher blue book value— about $300-400 a year, versus like $50 a year for my BMWs. And I haven't even gotten to the depreciation, which is another factor when buying a new car. So in the end my BMWs end up costing less to own than the Hyundai, even though they occasionally need parts (I do my own repairs) and guzzle gas.

Aside from an overall lower cost of ownership, my BMWs are distinct, whereas the Hyundai always gets lost in a sea of other econoboxes. I can always find my bright red 540i touring in a parking lot, and I can always find my all-black X5 4.6 with the 20" wheels. In addition, my X5 has way more amenities than the Hyundai does— power seats, heated seats front & back, power adjustable steering wheel, PDC, self-dimming mirrors, rain-sensing wipers, Xenon headlights, way better brakes, sliding cargo tray, leather seats, and more. I only paid $3500 for it, so even after putting about $1500 into it, I'm still ahead financially.

At this age, cars are like women to me. I'm done with chasing the new/younger models. Already pick the best :D Just need maintenance :bustingup Replace with new one is questionable :rofl:

ZHP was 03+

I've tried to explain to my wife that I channel my promiscuity into cars. It's for the best - I have three on hand, am often looking at others, and am not above going nuts with on a rental.

Oh and lets not forget that the caftsmanship of these older BMWs far outweighs the materials they are using in today's commodity vehicles. Every time I look over the E39 M5 or the X54.6is I am pleasantly reminded how much in authentic and real materials are used to make these vehicles. With proper care they can return a lifetime of fun and enjoyment.

Looked at a 2016-2017 X5 recently and didn't like the body style. My 2005 X5 4.4
is classic and like the rest of you i've decided it's a keeper. It looks like it did when
I picked it up from the dealer and there's no work to do right now except the Aux
input acts funny. Next week i'm fixing that.

Agreed with everyone here. I owned 5 BMW's until very recently and total cost of ownership on all 5 was less yearly than on the new Optima SX we had purchased.

That said we are going to pick up a 2014 X5 diesel for the wife/family at the end of this year and sell her 2006 Mtec X3. With 2 kids now we need more room in the second row for the car seats. Will cost ~$30,000, but hey, that's probably less than half the price the original owner paid for it.

THIS belongs in the pledge. It is the soul of the enthusiast in 25 words or less. :bow:

There *is* a pledge, rt?

To keep, or not to keep, that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the E53 to suffer
The valve seals and window regulators of outrageous misfortune,
Or to take dollars against a Sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them: to live, sustaining entropy

:bustingup

Bravo sir, bravo.

https://www.frontlinegaming.org/wp-c.../golf-clap.jpg

We're one (small) step closer to the E53 installation!

I found out today that Eonon released the OctaCore units in like May of this year. :rolleyes: The *one* thing I did not like ab the unit was the response time when navigating the menus. I decided then I would wait in the E53 until the newer units with upgraded specs.

If the estimates on Ebay are accurate, I will have it here next Tuesday. I may even have a line on a buyer for the old one. :thumbup:

I am a little concerned ab the upgrade path. While it makes a lot of sense that I could just plug the new one in, it appears at least the wifi and maybe bluetooth connections have changed from my current unit to this one. This would present less concern on a fresh E53 install, but I hope this isn't a total drag on the upgrade.

Keep us posted. I like my Eonon well enough in the right setting, but the slow response times and dim screen make it effectively unusable for my purposes. If the new ones are faster and/or brighter it may be worth an upgrade.

My bet is that the screens are the same cheap ones that they've been using. But I am looking forward to the speed! I'll make sure to share here.

Well the wifi and the Bluetooth are internal to the radio so it should be the same.

As for the screens I have the very first eonon made for the bmw's and a few of the newer ones. The screen definitely got better with the newer units. The anti glare part was the biggest improvement on my newer ones.

The one Im going with for the x5 will be from a different company so I don't know if its going to be better or worse than the eonons I have. Figured Id gamble at it this time and see if this other company has more to offer.

I do love their backup camera since all you do is remove a factory tag light and install their taglight/backup camera combo. I have that same design on my 323i and love it but the 323i's had to be shaved some to fit. Im hoping the one for the X5 will be a true plug and play.

I will do a writeup on it when I get time to actually order and install it which will probably be at the end of next month but by December for sure. So may pokers in the fire right now I don't have time to do a proper install and a howto at the same time so figured Id wait right now.

This will at least give a different company to use besides just eonon and dynavin.

Oh and one thing to look for on the older units if its android, the firmware I switched to vs the factory eonon firmware rocks. Much better sound and is faster and more stable running under it in my opinion. Also being able to have the digital speedometer on the home screen rocks. I like seeing the speed readout but I don't always want to run the nav part so this worked great.

Malaysk firmware is what I went with. I got it from xda-developers site.

This link shows all the aftermarket firmwares they have for the most part.

https://forum.xda-developers.com/and...re-development


Remember that these do greatly enhance the radio though you can brick/kill your radio if you do something wrong flashing it so use at your own risk (covering my butt :) )

DEWD! Without completely placing yourself at risk for doing so... Your DIY on that would be AWESOME!

Failing that, I will be running through Alabama this Winter in the X5. I *hope* to have an OctaCore in it by then. If you're willing, my trips South usually benefit from a fairly unstructured timeline. If you're in the mood to fiddle with the one I (eventually) install in the E53, I will stop in. What apart of AL is you in? :D

Im always up for a meet. I'm in Ashland which is 30 miles east of Talladega (where they have the nascar races).

Lineville is another town that borders this one which has one of the largest car shows in Alabama each year on the 1st of November. Family members show their cars in it. Something always comes up and I never get to enter. I even bought a convertible corvette basically just for stuff like that and haven't entered it yet :(


I think the newest eonon I have which is in my 323i is the quadcore one.

Really like it after installing the new firmware. Having it turn on instantly when I come back to the car after going somewhere is one of the coolest changes. Before the firmware it always took 30 seconds or a minute or something before you could really use the radio after cranking the car.

Now only the first crank of the day so to speak takes awhile. As long as I get back to the car each time within 60 minutes or so it comes back on instantly. The new firmware has a programmable sleep timer so it sleeps x amount of time before completely shutting down.

Well, you've got my attention. I was waiting for Avin's new unit to come out but the Eonon and other knock-off clones are so much cheaper I wouldn't mind giving one of them a try if they used an octa-core processor. The Avin 2 was a solid unit and I really enjoyed it, but cost was high enough that it has kept NBT in the running for my 4.8is... plus of course Avin has been working (and teasing) the Avin 3 so I was holding off doing anything about the head unit.

Looking forward to your write-up Crowz

Yep. Same sh!tty screen that really *should* be brighter to prevent (or at least contend/battle) the same terrible glare as the one I installed in January.

Buuuut the SPEED! Holy Balls! :wow: I have run through Android firmware and hardware since my very first Android phone. Maybe an LG that wasn't even dual core. I have experienced one truth to Android (and to be fair, most OSes): Android loves it some cores. And some RAM.

This thing *acts* like a radio *should*. The two units do all of the same stuff. But the old unit- even at something as basic as changing the station or (God forbid) the volume would lag to the point that you had to get used to it. Now, it wasn't ever terrible. It wasn't *unusable*. But it was FAR from a factory experience.

But this thing? Dare I say? Snappy? Yeah. Snappy. After the first time using a given function- Bluetooth pairing was slow at first, for example. WiFi seemed to take a minute while the OS 'phoned home' or whatever the first time. Bluetooth discovery and pairing was very, very slow. I've only done this once, so I do not know if that will improve.

But navigating from menu to menu. Downloading apps is faster over WiFi. So is changing not just Android OS settings, but including including radio, amp, etc. It's just a much nicer experience than it was. Before, I'd have to silently say to myself, "Well, it's a newish thing. It's made by people whose 1st instinct and last objective are the same." Make it a product that'll do the stuff. Build it, however slowly it performs, and they will buy it.

But this. This is better than that. It's no OE radio. It hangs every now and then- or just responds slowly. It's a little weird how music streaming over BlueTooth needs so much more volume than the radio. Switching from jamming on BT to radio will have you hitting the volume quickly. But at least when you turn it down, the unit reacts almost entirely in tandem with the physical input- though still delayed, even if slightly.

I can say that I am happy enough with this unit that I will be fitting at least one more. I have two E53's to choose from and an E39. My friend and I discussed today doing the '01 3.0 bc it'd be a good experience for the 4.8is. The E39 hasn't had a mod in years. And I haven't touched the sound system. All of that will change- however slowly and through whatever paths- in the coming months.

Is it worth the trouble? Did I mention the trouble? I know I did somewhere on this board that the units have different cables. That's still annoying. But, like most things, ripping apart an interior is a LOT easier the second time around. We were done in less than two hours.

I'm off to fiddle with ways to make the experience what I want: Onboard navigation with SD card maps are a wanty. I like the old radio. I don't like the digital clock. But the thing sounds great and it's such an improvement over the other one that is worth the time.