That's a ton of work and your X5 especially those rear 315s will love you for that not to mention your pockets since those tires aren't cheap...

Yeah, all brand new Michelins too. Wanted to make sure they didn't wear out too quickly just after installing them.

somebody help me with this

I cant for the life of me get this hose off the radiotor from PS resovoir

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5zmh-d7BJc

its like stuck like hell anybody have any vice and i searched every where on you tube

Push in on the hose while you use the tool to push the plastic part in, then pull the whole hose off together.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

I use this tool for those hoses. It squeezes the plastic part in so you can just pull the hose off. You need a lot of pressure on that to get it to fully release.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...5cbeef83c5.jpg

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

Interesting tool.

On a completely unrelated note. Is that a fitbit charge 2 wristband? I have one that looks identical to that on my charge. Cheap Amazon purchase by the wife when my OE band was disintegrating from working on the cars with it on all the time. :D

I tried all that i doing something wrong I think Im ready to break the f ing thing

I have recently noticed a funny thing with my passenger mirror dip reverse function. Once in a while after it dips, it goes up, but not all the way to where it’s supposed to. Anybody encountered this before?

No, it's a Gear S3 classic with an Amazon replacement band because I don't like the original leather one.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

Mine does the same. I figure it's just age related. Pushing the memory button on the seat moves it up to the right position.


2002 X5 3.0 375,600 miles
2014 428i 66,400 miles


2004 325i Sold at 123,600 miles
2001 325i sold at 66,000 miles


1970 Firebird Under restoration - Transmission delivered, driveline reassembly time

Occasionally have that too. I found that physically moving it up down through it's range of motion a few times helps it out.

Might be a grease thing.

You need to clean the contacts behind the glass. Search the site for the DIY. I had same issue and cleaning the contacts fixed it.

Thanks, I figured. I'm just a bit scared to break my mirror when removing it :dunno:

It's quite easy to remove.

Manually push the bottom of the mirror as far in as it will go. The top of the mirror should just about clear the trim. This will aid in the removal.

Use a PLASTIC trim tool remover (like the one's from Harbor Freight ($4) and pry the mirror UP while keeping pressure on the bottom of the mirror. This will help the mirror clear the housing trim on top. There are 4 slots on the back of the mirror that seat on 4 tabs.

Take your time. You got this!:thumbup:

Non-X5 but my mother brought her Infiniti QX70 over to the house for some minor things. Replaced her key fob battery, installed aluminum dead pedal to match her others, and ordered up some brushed aluminum bits for the hatch area to replace some scratched up pieces by the original owner.

She is going to bring her old FX35 over for some more minor work this week. I've been keeping it on the road for her (it has 270k miles on it) but since we've been busy here at out house she's taken it to the dealership for some things. Last week they gave her a $750 quote to replace the camshaft sensors. There was no code for them. They are leaking oil past the O-rings. The $15 O-rings! So ordered them up and will install them for her.

Good man CW. I know your mother is getting much better service on those cars than the dealer would ever provide. :thumbup:

Got my 4.8is back from my buddy's shop after getting the valve stem seals and associated gaskets and seals done, as well as spark plugs. He also did an alignment after I did the full rear suspension and front tie rods and sway bar bushings front and back. He spent a looooong time pressure washing the engine bay, so everything is probably as clean as it was back in 2004 for the first time, LOL. It looks amazing and runs great. The alignment got everything almost into spec, except for the passenger rear camber. Even with all new suspension parts and even swing arm bushings replaced, he still couldn't get it better than -2.05. Spec is -1.45 to -1.55. Driver side was able to get to -1.54. I guess I need to look into adjustable control arms to try to bring that back into spec, which sucks. At least it rides great.

That, and definitely saving her A TON of money. I can tell you the Infiniti dealerships, and Nissan dealerships, are just as good at lowering your bank account balances as BMW's are. She's had quotes for things in the $5000+ range for various things. Just like on a BMW I was able to do everything for ~10% of quote. Less if there was a Nissan equivalent part. It drives pretty well for it's age and is a pleasure to work on compared to a BMW. If only it drove as well as a BMW. :D I'd be a convert.

I wish the Nissan engineers would have made a GT-R based SUV. That would be fun. I also like the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio but car payments just aren't in my reality right now.

Now that might get me interested in Nissan products. Hadn't thought about that before.

I also like the Stelvio but it is just so small. Not practical for us. And then yeah, there's that whole payment thing. :D Same thing with the Aston Martin DBX. That thing is hotness. Think they waited too long though as not sure the company will be around another year if they don't find an investor (new owner).

We are racing the Aston Martin Vantage GT4 this year and that engine is a monster. Crazy how they have the exhaust ports and turbos on the top of the head where conventional V8 engine have the intake ports and the intake ports are on the side where the convention V8 engines have the exhaust ports. Makes sense keeping the heat away from the intake but it is always like the Cheshire Cat is smiling at me when I think about it. :bustingup

On a solid note, we are supposed to test next week at VIR as long as Gov. Northam approves it. Race is scheduled for June 4-7. Fingers crossed.

COVID-19 Quarantined or Stay At Home X5 Projects
 

BADD... ASSS!!!

Had my eye on this Jaguar suv. The sound caught my attention.

Just love the Aston Martin Vantage... In fact, here's my daughters wedding in late February this year! ;)

She arrived in an X5...

https://i.ibb.co/1dHbk9m/93220321-10...25215232-o.jpg

But left in this...

https://i.ibb.co/dMk4pzZ/93566144-30...24648960-o.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/KzW1KGN/92812238-30...02339072-o.jpg

Such a special day Wayne. Your daughter is beautiful.

x2, Lovely shots. I am going rue the day my daughter brings home her first boyfriend. :D

Wishing them a long life of happiness together.

Where does the X5M Competition fall in your like not like scale?

X3, Lovely shots. Any boy/Man better tread lightly when it comes to my daughters. I am going to be investigating like the FBI. LoL..!

I really like the X5M! But, I am so shy to high performance BMW’s after what I’ve gone through with my E53. I swear the moment you want to get all the ponies going, it’s a trip to the pit soon after.

Leasing is where I am at now. Something goes wrong it’s on them. The thing is if I lease a high performance BMW, I know I am going to want to slap on an exhaust. That is a lease no no.

:wow: aka "Hot V". Just read someone else is doing one of those as well. Must make exhaust routing, err, interesting.

Remind me what class this is. I did look for your team at the Petit LeMans, but couldn't find you. I recall DPi (weird looking monsters), LMS prototypes, GTLeMans and GTDaytona. Oh, and Roger Penske's monstrosity of an RV, lol.

We are running the Aston Martin in SRO (formally World Challenge) in the Pirelli GT4 America Class along with a Porsche GT4 Clubsport. We run a 2 car effort with multiple drivers in the Sprint X category.

The Norma LMP3 car runs in IMSA Prototype Challenge. Those are also sprint races more or less with a maximum of 4 hour races. We ran on Friday at Petit Le Mans last year. We led all the way to the last caution with 10 minutes to go and gave up the lead with a mistake at the restart. :banghead:

We did finish 2nd in the 2019 Championship though :thumbup:

Right on man! I can’t get enough of racing, I swear it’s an issue. I’ve been driving my wife nuts with this racing simulator. It has a Renault R.S. 17, and I’ve been doing 80 lap stints on her Dolby atmos setup. I can tell you she is over it! LoL..

ok i might sound dumb what is the the difference between preface lift i am trying to buy angel headlight assembly i have a 2003 bmw x5 4.4 what do i have and can you tell by just looking at it ?

got to 50 secs and look at my front grill
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRLvryEQxhI

You have a pre-facelift. The inner AE are 160 mm outer diameter.

thank you brother

ok i cant catch a break iam getting a p0500 code i just replaced my speed senor on the back right rear ... my brake light abs light comes and goes my pa soft ware says it the open circuit for speed senor that i just replaced any thought s on this?

Thanks in advance

What brand sensor did you use? It could also be the ABS MODULE...

genuine bmw part form northside imports.. abs module yikes never thought of that this damn car has more modules then seats

Just wanted to add, BMW N63 was the first production engine in the world to use the "hot V" setup :D .. just had to add that in there.



Since car isn't moving, ive decided to knock out the ball joints. Pretty bad, but not TOO bad. Both blind bolts came out fine, but both bolts that were tapped through the carrier have sheared off heads (& I wasn't the one who sheered them off :swear::swear::swear:). First ball joint took me 3 days of slowly hammering it out. Second ball joint took me 3 hours. If anyone is doing this job, I would advise against sticking flat heads between the ears to "break the seal" as a YouTube video suggests. You will chew up the mounting surface of the joint. You don't even need to be on your back, under the car for this job. I didn't remove anything either, no CV, no arms, etc. All you need is a chisel & BFH. Start by chiseling off the top of the ball joint walls until they are flat with the top of the carrier. Then proceed to banging on & around the ball. After sufficient hammering, they will come out. Penetrating fluid around the joint probably helps as well. Ive drilled out & extracted the first stud using HF "warrior" extractor & the quality is actually impressive. This is after I completely stripped the threads of a more expensive extractor from HD; it just would not bite (avoid the very spiraled bits). I need to remove the second stud now, so wish me luck. This one sheered off at an angle so it will be a bit more complicated than the first.
Luckily for me, found that my thrust arm on passenger side is bad......... AGAIN! So I will be replacing that as well with MeyleHD. Excited to get the show back on the road, & stretch the car's legs.

Not much happening on the X5's. Been trying to finish a master bathroom remodel (1 year in the making so far :wow:).

But while I'm sitting here as acting teacher for my daughter I figured I would update the car maintenance/mod folders and Xcel spreadsheets as she is completing some worksheets.

2006 Imola X5 (since purchase 7/22/2014)

Maintenance: $5830.01
Discretionary (mods): $4078.17

2006 TiAg 530xi wagon (since purchase 5/13/2019)

Maintenance: $4093.19
Discretionary (mods): $2060.33

This next few years should be much lighter spending for the wagon as most major systems have been fully serviced. At least until the 550i (bought a complete light front collision '06 550) powertrain I have waiting for it goes in. :D But it'll be years before that project moves forward, much to my wife's dismay. :rofl:

Still Trying to Stay Busy
 

Idle hands and all that...

So I finished grouting the floor in our master bath with the help of the wife. I usually lay the grout and she does the sponging while I keep her stocked with fresh water in the buckets. Came out nicely. I had laid the floor over the course of the last couple months (I'm embarrassed to say) and installed a heated mat underneath, because reasons. Well, the wife doesn't like cold feet and that was reason enough for me. :D

BTW, any other DIY'ers out there. DO NOT use Mapei Ultracolor FA unless you plan to move FAST. Like real fast. I had to grout the entire floor in ~15 minutes. This stuff sets up crazy quick. After ~22 minutes the grout was unworkable. The Lowe's employee said this stuff was "the bee's knees" and I guess it can be. Doesn't require sealing and it bonds well. But you absolutely can not lay this stuff solo. You need a fast and competent helper. Both to lay it, and to clean it.

Attachment 77860

Attachment 77861

On the completely opposite side of the house the wife was tired of her home office desk placement in the parts room (she started working from home a few years ago). She wanted to be able to look out the window. :dunno: Translation, get to work and make it happen. So the parts room made the transformation you see below over the course of the last week. I'm tired. I didn't take a before pic but suffice it to say most of the floor space was taken up by random X5 and E60 parts. It's a parts room, that's what it's for. :D

I know these aren't strictly X5 projects... but there's an N62 on the wall. :thumbup:

Attachment 77862

Attachment 77863

Attachment 77864

Happy Mother's Day
 

Happy mother's day to all the moms out there! Thanks for all you do. Especially for tolerating our automotive proclivities/addictions.

Mowed the yard for the wife today. She grew up doing it with her Dad so she likes to do it most of the time. LoL, not today though. Up next maybe I'll try one more time to revive the trans in the wife's x35d. I think I'll wash three e53 and e61as well. :thumbup:

Hope everyone is doing as well as they can be. Good health to you all. :beerchug:

Was able to go back to work Monday, so the projects I have left are going back to the weekends schedule.

Nice. On the other hand, if you are about to buy a scanner you should try scan tools from Launch https://bestobd2scanners.com/launch/. The company offers different scanners with a wide range of features, which I like.

Fresh Coat of Wheel Paint and Spring Detailed
 

Decided to give the wheels a nice fresh coat of paint and a very detailed spring cleaning, shines like a mirror.

https://xoutpost.com/members/francce...1-img-6193.jpg

https://xoutpost.com/members/francce...2-img-6189.jpg

https://xoutpost.com/members/francce...3-img-6199.jpg

Very nice. You have one of the nicest pre-LCI's on here IMHO. :thumbup:

Looks great!

Nice work franccesco! :thumbup:

Stunning! Glad you opted to stick with the original wheel color vs. Black. It does those wheels so much more justice! Now come do mine!

I wish I had skills like CW working on houses. My wife would love to remodel the kitchen and master bath. :(

But I stick to what I know. Anyone wanna guess what's on my list this week? :banghead:

I debadged my x5 "I like it a---lot (jim carey lloyd christmas voice)

Hah! Thanks. But careful what you wish for. Not only does my wife make use of those talents, but my parents as well. Remodeled most of their mid 80's ranch over the last 4 or 5 years. :D. But I enjoy saving them money... So I'm sure they'll think of more for me to do.

Good luck on that oil pan brother. :thumbup:

Yeah! Definitely looking good!

Crystal, I know how that goes! Backhoe and all. LoL..

I'm so lost on everything involving home repair. My wife called me when I was in Virginia and said the toilet in the guest rooms was leaking between the tank and the bowl when flushing (shit always happens the moment I leave). I told her not to use that bathroom until I got back. I fixed it with a $3 tank to bowl seal. I had no idea there was even a gasket in there. :dunno:

You should have seen me floundering around the shelves at Lowes looking for the right gasket. Holy fvck, how many toilet manufacturers are there? :rofl:

The dreaded pan gasket!

Yes sir. Probably going to start this week and planning on a 3 day down time. I parked on an incline last week and saw some oil drips underneath. Took the splash shield and reinforcement plate off and found where the Exxon Valdez has dry docked. What a mess.

Ya, that reinforcement plate with the sound insulation holds a lot of oil. When I pulled my plate to get to the motor mounts the insulation was so soaked with oil I just pulled it off and threw it away. "What a mess" describes it pretty well.

COVID-19 Quarantined or Stay At Home X5 Projects
 

And you are not worried about an E53 oil pan gasket repair!

Puwahahaha... I love you man!

Edited for poor grammar.

Thanks, I get a lot of compliments on the Angel Eyes, not bad for a 2001 E53

I find that the blow-off going down the highway at 75-80mph produces an even distribution of corrosion resisting oil film on the floorpan and rear suspension fasteners. :rolleyes:


Anyway, what about other gaskets/seals involved - axles, differential? I'm afraid that if I tackle the pan, everything else will leak if it's not replaced.


2002 X5 3.0 376,300 miles
2014 428i 66,700 miles


2004 325i sold at 123,600 miles
2001 325i sold at 66,000 miles


1970 Firebird Under restoration - waiting for serpentine belt drive conversion :damn: because the factory A/C compressor doesn't clear the taller valve cover now.....after investing $300 in billet V-groove pulleys.

Maybe I'm not driving fast enough but the oil isn't anywhere but in the reinforcement plate and pad. Even the splash shield under the front of the motor is dry. I knew I had a leak but tackled the OFHG last month hoping that was the source but it really became evident when I saw the drips underneath when I parked on an incline last week.

So in I go. I don't have any 90W smells or leaks so hoping my front diff to axle seals are ok. I spent quite a bit of time researching and wanted to use factory Dreibond 1209 on the corner seams of the engine block just as the TIS instructions listed so ordered the $25 tube before taking things apart. FCP shows delivery tomorrow so I might start the project Saturday.

My plan is to disassemble everything and pull the pan on the first day and let all residual oil in the engine to drip down over night and into the next day while I clean and prep the OP and block sealing surfaces. Once I can see there will be no residual oil leaking down to contaminate my Driebond sealant in the corners I will put the oil pan back in place and start the torquing process.

I am hoping to have the new OPG torqued back on, diff reinstalled with axles and subframe with suspension links completely back together by the end of the 2nd day allowing the Dreibond to completely cure over night into the next day before adding oil and finishing it up on the 3rd day.

The one good thing that came out of my rod bearing issue was, the OPG was done as part of the work order. No additional cost. But, the downside is the OFHG. I have to pull the blower. As they say, “it’s always something”! :banghead:

So I’m looking to add another thing to my list, a thing I noticed while cleaning a few days ago. For some reason, these buttons seem to have come somehow loose. If I press them on the right side, they’re popping out. Anybody have experience with this? Or how to take it apart?https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...df5fb84830.jpg

Very common. They pop out over time because the little tabs wear off over time. You can see one in your pic on the blue down arrow. Looks like your AC face plate is damaged in that area as you should not be able to see the tab, but should still be serviceable.

To fix the loose button issue you can either order replacement buttons ~$110 for a full set. Or you can put a dab of silicon under the buttons (small dab on top, small dab on bottom). I've done both in the past depending on how cheap I felt that day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6F4GtyRfto

Figured as much. I’ll go tinker with them to see how many actually need to be replaced and decide based on that. Thanks.

I ordered a replacement set for around $25.

Mind sharing where from/link?

Smoking deal! Are those OE or aftermarket?

Sure: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

You will want to replace all of the buttons when you do it as the transparency of these replacements is different. It only shows at night when you have the lights on, but it's noticeable. If your OCD is like mine it will drive you nuts. ;)

Those are crazy different than OE. :yikes:

Here's a nicer aftermarket one that is $70. ECS still has OE for $110.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-BMW-E39...kAAOxyY9VRJ-4a

Apparently they've changed since I bought them. The ones I got look better than the ones they're selling now. :dunno:

So “only” about 1/3 of the buttons seem affected so far, I’m thinking I’ll just glue them on for now and deal with it later.

Do these button sets just snap on in place of the broken ones or does the whole front plate need to be replaced with it?

The buttons just snap in.

Day one in the log books for the M54 OPG. Easy to see how bad the OPG had gotten in 180,000 miles. I showed the wife the cracking of the inner rubber seal of the gasket and then dropped it on the driveway and it freaking shattered. The rubber insert was hard as a rock.

Anyway, I had the OPG out by noon and spent the rest of the day cleaning up the parts and hardware while the engine keeps dripping. I am hoping by tomorrow I might be able to start prepping the block surface.

That's some clean work OB

So I've ordered the parts today to replace the Water Pump, Tstat on my 2006 X5 4.4 N62. Anyone know a DIY all is saw was for M62.



Thanks and much appreciated.

Agreed! Very nice. LoL, great time to do motor mounts if they are due. :thumbup:

Yeah, did those about 2 months ago. They are brand new. :thumbup:

Wow OB! My hat's off to you for a) tackling that monster of a job, b) making everything look pristine, and c) for having that wicked floor lift.


I've got to get my Firebird gauges to a shop in NC for refurb - I'm tempted to bring the X5 by to the Overboost Garage for a quote on replacing my OPG!


Don't forget to pop out that front driveshaft and grease up those splines real well with a marine grade (water resistent) lube.


2002 X5 3.0 376,600 miles
2014 428i 66,700 miles


2004 325i sold at 123,600 miles
2001 325i sold at 66,000 miles


1970 Firebird Under restoration-waiting for serpentine belt conversion kit

Still waiting on the valdez to stop dripping to put the oil pan back on with a new gasket. 4 full days now and still coming down exactly on one of the Dreibond 1209 sealant corner seams. Recommended drying time is 6-24 hours so trying to keep the sealant uncompromised with oil as it dries. :banghead:

Maybe tomorrow, not like I'm going anywhere soon. :dunno:

If only you could turn it upside-down... :rofl:

Don't think I didn't say the same thing. :rofl: It would already be back on the road. :thumbup:

I think I found a couple more leaks while cleaning it and preparing everything. It looked like I had a intake CPS sensor wicking oil. The connection on the engine wiring loom breakout box had oil in that CPS connector and the boot was wet as well. I pulled the boot back and it was filled with oil. The rest of the wiring up to the CPS and the CPS itself was dry so I think it must have been coming down inside the wiring from the sensor itself. I put a new intake CPS on it just in case.

Another leak looks like the selector shaft on the side of the GM A5S390R transmission. Ordered that seal as well. Just need to figure out how to remove it and install it properly.

Poor baby, just hemorrhaging at 180,000 miles.

More tools... :rolleyes:

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon....1Tfb7Gz2cL.jpg

https://xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-forums/...1423606-a.html

There's a tool for that: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DJF7J9S...QWY68I4V&psc=1

I've been looking at those tools and there is some back and forth discussion about the length of the tool to get at the BMW location. That tool for GM transmissions is available at the local auto parts store but it is the long one like 5150 listed. I like the short one Wayne posted. Do you know who makes that one?

This one maybe...?

https://images.offerup.com/IU2jVF6eM...a191e4eec4.jpg

To steal from the 914 guys. "If it's not leaking, it doesn't have oil in it." :D

Besides, BMW dealerships don't call it leaking, they call it "controlled seepage." :rofl:

I went ahead and just ordered the factory tool kit Special Tool #83 30 0 491 781 and includes the following:

24 5 361 Threaded bush
24 5 362 Union nut
24 5 363 Bush
24 5 364 Nut
24 5 365 Slip sleeve
24 5 366 Bush

This tool costs $45 from the dealer and they had to order from BMW AG in Germany. It looks really small and it offers the right way to do it with bushings and slip sleeves to protect the seal in and out in the car avoiding the front driveshaft. I read a lot of problems using the generic GM tool. Here is the TIS using the BMW tool.

https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e...rshift/Eg1cZW0

Hell those 914 guys stole it from Chinook crew chiefs.

Freaking thing is the only chopper that looks like 2 palm trees screwing a dumpster and that I have personally seen them add hydraulic fluid to the system while flying [emoji2962]

Sent from my SM-A730F using Tapatalk

:rofl::rofl::rofl:

Did you check the oil pump nut? When I did mine, I wired the nut so it wouldn’t back off.

First thing I checked. It is tight and left it alone. My X is an automatic that rarely gets above 3000 RPM and never gets to 6000 RPM so I'm pretty sure she will stay tight. :thumbup:

[emoji2962] I hit 6200-6400 every single day [emoji1787]

Sorry couldn't help throw that out there for you OB.

Sent from my SM-A730F using Tapatalk

Yeah, when I get on my R6 life begins at 12,500 RPM. It hits the RPM limiter around 16,500 RPM. I probably should check that oil pump nut for sure. :rofl:

You should check? Hell I'm ready to check right now![emoji28]

Sent from my SM-A730F using Tapatalk

Not driving in Texas, are you OB.


How else are you supposed to test fan blades, idler pulley bearings, giubos and transmission clutch packs?


Don't forget to grease those front driveshaft splines.


2002 X5 3.0 376,600 miles
2014 428i 66,700 miles


2004 325i sold at 123,600 miles
2001 325i sold at 66,000 miles


1970 Firebird Under restoration - now getting the super-duper extra stout serpentine belt conversion kit because....it's super-duper and extra stout.

85 MPH is just at 3000 RPM in my X5. If I ever hit 90 MPH I'm slowing down looking for flashing lights behind me. :rofl:

Wind it up, let her rip, blow out the carbon, usually helps, certainly is fun.

Something will probably break on the old girl. I just pamper her, I need to get another 100,000 miles out of her. :thumbup:

Got a little more done today. I got the pan back on and I am in the recommended Dreibond 1209 sealant procedure. Step 1: initial contact of gasket and sealant. Step 2: 1 hour later torque to 1/2 final torque value and Step 3: 6-24 hours later final torque. So I took the time to replace the intake CPS, mount oil level sensor and dipstick tube.

Tomorrow should be a lot busier. Final torque on the pan, install front diff, subframe, steering rack and power steering pump. (God knows I want to get that subframe back under there supporting the engine as it has been hanging by my Harbor Freight engine support bar for a week now)

Might get to axles too but slow and steady...

That all looks clean enough to eat off OB. I am envious.

You would have banned me from Xoutpost if you saw the mess I saw under there before starting this project. :rofl:

Waiting days for the oil to stop dripping down on that front right seam afforded me the time to clean those surrounding areas. Not as clean as the top yet but getting there. :thumbup:

Took your advice srmmmm and pulled the shaft (since the diff is not installed or connected) and added some more grease. Surprisingly there was no rust but really not a lot of grease in the splines. Added some extreme pressure red grease and happy to take your suggestion and spend 5 minutes for piece of mind. :thumbup:

You should be good to go now for a long time on that OB. I've got 240,000 miles on mine since it was replaced and repacked. Last inspection at 360,000 miles showed everything fine with plenty of grease still in there.


Sad the factory didn't do a better job of that originally.


2002 X5 3.0 376,600 miles
2014 428i 66,700 miles


2004 325i sold at 123,600 miles
2001 325i sold at 66,000 miles


1970 Firebird - Under restoration - sending dash cover and gauges out for remake $$$$ :yikes:

Solid day today, I am beat. Everything back together and running with no leaks. :thumbup: I let it run in the air for about 15 minutes going over everything and double checking all my work. Tomorrow I will put the reinforcement plate and splash shield back on, set it down and torque the lower arms on each side and take it for a drive. Man, that right axle fought me for an hour but got it done. The tolerances for the axle to go through that bearing at the end of the axle carrier on the right side of the pan seemed really tight.

Anyway, nice to get her back on the road tomorrow.

I’m trying to figure out how to do this next thing, but after a lot of searching I came up blank and am not even sure if it’s possible - is it possible to somehow code the front parking sensors to turn on automatically below some speed? It’s something that always throws me off whenever I sit in my X5, as I’m very used to it from my Mercedes. Not going to lie, I have bent my front license plate once or twice.

I haven't tried it but you could try setting the PDC ON at terminal 15 which I would guess PDC would be active with key on. Then the on/off speed selection would seem to come on below 20 and off again at over 20. I don't know but only a couple of clicks in BMW Scanner 1.4 to find out. :dunno:

https://xoutpost.com/attachments/x5-...ion-x5-pdc.jpg

Awesome, that sounds like EXACTLY what I am looking for! And here I was looking through INPA, DIS and whatnot. I sent you a PM, but seem to be having issues on my side with it, so I am not sure if it went through?

Yes sir, received your PM and responded to it. :thumbup:

Warning, multiple stories forthcoming that are probably boring as watching paint dry (which I did today).

Mowed the yard in the morning, finished a home network upgrade (added a nice dual-band wireless mesh router and a couple hot spots, first network upgrade in about 10 years), and then went to start priming the master bath for paint, more on that later. The network upgrade took a couple of days as we have always preferred hard wired gigabit ethernet so had zero WiFi, but never cared. We have 2-5 cat5e or cat6 drops in every room. Well we are adding enough devices that could benefit from 5Ghz band WiFi now, and the kids use our old phones now, so we figured it was time. Well, I haven't messed with networks in a long time so it was "fun" adding a router and 2 hot spots to a network setup already consisting of 1 4-port gigabit router, 1 16-port gigabit switch, cable modem, 6 computers, and various other devices (TVs, audio receivers, etc). Figuring out (remembering) to set up DHCP on the new primary router and bridge mode on the old secondary one took longer than I'd care to admit. And then getting Plex to be available outside the local LAN again took another bit. Aaaaannny way. We now have LAN speeds over WiFi (tested 21MB/sec or 168Mb/sec). Our LAN internet speeds are 23MB/sec. So I call that a success. Our guests will no longer think we are living in the stone age. :rofl:

BTW, this is the setup we used. So far, can recommend. Asus Zenwifi XD4 Mini

https://pisces.bbystatic.com/image2/...0;maxWidth=300

Now back to priming the master bath for paint. That led to another problem... of course. Went to turn our trusty Vornado tower fan on and it sounded like it was grinding rocks and spinning at 30% when set to full blast. Usually beating on it a few times restores normal sound and speed. Not this time. Now, any normal person would throw this thing away. It's at least 10 years old, has at least 2mm of dust all over the fins and inside. I am not a normal person (obviously, see aero kit tendencies). It's a beast, moves a ton of air, and we have abused the hell out of it. So, I disassembled it 100% (I have a couple pics if anyone cares). Took every piece outside (minus the motor and control pad) and cleaned it with the hose. Took the motor apart, cleaned out what was left of the old grease, and regreased with black lithium wheel bearing grease (LOL). I don't know how long that grease will last, but the fan likes the hell of it now. My wife came in during the middle of the process and asked, "Should I order another Vornado? I don't think that's going back together." Ye of little faith! Challenge accepted. :nanana: Anyway, she was very happy it works as new again. We use it for everything inside and outside. It's the one below. If it cost less than $50 I'd have probably tossed it. But I see they still sell it and it runs ~$100. It's a workhorse.

https://s.yimg.com/aah/yhst-11545572...culator-13.png

So, 3 hours later than intended I go back to prime the sheet rock in the master bath. The sheet rock contractor came Saturday and taped, floated, and textured the whole thing. I hate prepping sheetrock. I'll cut it, hang it, and paint it. I can not stand anything having to do with sanding it. Like with the fire of a thousand suns. :) So I got that done too about midnight. Showered, typed this up, and now it's bedtime. But I feel like I got a lot done today. :thumbup: And that feels good. Tomorrow will paint the bathroom and maybe do the floor trim. After that I can finally put the vanity and throne back in. We have not had the master since January 2019. Can't wait!

CW,
You obviously aren't busy enough, so here you go.....

http://expressaerokits.com/categorie...olkswagen.html


[emoji1787][emoji1787][emoji1787][emoji1787]
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Awesome CW, I'll make sure and bring my laptop this weekend for superfast 4K po......Porsche searches. Yes, nice 4K quality Porsche material. Not that we'll have much time for internet anyway. :rofl:

Hey guys, haven't really started on this project yet, but was wondering what people thought of posting a thread of my new project in the X5 forums. I own a 2005 Range Rover with the M62TUB44 and the PO overheated it, possibly warping the heads. A friend of mine that you guys know, Purplecty, informed that a friend of his had a 4.6is engine with guides and vanos stuff done already and I decided I would purchase it and swap it into my Range Rover. For one thing, it would make the first, certainly that I could determine, 4.6is swap into a L322 Range Rover in the world, or at least documented, but also might increase the value of an otherwise low value vehicle. Keep in mind, I'm not doing this on a car I spent a fortune on, so I don't feel bad spending a good bit of money on the engine. The truck is in really nice shape on the interior and the exterior needs a good cleaning and might even get a 2010+ facelift with LED headlights and tail lights.

Anyways, I just wanted to see if this would be a space people would be interested in reading about it, or not. If not, no problem. I could post it on the Land Rover forums, but I'm not really known there and I'm not sure they are even as active.

You know I am interested!!!

Thought I would update my post. I ended up ordering a full set, they look just like the original, with the only difference being that the buttons are a teensy bit more shiny to the touch and obviously as they are new, they are slightly whiter. So far I have swapped the top three right ones, will do the rest once I have a bit more time, as those aren’t all broken off yet.

Where did you end up ordering from?

Unbelievably AliExpress, for 20€. I was a bit skeptical that it will have the same looks, but it’s almost indistinguishable from the originals. And I ended up changing all of them after posting and they all work perfectly as well.


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Finally got my selector shaft seal removal/installer tool (Special Tool BMW Part #83 30 0 491 781) for my GM A5S390R (GM 5L40-E) from BMW and fixed the last little leak on the X5 today. That seal was rock hard after 16 years and 180,000 miles, just like the OPG. The small tool made the job a breeze, not even a need to remove the front drive shaft. So nice to have a completely dry engine and trans again. :thumbup:

Nice. Which tool did you use?

I used the tool listed above. Less than 1" needed for in and out so plenty of room even with the front drive shaft in. Here is a link to the TIS using the tool and a picture of the 2 pieces needed on the left for removal and the 2 pieces on the right for installation. :thumbup:

https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e...rshift/Eg1cZW0

Thanks. This one has been on my radar for awhile. Haven't done anything about it because it doesn't drip, it's just a little seepage.

Yeah, I always had a drip on the linkage arm running down from the seal. I noticed a few drops on the floor when I was doing my OPG and the X sat for days up on the QuickJack.

Snail's Pace
 

Still making progress on the master. Tested the heated floors, all is good there (so far). Let me tell you, it feels to have a second throne in the house again. Was getting brutal. :D Now if only someone would tile that shower for me... :(

Fantastic work CW. Great color, just did our guest bath the same color, just a little more gray. I hope my better half never sees these pictures, that would be very expensive for me. :rofl:

Thanks OB. Wife picked the color and I'm glad she went with the blue/grey tone. I was going to use the same color as the master which is called "creme brulee.". It's like a wheat color. Nice color but the cooler color palette in the bath goes better with her choice.

Wish I was making the same kind of progress on the X5 you are. :thumbup: But I do have some positive updates/thoughts to post on the coilovers. Will start a thread later.

The small amounts of white trim on baseboards and door frames really make the color pop and the nickle plated fixtures look fantastic. I only wish I knew how to tile like yours. My floors and bath in the guest bath are just 20 year old builder grade tiles. :(

I agree, the white trim is key in setting off almost any color palette. Nickle is en vogue now. In 30 years the next owner (or us if we rent it) will wonder how that was ever a thing. :D

Tiling is not difficult, but tedious. We have done enough of it now to know enough to get into trouble, and be willing to. These were the hardest I've laid because of the heated floor, large format tile, and the 3 step pattern I went with. I wanted it to at least look high end, even if the materials aren't what you would call luxurious. Though we did find a nice deal on that vanity with carrera marble. $600 and it's been in our garage for 2 years. Yep, 2 years. First thing we bought for the bathroom. I think out total spend including the few contractors we hired will be around $3000, maybe a tad more after all the nickle and dime crap is added.

For reference, here's what the room looked like when we moved in. Keep in mind, the house was built in '67. :wow: We had done some minor cheap things like taking down wallpaper/painting, changing the laminate counter top, and fixtures but nothing major in this room. This whole house is different now, but fortunately it has appreciated enough and we did most our own work (even re-roofed it ourselves) so we'll still come out ahead should we choose to sell.

Attachment 78138

Attachment 78139

You can see I built a wall where those burglar bars were and added a frosted glass door. How was that fashionable??? Then got rid of the pocket door to make the room feel larger, and boy does it.

Really nice work on that underside OB! I'll be doing some wrenching myself now on the old girl since the dealership fell under new owners and now gets reclassified as a stealership. They quoted $1410 to replace the front tension struts. Un-fricking believable. $465 for each strut and 2 hours at $175 an hour plus my contribution to disposal fees and the great state of Texas. I said, "no more".


2002 X5 3.0 377,000 miles
2014 428i 66,700 miles


2004 325i sold at 123,600 miles
2001 325i sold at 66,000 mile


1970 Firebird Under restoration

Attachment 78140Attachment 78140

Attachment 78141
Nice upgrades crystalworks! Tile came out great. We did baths a couple of years ago too and got rid of all the tub and shower enclosure tile. Went with solid sheet marble - no more grout and lifetime leak warranty with an epoxy fill pan.


It's kitchen time now and the CEO wanted grey as an accent on the island. So I as humble peasant, am finishing doors now.

It all looks great to me, but after reading the plumbing, paint upgrades I got home tonight and jumped into the pool to find the heater is out (well diggers ass cold) now I hope to not fry myself in 200k gallons of water after saying hold my beer...[emoji28]

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Was inspired to replicate an amazing two-tone individual interior I seen here in the forums!

Plasti-dipped my door but I am not sure yet if I want to fully commit and do the rest of the doors, lower dash and b panel covers. Any thoughts?

Before:
https://i.imgur.com/UPbevWz.jpg

After:
https://i.imgur.com/iTw9Dtu.jpg

I like it!:thumbup:

But maybe painting would look better!

Looks great but I would get a black speaker cover. I did the same style on my e38.Attachment 78149

How much effort & time did this whole project take you? I am considering almost the exact same project in our master bath. But after spending all last summer on a DIY kitchen remodel I am wondering how big of a project I want to get into this year.

I'm probably not a good benchmark. We have two little ones, currently 3 and 6yo and I am the primary caregiver during the workweek. I started the project (demo) January 2019 and we just now have a usable vanity and toilet. If I could have worked on it 4-5 hours a day I could finish in 3 weeks most likely. Factor in waiting for subs and add a couple weeks. So 5 week time table would not be unreasonable. I did my parent's major kitchen remodel in 10 weeks back in spring 2018. My Mom would watch the kids for 6 hours/day 4 or 5 days a week to help expedite that process. That turned out extremely nicely.

Yeah, I know how that goes. Mine are 2 and 4. Just this year they are becoming big enough to entertain themselves without killing eachother. Last year we were out of a kitchen for spmething like 8 weeks, cooking in the laundry room on an electric griddle.

Heading back to work full time next week! Finally!

So taking the last few days to knock out my E46 OPG and ZF 5HP19 service. 206,000 miles on this one. Currently in the waiting game for all the oil to stop dripping down so I can get the oil pan gasket properly sealed at the corner seams with Dreibond 1209. The X5 took 5 or 6 days but it gives me time to do it right and address and cleanup. :thumbup:

Here's my list of "I love my e53" projects:

1. New water-cooled alternator
2. New water pump and hoses
3. New coolant pipes
4. New timing chain guides
5. Valley pan gaskets, valve cover gaskets etc
6. New belts
7. Rebuilt rear suspension including air springs
8. Getting ready to rebuild front suspension then get it all aligned again
9. New tires as I finally made the change away from run flats.
10. New regulators for both front windows
11. New window clips for all 4 windows
12. Door carrier for front passenger as it's fubar and I'd been lazy
13. Headlights wet sanded and polished. I was going to replace but glad I was talked out of it.
14. Ordered a Bluebus box to add some nice telephony and streaming to my stock audio/navi system
15. New rotors and pads all around and bearing inspections
16. New roundel for the hood as it was just starting to have the paint crack and look less than stellar
17. Purchased OEM seat bottoms from new old-stock in UK. Got both front comfort seat bottoms in Schwatz Nappa for $400. Pretty proud of that find.
18. Cut two new keys and programmed them to my EWS
19. New transmission output speed sensor and new transmission cooler
20. Next will be some tweaks using INPA and NCSExpert

I think I may stop for a while after that....well, after it gets a good engine bay cleaning and interior detail. <grin>

2003 E53 4.6is, titanium silver, black Nappa interior

Finally figured out that the pressure switch $54 USD was bad in the pool heater [emoji849] and now just waiting for the water to warm up [emoji3060].

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...3f6f901544.jpg

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Pool heater? Aren't you located in the surface of the sun? ;)

Yeah, but when "high" humidity is 18% the evaporation will turn your swimming pool into a cold water wonderland....

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LOL...I'm a pool professional in Palm Springs, CA when I'm not tinkering with my e53. If you ever need some troubleshooting help, give me a PM. :)

I definitely will especially since I'm not a huge fan of electrical items and water meeting...[emoji28]

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Got the E46 OPG done and back together. Still waiting on the ZF filter so I might do that transmission service next weekend. :thumbup:

Daaaaaaaaaaamn that's clean. Nice work OB. What are you using to clean your block? My e53 block is starting to look a little dingy.

I usually start with Simple Green and a bunch of rags to knock off any serious residue and then follow up with a couple of cans of brake cleaner to give it that super clean look.

This one had been leaking for a while, I just ignored it since it only left a dime sized drop on the garage floor. Now both cars are completely dry. The only thing that hits the floor now is the AC condensation drain. :thumbup:

Finished the E46 today with a ZF 5HP19 transmission service. I used a Genuine BMW ZF filter and close to 6 liters of ZF Lifeguard 5. At 207,000 miles, the fluid and magnets in the pan looked phenomenal. I put this off for 2 years because of the paranoia of high mileage transmission services killing the valves and solenoids.

Shifts beautifully and couldn't be happier to finally have done it.

Really the last week off in this stay at home era. All the cars are completely done so I wanted to go after some things around the house.

I wanted to clean the gutters and once I got up there (close to 30' on some of them) I saw how dirty the outer surfaces of the gutters and the eves were. What started out as a 4 hour gutter cleaning turned into a 3 day washing of everything.

At 62 years old now, working at 25' to 30' high on a ladder isn't how I enjoy my day. :banghead:

Looks great! You have a beautiful home Sir!

:iagree:

And being up on a ladder that high is no one's idea of a good time OB. I'm 38 and that sounds like a terrible day to me. :rofl:

Glad to hear you are getting back to work finally. :thumbup:

Glad to hear you're going back to work. You have a beautiful house! I'm 61, almost 62 and I don't do those kind of heights from a ladder. I fell through a skylight and broke my arm on a construction site when I was about 40 so me and heights like that. Not so much. I'd pay someone for that or rent a lift if I was going to do it myself. You certainly made great use of the time off!

Wife sent me out of the house to prep my birthday.
I come home to find my street being repaved and the cake she made me [emoji16]

Not sure if I should be worried [emoji848][emoji28][emoji28]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...1d62d3c267.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...2d3b86a883.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...f8055fea1b.jpg

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Great cake! Be happy your street is being repaved. Ours are crap!

Your streets are better than mine (off compound) I would rather be pulled behind a car on a skateboard down the Indian Nations Turnpike than deal with the streets over here...[emoji1787][emoji1787]

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Woohoo done!

I can't believe it, especially in the land of Inshalla Buqra Minkin (God willing, Tomorrow, Maybe)https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...a2fb8db268.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...69c044e8c1.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...558b6b559f.jpg

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Love the cake EOD!

I wish I could afford those paver bricks you have out front. Modding cars is a lot less expensive than modding houses. :rofl:

[emoji1787] Thanks OB, but the pavers came with the rent (148k SAR) a year so I can't claim it here. Now my place in mindanao.... the glass roof 5mx9m 1/2" was a PITA and the wife loved it till I asked if I should get her a 5gal bucket of windex....[emoji2959]

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The outside the house is acceptable for me now and the wife jumped all over my new found motivation. She asked me to paint the great room and kitchen next.

I really suck at this stuff. 2 days now painting the great room and still not done. 18' ceilings make for one tough project. I would go broke if this was my business.

At least I had some time last night to enjoy the 4th of July weekend with the better half. A little BBQ, wine and fireworks and a clean deck. :thumbup:

OB, the deck and yard look great! I managed to finish up my router cabinet during lockdown.

Texas went into mandatory masks and my company decided to step back into the "Work from home" mode, so it's on the next Covid project for my personal "CEO". She wants a copy of a mahogany entertainment stand she found on the Internet, so the sawdust production has started. Just gotta keep her off the workbench!
:D


2002 X5 3.0 378,400 miles
2014 428i 67,700 miles


2004 325i sold at 123,600 miles
2001 325i sold at 66,000 miles

Just bought, from a wrecker yard, 2 shadowline mirrors but I just wanted bases, as one of mine was paint peeling badly. So I fully stripped both mine and the wreckers mirrors, swapped over all wiring and motors and lubed everything. Now the new shadowline mirrors are installed and power fold in faster than any mirrors I've had in past.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...d0749808e5.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...ea3b7adc07.jpg

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Mad woodworking skills! Cabinet looks fantastic! Post updates on the CEO's, entertainment stand. :thumbup:

X2! Very nice work. When you said router cabinet I thought you meant networking cabinet. :D Definitely want to see how the mahogany table turns out.

Helped my BiL with his e46 330ci. Almost full front suspension refresh (strut/mounts are good so left those). Control arms, CA bushings, sway bar end links, and inner/outter tie rods got replaced. Should handle quite nicely as he just got it running well again after letting it sit for the better part of 10 years. Nice to see it back on the road.

:thumbup: Nice work!

Wife and I finally built the playset for the kids (she's been on 2 week vacation) that we bought way back in March. Did it in the middle of a record heat wave over 3 days, geniuses we are. Took about 24 hours working time, lost 6 pounds of water weight. I reinforced the deck so Dad's fat @$$ could get up there too (245lbs). Kids have been loving it every morning and a few evenings since completion. :thumbup:

https://i.postimg.cc/FR1swkzc/IMG_20200712_090747.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/G2NhR3Tf/IMG_20200712_090735.jpg

The thing is pretty nice. I can stand up on the second floor and I am 6'8" so it's kinda cool. Can see over the house from the crow's nest. Going to add a couple solar panels with some fans and other accessories as well.

Love the play set! We had one similar back when my kids were younger, my son actually made me flatten off the top and put a platform up there for his telescope! Using the top most level we could see everything in the sky.

We have since moved and he’s 16, going on 17 now and his aspirations have grown with him. We have a screened patio off the back of the house that he wants us to flatten out the roof of as an “upper deck” so that he can put his new telescope up there [emoji16]

That said, since he was 6 he has wanted to work in space science and robotics so... I guess looking at the stars must be in his blood. (Though I don’t know that I’m building him a roof top deck this time... lol...)


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Man you and I are on the same wavelength as far as home projects go. (And cars of course)


I am collecting all the hardware to build a monster swingset in the backyard in a couple of weeks. It may have some platforms on it as well, but nothing as fancy as that multi-story play mansion. Well done :thumbup:

Looks great CW and from past experience building one similar I can only be impressed that you did it in a day. Some of the "easiest" connections on ours were with the heaviest 4x4 posts I ever saw...[emoji1787]

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Thank you fellas, we bought for the kiddos as they haven't been able to go to a public park in 6 months. They are really enjoying it and that's the best reward. Hah, they sleep pretty well too. Makes the sweat equity my wife and I put into it worth it for sure.

This particular set came as a kit and for the sale price we paid ($1299), before covid19 made anything for home outdoors gold bullion, you'd be hard pressed to beat what it offers. This set is now $1699 I think? I would have loved to build something custom but the cost would likely be similar (though materials might be slightly better?) and would have taken a week or two to build.

Best of luck with your build Bdc101. :thumbup:

Purple, if your son is into space science/robotics/engineering, I'm sure he watches Mark Rober on YouTube. If not, definitely check it out. Watch his vids with my kids and wife and most of his videos keep everyone's attention. He's an ex-Nasa engineer. Wish I was half as intelligent. LOL then again, I frequently find myself wishing I was half as intelligent as some of my fellow forum members. :rofl:

Great work CW! Dad of the year! :thumbup:

That’s too funny, we watch him all the time, I loved when he bounced the car off the trampoline and his squirrel “feeder/maze” contraption! He’s actually what got my son in to officially testing a theory vs just “jumping off the house” and seeing where things land.

My wife of course... thinks he’s insane “who would go to all that trouble for that”... clearly she’s missing the point [emoji16]

And yes, I often times find myself asking “why didn’t I think of that”....




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Great play set! I suspect your yard will be where all the children in the neighborhood come to play. Suggest you don't feed them.

Ha Ha! That is too funny - yes, like stray cats..., feed them and they will be back again and again and again [emoji12]

That said, my wife’s logic was “well, at least it keeps the kids occupied and out of my hair” [emoji106]




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Hah! We have a hard enough time keeping up with the appetites of our own children. Little black holes they are when it comes to calories. :D

Besides, with the litigious nature of society these days, we'd have to have every parent in the neighborhood sign a waiver in front of a lawyer and notary. :rolleyes:

Didn't see that one PF. Came up on my feed but didn't watch it. Did see the squirrel one. That was good stuff, though I would have cranked the squirrel catapult to 11. :D I think my fav so far is the automatic dart gun board (board moves to dart for bullseye every time). That think is crazy!

Added new (to me) sign to garage.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...b22ebaefb2.jpg

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Looks great! :thumbup:

Makes me realize how badly I need to sheetrock the garage. :( So many projects...

Nice!

Looks fantastic! :thumbup:

Finally cleared enough space to park both X5 in the garage tandem style.
 

So now have three cars inside at last. A bit tightly packed but a relief no to have to choose every evening which one of the two has sleep on the driveway.

I know the feeling. I absolutely love having my cars inside every night. Especially in the winter. :thumbup:

here in Calgary, not only is winter shitty and long, but in summer we have a few weeks from June to Aug where the hail storm drop hail the size of golf balls to baseballs. just a few weeks ago the storm caused a $1.2 BILLION damage. I had all 3 of my vehicles sitting in their car home. I built it specifically to let cars rest from the elements. a LOT of ppl here fill their garages with shit so their vehicles sit outside in winter and hail storms... I guess thats a part of the reason my 03/90 build 850i looks as good as she does. My e53 has a few door dings, but no hail damage. and new windscreen was installed a day before the storm, so I was MORE than tickled pink to be out of the hail.

Still chipping away at the ridiculous list I have for the house and cars. Operation Homeschool was completed last week. I'll be our girl's full time teacher this year (1st Grd) so she needed her own computer and desk to work. Mom and Dad were getting tired of sharing our systems. I frankenstein'd some Ikea desk tops together along with some Amazon table legs, a couple Ikea drawer/book cases, and some other random crap. Built her an old i3 system out of some spare parts and case I had in a closet. Happy with the results. Still some fine-tuning to do (need to move those shelves as I don't like them there now that the desk is under them), but this will get us through. The lights are there BTW because she requested purple lighting. I always leave it on "BMW interior orange" or "laguna seca blue." But she has her purple for when she's in there working. We have her practicing her cursive and typing before her school year starts in a couple of weeks so if purple lights get her excited to learn... I'm cool with it. :D

You can just see her curriculum stuff in the bottom of the pic. Same curriculum her private school uses so when she is able to go back for 2nd grade (HOPEFULLY!!!) she'll be right on track, or better.

Attachment 78651

Attachment 78652

Anyway, I hope most of you all are back to "normal" as much as possible. I'll still be plugging away at covid projects for some time. :(

PS: Yes, that is a "Son of Godzilla" VHS tape on the shelf. My kids love it just as much as I did when I was their age. :rofl:

Dad of the year. Really nice work area CW. :thumbup:

Way to go CW! So much nicer than trying to do stuff at the kitchen table.


2002 X5 3.0 380,600 miles
2014 428i 69,600 miles


2004 325i sold at 123,600 mies
2001 325i sold at 66,000 miles


1970 Firebird Under Restoration

Looks great! Very inviting.

here is a tip. my 03 4.4 x5 went into fail safemode only after 90 mins of drving so changed my transmission oil coller thermastat and housing back to normal it was getting to hot also change the trans pan gasket and fluid to be safe, rebuilt the abs module she is back normal no more trifeca of lights

any body have idea what i can do to reduce the lag in throttle repsonse ?

Any error codes?

anybody remotly assit me with my bmw scanner pa soft i think my antivirus is interrupting my driver

remotley assit me would be great

thank you
[email protected]

no error codes

i am going to scan again after i fix soft ware issue on my bmw scanner pasoft

Work continues...

OFHG (both of them on the N52 :rolleyes:), purge valve, and new lift points for the wagon (they were all MIA courtesy one of the PO's).

Attachment 78691

Attachment 78692

Attachment 78690

More wagon love. Sorry guys, I swear I'll post something relating to an E53 one of these days. But we daily the wagon so it gets priority. :dunno:

Finished the "alcantara" headliner project. Got the final pieces in after waiting a month+ from ECS. The black little cargo net covers.

Attachment 78976

Before:

Attachment 78974

Attachment 78975

After:

Attachment 78977

Attachment 78978

Attachment 78979

Looks amazing! I want to do this to my 4.6...

Looks fantastic. Our E53 is still tight up there but I really need to recover the headliner and pillars in the E46.

Really need to get you a Recaro baby seat though. :thumbup:

Thanks. As soon as I get a hint of sag in Red... I'm doing the e53. All in was ~$450.

Hah! I'm counting the days til I can throw that baby seat in the trash brother. Have about 6 months left by my estimation. :thumbup:

CW...! My gosh! LoL..! [emoji1787][emoji1787]

Looks Great!