Yet another facelift ! With Skid plate this time...
 

Hi guys, just thought I'd share this with you since I haven't seen a skid-plate equipped Saphire X with facelift.

All pretty straight forward apart from the bumper not going on straight away. Had to remove some of the old trim to get it to fit right. Lights were a piece of cake thanks to Zulu.

Anyway here she is (finally)...

http://www.qualityibizaapartments.com/facelift1.jpg

And before...

http://www.qualityibizaapartments.com/pfl2.jpg

Pleeeease don't mention the Rims. I know ! Just broke for a while ;)

Cheers. Kev.

Looks Great :thumbup: What trim did you remove? - my bumper is a bit off also.

Great job. Looks nice and fresh up front.

Now about the rims... :jk:

looks nice, i like the mesh in the bumper

I like the look, and don't mind the rims. Have you thought of powder coating them black?

Mate, we were going mad trying to get the bumper onto the original carrier. Even called BMW to check if there was a different part number for the 2005 carrier but once we were sure it wasn't we found that the rubberised trim the sits either side of the aircon fan was in the way. Just took it out for now (ad the bit at the bottom) but may adapt it eventually if it looks like it's doing something useful. Just a couple of rivets either side IIRC.

It is a tight squeeze though. Some parts missing from previous lists on this forum are ;

1) Brackets to join wing to the new bumper 63.12.6.927.797 (+798)
2) Headlamp support assembly. 51.11.7.116.667 (+668)


Also, the PDC plugs are different on the corners. I just used the plugs from the donor bumper, but anyone reading this may find that useful (same colour coding though).

The new bonnet (hood) and wings sit about 1/2 inch higher than the old ones hence the 'bigger' look.

Thanks. Actually I'm having dark thoughts about these...

http://www.qualityibizaapartments.com/acs_iv.jpg

What do you reckon ???

Kev

...Thanks I'll give it a try

Nice job Kev - very nice contrast between the silver skidplate and the black paint. :thumbup:

Jeesh, going mod crazy over there.

Hello Kev,

Your X5 looks great with the front done
Is the Skid plate a straight bolt on with a standard 04 X5?
of do you have to remove parts

Is the Skid plate a BMW part?

Thank you,
Jim

Hey Kev, was there any painting that needed to be performed? Can you give a round figure of the cost of the conversion?

I'm sure painting was involved. The whole front end was replaced!

Thanks for the complements guys.

The facelift conversion was £1000 parts ($2000), and £500 labour/paint. I managed to sell my old front (and rear lights) for £600 so all in all I paid £900 ($1800) for everything. UK prices, but I got a very good deal (I think) on the parts. My bodyshop would normally charge at least 30% more but they get a lot of business from me (mods, not crash repairs ;) )

I did the bum too...

http://www.qualityibizaapartments.com/arse.jpg

Old lights...

http://www.qualityibizaapartments.com/oldlights.jpg


The new rear lights look really good (IMHO). I didn't think there was much difference but I think you can see from the picture that there is.

Jim, the skid plate comes in grey ABS. Its an original BMW part and comes with fitting kit and instructions. Its a flush fit on all 2000-2006 standard bumpers (as fitted to the 3.0d Sport). I got it from these guys ($199 + pp).

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BMW-E...mZ270178108494


For the facelift, of course I had to paint everything - but very pleased with the outcome. Like having a new car. The facelift wings and bonnet make the whole car much bigger - its about an inch higher and wider all round at the front. I luv it ! Grin factor is great and the looks from other X5 drivers over here in the UK wondering what that part is under the bumper are great. BMW UK don't have this part, nor do they have in in Germany, so thanks BMW NA - it's a great improvement to the X5 front end - IMHO or course ;)

Quads next...

Cheers. Kev

Sharp rims.

good job, feels like you have a new X... i cant wait to see it with new rims :nanana:

NIIIIIICE!
 

Looks great, I also want to give my 01' x a facelift. How much did it cost u?

Ummmmmm ... three posts back?

Thanks mate. :thumbup:

Hello Kev,

Thank you,, so its a paint and bolt on part then,, no real fabricating?

Thank you
Jim

More or less Jim,

You'll need the following parts....

Bonnet (hood) + Grilles
Wings (just the metal) - reuse all the plastic
Bumper (with fogs) + grids (cant use the old ones)
Lights (with mounts)
Corner PDC sensors
Brackets to join wings to bumper.

Ideally, get the parts painted prior to fitting preferably (also less time off the road).

The new lights have a different single 12-pin plug, where old lights had four seperate plugs. All same colour coding. Cut off old plugs and join using bullets - then waterproof. See Zulu document on facelift headlights for exact details including, turn signal mapping (uses different colour coding). Fit the lights before the putting the bumper on.

You can use the old bonnet brackets, and bumper carrier, but remove the plastic shroud either side of the aircon fan (photos later).

New bumper is a tight fit - but once it clips in on the corners using the brackets, it all looks very tight. Had us in a panic at first !

I would say buying the parts new will be expensive, as even the lower grid costs $134 on its own !

You really need a donor car, flood damaged or rear ended. You should be able to find them in amongst the hens teeth ;) . Seriously though, just be patient - they do come up from time to time, and you need to be hard with the bargaining and dont show how desperate you are ;) - just pay the going rate for each part. As I said, I paid around $2000.

Good luck and happy hunting !

Kev

Hello Kev,

My X5 is a 04. Black Sapphire.
The slash pan doesn't just bolt on to it, or i need to update the front end also ?
am confused?

Thank you
Jim

FYI
Full conversion harnesses are available from me for those who want to do this as a P&P wiring job.

Aaaah, I see ! You were talking about the skid plate. I thought you meant the facelift. Sorry, my misunderstanding. Oh well, maybe the info above will help someone.

The skid plate is just paint and bolt on. It will fit all models from 2000-2006 as the bottom shape of the bumper is the same pre and post facelist. The holes at the back line up perfectly. The front three need to be drilled, but once the back ones are in the front is easy. The part is only designed for the standard bumper though (as fitted to the 3.0d Sport). I doubt it will fit the iS models

My body shop used a rubberised primer to give some flexibility. This should prevent stone chips a bit better. They also applied several coats of lacquer.

Hope this helps.

Kev

I took a look today but I couldn't figure out which part needs to be removed. Do I have to take the fan off?
If you ever get a chance to take a picture it would be a life saver.

Thanks