A few weekend mods...
 

Now that New England is starting to feel like spring...thought i'd get a few things out of the way.

Before:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3413/...904afb035d.jpg

After:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3560/...123da4473a.jpg

Finally, my 4.8is bumper cover:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3624/...e1402ec6d4.jpg

Next weekend...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3349/...19aa5bb0c1.jpg

Nice!!!!

Mod season is here......

Nice Wheels!!

Rich:thumbup:

:thumbup: :thumbup:

Nice wheel. I really love my sport steering wheel. Wow, you even have a heated wheel too. I'm jealous.

How much did the 4.8is bumper set you back?

Dan

Congrats.

The steering wheel looks great, it might be on my list when I get bored with mine M wheel and saved up again.

Awesome looking rims too. Can't wait to see the completed pics :thumbup:

Is the steering wheel heated?

was wondering the same thing? It looks smaller as well than the version I have minus the silver trim.:cool:

great mods. glad you switched out the steering wheel, looks MUCH better

I love the Style 177's!

The new wheel totally transforms the interior!! The 4.8is front looks great too! :D

:2thumbs:

Great photos. :thumbup: Can you tell us the p/n of that steering wheel and air bag? According to the etk it shouldn't fit an X5 since it's only for an X3.

+1 :thumbup:

In a few words 'Chalk n cheese'. Well done.

Yes, it's heated. Can't live without it during the winter months. I bought it on ebay (look up seller Age Styling). I like the addition of the silver on the trim plus the rest of it is leather wrapped.

4.8 front cost me something like $500 on ebay, then another $250 to paint. Modding ain't cheap :yikes:

Don't forget the rear trim, fender flares and lower flare trim...that'll set you back another $500-800 when all is said and done.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3250/...7068988a_m.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3217/...70a381c6_m.jpg

On realoem
RealOEM.com BMW E53 X5 4.4i Sport st.whl.airbag-smart /Multifunction
Airbag #: 32306780661
Steering wheel: 32306778404

I'm not sure what the leather wrapped + silver trim piece part number is. There are different versions of it too. I think there is a titanium colored trim (probably individual option) and one with an M-logo.

FYI... the retrofit Sports Steering Wheel that I got for my X3 was exactly the same one as the Sports Steering Wheel that they put in for the E53 during the facelift.

According to BMW it isn't the same. It looks very similar but not identical. The fitted pieces are not interchangeable either apparently.

I'm confused. Are you saying you bought the steering wheel (32306778404) separate from the trim piece? or were they together? If they were together, then it isn't the -404 steering wheel, it is 32 30 3 448 458 (in heated version) 32 30 3 448 457 (in unheated version). Some people might be confused by the parts schematic which uses the same photo for multiple steering wheels (for the X5, X3, etc.)

No fitment problems here. Plug 'n' play. I bought the wheel and trim together. Not sure of the part numbers. Airbag was bought separately.

Too bad you don't have the p/n's from the actual items.

Look on ebay. That's where i got mine.

I actually contacted the seller a while back so I know where to get it, etc. i was just curious about fitment issues. The seller couldn't guarantee fitment and BMW claims it's not compatible. Thus, I was curious about actual part numbers and what the issues really are in this case.

New heated steering was 100% plug n play? No need for a new part, right?

Purely my speculation, but I would think BMW's claim of incompatibility is based on their preference of customers not fiddling with their vehicles without BMW certified dealer mechanics working on it. That way BMW NA doesn't have to foot the warranty bill if the car still has one and customer comes in with something broken. Same with the ebay seller...the steering wheel is one of the most critical input devices on the car and ultimately the safety of the vehicle. I doubt he/she wants to be held accountable if the part failed and caused an accident. Also the seller sells a bunch of other manufacturer's steering wheels too, so they may not know 100%.

In my case, the teeth on the steering wheel and the steering column fit perfectly on the first try, and even aligned correctly (i.e. arrows lined up). Addressing another member's earlier comments about it looking smaller was probably due to the camera perspective and zoom of my lens. Other than that, I am happy with it. Looks great, feels solid yet lighter than the 4-spoke...and I still have all the multi-function and heat buttons at my thumbs.

My car was pre-wired for heat on my 4-spoke. In fact, when I installed the 3-spoke sport wheel, there were less wires behind the airbag than was present in the 4-spoke wheel. When installing the sport wheel, i just plugged in 5 connectors (2 on airbag, 1 for heat, 1 for multifunction buttons, and 1 last one I'm sure what it does...maybe general power to the wheel). I tested all the buttons and they work flawlessly.

If your X isn't pre-wired for heat in the steering column, then you need to follow the instructions on the home page.

Your speculation is pretty much what I thought might be the case, but after doing more research into it I ran into a number of inconsistencies. I found a couple of steering wheels with parts numbers that did match up for both cars as did their airbags and then a few cases where the steering wheels were the same for both cars, but had different spec airbags, and also vice versa (ie. the steering wheel you have). I don't have all the notes in front of me, but it was indeed quite strange and it got me thinking that there must be something more to it after all.