btw i think this job is going to last a really long time..he explained to me that this mainly happens to these motors because bmw recommends your first oil change 15k miles after purchasing which has an affect on the seals. i will be changing my oil between 4 and 5 thousand miles to play it safe.

not to sh1t on the DaveX's recent work, but how much is a local INDY for this job...

I mean a sidejob on alternator, water pump, brake job...but at 2500 hundos, I'm compare what the job runs at a INDY...

jsoto how much it would cost is one thing, but to know u actually have a certified bmw tech working on your car is another. i'm not saying a INDY cant do the job just as good, but it makes me feel better to know whoevers working on my cars has done this job on the same car as mine over and over again. Peace of mind

Replaced the oil filter housing gasket in my 2003 3.0i. Not to bad of a job, took my time. Recoded it with NCS Expert and she's running good.

I bought another.

Calibrated my ride height with inpa, woulda took 5 mins but i pressed wrong button and screwed the height totaly

Got rid of my tire pressure light by turning ignition on ans holding button for 10 seconds

So now i got no error lights and the suspension works perfectly!!!
Dealer told the preveous owner sum bullshyt and wanted more money after replacing the air compressor instead of just clearing the code which i did very easily

Finally got my speedo cluster pixels fixed by a local seller in central NJ, and he included silver gauge rings while cluster was out, great upgrade/fix for $140 as opposed to buying a new cluster, having dealer code it, etc.
The repair service is located in Rahway, NJ which is very local to NY folks as well as NJ, I elected to bring my cluster in personally and pick up since I work about 20 minutes away, however if you do choose to send your cluster over, the guy who completes the repair will ship back your cluster for free. PM me if you need contact info as I have already referred one member from our forum to get his cluster fixed and he is also happy with the service.

Looks brand new, display is full and bright again and now my car does not feel dated.


Also replaced the 9 year old pitted to hell reflector fog lights with Depo projector fogs from the pre-facelift, and Hoen H3 xenonmatch fog light bulbs. Made my own pigtails for the BMW connection to H11 connection so no modification to factory wiring. Flawless.

Bought ANOTHER? Pix please....

;)

Haha, all casual. So ummmm... What you do today? "I bought another E53 Monster Dinan WHIP. What about you? Oh I just did some yard work. And TMV says, ":nanana: I beat you!" lol Nice job bud.

Soooo, PDC on Right rear is shot on the 4.8is. Awesome. I ordered the $28 one of ebay. So lets see. This is the 3rd sensor I've replaced so far. The new sensor says Germany. Probably still China. lol

^ :thumbup:

http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...yes-i-did.html

I had 2 busted sensors one in center front and one in center rear when I bought the car, the incessant beep every time I put the car in reverse drove me crazy, I pulled the PDC fuse and all has been quiet ever since. Someday I'd get to replacing the 2 sensors just so I could say that "not a single thing is broken on the car" but I'll be honest I barely would ever use PDC, I don't parallel park much and let's face it, the E53 isn't exactly parking an Excursion.


Link to $28 sensor? Might be worth it to replace both if they were that cheap, I remember last time I was looking they were like 49 apiece. Might say Made in Germany, I'm guessing that means assembled in Germany of Chinese components :)

Using NCSDummy and NCSExpert, I coded the car for auto door locks, unlock all four doors with one press of the remote, day time running lights, and fogs stay on when high beams are on.

Does anyone know how to code the car for 3 blinks of the turn signal instead of one, when holding the signal lever up or down? This is easy to configure in later models like E7x, E9x, and F25, but I haven't been able to find out how to code the E53 for this.

Thought it cranked a bit funny (slow) this morning. Just load tested the battery and guess what? Yup, it's kaput. 'twas a solid 5 years on the BMW battery though, so pretty much spot on with the average 4 year lifespan. Will be Picking up a replacement tomorrow.

i haven't seen a code for it... not to say that it doesn't exist, though...

designed in germany!!!!:nanana:

took this picture:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.n...05959174_n.jpg

Read 60 pages of this thread. That should count for something

Did you have an adult beverage in your hand while reading because then it counts. If you were sober then its just reading, if you were drinking, then its a fiesta! lol

It counts!!

T I heart the fact you have 87s on the 4.8is, were those from your old 4.6? Still have the 168s as spares?


And I see you plastidipped the wheels, I think its time for a full powdercoat job!

sure thing - i had a set of brand new Toyos on the 87s, ready to go on 4.6 for the summer, when the 4.6 kicked the bucket... so, i got rid of the 4.6 with the winter 18" on it, and plasti-dipped the 87s... you can see, almost a year later, the dip is peeling... i am too lazy to do the update on the wheels...

besides, the lease on my wife's 335 is coming to an end in about month and a half, so i am looking for a replacement... she wants a convertible... so, the search is on...

a piece of advice - don't condition your wife to like BMWs - it becomes rather an expensive adventure!!! but, on the other hand, older I get, more expensive my adventures become, women including!!!:nanana:

I know ALL about conditioning your wife to like BMW's... she's been driving E46's, E83's, E90's, and now an F25 over the last 11 years. The girl pitches a fit when I need her car for anything and she has to drive the E53. Spoiled rotten is what I say... :rolleyes:

Why didn't you stop me before I did the upgrade? :D
She deserves it actually.

i was busy holding onto my dear life when mine was test-driving her bimmer!!!:nanana:

The LCM in our E53 (and my E39 too) doesn't support this feature.

Is that due to the coding level of the LCM? Mine is C19. I was wondering if maybe getting an LCM with a newer coding level would work.

no, the LCMs for the iBus based vehicles did not support this feature... (X3 and Z4 are the last iBus cars that were being made, and I don't think they had this either).

Replacing LCM calls for higher level software to set the mileage and a possibly a trip to a dealer to set the mileage, and the factory does not recommend a used LCM...

you may get youserf a custom programmed microcontroller that will do what you want via iBus commands... check the "e-light", BMW X5 E53

Guess I'm just outta luck then.

Maybe I'll do what tmv has done, and just upgrade my car... :D

My wife loves my E53 now that its not with something broken all the time, but she still loves her Toyota more, its simpler for her, easier to just get in, turn the key and go. I don't think my wife could appreciate BMW's as a true driving car, she sees her car as just a mode to get from point A to point B, a transport for groceries, the dog, etc.

Her mom had an E83 LCI before trading it in, I wanted my wife to take over the payments but she didn't want to, and to be honest although someday I want her in a BMW for now I think she is good with the 2011 Rav4. The dog goes in that car, its gray interior so its a bit easier to clean out, all we have to do is oil changes, tire rotations, and brakes, and she could probably get 100k easy miles out of it before some real maintenance comes along.

Took me over a year for her to finally be able to let the car warm up for 30 seconds before slamming the shift lever into "R" or "D" (used to make me cringe hearing the car start and literally a half second later it was in gear, barely enough time for oil to flow through the sump), so I am conditioning her first to appreciate the car and take care of it better, once she has a few years of caring for her vehicle better under her belt, maybe an F series X3 for her down the line :)

:nanana:

:bow:

New Upgrades
 

I finally went ahead and took the plunge. I added the BMW Aero Kit, Installed the Dinan (Brembo) brake system on the front and rear. Also had the front grill painted Gloss Black

Any added suggestion are welcomed. The Euro lights are then next thing on the list.

Looks mean!

How do you like the Brembo brakes?

The brakes are like night and day compared to stock and I consider it one of my wiser investments.

Looking great, love it

WOW of course I'm partial bc I have the wide body kit too but I'm loving it!

Hey, Ldiggd910 I am attempting to buy the door accents for the aero kit, but the are no longer available in the states. Would you know of any other location were I could possibly purchase them.

Hey Buzz110,

Is that factory running board on your IS?

^Nope. It's park of the Aero Kit.

Buzz110, I really like what you do to the X. :thumbup:

Tweaked the fitment of the Tubi exhaust.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...4708D858D3.jpg

Then I had lunch. Then I bought a shirt.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...46F0BCB113.jpg

:)

Bugbyte, TMV is correct, it is part of the aero kit.

On a separate note, I just want to thank everyone for the comments. Also if anyone has any suggestions for rims, it would be greatly appreciated. Please send any links or pics if available

^You have a nice set of wheels already, eventhough the color is not for me. Are you looking to up-size them?
How much is the Aero Kit with paint and installation?

I agree, the color needs to be changed. I figured I could keep the present rims for winter since I cannot go smaller than 19" rims due to the brake calipers.

For the new rims I would like to upsize. I was considering a dark color with 22" rims.

I agree, the color needs to be changed. I figured I could keep the present rims for winter since I cannot go smaller than 19" rims due to the brake calipers.

For the new rims I would like to upsize. I was considering a dark color with 22" rims.

wow, i really like what you did to your X...Looks really mean!:thumbup:

I lowered mine today! Eibach springs in the front, and custom links in the real.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...cdebeca745.jpg

cute kid inside :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

You have no idea. He is four and gets chased around by 20 yr olds in bikinis.

ask him if needs a wingman - i like being chased by the 20 year olds in bikinis too!!!!!!!:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

Hahah! I know, I told my wife he would be the perfect pick up kit. Just add a golden retriever puppy to seal the deal.

Oil changes and baths for the 4.8is and wife's X3.

Buzz110, idk where to find the door panels but I'd leave it. It looks great without. I actually didn't even notice they were missing until u asked.

Put on a rebuilt alternator and gave it a bath.

Replaced the tailgate latch release. One of the license plates 'sockets' was bad. Release comes as one piece in primer. Cost me $121.00 to get it painted and around $100 for the part. The sockets have been upgraded. They secure the bulbs in the center so the contacts don't have to hold the bulb in place, much better. Used LED bulbs.

Picked the stones out of the tires. I was "click" free until I drove across a gravel parking lot...:(

Anyone else notice the the DWS's apparently have a thing for absorbing rocks?!

7 months later I wash the beast. LOL

New upper windshield trim!

Windshield washer fluid really eats away at those guys. New trim really makes the truck look so much younger now.

How hard is it to change? Mine was murdered by stones this winter, I've been putting it off as trim is my least favorite things to do...

Not bad! Dig out the old stuff on the backside and on the glass side and when you roll the metal "c" out, just keep rolling it forward as you go across the windshield. (It will resemble a pig's tail when you remove it) be careful not to break the windshield by just tugging on it.

Clean out the gutter, soapwater (lube) up the new trim and windshield and press it firmly in, one end to the other, inch at a time. :)

$530 for a fucking window regulator. I'm done with the dealer.

Nice, thanks for the notes on that. I need to do this as well. Any special tools for removing or pressing trim back in?

So you noticed that too? lol. How about picking up every metal shard on the road 2 weeks after getting the tires patches because of other metal shards. lol Its hard to keep up with all that patches lol.

Nothing too crazy really! :)


A thin screwdriver, to scrape the old rubber off the metal part of the trim, also to start the removal of the metal (be gentle).

Glass cleaner, to clean the trench when all is out.

Soapy water, to lube trench and new trim

Thumbs of steel, to press in the new trim an inch at a time. :p

Unfortunately yes. lol. I love everything else about them though, MUCH better than the duelers around town for my driving style. I can live with the softer sidewall and and resulting increase in body roll for the "luxury" ride. Hopefully mine will stick to eating rocks and pebbles though! My neighbor walked by shaking his head and laughing when he saw me out there with a straight screwdriver plucking them out.

When Came back home and I swear I had more stones than when I left....

I plasti dipped my emblem.
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...79dd0d2814.jpg
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...1fabc8660d.jpg
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...26b9c08c90.jpg
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...126c7316fe.jpg
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...bf1d192d40.jpg

Replaced the last of the faulty PDC sensors...FINALLY operational again now!

Replace the battery on my 4.8iS with AutoCraft H8-AMG battery.

Man, I am soooo happy I am not the only one. It really does seem like the DSW like to hold on to every damn rock that it rolls over.

Thank God that I haven't had that problem.

Ill agree It is a fairly silly 'problem' to have....and if you aren't OCD like me probably wouldn't bother the average person as much.

Yeahhhh about OCD... lol I probably clean the tires out once a week because me thinking I can hear the clicking from the gravel in the tires lol.

Anyways, did the reverse mirror dip fix... Now it doesn't act all moronic anymore. lol

Put on the DINAN badge

http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps9daf2526.jpg

http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/n...pscebc9909.jpg

http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/n...psca17533d.jpg

Debating on the stock X5 and the Dinan X5. I went with the Dinan one because:
1. The font match the DINAN name badge
2. The stock X5 badge sits lower than how Dinan position their name badge with the template provided

I need to do the mirror dip fix as well...mine thinks its doing dubstep when i reverse.


@TMV; The dinan "X5" badge looks too aftermarket IMO...maybe it's because it's rare?:dunno:

I did an in dash Alpine DVD.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...bffa4fab73.jpg
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...41aa42dcdb.jpg

oh yeah.. the pulp fiction... i saw it in the theater back in the day... oh my, i am old!!!!

Dubstep? Guess your X likes Skrillex? My X happens to prefer deadmau5...

:cool:

my X enjoys Sirius 51 BPM all day every day lol!

@ tmv/X5SND, I know I'm going to get my ass chewed out for this but the Dinan badge and Dinan X5 badge to me just screams "try and break into/steal my car", I've always debadged my cars and probably save for an ///M car, I will always do so. I get it, the Dinan badge is earned and not anyone can just buy one, but it doesn't let you fly under the radar say as easily as being debadged completely.

To me the badges on the rear/fenders just take away from the flow of the car, the only Dinan advertisement you need is that exhaust.


However, I do like the Dinan's "X5" font, and actually if I had to keep a badge on the car I would just keep their X5 badge, since its different.

Looks great, pretty clean install piece to fill the gap as well. I'm guessing you don't have DSP?

Nope. No dsp. Mine is the business radio, whatever that means. Install was pretty straight forward. It's just a dash kit from Metra.

Oops. Double post.

I hate that X5 font, but I think since he wanted to put the Dinan badge on, keeping the X5 font/position consistent with the Dinan one was the right choice. It works IMO.

Chyeaaaa BPM!!! Tiesto, Lil' Cee, Guetta, 4am BPM Banger!!! ok, im done. lol

I like the old-school badge. Font matching and all.

boom boom boom boom boom boom1 word boom boom boom boom 1 word boom etc.

I washed er and waxed her. Now she looks good again!

Without pics, it doesnt do any justice. Lol

Removed the roof rack. Really changes the proportions.

Pictures?

Tomorrow

Doing it today on my 4.8iS. Also lower it an inch with DIS

changed my battery,
stamped on my old negative terminal was 22nd week of 2004

car runs much smoother
idles way better

no more dropping under 13.6

always up around 13.8-14.1v now

Fresh wash
 

walking away pic

Swapping the wheels. The iS has the HREs now, and the 3.0i has the style168.
Next: H&R 30mm DRA spacers.

I dont wanna start a new thread but what size exhaust tips to get on my 3.0? I want a dual tip like a 4.4. Would i need 3"? 3.5"? 4"? Pics would help

Ractive T815, chrome or Ractive T815B (black chrome). Search is your friend or look up tmv's 3.0 he just had the chrome tips installed (I have the same ones as well)

They get welded on and look the job for 70 bucks a pair.

IMO, they look better than dual-tip 4.4i
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/n...psc307e9a1.jpg
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps152eedfc.jpg

One 'X5' badge on the rear is good enough for me. Without it, the rear looks like something is missing.

I don't know if the dinan badge screams 'steal me' as loud as one may think simply because it so rare....then again with thieves these days you never know. :dunno:

I respect your opinion on the rear badge S, different strokes for different folks! As far as the Dinan goes, a decently smart thief should be able to discern ///M badges, Audi's "S" badge, the AMG logo, Dinan, Brabus, Alpina, etc badges and know they mean more than a run of the mill X/A4/S-class etc, I remember reading years ago that the S4's were stolen 3x as much as normal A4's, I'll have to google search to find that article though!


Regardless, I like the X5 font and Dinan font matching if you have to run the badge!

^^i think we should hold a poll: CALLING ALL CAR THEIVES!! Lol.

It would be a pretty dull world if everyone was int the same thing!

Before and after roof rack delete

Finally.... :thumbup:

Got her inspected today, didn't need a thing. :dancing:

The mechanic also tightened a bolt on a control arm, which is what was causing my mysterious "steering clunk". Drives smooth again as well.

Would be nice if more folks had your luck!

Changed her valve cover gasket today, 3.0. Not nearly the job that the oil filter adapter housing gasket change was! However, no matter how careful, you will drop a part. I lost a cover nut and went to the hardware store to make a replacement out of an M6 standoff, washer, and nut, all cut to the appropriate length. It will do until I get to the dealer for the real thing. The perimeter gasket wasn't leaking, but the #6 plug hole was full of oil. Next job - drop a rear subframe bolt and get a look at dem bushings.
Bill

replaced my torn intake boot. No more whistle. Also did a half way oil filter only change since I will run out of time before my winter oil change (don't ask). Also did a fuel filter, which was either the easiest I have ever done or the hardest or some combination of both!

Putting it back to stock form and snap some pictures for the "For Sale" ad.
Also swap the projector fog lights over to the iS.

updated my trim pieces!! all i have left to do is the center console

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...2023.05.37.jpg

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...2023.05.10.jpg

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...2023.04.42.jpg

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...2018.33.33.jpg

Di Noc?

its the new version of "Di Noc" its called 3m scotchprint its thinner and is more flexible

2nd bath of the week
 

By far the best car i ever had(besides my 1995 m3)

Clayed, compounded and waxed. Black sapphire never looked so good!:thumbup:

I have to know what kind of rims you have! Are those style 87 ? Also did you paint them?

Looks very nice! This has to be my next mod! Fill me in, difficult? DIY?

Did you do it your self? How difficult is the process? Also what was the item number you chose and site you ordered? This must be my next mod, wood trim is outdated

Broke down and bought these...

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y65...ps11c2905a.jpg

Did you get the ones with Halogen or LED rings (aka the 600 or 350 version lol!) Your X is going to appreciate them very much Dan!

I need new headlights like you wouldn't believe the X looks so outdated with the pre-facelift lights

350... I won't be enabling the AEs (at least I don't plan to)

I know you are not a fan of them but I am a fan of the housings look, looking forward to seeing them on there!

I'm also interested to see pix of these on your car. I'm considering the same for my '03.

:popcorn:

yeah i did it myself, on a scale of 1-10 for difficulty its about a 4, you need either a flathead screwdriver or trim removal tools scissors and a heat gun. also i picked up the vinyl from our local sign shop. i know the owner and he just gave me a bunch of scrap that they had left over...about 10 sq ft worth.

I'll definitely post pics :thumbup:

Test-fit rears on the front out of curiosity (had this idea for awhile). Can't say I like it better than staggered... looks weird to me. Figured I'd document it here though.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y65...ps5fc465f0.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y65...ps57834ce2.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y65...ps8b889b4a.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y65...psf9ec7f37.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y65...ps87dc9922.jpg

I like the staggered look better too. Putting wider wheels and tires in front will increase the under-steer.

Was getting P0175 and P0306, replaced the #6 coil..........Still getting P0175 and P0306. sigh......pull the plug maybe....I smell no eggs so I doubt the converter. Hope its not the O2 sensor. Ah well.

Those brakes are the Chips! Man, wish I hadn't seen that.....

Got the trifecta of lights again, DSC, ABS, Brake. Used my scanner but I had a hunch it was the left rear wheel sensor since the speedometer/odometer was not working and my auto lock didn't lock when I reach he designated speed for it to lock the doors. Any way the scanner confirmed an open circuit in the left rear wheel. Decided to order a OEM part from the same place that I order the sensor for the front. Went on their website enter my car info including the VIN and found the part(?). Placed the order and paid with a credit car. Received an email from them that the part was out of stock and they will need to get it from a dealer. It will be 2-3 days wait from the dealer and thereafter another 4-5 days since I chose the economy shipping.

After a week I finally got the part, jack up the car, remove the wheel and removed the old sensor. Upon comparing the old sensor with the new sensor they didn't look alike at all. Took photos of the two parts and email the seller that the new sensor that they sent me wasn't anywhere close to the sensor that was in the truck. They replied that they sent a rear sensor, was that what I wanted. I replied that I needed a rear sensor. They replied that according to all the info on their computer that the sensor that they sent me was the correct part. I look at the part number on the box and Google it. One of the websites that the Google search return was for Realoem. Having used Realoem in the past I click on that website. The website listed the part number for the wheel sensor as well as the part number for another wheel sensor. The wheel sensor that they sent me was for a 2004 and later E53, my E53 is a Model Year 2001 with a productiion date of 08/2000. Sent them another email with a link to Realoem. They will refund my money less the shipping cost. It cost me 12.60 to send the sensor back to them and I had to paid 12.00 plus some change for shipping when I order the part so I'm out 25.00 bucks base on their mistake. Went to O'reilly and order the part, received the part the following day (no shipping cost just tax) and had it on the truck within 15 minutes. The non OEM part fitted correctly and the trifecta of lights went off.

Lesson learn buy local next time.

When you pull the plug do a compression check to determine the compression in the cylinder. Misfires are not always electrical.

OMG fellas!!! I replaced my fuel filter yesterday. This had to be the most time I've ever spent replacing a fuel filter.

i use the RealOEM, furiousmethod. com and WDS diagrams for cross -references along with the rubmw. ru for the VIN info... most of the times i buy OE parts from BMW of Fairfax, not because they are the cheapest but they are rather local to me, so sometimes i just pick up a $5 order of pins and plugs, instead of waiting around... unless my order is over a $100, then I let them ship it - too lazy to drive up... lol...:nanana:

Peeled off the plastidip on the roof and called maaco to get it painted gloss black.

3M 1080 titanium vinyl wrapped most trim pieces. just need to figure out how to access rest.

Alignment and oil change on the 3.0i
These on the 4.8iS
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/n...psec9ca33b.jpg
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/n...psc4a08e8c.jpg
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps7d6dc0c7.jpg

Picked up some OEM Style 87s :cool:

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y65...ps607e6f2d.jpg

aga, the neighbors will be jealous - 3 bimmers on the property, like the TMV!!! lol...

Howdy, pardner... :thumbup::thumbup:

Intalled battery cutoff switch.

Nice! Guess that panel isn't really as removable as it once was now though?

Spent the day getting intimate with her yesterday in my shop. Wash, Dry, Clay-bar over all painted surfaces, Polished, then two coats of wax (all by hand). Cleaned the windows and wiped down the cockpit.
Then I got ambitious and ordered a set of OEM style 87's and a set of tires to go on them. The 168's with Toyos will officially be winter wheels by the end of the week.

I think you miscount TerminatorX5 :stickpoke ;)
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/n...psb15a53a0.jpg

Nice.

So the blower belt would every once in a while hop one rib at high engine speed. Used a laser alignment tool and a 1/8" washer to space out the blower pulley today.

I knew you wouldn't be permanently happy with 19" Dan, everyone needs some 20" in their life :)

but the other night she told me - size don't matter...:rolleyes:


:bustingup:bustingup

Haha yup, too good of a deal to pass them up. Now I just have to sell the 132's, sucks because there's new tires on them and the tires on the 20's will probably need to be replaced next year. Recommendations for tire pressure in these? (They're runflats btw) My friend/indy said to run them at lower psi to wear them more evenly but they're tramlining like crazy on certain roads, I think putting more air in would help a little.

I run 32-33 psi on my Toyo Proxes, I'd recommend the same for the runflats, they will be stiffer than my Toyos but I don't think lowering below 30 can be good?

Yeah I know it's at 30 in the rear right now, I'll bump them all up to 32/33 and see how that feels. You going to Bimmerfest man?

Looks good Dan

Gonna try, I've been slaving around the house all summer but now I just need to convince the wife to go for the day, would love to meet/see everyone and the cars obviously

weekend work my X5
 

*Changed all oils and fluids, eng, trans, trasfercase, diffs, radiator.
*welded broken muffler hanger bracket
*installed new 5000# hitch
*wired in trailer lights 5 pin flat for my boat
*repaired center console lid
*adjusted rear tailgate latch (rattle) ordered new striker..
*installed new climate control face plate... uggg return springs drove me nuts.
*removed back widsheild wiper motor and replaced missing screws
* replaced headlight washer pump
* installed new NGK plugs V8
*drank beer....

^Good job. I think you deserve more than beer after having those done, assuming you're DIY of course.

weekend work
 

oh yes DYI... Dealer here quoted $720.00 to perform the complete oil change.

$720 for an oil change??? i was quated $400 for oil change in Moscow, but that is super expensive megapolis... what else $720 buys you besides an oil? do you at least get a kiss????

Im in Calif. dealer wnted $300 for oil and $420 labor.. thanks but No thanks did it all myself for $225.00 oils and filters. oh ya did fuel filter too that was another $50 and PIA to change.. them enginers must lay awake at nght thinking up things to make repairs harder and more expensive.. It even has a water cooled alternator ? really who does that...

$300 for oil??? what the heck are you driving??? is it a 15,000 HP seavessel propulsion engine??? my 4.8iS is taking 8.5 qt, about 9 liters of synthetic oil, at $10 a qt it is still under a hundred.. i buy the Castrol from Autozone for $6 a qt, about $60 for 10 qts, still have a bottle or two for top offs...

an OE filter from BMW of Fairfax online order is about $15 a pop, so we are at about $75-110 for the materials, and you can have the local JiffyLube do the actual change for about $30 labor (if you are too lazy to do it yourself), and you are at $100-150 tops... you will need to reset the green indicator, but it can be done inside the cluster...

Is the oil sold at your AutoZOne at those prices?

you can mail order oil filters from the BMW of Fairfax, or other dealer...

And are there any JiffyLubes in your area? all you need from them is their labor...

got all my stuff from car quest. Mine is AWD so i had tranfercase, frt and rear diffs also. engine oil, trans, premixed rad fluid. and fuel filter, eng.oil filter, air filter, trans screen. I ordered the cabin air charcole filter from BMW that was seperate...its a expensive care to maintain, i priced the new center console pad. Holy crap $500 bucks. I think I have one bought on Ebay will kow soon. Now I need to replace my dash cluster another 3-500 bucks. yikes , oh ya bought a new set of meats fo it too... another $900 crap goin to the poor house fast.

you are replacing the cluster??? a cluster must programmed to your car and to your actual miles, otherwise it will throw a tamper dot that will drastically reduce the resale value of the vehicle... a programming happens at a dealer, and dealer will NOT program a used cluster... a new cluster from a dealer can easily run over a grand... if you have Indy who has proper equipment, he may program a used cluster to match your car... do your homework before commiting to a cluster change... or LCM change, for that matter of fact - this one is related to the mileage as well and must be coded to the car...

there is a place 100 miles from here that rebuild your clusters in 1 day for $250. so no programing is needed..I already talked to them and it looks like a snap to get out of car. I bought the big Bentley publication hard bound X5 book, cost $125.00 but what a book explains so nice. But I also talked to dealer and he will recode a cluster he said for $ 125.00 if needed

cool - it seems that you had done your homework for this one... :)

have a great day, thanks for the good advice

installed "power distribution" in the trunk - it is a relay that operates from the "Wake-on-LAN" signal, when the power is turned off after 16 minutes of inactivity, and the relay operates direct power from the battery. That source can be used for various purposes in the car, such as feeding power to power inverters, to headrest DVD players, to the on-board DVR.

I don't have pics but will make them and update the info...

I used Panasonic ACNH3212 relay - it is capable of switching 30 A and the coil is using only 37.5 mA to activate the relay, thus putting little stress on the tapped in circuit... I got the relay from onlinecomponents.com
http://media.digikey.com/Photos/Pana...s/ACNH3212.JPG
Since I had found a circuit under the driver's seat that was live everytime the car is awake (same circuit on the passenger side is always live), I had an idea to use that circuit for power for other items that I was thinking about installing... However, I did not think that the circuit under the seat would be capable of the load, thus came an idea of using a relay, to switch the direct battery power using the circuit under the seat...

I had a large project box from Radio Shack, and a breadboard part # 276-150...
http://www.aces.edu/~parmega/efi/temp/wb/projbox.jpg http://rsk.imageg.net/graphics/produ...265164w345.jpg

Since I wanted to use the power inverters under the seats for the 110 VAC, I needed rather a heavier gauge wire, so ordered 20 ft of 10 gauge black and 20 ft red wire from ebay... those wires required heavier connectors to be used on the breadboard, so I used the green ones, 10 for about $8 shipped, from ebay as well.
http://i.ebayimg.com/t/10-x-2-Pin-9-...+gQ~~60_12.JPG
to connect the 10 gauge wires to each other, i needed some heavy duty connectors, so i got Anderson connectors, they are gender-less and can take about 50A (maybe even more), 10 pieces about $27 delivered...


http://i.ebayimg.com/t/10-ANDERSON-C...hujsY!~~_3.JPG


For my particular application, I needed battery power to be delivered under the front seats. Since my project box turned out to be too big to fit under the seat, I decided to locate it in the trunk. because of this particular setup, I had to run the 10 gauge wires from the trunk area to the front seat, under the carpet to make the install as unintrusive as possible... at the same time, i needed a "wake-on-LAN" signal elivered to the project box, so I ran a thin, 1-pair cable from the driver's seat to the trunk. I terminated the "signal" wire with a set of connectors that I use for the small projects but will be upgrading those connectors to the OE connectors.

http://c1552172.r72.cf0.rackcdn.com/245936_x600.jpg http://c1552172.r72.cf0.rackcdn.com/17793_x600.jpg

http://c1552172.r72.cf0.rackcdn.com/24623_x600.jpg http://c1552172.r72.cf0.rackcdn.com/27341_x600.jpg
I soldered the realy onto the breadboard, added the green connectors around the perimeter, and wired the relay, so it would take a "signal" from the circuit under the driver's seat, and will operate the contacts that were wired to several other green terminals. this way I have several terminals ready to be used if/when i need to use them for whatever new projects i might come up with. Once I snap a picture of the projeсt box with all those wires, I will post a the pic... there is nothing electronic in this set-up, pure electro-mechanical...

This power distribution box is a pre-requisite for my further installations of the power inverters and the all-car DVR

Replaced rear drive shaft, tune up AC

did you clean/buff out the dullness from the headlights?

Out of the garage, washed, then back in! lol

Yes, with the 3M Restoration kit. I'll clean it and put on 3M clear shield this weekend.

Installed the DEPO's

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y65...ps6a931fbd.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y65...psaf35437e.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y65...ps6509032e.jpg

Damn those look amazing. So jealous of your truck!

87's.
Depo's.

My man.

Those depos look clean!
Wish we had those for facelift models...

Looks great!

We do --- euro housings. ;)

Thanks :thumbup:

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m0...idino1_500.jpg

Depo's looks more aftermarket than I'd like, with their design around the projector.

Looking very KLASSE-y Dan! Such a cleaner look to the front end, I can't wait to get rid of my pre-facelift "old style" headlights. And to you facelift guys above, don't start complaining because your headlights look 10x better stock than the pre-facelifts!

I will be pulling a tmv and doing the ebay "facelift look" housings with CCFL angel eyes soon, as its the last thing on the exterior I really need to make this car feel complete. However I will be going off the beaten path and doing some very choice light output upgrades which will have my illumination almost to the level of another lighting pioneer, X5SND.....


Did you hook up the AE's or no Dan? I remember you saying you weren't going to. Now get some fresh fender turns to match those headlights man!

I agree that the projector doesn't look OEM but out of all the available clear aftermarket lights the rest of the light looks the most OEM. DEPO did a great job on the E53 set compared to some of the other models they've made lights for.

Yeah, world of a difference. I need to order the DDM HID kit today... already ordered the DEPO sidemarkers last night, the OEM look so faded with the new headlights now. No I didn't hook up the rice lights lol :p:

Have you had good luck with DDM in the past? From my experience they are hit or miss, I had good luck years ago on my old VW, but I bought a kit for my dad's truck a couple years ago and the ballasts fried themselves in a few months, and the bulbs didn't seem to be as good of quality as they used to. Guys on HIDP have mixed reviews, it seems the "old DDM" was reviewed better than they have been in the past few years, but if they work good for you, by all means go for it!

If you're keeping the car, I know at $150 its pricey, but the Morimoto kit from The Retrofit Source is the highest quality kit I've seen, comes with either a relay harness or error cancellers, and you can get the brighter XB35 bulbs for 20 bucks extra. I just got a set from them in H3C for my projector fogs, install pics are coming when I get everything hooked up.

I never had a problem with them. I used their HID kit for my fogs in the E46 and it worked well... can't beat $30.

I do have some luck with DDM Tuning.
All of my cars without Xenon/HID are running 55w-5000K kit from them. Only need to use their lifetime warranty once and it went pretty smoothly.

Like you said, for the price it really can't be beat, lifetime warranty helps so if they blow at least you get replacements.

Well shit, how much for the LED's? I could use a ready spare just in case.

he has the halogen projector versions with the halogen rings IIRC

Man, those look great! OK, I'm ditching my notion about staying with original headlights... Dan, can you please PM me details of where you got those headlights?

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

Gary do you have stock xenon? This is what Dan got since he has halogen headlights stock:

00 03 BMW E53 x5 Angel Eye Projector Headlights Black | eBay

If you have stock xenon, the same ones are a bit more since the D2S versions come with LED angel eye rings (and subsequently are charged $200 more for that version)

If only I was so lucky... No, my E53 has stock halogens. I'm wanting to get the kind of light output I get on my F25, which has xenons.

:cool:

Well actually you are lucky, get the versions Dan has and you can either put xenon in the H7 projector, or you can take the Depo's apart and put a true xenon projector in there, I believe an FX-R projector or Mini H1 projector would work (Mini H1 would actually probably be a direct fit with the H7 adapter plate that is included for alignment.

WOW... and I thought we talked too technical here where we build 'em... :D

I'll hafta get everyone's help to pull it all together for the best result... after the boss approves the appropriation of funds, of course. :thumbup:

I'm a big fan of lighting done right, check out www.hidplanet.com if you really want to see some technical discussions!

If you were to retrofit a different projector in there, you would be the first on these forums to take apart the Depo headlights and do so. Like I said though, most just pop an H7 xenon kit in there and enjoy the light output like that, and although the output is good, its still a projector meant for a halogen bulb so its not going to be as good as using a projector "tuned for HID" so to speak.

^^Gary, do you need to have AEs?
If not, I would get a used stock Xenon set. Better projector than those aftermarkets.
If you do, get aftermarkets then swap out the projectors with Evo-X

I really would prefer to have AE's. I understand it can be more work with the install, but I'm OK with that. All kinds of reasons for wanting the AE's, but mostly because my son now has an E39 and we're in a bit of a competition to see whose car looks the best... :cool:

it is hard to beat the E39!!! :stickpoke

Do you need to borrow my E39 ;) Which version did he get?
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps7a70fe3b.jpg
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps551bbfe9.png

He got a black '99 528i, pre-facelift. I showed him pix of yours, and I think he's gonna use yours as the benchmark. :thumbup:

here is mine

http://003905b.netsolhost.com/bmw/images/bmw%20670.jpg

Sweet!!! Are those brows on the headlights? Nice touch! :thumbup:

The Depo's use a H7 projector which is similar in size to the Mini projectors that TRS sells, as far as the mounting points go those would drop right in. On the HIDPlanet boards, someone retro'ed an FX-R projector into the Depo housings, however they said it was not an exact bolt on, but close (I'm sure it would be easy to mount though) The EvoX-R is slightly bigger so I'm not sure if its an exact drop in to the Depo housings (obviously it can be made to work)

The Spyder headlights tmv has use an H7 Hella E55 projector type, so the EvoX-R (which is based on the E55 design) will drop right in with minor tweaks to the beam pattern. Those are what I am going with.


Gary if you want stock xenon headlights you could also get the "tmv look" headlights that I am getting but if you want to drop a stock low beam projector take my set. With the EvoX-R's/black ebay housing headlights I'm doing I have no use for the stock headlights anymore, so I was going to cut them open and sell the E39 projectors that are in there now as they are the only thing of value. You could put a clear lens on those E39 projectors and have a nice output.

Let me know if you want the stock pre-facelift projectors from me or want my entire stock xenon lights off my '03 with 68k miles, only caveat is my housings are permasealed so if you are trying to add AE's to them it might take your son a decent weekend of prying or cutting them open :)

yes, they are the brows... ;)

that is '98 528i sport package with euro headlights... traded in that baby in 2012 with 210 K miles on it for the 4.8iS... my wife cried... i was being a man, just kept being STRONG...:saad:

I currently have my feelers out for an E39 M Sport 4.4 6 speed manual trans, the closest to an M5 without the maintenance/price of the M5.

Very rare, I hope you find a clean one.

Back on topic, Going for alignment and balance tomorrow, finally. Very excited as its been 8 months in the making lol!

^The real 2003 540i/6 M-sport is more rare than an 2003 M5. Only 1265 were made.
I drove 750 miles round-trip in April to look at a one-owner black on black 2003 504i/6 in Myrtle Beach, SC. Unfortunately, he didn't take care of the car at all :slap: :tsk:

Gary, sorry if I gave your son an inspiration :D

Whoa, wait a minute RB... the thread is about what we did today... not what we're gonna do... if that were the case, we'd all be posting LONG lists of what we're GONNA do...

:bustingup :bustingup :bustingup

I figured if its within 24 hours it almost counts, for example Dan posted last week that he bought the headlights, but that's not really "doing something" to the car. Then he updated us by posting when they were installed. I see it like opening a diary, I'm letting everyone know when I am going to "do something", and will update afterwards lol!!!

Well, I guess since you outrank me in terms of seniority and number of posts, I don't really have a say...

:rolleyes:

139 were built. Missed a white low miles one that was FS in Florida a few months ago.:banghead: