Welcome! Good looking wheels.

Looking at all of your beautifully clean rims, are there any tips on how to fix the dings and scratches? I’m not too keen on buying new ones, but my front right one isn’t in the greatest of shapes.

Lots of youtube video stories on rattle can resprays. If you want to invest, any competent wheel shop can media blast the wheels, repaint, bake and remount and balance the wheels while they test for roundness and straighten the dips etc in the barrels. That like new finish will last years vs the rattle can method which will be days/weeks.

Cost: $80-125 per wheel.

I second the wheel refinisher route. Especially if you have large gouges and deep scratches.

But rattle can jobs can last years. I did a set of E30 bottle caps that looked beautiful 3 years after completion. That said, it was a complete waste of time. A headache and a half to strip them with aircraft stripper, sand them all, prime, and then paint. 2 week project that came out nice but certainly not something I would do at the current stage of my life. Too many other things to do that would make more sense to spend time on.

Thanks guys, I'll check if I can find any such reasonable wheel shops around here.

If the damage is only on the lip you could smooth and paint just the lip yourself with sanding/ fill / paint. (or Plasti Dip). If you use high temp metal filled JB weld for the fill it will be future compatible with powder coating. Mask off the spokes and the tire (Plasti Dip makes a tire prep that will peel off in one piece you just score at the rim/tire interface). Not sure how well It works with enamel vs the dip. Get reasonably close with the rim color and you can fade into your spokes and for $20-40 fix all four wheels in a weekend.

When I helped a nephew we set up a time table to spin the mounted wheels but he did the whole wheel.

Oh: and next set of tires get some like Dunlop run on flat: the tire sticks out 3/8" past the rim! Saved my wheel when I got a little too close to the curb avoiding a pot hole: scuffed the tire didn't touch the rim. I was going about 35 mph

I actually ended up finding a place that quoted me “based on the provided photos” it would be 250$ for the full set, which I find completely reasonable as they do the whole wheel.

:rofl: I literally just ordered my next set (and probably last for the life of this car) of tires not even a week ago. But the specs I wanted I could only find in one brand around here and it wasn’t Dunlop. Will see how it is when they arrive.

Bentley manual: $80
Foxwell NT510: $140
Replacement used aux fan: $100


Finding out that the factory wiring diagrams are wrong, and your air conditioning problems were caused by a $3.50 blown fuse the whole time: Priceless

:rofl: Well, at least you've still got your sense of humour!!!! :thumbup:

Which, of course, is needed for E53 ownership... ;)

Not sure if the factory wiring diagrams are actually wrong - but the diagram labeling is sure hard to follow some times! :confused:

Indeed it is necessary. But if I didn't like the car so much, I wouldn't spend so much effort on keeping it running.



Yep, it was indeed wrong. The fuse was originally F61, but was changed to F107 in the facelift (2004 model year). My car is a 2003 model year (11/2002 build) and the fan is powered by fuse F107. I've checked on Newtis and in my bentley manual and both say the wrong thing.



I do have to say that I think I've figured out how to read and use the wiring diagrams now. Newtis is especially helpful. I read wiring diagrams every day at work but automotive wiring diagrams are just so different from any other industry that I've always had trouble with them. I feel like I turned a corner with the BMW diagrams this week, and more than likely that will help me keep this car on the road longer.