While not today...yesterday I drove the snot out of my X5. Vegas to Flagstaff to pick up niece, Flag to Green Valley, AZ to visit my mom. On the Flag to GV run, I averaged 70.4 mph at 19.6 mpg...and that's with stop and go traffic for 5 miles on the 10 in Phoenix (that sucked, btw). Speedo saw north of triple digits a couple of times making passes of long trains of slow vehicles in the left lane in the hilly sections of the 17 N of Phoenix. Slower traffic keep right is a foreign concept in the SW US it seems... X5 ran like a finely tuned German vehicle, which it is after all.

Swapped back on summer wheels & tires. Forget winter in NY, it never happened. Waste of tread on my snowtires. Also took the time to paint my calipers and lug nuts.

http://i.imgur.com/Vmxk7Bo.jpg

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/16/03...0c25e8d27a.jpg

Installed Ziza Master Lighting Kit and Puddle Light kit from ECS Tuning


Flatlander

Pulled lower oil pan-- perfectly clean. Changed oil and filter.

Replaced secondary air pump and valve. Was roaring on cold starts.

Engine oil changed (every 6k miles which works out to be twice a year for me). This time I used Valvoline 5W30 Full Synthetic with MaxLife Technology. It has special seal conditioners rejuvenating seals within the engine block to help prevent oil leaks. This should buy me more time before I replace the valve stem seals.

Oil available at Walmart for $23 for 5 quart container.

Valvoline® Full Synthetic with MaxLife Technology Motor Oil : Product Catalog - Valvoline ®

Sold the whole part X5. In the end I only lost $200, but I have the aero kit and keep all the electronic stuffs. I think it's a good deal. I could have made some money if I keep it and part out more, but I need the space.

Changed the engine oil and filter.

Waiting for the dripping to stop to change the transmission filter...

I had a parts request in your FS thread... :(

Finishing up hitch install today

http://i1359.photobucket.com/albums/...psnxousosy.jpg

Had white powdery condensation buildup inside my fogs. Since they're 00-03 style, you can't get a brush in there because of the projector. So - with a heatgun, I was able to pop the permasealed lenses off. Cleaned the insides up nice, but they're still VERY pitted on the outside. Can you... sand.. glass? Oh well.

http://i.imgur.com/k5yjjTN.jpg?1

Silicon Carbide sandpaper to remove pitting (600,800,1000,1200,1500,2000 grits)

Cerium Oxide paste with a poishing wheel/pad to finish.

Yep but its a lot of work, hope you have a polisher

Finished the transmission fluid change (had to let the transmission cool down). Reset adaptations and away we went. Smoooooth shifting transmission. No issues.

This is for an automatic ?

Yep. Not too many manual transmission 4.4i X5's running around.

I know 3.0 manuals exists but I thought 4.4 manuals weren't offered in the US.

They weren't. Only way to get a manual is to do a transmission change -- not for the faint of heart (or wallet). My point was in my signature it says I have a 4.4i, so I figured everyone would know it's an automatic. :thumbup:

Had it towed home last night.

^ what happened?

Installed new Eonon NAV. Working on getting the reverse camera to work now..

Tmv, what happened?

I've got the same problem and have noticed lately the light output has even diminished - the lenses just aren't clear anymore at all. I'm thinking of replacing with some upgraded units. Anybody have suggestions?

2002 X5 3.0 297,900 miles
2014 428i 16,900 miles

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

I did a massive job today, change air filter lol.

Replaced the R front door latch/actuator and the interior cable, for the second time.

And installed the NEW Hella xenon headlight I scored on eBay for the princely sum of $5. Had to swap the ballast and bulbs over, but that was a 5min task. I now have two new pre-facelift headlights in my 01, woo hoo.

Depot seems to be the one that most are most satisfied with.

I drove it, and it was spectacular

Refreshed the engine cover after installing new timing chain and timing guides.

Installed fresh powder coated wrinkle finish valve covers on refreshed 4.6is engine

Very nice stuff X53Jay4.8is. Should lend a very nicely "refreshed" look to the engine bay.

You have a local shop do your powdercoating? I'm always worried about giving stuff to motorcycle shops and places of that sort as I'm always afraid they will coat something that isn't supposed to be.

Finally got my backup camera installed. Mounted in the trunk handle trim with a wireless transmitter. Wireless receiver hooked up to my dynavin n6 head unit. Camera triggered by pdc. I love it.

I installed an aux jack in the ashtray. The part where a cigarette is supposed to be put out. It fits perfectly and looks factory. Very satisfied.

I also started wrapping my dash trim with di noc 3m carbon fiber vinyl. I think it looks good. The plan is to wrap only the dash pieces and do the center console in piano black.

I'm thinking about doing some black grills. Can't decide if I want gloss or satin on my highland green metallic x5. Any ideas?

Crystalworks unfortunately I do not have a local coater that I would use for the valve covers. The outfit that I use is Custom Powder Kote out of MichiganHome and they were recommended to me years ago when I was into muscle car restoration ( I had a number of 70-73 Trans Ams and formulas), days before I got into German machinery. Anyway they did a number of parts for my Trans Ams and when I crossed over to the German cars I read the number of problems people would have with refurbishing the magnesium valve covers of the BMWs 4.0/4.4/4.6. When I spoke to custompowderkote they mentioned that most of the powder coaters do not outgas( bake them at 400 for a while to get the oil out of the metal) and thus causes adherence problems with the coating. CustomPowderkote gets the oil out of the metal and blast beads the media before coating. I have done over 6 BMW valve cover sets with them and oldest one is now going on 7 years on my brothers e34 540i m-sport ( use to be mine 4 years ago) without a flake or chip. They have a good turnaround time and I trust them.

Home

Wrapping is good..but after some time it can start to come off!
Bad grills are awesone! I am looking for led grills! Can find only for X1 so far!

Thanks for the info. I bookmarked them. :thumbup:

I got quite a few things done yesterday.

1. Wired up the angel eye setup on the redone headlights. Works great, and looks amazing now that they are super bright.

2. Oil change with full synth Liquii Moly 5w-40. Added a container of ATP-AT205 for good measure.

3. Reinstalled the front bumper, fogs, and splash shield.

4. Installed new OE wipers, front and rear.

well went to a well known tire shop in canada to get my LF tire fixed. they also do mechanical work now which they just started last year. long story short. they said I needed an oil change(which I just did last month and I reset the dash lights too) they told me my oil was black . I told them I want to see end of the dipstick (I already knew it was a golden color nice and clean because I just checked it yesterday lol)I looked at it and guess what it was clean just like I suspected . these guys are scammers (K** t*r*) . I guess thats how they have to make there money by ripping people off.
but at least the tire was repaired at no charge. but I`m still pissed lol.

Finally replaced my driver's seat switch module, so now the steering column adjust is working again. And, installed matte black kidney grilles from ECS. Now I have even more reason to restore the headlight lenses... :D

LED driving lights on the bumper? I'd love to see how those look at night.

^The "ricer" in me made me do this, G. :D
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/n...pstcmkjwie.jpg

I mean led grill lights in a hood! In the bumper I have Philips day time running lights! Looks goods do not have to waste angels! They do not work at night! Switching on headlights they have to go off!

Ricer??? ROFLMAO!!!

But seriously, where'd you get those lights Tam?? :thumbup:

How did you wire them to be on as DRL's, yet not on when the headlights are on?

You have to by original philips! There will be manual how to connect! There is a little box like relay may be! U have to connect one wire with headlights let the system knows when u switch on headlights they go off! If u need I could make pictures!
I do not know about usa but here it is forbidden day lights together with headlights! U can use it together but when u r passing here annual service they have to work seperately!

Self opening trunk!
Would like to retrofit self close at the end when closing! Hate when hands are dirty!

eBay for these since they are from the "ricer" dept :rofl::D

I completed the final touches in the engine bay where I re-installed the washer tank, placed the Dinan strut tower brace back in place. Powerwashed the engine bay to remove any residual grease or oil that was present to leaky timing covers and stripped oil pan. Now she dry as a chip and looking as the Day it was first purchased.

What did you paint it with?

Replaced driver's side window reg clips. Turned out to be a pretty tedious task. No more window rattle now

In a few words, this forum and forums like this are the BEST.
Now for what might be too many words..but maybe some one will gain some insight from the posting.

Today...The transfer case fluid got replaced, 10k miles since the last changing but since I was doing the transmission, why not refresh it as well, there was some black metallic particles on the magnetic bolt and the color had darkened considerably compared to the stuff that comes from the Bmw fluid. hence, change the transfer fluid to avoid that thing from wearing out prematurely. I didn't worry about any adaptions with both trans case and transmission, it drives fine.

The transmission....it was 20k miles since it was changed, pan dropped, fluid, filter, cleaned. vehicle has 57k miles. First I Drained the pan and filled with engine running, shifting gears, 1-2-3, reverse, drive ect for a few minutes to mix with fluid in torque converter...then drained fluid, dropped pan, replaced filter, cleaned magnets, fluid was very dark, particles on magnets, darkened fluid on solenoids, ect...I use manual almost exclusively and am somewhat aggressive, 4.8is, why not..evolved to putting extra oil in bucket, attaching a tube to a manual pump with a tube and a 90 degree elbow for filling into fill hole, trans has a metal pan, recessed fill plug, elbow makes refill a breeze, but have to pump with engine running, with oil in bucket, it goes in easy, stop once fluid starts to run out...plug and you got it. moral, these transmissions must be serviced with new lifeguard 6, filter and cleaned of particles...otherwise during operation, the contaminants get circulated and inject wear into the gear boxes. I wonder how far off the lifeguard 6 is from the transfer case fluid, it looks about the same coming from the bottle.

Rounded out the event by draining the oil and changing the filter, mobil 10-30...pour the oil in the filter before screwing onto filter housing...the engine will not be starved for oil on startup.
A few months ago, I did the entire gasket change, o ring change to see if I could eliminate the smoke on idle-takeoff... valve covers, solenoids, vanos motors, brake booster, timing covers, left and right..it was dripping oil...these engines run too hot and being aluminum, no wonder they stress the rubber components that are supposed to seal it...paid about $400 for parts, $1300 at the indy who is fantastic but ...she still belches a bit of the blue smokey shit..though not as bad but the oil drip is gone.

When and if you decide to do the valve seal repair (Cause of blue smoke) then at least you will have the superior material valve seal that should never smoke again.

FYI- The first step in refilling the transmission should be to fill it without the engine running. Then run it through the gears with the engine running and get the fluid temperature up to at least 140 degrees. With the engine running the fill plug should be removed and the fluid topped off.

Window tint

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i "fixed" my passenger side mirror tilt issue... the fix lasted for a day and now it's back to tilting up/down/up/down repeatedly again. Getting real sick of those flimsy electrical connectors for this as well as the fold in/out issue, jeez

Finally got around to restoring my headlights. http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...dbf4706cc6.jpg



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Replaced the cam position sensor on bank one due to P0011 code. Cleared code, ran a tank of 98 thru it, hopefully that's the end of it. Fuel consumption is down and low end torque has returned.

A proper headliner for a deserving X5. This is the way it should have come from the factory:

http://i1189.photobucket.com/albums/...T/IMG_0539.jpg

http://i1189.photobucket.com/albums/...S/IMG_0536.jpg

suede? alcantara? looks proper!

Yes the automotive suede. The headliner from the previous owner was coming down and had a nasty rattle from the frame on the headliner that surrounds the sunroof and it was driving me crazy. My X5 is so much more luxurious than before with the addition of the suede. The shop covered the A-pillar, B-pillar, and C-pillar to complete the look of the roof.

looks sweet. i remember doing my E46 in suede. it was a PITA. fabric was so thin that you couldn't use too much glue or else it would start soaking through. shop probably charge a pretty penny to do it for you. the Texas heat probably made it sag? my E46 was from California. a and c pillars flapping in the wind after i bought it. dried out the leatherette too :/

Yes I am a DIYer but I did leave this task of the suede headliner to the professionals. Its one of those things that if you have a flaw in it because it is wrinkled then it will always play with me and not set right. Anyway these guys do a lot of high end interiors and headliners. I looked a couple of Porsche Cayennes that they did and was very pleased with their work.

Headliner looks great!

Broke my folding mirror mechanism by the looks of it :(

Thank you sir. I am very pleased with the out come.

Been there and done that.....:rolleyes:

Is your mirror flopping back and forth?

Not quite. For some reason a few days ago I had to manually push it in. Thought it would be fine as I frequently pull my drivers side mirror in while driving down narrow country roads etc.

It has gotten worse from not moving in sequence with a few noises, to grinding noises, to now not moving at all. At least not flapping around I guess.

Will take it apart on Saturday and see what the damage is. Bad timing I'm looking to move the car on any time now in PX for an LCI :swear:

Try manually to band it forward and manually back again! U can compare ficsation sounds with good one!

Sometimes it helps! Usually ficsator is dead!

The motor is fine but I think the gears are gone. Will have to take apart and see.

Hey X53Jay4.8is where did you get that BMW emblem for the engine cover?

Thats the standard emblem that goes on the hood of the vehicle. I just ordered a new one and drilled a set of liberal holes to set on the engine cover. Once I had it centered I put some hi temp Permatex ultra grey on the back side and the holes. Its solid and perfectly covers the embossed version of "BMW" on the engine cover. It looks proper

Sorry I missed this request. I did the paint in a duplicolor "cast aluminum" color enamel with ceramic and used a hi-temp enamel primer with ceramic. only re did the painted portion of the the engine cover since the rest is molded in black.
The paint and primer are in rattle can applications available from your local Pep Boys.

well then that is good to know :) thank you

Thank you. You didn't bake it right? Just install on the engine, and let is bake itself lol.

Clarity at it best
 

Yes I got tired of the yellowed clear coat that some previous owner did to grace this X5 4.6is. So this afternoon removed both headlight cans, placed them on my workbench started to wet sand with a 400 paper, progressed to a 800, then 1000, then 1500 and finally a 2000 grit wet paper. Pulled out the handy buffer some 3M micro finish compound. Following the compound did a Mezurna 4000 final finish and wallah. Sealed the lens to protect the finish and installed them back. Wow what a difference.

http://i1189.photobucket.com/albums/...S/IMG_0546.jpg

http://i1189.photobucket.com/albums/...S/IMG_0545.jpg

http://i1189.photobucket.com/albums/...S/IMG_0544.jpg

Removed super dark tint from side widows and those that already had privacy glass. It was so dark that you would have to roll the windows down at night to avoid hitting a curb or median. Seriously who does this kind of stuff? anyway its back to factory privacy glass. Now I can bring the vehicle in for inspection.

People who don't have their financial priorities straight?

Those things look awesome! :thumbup: You decide to stick with stockers for now?

Same small change the last two months on my x5

Good!

Looks great. I wish they kept the same 'replaceable' plastic cover on the headlights that the E46 had.

Broken pin on the inner housing which I repaired with epoxy, still doesn't work, worm gear on the motor seems quite worn. Have ordered a complete renovation kit including the gears and all three housings. Could probably have gotten away with just the gears but to be honest just want to do it once and forget about it.

I am still going to do a lighting upgrade but its going to take a little time. I will have to get a set of the spyder headlights and open them up and do the mods. This will happen in the months to come. In the short term I just could not take the yellowed and poorly applied clear coat that the previous owner had on the headlights. The headlight restoration was something that I could do that would yield great benefits, low cash outlay ,involve my time and patience. Truth be told it came out way better than I was expecting. For now it will suffice.

illias I sent you a PM. Please take a look at your private messages. I have a couple of questions on your mods. They are awesome by the way.

Regards,

Jay

Fixed my floppy driver side mirror and replaced the vacuum line for the SAI.

How did you fix your side mirror ?

The metal barrel that holds the motor in place broke. Replaced the barrel and now it's solid again.

hi Jay
i will tray to explain you with the photo what i do for fix this calippers to my x5.
the front is: RANGE ROVER SPORT 2014 SUPERCHARGED FRONT 6POT BREMBO
the rear is: Porsche Brembo 4 Pot Brake Calipers 996 or 986 (is the same)
The rear calipers is not a problem you must make the adapters for x5(because is the universal calipers)
For the front : The bushing Insert needs to be removed from the original calipers (photo#1,2). The Assembly needs to be adjusted with new holes being milled out to size on the BMW(sorry no photo). Using the previous Bushing Insert a new Bushing needs to be made on the Lathe Machine(photo#3) & installed on the Callipers.

Sweet brakes. Can you please specify the size of the bushing?

I suspect by the looks of the caliper he had to have a metal fabrication shop fill the old caliper mounting holes and then re-drill/mill to the new hole dimensions of the X5 E53. I had asked Illias to clarify on this process but did not hear back. Its kind of cool seeing 6 pot brembos mounted to the X5 E53 brake system.

Hi sorry to answer late.
the original hole i think is 12mm when you remove the original bushing.You dont need to fill the hole.On the caliper now when you remove the bushing you make the bigger hole for align the caliper to the car.Now the thickness of the new busing is same as to cover the hole on the caliper.On the bushing now you open your new hole for connect the caliper to the car.
i hope to explain correctly the procedure for the new hole.
regards to all

Ilias can you provide the the part number for the bushing or where can one obtain the busing that would have to go in the caliper? Thanks

we make with our lathe and mill machine's and i dont remember the size,but the od is the od from the new hole on your caliper and the id is the id from the bolt who attache the caliper to the car. regards

Just Finished installing a set of the BSW MB Quart speakers and front JL Audio tweeters Evolution C5-075ct. I popped out the old tweeters from the OE mounts and installed the new JLs and custom secured them. I have to admit I am very impressed with the sound quality improvement by going this route. There is a new degree of clarity and even more depth from the MB quart woofers. I picked up the BSW/MB Quart speakers from another board member that parted his X5 out. While I have the door panels off I installed 2 new vapor barrier seals and epoxied some of the door panel clip mounts. I had terrible debris in the front passenger door where I found a piece of the old regulator that the previous owner left in there. Had a rattler on the driver door where a new regulator was installed but failed to put two of the 10mm securing nuts on the regulator. So now she is tight and rattle free.

took my car for its MOT (yearly inspection in the UK) and the damn thing failed,
twisted brake pipe on full lock , and 3 brake pipes on the front , along with a side repeater indicator bulb, and a rear indicator bulb that wasn't yellow enough

shame , no mot now no car till its fixed
:(

Changed the oil on the auto X with Maxlife synthetic and a hengst filter. Plus the cabin and air filters.

Calculated the mileage and fuel costs of our 2 week FL trip today:

$478 in fuel over 9 fillups. $53.11 Avg.

3229 total miles.

17.56mpg Avg. over all fillups.

Best tank 19.08mpg

Worst tank 14.96mpg (Miami traffic)

it was my turn finally to ahve to re-do the door handle carrier on drivers side. easy fix. Used OE part.

Just got a new set of pads for all 4 corners for the Brembo's. This should be the last set of pads on the E53. Going to squeeze maybe another 18 months out this E53.

Boi oh boi. It's nice to have ~options~ for the 8 pots up front. Options as in different make/manuf. When I did my 1st pad change, I think I paid almost 7 Benjis for all 4 corners. This was for the FM100 compounds if my 'ole memory recalls

Traded it in. Now happy owner of an x40d :thumbup:

Can ya spot it?

http://i.imgur.com/kvtVrqM.jpg?1

roof racks crossbars?:p:

Reduced rear visibility package?

No wiper?

BMW X5 4.8iS 2005

Indeed ;)

This weekend, I replaced the 2 coolant hoses off the water accumulator behind the motor, replaced the EGR and OSV, intake manifold gaskets, cleaned up the intake manifold/throttle body/fuel rail, replaced both throttle body and EGR gaskets!

It was a good weekend for my X, its back to driving like a champ

Waiting on the fuel pump and filter to get here today so I can get it running.

Love my wiper delete - 3+ years and going strong, have not missed it one time - clay bar on the rear glass and Rain-X is all thats needed - if its dirty enough its time to wash or rinse the car down.

I've been neglecting to do the fuel filter on mine for so long - had it on the bench since October - just haven't mustered the time up to drop the big ass cover underneath and R&R it - mostly for fear that I'll find the corroded rear brake lines underneath, and mostly because people say what a pain in the ass the big ass cover is to drop - I did get a fresh section of vacuum hose from the dealer though - maybe this weekend I'll get it accomplished - will give me an excuse to get a second set of Rhino Ramps to make it easier to lift the X on all 4 corners

thats what i need to do, i never use my rear wiper since i got my x5 3yrs ago.

I think you need a couple new tools too. Completely justifiable because of all labor $$$ you will by saving by DIY.

4 ramps are a basic requirement for DIYers.

They take minimal shelf space too.

I let my neighbor use the ramps and pressure washer to clean the chassis of his Hummer H2 each spring, verifies they will still support the X.

I have to say that looks really nice! I never thought about removing it, where i live it rains, snows or both at the same time so my wipers work overtime!

BMW X5 4.8iS 2005

Did the following over the weekend:
- Replaced washer pump grommets
- Fixed binding/sticking steering by spraying the steering column u-joint with white lithium grease. ($9 Fix)

Fluids and filters changed.

All X5's for one reason or another suffer from significant tailgate mounted taillight deterioration. They fade and become brittle, chalky and full of hairline spiderwebbing.

I polished mine, wet sanded, even shot them with a few coats of clear then polished the hell out of them. They were back to shiny again, but the color had faded, the actual lightening of red plastic still stuck out like a sore thumb.

http://i.imgur.com/sh31gYt.png

Then I noticed the subtle difference with the design of the post-facelift models - the tails looked different - better looking. So screw it, I grabbed a pair. Probably could have gone straight to LED for what I paid for these, oh well. I also have spare corners as well to match, I had purchased previously, to upgrade an amber tailed model.

http://i.imgur.com/beOy7cG.png

Nice! My tailgate pieces have been bugging the crap out of me, looks like a need to find a set of facelift pieces...

Do not get used without seeing them in person. I got burned on ebay, but the sellers had a good return policy. I spent $35ish each for these (different sellers)

Both shown here, one on the left came from an 04, and it's crazy faded and spiderwebbed. One on the left came from out west from an 06, but must have had a leak, the chrome finish inside has worn away and was all discolored.

http://i.imgur.com/3QuMUSx.jpg?1
http://i.imgur.com/W1PdpjH.jpg?1

Wound up getting the new ones, they looked like OEM in the auction (but not mentioned), turned out to be DEPOs but I was comfortable with the price.

Taillight Taillamp Reverse Lamp Inner Pair Set for 04 06 BMW x5 New | eBay

There are aftermarket options around for about 10-20 bucks less, that come with the side markers, but the look is a bit chinesey aftermarket to me.

INPA up and running...
 

Finally got INPA up and running today, using a OneStopElectronics KK USB adapter. Had to update the daten on the copy on INPA I had downloaded, in order to get INPA (EDIABAS actually) talking to the DDE (DDE 5.0 for M57TU).

Checked for errors and got four minor codes (all recent by the distance recorder):

4212 Gluehkerze Zylinder 1
4252 Gluehkerze Zylinder 5
41F1 Elektroluefter
4B22 Elektroluefter

The first two are related to glow-plug activation - (Glow Plug Cyl x - Activation Interrupted) and the last two are aux. fan related (41F1 Electric Ventilator - Short Circuit to B- & 4B22 Electro Ventilator).

I'm guessing the glow-plug "errors" might be a timing thing - how long I wait before starting the car after turning on the ignition. I DO see the "Pre-Heating" message on really cold days - comes on for 3-5seconds - but these errors are logged on warm days when the glow-plugs shouldn't be called up. Dunno...? :dunno:

Car starts instantly, summer or winter, hot or cold.

The aux. fan codes are going to cause me lost sleep until I pull the unit and check for corrosion in the central housing - the fan runs fine but something is causing the errors. I'll run some activation tests with INPA on the weekend to confirm this.

INPA - a whole new world of worry! :confused:

Fuel tank breather valve swapped... It was a constant error so just swapped.


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got my front end kit and refreshed it. no more clunking or shaking, just have to get an alignment done next week now.

Replaced the valve body on my 4.8. Shifts much nicer, no more delay in reverse and the 4-5 soft shift is gone.
Now I think I'll look into the paddle shift mod.


http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...c3f9e24697.jpg

Nice!

Looks awesome!

Very noice!!!

Changed oil in transfer case, looked and smelled good.

Changed transmission fluid and filter. Fluid looked and smelled great, no strange stuff in the pan and only a very small amount of gray stuff on the magnets.

Replaced water pump as it was getting noisy. Replaced hoses, tensioners, belts, thermostat and installed VAC under drive pulleys while I was at it.

Used all OE parts and fluids. No bolts, screws, etc left over and no leaks on start up.

Rewired controller for electric fan that I have in place of clutch fan. Didn't like the way it looked and went to larger gauge on some of wiring that was getting too warm.

Replaced the single bracket for nitrous tank with a dual tank bracket. Added a 15# tank to supplement the 10. Set them up to feed one line. Shot pressure wasn't staying constant for long runs.

Changed the settings on the meth controller to start and max out sooner and to read injector pulse width and boost 50/50.

Where can I find some videos of some of your nitrous runs?! MUCH WANT!!

There aren't any. I will be doing some dyno runs after I swap out the diffs for 4.10s, maybe then.

Please do...

removed drivers door card , and made is to when I open the door the interior light comes on then spent 30 mins getting the cd cartridge out of the cd player :)

Fuel filter change.
Oil and filter change

Removed dummy torch socket and fitted a dual outlet USB socket in its place. 12 volts wiring was attached to rear of dummy plate from factory. Plastic opening required some subtle enlarging to allow module to click into place.

Fresh oil change, and diagnosed a faulty left rear level sensor as the source of my SLS Inactive warning, via DIS...

I think you meant to post this link: Mic Tuning USB socket

Great mod! I also found this: Round Dual USB socket which I might retrofit to the rear passenger lighter socket.

Cool stuff.

New upper tailgate soft close latch for the 3.0.

There goes the budget for the Mosconi 4to6 DSP processor I was planning for. :/

Bought a set of these today :). Still unsure if I should sell them or keep. (OEM E70 Spec) Spent a good 3 hours cleaning / waxing 'em.

Future Michelin Super Sports on the 4.8is does sound nice though! No mounted pics until Bimmerfest :(

http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/a...pstwqduh2m.jpg
http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/a...psvmapfhss.jpg

FINALLY installed rear footwell lights. I'm wondering why it took me so long.

Dking078, black wheels on black/black vehicle: NO, thank you.

What! I thought murdered out was still cool :rofl:!

These were an obscure craigslist find, so I'm still very indifferent on whether I should keep them or not. I love 215's but I'll decide once I test mount them.
I'm still leaning towards a sale.

The rears are stupid heavy with these RFTs :yikes:.

I am with you on this but to each their own.

Washed it and vacuumed out the interior. Ready for another week of schlepping the dogs to the vet (2-sick dogs at one time is not fun...).

Pics of old and new angel eyes (finally):

Old:

http://bulk-share.slickpic.com/album...Angel_Eyes.jpg

New:

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Kirk I hope the pups are ok - my boy just had to go through 3.5 weeks of radiation on his shoulder after we had a cancerous tumor removed in February - now he goes for his 5 chemo treatments to be sure any cells on a microscopic level are gone for good and he can live out his senior years happy and healthy (he is 9.5 years old now, American Bulldog) - thankfully the type of tumor he has is a locally invasive type, at our vet oncology dept we see dogs with lymphoma a lot and that cancer is just everywhere in the body and they have to go for like 20 sessions to buy an extra year or so - will keep your dogs in my thoughts

Transfer Case oil change and reset in DIS.

Installed new rear brake pads yesterday. Noticed that my driver's side rear tire has wear on inside edge :( Good thing I've already got new tires ready to install. Guess I'll get an alignment while I'm at it.

On that note, how often do you guys get an alignment done? My last one was two years ago.

If the alignment specs are set pretty well you should get a few years out of an alignment but every 2 years is a good regimen for it

Thanks! Glad your guy is doing well.

One of our guys has/had cancer (spindle cell carcinoma). We couldn't get good margins but the chest and abdomen are clear. We're going with low dose chemo as he's almost 10 (shelter rescue, not too sure). The other one has a pinched disc but is getting better with acupuncture and meds.

The X5 is their limo and it handles the chore with no complaints or issues. Vegas rain can be a bitch but the X5 just brushes it off, never losing composure on the slicker than snot on a marble doorknob streets. Even with over 100k miles she just keeps chugging away.

Kirk PM sent!

Finally got around to installing LED license plate lights and LED interior lights. Why didn't I do this years ago?? :dunno:

replaced front rotors and pads to get rid of steering shake when braking at higher speeds above 80km/hr. 1hr job not to bad.

And the problem is GONE?

If the owner had warped rotors or rotor thinner than the specified minimum thickness then these new ones could very well quell/eliminate the shake.

I guess I wasn`t clear on that sorry. the old rotors had a build up of rust on them where the pads would grab, which caused the shaking.

Mounted em... Then found out when the TPMS were removed they weren't re balanced :rofl:... Shakey Shakey.

I mean I kinda like it... But if they sell, they sell :(.
That or throw them in storage forever!

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^^ I like them :thumbup:

So today I refreshed the entire front suspension of the X5 to include ball joints, thrust arms, lower arms, sway bar links, H&R sport springs, and new sachs front struts. Surprisingly the original struts have are still charged and work well. The strut mounts were cracked and thrust arm bushings. I am glad to change all of these because two of the lower arms and ball joints were cheap in china grade components. yuck!!!!

[IMG]http://i1189.photobucket.com/albums/...G_0681%201.jpg[/IMG]

Somebody might like them enough to purchase them from you.

Someone apparently did! Didn't even stay on craiglist for a day.

Now time to do a full brake job and address valve covers :)

Already got a full kit from Husker at a crazy good price. :thumbup:

Husker has good price. Bought the front aero bumper from them too.

Not surprised here Jay.

I've seen HD/HP Bilsteins with around 200k miles put on a shock dyno and tested, results have shown around 98% performance vs new specs.

The HP Bilsteins were installed OE on all sport pkg and 4.6is/4.8is E53s.

When these HP shocks are purchased aftermarket, they carry a lifetime warranty.

Long overdue detail

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Nice Rides!

The front struts on my 4.6is were/are BMW delphi sourced front struts. The rear have the black bilsteins. I was surprised at the Delphi front struts but being the X is built in South Carolina they typically build the product from a supplier park which would include the likes of Delphi.

Valve cover gaskets, helicoiled all 16 valve cover nuts.

Happy to not have to completely remove S/C to pull passenger valve cover.

My mistake.

Thought those front struts were Bilstein units.

Finished and installed my Spyder headlights with EVOxr bixenons and LED rings.

Thanks RB for putting up with all my questions.

http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/v...psguoic34n.jpg

^noice!

Looks good Josh. Nothing like freshening up the angel eyes to help modernize the front end.

I'm still working on my DIY for opening up the permaseals. :( I'm at mounting the new LED rings...

Hey Josh, do you still have your original head lights? my dad needs some for his prefacelift. his lenses are pretty bad. are yours in decent shape?

btw, where did you order your new headlights from? they looks pretty schweet

Yeah my ring mounting wasn't the best, but at least I didnt have to deal with permaseal. There are a few flaws and things I'd do different if I were to do it again. Overall not bad for my first attempt.

These are the spyder housing I bought off of eBay and led rings that I bought off of aliexpress. The projectors that come in the spyder housings are really shitty halogen projectors so I swapped them out with Morimotor EVOxr bixenon projectors.

I do still have the original lights and they are in decent shape. No hazing but could use polish. They don't come with leveling motors or ballasts. I also threw them up on CL.

Here is a relatively recent picture of them.
http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/v...pskcv9dvcw.jpg

Looks purdy...! How you likin' the output over stock?

The 4.6 start driving like sh*** and check engine light start flashing stopped and pulled the codes with INPA... Burning cylinder 6( ignition coil went caput, had one laying around in the trunk so swapped no problem)... Now I get this...

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Josh those came out pretty amazing man! Nice work!!!

How is the output treating you, you went with Nightbreaker bulbs right? Are you on halogen or yellow fogs btw?

Get a call from my GF who drives the X daily now that she went to grab a coffee and the car lost all power. She limped it off to the side and called my dad (retired Volvo/bmw tech) who went to get her and told me it feels like it lost its throttle body.

Grabbed the throttle body from work and a scanner from a buddy and sure enough the throttle actuator took a dump. This thing has been kicking my ass pretty well the last few weeks (radiator again, and a small coolant hose that was out of stock) but now I've replaced every single hose and put an original radiator in it so hopefully I'm out of the woods.

Holy friggin crap Olek - another radiator, and a TB this time? Your LeMans didn't even kick your ass this much

I haven't even driven it in the dark yet. Sad right? But if the wall was any indicator, it should be good. Yes they are nightbreakers and stock halogen fogs. I need to upgrade the fogs now.

Easy upgrade that increases halogen fogs output by over 50%, makes then look like OE Xenons color/output.


http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...9-65-watt.html

Haha it was my bad luck. I put an aftermarket radiator in it (not my style) because we were out of the Nissens and then it popped anyway. :dunno:

I didn't keep my Le Mans long enough :rofl:
Don't get me wrong I still love the X its just time to get into something with a warranty with this house ordeal.

Its nice if you can do things yourself.
 

Hi there. It sounds like you know your way around your toy. Is there a specific tool that I can buy that can adjust my rear air syspension. It is the automatic type. Every time when I want to go and play in the bush, I have to get it jacked up by a mechanic. By default, I had it adjusted so that the spacing is the same in the front and the back. I drive a 2005 E53 30d.

Thank you. I think I am going to go with a projector though and a yellow bulb. I drive in a lot of blizzards and at night, it can be the difference between making it home or spending the night in a ditch.

New Spyder headlights :

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k...pskclndnj2.jpg

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They don't use the xenon ballast/bulbs that are stock so maybe I'll retrofit these Spyders when I need another project.

^^If you retrofit your stock xenon headlight projectors, or retrofit an aftermarket projector they will - and the ballasts will mount under the headlights just like stock as well

Glad everyone is upgrading their pre-facelift front ends with the Spyders lately :)

Watch out for strong bulbs. Had 100w bulbs fitted and it burned my connectors. Had to reconnect them with female lugs. They also damaged my wires by cracking. I will have to open up my lights and replace the wires with silicon heat resistant wires. What a bummer.

I replaced my drivers side axle and wheel bearings, and by "I replaced" I mean, I payed someone to do it after spending several hours attempting to do so myself. Third owner of a 2002 4.4 and the previous owners spent a lot of time driving around on salt maintained winter roads. That really made things difficult when trying to unseat very corroded bolts.
I noticed the torn CV boot when replacing pads and rotors. First time driving after getting the x5 back and the brake light warning let me know I should have done the rears while doing the front.

I created new air vents in my wheel well inner fender so my CAI could breathe better inside the Dinan metsl box/shroud.

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Hi guys, new here. Today I installed some headrest monitors/DVD players for my sons to enjoy in the rear of my E53 4.8is. I integrated it with the factory rear centre console mounted AV in/out so that I can pass through what is playing on my factory TV tuner, with PiBus PTV DVB mod.

Fracking SUNROOF DRAINS!!!!!!

guess I will be pulling the headliner out this weekend :(

Welcome! Great way to delay---are we there yet?

Today I replaced camshaft sensor bank 1 and 2, also changed 2 ignition coil( 3 and 6 were burned)


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Replaced drivers side door carrier, again.
Replaced rear left window regulator.
Started hunting for FM antenna fault.

New OEM rotors/pads all around :)

Thankfully none of the old rotors put up a fight coming off! Just in time for bimmerfest too.

Polished the tips cause they were getting nasty...

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replace the 2 tensioner pullies and 1 idler pully, also replaced the ofhg ,it was hard as a rock and leaking badly. but you can do it without unbolting the power steering pump, i just did. its a pain to do, but not hard just time consuming for a 6.00 part.putting the alt back on I just lubed the bottom of the alt where the bolt goes through and it came off and went on easily .

Thats the beauty of stainless steel. Looks great

Bought a set of BMW 18 inch chrome wheels.......Yuck!

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For Winter and possibly off-road duties!:nanana:

Picked mine up from the dealer tonight after having it there for over a week for several repairs. One of the repairs was to have the passenger seat heater replaced after waiting 6 months for the part to arrive from Germany. Got to the dealer, returned the loaner car, paid the cashier, and walked out to get in my car to find that they had replaced the entire seat bottom leather, and it doesn't match! The leather is more of a matte finish compared to what's in my car. Of course, most of the dealer personnel had left by then, so the only service person left couldn't help me. I agreed to take the car and talk to my service writer next week, with the caveat that they hang onto my old seat leather in case it comes down to putting it back on, faulty heater and all. :( You'd think the tech would have looked at the new seat bottom and talked to someone before installing it. :dunno:

To add insult to injury, we started the 40 minute drive home only to have it start overheating after about 15 minutes. Turns out either they didn't connect one of the hoses or didn't tighten the clamp and it blew coolant out and all over my engine compartment. Called the dealership, told them what was going on, that I was having the car towed back and that I needed the loaner car again.

It's like the old saying about not buying a car that was built on a Monday or a Friday, someone was obviously in a hurry and didn't give a crap about what they were doing. I'm tired of dealing with people that don't care about what they do. Do people with brand new BMW's get the same crap service?

On top of it all, my wife had purchased movie tickets for tonight and we were going to take our daughter. Fortunately, she was able to get a refund. I know, first world problem, but aggravating nonetheless.

Sorry for the rant... :rant: It's just been a crap evening.

David my wife would've been fuming.

Just picked up my x5 from the indie. New suspension conversion to springs and deleting rear air ride was the best decision ever. She hasn't driven this smooth since I got her. Replacing left rear abs sensor on Wednesday.

They also said that both front axles have broken boots. I'm assuming they mean the cv boots? They are quoting me 924 for both. I've looked up the parts and the repair myself. I have replaced all four brake pads and rotors myself last year and that wa the first repair I've ever done a vehicle and they work perfectly. Interested in others opinions on a diy job for the cv boots to save myself some coin and an extremely drawn out argument with my beautiful wife.

Refinished my headlights today. Unfortunately it didn't go as well as I'd hoped and I may have to give it another crack next weekend.

Also painted my front kidney grills titanium silver and installed a USB/Aux cable in the glovebox.

I would be asking for a free oil change or two for that mess.

To everyone else :I washed my auto and 5mt X with new new harbor freight electric power washer. Used Mequirs wash and wax gold stuff in the dispenser. Worked great and has plenty of pressure to power wash your car and whatever else. Not bad for 80.00.

Went to the boneyard with a friend removed a rusty looking Dinan Exhaust which he paid $250 for. Went back to his house refurbished the Dianan exhaust with a series of wet sand/polishing techniques. Used 400,800,1500 and 2000 to wet sand off of the rust and restore original luster of the Dinan. looks like new.

I know a number of you think the Dinan parts are overpriced but the quality construction of this exhaust is an illustration of how well built these components are. All stainless steel construction allowed for the refurbishing process to take place. Had this been chrome on steel it would have rotted through. Did I mention how awesome sounding the Dina exhaust is on the X5 4.8is. Glorious!!!!

post pics!! good find!!

Must be nice... our yards are full of E36's, older 7 series (not e38), and not much else. Can't even find E30 parts in the yard anymore unless you go to a yard that pulls parts for you.

I had a nice long conversation with the service manager yesterday morning (yes, they were working!). They were already on it, fixing the coolant issue and cleaning my engine compartment. We discussed the seat heater fiasco along with a couple more issues, and he's taking care of them. Not sure what's going to happen with the seat leather. He's going to make sure they ordered the correct part first, and go from there.