Introduction to my newish 530i...

I've been beating around the bush here for a few months and thought I'd do a formal "Intro Thread"

Here's the info and some pics from when I bought her:

http://www.bimmerboard.com/forums/posts/833213











Here she is today after all the upgrades in my signature.. You'll note the two-tone I've got going on in the rear deck. I just repainted it with some Dupli-Color Fabric & Vinyl Paint. Came out great. Also just added a JL Audio 10w6 subwoofer in a sealed box being pushed by a 300W Orion Amp. Sound is much rounder now...just the way I like it..





















Just crossed over 76,000 miles so a full tune-up is in process. Many more upgrades to come as well... M5 Bumpers and Exhaust are next....after I replace the Torque Converter. Also....does anyone know anyone that can straighten and refinish my LM Replicas? They've taken a beating unfortunately...

This is my 7th BMW, but I plan on keeping this one for a looooong time!

Nice! I like white, it's what I would have ordered.


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I guess I'll make this my offficial upgrade thread.. I just ordered up a Flex-a-lite fan with an aluminum shroud....hope I can make it work!

It looks great! I've also removed the child seat anchors completely in mine and I'm pondering how to cover the holes left behind. What have you decided? Are you planning on putting the anchor covers back in place?

I'm going to put the anchor covers back, but paint the beige parts black so they blend in better. I hope to need those child seat anchors some day. :-)

Hello all, I got the Front and Rear M-Tech bumpers as well as a few other upgrades done recently. Will do a few other upgrades soon, but for now here is a list of upgrades and some new pics I took yesterday. The car has come a long way since when i bought it last year.

Bilstien Sport Shocks/Struts
Eibach Pro-Kit Springs
OBX Cat Back Exhaust - Painted Black
Grey Speedo and Tach Gauge Faces
M-Technik Front & Rear bumpers
Shadowline (Glossy) Window Trim
Aluminum Strut Tower Bar
18x8" - 18x9" M-Parallel Replicas with 235/40/18 - 265/35/18 Nankang NSII's
Umnitza Ice Lite AE's
Pioneer Double Din Head Unit
JL Audio 10" Subwoofer pushed by a 300w Orion Amp

Much more to come.....

Originally Posted by Albo

8

uhh looks like your car was running a lil hot...
and nice so far but i think you should kept the trim white

Originally Posted by LalaRay

uhh looks like your car was running a lil hot...
and nice so far but i think you should kept the trim white

Actually I think the needle on my temp gauge is off just a touch to the hot side. I suspect I messed it up when I installed the gauge faces. There were faces that correspond to the temp and gas gauges as well, but I couldn't see how to install them without removing the needles. In the end I've grown to like this arraignment though.

OBC test 7 shows the car running between 88 to 95 degrees generally. I will also be installing a VDO water temp gauge where the foglight switch is at some point to more accurately and conveniently monitor temperatures.

The moldings I prefer black. Makes sense....I hate wearing pants without a belt too!

Originally Posted by Albo

Makes sense....I hate wearing pants without a belt too!

O yea???

Originally Posted by Albo

Hello all, I got the Front and Rear M-Tech bumpers as well as a few other upgrades done recently. Will do a few other upgrades soon, but for now here is a list of upgrades and some new pics I took yesterday. The car has come a long way since when i bought it last year.

Bilstien Sport Shocks/Struts
Eibach Pro-Kit Springs
OBX Cat Back Exhaust - Painted Black
Grey Speedo and Tach Gauge Faces
M-Technik Front & Rear bumpers
Shadowline (Glossy) Window Trim
Aluminum Strut Tower Bar
18x8" - 18x9" M-Parallel Replicas with 235/40/18 - 265/35/18 Nankang NSII's
Umnitza Ice Lite AE's
Pioneer Double Din Head Unit
JL Audio 10" Subwoofer pushed by a 300w Orion Amp

Much more to come.....

Great choice on upgrade to M Parallels. I've got same rims on my E39.

I noticed your trim is now black.
Did you paint it or use a plasti-dip type spray?

I'm considering doing the same with my car cause I love the black accent.

Upgrades and car look great!

Nice work

Originally Posted by the540wgn

I noticed your trim is now black.
Did you paint it or use a plasti-dip type spray?

I'm considering doing the same with my car cause I love the black accent.

I actually bought the ///M waste line trim from ECSTuning.com. I too prefer having a visual divide between the top and bottom.

Very tastefully done.

What does tgat obx muffler sound like?

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Originally Posted by carlova78

What does tgat obx muffler sound like?

Sent from my SCH-I500 using Bimmer

Will post a muffler video/sound clip tomorrow. I will say that I like it a lot...sporty rumble.

Simply beautiful

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Looking good! I noticed your KUDA leather phone mount. . . I've got one also and use it everytime I get into my car to charge my phone. Have you considered de-badging your trunk? For $20-$25 you can buy new smoked side indicators to replace the clear ones.

Originally Posted by BMW05

Looking good! I noticed your KUDA leather phone mount. . . I've got one also and use it everytime I get into my car to charge my phone. Have you considered de-badging your trunk? For $20-$25 you can buy new smoked side indicators to replace the clear ones.

Rebadge...probably will just rebadge.... 518i I think. ...j/k

I love that Kuda mount...my wife doesn't like the protrusion into the passenger area, but it's the price of convenience!

Light upgrades I will do eventually...just not that high on my priority list. Next up are brakes...

Video clip of the OBX Exhaust... and my latest upgrade... $40 ebay intake with Cosmo Racing Heat Shield.

My latest "upgrade" to the E39.... an E90 shift knob:








New pic of the same:

Installed a Forge Motorsports Powersteering reservoir after cuting down the tops of the slowly leaking ps hoses that were connected to the old reservoir. ....

Drained the PS system and filled with Royal Purple ATF... the steering has greatly benefited.

Here are a few pics:

Also worked on the front brakes recently.

Cross Drilled rotors with Power Stop Ceramic pads and G2 Gold Caliper paint on the calipers:

Installed a Metra Axxess Steeringwheel interface. I can now control volume, track selection, phone/mute and source select from my M-Sport wheel again. Much easier to install than the PAC solution.

See here:



http://www.axxessinterface.com/

http://contentdocs.installernet.com/...duct/23230.pdf

Yesterday, I installed Gary's (germanautosolutions.com) DISA rebuild kit. I definitely feel the difference between the old, decrepit setup and the reinforced and properly functioning one. I highly recommend this kit...you don't really notice what you've been missing until you rebuil dthe DISA. Can't wait for the CCV to be done, too!