Introduction to my newish 530i...

Originally Posted by champaign777

Nice modes but i would like to do everything in opposite
First take care about your engine ( Filters, plugs, CCV, Vanos, Cooling system , Vaccum leaks , etc ) ,
second take care about your suspension and after all do all your modes above
For example wheels , tires and spacers should come only after suspension upgrade
GL

Thanks for the advice.....and I agree with you. I changed the belts and plugs shorlty after I bought the car with about 69,000 miles on it. I inspected the cooling system at the same time and felt as though the car's cooling system had been refreshed recently sans the radiator, which was original. Hoses were in excellent shape as was the coolant reservoir and thermostat housing.

I chose to leave them alone until my 100,000 refresh which i am in the process of now.

All other "upgrades" were done opportunistically:

Shocks/Struts needed replacing - Bilstein Sports all around with Eibach springs

Wheels/Tires I adapted from my E90, sold the LM's later and bought the M-Par Replicas on the cheap

Headunit was a birthday gift from my brother - Subwoofer left over from an old project.

Aesthetic upgrades were all good deals i found on ebay and such as time has gone by. Shadowline trim was $275...i really couldn't pass that up, even though it wasn't perfect.

M-Tech Bumpers came out of necessity as well. A big chunk of road debris took a nice size chunk of my front bumper with it and left behind a heck of an eyesore. I kept it together with duct tape and epoxy for a while, but eventually rationalized front and rear replacements (not bad for about $800 painted and installed).

Of course, the exhaust had to follow.

My plans for the next couple weekends:

Rear Crossdrilled rotors and Powerstop ceramic pads.

New motor and transimssion mounts.

New thermostat, waterpump, hoses and a psuedo-custom aluminum radiator setup. I will be using an E46 specification radiator with dual 10" electric fans along with a bimmerworld wiring kit I've had laying around for a year or two. Meant to install it into my old E46 325xi, but that didn't work out.

Vanos and CCV are on the short list of things to do soon as well, but I am interested in an improved CCV solution if G.A.S can come up with one.

Also plan on draining and refilling the transmission at some point soon...

ya know i like you...Ya doing a lot to ya car and i like that
but i do hope Your going get the rest of ya trim silver to....

Originally Posted by LalaRay

ya know i like you...Ya doing a lot to ya car and i like that
but i do hope Your going get the rest of ya trim silver to....

If your talking about the engine bay, then no... I intend to paint the silver items wrinkle-finish black.

Originally Posted by Albo

If your talking about the engine bay, then no... I intend to paint the silver items wrinkle-finish black.

what,.... no i was definitively talking about the wood trim surrounding your SILVER GEAR SHIFT

Haha...doht! That went right over my head... I plan on wrapping the wood trim in silver di-noc.

very nice mods do you plan on doing m5 mirrors? seems like the only thing missing outside

Originally Posted by illesztE39

very nice mods do you plan on doing m5 mirrors? seems like the only thing missing outside

idk... i kinda like white e39s stock mirrors

Originally Posted by LalaRay

idk... i kinda like white e39s stock mirrors

same, but i do think he needs a black grill

How difficult was the stereo upgrade? My MID pixels are slowly going away, so am thinking about a unit like yours. Will keep stock amp and speakers. The installation manual on the Pioneer site does not address specific vehicle install. Will the wiring be easily adapted to the stock setup?

Originally Posted by Docta Boom

same, but i do think he needs a black grill

Sorry...forgot to mention. I installed shadow black grills yesterday as well. Updated pics coming soon.

This thread is my official chronicle of progress..

Originally Posted by occhis

How difficult was the stereo upgrade? My MID pixels are slowly going away, so am thinking about a unit like yours. Will keep stock amp and speakers. The installation manual on the Pioneer site does not address specific vehicle install. Will the wiring be easily adapted to the stock setup?

Super easy install. I spent about 1 hour total installing the headunit and maybe 5 minutes for the steering wheel interface.

I used a Metra install kit, Scosche harness and eventually a Metra Axxess steering wheel interface.

Also...the head unit that i used was shallow enough that there was no need for cutting vents or anything.

I'll update this thread with part numbers tomorrow.

i was wondering wat is what that i aint like bout ur pics, and now i realize that its the camera!! better pics please !!

Metra's entire catalog for 2003 MY E39's can be found here:

http://www.metraonline.com/vfg


Should help install go much smoother...

Originally Posted by LalaRay

i was wondering wat is what that i aint like bout ur pics, and now i realize that its the camera!! better pics please !!

Yeah... I know.. I have a bad habit of just using my IPhone for pics. Next Round of pictures will be from my REAL camera.

Originally Posted by Albo

Yeah... I know.. I have a bad habit of just using my IPhone for pics. Next Round of pictures will be from my REAL camera.

Originally Posted by Albo

Super easy install. I spent about 1 hour total installing the headunit and maybe 5 minutes for the steering wheel interface.

I used a Metra install kit, Scosche harness and eventually a Metra Axxess steering wheel interface.

Also...the head unit that i used was shallow enough that there was no need for cutting vents or anything.

I'll update this thread with part numbers tomorrow.

Much appreciated. I'll be looking for that.

Originally Posted by occhis

Much appreciated. I'll be looking for that.

Take a look at the link i posted for the METRA website...

I know i promised no more crappy pics, but I wanted to document the Shadow Black Grills ....

I love the Snapseed app for Iphone:

How's your new and improved germanautosolutions DISA working so far? Any feedback?

What model number head unit did you use for your stereo?

I am very happy with the rebuilt DISA. Ive noticed a significant increase in low and mid range torque. Throttle response is much improved and smoother. I cannot stress enough the high level of quality in each piece included in the kit. I am glad i did not go ahead and buy a new DISA valve.

...ive done the DISA tango before, having had 3 M54 powered and 1 M52 powered cars. This kit is exactly the type of solution ive been looking for. I will be removing it in another 4,000 miles to inspect.

Originally Posted by occhis

What model number head unit did you use for your stereo?

Pioneer AVH-3200DVD. Ive got bluetooth and hd radio modules that i installed in the glovebox.

whats the black spots on ya bumper?

Dead things....