Introduction to my newish 530i...

To be continued... same Bat-Time, same Bat-Channel!!

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.

No longer have those M-Par Reps....have BBS CK's now.

Originally Posted by Albo

No longer have those M-Par Reps....have BBS CK's now.

Any pics yet? Your ride is sooo CLEAN.

Originally Posted by Coochie_Bandit

Any pics yet? Your ride is sooo CLEAN.

Was not able to finish up the paddle shift tonight. Tomorrow evening should be better. If you were asking about the BBS CK's, see Page 9

Ok.. wrapped up the paddle shfit install:

Here is a computer motherboard header cable that I trimmed down with my rotary tool to fit on the two pin connector in the CS. I connected the "positive wires" from the paddles to the wires on here to pass the signal to the back end of the CS, where another two pin connector is attached:





I then tapped into the appropriate ground wire on the back of the airbag to provide ground to the ground (black) wires on the paddles.



On the back end of the CS, I attached a length of wire to each of the two leads from the 2-pin connector and ran it through the steering column and down through the console:



I ran it through this mounting whole for the carpeted console sidecover to easily gain access to the shifter assembly area:





Then tapped in to the two middle wires on the forward facing connector to the right of the shifter assembly. This is the group of wires that passes the steptronic signals.





I partially reassembled for testing.. here are a couple videoes of what I found:





I then manipulated the taps to hide underneath the console fascia... it looks well hidden now:







Finished reassembly... and took a fun test drive around my neighborhood!! I love the paddle shifters!

I had done a similar retrofit in my E46, but that included an OEM E46 M3 SMG wheel, so no "hacking" necessary like this time.

Is this paddle shift DIY worth making into a separate DIY post?

i think yes do DIY for paddles
i like it but probably will never do it

Man I would kill for paddle shifters. I am too big of a pus. To cut wires. Scale of 1-10 how hard was it? And where did you get the shifters. Do you have pics of the shifters installed, from the back end. So I can see where you attacked em.

Sent from my PG86100 using Bimmer App

Originally Posted by champaign777

i think yes do DIY for paddles
i like it but probably will never do it

Well that settles it! I think it would get overlooked for future reference if I just left it in here.

Originally Posted by Albo

Well that settles it! I think it would get overlooked for future reference if I just left it in here.

I have always wanted the paddle shifters or an SMG wheel...!
For a VERY long time too...
I have had the sport steering wheel sitting in my garage for about 2 years now...

I still need the round airbag....
That thing is just so d@mn expensive...!

Where did you buy the paddle shifters...?
Links?

Thanks!
Jason

Originally Posted by Albo

Well that settles it! I think it would get overlooked for future reference if I just left it in here.

do it , its always good to help others
for me i just like steptronic shifting in manual w/o clutch when i want it

Originally Posted by MikesE39

Man I would kill for paddle shifters. I am too big of a pus. To cut wires. Scale of 1-10 how hard was it? And where did you get the shifters. Do you have pics of the shifters installed, from the back end. So I can see where you attacked em.

Sent from my PG86100 using Bimmer App

This is an easy mod. Maybe a 2 on a scale of 1/10. I bought the paddles from a Mercedes Dealership on Ebay.

Part #1712670046.

Available at ECSTuning.com for $110.

The Heated steering wheel (which is requisite) for this mod is Clock Spring (or slip ring) is part # 61318379091

Also available at ECSTuning.com for $107.

I got lucky and picked it up cheap from another Mod-Monkey (Thanks Jesus Freak).

Do it.... this was so easy. I did this mod just for kicks until I'm healed enough from my surgery to get really dirty.

I've got another easy mod coming to this thread soon (maybe Sunday).


I'm sad to say that I did not document the holes you need to drill other than to show you where to cut to expose the metal that you will be attaching to. These three pictures explain...kind of:








I used these two threads as guides, but in reality I had a jump start due to my experience with my E46:

http://www.bimmerboard.com/forums/posts/600730

http://www.bimmerboard.com/forums/posts/610491/

...and this one to sort out which ground wire to use from the airbag:

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum....php?t=1817123

Major thanks to all the originators of these posts. I'm going to put my standalone DIY thread together to catch all the lit bits of info that were missing from each of these.

Hit the 110,000 mile mark this morning. It's time for a cooling system refresh. I've had hoses, tensioner and ECS Tuning Aluminum water pump pulley waiting for this time.

Just needed to decide on a radiator. Had been thinking about adapting an E46 aluminum radiator, but today I came upon a deal I couldn't pass up.

On ebay..a Zionsville Autosport cooling kit with 2 stage fan control for $800.00. The seller had apparently only used it for 2,000 miles. I don't know if that is absolutely true, but his rating was good.

I spent another $168.00 on an EMP Stewart water pump from OEMBimmerparts.com with free shipping. I don't think a better deal exists for that part.

Look forward to installing this stuff next weekend!

Have fun, Albo.

Originally Posted by tmvE39/E53/Z32

Have fun, Albo.

Cooling system is my faves!! Did you get that little parcel yet?

Hit the magic 111111...

I should have set the trip meter, but ..meh!!



Also....because I love this pic:

That little parcel never show up I dont trust USPS anymore. I appreciate your kindness though.
I see you have some pixel out on the cluster. Now dont forget to set your trip meter for the next milestone like so


BTW, your macro photography fails

Can you tell me how hard it was to install the gauge faces and rings. And maybe do a DIY write up on it. I love that look and I know the parts are pretty cheap. I'm just scared to open the gauges up on a BMW I've never done anything like that on a BMW

OP, I LOVE your stereo deck and bezel, where did you get it and how much did it cost? Pioneer ftw!

Originally Posted by Quest_908

Can you tell me how hard it was to install the gauge faces and rings. And maybe do a DIY write up on it. I love that look and I know the parts are pretty cheap. I'm just scared to open the gauges up on a BMW I've never done anything like that on a BMW

This link should help you figure out disassembely:

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...d.php?t=312958



The Speedometer and Tachometer gauge faces are easy to install as they do not require removal of the needles. The gas and temp gauges do..and so I skipped installing the faces for those.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I would say this was a 2.

Originally Posted by xxthr4sh3rxx

OP, I LOVE your stereo deck and bezel, where did you get it and how much did it cost? Pioneer ftw!

I'm assuming you are talking about the Pioneer AppRadio and the new double din kit. i go both from ebay. The head unit cost about $150.00 and the kit was about $60.

I just sold both and replaced it with an Eonon D5124U:




Got a great deal on ebay ($430 shipped)..

Albo, please give your review on the Eonon. I'm very interested. Thanks

Originally Posted by Albo

I'm assuming you are talking about the Pioneer AppRadio and the new double din kit. i go both from ebay. The head unit cost about $150.00 and the kit was about $60.

I just sold both and replaced it with an Eonon D5124U:




Got a great deal on ebay ($430 shipped)..

that looks nice more pics!!

Originally Posted by illesztE39

that looks nice more pics!!

Here's a little video I cooked up: