E61 V8 Bearding

[philmots]

I'm pretty sure pre lci halogens take 4 x w5w's, the bulbs that are more typically used for sidelights on other cars.

I don't have one so double check, it's just what I've picked up from the forums over last year or so.

[ATM]

philmots said:

I'm pretty sure pre lci halogens take 4 x w5w's, the bulbs that are more typically used for sidelights on other cars.

I don't have one so double check, it's just what I've picked up from the forums over last year or so.

You're right. I fought with my passenger side headlight for about 20 minutes before I gave up on removing it completely. It gave me enough access to get to the main bulbs and observe that there are indeed 2 sidelight bulbs per headlight. The fancy led h7 replacement bulbs I got from China Kong did not fit either. So I achieved a whole load of F all.

[ATM]

545i touring
97000 miles
2004
£6250


http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=1...

[hornetrider]

Was someone looking for an LCI?

Saw this car on Auto Trader’s Android App. Thought you might be interested. http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015...

Inferior saloon though.

[texasjohn]

I am looking (and possibly not the only person). Thanks for the heads up, although I have searches set up everywhere so generally see the cars come onto the market.

If it had a few less miles or was a little cheaper I might look into it further. Although dem veels make my teeth itchy, and "leder ohne sitzheizung" is always a challenge at the colder times of year. It gets a bonus mark for having Logic7, however. It's probably due for a price reduction soon; my autotrader spideysense tells me it has been for sale since 17th November.

There is also a black SE with heating and cooling just recently advertised at Bedford Specialist Cars. http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015...

No pics yet but, when they do appear, if it is a car with the reg number Vx58 (can't recall second digit although I will take a bet and say 'VK58') and the nice 'concave' SE 17s I recall it being for sale back in 2010 or early 2011 when it was nearly new. It had about 20-30k miles on it then and was up for £19995 at the time. I remember it quite distinctly and it was that car that initially sparked my desire for an E6x 50i. It has Logic 7 too.

Bedford also have a lower mile M Sport, but it's in that horrible territory where it is pre-LCI but post-06 tax, although I am beginning to let that go as the lower mile cars become more scarce. I'd probably have gone for it but it is missing a speaker upgrade so I stay in my reasonably-priced-hyundai-hire-car for now.

The Logic7 is fine, but it ain't all that. There are at least two LCIs out there with the Individual Audio System, one Deep Sea Blue (belonged to bmruss on here) and one Space Grey (sold on PH a while back for 23995, I think it was a 58 or 59 plate). Hopefully next time they come up for sale the mileage will still be reasonably low.

I apologise for my beardage and hope not to have offended any touring owners (all the comments above relate to saloons).

Edited by texasjohn on Monday 4th January 21:03

[hornetrider]

I bet your spreadsheet looks very organised with lots of columns.

[hornetrider]

This looks nice for a pre.

Saw this car on Auto Trader’s Android App. Thought you might be interested. http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015...

[texasjohn]

hornetrider said:

I bet your spreadsheet looks very organised with lots of columns.

No, that's Len and his 750i records. I rely solely on my mammories.

hornetrider said:

This looks nice for a pre.

Saw this car on Auto Trader’s Android App. Thought you might be interested. http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015...

It does and I was having a look at it earlier in fact, but can't get over the fact it's 60hp down with little potential to increase. If I settle for a 300hp V8, I'll go for the prefacelift E500 and pay half that figure but at least enjoy 330lbft and the wonderful Airmatic. http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015...

I have ranted about the 540i thing before:

America. Cheap fuel, like V8s. Gets a 535i N54 to sit alongside the 550i N62. With a bit of fiddling the 535i is the quicker car (because turbo 335i motor).

Europe. Expensive fuel. Few fans of V8s but gets a choice of two, a mediocre 540i, with similar tax/CO2 and fuel economy as the 550i. Oh, what a surprise, they sell barely any 540i

They'd have sold a fair few more 535i E60s here. FFS!

In fact, is there anywhere that for some reason the 540i was attractive? Any countries in Europe where 4.0L is some kind of tax threshold? Not to my knowledge.

Edited by texasjohn on Monday 4th January 21:05

[hornetrider]

Yes never quite understood the 540i tbh.

If you want turbo tunage then get an F10 4.4.

Saw this car on Auto Trader’s Android App. Thought you might be interested. http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015...

Or, whisper it, a gargantuan GT. There's something about a 550 GT that says fk you I just don't care.

Saw this car on Auto Trader’s Android App. Thought you might be interested. http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015...

[texasjohn]

I've got the T-Shirt, unfortunately. I didn't like the F10 and recently sold it; while it was very quick with the piggyback tuning box it just didn't have the character of the E6x cars with the 4.8 and was at least 10% heavier on fuel. Hence back to looking at the older (better) cars.

I've had the E61 550i, E500 5.5 and the F10 550i.

I liked them in the order above.

[hornetrider]

You've certainly been there done that.

Glad to see all is well and that the E61 is top of the pile

Have you seen the blue B10? Looks like you need an older BM to complete your set... looks a good 'un - shame it doesn't have xenons.



http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015...

[texasjohn]

hornetrider said:

You've certainly been there done that.

Glad to see all is well and that the E61 is top of the pile

Have you seen the blue B10? Looks like you need an older BM to complete your set... looks a good 'un - shame it doesn't have xenons.



http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015...

Too old for a daily, for me at least.

I was right about the 550i SE above, VK58 it is...

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015...

[philmots]

Really like the look of those 5.5 E500's.. An estate would be even better!

How did the standard f10 compare to your e61? Performance wise..

[philmots]

hornetrider said:

Or, whisper it, a gargantuan GT. There's something about a 550 GT that says fk you I just don't care.

Saw this car on Auto Trader’s Android App. Thought you might be interested. http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015...

When these were first released I thought they were one of the most awful cars on the road, although in the last 6 months they've caught my eye! I quite like them...

Only issue, is they 'look' really heavy.. Are they much heavier than the saloon f10? I'd be worried it'd blunt performance a bit, like having the same engine in an X5

[hornetrider]

Isn't it effectively an F01 in an SUV suit? It's no lightweight, measuring in at 2.2t!

Wiki said:

The 5 Series Gran Turismo, despite being badged as part of the midsize 5 Series lineup, has been described by Edmunds Insideline as a "7 Series Hatchback in Reality". This is as the GT's 120.7-inch (3,070 mm) wheelbase, 63.4-inch (1,610 mm) front track and 65.1-inch (1,650 mm) rear track are shared with the full-size short wheelbase 7 Series (F01), giving the GT considerably larger dimensions than the 5 Series (F10).[10][17] Indeed, the F07 5 Series GT shares design cues with that of the F01 7 Series; notably the shape of the headlights flanking a larger split-kidney grille, as well as its rear "L"-shaped taillights with a chrome reflector strip. The 2010 BMW 550i GT weighs in at 4,938 pounds (2,240 kg), which is 400 pounds (180 kg) heavier than the 2009 BMW 750i, and consequently the 550i GT's driving dynamics suffer compared to the 2009 BMW 750i and 2009 BMW X6 xDrive50i, despite sharing the same 4.4 L biturbo V8 engine.[15]

The F07 Gran Turismo shares the same F01 7 Series-derived platform, powertrain, mechanical package, and dashboard with the upcoming F10 5 Series. However, their front fascia has different headlights and bumper air intakes, while their taillights also differ. The F07 also has a taller height, resulting in a higher center of gravity, its longer length allows for more rear legroom, the rear passenger accommodation has optional "Executive" bucket seats for two instead of the three-seat bench, and it weighs 400 pounds (180 kg) heavier compared to the F10. The F07 also features frame-less doors and a double-pane liftgate trunk.[18]

[VerySideways]

5GT is long, wide, tall, and very heavy. That split tailgate weighs about a ton all by itself (ok, maybe that's a slight exaggeration).

Think of the 5GT as a 7 series hatchback and you're about there.

[Jobbo]

I had a 520d GT MSport as a courtesy car when I took my F11 in for a service. Wasn't expecting to like it but the ride quality (on 20"s) was way better than the F11 on 19"s and because you sit higher, I had to check the dimensions to see that it really is wider. It feels easier to drive than an F11, quite relaxing and undemanding. Not a substitute for a normal 5-series, but an interesting curio if you can get over the looks.

[ATM]

VerySideways said:

Think of the 5GT as a 7 series hatchback and you're about there.

This

Which is why when it was launched alongside the then current E60 it was a massively different car - as in comparing the 5 to the 5GT.

[philmots]

VerySideways said:

5GT is long, wide, tall, and very heavy. That split tailgate weighs about a ton all by itself (ok, maybe that's a slight exaggeration).

Think of the 5GT as a 7 series hatchback and you're about there.

A hatchback 7 series that's also 180kgs heavier!!

I'd give that a miss, I know it'd still go well with the 4.4TT but that weight difference is huge, 100kgs would be acceptable over a 5, but that's not close.

[texasjohn]

philmots said:

Really like the look of those 5.5 E500's.. An estate would be even better!

How did the standard f10 compare to your e61? Performance wise..

I would really be guessing as it was around 18 months between each car. The F10 was definitely quicker but it is 8 speed, more torque, and it is more deceptive. I would guess they were roughly the same weight, the F10 550i is a very heavy car (1900kg+ without options, I think) but the E61 had a lot of heavy kit such as pan roof, comfort seats, night vision camera (just kidding on that last point).

I am not sure how the F10 would fare against the E60, I think it would be close.

Weight is a big factor as I have found out driving an E60 530i last night and having just sold a 130i, so pretty much a back to back experience.

The MB does some things better than the BMW and to be fair I think I need to move it above the E60 in my mental list, dare I say it on here. BMW wins on MPG (by at least 10 and maybe 15%), steering and handling. Three very important factors.

Edited by texasjohn on Wednesday 6th January 19:27