Alec's BMW E64 650i Project
Discussion
alec.e said:
dg15, small world, yes that was me! I did glimpse a dark blue 6 series. Thanks for the kind words. I was worried for the 645ci in our group when he crossed the ford, due to the low mounted intake... Unfortunately, the Jag grounded the underside of the front bumper exiting the ford bank 
A nice meal at Shap Chippy. Are you local to Shap area, if you don't mind me asking?
A nice meal at Shap Chippy. Are you local to Shap area, if you don't mind me asking?
Sorry to hear about the grounding the bumper.....I am local, I was on my way home when we passed. We live in a small village about 5 miles from where we passed. Chippy in Shap is on the list of places we have yet to visit.
Wonderful place to live.
Cheddar, cheers 
The Dove soap bar is very easy to use. I get a bowl of warm water and a small soft nail brush and lather the soap onto the brush. Gently scrub the leather and wipe down with clean cloth. Seems to be very effective and cheap. Just make sure you wipe down any flicked soap before it dries, as it can leave a white mark.
gf15, annoying about the scuff, but not the end of the world, bound to happen at some point I guess. I work from Kendal, but often travel over Shap way. Nice to know of a localish 650i owner! The Shap Chippy is very good, the owner is a member of Solway Jaguar Club.
A photo came through today of me crossing said ford in Jag:
The Dove soap bar is very easy to use. I get a bowl of warm water and a small soft nail brush and lather the soap onto the brush. Gently scrub the leather and wipe down with clean cloth. Seems to be very effective and cheap. Just make sure you wipe down any flicked soap before it dries, as it can leave a white mark.gf15, annoying about the scuff, but not the end of the world, bound to happen at some point I guess. I work from Kendal, but often travel over Shap way. Nice to know of a localish 650i owner! The Shap Chippy is very good, the owner is a member of Solway Jaguar Club.
A photo came through today of me crossing said ford in Jag:
An update for the E64, not had a whole lot of use, but put 150 (very enjoyable) miles on it over the weekend.
A few weeks ago I noticed the oil level was at minimum, which I calculate around 4-5k per litre of oil. From what I have read on forums, this seems to be about right for this engine. I decided to give it a oil change myself, it was last done in December. I have never done this before, so had visions in my head of starting the engine with no oil, ect! Thankfully, the process went very well and the car runs so smoothly, I cannot hear the engine when it is warm. My Jaguars V8 sounds like a tractor in comparison.
8 litres is exactly the correct amount it seems:
I noticed quite a bit of water in the spare wheel well in boot, it turned out the drains were blocked for the roof. I took the boot linings out and cleaned out the piping. I noticed a rust scab around where the pipe exits behind the rear arch liner. I sanded this back and liberally applied red oxide primer for protection. The carpet was wet behind, thus creating a moisture trap, hopefully it will be ok now the drains are clear.
I have been learning about coding, using NCS Expert. It appears quite daunting at first, but relatively simple once you get the hand of it.
So far I have:
-Enabled digital speedometer
-Folding mirrors on lock and beep (had to enable comfort access to work)
-Disable bulb monitoring for LED Angel Eyes.
I took it to a show on Sunday and parked it will my Jaguar friends, much to their disgust!
Still looking very modern for a 15 year old design imo
A few weeks ago I noticed the oil level was at minimum, which I calculate around 4-5k per litre of oil. From what I have read on forums, this seems to be about right for this engine. I decided to give it a oil change myself, it was last done in December. I have never done this before, so had visions in my head of starting the engine with no oil, ect! Thankfully, the process went very well and the car runs so smoothly, I cannot hear the engine when it is warm. My Jaguars V8 sounds like a tractor in comparison.
8 litres is exactly the correct amount it seems:
I noticed quite a bit of water in the spare wheel well in boot, it turned out the drains were blocked for the roof. I took the boot linings out and cleaned out the piping. I noticed a rust scab around where the pipe exits behind the rear arch liner. I sanded this back and liberally applied red oxide primer for protection. The carpet was wet behind, thus creating a moisture trap, hopefully it will be ok now the drains are clear.
I have been learning about coding, using NCS Expert. It appears quite daunting at first, but relatively simple once you get the hand of it.
So far I have:
-Enabled digital speedometer
-Folding mirrors on lock and beep (had to enable comfort access to work)
-Disable bulb monitoring for LED Angel Eyes.
I took it to a show on Sunday and parked it will my Jaguar friends, much to their disgust!
Still looking very modern for a 15 year old design imo
Edited by alec.e on Tuesday 21st August 18:03
The interior project is coming along, very pleased with the look so far, but not without issues on the way
Interior stripped out to replace carpet:
Yuck! This is why I hate beige carpets
I took a gamble on some very cheap 2nd hand carpets, took a fair amount of cleaning
Holes were cut into the passenger footwell for the OEM storage net
The drivers seat had a fair amount of bolster wear and some stiching had pulled apart, creating a hole. I partially dismantled the seat and re-stiched it, using the original needle holes
Not 100% as the holes had stretched, but a huge improvement on before!
I used Furniture Clinic re-finishing kit to apply a new finish to the leather, mostly on the bolster.
All cream plastics are now satin black, it took a while to sand off the annoying soft touch rubber coating. I sanded off the paint off the seat belt support and polished it for a bit of shine
Seat back nets now black
Interior starting to come together, lots still to do though!
This is how BMW should have made it in the first place imo, much more suitable for a Sporting Luxury GT imo.
Still to replace all seat belts with black. Looking into carbon fiber trim as per M6, going to wrap it in gloss viynl to see if I like the look, before comitting to anything permanent.
Interior stripped out to replace carpet:
Yuck! This is why I hate beige carpets
I took a gamble on some very cheap 2nd hand carpets, took a fair amount of cleaning
Holes were cut into the passenger footwell for the OEM storage net
The drivers seat had a fair amount of bolster wear and some stiching had pulled apart, creating a hole. I partially dismantled the seat and re-stiched it, using the original needle holes
Not 100% as the holes had stretched, but a huge improvement on before!
I used Furniture Clinic re-finishing kit to apply a new finish to the leather, mostly on the bolster.
All cream plastics are now satin black, it took a while to sand off the annoying soft touch rubber coating. I sanded off the paint off the seat belt support and polished it for a bit of shine
Seat back nets now black
Interior starting to come together, lots still to do though!
This is how BMW should have made it in the first place imo, much more suitable for a Sporting Luxury GT imo.
Still to replace all seat belts with black. Looking into carbon fiber trim as per M6, going to wrap it in gloss viynl to see if I like the look, before comitting to anything permanent.
Decided against the CF wrap, tried it on the center console and it started to bubble up days later. Really like the look, so maybe if I can get a genuine M6 set someday...
I will be roadtripping this car next month, between 2-3k miles. Working on some hidden USB charging sockets for keeping devices charged on the go.
I will be roadtripping this car next month, between 2-3k miles. Working on some hidden USB charging sockets for keeping devices charged on the go.
, as I have been spoiled by the nappa leather in my Jag. I still am surprised how they managed to make it drive so well, considering the very heavy weight.A few bits & pieces...
I got the electrical upgrades out of the way. I made a little wiring loom to power the x2 USB charging socket in ashtray, featuring a handy volt meter, also a 12v socket for armrest.
I wired up a connection for a Dashcam, using the feed from the overhead console. Never had a Dashcam before, so looking forward to having it on my roadtrip just incase and to record the journey.
I removed the phone cradle from the armrest, as it took up a lot of space and my phone is connected in my pocket via bluetooth anyway...
There was an unsightly gap left behind, so I made a cardboard template to fill the gap:
Once I was happy with the fit, I cut one of plastic and covered it in suede material. 12v Power socket fitted.
Brand new handbrake cover fitted in perforated leather
Volt meter working, battery was quite low!
Going through the paperwork for the car, I noticed it had a tracker fitted when new, I found it!
Brand new mats fitted, I ordered them from www.officialcarmats.co.uk. I went for the highest quality ones they make (Prestige) with Nubuck trim. Happy with the quality and other places were charging almost double for the same carpet pile.
Only issue is the new(old) carpets look so cheap next to the new Bentley quality mats!
Nexbase Dashcam installed & tested...
https://youtu.be/b4xFJccHHdw
Retro-fitted the iPod MOST interface, alowing control of music off my iPhone. I already had the AUX in fitted from factory, but no way of choosing tracks, ect...
It fits in place of the CD changer and is accessed via CD menu. I bought a module for £5 (untested)! The cable cost me £10, plus a genuine 30pin lightning adaptor I had. You need a 12v to 5v iPod adaptor for the charging to work.
I had a strange issue, when I placed the module in the CDC slot, I noticed sparks arcing and it did not show up on the menu the first time...
I opened it up, the ground pin was burned out for some reason
Cable tied in place, not the neatest, but access was tricky. I am looking for a blanking plate to cover the hole left
Tested and works well, but annoyingly lists tracks by name, but not artist.
The belt (1 of 2) squealed when cold when I bought it, but was quiet over summer. The squeak came back worse than ever, very embarrasing! I read online about you need to remove fans, ect for access - wrong! It turned out took me 1/2 hour, such a easy job, nothing had to be removed.
I replaced the waterpump pulley, which was damaged at somepoint by some careless mechanic probably...
New pulley & belt installed
No more horrible noises. Maintenace jobs are a joy to do on this car, unlike my X350 where, you have to battle with seized bolts, ect!
Created a new V8 badge out of vinyl to replace the chrome badge in engine bay. I created a vector of the outline of the badge used on the E92 M3
Here is my version, if a little large...
FINALLY, managed to find a working Logic 7 amp for £190. Swapped it over and the sound is transformed, went from sounding very flat, to plenty of bass The DAB module was looking a little rusty, so I took it apart and resprayed it silver.
Cleaned battery compartment, missing spanner ordered up for £2!
I got the electrical upgrades out of the way. I made a little wiring loom to power the x2 USB charging socket in ashtray, featuring a handy volt meter, also a 12v socket for armrest.
I wired up a connection for a Dashcam, using the feed from the overhead console. Never had a Dashcam before, so looking forward to having it on my roadtrip just incase and to record the journey.
I removed the phone cradle from the armrest, as it took up a lot of space and my phone is connected in my pocket via bluetooth anyway...
There was an unsightly gap left behind, so I made a cardboard template to fill the gap:
Once I was happy with the fit, I cut one of plastic and covered it in suede material. 12v Power socket fitted.
Brand new handbrake cover fitted in perforated leather
Volt meter working, battery was quite low!
Going through the paperwork for the car, I noticed it had a tracker fitted when new, I found it!
Brand new mats fitted, I ordered them from www.officialcarmats.co.uk. I went for the highest quality ones they make (Prestige) with Nubuck trim. Happy with the quality and other places were charging almost double for the same carpet pile.
Only issue is the new(old) carpets look so cheap next to the new Bentley quality mats!
Nexbase Dashcam installed & tested...
https://youtu.be/b4xFJccHHdw
Retro-fitted the iPod MOST interface, alowing control of music off my iPhone. I already had the AUX in fitted from factory, but no way of choosing tracks, ect...
It fits in place of the CD changer and is accessed via CD menu. I bought a module for £5 (untested)! The cable cost me £10, plus a genuine 30pin lightning adaptor I had. You need a 12v to 5v iPod adaptor for the charging to work.
I had a strange issue, when I placed the module in the CDC slot, I noticed sparks arcing and it did not show up on the menu the first time...
I opened it up, the ground pin was burned out for some reason
Cable tied in place, not the neatest, but access was tricky. I am looking for a blanking plate to cover the hole left
Tested and works well, but annoyingly lists tracks by name, but not artist.
The belt (1 of 2) squealed when cold when I bought it, but was quiet over summer. The squeak came back worse than ever, very embarrasing! I read online about you need to remove fans, ect for access - wrong! It turned out took me 1/2 hour, such a easy job, nothing had to be removed.
I replaced the waterpump pulley, which was damaged at somepoint by some careless mechanic probably...
New pulley & belt installed
No more horrible noises. Maintenace jobs are a joy to do on this car, unlike my X350 where, you have to battle with seized bolts, ect!
Created a new V8 badge out of vinyl to replace the chrome badge in engine bay. I created a vector of the outline of the badge used on the E92 M3
Here is my version, if a little large...
FINALLY, managed to find a working Logic 7 amp for £190. Swapped it over and the sound is transformed, went from sounding very flat, to plenty of bass
The DAB module was looking a little rusty, so I took it apart and resprayed it silver.Cleaned battery compartment, missing spanner ordered up for £2!
Jobs done so far since purchase (as I can remember)
-Refurbish Wheels
-New badges
-Painted Callipers
-Gloss Black Grilles
-LED Number plate lights
-LED Angel Eyes
-LED Interior
-Detailed Paintwork
-Restored headlights
-Coded folding mirrors & Angel Eyes bulb warnings out
-Oil Change Service
-New air & pollen filters
-Aux belt changed
-New water pump pulley
-Dashcam
-iPod interface
-USB charging sockets
-Replaced Amp
-New steering wheel plastic trim
-Refurbished peeling soft touch trim
-Refurbished drivers seat
-Plastics on seats painted black
-Black carpets
-New floor Mats
-2x new front tyres
-New OEM indicator
-Black seat belts on rear (fronts to change)
Phew! Think that is it...
-Refurbish Wheels
-New badges
-Painted Callipers
-Gloss Black Grilles
-LED Number plate lights
-LED Angel Eyes
-LED Interior
-Detailed Paintwork
-Restored headlights
-Coded folding mirrors & Angel Eyes bulb warnings out
-Oil Change Service
-New air & pollen filters
-Aux belt changed
-New water pump pulley
-Dashcam
-iPod interface
-USB charging sockets
-Replaced Amp
-New steering wheel plastic trim
-Refurbished peeling soft touch trim
-Refurbished drivers seat
-Plastics on seats painted black
-Black carpets
-New floor Mats
-2x new front tyres
-New OEM indicator
-Black seat belts on rear (fronts to change)
Phew! Think that is it...
alec.e said:
Decided against the CF wrap, tried it on the center console and it started to bubble up days later. Really like the look, so maybe if I can get a genuine M6 set someday...
I will be roadtripping this car next month, between 2-3k miles. Working on some hidden USB charging sockets for keeping devices charged on the go.
RE the Carbon wrap, could you get it liquid transferred on?I will be roadtripping this car next month, between 2-3k miles. Working on some hidden USB charging sockets for keeping devices charged on the go.
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