Alec's BMW E64 650i Project
Discussion
Hi Chaps,
Had the itch to buy a new car for the last two years, I could not settle on a car. I was tempted to sell my beloved Jaguar Super V8 and buy a newer XKR 5.0 or AMG SL, but could not bear to part with it.
So 2nd car it is, I tried to take over a lease of a PHer on a Alfa 4c Spider, unfortunatly, the lease company were absolutley appaling and was not to be
Gutted was an understatement, so set out my search, critirea was manual gearbox, cheap tax and good on fuel - so some how I ended up buying a 650i which is none of those!
Had put a £250 deposit for a 2006 Red convertible from a dealer down in Brighton - however, this 2008 Lci turned up, I made a good offer and he accepted!
So loosing the non-refunable deposit and the extortionate £540 tax still made it a cheaper buy for a more valueable car.
Collected it yesterday from Milton Keynes after taking the train from Lancaster. The seller kindly collected me from the train station and I drove it back to his house. The car drove very well, very smooth. I gave it a once over, the MOT had 13 months and only a advisory for rear brake pads. All good, just better check to see if is suffers from the valve stem issue, let it idle, then rev, a little blue smoke appeared... At this point I wished I had viewed other examples first. So decided to buy it anyway and keep an eye on it, if it gets bad I can always get them changed.
6 hours of M6 traffic later, I finally got home. The oil level has not dropped and not seen any more smoke yet. Took the family out in it last night with the soft top down, there were some tunnels and it sounded amazing! The ZF gearbox is a joy to use, the paddle shifter really make the drive more engaging for me and shift up and down quick enough. My X350 has the same gearbox, but is so lazy compared to BMWs implementation.
Spent most of today cleaning and assesing areas that need attention, very pleased with the paint condition, just some stone chips and minor scrapes to deal with. Gave it a clay, then Poorboys Black Hole (odd name) and wax. My neighboor misread the number plate and thought it was 2018 model!
The interior looks great, but the drivers seat bolster needs attention, dont like beige carpets though! The BMW Dakota leather is pretty crap compared to the nappa leather in the Jag.
The Lci gearshifter is pretty cool, cupholder is metal and well made, but looks a bit aftermarket.
iDrive is very complicated, yet to figure out half of it, but way more advanced than anything Jaguar had at the time! DAB too
To do list:
-Find out why Logic 7 sound system sounds off, possibly amp failure
-Belt (hopefully) squeel when cold
-Refurb drivers seat
-Refurb rubber coated steering wheel plastic
-Machine polish
-Touch up stone chips
Had the itch to buy a new car for the last two years, I could not settle on a car. I was tempted to sell my beloved Jaguar Super V8 and buy a newer XKR 5.0 or AMG SL, but could not bear to part with it.
So 2nd car it is, I tried to take over a lease of a PHer on a Alfa 4c Spider, unfortunatly, the lease company were absolutley appaling and was not to be
Gutted was an understatement, so set out my search, critirea was manual gearbox, cheap tax and good on fuel - so some how I ended up buying a 650i which is none of those!
Had put a £250 deposit for a 2006 Red convertible from a dealer down in Brighton - however, this 2008 Lci turned up, I made a good offer and he accepted!
So loosing the non-refunable deposit and the extortionate £540 tax still made it a cheaper buy for a more valueable car.
Collected it yesterday from Milton Keynes after taking the train from Lancaster. The seller kindly collected me from the train station and I drove it back to his house. The car drove very well, very smooth. I gave it a once over, the MOT had 13 months and only a advisory for rear brake pads. All good, just better check to see if is suffers from the valve stem issue, let it idle, then rev, a little blue smoke appeared... At this point I wished I had viewed other examples first. So decided to buy it anyway and keep an eye on it, if it gets bad I can always get them changed.
6 hours of M6 traffic later, I finally got home. The oil level has not dropped and not seen any more smoke yet. Took the family out in it last night with the soft top down, there were some tunnels and it sounded amazing! The ZF gearbox is a joy to use, the paddle shifter really make the drive more engaging for me and shift up and down quick enough. My X350 has the same gearbox, but is so lazy compared to BMWs implementation.
Spent most of today cleaning and assesing areas that need attention, very pleased with the paint condition, just some stone chips and minor scrapes to deal with. Gave it a clay, then Poorboys Black Hole (odd name) and wax. My neighboor misread the number plate and thought it was 2018 model!
The interior looks great, but the drivers seat bolster needs attention, dont like beige carpets though! The BMW Dakota leather is pretty crap compared to the nappa leather in the Jag.
The Lci gearshifter is pretty cool, cupholder is metal and well made, but looks a bit aftermarket.
iDrive is very complicated, yet to figure out half of it, but way more advanced than anything Jaguar had at the time! DAB too
To do list:
-Find out why Logic 7 sound system sounds off, possibly amp failure
-Belt (hopefully) squeel when cold
-Refurb drivers seat
-Refurb rubber coated steering wheel plastic
-Machine polish
-Touch up stone chips
Thanks for the comments guys
Good to hear about the new valve seals, if the car is a long term keeper, I probably will get it done.
Ok I lied, there is more upgrades/customisation to do! And some repairs, to make it look as clean as reasonably possible
- Replace drivers side indicator, as it has strange cracking all over the lens. £260, ouch!
- Fit white LED bulbs to replace filament bulbs
- LED Angel Eyes, recomendations please!
- Oil change (only done in December)
- Coolant flush, weird copper flakes in antifreeze - possible old k-seal?
- Refurb front diamond cut wheels, double ouch!
- Buy personalised number plate and fit
- Fill number plate holes in front
- Change grotty cream carpets and seatbelts for black, as per Alpina:
That wood though
Enough to be getting on with? I will be taking the BMW and Jag to the local Cumbria Car show next month...
Good to hear about the new valve seals, if the car is a long term keeper, I probably will get it done.
Ok I lied, there is more upgrades/customisation to do! And some repairs, to make it look as clean as reasonably possible
- Replace drivers side indicator, as it has strange cracking all over the lens. £260, ouch!
- Fit white LED bulbs to replace filament bulbs
- LED Angel Eyes, recomendations please!
- Oil change (only done in December)
- Coolant flush, weird copper flakes in antifreeze - possible old k-seal?
- Refurb front diamond cut wheels, double ouch!
- Buy personalised number plate and fit
- Fill number plate holes in front
- Change grotty cream carpets and seatbelts for black, as per Alpina:
That wood though
Enough to be getting on with? I will be taking the BMW and Jag to the local Cumbria Car show next month...
Anybody with some photoshop skills? Mine are lacking.
Interested to see how the interior would look with black carpet, black console, door cards as is and creambeige seats.
Thanks!
Also, can't decide which Angel Eyes to get, want something which will last, but not too expensive. Does not need to be super bright.
Interested to see how the interior would look with black carpet, black console, door cards as is and creambeige seats.
Thanks!
Also, can't decide which Angel Eyes to get, want something which will last, but not too expensive. Does not need to be super bright.
A few bits and pieces done over the last week:
Wetsanded & Polished the headlights, they were very chipped and discoloured before:
After- different side, I know:
Not the biggest improvment, I think they should still be better.
Steering wheel trim, it was very worn, a common issue with rubber coated plastic:
I obtained a complete (non M Sport) steering wheel with satin chrome trim, the plan was to create a hyrid of the two. I prefered the satin chrome as it matched the other accents on gear selector & paddles:
Thankfully, the center insert is glued in place and can be pried apart
I used double-sided tape to secure the trim with a small amount of general purpose adhesive in center, incase the tape failed.
I took the oportunity the scrub the steering wheel with my new favourite cleaner- Dove soap bar! It took off the accumulated oils and grease, which give that awful shinny look:
Very happy, much nicer to look at and hold when driving.
The drivers seat was still a mess - look at that seat belt! Before:
More vigorous scrubbing of everything and I did a temporary touchup with my Funiture Clinic paint (will do it properly later)
Worn bolster after:
Would love to get rid of those creases, then it would look new again.
A disgusting seatbelt:
After:
Starting to be a much cleaner, nicer place to sit. Can't wait to get rid of those carpets- they get dirty every time
Wheels refurbished by Top Wheels, Greg (the owner) is a perfectionist and stayed late into Saturday afternoon to get the car ready. Highly recomended! One of the wheels had to be welded sadly, not ideal, but I am assured it will be fine.
Before:
After acid dipping, you can see the crack:
After, new center caps too
New wheel bolts ordered & calipers to be painted next...
The new plates fitted, front plate trimmed to legal minimum as per my Super V8.
A mini photo session with my Super V8, the first time parked side by side!
PPF removal from sills, was lifting at edges and looking tatty, before:
After with heat gun and glue remover:
Made a start wetsanding out the many small scratches and scuffs on the rear bumper, ended up with some good reflections:
This is the finish I want to produce for the whole car:
Fitted number plate LEDs, connections sealed with hot glue and heatshrink tubing:
Very happy with the LED temperature and no bulb warnings so far, however, the new modules are slighly thicker than the originals and stick out more... Annoying!
These LED tail lights are very cool, they come on automatically when you unlock the car and face out after interval, not bad for a 2008!
PCV Valve replacement & Oil Breather pirework cleaning as per Meeknet guide:
Well and truely split
Engine bay cleaned:
New air filter installed, piece of cake!
New pollen filters installed too and drains cleared of leaves ect. New oil and filter here for later.
Wetsanded & Polished the headlights, they were very chipped and discoloured before:
After- different side, I know:
Not the biggest improvment, I think they should still be better.
Steering wheel trim, it was very worn, a common issue with rubber coated plastic:
I obtained a complete (non M Sport) steering wheel with satin chrome trim, the plan was to create a hyrid of the two. I prefered the satin chrome as it matched the other accents on gear selector & paddles:
Thankfully, the center insert is glued in place and can be pried apart
I used double-sided tape to secure the trim with a small amount of general purpose adhesive in center, incase the tape failed.
I took the oportunity the scrub the steering wheel with my new favourite cleaner- Dove soap bar! It took off the accumulated oils and grease, which give that awful shinny look:
Very happy, much nicer to look at and hold when driving.
The drivers seat was still a mess - look at that seat belt! Before:
More vigorous scrubbing of everything and I did a temporary touchup with my Funiture Clinic paint (will do it properly later)
Worn bolster after:
Would love to get rid of those creases, then it would look new again.
A disgusting seatbelt:
After:
Starting to be a much cleaner, nicer place to sit. Can't wait to get rid of those carpets- they get dirty every time
Wheels refurbished by Top Wheels, Greg (the owner) is a perfectionist and stayed late into Saturday afternoon to get the car ready. Highly recomended! One of the wheels had to be welded sadly, not ideal, but I am assured it will be fine.
Before:
After acid dipping, you can see the crack:
After, new center caps too
New wheel bolts ordered & calipers to be painted next...
The new plates fitted, front plate trimmed to legal minimum as per my Super V8.
A mini photo session with my Super V8, the first time parked side by side!
PPF removal from sills, was lifting at edges and looking tatty, before:
After with heat gun and glue remover:
Made a start wetsanding out the many small scratches and scuffs on the rear bumper, ended up with some good reflections:
This is the finish I want to produce for the whole car:
Fitted number plate LEDs, connections sealed with hot glue and heatshrink tubing:
Very happy with the LED temperature and no bulb warnings so far, however, the new modules are slighly thicker than the originals and stick out more... Annoying!
These LED tail lights are very cool, they come on automatically when you unlock the car and face out after interval, not bad for a 2008!
PCV Valve replacement & Oil Breather pirework cleaning as per Meeknet guide:
Well and truely split
Engine bay cleaned:
New air filter installed, piece of cake!
New pollen filters installed too and drains cleared of leaves ect. New oil and filter here for later.
Thanks chaps
Prinny & PhilsV8s, many thanks for your interior photos- very jealous of the extended leather!
Harrykul, the engine bay cleaned up suprisingly easily. 1st, I liberally sprayed deagreaser over everything, agitated with brush and hosed down. Autoglym vinyl & rubber care applied and alloyed to soak in, then wiped down with a microfibre.
Prinny & PhilsV8s, many thanks for your interior photos- very jealous of the extended leather!
Harrykul, the engine bay cleaned up suprisingly easily. 1st, I liberally sprayed deagreaser over everything, agitated with brush and hosed down. Autoglym vinyl & rubber care applied and alloyed to soak in, then wiped down with a microfibre.
I joined the ESPCC Yorkshire drive yesterday, a route planned by my friend Brian, who owns a F-Type. A 150+ mile round trip, starting at Newby Bridge taking the scenic roads to the Wendsleydale Creamery.
Starting point at Motor Museum:
Creamery Car Park:
Photo stop on return:
Very pleased with the 650, it is much more enjoyable to drive on twisty roads than the Jag and has decent enough power to keep up with the F-Type S & Carrera S infront. It being convertible on a lovely day added to the driving experience. A few annoyances, the gearbox was fustrating in Auto mode without sport, making the throttle a bit ON OFF, drove it in manual mode via paddles on the way back, huge improvement! Very quick response when selecting gears, considering it is a torque convertor gearbox.
I was impressed initially with the stock exhaust, but more V8 rumble needed! Very apparent after hearing the Maserati.
Brake hubs and calipers on front have had some attention.
Calipers wire brushed and sanded as much as possible:
Primed:
Painted & 2k clear coat:
Brake hubs are alloy, don't rust So just needed rubbing down, a light coat of silver was brushed around the edge of hub.
New shiny bolts installed
Need to do the rears next. Very happy with the colour, OEM and has nice metalic flakes which change colour in sun.
Starting point at Motor Museum:
Creamery Car Park:
Photo stop on return:
Very pleased with the 650, it is much more enjoyable to drive on twisty roads than the Jag and has decent enough power to keep up with the F-Type S & Carrera S infront. It being convertible on a lovely day added to the driving experience. A few annoyances, the gearbox was fustrating in Auto mode without sport, making the throttle a bit ON OFF, drove it in manual mode via paddles on the way back, huge improvement! Very quick response when selecting gears, considering it is a torque convertor gearbox.
I was impressed initially with the stock exhaust, but more V8 rumble needed! Very apparent after hearing the Maserati.
Brake hubs and calipers on front have had some attention.
Calipers wire brushed and sanded as much as possible:
Primed:
Painted & 2k clear coat:
Brake hubs are alloy, don't rust So just needed rubbing down, a light coat of silver was brushed around the edge of hub.
New shiny bolts installed
Need to do the rears next. Very happy with the colour, OEM and has nice metalic flakes which change colour in sun.
Lots more progress, all calipers done A slightly controversial change, gloss black kindney grilles, for a updated look.
I gave the car a full detail, stone chips touched in and machine polished with two layers of wax.
Generally, very pleased with paintwork condition for a 10year old car with nearly 120k miles, unfortunately, there were some scratchlike marks on boot lid, but I think they might be paint micro cracks
Had the lower back seat out, to clean all the crevices. Everything cleaned again:
The BMW won the best non Jaguar trophy at the Solway Jaguar AGM, by a large margin apparently, but not exactly much competition. A nice trophy and won the book in the raffle
LED angel eye bulbs fitted, not a huge success, outer ring is very dim...
Before:
After:
The car turned 10 last week, jobs still to do...
-Exhaust needs opening up, more V8 sound needed!
-Interior changes, more black.
-Eibach Pro lowering springs
A slightly controversial change, gloss black kindney grilles, for a updated look.I gave the car a full detail, stone chips touched in and machine polished with two layers of wax.
Generally, very pleased with paintwork condition for a 10year old car with nearly 120k miles, unfortunately, there were some scratchlike marks on boot lid, but I think they might be paint micro cracks
Had the lower back seat out, to clean all the crevices. Everything cleaned again:
The BMW won the best non Jaguar trophy at the Solway Jaguar AGM, by a large margin apparently, but not exactly much competition. A nice trophy and won the book in the raffle
LED angel eye bulbs fitted, not a huge success, outer ring is very dim...
Before:
After:
The car turned 10 last week, jobs still to do...
-Exhaust needs opening up, more V8 sound needed!
-Interior changes, more black.
-Eibach Pro lowering springs
Edited by alec.e on Sunday 15th July 19:25
Cheers guys
Percy, I know what you mean, I think the LCI revision really helps to set the balance just right.
Prinny, I know the grilles are not for everyone, but the old chrome ones were very chipped / tarnished. I asked a few friends if they noticed any change, they did not- so for me, it looks OEM and am happy It is wearing the miles well, just the road rash and drivers seat wear give it away.
Parabolica, the inner rings are brighter with standard bulbs, with outers I would say about 60% brightness, just the way the optics are designed, the bulbs sit right behind the inner rings. Fingers crossed for the bulbs!
Percy, I know what you mean, I think the LCI revision really helps to set the balance just right.
Prinny, I know the grilles are not for everyone, but the old chrome ones were very chipped / tarnished. I asked a few friends if they noticed any change, they did not- so for me, it looks OEM and am happy
It is wearing the miles well, just the road rash and drivers seat wear give it away.Parabolica, the inner rings are brighter with standard bulbs, with outers I would say about 60% brightness, just the way the optics are designed, the bulbs sit right behind the inner rings. Fingers crossed for the bulbs!
Bulbs arrived and fitted, very little improvement over stock
Did some 'testing' today, trying to get some rough performance figures, 0-60 in around 5.2 seconds and 50-70 in 2.3. Much better than I expected as I have even found it feeling sluggish at low revs.
I had been looking at M6s in the classifieds, but the bottom end bearing scare stories have put me off the idea for now, plus I don't think there would be a huge benefit (could be wrong) at legal speeds. For now, I will continue to enjoy the car for the summer!
Did some 'testing' today, trying to get some rough performance figures, 0-60 in around 5.2 seconds and 50-70 in 2.3. Much better than I expected as I have even found it feeling sluggish at low revs.
I had been looking at M6s in the classifieds, but the bottom end bearing scare stories have put me off the idea for now, plus I don't think there would be a huge benefit (could be wrong) at legal speeds. For now, I will continue to enjoy the car for the summer!
McSam- thank you. The dark blue looks lovely on yours, must really pop in the sun. You are right about the exhaust, needs to be something not OTT. The method I will likely use, is to replace the central section with straight pipe and X Crossover, this should add a little power and hopefully won't drone on motorway. I see yours is a pre-lci, the headlights are different, so maybe LEDs work better I don't know sadly .
Prinny, thanks for the kind offer, I will PM you. Though I expect, once the power of the M6 has been demonstrated, my 650 will feel inadequate. The crazy thing I have noticed from Autobahn videos, is it really gets going past 60mph and pulls very hard to the limiter, 0-155 in 23 seconds!
.Prinny, thanks for the kind offer, I will PM you. Though I expect, once the power of the M6 has been demonstrated, my 650 will feel inadequate. The crazy thing I have noticed from Autobahn videos, is it really gets going past 60mph and pulls very hard to the limiter, 0-155 in 23 seconds!
Edited by alec.e on Sunday 15th July 19:24
Finally, I have found a Logic 7 amp for a good price on eBay for £200 from Germany.
A few weeks ago I swapped my cracked indicator for a brand new one from LT, got £99 for the old one happy
Fuel consumption is tremendous on this car, I have averaged 17mpg the last 400 miles (local A and B road driving)
I swear my faster, more powerful XJ uses considerably less fuel, now the Lambda sensor has been replaced. I expected them to be about the same. You move the car a few feet and the range drops a few miles before your eyes...
A few weeks ago I swapped my cracked indicator for a brand new one from LT, got £99 for the old one happy
Fuel consumption is tremendous on this car, I have averaged 17mpg the last 400 miles (local A and B road driving)
I swear my faster, more powerful XJ uses considerably less fuel, now the Lambda sensor has been replaced. I expected them to be about the same. You move the car a few feet and the range drops a few miles before your eyes...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?
Edited by alec.e on Sunday 15th July 19:23
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!
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