SteelBlue

A couple of years ago, I was at a friend's party when I saw this X5d roll up. Intrigued, I found out the owner was the mother of my buddies wife.  I got to chatting and found out she bought it new, and had it meticulously serviced at a local BMW dealer. 
I asked that she was ever to sell it, to let me know.  She firmly said she doesn't plan on selling anytime soon because she loves it so much.
Well, in December she called and said she is finally getting a new vehicle in the springtime.  We worked out a deal to purchase and I brought it home a week ago.  It had a CEL for the  glow plug module when we picked it up, and knocked some money off.for us 😁
It is emissions in tact, with a recent DPF replacement.  I immediately checked the coolant temp and found it to be at 158. 🤷🏼‍♂️. You would think a dealer would check this.....  Otherwise it needed absolutely nothing.... This lady brought it to the dealer for every little thing, with over $14k in service work in the last two years, with a total of all repair receipts since new of $38,844.42! 😳
Off to Cascade German Parts and FCP Euro I went and filled up my shopping cart with a thermostat, glow plugs and module, gaskets,  swirl flap delete, coolant flange, and a pcv hose. 
I went to work this week and got it all fixed up.  I don't plan on hitting a pothole until a problem comes about since everything is new.  CBU was surprisingly not bad considering the 145k miles.    
This will become the new garage queen, with the potholed 2011 becoming the daily. 
  
Sometimes we get lucky!!

Got the car out of storage two weekends ago when it was warm just to circulate the fluids and what not. Car started in half a crank, so no issues there thankfully. Also, very little fluid underneath the car for sitting in the same place for almost 6 months.
 
Really no big plans for the car this year other than some continued maintenance. I addressed a big portion of things on top and front of the motor last summer. Aiming to target the lower portion and the rear.
 
Now that I’m thinking about it, I still have this Ireland Engineering cat back I bought last summer and never had installed, so that will be a big thing I’ll look to have done. 
 
OFHG for sure, and possibly looking at having the RMS and crank seal done. Have the trans resealed, new guibo, trans mounts, slave cylinder, drive shaft CSB, etc. Starting to build out the shopping cart on FCP.
 
Hopefully just a lot more miles this year. I’ve owned this car for 4(5?) years now and I think I’ve only put on like 2-3K miles. 
 

 

Prime parking spot. I had an awesome time at the Bavarian Classic car show today. 

 

Thanks to @Jdesign for the tip on these! Snagged three turbine covers from a guy here in MKE the other day, now I just need the fourth to complete the set (and provide the motivation to finish them lol)
 
Let me know if any of you ever find a spare single one, I need a left side cover and fan (3611-2226273 and 3611-2226275, respectively). I have four genuine center caps so I’m good there.
Condition isn’t bad at all, the center caps are beat up but all functional, and the paint on the fans is actually quite good. Same for the black fan pieces. Even got the OEM hardware with them!
Pics:
 

Car has been pretty solid since the last update, I did end up making a (crude) mount for the  MS3 to get it out of the way in the glovebox 
Finally got the car out to an HPDE at USAIR.  So glad the new management is cool with these events. There was a morning and afternoon session, we only signed up for the morning. It was a total of 4, 15 minute sessions for $125 (afternoon would’ve been an additional $125) - autox out there is usually $55 for 8 runs-  Ended up being about 36 miles of laps.
Car exceeded expectations as it didn’t break lol. Temps stayed in check the entire day. Coolant temps maybe peaked around 210/215 and came down very quickly on a cool down lap. Oil temps were maybe around 230 or so at their peak
The chase bays power steering reservoir with their “spill proof baffled design” did just the opposite, had to wipe that up between sessions.
Had one weird issue with the expansion tank cap, seemed like the orings/gasket had the worlds smallest leak and it would mist the intake pipe during the session. New cap will be here soon & expansion tank just in case. This was the quick fix trackside

 
car used maybe 1/4 tank of fuel, GFs evo x went through like 15 gallons of e85 lol
Nankang CR-1 were also a casualty, this event finished them off after 2 years of service, no complaints there—might try their updated 200tw compound “CR-S”

i only ran the racebox gps on 2/4 sessions, borrowed it out to a few cars on the other sessions-still need to get those laps overlayed but here’s some footage from the day
this was one of the last sessions so tires were pretty smoked 
Next lapping day is in September. This one actually still had open spots, definitely recommend.  
 
next on the list is to order up some tires and change all the fluids

Did the full transmission service a few weekends ago now and got about 2500 trouble free miles on it since. I haven't floored it yet but very happy with the improvement on the 2-3 shift. Overall the job looks more intimidating than it was but it certainly was a full weekend project. This is pretty well covered in these videos but I'll share my tips. 
I did end up pulling the transfer case cross member. People buy or fabricate a shallow Torx wrench to get at the rear pan bolts blocked by the cross member that takes 10min to remove. I unbolted the exhaust as well to get additional clearance for the passenger side center bolt, no issues with that leaking afterwards and my flange nuts were in good shape. 

 
6HP26/28 how to video. I followed this along with the TIS instructions. I would highly recommend marking the mechatronic sealing sleeve with a paint pen as I had a hell of a time getting that lined back up properly and that would've saved me the headache like the TIS suggests. 
This is a E53 mechatronic rebuild but similar enough procedure with good assembly tips. 
Mechatronic unit after removal and splitting. Split the plate this side up so the accumulator pistons and check valves don't fall out, those are reused along with the filter. 

I let the transmission drain overnight too with the mechatronic unit out and I ended up needing the full 9.5l capacity, luckily NAPA does stock the Liquid Moly Top Tec 1800 so I was able to get what I needed to finish the job. 

Just to reiterate, my E-Shift 6HP28X with with main parts list 1068-050-045 did indeed use the ZF 1068298047 mechatronic service kit as confirmed by California Transmission Supply and Automatic Choice. I even wrote to FCP Euro Support asking them about their product listing comparing to these sources and wrote back to me after a month stating that their BMW Catalog team confirmed this was not for my vehicle and to check with my local BMW Service Center. The dealers only sell the complete mechatronic unit so guessing thats why this "doesn't match my vin". Again not sure why FCP and ECS don't have as complete main parts list compatibility as those transmission sites do but I would reference those. I didn't have any luck getting into ZF's official catalog. 
Also if you are going to do the Sonnax Zip-Kit, remember that the valve body separator plate needs to be replaced as well which in my case was the A065 plate also available through Sonnax. I just ended up doing all the end plugs, pressure regulator sleeves and Clutch A & E control boost valves since I had this out and given the mileage instead of diagnosing what it might just need. Only issue I did have was having to redo 1 or 2 o-rings during assembly as they got cut on the valve bores that were still tight tolerances. Just takes time and make sure everything is well lubricated. Again it's just a tedious job but glad I did it and saved a bunch of $$$. 

This thing is coming along super well! Love the tasteful updates and the paint correction looks well worth the effort. Also didn't realize the exhaust tips were just friction fit and not factory welded to the muffler. Off to go polish / replace mine!

Was tired of walking everywhere at Road America, so I bought a bike. 29”Specialized Rockhopper comp.
Needed to get the bike there, so I bought BMW roof rock and a Thule top ride bike rack.
Bike goes on the rack easy, rack comes off the bars easy. Wasn’t whistling like I’ve heard some people say they can. Only really felt the drag of it when I was passing someone and was doing 75. Other than was smooth sailing.
Gonna have to check out some of the local trails around here now.

Refinished the headlights this weekend!
Went with a box kit instead of the 2k clear this time, I decided to see how long it lasts and make a decision from there. Initial impressions are that it turned out great though!
Before:

After:

I will note, I wet sanded from 1200 up to 3500 grit on the passenger side light instead of starting at 2400 on the drivers side, and it turned out way better. Highly recommend getting some extra paper in coarser grits if you use a kit like this, it really makes it turn out much nicer. 
 
Reslly cleaned up the front end look, I love the way this car looks when it’s clean. 

I had a friend do the NH oil undercoating and really like it, but it requires a spray gun (which isn’t the end of the world but does complicate things). I haven’t done a ton of research yet but I trust liqui moly’s stuff, we’ll see what I find when I enter that internet rabbit hole. 
 
Creaking, interesting. If it’s not control arm bushings, maybe top mounts?
That one is a Trek Roscoe (the 8 in particular), I figured I’d spring a little and get a step up. I’ve never bought a new bike and really want something I don’t need to tinker with and will do what I need out of the box, and the Roscoe seems to fit the bill and be a good bike to grow into as I MTB more. I’m picking up a road bike tonight as well, going to replace my old hybrid with two more dedicated bikes. 

Been almost a month since my last post but my car has been successfully rekeyed and is back in my possession!
Last week BMW Motorwerks finally gave me the call that they got a fob and a spare key to work with the car just fine and told me I was welcome to come pick it up. I may have gotten there 2 minutes before close, but luckily enough they still released the car to me. Been enjoying it for just a few days now and I could not be happier to have it back. It drives really well for everything it has gone through and it has been a dream come true that I get to daily drive this thing once again.

Cheers to hopefully enjoying many more miles with this beauty in the future!

A friendly reminder that your bike is taller than awnings
Found that out the hard way once haha

Now you can shred trails with the rest of the WiBimmers crew!

A lot of sweat labor this weekend. Almost 24 hours between Friday and Sunday to paint correct and coat the car.

Everything to do the job.
Chemically and mechanically decontaminated the car before correction. This means strip wash, iron remover, and then clay barred.
I hav never seen more iron deposits on a car than this one, example below.

Iron remover doing its job.


There was a lot.
This step made a significant difference in the overall color of the car, the color job "popped" a lot more. 
This step took about 6 hours including drying, jacking car up and removing wheels(iron removing them as well) and taping off to prep for correction the next day.

Found @MPW3RLee's vice grip in the process.

Start of a long day of polishing and coating.
I used a Rupes polisher with Meguiars microfiber cutting pads with Jescar correction compound for the first pass.
I then used a foam yellow pad with Sonax perfect finish to complete the process.
This is the lightest color car I've ever corrected and it's much more difficult to see where you've been, what you've done, etc. The before and after's are not nearly as dramatic as they were with my E30(that had dead paint though). I didn't take any pictures because it was really hard to show the difference, but the improvements were notable. Much more clarity and depth. Not concurs ready though, it's an almost 15 year old daily so I didn't want to spend 20 hours alone polishing this.
I followed the correction with Gtechniq CSL for the base layer, with 2 coats of Gtechniq EXO V4 including the wheels. I did this on my E30 and loved the result. Added quite a bit of gloss to the finish as well.
It probably looks the same as before, but some pictures. I also took the badges off so I could correct everything, and will probable leave them off. I like the clean look.




Some small details as well.
New wheel center caps. The existing ones had this gunk on it that I thought was some kind of road grime or hardened fluid, but I think it was actually the plastic corroding. I tried to pick it off and it removed all the finish beneath. Instead of spending $60 or whatever the going rate for real center caps is, cheapo Amazon ones it is.



Looks much better. If these fail quickly I'll just buy OEM ones. I will need to get new roundels front and back as well at some point as they are showing signs of failure but still relatively good condition.
And finally, fixing my turn signal. When I took these off months ago to polish them originally, the little metal clip on the back fell into the fender. It's been double sided taped since. Cheapo Amazon to the rescue again, but not for the turn signal itself, but for the metal clip. A new OE turn signal is almost $40, and mine is in good condition, so I bought these cheap ones just to get one of the clips.

Gross.

This is what I needed. Threw these in the garbage promptly after. I had to pretty much destroy the plastic stalk to get it out any way.
 
I didn't polish the front bumper because of how scuffed it is. I would like to do an M sport bumper this year, but I would also like to do a new set of headlights at the same time as you have to remove the bumper to replace the headlights. I would like to do the projector headlights as well, but I STILL have not found a definitive source of someone completing this swap except for one video that is rather vague despite every thread saying that this has been discussed ad nauseam. 

You can do that in MN? We cant do vanity on collector or hobbyist plates in Wisco. I  painted my hobbyist plates about 5 years ago and never had issues. (Joking because my car never leaves my shop) 

From what I understand, its illegal to alter the plates in any way (hell a license plate frame is considered illegal). On the other hand, any cop I have asked always says its NBD as long as its legible. Its in line with most modifications, be honest and polite when cops ask questions, you are more likely to get a warning. 
 
 

Exhaust and guibo claimed, updated OP.

Looks like this thing shreds. 
Car gets light in the front coming over that bend into the hairpin? (@ 0:21)

This last weekend was the first fvscc event at USAIR. For this event they ran the layout backwards which was a first for me. They also usually cap the event at 100 cars, this one had 137. Ended up placing 1st in XSB and 3rd overall raw time. 
http://fvscc.com/results/2023_Summer/event2_raw.htm
 
here’s my fastest run of the day

gf brought out the e36 and ended up placing 19th overall

Where is @B C?

Where is @B C?

Where is @B C?

157045 Miles Checked a few things off the punch list. Changed the oil with the handy screw in oil funnel kit when it was on sale. Also installed a mishimoto magnetic drain plug. https://www.harborfreight.com/master-oil-funnel-filling-kit-56892.html

Attempted to start the front shocks, ball joint bolt had different plans. Very seized and had to cut/punch out. Replaced with a 10.9 bolt and haven't gone back to that project yet. 

Discovered during the rear shocks replacement that the drivers rear spring had broke and wrapped itself around under the mount. Didn't notice any noise or handling issues so this was quite the surprise but apparently a common issue by 150k. 

OEM spring compressor is short but extremely expensive. Not enough room to use standard ones so just ended up using a small bottle jack and got plenty of room to pull them out. Make sure the brake line is removed from the shock mount location. 

Replaced both sides with LESJÖFORS 4208476 from Rock Auto as they were $20 cheaper each than FCP and didn't care about warranty. Top is the unbroken stock, LESJÖFOR below. Little thicker than the OEM. Replaced rear upper and lower spring pads as well. 

Finally pony up'd the $25 for the Motive bleeder bottles and was happy to toss away my gheto gatorade setup. The seal on my Motive 1100 power bleeder cap had swollen as well, FCP and Amazon don't offer the replacement. I ended up trimming a 3/8 x 2 1/4 with 1/8 center rubber washer from Menards down to 1 3/4 diameter tracing a hole saw bit. Brakes bleed with Pentosin DOT4-LV

Got all the other parts on hand, just need to purchase the tune yet and then I can dig into the major refresh items.

This car got a lot of love recently.
Full suspension refresh featuring Bilstein B8's with H&R Sport springs, strut and shock mounts, hardware, etc. Pretty much everything involved with the suspension was replaced. New wheel bearings at all 4 corners as they were getting loud for the past 2-3 months. New differential fluid, transfer case fluid, transmission fluid and filter(gasket and other hardware as well). New driver rear brake caliper as it was beginning to seize and drag. All of this was completed by @MPW3RLee, so thank you to him again.
In an event to entertain that I also can still swing a wrench, I replaced the serpentine belt, idler pulley, and tensioner. Not that there was any sign of failure, but I didn't know if or when it had ever been replaced, so wanted to do it for peace of mind. Belt ended up being dated 2011 so it was probably original to the car, but was in good condition. Same with the pulleys, neither of the bearings were bad, the idler did spin pretty freely though.
Nothing is easy though. While pulling the electric fan out, it snagged the coolant line that runs from the upper radiator hose to the expansion tank and ripped the nipple off the upper hose. Decent amount of coolant on the ground, sweet. By the grace of god, Auto Zone had a Rein one in stock in town and was able to replace it within the hour. If you have pulled a fan from one of these cars, you'll know what I'm talking about when it's almost impossible to not hook the hose when pulling this out with how much you have to twist the fan. Filled it up with just tap water as I did not have the correct coolant on hand, it wasn't a lot of coolant so I am not super concerned about it. I planned to do a coolant flush soon anyway. Bled the system 3 times. Bleeding with the electric water pump is super nice, just press the gas pedal and let it do its thing.
Car looks good with the slight lowering. I was throwing around the idea of a G30 540 next year when I was without the car for a couple weeks, but as soon as I drove and cleaned it after the suspension, bearings, fluid, etc. that I think I'll drive this for the foreseeable future. It looks good, drives good, does everything I need.
M sport bumper and Xenon's soon?

These are much better than our collector plates. The blue and red is horrid.
Doing a vanity plate with a collector plate is also a nice option that we also do not have.
This is a great color combination as well.

Pulling the old one off the radiator is also a major pain. It must have taken me 20 minutes of gently prying on the connector portion of it with a screw driver and just rocking it back and for in each direction by hand. I cut it in half to get a better grasp on it as the part that connects by the oil filter housing came off without issue.