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2010 2011 BMW 5 Series Forum F10 Goodbye E60, Hello F10! (a long read) |
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02-03-2014, 08:07 PM | #1 |
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Goodbye E60, Hello F10! (a long read)
Featured on BIMMERPOST.com On Saturday, after three consecutive E60s, I traded in my '08 550i 6MT for a 2011 550i 6MT Sport. I came extremely close to opting for an '09 M5, but in the end, the maintenance, cost of gas/insurance, and most importantly, my boredom with the E60 platform pushed me to the F10. I am really excited about the latest acquisition and have spent the last 48 hours searching for answers here to my endless mod-centric questions. Of course, before we can move forward, we need to take a trip down memory lane. My F10 is my eighth BMW over the last 11 years (seventh 5 series). First, there was my 1998 528iA. She had 90K on the clock when I picked her up and she treated me well. Mods were limited to LCI Hellas, front and rear. Next up was my 2000 540i 6MT. This was my first taste of BMW's normally aspirated V8 power and I have been hooked -- until now -- ever since. Mods included short throw shifter, M-parallels, M5 spoiler and exhaust. House purchase forced me to sell the '00 E39 only to land a higher paying job mere weeks later. Occasionally, we make bad decisions, and this next acquisition was a REAL doozie. Ladies and Gents, the 2001 E38 740i Sport. This car was always in the shop and by the end, I wanted to launch it off a cliff, Thelma and Louise style. Good riddance. Next came the car that to this day remains, IMHO, the finest sport sedan ever built, the 2003 540i M-Sport 6MT. I will NEVER get over selling this car. Mods included 20" Type-II ACS wheels, aluminum interior trim, CAI and exhaust. Miss you! #NeverForget Then came the '06 E60 550i 6MT. Just an awesome car, made even better by the RPI exhaust, Style 166s and RPI scoops. Sold her when our first baby was born, largely because I discovered the car had some paint work done prior to my purchase and that made me uneasy. To replace the 550i, I decided to take the turbo plunge and picked up this '08 535i 6MT, thinking that LCI and better gas mileage would make me happy. This car was spec-ordered and Euro delivered with the m-tech aero package and had almost every option imaginable. I added the 20" Velanos and this car never failed to get compliments where I went. Sadly, the HPFP, injector, tubro issues (even though all of the aforementioned were replaced) never really went away and I got fed up. Luckily, I was able to trade the 535i for a lower mileage '08 550i, the car that was dealt this weekend for my F10, I know, I know, it looks identical to the 535i! In many ways, the cars were virtually identical, and if not for the HREs that I added, the HUD and ventilated seats, my wife wouldn't have known the difference, either. (Carbon and Monaco Blue are remarkably similar, btw.) Other mods included Orion V2s and RDSport exhaust. This is/was a great, great car. Unfortunately, I do not have pics of my Cashmere/Oyster F10 yet, but rest assured, they are coming. Options include: 1153 550i USD 60,200.00 Color A72 Cashmere Silver Metallic N/C Upholstery LCCX Oyster and Black Dakota Leather N/C Options ZCV Convenience Package 1,700.00 316 Power tailgate N/C 322 Comfort Access keyless entry N/C 323 Soft-close automatic doors N/C ZCW Cold Weather Package 1,050.00 ZDA Driver Assistance Package 1,750.00 ZDH Dynamic Handling Package 2,700.00 ZP2 Premium Package 2 2,400.00 ZSP Sport Package 2,200.00 465 Split fold-down-rear seat 475.00 4NB 4-zone automatic climate control 500.00 5DL Side and Top View Cameras 800.00 6NF Smartphone Integration 150.00 Total Suggested Price 74,800.00 The car has everything I want but for HUD, ventilated seats and the M-Sport body kit. Thank you for enduring the length of this post, I really appreciate your feedback. This forum seems very active, I am so psyched to get involved, cheers! Last edited by NC M550 VADER; 04-28-2014 at 02:10 PM.. |
02-03-2014, 09:45 PM | #2 |
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Welcome to this side....I actually remember you from the e60.net. You reached out to me when you were looking to get back an e60. I had a sapphire black 545 6mt in Brooklyn. Actually you picked up some vellanos from my cousin...ok enough with all the chat. Congrats on the new car you will love the f10.
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02-03-2014, 11:06 PM | #3 |
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For wheels... Check out Forgestars. Congrats on the F10.
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02-04-2014, 08:04 AM | #4 | |
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02-04-2014, 08:06 AM | #5 |
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02-04-2014, 10:32 AM | #6 |
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Congratulations on your new F10 - what a journey! Thanks for all of the pics - always interesting to see! Even though you had a terrible experience with the 740i Sport... man, I still love the looks of that car, and yours looked GREAT! Several times I thought about picking one up, but I could never force myself away from the smaller 3-series platform. The F10 550 to me is a nice "modern" version of the E38 740 given that today's 5 series are close in size and 7 series today are like battleships... no resemblance to the sportier platform of yesteryear for me.
You're right - the M door sills (have them in my car) are not illuminated. They just have an "M" logo on them. They look quite nice. I believe the pre-LCI 550's N63 also used the piezo injectors found on the N54 (your 08 535); so, do expect that may be an issue you deal with at some point. They replaced these on the LCI N63Tu with the same Bosch injectors now found on the N55 and N20. Again, congratulations on the purchase - I hope this one goes down in the books as one of your better 5's! Post some pics when you can, and enjoy!
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02-04-2014, 11:02 AM | #7 |
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First off congrats on the F10 and I'm sure you'll love it. My first BMW was a 2005 E60 530i and I think I remember you from e60.net as well. The F10 is a completely differnent car in my opinion compared to the E60. I little more luxurious and less sporty like the E60.
Anyways I've tried my best to answer your following questions. Feel free to ask anything else here cause there's a lot of helpful members on this board. ************************************************** ****** I am REALLY hopeful that some of you will have some opinions and guidance on some of my more pressing questions that I haven't been able to confirm via diligent searches of the forum: 1. The manual shift knob is an absolute joke. How BMW found it advisable to use such a junky piece of plastic in a car like this is beyond me. I am strongly leaning toward replacing with the illuminated M5 shifter, but I am wondering if: a) there is power nearby to tap into for illumination; and b) if this is truly a plug and play situation in terms of fitment. It seems like the M3 guys have modified the boot to work for them, but I doubt that would apply to us F10'ers, right? I am looking to pick up this one. I'm sure there is a power source there and that's would be a cool conversion but I drive an automatic 2. I have the sport steering wheel, but since my car is not an M-sport, my lower trim piece doesn't have the /M logo. Can I simply replace the trim piece with a /M branded version? I see how to take the airbag out and unscrew the existing trim piece, just need confirmation it's that easy. Yes is as simple as popping out the airbag and swapping out the trim. 3. My car has illuminated door sills, which is pretty sweet, but I am wondering if an /M logo'ed version exists that plug and play? It seems like the M-sport sills were branded but NOT illuminated? I have the M sport door sills and they don't illiminate. I wonder is that's part of the ambiant lighting package which I don't have. 4. I have contacted Gary Lo at Suvneer about a rep M-sport body kit and it seems like a fantastic deal. I would love to hear about positive experiences that y'all have had with his product. Saving funds here will allow me to get the wheels I want sooner. Also wondering if someone sells a kit of clips/adapters/etc. that Gary's stuff kit doesn't include? Yes the replica Msport kits are almost identical to OEM and there's many venders online selling quality kits. I've seen many in person and can't tell the difference between OEM and replica kits. Replica is a huge was to save $$$. 5. Speaking of wheels, it seems like the Avant Garde M510s get mixed reviews. The roads here in N.C. are fantastic, so I am not so concerned about potholes, but I have seen examples of pitting and that does concern me. Any opinions or reviews -- I will go with 21s -- would be greatly appreciated. The only problem in my opinion for the Avant Garde M510's are the front wheels. They almost have no concavity compared the the rears. I had them on my wife's e93 and opted to go with 9.5's all around to get full concavity. I don't think that's an option to run 10.5's all around on the F10. Forgestar has the CF10's in a 21" setup which are really nice. PM if you have any further questions on wheels 6. Has anyone customized their headlights? Cracking open the E60's for angel eyes mods is all the rage, but I am more interested in blacking out the F10 inner housing to match the other black mods I intend to accomplish. Opening these lights is not for the faint of heart, so I was wondering if any forum members have started specializing in this yet. The F10 already has LED rings which I don't think it's nessacary to upgrade. I've seen one F10 here in Socal have it done along with black out house and it looks pretty cheap to me. If you're looking for a tint maybe look into LAMIN-X for a light tint you can cover the headlights with |
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02-04-2014, 11:31 AM | #8 |
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Next came the car that to this day remains, IMHO, the finest sport sedan ever built, the 2003 540i M-Sport 6MT. I will NEVER get over selling this car. Mods included 20" Type-II ACS wheels, aluminum interior trim, CAI and exhaust. Miss you! #NeverForget
What a fun trip down the 5 series memory lane. I had the 2002 540i 6MT. And I concur. It was the finest sport sedan I have ever driven. So much so that I kept driving it for many years longer than I expected. I've gotten used to my F10. But it just isn't the same, is it?
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02-04-2014, 07:37 PM | #9 |
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You may want to call Forgestar... I was almost certain they offer or are about to offer 21's.
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02-04-2014, 08:18 PM | #10 |
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wow, nice read! I have similiar experiences. I have owned two E39 530iA, 98 and 99. and E60 04 530, then 07 530iX, all these cars I owned them for less than 15months. I don't want to go back since i am happy with the F10.
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02-05-2014, 09:34 AM | #11 |
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02-05-2014, 12:37 PM | #12 |
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Beautiful lineage of 5 series cars you have owned. The E39 is still my all time favorite The E60 is a tricky one for me. When modded correctly they are gorgeous, but they can easily look awkward if not customized correctly. Best of luck with your F10. Looking forward to seeing pics and watching it come together.
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02-05-2014, 02:56 PM | #13 | |
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02-06-2014, 07:32 AM | #14 |
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The thing I don't like about AG is I'm pretty certain they are still cast...? Someone feel free to chime in.
The Forgestars are rotary forged. So they are lighter and stronger than cast. Just my 02.
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02-06-2014, 09:01 AM | #15 |
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02-11-2014, 07:23 AM | #16 |
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Can you compare your 540i (e39) to your 550i (e60) for me? What did you really like, what didn't you like. They are both cars that still feel analogue, and I could definitely see myself picking up one in the future as a DD.
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02-11-2014, 07:55 AM | #17 | |
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The e39 is a less complex machine, one that gives near perfect driving feedback. The e60 adds more creature comforts and technology (yikes), but at the expense of style (in the eyes of some) and reliability. As you know, these cars are all about maintenance, so if it's been done and you continue to do it, you should be in great shape with either as a DD. Ultimately, it's very hard to quantify which car is "better," but if it's a low profile, sleeper car that is a pure joy to drive, it's the V8 e39. If you want to greater access to mods, more tech and modernity, the e60 is your best bet, but try to go LCI if you can, as the '08 interior is much nicer. If you put a gun to my head, I would try to find an '03 540i m-sport in alpine white with low miles, add some amazing wheels and call it a day! |
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02-11-2014, 08:15 AM | #18 | |
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Also, I've always had a thing for E38s too. They can be had for so cheap nowadays that I really considered getting one as a DD. But the reliability and complexity scared me away, so I ended up with a 4Runner
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02-11-2014, 08:17 AM | #19 |
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congrats on the new car, I love my E39 528i daily and currently looking for a 540i msport or a e39 m5. something about the e39 platform still to this day I fall in love with. I am excited to see what you do to your new f10. Congrats again!
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02-11-2014, 09:16 AM | #20 | ||
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Indeed, me too. Driving an all stock cashmere silver car makes me feel like grandpa. Quote:
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02-11-2014, 10:10 AM | #21 |
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Impressive history of cars, thank you for sharing!
I'm still on my first BMW, a few months shy of 8 years with her!
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02-11-2014, 10:13 AM | #22 |
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Nice thread - really enjoyed your pictures!
I started out like you but stayed firmly in the E39 camp. 1999 Titanium Silver manual 528 to a 2002 Sterling Grey manual 530 (one of the most balanced cars ever, I still miss it) to a 2002 Sterling Gray M5, which has been my daily driver since 12/2004. I have to say that for me, the M5 has been a perfect DD and the car is the best I have owned. I am starting to look for another DD (possibly F80 M3 or M235i) but will keep the M5 - I don't think I'll ever be able to bring myself to sell it! Congratulations on the F10 and good luck with your mods! I don't frequent this forum (not having an F10) so it was nice this post was placed on the front page.
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