A current picture of the poor old 535,

[Scott H]

05/2003 production 2003 525iT. steptronic. blk/blk. 58,750 miles. CPO til 7/2009. sport pkg. premium pkg. cold pkg. xenons. rear air suspn. PDC. window shades. cd changer.

Basically everything except NAV, sat radio, bluetooth, and slideout cargo floor. I picked up a set of 16" style 134 E60 wheels and went over to Josh Gore's dad's shop and we machined the hub bores to 74.1mm so that is what transferred my 16" Nokians over to for winter use.

The interior is pretty darn clean. It looks like the pass and rear seats have never been used. The driver's seat still has leather texture too but the steering wheel has smoothed out. The carpets are almost spotless with the only blemish being a silver dollar sized ring where a chemical burned the carpet pile in the cargo floor.

I have not had a good chance to wash the car yet due to such cold temps here in Chicago and other time constraints. I did get a fair look at it coming off the trailer and there is one ding on the passenger side which is only noticeable while sighting down the side of the car. It could be removed if I cared more but it's just not that noticeable. It's a CA and WA car so it had not seen salt until I started using it . As a result, there are very few paint chips and very little sand blasting to the grille, headlights, and windshield.

The glass hatch rattles a bit on hard bumps, the coin tray in the driver's door pocket is stuck open, the fuel door hinge is weak, and the front left fender liner needs to be replaced as it is cracked from a bumper+parking block incident.

Mechanically it should be sound as I have seen the service records. There are a few things that I will try to get taken care of under CPO just to be safe going forward.

Other than that, I don't know what else there is to say. I am still trying to figure out if the auto box is going to be too boring for me but so far I'm digging the stiffer chassis and more up to date creature comforts more than I thought I would. The open diff is definitely noticeable compared to the LSD I was used to.

Hey Scotty - what wagen did you end up with? Not the one from our here is it?

[Bill R.]

m54 motor? not the n52 i hope.... From the few that i've worked on so far i'm not a huge fan of the n52 and its aluminum bolts.

05/2003 production 2003 525iT. steptronic. blk/blk. 58,750 miles. CPO til 7/2009. sport pkg. premium pkg. cold pkg. xenons. rear air suspn. PDC. window shades. cd changer.

Basically everything except NAV, sat radio, bluetooth, and slideout cargo floor. I picked up a set of 16" style 134 E60 wheels and went over to Josh Gore's dad's shop and we machined the hub bores to 74.1mm so that is what transferred my 16" Nokians over to for winter use.

The interior is pretty darn clean. It looks like the pass and rear seats have never been used. The driver's seat still has leather texture too but the steering wheel has smoothed out. The carpets are almost spotless with the only blemish being a silver dollar sized ring where a chemical burned the carpet pile in the cargo floor.

I have not had a good chance to wash the car yet due to such cold temps here in Chicago and other time constraints. I did get a fair look at it coming off the trailer and there is one ding on the passenger side which is only noticeable while sighting down the side of the car. It could be removed if I cared more but it's just not that noticeable. It's a CA and WA car so it had not seen salt until I started using it . As a result, there are very few paint chips and very little sand blasting to the grille, headlights, and windshield.

The glass hatch rattles a bit on hard bumps, the coin tray in the driver's door pocket is stuck open, the fuel door hinge is weak, and the front left fender liner needs to be replaced as it is cracked from a bumper+parking block incident.

Mechanically it should be sound as I have seen the service records. There are a few things that I will try to get taken care of under CPO just to be safe going forward.

Other than that, I don't know what else there is to say. I am still trying to figure out if the auto box is going to be too boring for me but so far I'm digging the stiffer chassis and more up to date creature comforts more than I thought I would. The open diff is definitely noticeable compared to the LSD I was used to.

[Bill R.]

other day and have started putting the trim and moldings back on whenever i get time..

[Bill R.]

Turned out suprisingly well for a 700 dollar paint job

[Bill R.]

the oe bronzit beige and they color sanded and buffed the clear which i didn't expect for that price either

[Bill R.]

One last pic, these new side molding clips i had a lot of trouble with them breaking when installing the new molding...wondered if the clips have sat on the shelf too long

[Jeff N.]

Looks nice Bill. Mine's getting to the age where it could use a little cleanup. Even with some care, the dings are adding up and so are the scratches and chips. Of course, it just has to be black and so it shows everything.

Oh well...still looks good for a 20 year old car.

[bad_manners_god]

One last pic, these new side molding clips i had a lot of trouble with them breaking when installing the new molding...wondered if the clips have sat on the shelf too long

warm them up first to help them flex more.

[Jr ///M5]

WOW! It looks GREAT Bill... Not only will it run forever with you as the owner, it will also look BRAND SPANKING NEW!

You got a hell of a deal for $700...The damn paint and clear cost about $250!

Did you remove all the chrome window trim?

Gordon would be soooo jealous...

Good job buddy, the moldings need to lay out in the sun for a little and a little touch of grease on the white clip will make it easier for them to pop in the track. They could be like me though, ....old....

Enjoy,
JR

[Scott H]

as it share oil filter kits, etc with the X5.

Your project looks like it's coming along nicely. Those trim bits can be frustrating. Is it possible the openings in the doors were filled in with paint, making the opening smaller and harder to press the mouldings in to? or have I lost your train of thought.

m54 motor? not the n52 i hope.... From the few that i've worked on so far i'm not a huge fan of the n52 and its aluminum bolts.