Another daily driver thread: E34 525i
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Forgot to update last time with pictures and can’t find them right now, so the ones I took this morning after washing will have to do. Up to 70.7k miles, replaced two of the rubber exhaust hangers last night after they ripped. Nothing else has been done lately, just been racking up the miles. Super happy to be able to commute in this, it’s so comfortable and refined compared to just about anything else I’ve ever driven.
If I ever find the free time in the next month, I’ll probably order a set of those trailing arm links and sway bar links and see if they get rid of the noise we’ve been dealing with. Hood and trunk shocks need replacing too, along with the drivers seat adjustment buttons, the sunroof switch panel, and a few of the headlight adjusters. Might get a set of tan floor mats if I can find any.
Side reminder: If anyone comes across an undamaged black front bumper or would like to sell theirs (cough @ChrisO cough) let me know.
Pictures:
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Might be able to find some of those parts used at the local salvage yard.
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that thing is so clean!
Thanks! It’s very much a 20 footer in person haha, the paint has a lot of small imperfections and the photos hide that. I’ve been meaning to spend more time on paint correction and cleaning up the other things on this, but life has gotten really busy in the last month.
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Thanks! It’s very much a 20 footer in person haha, the paint has a lot of small imperfections and the photos hide that. I’ve been meaning to spend more time on paint correction and cleaning up the other things on this, but life has gotten really busy in the last month.
I’ll brag for you, this car is a solid 5 footer. Interior was 9.5/10 and 9/10 outside.
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Did an oil change at 71,5xx miles, that's about the only update. This was an awesome daily for this summer with commuting 400 miles per week for work, never had so much as a hiccup. Also, am I @straight6pwr yet? For all you paddling enthusiasts, I'm looking for some good locations to see or day trips in the greater Madison/Baraboo area if anyone has suggestions.
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Not too much of an update, only a few new things.
- Ended up replacing both front calipers in December, right front had an extremely sticky piston that ended up causing some pretty violent vibration after a few minutes at highway speed, the left side was better but still getting bad so both got replaced. No pictures unfortunately, but in the last photo i posted you can see just how much more brake dust there is on the front wheel than the rear. Luckily, no warping of the rotors occurred and there's still plenty of pad left, lucked out there.
- Picked up a set of 17" style 5's from @need4speed1299, I'll post more pictures as I begin the tear-down. I'm currently planning on stripping everything, repainting the centers in the stock silver, and polishing the lips. I also plan to send off the bolts to be plated, anyone have experience with places for this (especially local places)? Del's Plating Works in TX seems to be one that's popped up on r3v a few times, I'll send them an email soon to see what I'm looking at on cost. Sounds like anywhere from $50 to $75 is a decent estimate.
Here's some pics of the wheels. The first four seem solid, minimal if any curb rash, although they've all had a crappy respray over the factory finish that is peeling in spots. The fifth one has some very slight curb damage, should sand out.
I think I'm going to remove the hardware from the fifth one and send it off with the stuff from the other four, not sure what I'll do with it beyond that. Might be worth it to look for an unbent barrel and refinish it as a spare as long as the center piece wasn't tweaked. It would make pretty cool furniture though too...
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Plate all the hardware from the spare wheel as well because you will break some. If they don’t snap coming off like my experience, 3 broke on install. Had to buy some off eBay which guys specifically sell small sets for this reason and now there's some ugly hardware mixed on the wheels because it doesn't pay to plate 3 bolts. Even then the plating didn't last long, we had it done in Milwaukee somewhere.
I'd strongly recommend getting new hardware for not much more
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Plate all the hardware from the spare wheel as well because you will break some. If they don’t snap coming off like my experience, 3 broke on install. Had to buy some off eBay which guys specifically sell small sets for this reason and now there's some ugly hardware mixed on the wheels because it doesn't pay to plate 3 bolts. Even then the plating didn't last long, we had it done in Milwaukee somewhere.
I'd strongly recommend getting new hardware for not much more
You have any sources for hardware? I saw that many recommended Black Forest Industries, but they only carry M8 bolts and for $1.44 apiece, which would come out to $185 before shipping or tax.
SRR Hardware has the correct M7 splined hardware for around $210 shipped.
Did the plating flake off?
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I’ve refinished a couple sets of RS and a couple Style 5. I always tumbled the bolts, then polished them with a buffing wheel on a bench top grinder and then clear coat. Used a grocery bag to protect the bolts when I tightened them down and never had any issues. A lot cheaper than new hardware. I looked into plating a couple times and when I did the quotes came out to more than new hardware. On all the wheels I’ve done I’ve never broken a bolt. I went through a phase in college where I flipped wheels.
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I’ve refinished a couple sets of RS and a couple Style 5. I always tumbled the bolts, then polished them with a buffing wheel on a bench top grinder and then clear coat. Used a grocery bag to protect the bolts when I tightened them down and never had any issues. A lot cheaper than new hardware. I looked into plating a couple times and when I did the quotes came out to more than new hardware. On all the wheels I’ve done I’ve never broken a bolt. I went through a phase in college where I flipped wheels.
Interesting, I'll give it a try on a few of the spare bolts as a test run. Did you use any sort of sealant on the lips when you finished them or did you clear-coat them? Any problems with yellowing of the clear on the bolts or lips?
The style 5's look amazing on that car btw
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Interesting, I'll give it a try on a few of the spare bolts as a test run. Did you use any sort of sealant on the lips when you finished them or did you clear-coat them? Any problems with yellowing of the clear on the bolts or lips?
The style 5's look amazing on that car btw
Thank you. No sealant on the lips. Just a quick hand polish every once in a while with aluminum polish. No issues with the bolts either. They’ll ultimately come out a little darker than the faces and lips, but for me it was oem hardware and the cost was a can of clear coat.
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That said, I'd never polish a set of those lips ever again.
+1,000. done my share of bmw wheel refinishing, i've thrown in the towel. they are a damn fine wheel, though.
I always tumbled the bolts, then polished them with a buffing wheel on a bench top grinder and then clear coat.
+1
the cost for plating didnt seem worth it in the end. the bolts are titanium and don't corrode, so the plating is only aesthetic. . polish/clear them for a shiny look or paint/clear to your desired color. you can chuck each bolt in a drill and spin polish them as an alternative to a bench grinder.
a good long soak in vinegar strips the zinc plating and locktite from the bolts/nuts, if you dont have access to a tumbler.
i also did not clear the lips of the style 5s, but that turned out to be a pain in the ass. you have to re-polish them every now and again to keep the shine. if you have time to clean the wheel religiously, it may not be so bad. i ended up selling my style 5s because I was annoyed with the extra maintenance involved.
Dan
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+1,000. done my share of bmw wheel refinishing, i've thrown in the towel. they are a damn fine wheel, though.
+1
the cost for plating didnt seem worth it in the end. the bolts are titanium and don't corrode, so the plating is only aesthetic. unfinished and stripped of their original finish, the bolts turn to a dark gray color. polish/clear them for a shiny look or paint/clear to your desired color. you can chuck each bolt in a drill and spin polish them as an alternative to a bench grinder.
a good long soak in vinegar strips the zinc plating and locktite from the bolts/nuts, if you dont have access to a tumbler.
i also did not clear the lips of the style 5s, but that turned out to be a pain in the ass. you have to re-polish them every now and again to keep the shine. if you have time to clean the wheel religiously, it may not be so bad. i ended up selling my style 5s because I was annoyed with the extra maintenance involved.
Interesting, I was under the impression that the bolts on the rc 090’s are steel and that rust is a concern on them. I’ll definitely use the vinegar trick, sounds nice and easy.
I think I’m okay with the extra maintenance, these will be purely summer wheels so salt and really bad road grime won’t be a concern. I can handle polishing them every few weeks, and I guess if I find out that I can’t, I can always sell them on and get something else. I also think I might experiment with some products for semi wheels to see if there’s anything that will extend the maintenance interval.
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Interesting, I was under the impression that the bolts on the rc 090’s are steel and that rust is a concern on them. I’ll definitely use the vinegar trick, sounds nice and easy.
I think I’m okay with the extra maintenance, these will be purely summer wheels so salt and really bad road grime won’t be a concern. I can handle polishing them every few weeks, and I guess if I find out that I can’t, I can always sell them on and get something else. I also think I might experiment with some products for semi wheels to see if there’s anything that will extend the maintenance interval.
maybe it was the style 42 bolts. my bad!
Dan
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Interesting, I was under the impression that the bolts on the rc 090’s are steel and that rust is a concern on them. I’ll definitely use the vinegar trick, sounds nice and easy.
They are! I found out the hard way by not clear coating the ones on my last set. Sold them to Tom's brother who put them on his 5-series and they rusted. Felt like a total dickhead.
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