OEM Mods for e53

monkey_boy · 9 Sep 2009 at 16:29

What sort of OEM mods are worth considering for the e53? What parts (if any) does the e53 share with the e39?

Xenons are first on my wish list. I have projector lamps and they self-level when they come on so am I right in thinking it's not a major job to xenonify them without them looking *****?

Other things I'm interested are obviously nav, but I think it's unlikely to be worth doing for the expense, and the phone integration would be nice too, but I'm not sure how to tell what prep it has (if any).

Cheers

[TW]Fox · 9 Sep 2009 at 16:48

They don't self level the merely have electronic levelling but the self levelling thing is a bit useless anyway, its there to account for morons who don't bother to adjust the beam angle when towing a trailer or having a fully loaded boot - they don't adjust quick enough to be able to level the beam on the fly. So thats not an issue.

Effectively, yes, a HID retrofit kit into your X5 will work fine, not blind other road users and be indistunguishable from an OEM install unless you lift the bonnet and have a look.

If you have no telephone holder in the centre armrest the car has no phone prep. You can retrofit nav to an X5 - it will cost about £1000, or £1300 if you have the low onboard computer.

The E53 shares a huge number of parts with the E39, it is effectively an E39 4x4.

monkey_boy · 9 Sep 2009 at 17:05

Where should I start looking for bits? Are there any reccommended websites or just hit the auction sites?

Django x2 · 9 Sep 2009 at 18:37

Ebay will spew a lot of the nav stuff at you maybe bar the looms which are rare but available else where on the net, normally from mainland Europe.

[TW]Fox · 9 Sep 2009 at 18:39

It's a big job to fit it as well - it doesnt plug and play. It's certainly dooable, but you need to remove half the interior and fit a new loom etc.

Kingy · 9 Sep 2009 at 19:53

?

Xoutpost (formerly x5world (fellow tractor owners

)) is a good place to look if a nav conversion is an option, and ccfj1 is a nav god...

OEM Bluetooth would be good if you're going for a nav upgrade, but I doubt that's an option, so a sensibly placed aftermarket kit that kills the stereo, should suffice...

Xenons are the height of awesomeness, and a cheap (IIRC you're looking at ~£100 for a halfway decent ebay kit) upgrade if you know which is the right end of a screw driver...

If you're willing to forgoe the OEM part for the bluetooth, might I also suggest a set of tyte spinners for sir?

paradigm · 9 Sep 2009 at 19:58

Kingy said:
?

"We will only sell it if we can fit it too, and charge you another £450, oh and we want your old engine too"

How do they get away with such ass.

Kingy · 9 Sep 2009 at 19:59

paradigm said:
"We will only sell it if we can fit it too, and charge you another £450, oh and we want your old engine too"

How do they get away with such ass.

People have diesels?

jamoor · 9 Sep 2009 at 20:51

paradigm said:
"We will only sell it if we can fit it too, and charge you another £450, oh and we want your old engine too"

How do they get away with such ass.

That must be the Heathrow Engine centre lot.

OllyM · 9 Sep 2009 at 21:37

[TW]Fox;14848525 said:
TIf you have no telephone holder in the centre armrest the car has no phone prep. You can retrofit nav to an X5 - it will cost about £1000, or £1300 if you have the low onboard computer.

All X5's have High OBC I believe, not sure why though!

[TW]Fox · 9 Sep 2009 at 21:50

OllyM said:
All X5's have High OBC I believe, not sure why though!

Presumably the same reason a BMW 330i Sport and a BMW Z4 3.0i have standard electric memory seats and the 530i Sport which cost more than both didn't.

BECAUSE BMW SUCK

Dangerous Dave · 9 Sep 2009 at 22:00

What is the difference between High and Low OBC ? is it like the VW Golf one where the midline is a smaller display with trip etc but the highline is a bigger display that can display the navigation graphics/radio/track/phone details and car setup menus ?

[TW]Fox · 9 Sep 2009 at 22:10

No, its not quite as good as that.

Low OBC has trip computer, average speed, outside temperature etc and a pictogram of the car providing basic check control functionality, ie doors open, washer fluid low etc. It is also effortlessly reliable and never ever goes wrong.

High OBC has TWO trip computers as well as a consumption since engine start and also has extra features like a speed limiter, and other stuff. It is also entirely text based so instead of an open drivers door showing a door thats open on a display it says DRIVERS DOOR OPEN. Or it would do if half the pixels hadn't died, which they almost certainly will have, because the reliability of the high OBC display makes Fiat look like Honda.

Sadly there is one other crucial difference. Low OBC has no clock, instead the clock is a function of the radio. High OBC DOES have a clock. Practically this makes virtually no difference at all and indeed the clock is even displayed in the same place in the car. However...

The Satnav system has no clock either, it MUST take its input from the high OBC to get time/date. No high OBC, no time/date.

Why BMW did this is another one of those mysteries like why orange jam has a special name.

Howard · 9 Sep 2009 at 22:24

[TW]Fox;14848525 said:
Effectively, yes, a HID retrofit kit into your X5 will work fine, not blind other road users

Bah, I dunno about that, bloody Range Rovers and X5s don't cater their Xenons for us who drive low down sports cars :mad:

Lol

rG-tom · 9 Sep 2009 at 23:07

[TW]Fox;14850779 said:
Presumably the same reason a BMW 330i Sport and a BMW Z4 3.0i have standard electric memory seats and the 530i Sport which cost more than both didn't.

BECAUSE BMW SUCK

only the 330Ci has it, so it must be a 2 door thing

jigger · 9 Sep 2009 at 23:14

I agree. HID bulbs make a mockery of the 65 watt law.

Kingy · 10 Sep 2009 at 08:09

Howard said:
Bah, I dunno about that, bloody Range Rovers and X5s don't cater their Xenons for us who drive low down sports cars Lol

The reflector/projector **** argument is redundant in this case imo. Fact is, it's an X5. Reflectors or projectors, halogen or HIDs, X5 driver = ****...