What did you do for your E61 today?
12-06-2014, 06:42 AM
#41
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12-07-2014, 11:03 AM
#42
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My Ride: 2010 535 xi - M Sport Pkg & other goodies
12-07-2014, 11:47 AM
#43
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It is a straight forward install but I will briefly go over the steps. I bought the LEDs from here: 6X9W LED Eagle Eye Light E Daytime Running DRL Tail Backup White Car Lamp Bulbs | eBay
Searching "Eagle Eye LED" on eBay or AliExpress will yield a whirlwind of results for these bolt-style LEDs, they are commonly offered in 1.5w, 3w, 6w, and 9w. They can be found individually but most sellers offer them in lots of 6,10, or more. I was impatient and paid a small premium for a US/CA seller, these can be found for ~$1.50/pc from China.
Also if you look closely at the pictures, there are different LEDs portrayed even in the same ad by the same seller, also many different sellers off these products with the same pictures, generally the LEDs looks like mine but there are some different styles, diameters, etc. Just lots of Chinese stuff in general.
Regarding the install:
- Remove the rear interior tailgate panel. There are 2 black push-rivets at each corner on the same plane that the male locking mechanism is on. Remove those, drop the tool access panel, remove tools and remove all the screws you see (I think there are 6-8 total)
- Next, shut the tailgate and pop the glass (you can possibly do this as the first step but I always do it second because it works and I don't know any better) remove the small black trim around the female locking mechanism for the glass, underneath are 2 screws, remove them.
- At this point the panel should only be held on my some pop-rivets so yank it off. If you leave the interior trim panels which run vertically on each side of the rear glass like I did, you will have to work the panel free of these.
- Once the panel is removed, locate where you want to mount the LEDS, make sure there is enough clearance for the backside of the LED bolt and the wire.
- Drill your holes and mount the LEDs, I suggest using some loctite on the threads.
- Since I wanted my LEDs to come on when with the rear cargo lights (as opposed to the main interior lights) I tapped them into the small festoon-bulb already in the tailgate. I used some wire T-Taps and wired them in parallel with each other and it works great.
- Test, reassemble everything, and enjoy
I am slow and it took me about 1 hour.
Cheers,
Evan
Searching "Eagle Eye LED" on eBay or AliExpress will yield a whirlwind of results for these bolt-style LEDs, they are commonly offered in 1.5w, 3w, 6w, and 9w. They can be found individually but most sellers offer them in lots of 6,10, or more. I was impatient and paid a small premium for a US/CA seller, these can be found for ~$1.50/pc from China.
Also if you look closely at the pictures, there are different LEDs portrayed even in the same ad by the same seller, also many different sellers off these products with the same pictures, generally the LEDs looks like mine but there are some different styles, diameters, etc. Just lots of Chinese stuff in general.
Regarding the install:
- Remove the rear interior tailgate panel. There are 2 black push-rivets at each corner on the same plane that the male locking mechanism is on. Remove those, drop the tool access panel, remove tools and remove all the screws you see (I think there are 6-8 total)
- Next, shut the tailgate and pop the glass (you can possibly do this as the first step but I always do it second because it works and I don't know any better) remove the small black trim around the female locking mechanism for the glass, underneath are 2 screws, remove them.
- At this point the panel should only be held on my some pop-rivets so yank it off. If you leave the interior trim panels which run vertically on each side of the rear glass like I did, you will have to work the panel free of these.
- Once the panel is removed, locate where you want to mount the LEDS, make sure there is enough clearance for the backside of the LED bolt and the wire.
- Drill your holes and mount the LEDs, I suggest using some loctite on the threads.
- Since I wanted my LEDs to come on when with the rear cargo lights (as opposed to the main interior lights) I tapped them into the small festoon-bulb already in the tailgate. I used some wire T-Taps and wired them in parallel with each other and it works great.
- Test, reassemble everything, and enjoy
I am slow and it took me about 1 hour.
Cheers,
Evan
12-09-2014, 08:51 AM
#46
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Sure thing. Make sure to buy more lights than you think you should, they are very effective little guys.
I installed some into the side-view mirror on my girlfriends Prius (along with the tailgate), her LED puddle lamps are now more than 5x brighter than those in my oem M5 mirrors. The side mirror install was significantly more challenging than either of the tailgates but a worthwhile upgrade none-the-less. The puddle lights are wired to the interior dome so they fade on/off and operate via remote and door activity.
Evan
I installed some into the side-view mirror on my girlfriends Prius (along with the tailgate), her LED puddle lamps are now more than 5x brighter than those in my oem M5 mirrors. The side mirror install was significantly more challenging than either of the tailgates but a worthwhile upgrade none-the-less. The puddle lights are wired to the interior dome so they fade on/off and operate via remote and door activity.
Evan
02-12-2015, 03:58 AM
#47
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My Ride: 2007 530XiT BSM/Auburn
Model Year: 2007
Well...this was not today but this past weekend and Monday:
Saturday I washed and fueled up the wagon in preparation for a trip up to the North Georgia mountains with some friends on Sunday.
Sunday we loaded up (big load, Im around 200, he's 280, so probably 800ish lbs of occupants!) and headed to the mountains. Although I have 'carved' mountain roads with my previous E61, I am have always been solo so I was curious to see how it would do with a full load of folks. That being said, my buddy's wife doesn't like curvy roads and she made that clear from the beginning so I didn't exactly 'carve' them but I wasn't crawling either. Needless to say, she managed to puke from the motion sickness when we weren't even going around any curves. Found out later she was riding in the back with her eyes closed. So, after a short stop for a cleanup and a fresh clothing purchase, we were off again and she seemed better after that. The rest of the ride was uneventful.
Once home, since the engine was good and hot and I was right at my oil change interval, I drove the front up on ramps and jacked the rear up to level it and proceeded to change the oil. That too went without a hitch....while waiting on the oil to fully drain I got a bucket and wiped up whatever we didn't catch during our drive.
The next day, my coolant low light came on....so sure enough, level was low. I added maybe 4-6oz of coolant...but now I am worried that maybe I have a leak...I'll need to research that further. I also had my tires rotated and re-aired (w/nitrogen courtesy of Butler Tires in Buckhead, GA). I was told that this is my last rotation with the Michelin PSIIs....so sure enough, after 20Kmi they'll be toast.
Now the big question is do I go back with Michelins (AS3)? or Conti? I have had the Michelins before but never the Continental Extreme Contact....I guess I have 5000mi to figure this one out!
That's it for now!
-r
Saturday I washed and fueled up the wagon in preparation for a trip up to the North Georgia mountains with some friends on Sunday.
Sunday we loaded up (big load, Im around 200, he's 280, so probably 800ish lbs of occupants!) and headed to the mountains. Although I have 'carved' mountain roads with my previous E61, I am have always been solo so I was curious to see how it would do with a full load of folks. That being said, my buddy's wife doesn't like curvy roads and she made that clear from the beginning so I didn't exactly 'carve' them but I wasn't crawling either. Needless to say, she managed to puke from the motion sickness when we weren't even going around any curves. Found out later she was riding in the back with her eyes closed. So, after a short stop for a cleanup and a fresh clothing purchase, we were off again and she seemed better after that. The rest of the ride was uneventful.
Once home, since the engine was good and hot and I was right at my oil change interval, I drove the front up on ramps and jacked the rear up to level it and proceeded to change the oil. That too went without a hitch....while waiting on the oil to fully drain I got a bucket and wiped up whatever we didn't catch during our drive.
The next day, my coolant low light came on....so sure enough, level was low. I added maybe 4-6oz of coolant...but now I am worried that maybe I have a leak...I'll need to research that further. I also had my tires rotated and re-aired (w/nitrogen courtesy of Butler Tires in Buckhead, GA). I was told that this is my last rotation with the Michelin PSIIs....so sure enough, after 20Kmi they'll be toast.
Now the big question is do I go back with Michelins (AS3)? or Conti? I have had the Michelins before but never the Continental Extreme Contact....I guess I have 5000mi to figure this one out!
That's it for now!
-r
02-12-2015, 11:56 AM
#48
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Received my BT cable to allow ecu flashing; backed up my original BIN and uploaded the BMS Pump backend flash, a noticeable improvement in driveability and increased E85 capability although my stock pumps perform below average for N54 cars.
Replaced my hacked-up battery/compressor panel with a proper M-Sport piece.
Cleaned up the engine bay a bit, removed some gunk that was burnt onto my oil cooler and Plasti-dipped the battery jumping terminal cap, essentially removed red from the engine bay. Also have some fresh cone filters on the way from VRSF.
Before
After
Replaced my hacked-up battery/compressor panel with a proper M-Sport piece.
Cleaned up the engine bay a bit, removed some gunk that was burnt onto my oil cooler and Plasti-dipped the battery jumping terminal cap, essentially removed red from the engine bay. Also have some fresh cone filters on the way from VRSF.
Before
After
02-16-2015, 09:14 PM
#49
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My Ride: 2010 535 xi - M Sport Pkg & other goodies
02-16-2015, 10:52 PM
#50
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I installed a Fumoto oil drain valve on the oil pan. Contrary to what I was told I did not need the adapter. Oil changes will be much easier and cleaner now.
Last edited by bmwmonkey; 02-17-2015 at 11:33 AM.
