Finally the Transformation is done...almost
05-21-2009, 06:27 AM
#31
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thanx for all the kind words and the not so kind words. its all good though, everyone has there own taste.
I like the calipers, but I wish people would stop painting the ENTIRE caliper along with the exposed brake pads and other parts that are not the actual caliper. I like the black contrast of the other parts showing through...
as for the painted calipers. i did take the entire brake assembly apart (completed my first pad and sensor change on this car while i had it up on the stands). after painting only the caliper and not the bracket and clip the unit looked tiny. its small already but after painting only the caliper it didnt look right. also, once i had the seperate pieces painted it was a bitch getting the anti rattle clips back in place and ended up scratching up the paint job i just completed so i had to touch it up while it was on the car canceling out all the time i took to not paint over the pads and clips. anyway, it may not be brembro size and performance but i think it looks better.
.
only thing i would do is take off that black surround on the license plates.. our n.y plates are white and i think theyll go better with your car, plus it will look cleaner. just my 2 cents
i needed the plate frames, i considered having no frames at all but because the whites dont match it looks bad to me. the frames sepereate the whites so its not 2 shades of the same color directly next to each other.
i think it will look a lot cleaner if you got it color matched AW instead of having it matte black
the grills looked bad all white, i painted the outsides of the grills AW first and left the mesh in black. i didnt like the look. the mesh was lost in all the white. i like the pop of the complete black grill better.
oh and tell us a diy on the front reflectors please
the removal of the amber reflectors will remain a secret....jk. i didnt remove the reflector i only replaced the front bulbs with the silver coated ones and added the euro stickers that everyone has.
Now, I am not a fan of the front lip.....never have liked it as an "add-over" type mod. But who cares what I think?
some like the acs lip some dont but i did not want to change the entire front of the car, the less to store the better. i think for a simple add on piece it give the nose a bit more of an aggressive stance and greatly improved on the oem look. it also gave me the opportunity to create the custom front grill for the space left by the removal of the oem black plastic inserts.
overall im happy with the result. i need to do the shadowline but im not dropping the car. the black roof is a possibility but i think im going to enjoy my mods for a bit before i change it anymore. i may have taken the inexpensive route to some of the mods but for the money (total cost of mods, approx 3k) i think i changed the car enough to make it stand out amongst the other 5 series on the road and in the end made it my own, which was my goal from the beginning. again, thanx to all involved
I like the calipers, but I wish people would stop painting the ENTIRE caliper along with the exposed brake pads and other parts that are not the actual caliper. I like the black contrast of the other parts showing through...
as for the painted calipers. i did take the entire brake assembly apart (completed my first pad and sensor change on this car while i had it up on the stands). after painting only the caliper and not the bracket and clip the unit looked tiny. its small already but after painting only the caliper it didnt look right. also, once i had the seperate pieces painted it was a bitch getting the anti rattle clips back in place and ended up scratching up the paint job i just completed so i had to touch it up while it was on the car canceling out all the time i took to not paint over the pads and clips. anyway, it may not be brembro size and performance but i think it looks better.
.only thing i would do is take off that black surround on the license plates.. our n.y plates are white and i think theyll go better with your car, plus it will look cleaner. just my 2 cents
i needed the plate frames, i considered having no frames at all but because the whites dont match it looks bad to me. the frames sepereate the whites so its not 2 shades of the same color directly next to each other.
i think it will look a lot cleaner if you got it color matched AW instead of having it matte black
the grills looked bad all white, i painted the outsides of the grills AW first and left the mesh in black. i didnt like the look. the mesh was lost in all the white. i like the pop of the complete black grill better.
oh and tell us a diy on the front reflectors please
the removal of the amber reflectors will remain a secret....jk. i didnt remove the reflector i only replaced the front bulbs with the silver coated ones and added the euro stickers that everyone has.
Now, I am not a fan of the front lip.....never have liked it as an "add-over" type mod. But who cares what I think?
some like the acs lip some dont but i did not want to change the entire front of the car, the less to store the better. i think for a simple add on piece it give the nose a bit more of an aggressive stance and greatly improved on the oem look. it also gave me the opportunity to create the custom front grill for the space left by the removal of the oem black plastic inserts.
overall im happy with the result. i need to do the shadowline but im not dropping the car. the black roof is a possibility but i think im going to enjoy my mods for a bit before i change it anymore. i may have taken the inexpensive route to some of the mods but for the money (total cost of mods, approx 3k) i think i changed the car enough to make it stand out amongst the other 5 series on the road and in the end made it my own, which was my goal from the beginning. again, thanx to all involved
05-21-2009, 06:35 AM
#32
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Location: Indianapolis, IN (USA)
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My Ride: 06 525xi
Jet black
sprint booster
ACS front lip
Originally Posted by pgetsch' post='885513' date='May 21 2009, 10:27 AM
some like the acs lip some dont but i did not want to change the entire front of the car, the less to store the better. i think for a simple add on piece it give the nose a bit more of an aggressive stance and greatly improved on the oem look. it also gave me the opportunity to create the custom front grill for the space left by the removal of the oem black plastic inserts.
05-21-2009, 06:43 AM
#33
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Originally Posted by dudemeister' post='885520' date='May 21 2009, 10:35 AM
Looks GREAT!! how did you do the from ACS mesh grill? where did you get the parts from?
acs grill and RPI scoop- trinity autosport (forum vendor)
grill material - www.customcargrills.com (bought the grill and some wire clippers and got to work
)wheels - mrfva (forum member)
bmw decals - www.xenonmods.com
hamman roof and trunk lip - www.ebay.com
rear reflectors - www.ebay.com
b/w bmw roundels - JBSpeed (forum vendor)
05-21-2009, 11:01 AM
#35
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Location: La Quinta / San Diego Ca
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My Ride: 2004 SMG 545i
silver grey metallic / bamboo anthracite / black leather
CPO
sport package
premium sound
park distance control
cold weather package
I'm going to have to agree with ptl on this one. I'm not a huge fan over the completed look, but i can appreciate the time and hard work it took to get everything done.
The race mesh grilles look awesome, especially in a matte black finish against your AW car.
And the reflectors are definitely something I am going to look into.
To each his own, but hey touch? good sir on the fine work.
The race mesh grilles look awesome, especially in a matte black finish against your AW car.
And the reflectors are definitely something I am going to look into.
To each his own, but hey touch? good sir on the fine work.
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