Part # for Black Chrome Exhaust tips from 550I
04-19-2010, 07:40 AM
#11
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My Ride: Jan 2006 E63 650i Sport
.
Options:
Sport version (includes: sport-seats, sport-suspension, M-Sport steering wheel, Anthracite headliner, Shaddow Line), Saphire Black, Black Dakota Leather, Anthracite Maple Wood trim, Steptronic Auto, Xenons, NAV-Professional with Voice Control, TV, CD-Changer, Bluetooth, Logic7, Head-up Display, Comfort Access, Seat Heating front, Auto Dimming & Folding Mirrors, Extended Auto Air Conditioning, PDC.
.
Mods:
Spacers 5mm front & 15mm rear
.
Wheels:
20" Alpina Softline (Classic) with Dunlop Sport Maxx non-RFT (255/35/20 & 285/30/20)
Given the choice of spending time prepping & painting them or just buying them from BMW for $60, its a an easy choice for ME!
I know you're an expert on this now, but I'm just plain lazy when it comes to DIY-mods and just like the end result... the easier the better
I know you're an expert on this now, but I'm just plain lazy when it comes to DIY-mods and just like the end result... the easier the better
04-20-2010, 01:43 AM
#12
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My Ride: Jan 2006 E63 650i Sport
.
Options:
Sport version (includes: sport-seats, sport-suspension, M-Sport steering wheel, Anthracite headliner, Shaddow Line), Saphire Black, Black Dakota Leather, Anthracite Maple Wood trim, Steptronic Auto, Xenons, NAV-Professional with Voice Control, TV, CD-Changer, Bluetooth, Logic7, Head-up Display, Comfort Access, Seat Heating front, Auto Dimming & Folding Mirrors, Extended Auto Air Conditioning, PDC.
.
Mods:
Spacers 5mm front & 15mm rear
.
Wheels:
20" Alpina Softline (Classic) with Dunlop Sport Maxx non-RFT (255/35/20 & 285/30/20)
I just received a quote from Schmiedmann, who can supply the US "black chrome" 550i tips for about EUR 85 all in.
However, I was looking at some pics of US 550i Sports with the black tips and the European versions with chrome tips, and really cannot decide which I prefer. I like the contrast of the Chrome tips, but the Black tips are different and look more purposeful. I need to do something, because my exhaust tips are a mess, even after cleaning them. (And no, I am not going to buy an RPI exhaust instead
)
Opinions??
US VERSIONS WITH BLACK TIPS
EUROPEAN VERSION WITH CHROME TIPS
MY CHROME TIPS (BEFORE I CLEANED THEM UP!)
However, I was looking at some pics of US 550i Sports with the black tips and the European versions with chrome tips, and really cannot decide which I prefer. I like the contrast of the Chrome tips, but the Black tips are different and look more purposeful. I need to do something, because my exhaust tips are a mess, even after cleaning them. (And no, I am not going to buy an RPI exhaust instead
)Opinions??
US VERSIONS WITH BLACK TIPS
EUROPEAN VERSION WITH CHROME TIPS
MY CHROME TIPS (BEFORE I CLEANED THEM UP!)
04-20-2010, 04:57 AM
#13
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My Ride: 2010 535i M Sport 6MT
Model Year: 2010
Why not tap your exhaust tips off with a block of wood and a hammer? Try cleaning them with a chrome polish. They may clean up good. Wrap the block of wood in a towel and tap the tips back on.
Tips are hard to keep clean, unless your vehicle is for concours only. You may like your chrome tips when they are clean and shiny again.
In the mean time, you can post a WTB for a used set of black tips from someone who switched to an aftermarket exhaust system. You could end up trying both styles of tips on your car and then decide which to keep.
Tips are hard to keep clean, unless your vehicle is for concours only. You may like your chrome tips when they are clean and shiny again.
In the mean time, you can post a WTB for a used set of black tips from someone who switched to an aftermarket exhaust system. You could end up trying both styles of tips on your car and then decide which to keep.
04-20-2010, 05:40 AM
#14
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Join Date: Feb 2006
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My Ride: Jan 2006 E63 650i Sport
.
Options:
Sport version (includes: sport-seats, sport-suspension, M-Sport steering wheel, Anthracite headliner, Shaddow Line), Saphire Black, Black Dakota Leather, Anthracite Maple Wood trim, Steptronic Auto, Xenons, NAV-Professional with Voice Control, TV, CD-Changer, Bluetooth, Logic7, Head-up Display, Comfort Access, Seat Heating front, Auto Dimming & Folding Mirrors, Extended Auto Air Conditioning, PDC.
.
Mods:
Spacers 5mm front & 15mm rear
.
Wheels:
20" Alpina Softline (Classic) with Dunlop Sport Maxx non-RFT (255/35/20 & 285/30/20)
Why not tap your exhaust tips off with a block of wood and a hammer? Try cleaning them with a chrome polish. They may clean up good. Wrap the block of wood in a towel and tap the tips back on.
Tips are hard to keep clean, unless your vehicle is for concours only. You may like your chrome tips when they are clean and shiny again.
In the mean time, you can post a WTB for a used set of black tips from someone who switched to an aftermarket exhaust system. You could end up trying both styles of tips on your car and then decide which to keep.
Tips are hard to keep clean, unless your vehicle is for concours only. You may like your chrome tips when they are clean and shiny again.
In the mean time, you can post a WTB for a used set of black tips from someone who switched to an aftermarket exhaust system. You could end up trying both styles of tips on your car and then decide which to keep.
Since taking the picture above, I have taken the tips off an cleaned them as best I can -- like you suggested above. However, the previous owner clearly never did this and the chrome is destroyed in certain areas which is clearly visible
As for your WTB idea, I think after shipping from the US to Europe, I might as well buy them from Schmiedmann for EUR 80! But its a very good idea for an US members thinking about doing the same as I am with their pre-LCI 550i/545i
What are the opinions on what looks better? Contrast with chrome vs. More purposeful / different with black-chrome?
04-20-2010, 06:03 AM
#16
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I am about to wrap my exhaust tips in matte silver PVC, similar to the colour of the iDrive knob on pre-LCI cars. It will probably happen in a month or so and will post pics then.
For me personally, this seems like the best balance between stock look and avoidance of chrome on the car.
I also have the feeling that the solid colour will give more optical volume to the tips as opposed to the chrome, and they will look larger and more solid.
And no, I don't want to change the appearance of the tips with an aftermarket exhaust. Even if I get an aftermarket exhaust at some point, I will try to keep the same tips, or tips with the same look, may be just a notch larger.
For me personally, this seems like the best balance between stock look and avoidance of chrome on the car.
I also have the feeling that the solid colour will give more optical volume to the tips as opposed to the chrome, and they will look larger and more solid.
And no, I don't want to change the appearance of the tips with an aftermarket exhaust. Even if I get an aftermarket exhaust at some point, I will try to keep the same tips, or tips with the same look, may be just a notch larger.
04-20-2010, 06:39 AM
#17
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My Ride: Jan 2006 E63 650i Sport
.
Options:
Sport version (includes: sport-seats, sport-suspension, M-Sport steering wheel, Anthracite headliner, Shaddow Line), Saphire Black, Black Dakota Leather, Anthracite Maple Wood trim, Steptronic Auto, Xenons, NAV-Professional with Voice Control, TV, CD-Changer, Bluetooth, Logic7, Head-up Display, Comfort Access, Seat Heating front, Auto Dimming & Folding Mirrors, Extended Auto Air Conditioning, PDC.
.
Mods:
Spacers 5mm front & 15mm rear
.
Wheels:
20" Alpina Softline (Classic) with Dunlop Sport Maxx non-RFT (255/35/20 & 285/30/20)
I am about to wrap my exhaust tips in matte silver PVC, similar to the colour of the iDrive knob on pre-LCI cars. It will probably happen in a month or so and will post pics then.
For me personally, this seems like the best balance between stock look and avoidance of chrome on the car.
I also have the feeling that the solid colour will give more optical volume to the tips as opposed to the chrome, and they will look larger and more solid.
And no, I don't want to change the appearance of the tips with an aftermarket exhaust. Even if I get an aftermarket exhaust at some point, I will try to keep the same tips, or tips with the same look, may be just a notch larger.
For me personally, this seems like the best balance between stock look and avoidance of chrome on the car.
I also have the feeling that the solid colour will give more optical volume to the tips as opposed to the chrome, and they will look larger and more solid.
And no, I don't want to change the appearance of the tips with an aftermarket exhaust. Even if I get an aftermarket exhaust at some point, I will try to keep the same tips, or tips with the same look, may be just a notch larger.
That's a good alternative guys
If you are going to wrap it, it will have to be very strong material to handle the heat and the cleaning!
On my car, it would effectively be colour matching the tips with the wheels. (Unforetunately its not really in line with my lazy plug & play modding approach though
)So you think the "contrast" look is the prefferred look here?
04-20-2010, 06:52 PM
#18
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My Ride: '06 550i
'84 Nissan S12 Turbo
Once clean, their easy to keep clean though.....I just hit mine with some Mothers Polish on some "Super Fine" steel wool #0000 every couple of weeks and they stay squeaky clean. I do like the black chrome tips though.....I saw some on a black 550 in my my local dealers show room the other day. Looked pretty damn good!
04-21-2010, 04:57 AM
#19
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Join Date: Feb 2006
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My Ride: Jan 2006 E63 650i Sport
.
Options:
Sport version (includes: sport-seats, sport-suspension, M-Sport steering wheel, Anthracite headliner, Shaddow Line), Saphire Black, Black Dakota Leather, Anthracite Maple Wood trim, Steptronic Auto, Xenons, NAV-Professional with Voice Control, TV, CD-Changer, Bluetooth, Logic7, Head-up Display, Comfort Access, Seat Heating front, Auto Dimming & Folding Mirrors, Extended Auto Air Conditioning, PDC.
.
Mods:
Spacers 5mm front & 15mm rear
.
Wheels:
20" Alpina Softline (Classic) with Dunlop Sport Maxx non-RFT (255/35/20 & 285/30/20)
Interesting you say that the Black-Chrome tips look good. On the pics I've seen, the Chrome tailpipes seem to look better. That said, for some reason I am unable to find a decent "sunny" pictures of a Carbon Black 550i Sport with Balck tiüs, so that I can really see how it looks
04-21-2010, 05:17 AM
#20
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My Ride: 2010 BMW 530i E61, alpine white, cream-beige interior, sports-auto-transmission and a lot more-
could this be possible with this 3M cf-wrap? I know it's quite thick, but I had bad experiences with other cf wraps on my diffuser, it formed a bubble near the exhaust tips due to heat..this kind of cf wrap was thinner than 3m cf-wrap..