Sarge

I've just traded my '07 X5 4.8i for an '08 535xi Touring with most of the options. The car has the black trim around the side windows, which I presume denotes some variation of 'sport package', although it came with 17" wheels and the standard bumpers.

I'd like to switch to the M5 front bumper and side skirts (and wheels, etc), but I'm wondering which aftermarket provider to buy from (I'm not looking for the OEM M5 bumper, as it doesn't fit quite correctly anyway). I also note the M5 fog lights are different, so I presume this is something else I'd have to replace (most of the 'bumper only' options make no mention of the fogs)

Any advice?

Thanks,

Sarge

535xiT
Former: X5 4.8is, 330ci, 528iT

narvselius

The black trim is available as "shadow line" and this you can order without any relation to other packages, although it is part of the M-sport package.

Why not go for the std M-sport package? It will fit easier, cost you less and almost have the same effect on the car?

Sarge

Where would one buy that kit? Is there a dealer-alternative? Where have people on here purchased them?

gummysDad

Sarge,
Welcome aboard. Since you have an 08, your car is considered LCI, or post face lift. That means that the factory OEM body kit would need a few thousand dollars more in additional parts over and above the standard kit, especially if you have PDC [the sensors are a different diameter], and there are different bumper bits. If you decide to go this route, Garry at BMW of Newport [Rhode Island] offers gerat prices. The alternative is to go with an aftermarket provider. There are both M5 and M-Tech replica fronts and skirts available. ModBargains, Trinity Motorsports and Umnitza, among others all sell good replicas. ONLY CAVEAT IS, no one sells a repilca rear, cause the market is too small to make it worth anyone's while to manufacture one.

I'd also recommend some kind of ECU mod to really unleash the TT engine. On the high end there is Dinan, but since you car is an 08, the fact they they match the orig. warranty doesn't mean much. For less than $1000 there are under the hood plug-ins like Vishnu, and Burger Tuning's JB4, and there are handheld modules you can use to flash your ECU / return it to stock, all from inside your car, from Cobb. Whatever way you decide to go, its definitely the biggest improvement you can make to your car.

Sarge

Thanks, I'd been looking at the Umnitza kit, as it seems to be OE materials, is made to fit the LCI car, and they offer the fogs with it as well. I'm guessing the 'M5 Paint Protection kit' they sell will fit this bumper as well. (I live in Jackson, WY, and the roads are treated with crushed granite in the winter - it destroys paint and windshields.) The Umnitza side skirts seem like they'd work well too. I'm not too concerned about the rear - I may bother with it someday, but it's not terrible as-is. I'm not totally clear about their fog light offerings (I'd guess I'd need fog lights with canbus xenon).

I also need to sand/restore the headlights, as this car's plastic covers are horribly peppered. I've never sanded that lexan stuff before, so I'll have to research that a bit.

The car I bought has 84k on it already, but is still under CPO warranty. If I do chip it, it needs to be reversibl, but even then I'm a little concerned. I live at 6300' so the turbos already get pushed a lot harder than most (trying to stuff sea level amounts of air into the intake). I've done some extremely big tuning to Audis in the past, and there are 'happy zones' you can tune to, with the right parts, but I'm a little concerned about the long-term reliability of this engine. I'll have to do some more research before I'd touch it at this mileage and this elevation. I'm guessing any tuning should include a larger intercooler, turbos and exhaust work, but I'm still largely unfamiliar with this engine. We drive all over the west with wife, baby, and sometimes dogs, so I can't afford to be dead on the side of the road.

I have an allroad that is currently a paperweight that put out about 500hp on 87 and 850hp on race gas. The 'tooner' never got it right, and the car has been a disaster (2.7 to 3.0 conversion, GT28RS turbos, FMIC, brakes, transmission, custom center diff torque split - this car got it all, and it was a complete waste of money). I've had other modified turbo Audis in the past (always had naturally aspirated BMWs) and I know they can be very reliable when done right, but I also know higher mileage and elevation pose real threats/implications for turbo motors and automatic transmissions. The car runs perfectly right now, so 'job one' is to keep it reliable.

I'm also planning to upgrade the angel eyes to less yellow looking light, but the LCI cars seem to be a problem too (and I don't want blue light, just 'white'). Any pointers on that are appreciated too.

Thanks again for you input. I'm in the steep part of the learning curve with this car at the moment, but looking forward to driving it a lot!