Twistee

BMTHUG's old e28 535i parked outside Waiuku College this morning. Sorry, no pic. Unmistakable with those rims and I'm fairly certain it still doesn't have the front bumper on. I regret not grabbing that when the previous owner put it up for a quick sale.

I can almost live with the orange / black / silver combo, but corduroy???!!!!! Very torn on this, I like Chris Harris and his no nonsense approach but this is pushing it. This just makes me think of a giant orange corduroy bean bag from my childhood, not really something that I want in my M5. https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a62567012/top-gear-chris-harris-put-corduroy-seats-in-his-bmw-m5-wagon/ His point is that "you do you", buy an old car customise it the way you want. He could have done almost anything to prove that point though, it looks way more like an attempt to attract viral attention. Anyway, it clearly has brought out the haters and probably done exactly what he was after. If it was leather I could live with it.

Where's the face palm button..................

https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/bmw/m5/listing/4912018458

https://bmworkshop.co.nz/branch/christchurch/

https://www.bimmerworld.com/Driveline-Shifter/Transmissions-Accessories/SMG-Electric-Motor-MLR-E60-M5-E63-M6-23017841032.html Upgraded version US$445

@paulo Cheers for the pics, yes that was only not long before I bought it. I actually wanted another colour .Here is the collection of the M5 thread Just picked it up from BMWorkshop, last insurance claim. New AC condenser, and the heater valve. For 80,000kms it's had all the usual items replaced under warranty which worked out well. Next major expense is the bearings, most other items that fail are supported by the aftermarket / oem and I can tackle the work - bearings not so much. Off to paint and panel assessment in the next week or so.

Not a prob.

While waiting for the M5 to come back from BMWorkshop I finally managed to finish a side project of mine (one of countless). About 12 months ago I bought a flood damaged set of NZ made Image 414 tower speakers, they were absolutely fubar'd and realistically I should have just left them with the seller and kept the money in my pocket but they were very cheap. I managed to dry out the cabinets, glue, clamp, get everything square again and remake part of the base plates - saving $750 on those alone. A lot of careful sanding so I didn't go through the veneer and a pile of water based polyurethane and more sanding later they started to come together. Unfortunately I couldn't get the water damage out of the front veneer to a point that I was happy with it hence the harlequin wrap that I applied, I'm sure there will be as many who like the finish as those who hate it. Two of the drivers needed to have the rubbers replaced, being odd size Israeli Morel drivers it took some time to get aftermarket replacements. All up they owe me about $400, Image Speakers still sell the 414.1 for close to 10x that price dependent on spec. I'm pretty happy with the result and now have a set of office speakers.

https://www.bimmer-service.com/bmw-5-e60/bmw-e60-wiring-diagrams/ The PDF's are safe. The complete zip is about 2GB

https://bmwtechinfo.bmwgroup.com/tech_training_manual/ST505 E60 M5 Complete Vehicle.pdf Page 87 onwards

Today marks 3 years of ownership of the M5, it also marks the day that the mechanical warranty runs out - no doubt it will turn into a pumpkin at midnight. Over the past three years I have replaced: - Clutch / flywheel - Heater control valve - A/C condenser - 10x Spark plugs - 1 coil pack - Module that controls the airbag compressor - Oil cooler - SMG reservoir filler cap - Lower control arm bushes - 4 x tires And as is fit for the anniversary it's at BMWorkshop having the annual service. Would I buy it again after the last three years, yes no question. It's a high maintenance item, but it's cheaper than a therapist and without leaning too heavily on the YOLO mentality it's pointless being the richest man in the graveyard. The first picture ever taken after signing the papers, perfectly framed up by my wife............ And the first night at the Clearwater Resort being the family wagon

ROFL, like the SMG reservoir plug that I just had replaced. $150 for this :

This be of use: https://www.ebay.com/itm/196270994828

Wouldn't mind putting that plate back on the car.

Aliexpress is your friend https://www.aliexpress.com/w/wholesale-E87-Kidney-grills.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.search.0

These are ChatGPT suggestions : Here are some ideas for a personalized number plate for your BMW M5 Touring / station wagon: 1. **M5WAGN** 2. **TOURM5** 3. **BM5WGN** 4. **FASTW5** 5. **M5ROAR** 6. **WGNM5** 7. **BMWM5T** 8. **SPDM5** 9. **M5TOUR** 10. **WGNPRW** 11. **RAPID5** 12. **M5STN** 13. **M5V8TT** (V8 Twin Turbo) 14. **BLUM5** (if your car is blue) 15. **M5FUN** Feel free to mix and match elements or come up with your own based on these ideas! Here are some fun, ironic options for a personalized number plate that play on the idea of being slow: 1. **NOTFST** 2. **SLOWM5** 3. **EZDRIV** 4. **SLOWW5** 5. **M5SLOW** 6. **CRUISN** 7. **CHILM5** 8. **LAZYM5** 9. **SLODRV** 10. **M5TURT** (as in turtle) 11. **SLOSPD** 12. **M5EZGO** 13. **SNAIL5** 14. **CRAWL5** 15. **SLOWMO** These options can add a humorous twist to your speedy BMW M5 Touring!

It needs a euro personalised plate.

Hi Alex, what ever happened to the old personalised plates that you had on the car? Gathering dust somewhere?

Honestly, it's been 10 months since that f'ing taxi backed into it and the paint disaster kicked off, so I have not really felt like taking beauty shots. But here are a couple more:

Being used as intended, fully loaded for a week away.

At this point the car will go to Eurotech, but that will happen after the oil temp issue is sorted. I have less than 6 weeks of warranty left unless I can get it extended and want to get to the bottom of what is causing that.

Picked up the wagon this morning, new clutch feels fantastic. The old clutch plates were almost down to the rivets, got every cent out of them. I have kept the old DMF, going to clean it up and put a clock kit onto it for the garage. BMWorkshop had another go through the cooling system, did a side by side with another M5 and all the readings that are coming out of the DME are exactly the same as the other car from a cold start to operating temp over the same time period. So now I'm left to wonder if the wonky oil temp is an issue in the cluster as that looks to be moving while the DME is showing a constant +-1 degree temperature. At this point I'm open to any ideas.