E39 M5 - USA style!

[M3AN 4016]

So it's got amber front indicators and clear side and rear ones? Surely they didn't come like that?

 

[ssbmw 223]

Yep.. they did.

It bothers me - especially with the colour I have. Here's a friend's Silverstone that shows his Euro style headlights with the clear coloured indicators. In my books, it looks cool.

 

 

[M3AN 4016]

Weird.

E36's from the same era had either all amber or all clear... which makes a lot more sense.

 

[ssbmw 223]

Yes I know. This bothered me about the US Market cars from the day I started looking for one. With certain colours which are lighter - like Bluewater metallic- the amber is too contrasting.

in the flesh, by the way - Silverstone has more of a 'baby blue' feel to the colour, whilst Bluewater metallic is actually more silver / grey.

[treone 649]

I agree the amber indicators don't look quite right. IMO it kinda ruins the overall look a great looking car.

It's the same with the original 8-series. All the US ones have the amber FTP's, even the CSI's. Which is wrong, just wrong!

And by the way the M5 is looking great!

 

[qube 3570]

at least your E39 doesnt have these reflector pad things on the bumper like the E46's

[ssbmw 223]

Hello again. Just a quick update - I recently got some Euro style clear indicator lenses for Bluewater. As mentioned previously - this had me frustrated  from the day the car arrived in my drive way. I hadn't noticed it previously, and it really bothered me - heightened by the tone of my car's hue - Bluewater Metallic which clashed with the amber lenses. 

I have some photos to share. Sadly, I am currently dependent on my iphone for photos - most of the photographic content on this forum puts my output to shame. Especially ADRO - man he sets a high benchmark with his beautiful photography! Hopefully - sooner rather than later I will be able to add some high quality photos of Bluewater on this forum.

I take it out most weekends - and it really is one of the highlights of the week. What makes me sad living in the USA is seeing so many of these amazing cars being neglected. I have seen 2 awful examples this week in Carbon Black that clearly had seen better days. Don't think I'd ever see examples like that in NZ.

 

 

 

 

Edited October 9, 2019 by ssbmw
Better photo

[ssbmw 223]

Now that the clear lenses are done - I am out of control - adding things to Bimmersport only days after my last note! !

No seriously, I found out recently that much to my chagrin, one of my foglight lenses were broken.  

Fortuitously, my mechanic is mates with the owner of Umnitza - who runs his business nearby (they sell after-market lights, body-kits, wheels , etc). In a nutshell, Matt  the owner is a great guy - and we hit it off by virtue of having many things in common - not to mention he also owned a now -deceased E39 M5 also in Bluewater!  Matt recommended I try one of his new LED offerings for the E39. Despite a different tone to the factory Hella  headlights, I quite like it. 

Edited October 15, 2019 by ssbmw
typo

[balancerider 778]

Looking so much better without the orange reflectors, currently in Canada (which has the same reflector rules) and it just doesn't look as good as the euro clears. The one thing that I'm not sure about on your car is the Dinan badge, however I definitely prefer the stealth look which definitely isn't for everyone.

[ssbmw 223]

Thanks for the feedback! Yes, a number of E39 M5 owners here have changed to euro clears. 

Very interesting point regarding the Dinan badge. Believe it or not, I have a history of keeping things to factory spec. My 840ci sport is completely original - everything in that car is like it left the factory in Munich.

I was very sceptical about the whole Dinan thing upon arriving in the USA. In my mind the Dinan brand lacked the kudos of European brands such as Alpina, Schnitzer, Hartge, etc.

However, the Dinan upgrades are pretty much part of the car's history. It was sold to a gentleman from L.A. in late 2002 - who spent approximately $12k on Dinan S1 upgrades upon purchase.  With the mods, it was anecdotally putting out in excess of 15-20  bhp than factory.

Dinan is a highly respected brand in the USA, and I have to say, this car goes extremely well. I thought about removing the Dinan badge for the whole stealth thing (in Germany they often de-badge everything - including the ///M logos on the side-trim)- but chose to keep the car how it was sold to the original owner.

 

Edited November 3, 2019 by ssbmw

[ssbmw 223]

Hi all,

Here are some recent photos taken of Bluewater during twilight over the Northern Californian winter. Apologies again for the amateurish photos. I however think the colour looked nice... hopefully I will be able to present some nice photos someday.

 

[ssbmw 223]

[NZ BMW 368]

So the Dinan upgrade package gives 15-20 bhp more... anything else in terms of how the car revs or performs? I’ll be honest, 12K US for that, what the point of a car like this? 

[ssbmw 223]

Good question. There was a software tune, free flow exhaust, high flow air intakes, clutch, flywheel, engine brace, and suspension. There are 3 tiers. This was entry level Dinan modifications. Dinan s3 in its day was a $40k outlay - and supercharged out to 600 plus bhp. Apparently they were numbered and there were 30–40 made to that spec.

For me personally, my modifications are relatively minor, and can be can be changed back pretty simply. Not sure whether performance is hugely different today. I didn’t buy the car for the Dinan status- I loved the colour, and the condition and price befitted my criteria! ?

[M3AN 4016]

That's a very smart looking M5, it looks very straight and shiny.

[ssbmw 223]

On 5/19/2019 at 9:40 PM, M3AN said:

2 hours ago, M3AN said:

That's a very smart looking M5, it looks very straight and shiny.

Thanks mate! I am a sad arse enthusiast (like many of us here) who loves to keep his cars in good condition! Saying that, this car is in superb condition cosmetically and mechanically, belying its 20 year old life.

 

Edited February 8, 2020 by ssbmw

[NZ BMW 368]

On 2/8/2020 at 12:18 PM, ssbmw said:

Good question. There was a software tune, free flow exhaust, high flow air intakes, clutch, flywheel, engine brace, and suspension. There are 3 tiers. This was entry level Dinan modifications. Dinan s3 in its day was a $40k outlay - and supercharged out to 600 plus bhp. Apparently they were numbered and there were 30–40 made to that spec.

For me personally, my modifications are relatively minor, and can be can be changed back pretty simply. Not sure whether performance is hugely different today. I didn’t buy the car for the Dinan status- I loved the colour, and the condition and price befitted my criteria! ?

Ah, so at least you do get some extra stuff. I wonder if anyone has really compared them in terms of performance relative to the stock M5? 

[ssbmw 223]

To be honest, I am sure Steve Dinan would have done some testing to ensure that S1 specifications would be beneficial to enhance performance - however only marginal from factory. It seems pretty quick to me - but that is based on driving only 3 different examples of differing ages and mileage.  All the work was done at purchase and Dinan provided 4 year warranties.  Incidentally, the Dinan badge could only be obtained by a certain minimum number of Dinan upgrades.

I can tell you that the Dinan S2 mod's translated to a $35k additional outlay - which elevated output to approximately 470bhp and had a huge increase in torque - without any supercharging but had some fancy Dinan headers.

As mentioned previously - the rock star is the 'S3' with 600 bhp - due to supercharging, etc. 

I have had a few of my BMW friends mock me about the Dinan badge - instructing me to remove it. When I first arrived I myself was a tad cynical about the Dinan brand - didnt thinking it had the cachet of legendary Euro tuners. However, it has chunks of kudos in the USA - but I didnt buy it because of the Dinan badge!

 

 

[M3AN 4016]

2 hours ago, ssbmw said:

I have had a few of my BMW friends mock me about the Dinan badge - instructing me to remove it. When I first arrived I myself was a tad cynical about the Dinan brand - didnt thinking it had the cachet of legendary Euro tuners. However, it has chunks of kudos in the USA - but I didnt buy it because of the Dinan badge!

They were (are?) the only official/sanctioned BMW tuner in the US. They''re the ACS of North America so nothing to sneeze at. 

[ssbmw 223]

So true. Dinan was based here in Northern California, near Silicon Valley until 2013 or so. He sold it to a private equity firm that moved their base to Alabama, and Steve started helping out with a racing team. He  has now moved back to Northern California, and has a tuning business called Carbahn that tunes all German Marques. He has a great reputation. 

Edited February 9, 2020 by ssbmw