E39 Updates

[James]

Update today:

Stopped by the stealer and picked up the TEC/BMW console cupholder. Like most 5-series owners my cupholder has broken so I needed a replacement that worked. Installation took less than a minute as my "cubby" was easily removed from the console.

I also purchased a set of new floor mats as I believe the existing mats were as old as the car. The new set looks good and should last another 100+k miles.

For curiousity's sake, I purchased two retaining clips that hold the dashboard trim in place. When removing the wood trim these clips crack very easily. What appears to be a cheap piece of plastic sells for $3.10 each!!! I couldn't believe the price.

205 bucks after my CCA discount and my car has received a day's worth of worthless mods.

[mtechnik]

Great. Inside the car is where you spend most of the time so freshen her up

[Alan]

Originally Posted by James

Update today:

For curiousity's sake, I purchased two retaining clips that hold the dashboard trim in place. When removing the wood trim these clips crack very easily. What appears to be a cheap piece of plastic sells for $3.10 each!!! I couldn't believe the price.

I would hope those clips last longer than the ones that hold the trim in on the E34. They cost about a dollar but after a year or 18 months, the plastic degrades to the point that the trim is loose enough to pull off with one finger. It is really close to the side heating duct so this probably has something to do with it. Point is, if the trim clips on the E34 suck this bad, I'm glad they improved them on the E39.

[James]

They are just barely improved. The ones that haven't broken appear they might be going out soon. I haven't pulled off all of the clips yet, but guess there are probably 25 used in total.

[James]

Pixel Repair Update.

I contacted BMW NA and explained my pixels were dead. After waiting a few days I received a call from Nellie at BMW NA who asked me a series of questions about my car.

Was I the original owner? Have I owned a BMW before? etc.

Since I am not the original owner of my 540, and I have fairly high mileage (122K), after having my case reviewed by their marketing department they chose to only allow 50% of the cost of the cluster and no money towards the installation. She explained the cost of the cluster was approximately 5-600 dollars, which means I am responsible for 250-300 plus approximately 100 dollars in labor.

The other option that I am aware of is to send my cluster into www.vdorepair.com and have them fix it. The pricing for a one year guarantee is basically the as the deal I am offered through BMW.

I guess the question is, do I care about my pixels enough to shell out 350-400 dollars? It bothers the hell out of me so I probably will.

[Chris]

I am bringing you back your Double Shot next week!! I promise!

Chris

[James]

LOL - sounds good man. I will likely need some assistance on the installation.

Any good suggestions for a head unit? Prices are so cheap these days (relatively speaking to ten years ago), but I am not sure what to buy.

[philsans5]

A cupholder isn't a useless mod!

[ESP]

Originally Posted by philsans5

A cupholder isn't a useless mod!

Especially in a E39, those holders are horrible

[cornercarver]

I put an email into BMW NA 2 weeks ago about my pixel's, no reply. Interested to see if they are evaluating the replacement program. Others have run into the same no response issue.

[James]

After discussing my lackluster reply from BMW with a friend, he suggested I contact them again requesting additional help. I did so a couple of weeks ago, and promptly they replied with the same response. If anything positive could come of out this situation I would like to know if there is a set criteria by which the pixel display is evaluated. This would likely save them and 5-series owners a lot of time as the individual cases would more or less be settled before contact. I.E. - being that my car is over 100k and I am the second owner, the best case scenario for me is what I received.

[cornercarver]

From what I have read on this and other boards, its a case by case basis based a lot on are you BMW loyal and how many have you owned and how much do you spend on BMW's (parts service etc)? I dont think they mess with the Joe Blow who stumbled on a cheap bimmer and its his first and probably last one. A set of established guidelines would be great for Bimmer enthusiasts instead of Pixel Russian Roulette.

[James]

They didn't seem to care that I had previously owned two M3s, one as the original owner, have numerous BMWs purchased new in my immediate family, and before I knew better, used to service my vehicles at the dealer. Oh well, it's better than owning an early Ferrari F355.

[cornercarver]

Hey James, I just got my reply from the NA, and they'll cover 75%/no labor. Talk about inconsistancy. Just figured I would respond to my experience and dont mean to hijack your thread.

[James]

Not at all, if it's my thread - feel free to hijack!

Are you planning on doing it? I am tempted to try to fix it myself.