Angel

Hello,

I joined this forum because I am a proud owner of a new 2001 M5. This is also my first BMW. My car has not arrived yet, I still have to wait another 2 months or so to get it. I got it jet black on black with the luxury interior with the walnut trim. I added the power sunshade and and folding rear seats. I decided not to get the parking sensor feature and did away with the M audio (is it worth it??). My dealer called me the other day and said that I have another few days to make any changes to the car before nothing else can be added or changed. I have a few questions below that I would really appreciate it if you guys could give me some helpfull feedback. For those of you who do, I thank you in advance.

1)Is the M audio worth the extra $900?

2)Does the parking sensor feature actually help or is it a foolish toy (so I heard)?

3)I want to add different chrome rims, can I do 19" or 20" rims? If so, what width is recomended? Is 20" to big? What's best?

4)Dinan is going to tune my car. I heard that one chip will and one chip wont void my warranty. Which one should I get? Is only one available or two?

5)Suspension. Stage two or three?

6)I also plan to install a different exhaust system. I heard that perhaps Dinan is not the best of choices in this case. Is it? What is considered to sound the "meanest" and proven to deliver more hp. (street legal)?

7)What else can I do for more power??

I decided to go all out on this car because I tend to send it to Greece and keep it there for many years to come. I know I have just asked a whole lot of questions, but any imput is greatly appreciated for I want to make the proper arrangements because I am short on time.

Thanks again,

Harry

[This message has been edited by Angel (edited 20 May 2001).]

atomic80

Harry,

One question for you. Are you sure you managed to add the sunshades with your luxury seat option? Last I checked that wasn't possible. You could only get the sunshades with the sport seats.

It really is subjective when it comes to deciding whether or not the m-audio is worth the extra $900. I don't plan to upgrade the stereo system with aftermarket parts so that m-audio $900 option is worth it to me. I heard it on a neighbor's M5 and I really though it sounded great.

The Dinan upgrade is not a chip upgrade, it's a software upgrade really. There's a huge debate going on still on whether or not applying this software upgrade will void your warranty or not. Dinan says that if BMW decides not to honor your warranty because of "damages" incurred by the software upgrade then Dinan will take over for the rest of your warranty period. The problem with that is you may or may not be able to find a Dinan dealership to do that warranty work.

I haven't gotten the car yet myself (will arrive in July) so I can't really give you a first hand perspective on things only what I've heard about it from others.

There are many different kinds of exhaust systems but so far the one I liked the best (in terms of sounds) is the one from Tubi. It's also one of the most expensive ones too ($2200 - $2500).

I'm planning to go with the stage two suspension kit since I don't want to deal with the uneven tire wear that comes with the stage 3 upgrade kit even though there have been many others that says otherwise. I'll just wait until they come out with a multi-adjustable camber plate instead.

I think the PDC is truly something worthwhile to have since it'll help prevent you from accidentally bumping into something behind or in front of you. I've always had that problem of not knowing how far to go before stopping without getting out of the car to look. Definitely worthwhile to me.

And finally, the rims...can't answer that one.

Jason

Rezf

First of all, either you or your dealer has not provided ACCURATE information:
1) with the luxury interior ( walnut trim) it is not possible to get the rear sunshades. The sunshades only come with the sport interior (i.e, standard leather, not extended leather) Also, the trim is either aluminum, or the bright wood ( Bruyere club wood, not the darker Burr Walnut)
2) M-audio is definitely worth it, if you like the added base, that's all
3) Park distance can actually be very useful, if you can do it, it's worth $700.
4) For exhaust systems, do a search on the topic, you'll find various thoughts on the exhausts. One thing for sure, there are no headers out for the M5 yet, and so no gain in power is seen with these exhausts, just the looks and sound. Some good ones are Kellener, B&B, Supersprint, Tubi
5) Sorry dude, don't know much about the other stuff you asked
Hope this helps
RezF

Jacob Lee

1) if you're an audiophile, the M-sound system isn't worth it. go aftermarket, big $$$, but best sound. however, i consider myself as someone who appreciates a good sound system, but not an audiophile, so the standard premium sound + M-audio sounds great to me. for a friend, who's an audiophile, he sneers at anything less than $2k speakers (each!). it's really how "snobbish" you want to be.

i can easily tell the quality difference between my sound system vs say a standard GM car. however, there is no way in this world i can listen to a 3k sound system versus a 10k sound system and really appreciate the nuances - i'm not that much an audiophile, and to me they just both sound great. sort of like there's lots of people who can tell the less than $10/bottle rotgut wine vs the $60-100 bottles. but once you get past $60-100/bottle, you've got to be a real sommolier to say how the $200 bottle is crap compared to some $500 estate bottle.

2) front PDC for me is sorta useful, but rear PDC saves me all the time. makes my driving a lot easier. i still look over shoulder of course, but that rear PDC just makes backing up a whole lot easier. especially parallel parking in tight conditions.

Need4Spd

1) The M audio is worth it to me, since I'm not planning on any aftermarket audio upgrades.
2) I would go for the PDC. It's worthwhile to know how close you're coming to tapping the car behind you when parking. It didn't come on my car (wasn't able to special order).
3) Personally, I like the stock wheels, but if you go to Dinan, I suggest getting what Dinan recommends for aftermarket wheels. Chrome is nice, but Dinan wheels are actually lighter than the stock ones so you'll get a performance increase.
4) Dinan software comes in two flavors. The first one is for otherwise unmodified engines. The second is only for engines modified with Dinan's cold air intake kit. There is no performance increase. It makes for better driveability (basically like leaving it in sport mode all the time), raise the redline by 300 rpm, and removes the 155 top speed governor.
5) Don't have personal experience with the suspensions but everyone on this board says if you do it, get Stage III.
6) Exhausts only affect sound. The Dinan one is supposed to be good for a few HP, though.
7) Not much you can do for more HP for anything approaching a reasonable cost. If you don't mind turning higher revs on the freeway, putting in Dinan 3.45 gears will decrease acceleration times some with the same HP.

JHART

I would recommend you to go for the 19" rather than the 20s. First because the 20" is kind of forcing into the car. I have tried them both. Especially during high speed the car would feel a bit nervous.

The 19" would fit perfectly with 245 35 front and 275 30s rear. Plus it would fit and perform perfectly. Sure the 20" would look flashier but you would be sacrificing performance and you wouldn't want to do that on an M5!

Angel

Hi Guys!

First I wan't to thank you all for your very fast and helpfull information. You guys rock!

I have my yellow purchase order in front of me and the interior states, "black luxury" but doesn't say anything about the wood trim. Under additional equipment, it reads" folding rear seats" and "power shades". I hope my dealer didn't mess up. I will have to call him and check with him in the morning. I gather that most of you argee tha the M audio system is worth the extra 900. I didn't think the PDC feature was so popular. I first heard that it was one of those fake BS otions.

I realy hope that I can get the rear sunshade with this car. My dealer never mentioned that I could not get it with the luxury interior and only the sport.

Once again guys, you have all been a great deal of help. ALL of you. Any further info would help. Especially the issue with the luxury interior and sunshade.

Thanks again,

Harry.

[This message has been edited by Angel (edited 20 May 2001).]

Angel

I just checked the catalog and it DOES state that the power shades are only available with the sport interior(good call Rezf. That sucks! I don't understand why but that's how it is. My dealer on the other hand was not aware of this or was able to pull some very special strings. I emailed him and asked him to read this thread.

Oh, I also told him to go ahead and add the M audio and the PDC features thanks to your advice guys. I am not really looking for a LOUD audio system that shakes mailboxes, just somehting that is above avrg, and sounds super sweet.

Still, why can't one add the power shade feature to the luxury interior. it just doesn't make sense to me??

Thanks again all,

Harry Angelikas

fais2000

hey angel,
i c you're around the area. Im at the corner of ridgewood and paramus, probably not to far from u. if you ever wish to meet, wanna see a lemans blue, or have questions, feel free to drop me a line.

fas

Angel

Hey Neighbor!

Small world! I sure would like to meet and get a close look at that lemans blue. Have you heard about that place in Wyckoff that does Dinan work? I was thinking about bringing my car to them once I get it but if you know of a better or more reliable place in our area, please let me know. Thanks again fas!

Harry

brettcoon

The sunshade thing is supposedly a result of the leather luxury interior being thicker around the windows than the sport interior's synthetic material, and thus not providing enough clearance for the sunshade mechanisms. I went with the sport interior partially because I wanted sunshades. They really are a nice feature, though I wish the side shades were electrically operated.

PDC is great. Sometimes it's annoying when it starts beeping at you, but I'd be a nervous wreck trying to parallel park an $80k car without it.

I have the M-Audio, and like it. I've never heard the base stereo, however, so I cannot compare. The M-Audio is a little bit boomy, so I can understand why some people would want an aftermarket system, but it's still the best sounding car audio I've ever experienced (not that that's saying much). I have no plans to upgrade my stereo, so I'm happy I spent the $900 to get the best available factory setup.

-Brett


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Brett Coon - brett@transmeta.com - www.cheesepipe.com
2001 M5 - Royal Red w/ black sport interior