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E39 M5 Clusters (pixels fixed, 0 miles, coded to your car)

58K views 281 replies 70 participants last post by  Technom5 
#1 · (Edited)
Hey guys,

I've recently started repairing used clusters and also doing mileage correction and since we recently figured out how to make the oil temp go over CAN and have warm up lights working on 540s and 740s, I bought a bunch of used M5 clusters and am fixing them up to be sold. These are pretty much made to the buyer's request since I can do a few mods/upgrades as well.

So, compatibility. These are working fully on M5s (obviously), E53 X5 4.4i, 4.6is, 4.8is, and 540i(T) and 740i(L) models with M62TU engines (ME7.2 DME) with a tune that is modified to send the correct data over CAN bus. This means you get a fully working oil temp gauge as well as the warm-up lights that used to only work on E39 M5s and E53 X5 4.6/4.8is. Again, the oil temp stuff will not work on older M62 non-TU motors with the ME 5.2 DMEs. You will of course have a functioning cluster otherwise.

These will also work on 525i and 530i, though only the oil temp gauge will work. The nice thing is that this works right out of the box, so you don't have to load a tune on the DME to enable it. The only thing that doesn't work is the warm-up leds that go out as the engine temp goes up to operating temp. You will only have the last yellow and the red leds always lit.

Basic Cluster:

So, the basic unit I sell is a standard gray face M5 cluster with all pixels working and motors working as they should, mileage set to 0 so that it downloads the correct mileage from the LCM, and coding set to your ZCS code default settings.

Please don't ask me to hard code a mileage that isn't your current mileage as this is illegal and I don't want to be involved in doing that. I am doing mileage correction, not adjustment.

Price : $400

Upgrades:

One upgrade I offer is amber leds instead of yellow. For some strange reason, BMW decided that they wanted yellow illumination of the numbers on their M5 gauges, yet kept amber for the LCD display and the rest of the car. Some prefer this, some prefer everything to match the rest of the car. You have the option of which color you want. I don't really mess with other colors than these, because to change the LCD display requires making a plastic diffuser that is a different color and I'm not doing that, but if you want the mismatched colors, I can do some other colors (PM me for details).

Price: +$50

Another upgrade is what I call a "premium" cluster. When enough people started to complain to BMW that they were getting bad pixels and BMW started to do something about it, they replaced their clusters under either warranty or through a goodwill credit. These replacement clusters had a redesigned ribbon cable that is much more durable and has a physical connector on the PCB, rather than the cable being glued down and having it come unglued in warm temperatures. I have been successful in making hybrid clusters from non-M5 clusters with M5 gauge faces that work exactly like a M5 cluster should, but have this upgraded cable. BMW did make newer type M5 clusters as well, but they don't come up for sale often. The clusters I buy to do this cost more than the regular ones with bad pixels, so the price for these upgraded models is more. These shouldn't ever need pixel repair. LED choice still applies.

Price: +$100

The ultimate M5 cluster:

I don't have many of these due to the rarity of the donor cluster, but what I consider the ultimate M5 cluster is my premium upgraded cluster, with the black M5 gauge faces. These look absolutely amazing with the amber leds. Since they were only offered on 2000 M5s, they usually have very bad condition LCDs that need to be replaced anyways. My upgraded versions shouldn't ever need pixel repair.

Price: +$200

If you have a regular cluster that you just need repaired and mileage corrected on, let me know by PM and I can fix it for you. Price varies depending on work needed.

All prices include shipping to continental US. Ask about international shipping. Paypal fees are included.

I also can buy back your old cluster, so PM me with details and we can work out a price.

Pictures below are of the "Ultimate M5 Cluster".
 

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#3 ·
Pixel repair is $200 plus led swap is $50. The reason it's kind of high is that i would replace the lcd with a new one with new silver ribbon cable. Clusters that old have pretty much all required new lcds. Return shipping runs about $20.
 
#4 · (Edited)
Paul, I am not understanding the pricing in the thread. +50, +100, etc. You say pixel repair is $100 but quoted rem $200.

You quoted me $400 plus my cluster to go from gray faces to black or $300 to swap from gray to black using my cluster but in the OP it is $200.

What is the starting price? Maybe I missed that in the thread... Don't get me wrong, I like what you are doing here, just trying to understand.
 
#5 ·
Sorry about the confusion on the base price. I originally posted this on Panjo on bimmerforums and it has the initial price elsewhere. That is fixed now.

You both have different requests. Remmnever asked me to do pixel repair on his cluster and change the LEDs to amber. That is why his is that price.

You asked me to swap your cluster to what is effectively the "Ultimate M5 Cluster" that I list for $600. I was offering you $150 for your gray face cluster, which made it $350 + $50 for LED swap. You're basically getting the "Ultimate M5 Cluster" for $450 + your original cluster.

Does that make sense now?
 
#7 ·
So, I just want to make it clear, this listing is for clusters to be sold complete.

I can of course do upgrades and LED swaps for people to their current clusters, but I am asking for people to PM me directly for those services. The prices for those services vary due to some things being easier if they can be combined with other work. For example, since pixel repair, mileage correction and LED swaps require the same general labor of taking the cluster apart, they can be combined for a discount. They might be cost prohibitive if you added up their individual prices.

I also want to make it clear that the "premium" cluster is not an upgrade to your older type cluster, it is a new type cluster with M5 faces installed and the code modified to reflect the different speedo and tach scales and add oil temp gauges and warm-up lights. I can't do this upgrade to an old cluster, only replace it and buy your old cluster from you to offset the cost of the new one. The PCBs on the old type clusters and new type clusters are quite different, so the LCDs can't just be swapped.
 
#9 ·
I appreciate that a lot man!

Just to prevent confusion though, I did pixel repair on your cluster with just a new ribbon, but you still have the older type cluster. Unfortunately, your LCD was showing it's age (broken traces) and is requiring a new replacement LCD, but I'm replacing that for you soon. That is why I'm suggesting for others that have these older clusters to just get a new LCD with ribbon cable. It is possible to sometimes repair LCDs with just a new cable, but it's a crapshoot as to whether it lasts a few days or a few years. I have seen many clusters sent in to me needing repair after being repaired already. I don't really recommend just going with the ribbon cable as a repair anymore.

Also, one of the things I pride myself on is I don't do the drill method of pixel repair. I remove the needles properly and fully clean the old glue from the PCB and LCD (if not being replaced) and put a brand new cable on. I've seen a few clusters come in to me with light bleed from the DSC light to the light next to it because the drill bit cut the separation in the plastic. That said, some of my premium upgraded clusters might have holes from previous drill methods. I try to make sure none of that is visible from outside the cluster though. If I could order internal cluster parts new, I would, but I'm stuck with using the parts from used clusters and I don't want to throw away good parts.

I will also post up some pictures of the PCBs of the different type clusters this evening to better explain the differences between the standard and premium clusters.
 
#10 ·
I know Paul personally, but hadn't the first time we met. He came to help me and got the M5 cluster running in my car (it was the first time it had been done successfully on a 540 before). I watched him disassemble the cluster and put it back together. He even corrected the stupid BMW 5mph speedo error for me so now it's dead-on accurate. I've gotten to know him since then and can tell you he's a truly honest, trustworthy, stand up guy. I have a good reputation myself, so I would not post if I wasn't sure. You can rest assured he will take excellent care of whatever you need done.
 
#11 ·
Thanks a lot Brian! Brian also has the first "Ultimate M5 Cluster", so if you want additional pictures, you can ask him and he'll send you some really nice high quality ones.
 
#13 ·
I dont have any metric ones at the moment, but if I find one, I'll let you know.
 
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#15 · (Edited)
Guys, allow me to say that Paul corrected all the issues on my cluster in a few days... here is the quick story:

I live in the Dominican Republic, and I have a 2000 M5. The previous owner, had put in a facelift cluster (the one with gray face). However, I have a European version M5, and the previous guy just put in an AMERICAN ver cluster (mph/km) in the car. Not only did the cluster not match the mileage, but the tamper dot was on, motors on the needles were bad, and it needed recoding badly.

I took a risk, and shipped the cluster to him and he really went above and beyond. He reprogrammed the entire cluster, soldered a new chip on it and matched my VIN the new cluster without a problem. Now my cluster is perfect.

I would deal with Paul 100/100 times. Awesome service, great guy and extremely knowledgeable.

thanks for everything
 
#16 · (Edited)
Thanks for the HUGE compliment Raymundo, that means a lot man! So glad all is working out well for you.
 
#20 ·
That's the easy part :)

I'm sure there are some people on here near you that would be happy to help, but it's really simple. I assume you mean to just take it out. To do that, remove the trim on both sides of the steering wheel. Then you'll see two screws on the left side and one on the right. Remove those. Then you'll have 3 T10 torx screws holding the top of the cluster surround on. pull on the surround and disconnect the wire behind the fog light switch by pulling it out. Then lay it on top of the dash. There are two more T10 torx screws at top of the cluster. Remove those and set your steering wheel as far down as it'll go. Remove one connector on the back left side, then 2 connectors on the back right side. squeeze the little wire holding clip near the left connector and pull the cluster out.
 
#22 ·
Actually, no, that's Stuck's from bf.c, but yours will look just like it.
 
#23 ·
Just to let everyone know, my supply of black face clusters is basically nothing at the moment. I have one coming in within a week, but it is spoken for. The next person that wants one will have to either send me one that they already have, or I will need to buy one to make an ultimate cluster. There are only a couple on ebay right now and my other sources don't have any at the moment. If anyone sees any available, please let me know. These "Ultimate M5 Clusters" are apparently in high demand and I want to be able to fulfill those as much as possible. Also, if anyone sees any non-m clusters with part numbers:

62116942178
62116942197

and a couple others that I'll add later, let me know. Those are the non-M clusters that are the newer type with the better ribbon cable. I use those to make the premium M5 clusters and I'm always looking for these.
 
#24 ·
Well of course that's the case. They are frickin sweet. Just as the factory should have done it. I love mine and can't wait to get this car back on the road so I can drive it regularly:



 
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#27 ·
Wish our clusters had the rpm shift lights like the E46 M3's.
 
#28 ·
You and me both, then those lights would actually serve a function. I'm not sure I really need lights to tell me what the oil temp is when I have a gauge right below them to read it out in numbers.
 
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#30 ·
I think he's considering some options. We'll see!
 
#32 ·
On the 2000 clusters, I highly recommend replacing the LCD with a brand new one rather than just the ribbon cable. The age on them has shown me that the traces on the LCD that the ribbon cable have breaks in them and make it nearly impossible to get fully working for any kind of long term. So, for that, it's $200. One other option I can do is upgrade your cluster to the "Ultimate M5 Cluster" by replacing the mainboard with the newer type one that has a redesigned ribbon cable and a connector on it, rather than the ribbon being glued to the board like the older types. This provides a much longer lifespan of the cluster without needing pixel repair. I would swap your black faces to the newer type board, correct the mileage and you have the choice of yellow (M5) or amber (non-M5 and preferred) backlight LEDs. This option runs $300 and requires me keeping your old motherboard for parts. Let me know what you think. I can tell you that several people who have seen the "Ultimate M5 Cluster" in person are extremely impressed and have had nothing but good things to say about it. Redshift posted pictures of his a few posts ago so you can see what his looks like.
 
#33 ·
So, we are actually starting to consider the shift light option. It should be compatible with e39 525i, 535i, 540i and M5 if we can get it to work since it will actually be an addon CAN module that will handle it. I imagine TerraPhantom will be a lot more involved in it than I will since he's a freakin' genius, but I'll help with any hardware stuff if he needs it and any coding that I can provide. We are really trying to get the warm up lights to function on the I6 facelift models first, but he doesn't seem to think it'd be too much more difficult to code the shift lights, so we'll see. After that, I don't see why we couldn't apply it to all the models I listed above. It will still of course require the DME sending oil temp data over CAN, so as of right now, that means M54's, M62TU, and S62 engines.
 
#35 ·
PM with details.
 
#36 · (Edited)
Just got my clusters back and I must say, very nice work.

Mileage correction worked flawlessly, cluster arrived with 0 miles and updated once I wrote my VIN to it. This is a late model E53 X5-is cluster with a black-face M5 over lay on my 540i. Mileage is correct to my car and the MID is flawless.

Excellent work Paul, highly recommended for anyone that needs a good cluster overhaul.
 

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#37 ·
I'm putting out a request for 2000 M5 clusters. I don't care about whether they work or if the pixels are completely gone, I just need them. If anyone has one they want to sell, please let me know by PM.

Thanks!
 
#38 ·
Jerry, you should be receiving yours today. I expect pictures if all goes well :)
 
#40 ·
Package arrived today! As soon as I get the revised foglight switch in to fit the Zeitronix gauge on my gauge surround, the new cluster will go in! I will report in when complete!!!

Regards,
Jerry
 
#42 ·
So, I'm now gauging interest in getting custom made (identical to BMW) M5 black faces to install in place of your gray ones. This upgrade could be done for $200 if it's the only thing being done, or added as part of the other choices. I'd like to get an idea of how many people would be interested in this upgrade before putting down a very large amount of money on a minimum order.

The goal is to have these look and work exactly like the 2000 M5 gauges, making the 2000 clusters that are so hard to find a non-issue anymore. I know how particular M5 owners are, so I will do my very best to make them indiscernible from the genuine faces. I'm also hoping to be able to offer full metric faces as well for the global markets. I have yet to find out if this would require a separate minimum order or not, but I will ask. If they can be included in the minimum, I will try to get a few made in the first run.

If you could, let me know if this is a reasonable price for this upgrade and whether or not you would be interested in it. Feel free to ask any questions as well.
 
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