X5 Jake's M-Sport E70 X5 35i Build Thread

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Longtime N54 fanboy checking in (see: my 135i build thread). With shame and excitement, I've recently bought my first N55-powered vehicle. I'm ready for this slight uptick in reliability.
For the past month, I've been searching nationwide for what I consider the "perfect" E70 X5. That criteria included the following:
  • Had to be the 35i (N55) instead of the 50i (N63, very unreliable)
  • Had to have M-Sport Package (///M body kit, interior trim, etc.)
  • Had to have Cold Weather Package (heated front and rear seats, etc.)
  • Had to have Convenience Package (keyless entry/start, rear view camera, etc.)
  • Had to have Technology Package (heads-up display, side view cameras, etc.)
  • Had to have a heated steering wheel
  • Had to have paddle shifters
  • Had to be a 2013 (because LCI and this was the only year you could get M-Sport, heated steering wheel & paddle shifters together)
  • Couldn't be silver, bronze or brown
  • Couldn't have white or gray interior
  • Couldn't have any reported accidents
  • Mileage and location didn't matter
  • Budget was $25k after travel, taxes, registration, etc.
Eventually someone on XBimmers shared a link to a carbon black X5 at a random Ford dealership in the middle of nowhere, Missouri. They had a single-owner 2013 X5 35i that met all of my criteria. I inquired and found out that it was on consignment through the dealership. The owner of the dealership was trying to help sell his best friend's wife's car. After running the VIN, I found it also had premium sound, soft-close doors and front/rear PDC.

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I arranged a quick 3rd party inspection through LemonSquad for $200. The inspection report came back good, so I got a quote for transportation through a friend of a friend on Facebook (Tri-Logistics). $1,000 delivered to my door in an enclosed trailer? Sure. I arranged for pickup on Monday and he delivered it to my house at 11:30pm the same day! I didn't expect such a huge truck and trailer to show up at my house, I should've told him I was the guy waiting for the white Lambo :sweatsmile:

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He unloaded it and went on his way. I drove it for the first time yesterday and it's everything I was hoping it'd be. I couldn't be happier with the way it turned out.

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Now, let the modding begin!
 

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ms335i

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It's Beautiful, nice choice on options........



When will you be throwing jb4 on it? :D
 

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It's Beautiful, nice choice on options........

When will you be throwing jb4 on it? :D

Haha, unfortunately they don't make a JB4 for these E70 X5. I would MHD flash it, but this ECU (2013 year model) requires removal and bench flash. I think I'm going to do a BMS Stage 1 tuner because the installation should only take 5 minutes.

Looks great!

Thanks man!


Thanks Omar. I oddly miss my E53 in a way. Probably because I didn't care if I got a door ding, etc. Now this is the nicest car in the stable and the 135i will go full racecar.
 

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I had an E53 and Really liked the car except the oil leaks.

Mine never leaked, the previous owner replaced every seal and gasket it on it before I bought it. But it rode like crap in comparison to the E70. Very jarring.
 

fmorelli

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Why not X5 35d? They are near legendary sleepers when modded, healthy M57 community, great gas mileage, can tow your 135i as if nothing is hanging behind it. Just curious?

Filippo
 
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Why not X5 35d? They are near legendary sleepers when modded, healthy M57 community, great gas mileage, can tow your 135i as if nothing is hanging behind it. Just curious?

Filippo

I was set on the M-Sport package and they never made a 35d with M-Sport package. Not only that, but I'm more familiar with the N55 than the M57. It'll tow just fine with a Stage 1 tune. No emissions crap to worry about either. I know there are some diesel fanboys, but I have no need for a sleeper. The 1er is my toy if I want to go fast :)
 
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First round of mods have been installed!

Paint-matched reflectors were at the top of my to-do list. I ordered a pair from Modbargains for $20 less than IND, but they just come from IND anyways For some reason, I never took a picture of them as they arrived, but the finish was excellent. They use OEM reflectors and color match them in-house.

However, cars with the side cameras have a section above the reflector that remains unpainted. Not sure why, but BMW outlined this area with silver trim. I hate this silver trim, especially on a dark-colored car. It just draws your eye to a random silver square on the bumper. Nothing a little Plasti-Dip can't fix. Here's a photo before I sprayed the top section.

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Next up was the LED fog lights. I ordered this set from Amazon and the quality was perfect. Installation was super easy. The fog light grilles just pop right off giving you access to both the light and the bumper reflectors. The bumper reflectors required a heat gun to pop off.

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Before:

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After:

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The LED fog lights do trigger an error code upon startup, but I will code that out with the Carly app. More information on that to follow.

Before:

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After:

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Another gripe of mine is that a car made in 2013 still has regular halogen interior bulbs. It looks so dated. So I bought this LED interior kit from Amazon and loved the result.

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And lastly, I did the "golf-tee" muffler mod... except it's not a golf-tee at all. These N55 X5's require you to zip-tie the actuator arm open. I didn't trust a plastic zip-tie, so I used a metal one.

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I was actually very surprised when I started the car up after doing this mod. It's a lot louder, but it sounds great. Exhaust comes out of both tips and cold starts are noisy now! Best part is, it's completely reversible if you don't like it. Just remove the zip-tie.
 
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Torgus

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Looks good. I recommend doing the grills body color, LED turn signals so you lose the yellow bulb look.

What is it that you park your car on?
 

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Looks good. I recommend doing the grills body color, LED turn signals so you lose the yellow bulb look.

What is it that you park your car on?

I already have gloss black grilles on the way. LED turn signals in the future.

I'm parking on a garage containment mat. Since my garage floors aren't graded properly and I don't have any drains, any water just spreads across the garage. It's perfect to catch rain and snow.

This is what I have: https://amzn.to/2Hdy9qH
 
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Jake@MHD

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Very nice! I would recommend the one time ecu remove / bench though to be able to MHD flash. It's well worth it :)
 

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I bought and installed a set of cheap gloss black grilles. I like the look, even though the stock grilles weren't that bad.

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You also might notice that I got the front windows tinted to match the rears.

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And I also bought an ///M gear selector indicator piece. Being an M-Sport, I thought it'd match the steering wheel nicely.

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