My current project... (pics galore)

[dternst]

For the last couple of months, I only get to work on it on the weekends, I've been cleaning, restoring and replacing the interior in my 530i.

It all started out quit innocently, actually. I wanted to clean and condition the leather seats. I used a product called Leatherique (www.leatherique.com). Although it is not required to remove the seats, I wanted to be a little more thorough. With the seats removed, I determined the previous owner loved either coffee or cola. The carpet under the seats were a light brown.

As I was cleaning the carpet, it looked as if the mystery liquid had been poured all over the console. So I removed the console and cleaned the carpet underneath the console.

While I have the console removed, I decided to replace the emergency brake, nothing wrond with the hand brake except the abuse of the leather handle. I could go on and on, but you can see how all of this just snowballed.

Here are a few pictures. BTW.....no peaking. The majority of the parts are covered to reduce the amount of dust. So I'll take more pictures after the transformation.






Other upgrades:

I added the rear head reats and replaced the steering wheel last year. I've also placed the CD changer in the rear armrest.



During this transformation, I've also purchased, as a few of you already know, a set of staggered E32 "Throwing Star" Wheels. The wheels will be mounted in a week or so after the wheels arrive from TireRack.com.

This is what it looks like before I took it a part.



NOTE: To all the newbies, this forum is the reason I was able to do this on my own. This is the best forum you can belong to for any information pertaining to BMWs.

[632 Regal]

thing looks real clean inside! I admire the depth of this "clean up"

[Dan in NZ]

I can't really tell what yours are like, but I noticed my interior light lenses were slightly dirty, especially around the bulb. the rear ones come apart easily, and on the front one the lens comes out, but the back stays in. I gently scrubbed my lenses in warm soapy water with a soft brush, and they became a lot cleaner. Seems that the inside of the cover/lens gets a film on it over time.

This summer I plan on taking my seats out and cleaning the carpet too. What did you clean the carpet with? I thought one of those hot water/steam vacuum things you can hire would do the trick, I could use it on my velour seats too...

[kentish]

Cd changer installation?

Was it easy to install the cd changer to the armrest?

How did you proceed? Easy job?

email to kenvin@intnet.mu

does the changer skip in that place? I got a 540ia with lowering spring and I get some skipping problem with the changer. May be putting the changer in that place will limit the skip?


Kentish
540iA 1994

[infinity5]

I love the position of the Cd changer. thats an excellent idea! i'm still up in the air about what to do with my sound system.. i love the head unit look but i hate its sound and i hate how inaccesible the cd changer is. i was thinking of moving it to the glove box, but the wriring makes it seem like i'd need to take half the car apart.

[JonE]

Very cool idea for the CD changer. Does it work when you have 5 people in the car (the arm rest is up)? If it does, I might have to think about getting a changer...

[Kamil]

Wow, very nice.
I would consider doing this... and fix my warped front seat while I'm at it.
Did you actually remove the whole carpet?

Where did you get the rear headrests and how much were they?

[dternst]

I removed everything but the carpet. I didn't have a workspace big enough for everthing else I'd already taken out and the carpet. So I just left it in the car.

The found the headrest on eBay for $80 and purchsed the brakets from my local dealership. I think the total bill was about $140, give or take $10.

[dternst]

I believe you can set the CD changer to play in either position. I believe the switch is on the back of the unit. No issues with current configuration.

[dternst]

I have the directions available on my home computer.