Finally my remapped 535d
14 December 2011, 01:34 PM
#1
Finally my remapped 535d
I am now an owner of a BMW 535d Sport with 1 previous owner. Car is clean, not been in any accidents, and drives like new.
Was my brothers, now mine
Silver 535d 2005 fully loaded with options including memory seats, heated seats, Sat-Nav etc..
It has brand new 20” rims with Michelin pilot sport tyres
Tints & is
Remapped (costing £500) - Goes like the clappers compared to a non mapped 535d..
Question: Does anyone know if the firmware of the i-drive can be upgraded? I have seen some similar year 535's with different looking screen colors..
It is a beast in disguise.
Was my brothers, now mine
Silver 535d 2005 fully loaded with options including memory seats, heated seats, Sat-Nav etc..
It has brand new 20” rims with Michelin pilot sport tyres
Tints & is
Remapped (costing £500) - Goes like the clappers compared to a non mapped 535d..
Question: Does anyone know if the firmware of the i-drive can be upgraded? I have seen some similar year 535's with different looking screen colors..
It is a beast in disguise.
Last edited by SamUK; 14 December 2011 at 01:36 PM.
14 December 2011, 02:56 PM
#6
my brother is getting his new 2007 535d next Monday, so untill then he is keeping the car... 
My brother says he has got 500miles to a tank on the motorway if driven slowly.. i will be driving up to Scotland in two weeks so will confirm this..but not sure how slow i will be driving...lol
there are no before and after mpg comparisions, as the only thing noted was how much quicker it is over standard..
around town averages at between 17mpg and 24mpg (if driven very slowly - this is very difficult)
Would be nice to know what other people here are getting from there 535d's
My brother says he has got 500miles to a tank on the motorway if driven slowly.. i will be driving up to Scotland in two weeks so will confirm this..but not sure how slow i will be driving...lol
there are no before and after mpg comparisions, as the only thing noted was how much quicker it is over standard..
around town averages at between 17mpg and 24mpg (if driven very slowly - this is very difficult)
Would be nice to know what other people here are getting from there 535d's
14 December 2011, 03:03 PM
#7
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my brother is getting his new 2007 535d next Monday, so untill then he is keeping the car...
My brother says he has got 500miles to a tank on the motorway if driven slowly.. i will be driving up to Scotland in two weeks so will confirm this..but not sure how slow i will be driving...lol
there are no before and after mpg comparisions, as the only thing noted was how much quicker it is over standard..
around town averages at between 17mpg and 24mpg (if driven very slowly - this is very difficult)
Would be nice to know what other people here are getting from there 535d's
My brother says he has got 500miles to a tank on the motorway if driven slowly.. i will be driving up to Scotland in two weeks so will confirm this..but not sure how slow i will be driving...lol
there are no before and after mpg comparisions, as the only thing noted was how much quicker it is over standard..
around town averages at between 17mpg and 24mpg (if driven very slowly - this is very difficult)
Would be nice to know what other people here are getting from there 535d's
Wouldn't mind that power and MPG though
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14 December 2011, 10:00 PM
#12
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I know it's not a 5 series but thought the comparison would be helpful
Yeah, paddle shift but the auto is so damn good you don't ever really use it. Plant the foot and it seems to shift seamlessly all the way to the redline even when not in sport mode or manual. LOVE IT.
14 December 2011, 11:01 PM
#13
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Very Nice! Hope you enjoy it!
Has it got the comfort seats?
You can add paddle shift to it if you want, you just need an M5 steering wheel and a bit of wire to the shifter
Has it got the comfort seats?
You can add paddle shift to it if you want, you just need an M5 steering wheel and a bit of wire to the shifter
15 December 2011, 09:23 AM
#16
I was actually looking for your other post where you said that!
i have found a M5 wheel from a 2005 with the paddles attached. So am buying this. This should fit styarigh on, all i have to do is attach some wires to the gear lever...? Any idea who i can get this confirmed from?
on the later cars, where the gearbox \ engines were changed 2008 onwards its little more tricky.
15 December 2011, 09:27 AM
#17
I know it's not a 5 series but thought the comparison would be helpful
Yeah, paddle shift but the auto is so damn good you don't ever really use it. Plant the foot and it seems to shift seamlessly all the way to the redline even when not in sport mode or manual. LOVE IT.
Yeah, paddle shift but the auto is so damn good you don't ever really use it. Plant the foot and it seems to shift seamlessly all the way to the redline even when not in sport mode or manual. LOVE IT.
The older cars pre 2008, the gear changes were little slow, and sometimes it does not drop two gears when you put your foot down when already moving..
so paddle shift just allows you to change quicker down 2..
You remapped yours? my brothers picking up his new 535d next week and is getting it remapped on the way home..so if you want to get yours done he can get a discount..
15 December 2011, 09:31 AM
#19
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15 December 2011, 10:28 AM
#22
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Yes, it should still apply as it is the same shifter, you should be able to unplug the plug and test the switch with a multimeter. the steering wheel doesn't connect to the ecu, so that cheap wheel you have found will be ok
05 February 2012, 10:18 PM
#23
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Sport seats, not sure if they are comfort or not..but are firm and nice to be in..
I was actually looking for your other post where you said that!
i have found a M5 wheel from a 2005 with the paddles attached. So am buying this. This should fit styarigh on, all i have to do is attach some wires to the gear lever...? Any idea who i can get this confirmed from?
on the later cars, where the gearbox \ engines were changed 2008 onwards its little more tricky.
I was actually looking for your other post where you said that!
i have found a M5 wheel from a 2005 with the paddles attached. So am buying this. This should fit styarigh on, all i have to do is attach some wires to the gear lever...? Any idea who i can get this confirmed from?
on the later cars, where the gearbox \ engines were changed 2008 onwards its little more tricky.
You need to find out exactly when in 2005 your car was manufactured, not registered, because 09/05 was a change over point. If its pre Sept 05 like mine the following applies. Although I bought mine as a complete kit including reupholstered M5 wheel, wiring loom, slip ring etc.
You will need a small loom that connects into the paddles and a new slip ring that this loom plugs into. Then two wires have to be soldered to the static side of the slip ring and threaded down the steering column and to the gear shift area where it is linked to the wiring there.
If its Post Sept 05 its easier to do and doesn't require a new slip ring because there are a couple of unused connections already there, unless you have heated steering wheel, then you're bolloxed.
This pic shows the difference between the two. Generally if you have push button start you have post Sept 05
PM me if you need any more info as I have loads of useful links.
Anyway, here's mine. I've got a new air bag emblem coming.
07 February 2012, 09:19 PM
#24
Was considering stuff like this and I love the idea, couple of things I wondered are, wouldnt you ever get in it just to go for a drive and do you have to be going really quickly to appreciate it, I kind of ruled it out as I only do 2000 a year, might go for one when we change the Galaxy as we don't need an MPV any more but still need a biggish car.
08 February 2012, 10:45 AM
#26
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Cheers. The guy I bought it off had just had it reupholstered by a guy Called Jack who it seem has a very good reputation on quite a few forums. It's slightly thicker and softer and feels better than it was oem and far better than my standard wheel.
08 February 2012, 11:22 AM
#27
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Was considering stuff like this and I love the idea, couple of things I wondered are, wouldnt you ever get in it just to go for a drive and do you have to be going really quickly to appreciate it, I kind of ruled it out as I only do 2000 a year, might go for one when we change the Galaxy as we don't need an MPV any more but still need a biggish car.
The 535d doesn't have that surge of power 'feel' but it does feel almost as fast in that max torque is there from about 2000revs and is there all the way though the range. If you put your foot down - and I don't mean floor it - from a standing start you just get this massive glug of power that's never ending. The first time my Mrs went in it she said "oh my god, this is worse than that other bloody thing". I have a friend who is an engine builder and flows heads for a living and specialises in fairly big power builds for GTR's. He hates BMW's but loves this. Every time he's been in it he never stops commenting how nice it is and how much useable power is there as standard.
As an all rounder I love it. Good mpg, 40+ on the motorway driving briskly and high 20's low 30's around town. On the motorway it does 90mph at just over 2k revs, if you need to accelerate, it will. It will kick down a gear and accelerate hard or it will kick down two gears and fly and still not be revving the nuts off it. And the best thing is there's no drama, it just does it all effortlessly. The ride is comfortable and there are quite a few nice toys xenons, heated seats etc.
It's not an M5 or GT3 or Porsche Turbo but it is a great all round family car.
The paddle steering wheel just makes it a bit more fun if you want.
What do you reckon, what is your criteria?
08 February 2012, 12:27 PM
#28
Good write up, I do like the idea of these and I guess it will be loads more fun than the Galaxy was just kind of wondering whether I will end up going everywhere faster than I probably should, getting addicted to that torque and aquiring points as they must be difficult to keep at sensible speeds, the other option is perhaps an A6 3.0, my father in law has one and am thinking that might be an option if he comes to change.
was just kind of wondering whether I will end up going everywhere faster than I probably should, getting addicted to that torque and aquiring points as they must be difficult to keep at sensible speeds, the other option is perhaps an A6 3.0, my father in law has one and am thinking that might be an option if he comes to change.
08 February 2012, 04:45 PM
#29
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Good write up, I do like the idea of these and I guess it will be loads more fun than the Galaxy was just kind of wondering whether I will end up going everywhere faster than I probably should, getting addicted to that torque and aquiring points as they must be difficult to keep at sensible speeds, the other option is perhaps an A6 3.0, my father in law has one and am thinking that might be an option if he comes to change.
was just kind of wondering whether I will end up going everywhere faster than I probably should, getting addicted to that torque and aquiring points as they must be difficult to keep at sensible speeds, the other option is perhaps an A6 3.0, my father in law has one and am thinking that might be an option if he comes to change.
08 February 2012, 05:12 PM
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J4CKO I'm not sure if your question was aimed at me but I'll give you my thoughts. I had an R33 GTR running 430 bhp before this and it was quite brutal, accelerating to stupid speeds 160+. The 4 wheel drive system was very good too. Problems were really about ride comfort, 12 mpg and struggling to get good local servicing.
The 535d doesn't have that surge of power 'feel' but it does feel almost as fast in that max torque is there from about 2000revs and is there all the way though the range. If you put your foot down - and I don't mean floor it - from a standing start you just get this massive glug of power that's never ending. The first time my Mrs went in it she said "oh my god, this is worse than that other bloody thing". I have a friend who is an engine builder and flows heads for a living and specialises in fairly big power builds for GTR's. He hates BMW's but loves this. Every time he's been in it he never stops commenting how nice it is and how much useable power is there as standard.
As an all rounder I love it. Good mpg, 40+ on the motorway driving briskly and high 20's low 30's around town. On the motorway it does 90mph at just over 2k revs, if you need to accelerate, it will. It will kick down a gear and accelerate hard or it will kick down two gears and fly and still not be revving the nuts off it. And the best thing is there's no drama, it just does it all effortlessly. The ride is comfortable and there are quite a few nice toys xenons, heated seats etc.
It's not an M5 or GT3 or Porsche Turbo but it is a great all round family car.
The paddle steering wheel just makes it a bit more fun if you want.
What do you reckon, what is your criteria?
The 535d doesn't have that surge of power 'feel' but it does feel almost as fast in that max torque is there from about 2000revs and is there all the way though the range. If you put your foot down - and I don't mean floor it - from a standing start you just get this massive glug of power that's never ending. The first time my Mrs went in it she said "oh my god, this is worse than that other bloody thing". I have a friend who is an engine builder and flows heads for a living and specialises in fairly big power builds for GTR's. He hates BMW's but loves this. Every time he's been in it he never stops commenting how nice it is and how much useable power is there as standard.
As an all rounder I love it. Good mpg, 40+ on the motorway driving briskly and high 20's low 30's around town. On the motorway it does 90mph at just over 2k revs, if you need to accelerate, it will. It will kick down a gear and accelerate hard or it will kick down two gears and fly and still not be revving the nuts off it. And the best thing is there's no drama, it just does it all effortlessly. The ride is comfortable and there are quite a few nice toys xenons, heated seats etc.
It's not an M5 or GT3 or Porsche Turbo but it is a great all round family car.
The paddle steering wheel just makes it a bit more fun if you want.
What do you reckon, what is your criteria?
It was Clarkson testing a then new (2004/5) BMW 535d and being fairly impressed with it. He then started comparing it with the petrol 545i and his enthusiasm seemed to swing more towards the petrol.
A race around the track saw the 545i easily nail the 535d.
This really surprised me as from things i read and heard, i thought it would have been the other way around!
I know those 545i are really cheap now, so are they that much worse in economy?