[Turbanator]

can i retro fit the new steering wheels with the paddle shift for this??

OEM wheels are available but VIN dependent, when you visit dealership next time speak to parts manager, accessories guy may not be of much help.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by lancer_maniac

Sorry if this post is not in the right group .Didn't find any official 520d 2011 models threads .Mods if Im wrong please change it to the official 520 thread.Just wanted to ask specifically some doubts to BMW owners.

One is if that if Ambient light is there like in the new models for 2011 model (December) 520d.Got it for a good price and the car itself was in excellent condition.

Hope i made a good decision.So can 520d owners throw some light for the same as i found only 525d and 530d as official threads.i did not see sports mode also which is there even in my Polo GT .So just wanted to know which all things is missing in the 520d compared to 525 and 530.Because this was a fast deal and unexpected i did not research much about the 520d which i usually do that for all cars i buy.

Also can i retro fit the new steering wheels with the paddle shift for this?? And sorry for the long post.

Ambient light is not there like the new models. Its much darker and you don't get to switch colours.

Sports mode is when you flick the gear lever to the left. Unfortunately yours doesn't seem to have the drive experience control which lets you switch between comfort and eco and sports mode, that was added in 2012 in the 520d.

New steering wheels with paddle shift can be added, as can the full digital instrument cluster. Even the drive experience control I believe is not to difficult.

Originally Posted by abhiram7912

About the steering wheel with paddles, VAGTUNE (vagtune.in) has a sport steering wheel with paddles listed on its website for ~ 96,000rs. Contact them to see if it's possible.

That steering seems to be listed without an airbag, so do check if your existing airbag will be compatible.

[lancer_maniac]

Originally Posted by abhiram7912

I just bought a 2011 525d
Congrats on that Bro.Thats one hell of a machine.For me as the deal happened fast i did not have time to check out any used 525 or 530 in the Market,even though there are very few in the used market today.

About the steering wheel with paddles, VAGTUNE (vagtune.in) has a sport steering wheel with paddles listed on its website for ~ 96,000rs. Contact them to see if it's possible.

I thought only volkswagen parts are available in vagtunes. Anyway will check out

Originally Posted by androdev

Having bought it, think positive and enjoy it It is a great car. I don't think there are any known reliability issues with this car. Also because of the condition based servicing, it will be relatively cheaper to own if your usage is moderate.

There is no ambient lighting.

Looks like you have a Polo TSI.

520D has sports mode, you just have to nudge the gear shift lever towards the passenger side to put in sports and then you can push it back and forth to row into manual mode.

New steering wheel: get it if you like the looks. 520D steering wheel looks cheap (relatively). Don't get it for paddle shifts, they are no fun on diesel cars (just my opinion) and definitely not on this 2L. If you need sudden power boost to overtake, just use kick down.

Overall I think 5 series (for the highway) and Polo TSI (for the city) is a fantastic combo to have.

yes Bro i have a polo TSI only. The sports mode you explained is exactly how you drive the Tsi in the manual mode (Please correct me if i am wrong).But i have seen sports and Eco buttons near the parking button on newer models hence the query.

My usage is Low as i work from home.So hopefully i hope maintenance cost will be less.

About the steering its exactly for the bulky look of the new steering i was interested more than paddle shifts. I like bulky steerings

Compared to that as you told the older models look Cheap .That was exactly what my thought too

[lancer_maniac]

Originally Posted by Akshay1234

Ambient light is not there like the new models. Its much darker and you don't get to switch colours.

U mean to say a single colour ambiente light is there in 520d..mine is 2011 dec make..registered in 2012

[lancer_maniac]

Hi Androdev,

Just a query regarding my 520d (F10).I know i have been hijacking your thread often la.Its just that yours and GTO's thread (though its 530d)is what made me buy a pre-worshiped BMW.Had checked out many 530's (Currently settled in Calicut )but i find it rare in the used market and the one available were out of my budget.

The doubt I have is as follows

1.How much will a M.sport wheel with paddle (Or any other Beemer with paddle shifts ) come to ? Also can we retrofit the paddles alone in my current wheel?

2.I Lost the second key and checked with BMW and they told it new one will put me back by around 35k.

I now it wont be possible(AFAIK)to make one for the BMW as it come with a coded Chip and also the Immobiliser.But still wanted to check out or can i buy aftermarket Shell and give to Service centre which i suppose will reduce the price from 35k (Just my thought ) But then i believe it is highly not possible as the service centre doesn't do the coding in aftermarket shells, for the price quoted is which i guess is for both the key fob and the chip and they don't replace the chips alone .(Again my assumptions) Pls correct me if Im wrong there.

3.Also do you have any idea if i remap it how much BHP and Torque boost we can expect from my 520d(2011 F10).Will love to read your views on this and do you recommend any particular tuners. My Car is out of warranty so i guess i can carry on with these mods especially the remap.

4.The other day found that the bezel for the front AC losing its coating when i took it off for cleaning ,Culprit being my air fresher which is mounted upon the front AC vents.Underneath that freshener space only the coating went off.So did not notice as i have never removed the fresher till yesterday, which i did for interior cleaning . Is it just a one off issue or any other Beemer owners also faced the same issue after having a air freshener mounted on the AC , in my case that freshener was used maximum of 2 weeks.The same Was used in my previous Car ,Cruze which did not face have a issue despite it was used for close to 3 years.

[Turbanator]

1.How much will a M.sport wheel with paddle (Or any other Beemer with paddle shifts ) come to ? Also can we retrofit the paddles alone in my current wheel?

Should be VIN dependent. You can check with your Dealership if something fits. Non-OE options are there and some guys have used, details on some other threads if I am not mistaken.

Also do you have any idea if i remap it how much BHP and Torque boost we can expect from my 520d

Best is to avoid, I had some bad experience with RaceChip, there were some rail pressure faults.

My Car is out of warranty

Try to get an extended warranty

being my air fresher which is mounted upon the front AC vents

Can you share a photograph?

[androdev]

Originally Posted by lancer_maniac

1.How much will a M.sport wheel with paddle...

I would say skip the paddles, hardly worth the trouble for this 2.0L engine. If you get a better looking steering wheel, then it might be OK to get it just for the looks.

2.I Lost the second key and checked with BMW and they told it new one will put me back by around 35k.

Wow 35K is steep even by BMW standards. I wonder what the newer fancy BMW keys will cost to replace! I don't think dealer will entertain any jugaad. You can check if the dealer can replace it without the mechanical key - that should work out a bit cheaper. Maybe you can live without 2nd key - I have never used mine.

3. ...remap ...

Don't throw good money on paddles, remap, etc. on 2L engine, you may not like the RoI. Think of other projects to get some kicks (maybe heads up display?). I would say 520d is still a great driver's car when you consider the price and ease of availability. It has enough grunt, eagerness, great gearbox, drama-loving brakes and the part I like the most, the steering - it tracks as if it is a train.

4. ..bezel for the front AC losing its coating...

The letters on my start-stop button partially wore off within first year if I remember correctly, so I am not surprised to hear this.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by androdev

Don't throw good money on paddles, remap, etc. on 2L engine, you may not like the RoI. Think of other projects to get some kicks (maybe heads up display?). I would say 520d is still a great driver's car when you consider the price and ease of availability. It has enough grunt, eagerness, great gearbox, drama-loving brakes and the part I like the most, the steering - it tracks as if it is a train.

I have to disagree with you here. When you already have the car, why not make it to its full potential. The 2l engine with a remap actually becomes more silent (loses the idle clatter), and feels much much better to drive. Paddles arguably don't make sense on a diesel, but that is subjective. The M steering which is smaller in diameter and softer to hold just makes the full drive feel more sporty since that is what you always are holding. Have done both on my 320d, and had multiple friends do the same on their 5s too.

Just my 2 cents.

[lancer_maniac]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

Can you share a photograph?

Does anybody know the price of the New AC Bezel? The Vents are ok after cleaning but the bezel has to be replaced as the coating has come off.

[Turbanator]

The Vents are ok after cleaning but the bezel has to be replaced

Yes, looks you will need to replace but you can always fix another perfume kit, won't look out of place. Not worth the hassle of changing in my opinion.

[lancer_maniac]

Turbanator, You have a good point there of covering the damaged area with a new freshner. But the thing is both AC vents coating is gone (Passenger side as well as driver side).I By mistakenly had used my other car's (Polo GT TSI) freshner (Same Brand) in the passenger side for some days.

But i have never faced a issue like this from my old cars where in i usually use use the same brand freshner's .I had owned around 8 cars before this and none have faced this issue.It baffles me how come a car like BMW which falls under luxury category use substandard parts like this (Atleast for the AC Bezel) Even My GT has better quality Ac Bezels when compared to my beamer

[Turbanator]

car like BMW which falls under luxury category use substandard parts like this

Can you recheck if there is any a thin plastic wrap covering which has got removed? The second layer is shinning and looks better than surrounding one for some reasons. Otherwise, I can think of excessive heat as one of the reasons of this going soft and then got damaged when you put that perfume. Not as substandard but a material that is probably not suitable for hot weather. Try if the dealership can file a goodwill warranty claim on your behalf. I could convince BMW Last Year to change leather on Driver Seats on my 6-Year-old X6 which had got little lose. But things may be different now after the change in management going by my recent interactions. Even though MNC's are hiring Indians at the vital positions, somehow I am not very happy, as they say, old habits die hard even with overseas experience but that's a topic for another day. Try your luck

[ajmat]

BMW trim parts are pathetic. I remember the steering boss of my cousins X5 in the UK peeling away

[lancer_maniac]

Originally Posted by androdev

Don't throw good money on paddles, remap, etc. on 2L engine, you may not like the RoI. Think of other projects to get some kicks (maybe heads up display?)

HUD is one Good feature to have. But then can we retrofit the OEM HUD which comes for Top models like the 530d to the 520d?
Also are these aftermarket ones good? (Personally don't feel like going for it)

[Turbanator]

But then can we retrofit the OEM HUD which comes for Top models like the 530d to the 520d?

No, too difficult, even the front windshield is special for OEM- HUD