Singapore grey 2016 M5
Discussion
Some of you may have seen my previous thread about my suzuka grey B8 RS4 avant.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
My time with that car has come to an end and I've replaced it with a 2016 M5 in singapore grey. The M5 was on 25500 miles when I bought it and is pretty decently spec'd with bang and olufsen, upgraded merino leather in silverstone, heated rear seats and many other bits.
Here are a couple of pictures from just before I collected it:
The car was advertised as having a stage 1 remap, it drives lovely and felt pretty quick.
A quick snap from the journey home:
The car had a few fairly naff bits IMO stuck onto it, it had carbon sideskirts front splitter and wing mirror caps. The mirror caps were stick on jobbys and were a bit sun damaged so I whipped them off, the front splitter looked OK but was cheap carbon effect so I've removed that and the ground clearance is much better now and the side skirts were actually decent quality but I'm just not sure I liked them.
After removing all the add ons:
Oh it also had a competition badge on the back that I've removed as it isn't a comp pack car.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
My time with that car has come to an end and I've replaced it with a 2016 M5 in singapore grey. The M5 was on 25500 miles when I bought it and is pretty decently spec'd with bang and olufsen, upgraded merino leather in silverstone, heated rear seats and many other bits.
Here are a couple of pictures from just before I collected it:
The car was advertised as having a stage 1 remap, it drives lovely and felt pretty quick.
A quick snap from the journey home:
The car had a few fairly naff bits IMO stuck onto it, it had carbon sideskirts front splitter and wing mirror caps. The mirror caps were stick on jobbys and were a bit sun damaged so I whipped them off, the front splitter looked OK but was cheap carbon effect so I've removed that and the ground clearance is much better now and the side skirts were actually decent quality but I'm just not sure I liked them.
After removing all the add ons:
Oh it also had a competition badge on the back that I've removed as it isn't a comp pack car.
All was going relatively smoothly and I was enjoying the cars mix of luxury and smoothness with the brutal pace and tail happy nature of the drive when you're pressing on a bit.... Then I found that the rear passenger foot well was a bit wet. I did some research and found out that the vapour barriers on the rear doors were prone to having the butyl tape failing and could let water in!
I removed both rear doors and sealed them back up where the barriers had indeed peeled away in the bottom corners causing water to leak in slightly.
I assumed this meant it was all good and continued enjoying the car for a little while... However when I next checked the carpet I found it to be wet again, I proved this wasn't from the vapour barriers and did some research which pointed to a failure of the 'yellow grommet'. This is a grommet that's fitted in the bulk head to cap off where the steering column would go on a LHD car... It's frankly one of the s
ttest solutions to this issue that I have seen! It's basically a push in plastic cap with a rubber seal to prevent water ingress, the windscreen drain soaks away to the area where this is and if the little drain for that blocks it basically makes a little pond that over many years ends up leaking in through the grommet to the front passenger foot well and then running under the carpet to the rear passenger one!
I hadn't heard of this but it's seemingly common on all F10 series cars and a quick youtube search shows many cases and the way to fix it. The unfortunate thing being that the M5 having such a big engine means you can't fix It the same way as on smaller engined variants. I basically ended up ordering a new seal and replacing it all from inside the car, I've managed to unblock the drain that causes water to build up and also replace the seal.
As you can see from the picture there's a water mark and the lip seal had perished and crumbled away allowing it to leak in, it was a real pig to replace but once I was happy it was in correctly I also OTT sealed the grommet up to hopefully prevent this being an issue going forward!
Now it's all sealed I have begun the process of drying it out, I bought. Wet vac at screwifx and hoovered up any water I could and then hoovered the carpet to suck out as much as I could and now I just keep fitting little dehumidifier bags which seem to be doing a good job as its now all dry and I'm just getting the remaining humidity out!
I removed both rear doors and sealed them back up where the barriers had indeed peeled away in the bottom corners causing water to leak in slightly.
I assumed this meant it was all good and continued enjoying the car for a little while... However when I next checked the carpet I found it to be wet again, I proved this wasn't from the vapour barriers and did some research which pointed to a failure of the 'yellow grommet'. This is a grommet that's fitted in the bulk head to cap off where the steering column would go on a LHD car... It's frankly one of the s
ttest solutions to this issue that I have seen! It's basically a push in plastic cap with a rubber seal to prevent water ingress, the windscreen drain soaks away to the area where this is and if the little drain for that blocks it basically makes a little pond that over many years ends up leaking in through the grommet to the front passenger foot well and then running under the carpet to the rear passenger one! I hadn't heard of this but it's seemingly common on all F10 series cars and a quick youtube search shows many cases and the way to fix it. The unfortunate thing being that the M5 having such a big engine means you can't fix It the same way as on smaller engined variants. I basically ended up ordering a new seal and replacing it all from inside the car, I've managed to unblock the drain that causes water to build up and also replace the seal.
As you can see from the picture there's a water mark and the lip seal had perished and crumbled away allowing it to leak in, it was a real pig to replace but once I was happy it was in correctly I also OTT sealed the grommet up to hopefully prevent this being an issue going forward!
Now it's all sealed I have begun the process of drying it out, I bought. Wet vac at screwifx and hoovered up any water I could and then hoovered the carpet to suck out as much as I could and now I just keep fitting little dehumidifier bags which seem to be doing a good job as its now all dry and I'm just getting the remaining humidity out!
Hopefully on to some more positive points now and actually enjoying the car! I checked a couple of things on dragy and the car was performing like standard, this caused me a dilemma... It was supposed to be remapped but was behaving like it wasn't, was the car just on a really bad stage 1 map? Was this map safe? Had the car just been returned to standard? So I thought the best course of action would probably be to have the car remapped by someone trustworthy so that I know whag I'm dealing with. I did some research and decided to either get an Evolve remap or a Velocity performance one, in the end I settled on the velocity performance remap which was a VT700 file which should give around 700hp and 590lbft... The car now behaves like a tuned car and actually drives a lot nicer at low / maneuvering speeds as I think the throttle map is just a lot better than the one that was on the car!
I've also now managed to fit my number plate and also a cheeky little pistonheads smiley.
Hopefully I can get some confidence that the car will stay dry and I can start to enjoy it!
I have already noticed the car is about the most tail happy thing that I've ever driven.. The standard traction control is very scared and interrupts all the time! On M dynamic mode (MDM) the traction control is so much better but you do have to be careful as I am pretty sure it will give you enough rope to hang yourself!
Also remembered that I also removed these vinyls
I've also now managed to fit my number plate and also a cheeky little pistonheads smiley.
Hopefully I can get some confidence that the car will stay dry and I can start to enjoy it!
I have already noticed the car is about the most tail happy thing that I've ever driven.. The standard traction control is very scared and interrupts all the time! On M dynamic mode (MDM) the traction control is so much better but you do have to be careful as I am pretty sure it will give you enough rope to hang yourself!
Also remembered that I also removed these vinyls
That looks a fantastic car; sods law re the fabled yellow grommet, but you've got it sorted 
It was a sod to sort on my FiL's F10 530D; really struggled to get my hands down to it but got there in the end...
I love the alloys on your M5; they'd look superb in silver against the cars paintwork...
It was a sod to sort on my FiL's F10 530D; really struggled to get my hands down to it but got there in the end...
I love the alloys on your M5; they'd look superb in silver against the cars paintwork...
Carlos24 said:
The car was advertised as having a stage 1 remap, it drives lovely and felt pretty quick.
Having driven a few standard and mapped M5s, I feels that is an small understatement 
I love an M car, my brother chasing me up the autobahn last year in his was a highlight of my trip. They're big old cars but for those kind of drives it was great. Yours looks much better for the tat being removed too.
Cheers for the replies chaps, I am falling pretty deeply in love with the car despite its moistness! The garage are paying me for the bits to fix it etc. And I suspect they genuinely didn't know as it was stored inside and I didn't spot it on my look around... To be fair I don't think of modern ish cars leaking though!
You're right I did massively understate the speed with it being absolutely ballistic in reality especially now it's running the velocity tuning map, they suggest 700hp ish and 590lbft which feels entirely believable... It's basically as quick as my old E63 was.
The gearbox is brilliant when rolling, it feels a bit dim witted when setting off and maneuvering. The engine sounds good but it's very quiet inside the car at least... The way it gathers speed in 3rd and 4th is insane but fun I can see myself tinkering with it in the future but for now I just need to sort apple carplay fitment i think, as good as the idrive is it's not as east as carplay. If anyone has any recommendations they would be greatly received :-)
Need to decide whether to replace these as well
You're right I did massively understate the speed with it being absolutely ballistic in reality especially now it's running the velocity tuning map, they suggest 700hp ish and 590lbft which feels entirely believable... It's basically as quick as my old E63 was.
The gearbox is brilliant when rolling, it feels a bit dim witted when setting off and maneuvering. The engine sounds good but it's very quiet inside the car at least... The way it gathers speed in 3rd and 4th is insane but fun I can see myself tinkering with it in the future but for now I just need to sort apple carplay fitment i think, as good as the idrive is it's not as east as carplay. If anyone has any recommendations they would be greatly received :-)
Need to decide whether to replace these as well
macron said:
You have had some nice cars!
Curious plates though!
Cheers, if you mean the shape of these ones it's because I swapped my plate on and then realised I didn't have any normal ones in the garage so had to use these ones as they were all I've got... I've got some normal ones in the post Curious plates though!
Stunning car, this is definitely one car I’d love to buy in the future.
For CarPlay, you probably have NBT Evo ID4. This can be flashed to ID6 with CarPlay but it can crash on long journeys which becomes annoying.
Alternatively, you can buy a NBTevo id5 unit and flash that to id6 and get CarPlay.
Parts are between £250-£350 and about £150 to code. Easily done in a few hours.
For CarPlay, you probably have NBT Evo ID4. This can be flashed to ID6 with CarPlay but it can crash on long journeys which becomes annoying.
Alternatively, you can buy a NBTevo id5 unit and flash that to id6 and get CarPlay.
Parts are between £250-£350 and about £150 to code. Easily done in a few hours.
adilkhalifa said:
Stunning car, this is definitely one car I d love to buy in the future.
For CarPlay, you probably have NBT Evo ID4. This can be flashed to ID6 with CarPlay but it can crash on long journeys which becomes annoying.
Alternatively, you can buy a NBTevo id5 unit and flash that to id6 and get CarPlay.
Parts are between £250-£350 and about £150 to code. Easily done in a few hours.
Thanks for the info, I just have the NBT and not evo so it's looking like a separate MMI box or screen replacement I guess? The replacement EVO stuff looks to be fairly expensive as an upgrade from what I've seen For CarPlay, you probably have NBT Evo ID4. This can be flashed to ID6 with CarPlay but it can crash on long journeys which becomes annoying.
Alternatively, you can buy a NBTevo id5 unit and flash that to id6 and get CarPlay.
Parts are between £250-£350 and about £150 to code. Easily done in a few hours.
If you have got the iDrive touch controller, which you should have since it's an LCI, you have got NBT Evo with iDrive 4 (ID4).
I am not sure if the F10 had ever received the updated telematics module which shall support 4G, but either way, it is possible to do an OEM CarPlay retrofit.
I've had the easier OEM retrofit done on my F80 M3 from 2016.
They fitted a WiFi antenna, flashed it to NBT Evo iDrive ID6 'Lite' software so it looks a few years younger (preferred the old ID4 layout but whatever). It all works fine and if using just CarPlay, no rebooting. They tend to reboot themselves when using BMW sat nav because ID5 and ID6 ran on more powerful hardware aka head unit with 4 gigs of RAM instead of just 2 GB. In late 2017 or early 2018, the screen became a touchscreen actually.
Actual proper retrofit from ID4 to ID6 is not that complicated provided you do not desire to have BMW ConnectedServices and Remote Services to use the My BMW app - you can just swap the head unit for a newer one, install the WiFi antenna and flash/code. I have seen people retrofit OEM touchscreen as well, but it one runs on a different voltage so that needs sorting.
I love the F10 M5, it's been my obsession for a couple months now. Nostalgia kicking in. It's a beautiful design. The F90 is an overall better car, yes, but the F10 in, preferably, Monte Carlo Blue is perfection to me.
Beware of rod bearings and bent rods
I'd give the gearbox and diff new fluids, too, and make sure to change the engine oil very often.
I am not sure if the F10 had ever received the updated telematics module which shall support 4G, but either way, it is possible to do an OEM CarPlay retrofit.
I've had the easier OEM retrofit done on my F80 M3 from 2016.
They fitted a WiFi antenna, flashed it to NBT Evo iDrive ID6 'Lite' software so it looks a few years younger (preferred the old ID4 layout but whatever). It all works fine and if using just CarPlay, no rebooting. They tend to reboot themselves when using BMW sat nav because ID5 and ID6 ran on more powerful hardware aka head unit with 4 gigs of RAM instead of just 2 GB. In late 2017 or early 2018, the screen became a touchscreen actually.
Actual proper retrofit from ID4 to ID6 is not that complicated provided you do not desire to have BMW ConnectedServices and Remote Services to use the My BMW app - you can just swap the head unit for a newer one, install the WiFi antenna and flash/code. I have seen people retrofit OEM touchscreen as well, but it one runs on a different voltage so that needs sorting.
I love the F10 M5, it's been my obsession for a couple months now. Nostalgia kicking in. It's a beautiful design. The F90 is an overall better car, yes, but the F10 in, preferably, Monte Carlo Blue is perfection to me.
Beware of rod bearings and bent rods
I'd give the gearbox and diff new fluids, too, and make sure to change the engine oil very often. Edited by jackcactii on Sunday 23 November 19:55
jackcactii said:
If you have got the iDrive touch controller, which you should have since it's an LCI, you have got NBT Evo with iDrive 4 (ID4).
I am not sure if the F10 had ever received the updated telematics module which shall support 4G, but either way, it is possible to do an OEM CarPlay retrofit.
I've had the easier OEM retrofit done on my F80 M3 from 2016.
They fitted a WiFi antenna, flashed it to NBT Evo iDrive ID6 'Lite' software so it looks a few years younger (preferred the old ID4 layout but whatever). It all works fine and if using just CarPlay, no rebooting. They tend to reboot themselves when using BMW sat nav because ID5 and ID6 ran on more powerful hardware aka head unit with 4 gigs of RAM instead of just 2 GB. In late 2017 or early 2018, the screen became a touchscreen actually.
Actual proper retrofit from ID4 to ID6 is not that complicated provided you do not desire to have BMW ConnectedServices and Remote Services to use the My BMW app - you can just swap the head unit for a newer one, install the WiFi antenna and flash/code. I have seen people retrofit OEM touchscreen as well, but it one runs on a different voltage so that needs sorting.
I love the F10 M5, it's been my obsession for a couple months now. Nostalgia kicking in. It's a beautiful design. The F90 is an overall better car, yes, but the F10 in, preferably, Monte Carlo Blue is perfection to me.
Beware of rod bearings and bent rods I'd give the gearbox and diff new fluids, too, and make sure to change the engine oil very often.
Excellent info!! I intend to overdo the oil servicing to be fair so fingers crossed it's a good one! I am not sure if the F10 had ever received the updated telematics module which shall support 4G, but either way, it is possible to do an OEM CarPlay retrofit.
I've had the easier OEM retrofit done on my F80 M3 from 2016.
They fitted a WiFi antenna, flashed it to NBT Evo iDrive ID6 'Lite' software so it looks a few years younger (preferred the old ID4 layout but whatever). It all works fine and if using just CarPlay, no rebooting. They tend to reboot themselves when using BMW sat nav because ID5 and ID6 ran on more powerful hardware aka head unit with 4 gigs of RAM instead of just 2 GB. In late 2017 or early 2018, the screen became a touchscreen actually.
Actual proper retrofit from ID4 to ID6 is not that complicated provided you do not desire to have BMW ConnectedServices and Remote Services to use the My BMW app - you can just swap the head unit for a newer one, install the WiFi antenna and flash/code. I have seen people retrofit OEM touchscreen as well, but it one runs on a different voltage so that needs sorting.
I love the F10 M5, it's been my obsession for a couple months now. Nostalgia kicking in. It's a beautiful design. The F90 is an overall better car, yes, but the F10 in, preferably, Monte Carlo Blue is perfection to me.
Beware of rod bearings and bent rods
I'd give the gearbox and diff new fluids, too, and make sure to change the engine oil very often. Edited by jackcactii on Sunday 23 November 19:55
Nice choice on the colour. Singapore Grey and Sakhir Orange are the best colours for these.
Carlos24 said:
You're right I did massively understate the speed with it being absolutely ballistic in reality especially now it's running the velocity tuning map, they suggest 700hp ish and 590lbft which feels entirely believable... It's basically as quick as my old E63 was.
How much power did your E63 have? I've always understood that pound for pound, the M5 performs better than the E63 at the same power level.Carlos24 said:
I'd stick these in the bin / set them on fire. I'd replace with standard LEDs personally.Edited by TheAngryDog on Monday 24th November 11:35
TheAngryDog said:
I'd stick these in the bin / set them on fire. I'd replace with standard LEDs personally.
Agreed - a smart car already improved by your removing the tacky additions. Those lights also belong in the bin.Edited by TheAngryDog on Monday 24th November 11:35
Less is more!
TheAngryDog said:
I'd stick these in the bin / set them on fire. I'd replace with standard LEDs personally.
Cheers the colour really pops in the sun, the E63 did 756hp and 900lbft at it's most powerful. I would say the BMW probably is about as quick as it was now and that's with just a remap... The gearbox is a big part of that I would say as the DCT is rapid compared to the MCT in the Merc. They make power in different ways as well with the M5 being a lot more linear and revvy and the Merc being a lot gruntier and more diesel like in its power delivery. The M5 is very deceptive when you check you're usually going much quicker than you would have guessed you were! Edited by TheAngryDog on Monday 24th November 11:35
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