Ugrade #5: CHROME TRUNK STRIP

I purchased a chrome strip from ebay. I was happy to see that my chrome strip was a BMW OE part. Notice the adhesive backing. This means no drilling and screwing up the trunk lid - good news for me!

Make sure to measure correctly for proper centering. See the great results below...

Rear left angle - what a beauty!

Ugrade #6: '98 BMW OE ANTENNA

In one of my many inquires on the E38 Message Board, I asked about a low profile antenna. One fellow E38'r - Trey - emailed me that he might still have his low profile antenna. Trey had upgraded his antenna, but had the original in his "spare parts" box. We arranged a deal, and Trey mailed me the antenna on September 30th.

Here's my OE '96 antenna - a bit tall, don't you think?...

And here's the OE '98 antenna that I bought from Trey...

Ugrade #7: FRONT CLEAR CORNERS AND LESSONS LEARNED

Below you will see a pic of some aftermarket (made in China) clear front turn lenses.

They look good enough, but I learned a good lesson about OEM parts. These wonderful imposters don't fit! They left a nice half inch gap between the fender the lens on the curve. Boy was I pissed! Got on the E38 board to immediately vent and get the best price on OEM clear corners.

I ended up purchasing both the clear corners and side markers from Joe@Crevier BMW in Santa Ana, CA. Joe worked a deal for me and I received my stuff within a week.

Here are the OEM clears...

And here is a great comparison pic of the OEM's (on top) and the Aftermarket garbage (on the bottom). Notice the difference in shape/length of the curved part of the OEM vs. the Aftermarket. See what I mean? The aftermarket lenses are more stubby and slightly shorter in length. You can imagine the gap the aftermarkets left...Buy OEM!

The OEM lenses come with amber bulbs and wiring harness included. NOTE: The amber bulbs that come with the lenses are single filament and will not work correctly. You must replace them with a dual filament amber bulbs. I had purchased two 1157a bulbs from my local retailer for $3 and they work great.

See the dual filaments and the comparison pics below...

Here were the stock amber lenses...

Here is a pic of the replacement in progress...

Left clear lens installed...

Here we have both clear lenses installed...