Page 5

Staggered M-Pars: 18" x 8" fr/ 18" x 9.5" rears with 235/50/18 Contis (front) - 255/45/18 Contis (rear)

M-Parallel (replicas from AAArims) arrived today and I'm ready to put them on but...wait...there's a surprise ending.

It's an unusually warm fall day and by the time I get home from work its getting dark. So I have to pull the car into the garage but the wind is whipping the leaves up into the garage so the door has to come down. Here's the new meats all wrapped up like sandwiches in a brown paper lunch bag.

I get the wheels & tires all unwrapped, cleaned up, and ready to go. Got the jack...check...got the tire changing tools...check...take off the rear cover of the old wheels and what do I see? Yes, folks that's right. We have an anti-theft lug bolt! Surprise, surprise, surprise! I look in the trunk and all over the car to see if the previous owner left the "key"...but its no where to be found.

To appease my M-Par lust...I place the new wheel next to the old wheel. Kinda looks like a BMW dually, huh

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2nd Attempt A Success
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Well, thanks to some great suggestions from the e38 message board at roadfly.org . . . after 5 attempts I found a tire shop that had the professional kit to remove anti-theft lug nuts. Best of all, they did it at no charge . The other shops either said they couldn't do it...or they'd attempt to burn, cut, or nuke them off and the cost was gonna be anywhere from $20-up. I'm glad I kept looking because it turned into a win/win scenario. There's no doubt who'll be getting my business for the purchase of dedicated snow tires and any other needs I have for wheels & tires. Goodwill is inmeasurable in its tangible/intangible returns to a business...to bad many don't recognize this.

Here's the M-Pars now nicely mounted. Wow, I hope the enlarged gap lessens as the suspension settles down...if not...looks like lowering springs are in the near future after I save some more pennies.

Page 1: 1997 740iL (stock)
Page 2: 1991 735iL (my other Bimmer)
Page 3: 1985 325e (my first bimmer)
Page 4: 1997 740iL...let the mods begin. Replace front license plate holder with rubber strip insert
Page 5: 1st & 2nd attempt to mount M-Parallels
Page 7: Chrome Trunk Strip; Crystal Tail Lights; Quad Brake Lights; Chrome Grill Inserts
Page 8: Exchange arm rest phone cradle for tray
Page 9: BMW rubber winter mats
Page 10: Updated pics of front, side & rear light mods.
Page 11: Chrome-lined headlights
Page 13: My bro-in-laws Cashemere Beige 1997 740iL front end/rear end/interior upgrades
Page 14: 2004 Dodge Magnum (Hemi wagon)
Page 15: OEM Battery vs Duralast 49D
Page 17: Retrofit of a BMW Business Radio CD43 & C43 (from the 1996-up e36 & Z3) into an e34 and e32
Page 18: 1995 525iT (new as of 7/30/04(stock)
Page 19: E38 Central Locking System Details Page

20: BMW Traffic Pro E38 InstallPage

21: Swapping 4-spoke Steering wheel to 3-spoke M-Sport Steering Wheel