This is my Jet Black 1998 740il. I don't have a name for my car, but have thought of calling this car "Savings & Loan" since I have been putting money into it since the day I got it. I use the term "S&L" because I know I will never get a return on my investment. To be fair, most of the money spent on this car has been voluntary. I absolutely LOVE THIS CAR!!!

It is my 6th BMW and by far, my favorite. I purchased it on EBay from a dealer in Dallas in June 04 with 65k on it.

Here is what it looked like when I picked it up from the dealership:

Normally one would be nervous to buy a car sight unseen, but I contacted Trent Cole with Lone Star Bavarian in Fort Worth, TX and asked him to evaluate the car. There were the typical things wrong with a 6 year old E38. The power steering hoses and valve cover gaskets needed to be replaced, so I had Trent do the work.

I left Dallas and headed for Raleigh, NC to pick up my M Parallel Replica's with Toyo Proxes T1-S from
The Wheel Exchange
It rode great and looked even better.

I have done several modifications since I bought the car.

Here are some that I have done so far:

M Parallels w Toyo Proxes T1-R (New T1-R in Sept 05)
Painted Motorsport 3 Color Pinstripe
Umnitza 5000k HID Low Beam
Umnitza 4500k DDE Predator Chromium
Headliight Chromelining
PIAA 4150k Super White Fog Lights
Clear Corners plus Clear Sides
750il Front and Rear Footwell Lights
MKIII OEM Navigation System with 16:9 Monitor
TV in Motion Tuner
Back up Camera
Pyle 8" Rear Monitor
Blaupunkt DVD Player
Complete Shadowlining of Trim (Painted, not taped)

XM Radio concealed in Ashtray

Here is what it looked like on the first attempt:

Here is the second attempt. The issues associated with installs #1 and #2 had to do with the inside of the ashtray door catching on the XM Cradle. It looked better than the first, but I still was not happy with how it looked

After seeing another E38 BimmerBoard member's (bghark) Sirrius install, I knew there was a better way to do this. Terk makes an XM unit called The Commander that locates the control module up to 15 ft away from the tuner. The nice thing about it is that the control unit is extremely shallow and will not interfere with the ashtray door operation.


Here is how it looks now. I am extremely happy with the results.

Since most XM units transmit via Wired FM Modulator or (ughhhh!) Wireless FM, I was looking for something better. The Commander has RCA outputs, so it made my decision easier. I essentially take the analog signal out of the XM unit, convert it to a digital signal and run that into the DSP amplifer. This is the same way that the CD Changer sends the signal to the DSP amp.
Many people are satisfied with relinquishing the convenience of using their CD changer with this method, I was not. The mounted in the console (shown below) is a DPDT ON-OFF-ON that switches between 1) XM Radio, CD Changer, and MP3 Player. The MP3 Player plugs into the small 1/8" jack that is mounted opposite the switch in the console.

XM Antenna concealed in Rear Package Shelf
Valentine One Radar Detector

35% Window Tint

Infinity Bass Link and Remote Control for Bass Link

Rear Fog Light

I Purchased a Rear Fog Light Switch from the dealer. Here is what it looks like:

I decided to only wire up the left rear fog because I got tired of people stopping me to tell me to "stop riding the brake"

Page 1: XM Radio in Ashtray, Infinity Bass Link & Remote, Rear Fog
Page 2: MKIII Navigation System, 16:9 Front Monitor, 8" Rear Monitor, Blaupunkt DVD Player
Page 3: H&R Sport Springs, Bilstein Heavy Duty Struts
Page 4: BMW Motorcycle, Custom Trailer and Da'Lan Class 2 Trailer Hitch
Page 5: Motorcycle Trailer Shots, Car and Trailer Together
Page 6: ACS "type" Aluminum Pedals
Page 7: Shadow Line Trim Conversion
Page 8: Cross Drilled Rotors, Akebono Ceramic Pads, Painted Calipers, Umnitza Predator Chromium Angel Eyes, Headlight Chromelining