Dashboard Refurbish or Replacement Suggestions

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Byron_in_MD
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri Jan 29, 2021 2:55 pm
Location: Fort Washington, MD

Dashboard Refurbish or Replacement Suggestions

Post by Byron_in_MD »

Good day to all,

Please excuse the length in advance

I'm a long time lurker and a new board member currently living in Fort Washington, MD.. My love for BMW's started in the early 80's when I first saw a high school classmate parent drop them off in a 5 series. I would wait out front of the school frequently just to get another glimpse at the car. The more and more I saw it I knew one day I would driving one and I was going to be a BMW guy for life. I fell in love with the 6 series from watching the show "Spencer for Hire". I bought my first BMW, a "71" 2002, in 1987 while in college. Unfortunately only had it for about 5 months, as I was driving on 95 south going back to college I heard the dreaded knocking noise coming for the engine. To make a long story short I got my first lesson on making sure I checked the oil. From there I have had a
"92" 318i,
"88" 528e,
"88" 535is and a "83" 533.. I kick myself to this day that I didn't hold on to my 5 series.

Currently I have a "88" 635csi, "89" 740iL and a "05" 650i convertible.

I picked up my 635 about11years ago by pure luck. I would take my 5 series to a master BMW mechanic in the Maryland area that specialized in BMW. Actually that's all he has worked on since the early 80's. Frequently if I was near his shop I would just drop by just to pick his brain. On this one particular day I noticed a 6series tucked away in the back corner of his outside storage area, so I just casually asked him about it. He couldn't remember what work he had performed on it, but he did say that the owner never came to pick it up after he completed the work and he got a mechanic's lien and he had the title. I asked if he would be interested in selling it and he said as long as I covered his cost he would sell it. After looking through his files for about 15 to 20 min, he finally found the paper work and the car had been sitting for about 3 years after he had installed a new automatic transmission as well as some other minor work. He than said "well I tell you what give me $2,600 and its yours". After I picked my bottom lip up off the floor I gave him the $100 I had in my pocket and told him I would be back tomorrow. Now I'm not sure if this was the total cost of the work and I didn't ask either, all I knew was $2,600 sounded good to me. I was one of his first customers when he stepped away from the dealership to open his own shop, so to this day I truly don't think he charged me for the work that he did. I think he did it as a thank you, but he is so humble I know he will never let me know..

The car has driven great from day one and when I put a new battery in after sitting for several years it started right up. Unfortunately over the years the paint clear coat began to peel and I haven't maintained it over all like I should have. With so many life responsibilities, new wife, putting two kids thru college and job demands I had to put somethings on the back burner. But now with the kids out of college I can get back to my true love of 6 series... My plan is to completely restore the exterior and interior. Engine still runs strong, but I'm going to be changing somethings starting with the cooling system, since I know that area hasn't been touched since I bought the car. Plan on doing a lot of the mechanical work myself and have my bentley manual to help if needed.

I've pretty much sourced the exterior and interior work. but I do need to get the dash refurbished or replaced. I've looked at several options from a dash cover to purchasing a dash. Not to keen on the dash cover idea, but if anyone has done this please let me know your thoughts. The price of a dash is a little more than I'm willing to swallow at this time. Not sure if anyone has a upholstery shop that they could recommend or any suggestions it would surely be appreciated. Well sorry for the long story, but I'm glad to finally become an official member.

P.S Hope everyone and your family are continuing to keep safe!
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hornhospital
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Re: Dashboard Refurbish or Replacement Suggestions

Post by hornhospital »

Welcome to the insanity, Byron!
Ken Kanne
'84 633CSi "Sylvia"; '85 635CSi "Katja";'85 325e "Hazel Ann"; '95 M3 "Ashlyn"
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