The last M635 CSi

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Bayerische
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Joined: Fri Oct 05, 2007 12:25 am
Location: Ireland

Post by Bayerische »

While I was doing the work to the car, my friend John called over in my old 635CSi. It was great to see my old Royal blue highline looking as good as the day I sold it.

Perfect opportunity for a photo.....
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Dolphin Grey M635/Royal Blue 635
Dolphin Grey M635/Royal Blue 635
635csi 008.jpg (162.33 KiB) Viewed 15321 times
635csi 009.jpg
635csi 009.jpg (161.45 KiB) Viewed 15321 times
Current:
89 M635CSi no.524 RHD
bmsixer

Post by bmsixer »

Hi Bayerische

I love your car. She's a beauty. It turns out I had noticed the ad for this car when it was advertised in July last year. In the pics it was wearing what look like 17" two-piece BBS. But I see in your pics, she is wearing the original TRX. Did you change them back?

Cheers

(PS - I can post the link to the ad, if you like.)
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MrE
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Post by MrE »

Its not anal at all, I want to replace the seatbelts in my 6er too, for the same reasons!

I just gotta find some!
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Bayerische
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Location: Ireland

Post by Bayerische »

bmsixer wrote:Hi Bayerische

I love your car. She's a beauty. It turns out I had noticed the ad for this car when it was advertised in July last year. In the pics it was wearing what look like 17" two-piece BBS. But I see in your pics, she is wearing the original TRX. Did you change them back?

Cheers

(PS - I can post the link to the ad, if you like.)
Hi bmsixer,

Thanks for your kind words, yes the car was sold with a set of BBS alloys and the original alloys. I wanted to keep the car 100% original and the TRX tyres that came with the car were in good shape. The vendor needed a set of BBS alloys for another six he was selling, so we did a deal and I sold the BBS wheels back to him. It suited me fine as I did not really want the BBs wheels. The car doesn't do alot of miles so I wont be spending a fortune every year on Michelin TRX tyres.

Regards,

Bayerische
Current:
89 M635CSi no.524 RHD
Bayerische
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Location: Ireland

Post by Bayerische »

amibuggnu wrote:Its not anal at all, I want to replace the seatbelts in my 6er too, for the same reasons!

I just gotta find some!
To get a set Ellis that are not faded might be a problem unless you buy brand new ones from BMW. They are still available for all sixes. Beware there are about 3 different types and I only got the proper ones for my car on the 3rd attempt, sport memory seats as opposed to just sport seats, there are different ones again for comfort seats.

It was a last resort for me as it was an expensive exercise (?230/305 euro). I tried to clean the old ones up to no avail. Some one suggested that T Cut might revive the old ones but it did not work. I have to say though I am very happy with the results of the new belts.

Regards,

Bayerische
Last edited by Bayerische on Mon Jun 11, 2018 8:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Current:
89 M635CSi no.524 RHD
Bayerische
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Re: The last M635CSI

Post by Bayerische »

Thread revival!!

After 11 years of ownership and 10 years since I posted on this thread, it's time for an update.

I am updating this thread as I have recently been reacquainted with this car. I have been living/working abroad for the last 6 years, and in that time the car has been sitting in my garage under a car cover feeling a little unloved. Each time I was home (about every 3 to 4 months) I would take it for a long drive to warm the oils through and exercise all moving parts. I also had the oil and coolant changed while I was away. It did cross my mind when I moved away that perhaps I should sell the car rather than having it sitting idle, but that thought only lasted for about 30 seconds and I am so glad that I decided to keep the car....it's a fantastic car that I would have hugely regretted selling.

I have now returned home full time and it was evident that no.524 needed some TLC after her hibernation, Works carried out:

Inspection II service.
Rebuilt starter motor.
4 x Caliper rebuilt.
New flexible brake hoses ( very expensive )
New chrome door and sill trim ( very expensive )
New BMW battery
New HT Leads ( stupidly expensive )
New rotor arm and distributor cap
New pax door elec window switch
New AFM rubber hose
New coolant reservoir
Fuel pump relay
Wash, clay bar and wax.

After all that work, the car is now running great. I have been driving the car for the last week and it is driving and looking superb. I have re-bonded with this car again as it was a case of out of sight out of mind. In my 11 years of ownership I have only put 3500 miles on the car. The car just rolled over 68,000 miles this week. I have put 300 miles on the car this week alone as I just couldn't stop driving it, and it feels all the better for being driven.

2009 was an expensive year of ownership for the car. When I purchased the car in 2007, the previous owner had put a stainless steel exhaust on the car. It was a good quality exhaust but I prefer the look and sound of the OEM exhaust. A new OEM exhaust was ordered at a cost of about €1300!! Ron now has my old SS exhaust. I hope it is still serving him well.

Later that year, the head gasket blew, which is very unusual for an M88 engine. As the head was coming off anyway, it made sense to change the valve guide seals, timing chain, tensioner and chain guides. Including transport from Ireland to the UK specialist who carried out the work, parts and labour, that came to over €4000...............The M635 is NOT a cheap car to run and maintain properly!!!

I made contact with the original owner of the car in 2014. I had a good long conversation with his son, who actually picked up the car from the factory in Munich in 1989 at the ripe old age of 19!!

As it was the very last M Powered E24 off the production line I wondered if there was any fanfare from BMW when he was handed the keys. " Absolutely nothing" he said.... "They met me in a car park near the Dingolfing factory late at night and handed me the keys and paperwork". He also assured me that he ran the engine in correctly on his drive home from Munich to Jersey. When I was 19 years old I still had a Raleigh racing bike, I can't imagine what it must have been like to be handed the keys to a brand new M635CSi at just 19 years of age!!!. Hopefully, he will be traveling to Ireland in the near future and he will get to drive his fathers old car one more time. It was great to chat to the guy that actually picked the car up from the factory and get further insight into the history of the car.

That pretty much brings you up to date with what has happened to the car over the past 10 years. I took a few photos this week while I was re bonding with the car in the same location that the photos were taken 11 years ago.

I have done my best to keep this car as original as it left the factory in March of 1989.

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Last edited by Bayerische on Thu Jun 14, 2018 10:07 pm, edited 3 times in total.
Current:
89 M635CSi no.524 RHD
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Stoffie
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Re: The last M635CSI

Post by Stoffie »

Great story! They are such awesome cars, cant wait to get mine back on the road after more than 3 years sitting idle.
The M88/3 was all about power, no cats. At idle the raw fuel from the exhaust will make your eyes water like an old V-8 powered muscle car's exhaust did.
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ozbmwnut
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Re: The last M635CSI

Post by ozbmwnut »

Absolutely beautiful.
3/1986 Complianced, Aust delivered E24. Bronzit with Pearl Beige.
Garage buddies: E9 3.0 csi Polaris Silver, blue leather ; E34 M5 Alpine White, Black extended leather ; E39 M5 Carbon Black, Caramel Heritage Leather.
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olympia57
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Re: The last M635CSI

Post by olympia57 »

Wonderful update to a great thread .
Much kudos for the effort involved in keeping it factory original ,it looks gorgeous .
I hope we meet sometime in the future .
Don
1981 635 series 1
baders
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Re: The last M635 CSi

Post by baders »

Wonderful story and beautiful car !
1986 635csi LOCUTUS / Arktis Blau Metallic / Pearl Beige / S38B36/ Close ratio dogleg 5sp
2002 E46 M3 / Topaz Blau Metallic / Black Nappa / 6 speed SMG software tuned / Bilstein PSS10 Coilovers / CMP RACP reinforcement
speter
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Re: The last M635 CSi

Post by speter »

Amazing story and what a great return of this beauty! Congrats and keep going!
'80 635csi m90 5-speed dogleg
orval2
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Location: Belgium - Liège

Re: The last M635 CSi

Post by orval2 »

That is amazing !
I guess the car worth more as it is the last one, but I am sure you don't care as you keep it.

Maintains those cars is not cheap but there are more expansive car to maintain. While you look at Ferrari of that period, with same performance, they are much more expansive to maintain and not reliable at all.

When I see my mileage (262.000 kms) and I know a french M635csi with its original motor and having close to 600.000 kms.
What is your mileage?
Bayerische
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Joined: Fri Oct 05, 2007 12:25 am
Location: Ireland

Re: The last M635 CSi

Post by Bayerische »

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the replies and the kind words. The driving fun is over for the moment, the car has been declared off the road until her 30th birthday, which is March 2019, due to very high road taxes here in Ireland. When she is 30 (vintage), everything becomes a lot cheaper.

Don......Yes it would be good to meet up at some point. Not sure what part of the country you are in, I am based in Dublin.

Orval2...The car has 68,000 miles/109,000kms.

Stoffie...Hurry up and get your car back on the road, they are such great cars to drive.
Current:
89 M635CSi no.524 RHD
GazM3
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Re: The last M635 CSi

Post by GazM3 »

What a lovely thread revival.
BMW’s
84 E24 M635csi
90 E34 M5 3.6
94 E34 540i/6 SC E85
97 E36 M3 euro SC U/C
97 Z3 2.8 widebody

OTHERS
11 Audi S5 3.0 SC
19 VW Amarok V6
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MrE
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Re: The last M635 CSi

Post by MrE »

Gosh - it sure does look beautiful. In such great conditon and with such low mileage, I am glad that you chose not to sell it and are now able to enjoy it.

You'll be pleased to know that I did successfully replace my cracked & faded seatbelt stems way back in 2008, although it did take me two goes to get the correct ones! (RealOEM listed an 'Australian version' seatbelt stem, but they did not fit!!)

-Ellis
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Bayerische
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Re: The last M635 CSi

Post by Bayerische »

Hi Ellis,

I was wondering when one of the original thread responders from 2008 would chime in. Good to see you are still posting. Sad to see that a number of original members are no longer active.

Glad you got your seat belt stems sorted. I seem to remember that I had similar problems when ordering mine. I think I sent 2 sets back, differences in comfort seats, sports seats and early e12 based cars led to a lot of confusion at the dealers.

Happy to report that after 10 years my seat belt stems are still bright red, probably due to the fact that they have rarely seen the light of day with no UV damage as the car has been in a garage under a car cover.
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89 M635CSi no.524 RHD
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7thtolast
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Re: The last M635 CSi

Post by 7thtolast »

Hi...I just started following this thread...im glad you didnt sell the car as well.
Im in North America and i know that the vin's may differ in Europe with the 1 or 2 digets in the vin...im not so sure if the last six numbers are in sequence between our countries....as they are so similiar with the highline package!
So....as far as North American M6's....mine would be 561761 and it is the 7Th to last vin....for NA anyway....just wondering if yours is in the same sequence?
Im in the Mregistry... i know that only 2 89's came to NA......and they are in Canada!
Funny how BMW....thought things out...with their options for example: the US did not have the Black leather interior available... .because we have hotter summers than Canada...however my car was one of six to come over with Black Nappa full leather interior.
Unlike the Black Buffalo leather from the Canadian cars...without the full trim....door panels, sunvisors, etc.
Anyway, good stuff....
Cheers
1988 Black BMW M6...7th to the last North American M6 built.
One of six with the black Nappa leather interior.
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