***LONG, PIC HEAVY POST WARNING***
So this past week was an productive one for the M6 as I tackled a bunch of different to-do’s:
Cosmetics- Respray front bumper to remove road rash and XPEL PPF for future protection
- Respray rear bumper to remedy some neglect on the loading edge that wouldn’t buff out
- Wet sand, clearcoat and clear film the front headlights to remove road rash
- Renew rubberized black plastic components behind front bumper grilles (as well as the lower grilles)
- Replace front undertray as the old one was cracking
- Install OEM M Performance Steering Wheel Trim
Mechanical/Maintenance- Engine Oil Service (Process/product details below)
- Ignition Service (Plugs + Coils)
Cosmetics
So long story short, my OCD has required that I start to refinish areas of the car to bring back towards showroom glory. The pic below gives you an idea of what the front of the car looked like when it was clean prior to going in for respray (notice the headlights as well).
Unfortunately I don’t have any pics of the rear bumper to show what drove the respray there, but there were these impressions/grooves in the loading edge of the trunk (potentially deeper scratches at one point but perhaps one of the previous owners paint corrected them out so they were these little valleys in the loading edge) along with some other minor scuffs.
Incoming pic dump of the process for the bumpers and headlights. All work performed by the best body shop group in Minnesota – LaMettry’s Collision, specifically at their new 70,000 sq. ft. Minnetonka location. The GM of the location is not only a good friend but a fellow active forum member on the F10 M5post side
BBM9515. The tech performing both the body and mechanical work is also a fellow forum member and F10 550 owner so he is familiar with the N63/S63 architecture. Anyone reading this in the MN metro area, go see these guys if you want your car treated like it’s their own, incredible work. Pics for each area listed chronologically throughout the process.
Front Bumper:
Rear Bumper:
Headlights:
(In good company with the F12 in the background
)
Mechanical/Maintenance
I decided to knock out some maintenance items during this time as well since the car is near 50k miles and I bought the car around 46,000 miles. I decided to put fresh oil in as well as all new Bosch coil packs and NGK 97506 plugs (step colder in preparation for tune later on). I also purchased some low dust front and rear pads based on some recommendations here on the forum but decided not to install quite yet as the pads on the car are still at 85% life.
As you can see, I decided to put in Liqui Moly Molygen 5W-40 oil along with some other Liqui Moly products:
- 2 cans of LM Engine Flush to help flush out any gunk (more info here)
- 2 bottles of LM Ceratec to go in with the new oil (more info here)
2 bottles of each of these products will ensure the proper ratios can be attained per Liqui Moly’s stated specs. Also note that these two products are not intended be used with every oil service but rather every 5th oil service or 25,000 miles.
More than anything I wanted to use these products as a sort of ‘reset button’ from any adverse effects from previous ownership. Although it was maintained on time by BMW spec, I just feel the serviceable life of the oil in our engines is much shorter than what BMW dictates – after all, BMW’s definition of ‘Lifetime’ is 100,000 miles… Thus, moving forward I plan to do many of the routine maintenance items at a 2:1 ratio to BMW spec. I have become a fan of Liqui Moly’s lubricants since my Audi days and seeing the positive effects of their products in high performance equipment. You know LM is good stuff when the tech performing the work is intrigued enough by the product info to order some for his personal daily
I anticipate using their DCT fluid as well when I service that before winter.
And finally, another OEM M Performance piece for the interior to complete the inside. The steering wheel trim looks great and ties the ‘driver environment’ together nicely. Only other thing I could think of to add would maybe be a set of AutoTecknic gloss carbon paddles but time will tell if I decide to add them or not – could be carbon fiber overload at that point.
Thanks for reading – know this was a massive post but I like to document everything as detailed as I can in the event that it can provide guidance or help to anyone else on here.
Cheers
-Luke