BMW Individual options and advice

[rickf325]

I am having trouble getting my preferred dealer to put my ED order in the way I want. Maybe I'm being too complicated. Going with the Singapore Grey exterior.

Ordering questions:

1. I want to go with the BMW Gloss Black 20" wheels (like you see on the Performance Edition cars). Does anybody know the code (and/or cost/availability) for these? From another recent thread, it seems like "no".
2. I'd love to get deviated/contrast/saddle stitching. I'm thinking the SilkGrey or Platinum with black stitching and piping. Is this offered, and what is the code to get it done? It looks like on some models the saddle stitch is Z1XX.
3. Any word on whether we can do Carbon Fiber (or Carbon Leather) trim? If it is offered, what might be the code? I think it is a travesty that it doesn't appear to be offered fo the F10. The piano black is just to smudge-sensitive, and I'm kind of aluminum'ed out.
4. From everything I read, it looks pretty obvious that the dashboard with the Individual Extended is not leather. However, if you look closely at the Visualizer, the dashboard is leather on the Individuals! I'm guessing the visualizer is wrong, but...

Advice:
1. Do you think black contrast stitching would look good on the SilverStone II interior? I worry that the grey of the silverstone is too dark.
2. I don't prefer the look of a black interior. Any thoughts on how much lighter-than-black the Graphite interior is (I can't find good pics).
3. It bums me out that the Individual leathers don't have a leather dash or door uppers. Am I going to regret/notice this in the long term (yes, I know, only I can answer this question...)
4. Badge delete: cheesy or stealth?

Thanks in advance all. I'm new to this board, have learned a lot, and hope to contribute TONS once I get into/through the ordering process and get my car.

[chillin4now]

Originally Posted by rickf325

I am having trouble getting my preferred dealer to put my ED order in the way I want. Maybe I'm being too complicated. Going with the Singapore Grey exterior.

Ordering questions:

1. I want to go with the BMW Gloss Black 20" wheels (like you see on the Performance Edition cars). Does anybody know the code (and/or cost/availability) for these? From another recent thread, it seems like "no".
2. I'd love to get deviated/contrast/saddle stitching. I'm thinking the SilkGrey or Platinum with black stitching and piping. Is this offered, and what is the code to get it done? It looks like on some models the saddle stitch is Z1XX.
3. Any word on whether we can do Carbon Fiber (or Carbon Leather) trim? If it is offered, what might be the code? I think it is a travesty that it doesn't appear to be offered fo the F10. The piano black is just to smudge-sensitive, and I'm kind of aluminum'ed out.
4. From everything I read, it looks pretty obvious that the dashboard with the Individual Extended is not leather. However, if you look closely at the Visualizer, the dashboard is leather on the Individuals! I'm guessing the visualizer is wrong, but...

Advice:
1. Do you think black contrast stitching would look good on the SilverStone II interior? I worry that the grey of the silverstone is too dark.
2. I don't prefer the look of a black interior. Any thoughts on how much lighter-than-black the Graphite interior is (I can't find good pics).
3. It bums me out that the Individual leathers don't have a leather dash or door uppers. Am I going to regret/notice this in the long term (yes, I know, only I can answer this question...)
4. Badge delete: cheesy or stealth?

Thanks in advance all. I'm new to this board, have learned a lot, and hope to contribute TONS once I get into/through the ordering process and get my car.

Limited Response (not all answers)
QA2. I requested deviated stitiching as an indvidual option and expect them to resond with no; or yes, it will be $xxx and yyy time. I will post my resonse when I get it.

QA4. Leather dash is avaialbe (in black) at an additional cost (havent heard amount yet) and time (havent heard this either). See footnote 'v' of the recent interior and exterior bulletin.

A1. Hell yes. Just got back from dealer and sat in a 6 series with Champagne/Black interior. It was beautiful. They used champagen stitching in the black leater and vice versa. Looked very much hand crafted.

A3. See QA4.

A4. Yes delete, I do it on all my vehicles.

[rickf325]

Originally Posted by philly-dee

Limited Response (not all answers)
QA2. I requested deviated stitiching as an indvidual option and expect them to resond with no; or yes, it will be $xxx and yyy time. I will post my resonse when I get it.

QA4. Leather dash is avaialbe (in black) at an additional cost (havent heard amount yet) and time (havent heard this either). See footnote 'v' of the recent interior and exterior bulletin.

A1. Hell yes. Just got back from dealer and sat in a 6 series with Champagne/Black interior. It was beautiful. They used champagen stitching in the black leater and vice versa. Looked very much hand crafted.

A3. See QA4.

A4. Yes delete, I do it on all my vehicles.

Thanks a ton!

QA2: When you requested this, do you tell them the color stitching you want on the seats/etc., and a different color stitching for the black areas? Do you also have to tell them "where", or it goes everywhere?

QA4: Thanks, seeing it now.

A1: Awesome. Do you recall if there was any stitching in the door, or just on the seats? Was it (a) "deviated/contrast stitching" (two rows, thinner thread, the normal stitch but a different color) or (b) "saddle stich (single row, thicker thread).

A3: Thanks. Any sense for what "foil grained" is in the black portions of the extended interior trims? Is it like the hard "leathery feeling" plastic on the Dash of my extended leather e46 M3, more plastic-y, or... ?

---
So complicated not having cars to see and cruise though...

[PatrickC23]

If you're unsure on badge delete, don't delete it. It's simple to take off on your own later on.

[jphughan]

Originally Posted by rickf325

I am having trouble getting my preferred dealer to put my ED order in the way I want. Maybe I'm being too complicated. Going with the Singapore Grey exterior.

Ordering questions:

1. I want to go with the BMW Gloss Black 20" wheels (like you see on the Performance Edition cars). Does anybody know the code (and/or cost/availability) for these? From another recent thread, it seems like "no".
2. I'd love to get deviated/contrast/saddle stitching. I'm thinking the SilkGrey or Platinum with black stitching and piping. Is this offered, and what is the code to get it done? It looks like on some models the saddle stitch is Z1XX.
3. Any word on whether we can do Carbon Fiber (or Carbon Leather) trim? If it is offered, what might be the code? I think it is a travesty that it doesn't appear to be offered fo the F10. The piano black is just to smudge-sensitive, and I'm kind of aluminum'ed out.
4. From everything I read, it looks pretty obvious that the dashboard with the Individual Extended is not leather. However, if you look closely at the Visualizer, the dashboard is leather on the Individuals! I'm guessing the visualizer is wrong, but...

Advice:
1. Do you think black contrast stitching would look good on the SilverStone II interior? I worry that the grey of the silverstone is too dark.
2. I don't prefer the look of a black interior. Any thoughts on how much lighter-than-black the Graphite interior is (I can't find good pics).
3. It bums me out that the Individual leathers don't have a leather dash or door uppers. Am I going to regret/notice this in the long term (yes, I know, only I can answer this question...)
4. Badge delete: cheesy or stealth?

Thanks in advance all. I'm new to this board, have learned a lot, and hope to contribute TONS once I get into/through the ordering process and get my car.

1. Black 20s aren't an official option (yet), so you'd probably have to get them through Individual or possibly even as a parts order through the dealer afterward. When the black 359M's came out for the M3 GTS, they initially weren't available through Individual or parts to maintain exclusivity, but BMW has since relented on both of those avenues. You might be hard-pressed to get the black 20s right off the bat though since BMW might want to keep them special for a while.

2. Silk might look "ok" with black stitching (still would prefer it without though), but I think Platinum would look really odd with black. It's got a yellow/gold tinge to it compared to Silk, and I think black would look weird. I've also found contrasting stitching tends to work best on "sporty" colors, and both Silk and Platinum are more luxury oriented. The only exception would be white stitching on a black interior or vice versa since white and black always go together. I'd either go Platinum/Silk without stitching or do stitching with a red or black interior. Not sure what might look good with Silverstone since it's already a complex interior color as it is (mostly silver, kind of ice blue too) -- maybe silver or white stitching if you had to have something? Whatever you do though, deviating stitching would be a special order item through Individual, not a standard option code.

3. Carbon Fiber trim is probably out of the question for now. The M6 has it, but the trim pieces themselves are a completely different shape, so I think you might be stuck there. BMW might release other trim later through BMW Performance or something though. I actually hated the carbon fiber look on the M6 when I saw it (looks better than the last M6 though), mostly because the trim covers the center console, which results in an absolutely enormous (and horrendous IMHO) ocean of carbon fiber pattern.

4. The visualizer clearly shows a plastic dash when you choose Individual; if you compare how it looks to a standard Extended selection to a standard Full, it clearly matches the former. You can tell by the texture of the dash and the absence of a stitching line. It's also clearly stated in the extended brochure thing that was released, though the footnote indicates that you can request leather on the dash and door panels through a full-on Individual Special Order (cost wasn't specified). As for whether you'd miss it, the dash and upper door leather feels hard, thin, and plasticky. If you've ever felt the leather on the transmission tunnel of an M3 equipped with Extended, it's exactly like that. I was disappointed, but then again a plastic dash might look awkward on a $100K. So unfortunately you'd just be buying appearances, not a soft, supple, thick feeling leather on the dash.

As for your advice requests:

1. See above for my thoughts on contrast stitching. Trust me though, Silverstone is NOT dark. It's pretty bright, and like I said has a sort of ice blue tinge to it. I like it a lot.

2. Graphite will be tricky to find pics of since I don't think it's been offered on any other BMW before, so if you really might want it, you should consider delaying your order until real-world pics show up. If I had to guess though, I would guess it will be a very dark charcoal gray. That's what graphite looks like in the real world (think #2 pencil), after all.

3. On leather dash, see above.

4. Badge delete is a personal/cultural thing. Some people think it makes the rear look cleaner. In some countries (like Germany) it's considered crass to flaunt wealth, so badge deletes are very popular there. Personally I'd keep it since I like to see that badge -- and remember, if you order it with the badge you can always remove it yourself later in a few minutes with floss and a hair dryer if you want, but if you go badge delete initially and change your mind, you can't get a free badge later, and then you'd have trouble trying to mount it in the exact right spot.

[jphughan]

Originally Posted by rickf325

A3: Thanks. Any sense for what "foil grained" is in the black portions of the extended interior trims? Is it like the hard "leathery feeling" plastic on the Dash of my extended leather e46 M3, more plastic-y, or... ?

Foil-grained is that textured plastic look (named after how aluminum foil looks after you crumple it up and flatten it out again). Check out any non-leather BMW dashboard to see what it looks and feels like.

[rickf325]

Originally Posted by jphughan

1. Black 20s aren't an official option (yet), so you'd probably have to get them through Individual or possibly even as a parts order through the dealer afterward. When the black 359M's came out for the M3 GTS, they initially weren't available through Individual or parts to maintain exclusivity, but BMW has since relented on both of those avenues. You might be hard-pressed to get the black 20s right off the bat though since BMW might want to keep them special for a while.

2. Silk might look "ok" with black stitching (still would prefer it without though), but I think Platinum would look really odd with black. It's got a yellow/gold tinge to it compared to Silk, and I think black would look weird. I've also found contrasting stitching tends to work best on "sporty" colors, and both Silk and Platinum are more luxury oriented. The only exception would be white stitching on a black interior or vice versa since white and black always go together. I'd either go Platinum/Silk without stitching or do stitching with a red or black interior. Not sure what might look good with Silverstone since it's already a complex interior color as it is (mostly silver, kind of ice blue too) -- maybe silver or white stitching if you had to have something? Whatever you do though, deviating stitching would be a special order item through Individual, not a standard option code.

3. Carbon Fiber trim is probably out of the question for now. The M6 has it, but the trim pieces themselves are a completely different shape, so I think you might be stuck there. BMW might release other trim later through BMW Performance or something though. I actually hated the carbon fiber look on the M6 when I saw it (looks better than the last M6 though), mostly because the trim covers the center console, which results in an absolutely enormous (and horrendous IMHO) ocean of carbon fiber pattern.

4. The visualizer clearly shows a plastic dash when you choose Individual; if you compare how it looks to a standard Extended selection to a standard Full, it clearly matches the former. You can tell by the texture of the dash and the absence of a stitching line. It's also clearly stated in the extended brochure thing that was released, though the footnote indicates that you can request leather on the dash and door panels through a full-on Individual Special Order (cost wasn't specified). As for whether you'd miss it, the dash and upper door leather feels hard, thin, and plasticky. If you've ever felt the leather on the transmission tunnel of an M3 equipped with Extended, it's exactly like that. I was disappointed, but then again a plastic dash might look awkward on a $100K. So unfortunately you'd just be buying appearances, not a soft, supple, thick feeling leather on the dash.

As for your advice requests:

1. See above for my thoughts on contrast stitching. Trust me though, Silverstone is NOT dark. It's pretty bright, and like I said has a sort of ice blue tinge to it. I like it a lot.

2. Graphite will be tricky to find pics of since I don't think it's been offered on any other BMW before, so if you really might want it, you should consider delaying your order until real-world pics show up. If I had to guess though, I would guess it will be a very dark charcoal gray. That's what graphite looks like in the real world (think #2 pencil), after all.

3. On leather dash, see above.

4. Badge delete is a personal/cultural thing. Some people think it makes the rear look cleaner. In some countries (like Germany) it's considered crass to flaunt wealth, so badge deletes are very popular there. Personally I'd keep it since I like to see that badge -- and remember, if you order it with the badge you can always remove it yourself later in a few minutes with floss and a hair dryer if you want, but if you go badge delete initially and change your mind, you can't get a free badge later, and then you'd have trouble trying to mount it in the exact right spot.

OMG, thanks a ton.

Ordering questions:
1. Thanks. Does anybody know what the part code on the black 20" gloss wheels are?
2. Thanks for the thoughts. Much appreciated, this is maybe why I can't find pictures of the light colors with deviated stitching.
4. I see something very different on the visualizer. http://www.bmw.com/com/en/newvehicle...isualizer.html Every individual color clearly shows the leather dash, with the seam, etc.

Advice questions:
1. Great to know that silverstone is a bright color. I'm used to the grey in my e46 M3, but that is not silverstone.
4. Good point.

[jphughan]

Originally Posted by rickf325

OMG, thanks a ton.

Ordering questions:
1. Thanks. Does anybody know what the part code on the black 20" gloss wheels are?
2. Thanks for the thoughts. Much appreciated, this is maybe why I can't find pictures of the light colors with deviated stitching.
4. I see something very different on the visualizer. http://www.bmw.com/com/en/newvehicle...isualizer.html Every individual color clearly shows the leather dash, with the seam, etc.

Advice questions:
1. Great to know that silverstone is a bright color. I'm used to the grey in my e46 M3, but that is not silverstone.
4. Good point.

Ah, I was referring to the M5 configurator on the BMW USA website: http://www.bmwusa.com/standard/conte...modelcode=135G. Maybe it's possible Individual comes with a leather-wrapped dash in other markets?

No idea what the part number is for the black wheels; that will likely take some time to surface since the special models aren't even out yet, so part numbers for those wheels might not even have been assigned.

Yeah, if you play with the BMW USA configurator and compare Silk and Silverstone, you'll really get a sense of how bright Silverstone is. It's definitely closer to white than gray, a light silver that's definitely brighter than the M3's Palladium Silver interior, probably largely due to the cool blue undertone to it. In fact that blue undertone is very similar to the Silverstone exterior paint color, so the name makes sense (the exterior color can also show a green undertone in certain light which is absent from the interior, though.)

[rickf325]

Originally Posted by jphughan

Ah, I was referring to the M5 configurator on the BMW USA website: http://www.bmwusa.com/standard/conte...modelcode=135G. Maybe it's possible Individual comes with a leather-wrapped dash in other markets?

No idea what the part number is for the black wheels; that will likely take some time to surface since the special models aren't even out yet, so part numbers for those wheels might not even have been assigned.

Yeah, if you play with the BMW USA configurator and compare Silk and Silverstone, you'll really get a sense of how bright Silverstone is. It's definitely closer to white than gray, a light silver that's definitely brighter than the M3's Palladium Silver interior, probably largely due to the cool blue undertone to it. In fact that blue undertone is very similar to the Silverstone exterior paint color, so the name makes sense (the exterior color can also show a green undertone in certain light which is absent from the interior, though.)

Ah, thanks. The USA configurator is better (bigger) and does show the color difference. There are a couple of minor differences between that and the German visualizer I had book-marked.

Silverstone is nice and bright, woo hoo. Looks killer with the Singapore Grey exterior. I actually think it looks better with the aluminum than with the Piano black...

[Jason]

Originally Posted by rickf325

2. I don't prefer the look of a black interior. Any thoughts on how much lighter-than-black the Graphite interior is (I can't find good pics).

Thanks in advance all. I'm new to this board, have learned a lot, and hope to contribute TONS once I get into/through the ordering process and get my car.

Here are photos of Graphite Merino Individual Interior with Piano Black trim, in our M5 Interior Photos Thread:

http://f10.m5post.com/forums/showthr...5#post11974815

Hope that helps.

[jphughan]

Originally Posted by rickf325

Silverstone is nice and bright, woo hoo. Looks killer with the Singapore Grey exterior. I actually think it looks better with the aluminum than with the Piano black...

HA! I've been agonizing over Piano Black vs Aluminum on Silverstone Full myself. On the one hand, black blends in with the dashboard more and provides a nice contrast with the underdash, but on the other, the black of Piano doesn't blend quite right with the upper dash and Silverstone is just the right shade where aluminum can still work. The M5 I saw at the BMW of Austin event had Silverstone Full with aluminum and it looked great. The aluminum trim itself is very intricate (vertical strips that have a sewing-style sawtooth pattern running down them, like an expensive watch) and I like the bevel on the passenger side part of the trim and on the door that I don't think is replicated with Piano because it's wood.

The only other agonizing decision for me would be DCT vs 6MT, i.e. what better suits the character/engineer's intent for the car vs what's more fun to operate even if it's not as smooth. I'd probably end up going 6MT since I'm convinced this is the last M5 where it will be available, so there'll always be more time to drive DCT later.

My exterior color would probably be Tanzanite Blue though: http://www.6post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=495046.

[rickf325]

Originally Posted by jphughan

The only other agonizing decision for me would be DCT vs 6MT, i.e. what better suits the character/engineer's intent for the car vs what's more fun to operate even if it's not as smooth. I'd probably end up going 6MT since I'm convinced this is the last M5 where it will be available, so there'll always be more time to drive DCT later.

Sweet blue! I agree with your analysis of the aluminum vs. piano black on a Silverstone full. With that said, I'm going aluminum. Like you, I was wow'd with it at the Austin BMW event. I thought the color of that car was Silk Grey--if that was the Silverstone, then I'm sold.

On your DCT vs. 6MT. I love the way a manual feels. I'm addicted. But, now that I am getting older there are times (stop and go on Mopac is one of them!) when I just want "ride" in the car and not "drive" the car. DCT it is...

[chillin4now]

[QUOTE=rickf325;11973446]I am having trouble getting my preferred dealer to put my ED order in the way I want. Maybe I'm being too complicated. Going with the Singapore Grey exterior.

Here is a pic of the 6 with Champagne/Black deviated stitching.
It was on all leather, doors, dash, upper dash, center console.
Sorry about picture quaility...

by the way. the leather dash was nice and squishy (not hard as is being described above). Also nice and squishy in my X5...

[jphughan]

Originally Posted by rickf325

Sweet blue! I agree with your analysis of the aluminum vs. piano black on a Silverstone full. With that said, I'm going aluminum. Like you, I was wow'd with it at the Austin BMW event. I thought the color of that car was Silk Grey--if that was the Silverstone, then I'm sold.

On your DCT vs. 6MT. I love the way a manual feels. I'm addicted. But, now that I am getting older there are times (stop and go on Mopac is one of them!) when I just want "ride" in the car and not "drive" the car. DCT it is...

Good choice on the aluminum, I'd do the same with that color combo.

Yes, the M5 at the event was definitely Silverstone -- though if you thought that was Silk Gray I'm not sure how you would've been worried that Silverstone would be dark since in the configurators it always shows up as lighter than Silk? In any case, I loved the color when I saw it myself too.

I hear you on 6MT being irritating in traffic. Even though my M3 has a light clutch, I remember wanting to kill myself the few times I was stuck in rush hour traffic on Mopac. Fortunately I live and work near downtown so I don't ever have to deal with that; my driving is split pretty evenly between city and the endless and amazing back roads around here, with the occasional track weekend -- plus I've just started to explore heel-toe so I'm rediscovering the that rewarding feeling of developing a skill and feeling yourself getting closer and closer to perfection.

Originally Posted by philly-dee

by the way. the leather dash was nice and squishy (not hard as is being described above). Also nice and squishy in my X5...

It's possible the leather in the 6 and X5 is different, but as I said above it felt just like the transmission tunnel on an M3 with extended leather to me, where I would've expected it to feel more like the main door panel area. I'd still get it anyway to avoid the foil-wrapped look, but I wasn't impressed.

I just wish Comfort Access was available outside the Executive Package -- or, you know, STANDARD!! Not only does the Exec Package have nothing else I really want (except HUD, which I'd get standalone), but it has stuff that for me would DETRACT from the value of the car. Ventilated seats don't work very well (they're just fans, not air conditioned, and reviews from other models have been pretty negative) and the perforated leather will be harder to clean and won't match the rear. Soft-close doors and power tailgate motors are expensive to replace/repair outside of warranty (and I don't see the point of them anyway), and everything else is just meaningless to me.