Instrument Cluster Modded with M3 Gauge Rings

NiVeDh · 10-02-2010, 11:01 PM

Edit: In-car pictures added below...

Don't do this. I repeat, do not do this mod!!!

It's a pain in the butt. I bought the rings from eBay for around $16. Taking out the stock rings is difficult and you have to break them. I damaged the plastic inside the cluster. Hand polishing with Meguiar's M105 helped fix some of the scratches but there's barely any room to work with. Then I installed the M3 gauge rings, cleaned up the inside with Stoner's Invisible Glass and sealed everything up. However, there is some dust and light scratches all over the inside of the glass. It's not very noticeable though and the coolness factor of the M3 rings makes up for it.

All in all, a bad experience but it turned out OK.

Edit: In-car pictures...

JoeyBananaz18 · 10-03-2010, 01:54 AM

looks like you did a good job.

lopealle · 10-03-2010, 01:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoeyBananaz18

looks like you did a good job.

ditto

e90TiAg335i · 10-03-2010, 09:38 AM

looks great!

dragazn · 10-03-2010, 10:42 AM

looks very nice, makes me want to start opening mine too. Where did you get the c/f in the dash or is that a wrap? Doesn't look like a wrap at all.

RON1X · 10-03-2010, 10:43 AM

Nivedh, looks great! can't wait to see it person!

NiVeDh · 10-03-2010, 01:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dragazn

looks very nice, makes me want to start opening mine too. Where did you get the c/f in the dash or is that a wrap? Doesn't look like a wrap at all.

The CF is an overlay sticker-type thing (but it has some thickness to it) - also from eBay.

I highly recommend not opening it up. In the sunlight, I see a lot of smudges, scratches and polish residue inside the cluster. I will probably open it up again and clean it one more time.

Belarus · 10-03-2010, 03:22 PM

Looks good based on the PIC, thank you for sharing your experience.

datbimmerdoe · 10-03-2010, 04:36 PM

looks good.

onefastman · 10-03-2010, 07:10 PM

Looks great except for the weave on the cf

hipnotic · 10-03-2010, 08:02 PM

thanks for the heads up

mkPOTO · 10-03-2010, 08:02 PM

Looks good but dam that's crazy, I would be freaking

robbie211 · 10-03-2010, 09:09 PM

pretty cool mod.

gill_ · 10-03-2010, 09:13 PM

looks awesome lets see some pics of it mounted!

ibeclueless · 10-03-2010, 09:40 PM

looks nice

spdy330 · 10-03-2010, 10:24 PM

I would not be brave enough to do something like this

Let's get some pics of it installed in the car.

NiVeDh · 10-10-2010, 08:58 PM

Installed pictures added!

ERANG A LANG · 10-10-2010, 09:35 PM

that does look good actually

IancoleTX · 02-01-2011, 03:55 PM

I just did this mod, here are some pointers if you wish to undertake it.

0. Use these instructions: http://www.bimmian.com/elements/page...GRI/GRI9XN.pdf

1. MOST IMPORTANT: cover the inside of the clear plastic with blue painters' tape or similar. Get it all the way down below the gauge rings, ALL THE WAY to the bottom edge. If you don't, you will scratch the f*&^ out of the plastic. This way, you might get some minor smudges that can easily be rubbed out.

2. Get some polishing compound and some windex, or similar. And Q-tips and soft cloth. You will need to do some cleanup work on the inside of the glass when you are done.

3. Taking out the stock rings is a serious B. I did not find an easy way to do it. Good luck.

4. Getting the carbon inlay in straight after the rings are done is a minor B.

5. Make sure you get all the plastic slivers and crap off the inside of the glass, because once you finish you will be looking at it and any imperfections will be irritating.

6. Buy the rings off of eBay as seen here: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...m=280587867137 ..instead of paying a ridiculous $50 at Bimmian for two cheap pieces of plastic. Even $20 is too much lol.

Alright good luck all.

Olagüe · 02-01-2011, 04:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ibeclueless

looks nice

+10

Tallest · 02-01-2011, 04:19 PM

it looks really good.

for those who want to do this, but afraid to mess it up, find at a junk yard or ebay some gauge cluster that's fried inside but intact (may be not easy but worth a shot). Buy that for cheap and experiment. May that will give you confidence to carry the mod through. It's very cool end result i think.

Obstructed.View · 02-02-2011, 12:50 PM

would those rings work for an e92?

10-02-2010, 11:01 PM	#1
NiVeDh Major General 422 Rep 8,003 Posts Drives: '08 E90 335i, '99 E36 M3 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Houston, TX & Atlanta, GA iTrader: (132) Garage List 2008 BMW 335i Sedan [8.66]	Instrument Cluster Modded with M3 Gauge Rings Edit: In-car pictures added below... Don't do this. I repeat, do not do this mod!!! It's a pain in the butt. I bought the rings from eBay for around $16. Taking out the stock rings is difficult and you have to break them. I damaged the plastic inside the cluster. Hand polishing with Meguiar's M105 helped fix some of the scratches but there's barely any room to work with. Then I installed the M3 gauge rings, cleaned up the inside with Stoner's Invisible Glass and sealed everything up. However, there is some dust and light scratches all over the inside of the glass. It's not very noticeable though and the coolness factor of the M3 rings makes up for it. All in all, a bad experience but it turned out OK. Edit: In-car pictures... Last edited by NiVeDh; 02-25-2014 at 05:38 PM..
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10-03-2010, 01:54 AM	#2
JoeyBananaz18 Brigadier General 398 Rep 4,084 Posts Drives: metrocard Join Date: May 2009 Location: Whitestone, NY iTrader: (3)	looks like you did a good job. __________________ 7/18/09- I pick up my baby- 2009 E92 335i Xdrive, Space Gray over Coral Red. Premium Pkg, Cold Weather Pkg, M-Sport Pkg, 193Ms, Gloss Black grills, Custom Gloss Black Mirrors, Performance shift and E-brake boot, M3 spoiler, Euro fog switch, gloss black interior tim, Coco-Mats (red/black), H&R coilovers, 19'' Alufelgen SF-71s......
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10-03-2010, 09:38 AM	#4
e90TiAg335i Major 124 Rep 1,151 Posts Drives: 10 e90 335i Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: jacksonville, FL iTrader: (10) Garage List 2010 e90 335i [7.00]	looks great! __________________ JB4, DP, VMR V710, Sonic Tuning S1 coilovers, Hybrid Ovations, Soundsplinter 10" and Zapco DC Ref amps
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10-03-2010, 10:42 AM	#5
dragazn Major 43 Rep 1,071 Posts Drives: i Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: "" iTrader: (1) Garage List 2008 BMW 335i [5.76]	looks very nice, makes me want to start opening mine too. Where did you get the c/f in the dash or is that a wrap? Doesn't look like a wrap at all.
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10-03-2010, 10:43 AM	#6
RON1X Colonel 75 Rep 2,491 Posts Drives: 991 C2S Guards Red Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Nashville, TN iTrader: (8) Garage List 2008 E92 M3 [9.00]	Nivedh, looks great! can't wait to see it person! __________________ 991.1 C2S PDK, Guards Red \| PDCC \| Sport Chrono + \| Clear Tail Lights \| Alcantara Steering Wheel \| HRE FF01 \| TechArt Springs \| Sport Exhaust Previous: Porsche 997 Turbo 6MT, Atlas Gray \| Cobb Stage 2 \| HRE FF01 \| Europipe Stg. 2 Exhaust \| GMG LMS Rollbar \| GT2 Exhaust Tips \| Pagid RS-29 \| Rennline Pedals \| SSK 997.2 Track Car, heavily modded & E92 M3 DCT, still miss her daily & E92 335i heavily modded
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10-03-2010, 03:22 PM	#8
Belarus Brigadier General 153 Rep 3,868 Posts Drives: E93 335i Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: GTA iTrader: (11) Garage List 2008 E93 335i (Conv ... [4.40]	Looks good based on the PIC, thank you for sharing your experience. __________________ 12.770 @ 112.81 mph\|\|slip\|\|JB4\|FMIC\|DPs\|DCI\|N54 DVs\|ER CP\|Koni FSD\|Eibach-Pro\|F Strut-bar\|R Sway-bar\|Hankooks V12\|DPE SP16\|BBK\|15%Tint\|CF Front Lip\|CF Diffuser\|M3 Spoiler\|SmartTop\|LUX AE\|Debadged
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10-03-2010, 04:36 PM	#9
datbimmerdoe Lieutenant General 1277 Rep 17,493 Posts Drives: like I'M BOUT THAT LIFE Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: PARADISE aka CANES COUNTRY iTrader: (0)	looks good. __________________ #datbimmerdoe #thatbimmertho FOLLOW @datbimmerdoe on INSTAGRAM
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10-03-2010, 07:10 PM	#10
onefastman Major General 159 Rep 5,689 Posts Drives: 2009 135i 2011 e92m dct Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Earth iTrader: (15)	Looks great except for the weave on the cf __________________ Legal Disclaimer: Anything I or anyone else says about my vehicle on this website(1addicts.com or any affiliated or nonaffiliated sites), pertaining to modifications, is only to gain acceptance from my/our peers, and does not actually represent anything actually existing on my car, and thus, cannot be held against me in any issues, i.e. warranty claims, that may arise.
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10-03-2010, 08:02 PM	#11
hipnotic Major General 149 Rep 6,604 Posts Drives: e92 335i Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: So. Cal iTrader: (7) Garage List 2008 335i coupe [7.00]	thanks for the heads up
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10-03-2010, 08:02 PM	#12
mkPOTO Mr. Nice Says Hello 636 Rep 16,662 Posts Drives: BMW M3 \| X5 xdrive 35i MSport Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: USA iTrader: (25) Garage List 2002 Lexus GS300 [0.00] 2008 BMW E92 M3 [5.58]	Looks good but dam that's crazy, I would be freaking
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10-03-2010, 09:09 PM	#13
robbie211 Captain 43 Rep 819 Posts Drives: E90 335i, E36 M3 Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: OC iTrader: (16) Garage List 2007 335i [6.76]	pretty cool mod.
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10-03-2010, 09:13 PM	#14
gill_ Banned 17 Rep 128 Posts Drives: AW e92 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: NY iTrader: (0)	looks awesome lets see some pics of it mounted!
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10-03-2010, 09:40 PM	#15
ibeclueless What 141 Rep 9,325 Posts Drives: E92 328xi Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Quincy, MA iTrader: (1)	looks nice __________________ E92 328xi Space Gray Aero Lip \| M3 Side Skirts \| CF Performance Spoiler \| ACS Roof \| Gloss Black Grilles \| LUX H8 Angels \| BMW Performance Exhaust My E92 Photos
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10-03-2010, 10:24 PM	#16
spdy330 Major General 530 Rep 6,149 Posts Drives: 05 Tundra, 15 FIT, 17 CRV Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Chino Hills, CA iTrader: (163)	I would not be brave enough to do something like this Let's get some pics of it installed in the car. __________________ If you will be purchasing ANY AT&T services online or in store could you mention that you were referred by me? My Employee Referral ID is eo4489. This would be a great help and it costs you nothing, thank you!
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10-10-2010, 08:58 PM	#17
NiVeDh Major General 422 Rep 8,003 Posts Drives: '08 E90 335i, '99 E36 M3 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Houston, TX & Atlanta, GA iTrader: (132) Garage List 2008 BMW 335i Sedan [8.66]	Installed pictures added!
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10-10-2010, 09:35 PM	#18
ERANG A LANG Second Lieutenant 13 Rep 208 Posts Drives: 2006 bmw 325i black/black Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: North Vancouver iTrader: (1)	that does look good actually
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02-01-2011, 03:55 PM	#19
IancoleTX Dillo boxers 272 Rep 3,360 Posts Drives: 2019 M5C Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: USA iTrader: (14)	I just did this mod, here are some pointers if you wish to undertake it. 0. Use these instructions: http://www.bimmian.com/elements/page...GRI/GRI9XN.pdf 1. MOST IMPORTANT: cover the inside of the clear plastic with blue painters' tape or similar. Get it all the way down below the gauge rings, ALL THE WAY to the bottom edge. If you don't, you will scratch the f*&^ out of the plastic. This way, you might get some minor smudges that can easily be rubbed out. 2. Get some polishing compound and some windex, or similar. And Q-tips and soft cloth. You will need to do some cleanup work on the inside of the glass when you are done. 3. Taking out the stock rings is a serious B. I did not find an easy way to do it. Good luck. 4. Getting the carbon inlay in straight after the rings are done is a minor B. 5. Make sure you get all the plastic slivers and crap off the inside of the glass, because once you finish you will be looking at it and any imperfections will be irritating. 6. Buy the rings off of eBay as seen here: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...m=280587867137 ..instead of paying a ridiculous $50 at Bimmian for two cheap pieces of plastic. Even $20 is too much lol. Alright good luck all. __________________ 2019 M5C Matte MBB / Tartufo
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02-01-2011, 04:19 PM	#21
Tallest Major General 1307 Rep 6,310 Posts Drives: 911 Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Sweden iTrader: (1) Garage List 2011 911 [10.00]	it looks really good. for those who want to do this, but afraid to mess it up, find at a junk yard or ebay some gauge cluster that's fried inside but intact (may be not easy but worth a shot). Buy that for cheap and experiment. May that will give you confidence to carry the mod through. It's very cool end result i think. __________________ 997.2 F30.F11.E86.E90.E90.E36
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02-02-2011, 12:50 PM	#22
Obstructed.View Private First Class 21 Rep 127 Posts Drives: BMW E92 328i Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: SD iTrader: (2)	would those rings work for an e92? __________________ MODDED 07 E92 328 FOR SALE!!!! http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=655604
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