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Thread: Interior finish on 1990 535i

  1. #1
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    Interior finish on 1990 535i

    I posted this over on Bimmerboard but activity there seems to be rather low so, if y'all will forgive me, I'm trying here.
    I used to have the ETK back when I had my 1990 750iL on the road but it's been a few years so, now, I rely on RealOEM.
    My BF68885 535 has a vinyl interior.
    I've already sourced a number of leather parts (door cards, rear bench seat - still looking for front seats and the rear seat back.)
    Did the 535i actually come equipped with vinyl? I thought all US spec cars were leather?
    My 1990 525i I had prior, and, of course, my 1990 750iL were all leather.
    Am I missing something?

    Thanks for you time to read this.

  2. #2
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    You could spec vinyl, you’ll find it more commonly in 525i’s. Could have also been swapped in by a PO.
    O o
    ____________________________ ______________
    | BLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH! !!!!
    \_ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ

  3. #3
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    Olympic edition was vinyl I believe.

  4. #4
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    I believe the so called “value edition “ had vinyl also. I think it was called leatherette
    cheers, George

  5. #5
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    Olympic was leather, I owned one. "value" package cars had vinyl.
    What color leather parts are you looking for? There is a parts FS/Wanted section at the top of this forum.

    If you can leave two black stripes from the exit of one corner to the braking zone of the next, you have enough horsepower. - Mark Donohue

  6. #6
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    moroza is offline MORΩN ΛABIA BMW CCA Member
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    525i came standard with vinyl, though most sold in the US had leather. Yours is the first US-spec vinyl 535i I've heard of.

    It could've been swapped. Look carefully at some of the parts for a date. Note that German dates go DD.MM.YY, not MM/DD/YY like in the US. If it was was in the months preceding June 1990, it may've been stock. If newer or much older, it was swapped.

    BMWcats says your Bronzit (beige) 535i was made 28.6.90 and came with very few options, one of which was an LSD. Its upholstery code 0328 is hard to track down, but appears to be "Natur" leather, which would be distinct from "Pergament" (parchment) leather (code 0396). My hunch is that you had a rare shade of beige leather that a PO removed and replaced with a similar color, in vinyl.
    Last edited by moroza; 05-16-2019 at 08:01 PM.

  7. #7
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    It's all beige interior, pretty much perfect.
    I bought it from a one owner and the carfax shows everything as it should be.
    I never knew this was a US option.
    Thank you!


    Thanks, I hope that's not the case - it was a one owner car and everything is pristine and, seemingly, original.
    The vinyl was something, in my experience. I had not seen.
    It was equipped with CD changer ready option and the phone option as well as the LSD.

  8. #8
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    I'll pull the rear seat this weekend and look for a part number. Thank you!

  9. #9
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    Should I just leave it alone?

    The door cards are all vinyl except for the door handles.
    Everything else is vinyl and, really, I wouldn't think the PO (I'm the second owner) would have changed anything.
    I bought it because it was his wife's car and, sadly, she passed away after a long illness so it sat for about 5 years.
    Last edited by mdleers; 05-16-2019 at 08:44 PM.

  10. #10
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    Just leave it alone of the parts are fine, there are enough people which have prob's with door cards.
    WBAHD231XLBF68885
    typeCode HD23
    type 535I (USA)
    series E34 ()
    serie 5
    bodyType LIM
    steering LL
    doors 4
    engine M30
    displacement 3.50
    power 155
    drive HECK
    transmission AUT
    color BRONZITBEIGE METALLIC (139)
    upholstery (0328)
    prodDate 1990-06-28
    S209A Sperrdifferenzial = LSD
    S240A Lenkrad Leder Airbag = steering wheel leather
    S458A Sitzverstellung vorne elektrisch = electric seat adjustment
    S472A Armlehne vorne Fahrer/Beifahrer = armrests front seats
    S640A Vorbereitung Telefoneinbau universal = preparation for phone
    S694A Vorbereitung BMW 6 CD Wechsler = preparation for 6 CD changer
    S818A Batteriehauptschalter = battery main switch, removed by dealer later
    S925A Dummy-SALAPA = shipping protection

    328 is a kind of beige https://worlduph.com/samples/bmwlea.htm
    Last edited by shogun; 05-17-2019 at 12:16 AM.
    Shogun tricks and tips for the E32 series are HERE!

  11. #11
    moroza's Avatar
    moroza is offline MORΩN ΛABIA BMW CCA Member
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    E34 doors are normally either all-vinyl or with leather pulls. The exceptions are high-zoot full leather and 1995 non-Value Package models. What Shogun found is the same as mine: the color code listed in the context of "BMW leather colors", but no explicit statement that 0328 is leather. Are you sure it's vinyl? Does the stitching go mostly vertical like this...



    or horizontal like this...

    Last edited by moroza; 05-17-2019 at 01:39 AM.

  12. #12
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    Thanks, Shogun, your feedback is always an honor to see and very much appreciated!

  13. #13
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  14. #14
    moroza's Avatar
    moroza is offline MORΩN ΛABIA BMW CCA Member
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    Fronts look recovered using the leather pattern. Can't tell with the rears.

  15. #15
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    Replacing driver door card after fixing door brake and window motor

    As an aside, why the heck did BMW rivet the window regulator? - what a pain drilling out those rivets!
    I'm replacing the driver side door card today, these are the part numbers I found on the back - the first one is the old door card and the second the known leather replacement:
    IMG_0459.jpgIMG_0458.jpg

    - - - Updated - - -

    Thanks! I really appreciate the feedback. I really want to know if this car came with vinyl before I start replacing everything.
    I already have a leather rear seat bottom to put in, as well as door cards and, if this car never came with vinyl, I'll continue sourcing appropriate leather items.
    Last edited by mdleers; 05-18-2019 at 08:54 PM. Reason: clarification

  16. #16
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    Those are definitely recovered, the factory's work is much better

    If you can leave two black stripes from the exit of one corner to the braking zone of the next, you have enough horsepower. - Mark Donohue

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