Is ///M badge on a 540i sport rice?

[thrilos5]

Excerpt from wikipedia......

"M-Cars vs. M-badged cars

There are several BMW models to which BMW Motorsport made changes without being full M-Cars. Vehicles which have been modified by BMW Motorsport but are not full M-Cars may feature plain 'M' badges with no number, whilst full M-Cars have 'M' badges with the model number. E.g. 'M3' or 'M5'. It should be noted however that the Z3/Z4-based M Roadster and M Coupe bore numberless 'M' badges as standard fitment.
For example, the E28 M535i featured suspension, styling, and transmission improvements over the standard 535i. These changes were carried out by BMW Motorsport, thus the car carried 'M' stripe badges on the front grille and boot, but not the full 'M5' badging. The E28 M5 was sold along side the M535i. Motorsport modifications have been made to almost every BMW model, hence it is not unusual to see 'standard' BMW's with 'M' badges.
The opposite occurred with the 850CSi where it was an M car in all but its name (it had BMW M sourced engine and it's VIN indicated that it was developed by BMW Motorsport, like all other M cars), this was possibly because a true M8 was in development. This M8 however was cancelled for reasons known only to BMW."



Just puttin it out there for discussional purposes only...

very true

[FP5241]

I have one question for all in the know! the M5 badge is it all one piece or is the //M and 5 two parts? cause in my search for a 5 series I've seen a few with just an //M badge beside the 540I and some of these cars were at a BMW dealer.
I for one wouldn't put an M5 badge on a car that wasn't an m5 I think its just not right or as some have said a poser... but I have seen cars that have just an //M badge on the back with the 540I.
When I buy my 5 Series it will wear the badge that comes on it and I will be proud to drive it ... why??? Cause its a BMW!!!!
Tom

If you happen to come across a M540 while you're shopping.... BUY IT!!!
That's a special E39...

[a13antichrist]

I'm pretty sure the M5 badge is a slightly different font to the standard ///M badge.

Here's my take on it:

- If my car had sport body kit only and no badge I wouldn't consider adding one.
- If it had from the factory all the sport suspension, shocks, brakes, and every other tweak except a full-blown M5 engine, I wouldn't feel bad about putting an ///M badge, and I certainly wouldnt' even consider taking one off it was was already there
- - If I myself added all the sport suspension, shocks, brakes, and every other tweak except a full-blown M5 engine, I wouldn't feel bad about putting an ///M badge - but of course definitely not an M5 badge.

Here's another question - since when did ///M irrevocably mean "this car has an ///M engine"? Every car with an ///M engine gets a number as well. To me, ///M-badge means performance enhancements as opposed to just the sport body kit, but clearly excludes an actual ///M engine because any car that had that would also get a number.

So, if your car has ///M-parts, I see no reason to feel guilty about having an ///M badge. But putting the badge without the parts, or putting an M5 badge on anything at all that's not a full M5 is 20 lashes material.

As for the question of why to do it at all, well here's my take on that too:

1. It looks a lot cleaner
2. It shows that you're more concerned with the quality of the engineering, rather than just the size of the engine. I'd rather have a fully ///M'ed-up 528 than a stock standard plain 540, and the badge without the number (provided you have the parts of course) says you're choosing to define your car by its performance characteristics, not just its displacement. Sounds fine to me.

[everycredit]

It's rice. You can buy M-parts and that's fine. Mercs with AMG wheels are Mercs with AMG wheels, not AMG Mercs. If you put the badge on the trunk, does it make it go faster or perform better? If you're doing it for looks and you're representing speed you don't have, it's by definition ricing. Why not ad sponsor stickers from companies whose products you don't have and are not sponsoring you?

[a13antichrist]

If you're doing it for looks and you're representing speed you don't have, it's by definition ricing. Why not ad sponsor stickers from companies whose products you don't have and are not sponsoring you?

Ummm if you have the parts, surely you're representing speed you do have? And do you see a problem putting manufacturer stickers from companies whose products you do have? It's rice if you don't have the parts; if you do, it's not.

[FP5241]

More from wikipedia....

"
Competition

Auto tuning has become a worldwide market providing mild to exotic modifications. Many aftermarket companies have been formed that will modify your car, independent of the manufacturers control. Hamann, Alpina, Dinan Cars, AC Schnitzer and Hartge are other companies who rival BMW M, taking new cars for modification and having "semi-official" status with BMW regarding warranties, etc. DaimlerChrysler is one of BMW's top competitors, and offers a similar motorsports division to their customers known as AMG. AMG, like BMW M, is an in-house tuning company that has a direct relationship within the parent company. Also, Audi AG offers similar packages on its cars, which bear an "S" badge (such as the S4, S6, and S8). However, Audi's modifications are considered more of an optional package than a special construction by an historically significant counterpart. Also, BMW M supplied the 6.1 liter V-12 engine that powers the McLaren F1, which, like its engine supplier and manufacturer, has enjoyed plenty of racing success, famously winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1995, the first year of competition for the GTR racing variant."



Interesting on how ///M has an even more significant meaning to it, other then a beastly engine. I guess you could make the argument that you wouldn't put a DINAN badge on a "non-dinan-ed" auto. I guess if you think of it that way, an ///M badge on a Sport, or even a conversion of some sort wouldn't be out of order... this is beginning to become an interesting discussion, rather then the argument it was about to become...

[Gumbi4u]

Good finds FP5241.............I cant find the f'n popcorn smiley!!!

But honestly, people will continue to "argue" or debate about the issue. It will always be a sin to pop on an M badge because the next guy said so.

I do have to admit, I did pop on an M5 badge for about 20 mins. I believe i put a story up a few threads ago. I felt like a total ass for that 20 mins. Then took floss to it in -2 degree temps in winter. The M badge alone DID look out of place so I yanked that off 2 mins later as well. Now its debadged and thats all she wrote.

[FP5241]

Thanks...

Yeah.. it'll always be up for debate, but you can't argure with facts. ///M is a company sponsored tuning company. Not a secret society of master engineers creating the worlds finest engines.. (and they are fine!!! )
A lone ///M badge does look a little out of place back there... to each his own i suppose. I wonder if I would be ousted for tacking on an ACS badge on my 528 when I get my ASC Type II's...

[fragzem]

Ummm if you have the parts, surely you're representing speed you do have? And do you see a problem putting manufacturer stickers from companies whose products you do have? It's rice if you don't have the parts; if you do, it's not.

Yeah but the part in question was the engine... and he doesn't have that part. Maybe its just me, and maybe just by thinking what's under the hood matters is insane....

All that being said now, I thought again, and my buddy has a 92 325is the trunk reads "325///M" and I guess that's "OK" but... it is rather silly at the same time as there is no such car, even tho he has most of the ///M parts in it.

[a13antichrist]

That's the thing, I don't agree the ///M refers to the engine at all - cars with an ///M engine have a number added to the ///M. In fact an ///M without the number says precisely that it DOESN'T have an ///M-engine. ///M simply says "this is a more performance-spec'ed model that doesn't have an ///M engine".

[RedExX5]

What a headache of a post.

I hate someone imposing a badge on a car that isn't meant to be there, but there's a very simple solution...

Just let him go out there with the M5 badge on, drive around a bit and find a TRUE BMW enthusiast who knows what the car should actually look like, watch him get smoked a few times and then laughed at, most likely by some other ricer or hopefully by another M5, and then come back on this forum and post his humiliation. Let him learn the hard way.

If you've ever owned an M model, you NEVER would have brought this up in a forum.

[rpg]

Just to clear a couple of things up for people here.

We are talking about this badge...


Not this badge...

[EaglEye]

No WBS VIN? No M.
It's very simple.

Waste all the money you want slapping on all manner of M bodykits and M-derived this'n'thats---whatever makes you happy; but, badging a non-M as a true M GmbH production is pretty lame.

[LBMotoring]

How does this all make you feel inside?

























we dont care.

[Fuddy]

No WBS VIN? No M.
It's very simple.

Waste all the money you want slapping on all manner of M bodykits and M-derived this'n'thats---whatever makes you happy; but, badging a non-M as a true M GmbH production is pretty lame.

pretty much. It's really simple. If the badge wasn't there from the factory don't put it on.

[FP5241]

Just to clear a couple of things up for people here.

We are talking about this badge...


Not this badge...

Yea, that seems to have gotten lost in the fray...
The ///M logo does not merely represent the engine of an ///M5,3 etc...
///M is a heritage of fine tuning an already amazing piece of machinery, which ultimatley culminates in the awesome ///M5, which is an amazing combination of speed, power, suspension, style, etc....

Dinan makes performance software, wheels, suspension parts etc... as well. If one were to add a dinan suspension kit to thier E39 and a nice set of dinan wheels, would they have the "right" to put a DINAN badge on thier E39? Would they need to install a chip for speed in order to badge it?

I ask these questions, not to provoke people, or to justify ///M badges on every auto, but to merely understand more points of view.

[BKphoto]

How is that missing the point?
I didn't realise there was a certain criteria that needed to be understood to discuss this topic.

'MY' point was in reference to the fact the OP's car came with 8 ///M badges already on it, so if he then decides to put another one on the boot lid then there should be no foul at all. (he just might prefer the M instead of the plain look, and the long 540i.

I agree, putting an m badge on a comfort 540i is ridiculous, and THAT would be missing the point.

hahaha...you win...make a big one and put it on the back window...

[FP5241]

pretty much. It's really simple. If the badge wasn't there from the factory don't put it on.

This is always a strong point of debate.
Probably more then half of the threads in this section of the Forum alone are dedicated to adding items that were not initially added by the factory. From body kits, software, lights, sway bars, brakes, staggered wheel setups, etc... It's a strong argument either way you see it. I guess one could argue that there's always room for improvement... though not much when it comes to E39's.

[BKphoto]

That's the thing, I don't agree the ///M refers to the engine at all - cars with an ///M engine have a number added to the ///M. In fact an ///M without the number says precisely that it DOESN'T have an ///M-engine. ///M simply says "this is a more performance-spec'ed model that doesn't have an ///M engine".

wrong...just wrong, couldn't be any more wrong...

[PutterMcGavin]

Hmm why don't we do what Dinan does...

- OEM M5 wheels are 3 points
- OEM M5 brakes are 2
- OEM M5 Diff. is 2
- OEM M5 Suspension is (...on any other E39, worthless) - 3
- Etc., etc.


Now The only way to the get 'Dinan 5' badge is to buy the "whole" kit akin to buying a true M5. However if you have an E39 and accumulate "points" you only get 'Dinan' not the coveted '5'...

Now if you have 10+ 'M points' then go ahead and throw it on there an call it a day, you spent the money and if you've already bought the M-badge then who cares.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I myself have OEM M5 wheels, OEM M5 brakes, OEM M5 sways and an OEM M5 body kit. However I don't feel like advertising that I got 'big brothers' hand-me-downs on my car.

I didn't read through the whole thread but I'm guessing that somebody has already mentioned the E34 M540i's? It was 'M' badged from the factory when there wasn't an M5 for that year but it shared identical parts less the engine...

[a13antichrist]

wrong...just wrong, couldn't be any more wrong...

So show me one, ONE car with an ///M-Power engine that has an ///M badge. Please.

[thrilos5]

So show me one, ONE car with an ///M-Power engine that has an ///M badge. Please.

Z4 M

and your point??

[azaytsev]

Kill This Thread. What A Waist Of Web Space.

[thrilos5]

Kill This Thread. What A Waist Of Web Space.

+1 I have a feeling this thread can go on for years

[FP5241]

Guess there's no more room for discussion.... only absolutes...