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European
Dash Conversion
(BMW 525i, 528i, 530i, 540i,
and M5)
Model Years 1999-2003
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The Eurodash conversion consists of
swapping the lower dash and glovebox of the American BMW
5-Series with the sleeker looking BMW parts used in Europe and
the rest of the world.
Benefits:
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Substantial
increase in knee room for driver and front seat passenger
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More rear seat
passengers room since front seats can be moved further forward
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Trim lines
match up at the transition between the dash and the door
panels
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Extra
storage bin to the left of the steering wheel
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Smoother
operation of much lighter glovebox door
Drawbacks:
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If you don't wear your seatbelts, this modification
should be avoided. The purpose of the extra bolstering under the dash
on the American BMWs is to guide an
unbelted passenger into the airbags and prevent submarining under the dash
in the event of a serious crash. If you wear your seatbelts,
the extra padding does not help you
in any way. But if you do not wear your seatbelts, you risk serious
injury in an accident. The United States is the only country in the
world that gets these ugly, bloated dashes because we still have significantly
lower seatbelt usage statistics than Europe. Buckle up!
Installation Instructions and Photos:
A 2003 M5 with luxury leather interior is
shown below - before, during, and after the dash conversion at our
shop. Click on any thumbnail to view the full-sized
photograph:
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Before
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After
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Before
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After
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Door trim lines up!
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Dash apart 1
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Dash Apart 2
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Dash Apart 3
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Top and bottom view of the Eurodash conversion
parts 
Total cost of
the parts for the vinyl E39 5-Series and E39 M5 Eurodash conversion is about
$1432 when
ordered from
Crevier BMW.
To convert an M5 with the Luxury Leather
interior to a Eurodash is significantly more expensive. Check
with Crevier for current pricing. (Prices accurate as of
June 2008 for vinyl parts. Leather parts pricing is
several years old and may be inaccurate. Check the latest
pricing with your favorite BMW parts source.) |
Parts to order for the
1999-2003 E39 5-Series
and 2000-2003 M5
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Parts to order for the
1997-1998 E39 5-Series
All of the above parts
(from the appropriate table) except substitute BMW part number
32-31-1-162-228 for the
steering column lower trim and
51-45-8-159-733 for the
driver's footwell trim panel.
Even with this parts substitution, you will need to do some
custom work to mount the OBD connector, since the 1997 and 1998
models use a different connector. And the footwell trim
panel may not fit perfectly.
Some cutting will also be
required on the steering column lower trim in order to
accommodate the power steering wheel tilt and telescope
control.
Glovebox
The European glovebox has the same interior dimensions
as the American part. You don't gain or lose any storage
space when you convert to the European dash. The American glovebox has a grotesquely bloated door 53mm thick
whereas the European glovebox door is only 15mm thick. This translates
directly into extra knee room.
The European glovebox may be ordered
in vinyl for the 525i, 528i, 530i, 540i, or M5. It may also be ordered in
leather for the M5 with the Luxury interior.
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This shows the bloated American
glovebox door on the left and the much lighter and sleeker European
glovebox
door on the right. There are even greater differences between American
and European lower dash thickness all the way across to the driver's side.
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Trim Panel w/Storage Bin
This trim panel replaces the part of the American lower dash to
the left of the steering column. It gives you an extra storage
bin as well as holds the OBD II connector. A plastic trap
door at the top of the storage bin swings down to allow access to the
connector.
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Large Trim Panel
This piece surrounds the glovebox door and radio/navigation
display screen.
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Driver's Footwell Trim Panel
This trim panel goes above the driver's pedal assembly and is
the same for all models. The BMW parts CD shows the same part
for an automatic transmission equipped E39 as it does for the 5 and 6-speed
models. If you look closely at the photo, you can see that there
is no cutout for the clutch pedal. If you are installing this modification
on a manual transmission equipped car, you will need to use a Dremel cutting
tool to cut along the score lines so the the
trim panel can fit in place over the clutch pedal assembly.
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Steering Column Lower Trim
The part shown to the left is for models which have plastic
trim around the steering column. This
piece snaps under the steering column and replaces that bulky American
trim panel with a leather boot resembling the neck of an old tortoise.
If you have an M5 with the Luxury Leather
interior, you will need to order a leather trim panel.
If you have a plastic
steering column and wish to upgrade to leather, you will need to order the
upper part of the column assembly:
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Heater Duct
Because you have so much more legroom
after the conversion, the
American heater duct, which directs
air above the drivers foot, will be too long and will protrude through
the trim panel. This European version is shorter and fits perfectly.
It simply snaps in place of the old duct.
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Screws & Gaskets
These screws with built-in washers and the pair of rubber gaskets
are used to hold part of the black trim panel under the steering column in place.
They are screwed into the underside of the lower steering column trim panel
and they go through a pair of slots in the under dash trim panel. This is
because the steering column can telescope and raised or
lowered, so it can't be directly bolted in place.
You need two of each of these parts.
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Click
invoice for full-sized version
The prices shown reflect what was paid to
Pacific BMW back in February 2001. The prices have gone up
significantly since then. The steering
column lower trim is not listed because it was not available in the USA
at the time. Since then, the part was "mastered" by BMW North America
because of the demand
created by the Eurodash conversions. Now it may be purchased at any BMW
parts counter.
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Before you start, realize
that this is what you will be doing to your car!
But when it looks like this, you're only
about an hour away from finishing, since
assembly is easier than disassembly.
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