[Ryno 27]

In the USA, ceramic controls were not an available option. Has anyone done a retrofit?

[AHall]

Originally Posted by Ryno 27

In the USA, ceramic controls were not an available option. Has anyone done a retrofit?

I believe limeypride retrofitted ceramic controls. I think he indicated it was difficult and expensive. I do not remember the details, but I get the impression it was not worth it.

[spuntyb]

I think as mentioned, it was done on an F90. Since ceramic controls have been available, people have been attempting to retrofit them in various cars (3 series, 4 series, etc.), and whenever they do it seems it's expensive and somewhat annoying to pull off, but that's just anecdotal.

[Ryno 27]

I had a M550 before getting my M5c. The 550 had the ceramic controls and I just feel it adds another layer of “sexy” to the cabin

[BlueString]

I have ceramic controls in my F10 550i. TBH, I don't really noticed the difference when stepping into my F90 without ceramic controls. It's one of those things you notice if you really look for it. It's a nice touch but probably not worth the price to retro fit them. I might be wrong but I think the retrofit requires replacing the entire ac (front and rear) and radio panels as the ceramic knobs can't be ordered as a standalone part.

[SFT33]

Definitely not an option on the F90. I just tried to order them on an Individual car. Nope.

[Ryno 27]

Originally Posted by SFT33

Definitely not an option on the F90. I just tried to order them on an Individual car. Nope.

That’s frustrating. So much for an “Individual” program…

[M5 F90 (2018)]

I really dont understand why such a thing is not available to your guys in the US, but us in the UK. Its such a lovely touch that adds a little bit of class to the cabin IMO. A shame.

[TEGRITY]

Not sure why it's not an option in the US, it is indeed an option over here in AUS. I chose the galvanic embellished option though as I couldn't see another car with the ceramic controls in person to see the difference.

[shawnhayes]

It comes standard on the M5 CS. Doesn't look that much different to me than my 18 M5.

Shawn

[micvite]

Originally Posted by TEGRITY

Not sure why it's not an option in the US, it is indeed an option over here in AUS. I chose the galvanic embellished option though as I couldn't see another car with the ceramic controls in person to see the difference.

What are galvanic embellished? You got pics?

[TEGRITY]

Originally Posted by micvite

What are galvanic embellished? You got pics?

Here you go. It changes the black buttons to a steel / satin chrome look.

[m5 guy]

Retrofitting the ceramic controls is relatively easy. It really only is three pieces and I was able to install them myself. The problem though is that the car will not accept flashing at the dealer without the original equipment installed. I believe it was a member here that discovered this. As such I removed them before service and just have not bothered to put them back in. Going a slightly different route with the interior so I'm not sure if I'm going to put them back in.

If you are interested in doing this retrofit there are quite a few eBay resellers that sell the package out of wrecked cars in Europe. Would be the cheapest route.

[micvite]

Originally Posted by TEGRITY

Here you go. It changes the black buttons to a steel / satin chrome look.

Interesting... what country is that? I'm curious what other options you guys have on the cars lol

[micvite]

Originally Posted by m5 guy

Retrofitting the ceramic controls is relatively easy. It really only is three pieces and I was able to install them myself. The problem though is that the car will not accept flashing at the dealer without the original equipment installed. I believe it was a member here that discovered this. As such I removed them before service and just have not bothered to put them back in. Going a slightly different route with the interior so I'm not sure if I'm going to put them back in.

If you are interested in doing this retrofit there are quite a few eBay resellers that sell the package out of wrecked cars in Europe. Would be the cheapest route.

I thought they were purely cosmetic? How would the car know you have ceramic buttons or regular ones?

[BlueString]

Originally Posted by M5 F90 (2018)

I really dont understand why such a thing is not available to your guys in the US, but us in the UK. Its such a lovely touch that adds a little bit of class to the cabin IMO. A shame.

We here in the U.S. don't even get Laser Lights lol and a bunch of other options Europe and rest of the world gets. You will laugh at our BMWUSA build M5 page at the option list we have. I've been to the Europe BMW sites and you guys get lots more options than we do such as the swivel center dome lights for rear passengers. I believe BMW doesn't see a demand for U.S. consumers for these options and I know prices in the U.S. are much cheaper compared to other parts of the world so that may be the reason too.

[Evil Derboy]

Originally Posted by micvite

I thought they were purely cosmetic? How would the car know you have ceramic buttons or regular ones?

He’s talking about any future flashing of other modules, but he’s incorrect. It only applies to changing or adding different options or modules without the VO being properly coded to suit.

In the case of changing the iDrive controller (the only part of the ceramic control set that bas any electronics) it won’t cause any future flashing issues.

Even if it did you could simply remove the ceramic iDrive knob from the donor unit and fit it to your existing controller.

[micvite]

Originally Posted by BlueString

We here in the U.S. don't even get Laser Lights lol and a bunch of other options Europe and rest of the world gets. You will laugh at our BMWUSA build M5 page at the option list we have. I've been to the Europe BMW sites and you guys get lots more options than we do such as the swivel center dome lights for rear passengers. I believe BMW doesn't see a demand for U.S. consumers for these options and I know prices in the U.S. are much cheaper compared to other parts of the world so that may be the reason too.

It's not that we don't it's just people don't know how to order things or the dealer doesn't want to deal with people...

[Maverik259]

Still don’t understand why coding is involved on any of these modules. Lol

[micvite]

Originally Posted by Maverik259

Still don’t understand why coding is involved on any of these modules. Lol

That will forever remain a mystery