Minor issues can sometimes lead to huge headaches, as is the case with our classic BMW.
A few weeks ago, we had the opportunity to pick up another classic for the TFL stable. This 1987 BMW M535i is from the iconic E28 generation — the second BMW 5 Series and a sibling to the original M5 sports sedan. With classic styling and a 5-speed manual transmission, it’s tough to pass up if you can find a good one. That said, this car does have a few minor issues at present, one of which Alex is tackling in this TFLclassics video.
One of the problems that came with the car was the inoperable power antenna. Not only does the original unit not work in any capacity, but it’s just sitting in the trunk, leaving a nice little hole for rain, snow and dirt to get in and cause even larger issues. Fortunately, you can pick up a replacement unit to fix that issue, as we have a fresh universal antenna to plug into the M535i. The aftermarket Kenwood head unit does function, but there’s obviously no output as the radio needs that external power antenna to receive a signal.
The antenna works, but…
Wiring up the new antenna into the factory connectors, and success — everything’s functioning as it should. However, few “small” installs ever go that smoothly, and Alex faced some issues actually fitting the new unit to the BMW’s body. Resourcing some of the parts off the old antenna mostly did the trick, and you can see the full results from the install below.
Of course, this isn’t the only thing we’ll do with this BMW, and we’ll have more videos coming up soon. At any rate, it’s still satisfying to get that first fix in when you take on a used car, and if you need a guide on how to replace the power antenna for your classic BMW 5 Series, here you go:
