E39 540i — Interior Mod

Euro Dash
Install

About three hours — and that was with dropping the glove box lock and watching the cylinders explode everywhere. Whoops. Before and after, both sides.

~3 hrs
Install time — with the glove box incident
Cylinders
Exploded everywhere. Whoops.

I feel like the last one to do it, but here it is. The Euro dash gives the interior a cleaner, more modern look — replacing the US-spec pieces with the European versions. About three hours total, which included rekeying the glove box lock after we dropped it and the lock cylinders exploded everywhere. It was fun. Mostly.

Before & After — Right Side
Right Side

Before & After

The right side of the dash — stock US-spec vs the Euro replacement. The difference is subtle but satisfying once you know what to look for.

Right before
Right after
Before (left) — After (right)
Left Side

Before & After

Left side mirrors the right. Both panels swap out as a set — about three hours total, glove box incident included.

Left before
Left after
Before (left) — After (right)
The Gory Bit

Dash Out — Both Sides

With the dash panels removed you can see the routing behind. This is where the glove box lock dropped and the cylinders went everywhere. The before-and-after makes it worth it.

Right out
Left out
Right side out (left) — Left side out (right)
"It was fun! About three hours — and that was with the glove box lock cylinders exploding everywhere. Whoops."
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