BMW 335i Speed Enforcement Vehicles

Tunes · Nov 5, 2010

Thought i'd post some pics of the job we just finished seeing as there aren't many euro type cars posted on here

Tunes · Nov 5, 2010

Equipment list is:

Liberty 43"/Patriot 43"/9M Messenger 44"

Liberties and patriots fitted with modified Lo-Pros, 9M with SA315 running off a BETA112X

Woodway Optilink switch panel

400 Series Grille strobes and rear HAWs in reverse lights with handbrake cut out

TIR3 Grommet mount fend offs

Decatur Responder 1000

Decatur KA Band Dual Radar

Kenwood TM-V71 Dual Band Radio opened to all frequencies

GranPrix · Nov 5, 2010

Nice pics.....

Tunes · Nov 5, 2010

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Note original Woodway grommet mounts, none of your fong kong Whelen knock off stuff :lol:

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Kustom Signals camera bracket because the Decatur rubbish leaves the camera halfway down the windscreen

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relocated hazard switch and MSG controller without ugly black stickers to cover damage made by cowboy engineers on two of the cars :evil:

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Control head cut in half and flushed into passenger dash with flange flipped around and shaped to angle screen at passenger's eyes.

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original video housing was binned and a new one made to incorporate radar head, power and manual record buttons and hide any wiring.

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excessive use of dremel and big hammers to mount large mic in small hole while retaining storage tray

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ashtray lid removed, brackets profiled same as ashtray. ashtray and head slide in together, fixed with one screw (photoshopped out). radio body up inside dash behind MSG controller and external speaker mounted behind A/C controls.

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oroginal demo car looks scrappy now

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Radar CPU mounted behind roof console for easy calibration and repair.

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huge D plugs replaced with slightly ugly ribbon cables so the passenger can still use sunvisor properly.

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Kustom Signal bracket again

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wiring is a mess cos the spec was changed on the car so many times

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old school atlas LoPro housing chopped down to allow fitment on lower profile bars and add a bit of driver cooling.

Tunes · Nov 5, 2010

GranPrix said:
Nice pics.....

give a guy a chance dude :shock:

aberfitchguy2472 · Nov 5, 2010

The cars look great. Very clean and well planned installs. I really like the graphic package on them. I'd take one

Great job on the photos btw. Any other photos of other installs?

Few questions. Why the mix of Liberties, Patriots, and 9Ms? Also why did you use the LoPro speakers and not all SA315Ps?

RL1 · Nov 5, 2010

Nice looking cars! Esp like the pics of the inside setup. What agency are they with?

Tunes · Nov 5, 2010

aberfitchguy2472 said:
The cars look great. Very clean and well planned installs. I really like the graphic package on them. I'd take one Great job on the photos btw. Any other photos of other installs?

Few questions. Why the mix of Liberties, Patriots, and 9Ms? Also why did you use the LoPro speakers and not all SA315Ps?

Thanks. the marking's were designed by me based on an old school british colonial design. The mix wasn't really my choice except giving them a few cars with message bars cos they used to have old hella message bars. And we use Lo-Pros cos they are louder (no arguing) and have a less coloured sound. Plus they look mean

The photo's mostly weren't done by me, we brought in a pro for a photo shoot. They're supposedly due for BMW Magazine but i'll believe that when i see it.

I'll get round to uploading more installs at some point i just got on these ones cos they turned out so nice

Tunes · Nov 5, 2010

RL1 said:
Nice looking cars! Esp like the pics of the inside setup. What agency are they with?

Thanks it was a nightmare making everything fit without doing too much damage and being safe and uncluttered. They'll be used in southern Africa where we're based

Doug · Nov 5, 2010

Tunes said:
The photo's mostly weren't done by me, we brought in a pro for a photo shoot. They're supposedly due for BMW Magazine but i'll believe that when i see it.

I'll get round to uploading more installs at some point i just got on these ones cos they turned out so nice

I was going to ask about that - the pics look awesome. Do I perhaps see some HDR shots, with the reflections and such?

TheGatekeeper · Nov 5, 2010

Tunes said:
Thanks it was a nightmare making everything fit without doing too much damage and being safe and uncluttered. They'll be used in southern Africa where we're based

Nice cars.

Any weapon vault?

ParkPiggy · Nov 5, 2010

Funny how every other country has gotten over center mounted shifters(most even using standard trannys). But we flip out in the USA over the new Police Caprice having the center mount shifter!

TheGatekeeper · Nov 5, 2010

I don't think there has been any steering shifter in European cars since the 60s.

JaBradt85 · Nov 5, 2010

I am a fan.

FireEMSPolice · Nov 5, 2010

Awesome!

cory y · Nov 5, 2010

Exactly... people need to pull the stick out of their ass and start being creative and use that ingunity we americans are known for.

All in all a center console shifter is a very very small issue. Deal with it.

ParkPiggy said:
Funny how every other country has gotten over center mounted shifters(most even using standard trannys). But we flip out in the USA over the new Police Caprice having the center mount shifter!

GranPrix · Nov 5, 2010

Tunes said:
give a guy a chance dude :shock:

LoL I know, just messin with ya!

Sweet rides!

pdk9 · Nov 5, 2010

great installs and very cool, high-quality pics

(PS i think it's great to see the tir3's mounted on the sides up front; a lot of the euro. cars that i see usually have very limited warning packages and rarely have intersection lighting, IMO)

TheGatekeeper · Nov 7, 2010

It's getting there, and the UK is heading the pack, with however a very surprising technique, where holes are drilled in the fenders for LEDs, such as here... Not good for resale... and they are better options out there...

chono · Nov 7, 2010

ParkPiggy said:
Funny how every other country has gotten over center mounted shifters(most even using standard trannys). But we flip out in the USA over the new Police Caprice having the center mount shifter!

Just a reason for people who hate chevys to keep on hating them though!

cory y · Nov 7, 2010

Even though chevy has a history of making the best cop cars out there

fp13-2 · Nov 7, 2010

Found one major problem with the installs and corrected it... :lol:

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WhiteLite03 · Nov 7, 2010

:shock: :lol: +1

Tunes · Nov 8, 2010

Thanks for the compliments on the cars. I'll add a bit more info on the pics today, i thought some of the more eagle eyed peeps might have noticed a few things that didn't look quite right on the equipment other than the steering wheel being on the proper side :lol: you see it's no good driving on the left, how are you suposed to handle your sword err gun err never mind that doesn't sound right

The pics are all real no computer jiggery pokery. We had the shoot at BMW's driver training track so when the big knobs left we got out the hose pipes and wet the skid pan down for the reflective pics, was good fun.

There's no weapons vault in the vehicle, cops here do not look after their weapons, every time i do a repair i have to dig through untold amounts of winchesters and R5 assault rifles to get to equipment and those are buried under rubbish! Hopefully we'll help remedy that in the near future with some Pro-gard products.

I don't see what all the fuss is about over the centre mounted shifter there's plenty of space for equipment if you're prepared to think about it and the manufacturers are thinking about it too (which they don't mostly) i think the only cars i've ever worked on without them are cars like Audi A8s, 7 Series and the old Honda Civic, there's always a way.

HPD84 · Nov 8, 2010

Sweeet..i want one!!!!

:x :mrgreen:

RL1 · Nov 8, 2010

LMAO at fp13-2. Very good!

Cory Y, I agree. I love my 07 Impala; it's never given me any problems and is a LOT easier to handle at 'elevated, yet safe' speeds on tiny lanes.

TheGatekeeper · Nov 8, 2010

So is a BMW 330xD

r1ms12 · Nov 8, 2010

This is impressive on so many levels. I always thought that the Audi, BMW and Mercedes armored protection fleet in Germany was well done, but this definitely tops it in every regard.

These cars are not easy to work on and you have done a great job.

TheGatekeeper · Nov 9, 2010

You are making a good point... :?

Tunes, Are they A&S vehicles, or just regular 330s ?

JaBradt85 · Nov 9, 2010

TheGatekeeper said:
So is a BMW 330xD

D is for diesel which is good enough for me.

Tunes · Nov 9, 2010

TheGatekeeper said:
So is a BMW 330xD

They're 335i rocket ships. No point chasing a Ferrari on a bicycle

The diesels are cracking cars though we've got one as a demo car n it's a flying machine. Got to be the worst diesel out there for running the engine inside a workshop though, they stink big time.

What's A&S then?

Tunes · Nov 9, 2010

r1ms12 said:
This is impressive on so many levels. I always thought that the Audi, BMW and Mercedes armored protection fleet in Germany was well done, but this definitely tops it in every regard.

These cars are not easy to work on and you have done a great job.

Ok, for me that's probably the biggest compliment anyone can pay. BMW security vehicles are beautifully engineered but sometimes a bit over engineered and misses the point, especialy when it comes to lighting etc. I love working on beemers i see them as easy except the shape of the dashboards for mounting equipment and removing headlights on X5,X6s is ridiculously labour intensive.

Thanks alot r1ms12 much appreciated

kitn1mcc · Nov 9, 2010

wow those are some nice looking vehicles

TheGatekeeper · Nov 10, 2010

Tunes said:
They're 335i rocket ships. No point chasing a Ferrari on a bicycle

The diesels are cracking cars though we've got one as a demo car n it's a flying machine. Got to be the worst diesel out there for running the engine inside a workshop though, they stink big time.

What's A&S then?

BMW Authority & Security (the Beamer equivalent of a Police Package), which you seem to confirm they are.

Tunes · Nov 10, 2010

Yeah i thought about it after i posted, i thought maybe A&S was a company responsible for authorities conversions. They're not the authorities package though they're standard civilian cars. We've had authorities package vehicles before but it's pointless. I don't trust any wiring i didn't run myself, we've found the split charge system unreliable, particularly on the bikes, and when you take it to a dealer they haven't the first idea what to do with it so it's safer to stick with standard cars unless it's the armoured vehicles. Even then we junk all the BMW Hella stuff and wiring and fit Whelen. Better safe than sorry, any problems on a car and the first thing people do is blame the guys who fitted the lights.

kinnelonfire75 · Nov 10, 2010

Tunes said:
Yeah i thought about it after i posted, i thought maybe A&S was a company responsible for authorities conversions. They're not the authorities package though they're standard civilian cars. We've had authorities package vehicles before but it's pointless. I don't trust any wiring i didn't run myself, we've found the split charge system unreliable, particularly on the bikes, and when you take it to a dealer they haven't the first idea what to do with it so it's safer to stick with standard cars unless it's the armoured vehicles. Even then we junk all the BMW Hella stuff and wiring and fit Whelen. Better safe than sorry, any problems on a car and the first thing people do is blame the guys who fitted the lights.

Damn! I got to this thread a bit late but I am extremely impressed with the quality of work. I realize that driving laws are different on your side, so you need the faster cars. That fact has not stopped me from being shocked by seeing so many BMWs outfitted to be police vehicles!

Keep up the good work.

Mark

TheGatekeeper · Nov 11, 2010

Well, it does make sense, as BMW is one of the few on this side of the pond actually building special-purpose vehicles for emergency services (Volvo and GM/Vauxhall/Opel are the other ones). Furthermore, BMW has just been designated as "preferred supplier" for all of the 43 UK Constabularies and the few national police bodies... In their catalog they carry 3Series, 5Series, X1, X3 & X5 in "police pack" versions.

Unfortunately, not all countries can afford such cars... Usually Southern Europe is more into lower-end models, such as Peugeot, Renault or ..Ford..

Tunes · Nov 11, 2010

It makes more sense in the UK where the dealers responsible for authorities cars will be fully trained and the UK police package is more usefull from the standard german offering. Ony problem being that 1000 pounds for a wiring loom is a little excessive considering the car will still need to be fully stripped to fit equipment which cancels the labour savings. Volvo's kit always came in the price of the car and was very well thought out and of great quality even though it wasn't as comprehensive as the BMW kit. I feel that was a better way of doing it really, you'll never come up with a loom that's going to suit all customers as they all want different things. I used to love working on the 850s and V70s back in the day, one T20 to strip the whole car with never a single clip broken and acres of dash to fit all the equipment the customer could think of. They were good cars til they got fat.

By rights the beemers should be too expensive for use here but the fact they come with 5 years full warrantee and service plan make them a much more viable option.

The fords aren't sooo bad. I remember a time when, in one constabulary in particular, the officers used to break their Astras on purpose so they could go get a Focus. They use them here because they're one of the few cars that can cope with the bad roads in the townships. I have noticed they do tend to get old very quickly though and the clutches are horrible. it's put me off ever buying one.

TheGatekeeper · Nov 11, 2010

Your comments on the "police" equipment is interesting. You'd think BMW would have it right and that somehow, there should be standard procedures in gearing up the light bars and other bells and whistles...

I mean look at the American Police Packs... They now even come with factory equipped wig-wags and some other "basic" gear. Even if the various options chosen by police forces do vary, basically the run-of-the-mill CVPI or Charger does not require excessive xtra work to meet most police depts requirements.

I hear you about a thousand quid for wiring loom, but BMW police packs go beyond the wiring... Powertrain is reinforced, gear ratios are different, etc etc... Many items are "heavy-duty" to improve durability and performance compared to a civilian model.

It goes a bit beyond a few meters of electrical wires and body holes.

At least that what their brochure says ;o)

TheGatekeeper · Nov 11, 2010

Personalyy, one of my favorites... Demos just hit a couple forces in the UK:5063531532_b53db0f928_o.jpg[/attachment:1qwc43qf]

BMW 335i Speed Enforcement Vehicles

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