Question:

Just remembered something LOL – near the end of "Fatbottomed Girls" doesn’t Freddie M. yell out, "Get on yer bikes and riiiiiiiiide, boys!"? Thanks to Great Britain for giving us Freddie Mercury & Queen…..like many greats of the Fine Arts world, not fully appreciated till after Freddie left us for the RB long ago.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -I feel ashamed of myself for causing your courteous, detailed explanations. You are you and I am me and despite Queen’s opinion (it ain’t "fat-bottomed girls") that’s what makes world go ’round – diverse opinions of us hoomins on planet. ‘Nuff said. I shouldn’t have posted that……retired now, w/30 years worth of memories of work in Class 1 trauma center ER’s triggering my sometimes spastic typing fingers here. As for Lance & his stuffed lion: I have a fairly large tv simply because I’m a rabid Broncos fan: I blame my failure to recognize what he was tube lately, right?) and two: the particular telecast I watched, which consisted of tight closeups of Lance saying what he said and then really *fast* camera reverse-zoom (where I noticed the thing in his right hand) to overall view of winner’s stand. I would be a total basket case trying to watch football on any screen smaller than my 36", LOL. To each his/her own, I try to keep in mind. On 2005-07-25, Hopitus penned: Thank you for explaining what the tv dudes left out that left me scratching my head! ROFL – I never woulda figured out that was a stuffed lion being waved by our hero….I thought maybe he’d run over a bear somewhere on the route and that was his trophy. I think you need a bigger TV =P  Even our 27" shows the lion pretty well. You’re in good shape, Monique. Couldn’t you just leave that murderous hog in your garage (sorry, former ER worker) and train to ride bike in USA women’s group of contestants? I’d root for ya…. Okay, lots of thoughts, in no particular order: It’s not a hog, it’s a beemer (BMW)!  A hawg is a harley. I ride my mountain bike on trails far more often than I ride my beemer.  The beemer is a pleasure vehicle, like a fancy convertible or something.  I wish I could say I rode it more, but it really only gets exercise every week or two on average.  In contrast, I typically ride my mountain bike several times a week.  (Course, with the wrist right now, I’m not riding either). Cycling just isn’t as safe as you probably think it is.  At least on a motorcycle, I’m wearing full protective gear.  On a bike, I’m wearing a helmet (that only covers the top of my head, as opposed to my fullface motorcycle helmet) and gloves … that’s about it.  The spandex on the rest of my body isn’t doing diddly in a crash.  I’ve gone past 30 MPH going downhill at a 2% grade on a mountain bike and somewhat rugged terrain … racing on a road bike is much faster than that!  Bob Roll has a quote somewhere to the effect that after years of racing, he finally figured out what the awful smell is at a crash — it’s the smell of burning flesh. On a motorcycle, you can at least accelerate and get away from nasty sitautions.  On a road bike, you simply can’t accelerate like a car can. And you don’t just have to worry about idiots not paying attention; there are idiots who think that bikes don’t belong on the road and actually try to ram them!  There are cycling fatalities *in Boulder* every year.  And while a motorcycle stands a decent chance of staying upright if you run it off the road and into grass, a road bike, with tires less than an inch wide, is an instant disaster.  Last year, a friend of a friend was taken to the hospital after a car ran him off the road on purpose. I know that all sorts of bad things can happen even if you take proper precautions, but knowing that, when I want to do something risky, I do my research and mitigate what I can.  Not acknowledging the risks is far more dangerous, in my opinion.  I took the MSF course before I ever took a motorcycle on the road — something that they claim reduces your chance of getting in an accident the first (most dangerous) year by something like 95%.  I wear full gear every time I ride.  I never ride tired or sick, and I won’t ride with even a single drink in my system (same for driving a car, actually). At some point, I will finally psych myself up enough to ride one of my bicycles to work — I already have a cute little bike just for the purpose, a rigid mountain bike with narrow, slick tires — but it honestly scares me.  Much worse than riding trails; much worse than riding a motorcycle.  Bicycle/vehicle interactions are just scary. Riding near cars is just scary. Finally, if I were to compete, it would almost certainly be in mountain biking.  I did compete in a race last year, actually.  Very interesting experience. — monique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca

Response:

I would be a total basket case trying to watch football on any screen smaller than my 36", LOL. *sigh* now wouldn’t that be nice to have …

We bought a perfectly lovely 36" Sony TV two years ago.  You got it.  DH spends half his time in the electronics stores sighing over the bigger HD models that are far out of our price range.  Besides which we don’t really have anywhere else to put the current monster.  To big to put in a bedroom. Jo

Response:

On 2005-07-26, Hopitus penned: I feel ashamed of myself for causing your courteous, detailed explanations. You are you and I am me and despite Queen’s opinion (it ain’t "fat-bottomed girls") that’s what makes world go ’round – diverse opinions of us hoomins on planet. ‘Nuff said. I shouldn’t have posted that……retired now, w/30 years worth of memories of work in Class 1 trauma center ER’s triggering my sometimes spastic typing fingers here.

I just felt the need to defend myself a bit =)  Well, not defend, maybe explain.  I know that riding a motorcycle is dangerous.  I could die or be crippled.  But I also think that there are a lot of activities that could kill or cripple a person … nuff said. As for Lance & his stuffed lion: I have a fairly large tv simply because I’m a rabid Broncos fan: I blame my failure to recognize what he was waving on 2 right?) and two: the particular telecast I watched, which consisted of tight closeups of Lance saying what he said and then really *fast* camera reverse-zoom (where I noticed the thing in his right hand) to overall view of winner’s stand.

Yeah, I think this is the third Tour I’ve watched.  I don’t remember if the lion was obvious to me at first. I would be a total basket case trying to watch football on any screen smaller than my 36", LOL.

*sigh* now wouldn’t that be nice to have … — monique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca

Response:

You are into a different sport(s), kid. A Jake the Snake adorned w/whatever facial hair decoration he fancies, Shannie making awful faces and cursing silently, and the rest of our OrangeandBlue losing chance after chance is absolutely vital to life here! Even the Deadly Duo no longer look up @ the screaming & pounding going on via the sofa…..but we never, ever lose hope, LOL. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – On 2005-07-26, Hopitus penned: I feel ashamed of myself for causing your courteous, detailed explanations. You are you and I am me and despite Queen’s opinion (it ain’t "fat-bottomed girls") that’s what makes world go ’round – diverse opinions of us hoomins on planet. ‘Nuff said. I shouldn’t have posted that……retired now, w/30 years worth of memories of work in Class 1 trauma center ER’s triggering my sometimes spastic typing fingers here. I just felt the need to defend myself a bit =)  Well, not defend, maybe explain.  I know that riding a motorcycle is dangerous.  I could die or be crippled.  But I also think that there are a lot of activities that could kill or cripple a person … nuff said. As for Lance & his stuffed lion: I have a fairly large tv simply because I’m a rabid Broncos fan: I blame my failure to recognize what he was waving on 2 right?) and two: the particular telecast I watched, which consisted of tight closeups of Lance saying what he said and then really *fast* camera reverse-zoom (where I noticed the thing in his right hand) to overall view of winner’s stand. Yeah, I think this is the third Tour I’ve watched.  I don’t remember if the lion was obvious to me at first. I would be a total basket case trying to watch football on any screen smaller than my 36", LOL. *sigh* now wouldn’t that be nice to have … — monique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I would be a total basket case trying to watch football on any screen smaller than my 36", LOL. *sigh* now wouldn’t that be nice to have … We bought a perfectly lovely 36" Sony TV two years ago.  You got it. DH spends half his time in the electronics stores sighing over the bigger HD models that are far out of our price range.  Besides which we don’t really have anywhere else to put the current monster.  To big to put in a bedroom. Jo I also have a 36" Sony, much too small I’d like a nice 72" HD DLP.

They *MAKE* 72 inchers now!???!  Oh gawd, DH is probably going to start complaining about how small our 65 incher is now!  ; Hugs, CatNipped – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – — Adrian (Owned by Snoopy & Bagheera) A house is not a home, without a cat.

Response:

On 2005-07-26, Hopitus penned: Just remembered something LOL – near the end of "Fatbottomed Girls" doesn’t Freddie M. yell out, "Get on yer bikes and riiiiiiiiide, boys!"?  Thanks to Great Britain for giving us Freddie Mercury & Queen…..like many greats of the Fine Arts world, not fully appreciated till after Freddie left us for the RB long ago.

I think that’s a reference to the song "I want to ride my bicycle" — monique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I would be a total basket case trying to watch football on any screen smaller than my 36", LOL. *sigh* now wouldn’t that be nice to have … We bought a perfectly lovely 36" Sony TV two years ago.  You got it. DH spends half his time in the electronics stores sighing over the bigger HD models that are far out of our price range.  Besides which we don’t really have anywhere else to put the current monster.  To big to put in a bedroom. Jo I also have a 36" Sony, much too small I’d like a nice 72" HD DLP. They *MAKE* 72 inchers now!???!  Oh gawd, DH is probably going to start complaining about how small our 65 incher is now!  ; Hugs, CatNipped

So don’t tell him. — Adrian (Owned by Snoopy & Bagheera) A house is not a home, without a cat.

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I would be a total basket case trying to watch football on any screen smaller than my 36", LOL. *sigh* now wouldn’t that be nice to have … We bought a perfectly lovely 36" Sony TV two years ago.  You got it. DH spends half his time in the electronics stores sighing over the bigger HD models that are far out of our price range.  Besides which we don’t really have anywhere else to put the current monster.  To big to put in a bedroom. Jo I also have a 36" Sony, much too small I’d like a nice 72" HD DLP. —

So would Charlie. Jo

Response:

I would be a total basket case trying to watch football on any screen smaller than my 36", LOL. *sigh* now wouldn’t that be nice to have … We bought a perfectly lovely 36" Sony TV two years ago.  You got it. DH spends half his time in the electronics stores sighing over the bigger HD models that are far out of our price range.  Besides which we don’t really have anywhere else to put the current monster.  To big to put in a bedroom. Jo

I also have a 36" Sony, much too small I’d like a nice 72" HD DLP. — Adrian (Owned by Snoopy & Bagheera) A house is not a home, without a cat.

Response:

On 2005-07-25, Hopitus penned: Well, good for Lance and God Bless Texas, but *what* was he begging the "non-believers" or "skeptics" to believe? That he won? No contest, LOL. And who were those chicks on either side of him?

I asked that, too. helen s suggested it was because a lot of people in the US don’t consider cycling to be a "real sport" because it’s "just pushing pedals" (kind of like running a marathon is "just putting one foot in front of the other," I suppose, except that afaik marathons don’t have nearly the kind of tactics that the Tour does, nor the multiple ways to be noticed (points, climbs, first across the line each day and of course the yellow jersey … not to mention the variety of riding that goes into it with time trials, flats, mountains … Ahem.  And I’m not even a roadie!  I’ve never ridden a road bike in my life. Where was Sheryl? And what was that brown fuzzy thing in his waving right hand that looked for all the world like a dead bear’s head??! I can see there’s a LOAD of stuff about riding a bike that I don’t know, LOL. Here you have a cycling-uninformed person who still thinks – with the nonsense going on these days in pro baseball – they ought to let Pete Rose into the Hall of Fame even tho he bet on the game ‘way back when……

Sheryl was there.  They always have two women present the winners of the day with a stuffed-animal lion , which I believe is a take on the mascot of the Tour sponsor Credit Lyonnais.  You don’t get to bring your s.o. on the podium, no matter how famous she might be in her own right =) I was hoping for a nod to the Australian women’s team in the Tour coverage or by some of the riders, but if there was any such thing, I didn’t catch it. — monique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca

Response:

Thank you for explaining what the tv dudes left out that left me scratching my head! ROFL – I never woulda figured out that was a stuffed lion being waved by our hero….I thought maybe he’d run over a bear somewhere on the route and that was his trophy. You’re in good shape, Monique. Couldn’t you just leave that murderous hog in your garage (sorry, former ER worker) and train to ride bike in USA women’s group of contestants? I’d root for ya…. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – On 2005-07-25, Hopitus penned: Well, good for Lance and God Bless Texas, but *what* was he begging the "non-believers" or "skeptics" to believe? That he won? No contest, LOL. And who were those chicks on either side of him? I asked that, too. helen s suggested it was because a lot of people in the US don’t consider cycling to be a "real sport" because it’s "just pushing pedals" (kind of like running a marathon is "just putting one foot in front of the other," I suppose, except that afaik marathons don’t have nearly the kind of tactics that the Tour does, nor the multiple ways to be noticed (points, climbs, first across the line each day and of course the yellow jersey … not to mention the variety of riding that goes into it with time trials, flats, mountains … Ahem.  And I’m not even a roadie!  I’ve never ridden a road bike in my life. Where was Sheryl? And what was that brown fuzzy thing in his waving right hand that looked for all the world like a dead bear’s head??! I can see there’s a LOAD of stuff about riding a bike that I don’t know, LOL. Here you have a cycling-uninformed person who still thinks – with the nonsense going on these days in pro baseball – they ought to let Pete Rose into the Hall of Fame even tho he bet on the game ‘way back when…… Sheryl was there.  They always have two women present the winners of the day with a stuffed-animal lion , which I believe is a take on the mascot of the Tour sponsor Credit Lyonnais.  You don’t get to bring your s.o. on the podium, no matter how famous she might be in her own right =) I was hoping for a nod to the Australian women’s team in the Tour coverage or by some of the riders, but if there was any such thing, I didn’t catch it. — monique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca

Response:

On 2005-07-25, Hopitus penned: Thank you for explaining what the tv dudes left out that left me scratching my head! ROFL – I never woulda figured out that was a stuffed lion being waved by our hero….I thought maybe he’d run over a bear somewhere on the route and that was his trophy.

I think you need a bigger TV =P  Even our 27" shows the lion pretty well. You’re in good shape, Monique. Couldn’t you just leave that murderous hog in your garage (sorry, former ER worker) and train to ride bike in USA women’s group of contestants? I’d root for ya….

Okay, lots of thoughts, in no particular order: It’s not a hog, it’s a beemer (BMW)!  A hawg is a harley. I ride my mountain bike on trails far more often than I ride my beemer.  The beemer is a pleasure vehicle, like a fancy convertible or something.  I wish I could say I rode it more, but it really only gets exercise every week or two on average.  In contrast, I typically ride my mountain bike several times a week.  (Course, with the wrist right now, I’m not riding either). Cycling just isn’t as safe as you probably think it is.  At least on a motorcycle, I’m wearing full protective gear.  On a bike, I’m wearing a helmet (that only covers the top of my head, as opposed to my fullface motorcycle helmet) and gloves … that’s about it.  The spandex on the rest of my body isn’t doing diddly in a crash.  I’ve gone past 30 MPH going downhill at a 2% grade on a mountain bike and somewhat rugged terrain … racing on a road bike is much faster than that!  Bob Roll has a quote somewhere to the effect that after years of racing, he finally figured out what the awful smell is at a crash — it’s the smell of burning flesh. On a motorcycle, you can at least accelerate and get away from nasty sitautions.  On a road bike, you simply can’t accelerate like a car can. And you don’t just have to worry about idiots not paying attention; there are idiots who think that bikes don’t belong on the road and actually try to ram them!  There are cycling fatalities *in Boulder* every year.  And while a motorcycle stands a decent chance of staying upright if you run it off the road and into grass, a road bike, with tires less than an inch wide, is an instant disaster.  Last year, a friend of a friend was taken to the hospital after a car ran him off the road on purpose. I know that all sorts of bad things can happen even if you take proper precautions, but knowing that, when I want to do something risky, I do my research and mitigate what I can.  Not acknowledging the risks is far more dangerous, in my opinion.  I took the MSF course before I ever took a motorcycle on the road — something that they claim reduces your chance of getting in an accident the first (most dangerous) year by something like 95%.  I wear full gear every time I ride.  I never ride tired or sick, and I won’t ride with even a single drink in my system (same for driving a car, actually).   At some point, I will finally psych myself up enough to ride one of my bicycles to work — I already have a cute little bike just for the purpose, a rigid mountain bike with narrow, slick tires — but it honestly scares me.  Much worse than riding trails; much worse than riding a motorcycle.  Bicycle/vehicle interactions are just scary. Riding near cars is just scary. Finally, if I were to compete, it would almost certainly be in mountain biking.  I did compete in a race last year, actually.  Very interesting experience. — monique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca

Response:

I feel ashamed of myself for causing your courteous, detailed explanations. You are you and I am me and despite Queen’s opinion (it ain’t "fat-bottomed girls") that’s what makes world go ’round – diverse opinions of us hoomins on planet. ‘Nuff said. I shouldn’t have posted that……retired now, w/30 years worth of memories of work in Class 1 trauma center ER’s triggering my sometimes spastic typing fingers here. As for Lance & his stuffed lion: I have a fairly large tv simply because I’m a rabid Broncos fan: I blame my failure to recognize what he was waving on 2 right?) and two: the particular telecast I watched, which consisted of tight closeups of Lance saying what he said and then really *fast* camera reverse-zoom (where I noticed the thing in his right hand) to overall view of winner’s stand. I would be a total basket case trying to watch football on any screen smaller than my 36", LOL. To each his/her own, I try to keep in mind. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – On 2005-07-25, Hopitus penned: Thank you for explaining what the tv dudes left out that left me scratching my head! ROFL – I never woulda figured out that was a stuffed lion being waved by our hero….I thought maybe he’d run over a bear somewhere on the route and that was his trophy. I think you need a bigger TV =P  Even our 27" shows the lion pretty well. You’re in good shape, Monique. Couldn’t you just leave that murderous hog in your garage (sorry, former ER worker) and train to ride bike in USA women’s group of contestants? I’d root for ya…. Okay, lots of thoughts, in no particular order: It’s not a hog, it’s a beemer (BMW)!  A hawg is a harley. I ride my mountain bike on trails far more often than I ride my beemer.  The beemer is a pleasure vehicle, like a fancy convertible or something.  I wish I could say I rode it more, but it really only gets exercise every week or two on average.  In contrast, I typically ride my mountain bike several times a week.  (Course, with the wrist right now, I’m not riding either). Cycling just isn’t as safe as you probably think it is.  At least on a motorcycle, I’m wearing full protective gear.  On a bike, I’m wearing a helmet (that only covers the top of my head, as opposed to my fullface motorcycle helmet) and gloves … that’s about it.  The spandex on the rest of my body isn’t doing diddly in a crash.  I’ve gone past 30 MPH going downhill at a 2% grade on a mountain bike and somewhat rugged terrain … racing on a road bike is much faster than that!  Bob Roll has a quote somewhere to the effect that after years of racing, he finally figured out what the awful smell is at a crash — it’s the smell of burning flesh. On a motorcycle, you can at least accelerate and get away from nasty sitautions.  On a road bike, you simply can’t accelerate like a car can. And you don’t just have to worry about idiots not paying attention; there are idiots who think that bikes don’t belong on the road and actually try to ram them!  There are cycling fatalities *in Boulder* every year.  And while a motorcycle stands a decent chance of staying upright if you run it off the road and into grass, a road bike, with tires less than an inch wide, is an instant disaster.  Last year, a friend of a friend was taken to the hospital after a car ran him off the road on purpose. I know that all sorts of bad things can happen even if you take proper precautions, but knowing that, when I want to do something risky, I do my research and mitigate what I can.  Not acknowledging the risks is far more dangerous, in my opinion.  I took the MSF course before I ever took a motorcycle on the road — something that they claim reduces your chance of getting in an accident the first (most dangerous) year by something like 95%.  I wear full gear every time I ride.  I never ride tired or sick, and I won’t ride with even a single drink in my system (same for driving a car, actually). At some point, I will finally psych myself up enough to ride one of my bicycles to work — I already have a cute little bike just for the purpose, a rigid mountain bike with narrow, slick tires — but it honestly scares me.  Much worse than riding trails; much worse than riding a motorcycle.  Bicycle/vehicle interactions are just scary. Riding near cars is just scary. Finally, if I were to compete, it would almost certainly be in mountain biking.  I did compete in a race last year, actually.  Very interesting experience. — monique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca

Response:

CYCLIST LANCE ARMSTRONG HAS WON HIS SEVENTH TOUR DE FRANCE. Quoted from FoxNews alert! — The ONE and ONLY lefthanded-pathetic-paranoid-psychotic-sarcastic-wiseass-ditzy former-blonde in Bloomington! (And proud of it, too)

Question:

Before you get too down on the Catera / Omega motors keep in mind they came with a good one in Europe.  The Diesel engine (made by BMW) is a sweet, reliable engine.  However the rest of the car is still….um… Fragile.

Perhaps in Europe they came with a "good" motor, but they neglected to put one in when they sent it over here.  This 3.0 liter motor is one of GM’s "world" engines and apparently is used in many different vehicles.  I think they put them in SAAB’s too.  The design of the engine is ghastly….you would have to see one and have some knowledge of how most engines are put together to understand what a nightmare this one is to work on. Ian

Response:

Co-worker had one. 56,000 miles head gasket/intake coolant leaks. Dealer charged him over a grand for the repair, only for it to leak again at about 70,000 miles. He has since traded it off. I always thought it was one of those cars made by some foreign company for GM. It had alot of German parts on it.

That foreign company is one of GMs European divisions, Opel.

Response:

Co-worker had one. 56,000 miles head gasket/intake coolant leaks. Dealer charged him over a grand for the repair, only for it to leak again at about 70,000 miles. He has since traded it off. I always thought it was one of those cars made by some foreign company for GM. It had alot of German parts on it.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Just saw a 1997 Catera for sale in the wrecking yard where I bought two Grand AMs which turned out to be good cars. The car is a 3L V8 and looks to be in good shape with 80,000 miles on it. The thing is the intake system has been removed and is in the trunk. I figure that someone wanted to repair it and realized that they were in over their head. Is there a known problem which would cause someone to do this? Also, they are asking $3995. This seems a bit high. What do you think? Thanks, Scott

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – By the way, that 3.0 liter engine is a V-6, not a V-8.  Quite possibly the nastiest engine to work on that I’ve ever seen.  Of course, I’ve only worked on GM engines. Ian Worse than the dreaded 3.4 DOHC?  I can’t believe that. Much worse then the 3.4 DOHC!  I’m actually doing head gaskets on a Catera today.  We would be better off just giving the guy the 4000 dollars it’s going to take to fix it, and then have it towed to the nearest wrecking yard.  There are actually some people that like these cars.  I don’t really know why…but I guess it takes all kinds. Ian Man.  I don’t want any part of those dogs then.  My oldest boy who’s about to graduate from college was thinking about getting one that he thought was a good deal.  I seemed to remember some posts here condemning them and think I talked him out of it.  Dad would have been the one working on it too. Garrett

Before you get too down on the Catera / Omega motors keep in mind they came with a good one in Europe.  The Diesel engine (made by BMW) is a sweet, reliable engine.  However the rest of the car is still….um… Fragile.

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Just saw a 1997 Catera for sale in the wrecking yard where I bought two Grand AMs which turned out to be good cars. The car is a 3L V8 and looks to be in good shape with 80,000 miles on it. The thing is the intake system has been removed and is in the trunk. I figure that someone wanted to repair it and realized that they were in over their head. Is there a known problem which would cause someone to do this? Also, they are asking $3995. This seems a bit high. What do you think? Let me put it this way, (I work on Catera’s) if someone "gave" me a Catera in a good working order, I would have it towed to an auction and get whatever money I could get for it. By the way, that 3.0 liter engine is a V-6, not a V-8.  Quite possibly the nastiest engine to work on that I’ve ever seen.  Of course, I’ve only worked on GM engines. Ian

Worse than the dreaded 3.4 DOHC?  I can’t believe that. Garrett Fulton

Response:

By the way, that 3.0 liter engine is a V-6, not a V-8.  Quite possibly the nastiest engine to work on that I’ve ever seen.  Of course, I’ve only worked on GM engines. Ian Worse than the dreaded 3.4 DOHC?  I can’t believe that.

Much worse then the 3.4 DOHC!  I’m actually doing head gaskets on a Catera today.  We would be better off just giving the guy the 4000 dollars it’s going to take to fix it, and then have it towed to the nearest wrecking yard.  There are actually some people that like these cars.  I don’t really know why…but I guess it takes all kinds. Ian

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – By the way, that 3.0 liter engine is a V-6, not a V-8.  Quite possibly the nastiest engine to work on that I’ve ever seen.  Of course, I’ve only worked on GM engines. Ian Worse than the dreaded 3.4 DOHC?  I can’t believe that. Much worse then the 3.4 DOHC!  I’m actually doing head gaskets on a Catera today.  We would be better off just giving the guy the 4000 dollars it’s going to take to fix it, and then have it towed to the nearest wrecking yard.  There are actually some people that like these cars.  I don’t really know why…but I guess it takes all kinds. Ian

Man.  I don’t want any part of those dogs then.  My oldest boy who’s about to graduate from college was thinking about getting one that he thought was a good deal.  I seemed to remember some posts here condemning them and think I talked him out of it.  Dad would have been the one working on it too. Garrett

Response:

Just saw a 1997 Catera for sale in the wrecking yard where I bought two Grand AMs which turned out to be good cars. The car is a 3L V8 and looks to be in good shape with 80,000 miles on it. The thing is the intake system has been removed and is in the trunk. I figure that someone wanted to repair it and realized that they were in over their head. Is there a known problem which would cause someone to do this? Also, they are asking $3995. This seems a bit high. What do you think?

Let me put it this way, (I work on Catera’s) if someone "gave" me a Catera in a good working order, I would have it towed to an auction and get whatever money I could get for it. By the way, that 3.0 liter engine is a V-6, not a V-8.  Quite possibly the nastiest engine to work on that I’ve ever seen.  Of course, I’ve only worked on GM engines. Ian

Response:

Just saw a 1997 Catera for sale in the wrecking yard where I bought two Grand AMs which turned out to be good cars. The car is a 3L V8 and looks to be in good shape with 80,000 miles on it. The thing is the intake system has been removed and is in the trunk. I figure that someone wanted to repair it and realized that they were in over their head. Is there a known problem which would cause someone to do this? Also, they are asking $3995. This seems a bit high. What do you think? Thanks, Scott

Response:

Question:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – requiring that all bidders and sellers have confirmed addresses and phone numbers would cut out 90% of the fraud and frivilous bidding on ebay.motors. (confirmed dealerships is another possibility). I think all buyers and sellers of eBay in general should be required to have verified addresses and phone numbers. however this would be a major increased cost. I don’t want to pay for it, do you? A $5 trinket? well no, but for a $10,000 vehicle and $200 traveling expenses? yeah, it would be nice. And confirmed dealerships? How would then Joe down the street sell his car? what’s the point? a perons who’s account is hijacked would still have a valid phone number/addres/information. You are just gonan be dealing with the scammer who is bidding on it.

fuzzy logic / Obviously most fraud on ebay motors is not hijacked accounts. I’m not saying verified addresses would elimiate all fraud, but that it would certainly reduce it.

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Buying a car off the internet is just plain silly.

I’ve bought three cars off ebay and sold one and have another on there now. I don’t think it’s silly at all. Here are my experiences: When I first started bidding, I was looking for a fixer upper a few years ago. I got a used BMW for $700. The guy towed it out from Jersey (I live on Long Island) for an extra $100. Well, I got a new job and realized I didn’t have the time to fix it up. I sold it back on ebay for $800 to some guy in California. He FedExed the money order, but his friend who lived in the area was never able to pick up the car. I called a charity tow company and gave him a receipt for a tax write-off. It was annoying dealing with this guy, but I only lost ebay fees. Then last summer, my commuter car of seven years completely died. I wanted to get a temporary car while I could build up a lump sum payment for a decent car. I went on ebay and found a poorly listed 1989 Olds Eighty-Eight for $100. I think the mileage was under 100k. The listing had no pic and the seller had no feedback. I contacted him and he was just some guy selling it for his mom in Queens. Her neighborhood had gone bad, she felt, and she didn’t want to sell it locally. So I got a ride into Queens, picked it up, and you know what? This car ran like a top AND had a kickass CD stereo. I drove the car all summer fine blasting a Guns n Roses CD. At the end of the summer, when I bought a new car from a local dealer, they gave me a $750 trade-in for the Olds! This was after I haggled a decent price already for the car I was buying. A month ago, I bought a very nice, classic convertible online. The seller was a dealer who was located 20 miles away from me and he had the exact kind of car I wanted. I would have driven to Pennsylvania for this car, so the closer location was sweet. This dealer had sterling feedback and a brick and mortar store. I was able to do a car-fax check on the car and the mileage — just 55k for a 1986 car — held up. The car is mint, runs like a newer car and was bought for a reasonable price. So maybe being in the NY Metro area where there are lots of options is a bonus for someone like me, but I think EbayMotors is GREAT!

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Buying a car off the internet is just plain silly. So maybe being in the NY Metro area where there are lots of options is a bonus for someone like me, but I think EbayMotors is GREAT!

I have sold more cars on eBay than bought … and most of the ones I sold were pure junkers (to me, anyway).  It’s like anything else, though … one man’s trash is another’s treasure.  Some treasure is just a little bigger than others. For those who believe buying a car online is silly … those are probably the same people who believe someone will pay $1000 for some theater lighting that someone can probably make for $50 worth of standard parts at radio shack.  :)

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requiring that all bidders and sellers have confirmed addresses and phone numbers would cut out 90% of the fraud and frivilous bidding on ebay.motors. (confirmed dealerships is another possibility).

I think all buyers and sellers of eBay in general should be required to have verified addresses and phone numbers. however this would be a major increased cost. I don’t want to pay for it, do you? And confirmed dealerships? How would then Joe down the street sell his car? I’ve given up trying to buy a vehicle on ebay.motors. I’m so sick of looking at the perfect vehicle being auctioned by someone with zero feedback asking a $2000 deposit wire transfer before they even let you look at the vehicle (on an auction costing $80). You know either the vehicle is a lemon or it’s flat out fraud. If you look long enough you start seeing the same vehicles sold by different sellers, WITH THE SAME PICTURES!! sometimes AT THE SAME TIME / like this:

Buying a car off the internet is just plain silly. — To reply, remove TheObvious from my e-mail address.

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requiring that all bidders and sellers have confirmed addresses and phone numbers would cut out 90% of the fraud and frivilous bidding on ebay.motors. (confirmed dealerships is another possibility). I think all buyers and sellers of eBay in general should be required to have verified addresses and phone numbers. however this would be a major increased cost. I don’t want to pay for it, do you?

How about an option that only bids from confirmed members be accepted? Then we can choose who we want to restrict from our auctions. Buck For What its Worth, Buck Here I sit all anxious hearted, waiting around to just get started.  

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requiring that all bidders and sellers have confirmed addresses and phone numbers would cut out 90% of the fraud and frivilous bidding on ebay.motors. (confirmed dealerships is another possibility). I think all buyers and sellers of eBay in general should be required to have verified addresses and phone numbers. however this would be a major increased cost. I don’t want to pay for it, do you?

A $5 trinket? well no, but for a $10,000 vehicle and $200 traveling expenses? yeah, it would be nice. And confirmed dealerships? How would then Joe down the street sell his car?

I didn’t say restrict sellers to dealerships. I ment something in his profile that showed he was a dealership. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’ve given up trying to buy a vehicle on ebay.motors. I’m so sick of looking at the perfect vehicle being auctioned by someone with zero feedback asking a $2000 deposit wire transfer before they even let you look at the vehicle (on an auction costing $80). You know either the vehicle is a lemon or it’s flat out fraud. If you look long enough you start seeing the same vehicles sold by different sellers, WITH THE SAME PICTURES!! sometimes AT THE SAME TIME / like this: Buying a car off the internet is just plain silly.

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – requiring that all bidders and sellers have confirmed addresses and phone numbers would cut out 90% of the fraud and frivilous bidding on ebay.motors. (confirmed dealerships is another possibility). I think all buyers and sellers of eBay in general should be required to have verified addresses and phone numbers. however this would be a major increased cost. I don’t want to pay for it, do you? A $5 trinket? well no, but for a $10,000 vehicle and $200 traveling expenses? yeah, it would be nice. And confirmed dealerships? How would then Joe down the street sell his car?

what’s the point? a perons who’s account is hijacked would still have a valid phone number/addres/information. You are just gonan be dealing with the scammer who is bidding on it.

Response:

Buying a car off the internet is just plain silly.

Bingo.  The very idea of eBay Motors boggles my mind. At least eBay Real Estate doesn’t pretend to be anything more than a fixed price classified ad.

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Buying a car off the internet is just plain silly. Bingo.  The very idea of eBay Motors boggles my mind. At least eBay Real Estate doesn’t pretend to be anything more than a fixed price classified ad.

eBay Motors isn’t just for cars.  There are motorcycles and parts there, too.  One would think that cars would sell for more locally being that a person can see the car up close, test drive it, etc … but it seems at times that they sell for more on eBay.  That is what I don’t understand.

Response:

requiring that all bidders and sellers have confirmed addresses and phone numbers would cut out 90% of the fraud and frivilous bidding on ebay.motors. (confirmed dealerships is another possibility). I’ve given up trying to buy a vehicle on ebay.motors. I’m so sick of looking at the perfect vehicle being auctioned by someone with zero feedback asking a $2000 deposit wire transfer before they even let you look at the vehicle (on an auction costing $80). You know either the vehicle is a lemon or it’s flat out fraud. If you look long enough you start seeing the same vehicles sold by different sellers, WITH THE SAME PICTURES!! sometimes AT THE SAME TIME / like this: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=6728&i tem=4500352543 http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=6728&i tem=4500985354 For the amount of money ebay.motors gets for their auctions they can afford to work a little harder at cutting out fraud. For the amount of money spent on vehicles, how far buyers have to drive, time spent, etc, etc…. it’s definately worth their effort to do a little more work to cut down on fraud. How hard is it for a thief to get a new address for each scam compared to a buyer/seller filling out a simple form and sending it in?? Even if you only bought one vehicle, it’d definately be worth your time to do so. OTHER SUGGESTIONS FOR EBAY.MOTORS: – prohibt auctions asking for wire transfers (or money orders or travelers checks or PayPal) which offer little fraud protection. Insist all payments be made by cashiers check which offers a good paper trail and the best fraud protection for both buyer and seller. (seller can call the bank to make sure the cashiers check is good, if buyer doesn’t get his vehicle he can contact the bank and police to get check canceled). (shouldn’t have to wait for a cashiers check to clear). Cashiers checks are consierably safer for both sides than any other payment method. – It would also be nice if a buyer could enter a zip code and limit auctions viewed by driving distance, and when you viewed an auction it gave your driving distance, something like this built in: http://www.rahji.com/distance.php3 It would also be nice if buyers could get an email aleart when a vehicle in a specific catagory was offered within a specified driving distance, like 100 miles or whatever the buyer set it at. There’s a lot of people get taken over the internet. Ebay.motors can do a whole lot better to protect their customers. – Limit depost requirement to $200. There’s no need for a $2000 deposit / buyers spend more in traveling expenses than sellers spend in auctions expenses. The only reason someone needs a $2000 deposit is if the vechicle is a lemon.

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Question:

According to the "leaked" Croatian sales brochure the iFeed system replaces the front passenger seat and the cup/snack holders mount in the rear passenger seating.

The Croatian sales brochures were bound for Slovenia, which is a different country and a member of the EU;-) And – unlike other "leaked" material published before – these and other "secret" images really seem to upset BMW. Currently they are talking about a spy who frequently steals information and publishes it. It seems that the pictures of a BMW competitor of the Mercedes Grand Sports Tourer which is due for 2008, was absolutely not meant to go public… Frank — please replace spam-muelleimer with fk-newsgroups for e-mail contact Citroen – Made in Trance

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According to the "leaked" Croatian sales brochure the iFeed system replaces the front passenger seat and the cup/snack holders mount in the rear passenger seating. The Croatian sales brochures were bound for Slovenia, which is a different country and a member of the EU;-) And – unlike other "leaked" material published before – these and other "secret" images really seem to upset BMW. Currently they are talking about a spy who frequently steals information and publishes it. It seems that the pictures of a BMW competitor of the Mercedes Grand Sports Tourer which is due for 2008, was absolutely not meant to go public…

BMW doesn’t seem too upset.  They’ve had this on their website for at least a week: http://www.bmwusa.com/Vehicles/futurevehicles/new3/ . Kyle.

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Thoughts on these lines have been expressed here several times before. (I.e.  that he is hardly personally involved.) DAS — For direct contact replace nospam with schmetterling —

[...] Despite numerous, and now we know erroneous, comments about Bangle and his designs (including the false claim that he designed the E46) you come to find out he didn’t do any of the formulative work and any of these cars. At best he can be called an overseer, and at worst nothing more than a liaison between the designers and the board.

[..]

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Thoughts on these lines have been expressed here several times before. (I.e.  that he is hardly personally involved.)

That’s for the level-headed people here. My post was aimed at the cry babies.

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Tasten: BMW doesn’t seem too upset.  They’ve had this on their website for at least a week: http://www.bmwusa.com/Vehicles/futurevehicles/new3/ .

The secret images came up two month ago IIRC, and AFAIK BMW will start to sell the E90 in late 2005, so the E46 sales may suffer severely. Frank — please replace spam-muelleimer with fk-newsgroups for e-mail contact Citroen – Made in Trance

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Tasten: BMW doesn’t seem too upset.  They’ve had this on their website for at least a week: http://www.bmwusa.com/Vehicles/futurevehicles/new3/ . The secret images came up two month ago IIRC, and AFAIK BMW will start to sell the E90 in late 2005, so the E46 sales may suffer severely.

Not yet they aren’t…they are off, but no more than the entire segment is. And I suspect the incentives will escalate appropriately as they come closer to to release. But don’t forget…only the sedan will be launched. All other types will be E46 based and phased in over a 2 to 3 year period.

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the front and rar lights of the E90 are more conventional. IMHO it is a well designed car, which should not cause a nwe wave of Bangle bashing.

For those of you with access to it, go out and buy, or stand at the counter and read, this month’s edition of Bimmer Mag. They do a pretty in-depth interview with Bangle and the info he gives concerning BMW’s design decision making is astounding. In particular there was a discussion on why the beltlines on new Bimmers is higher than before and the reason for the now famous "Bangle Butt" (hint: it’s an engineering requirement, not a design decision) There is also a two page spread with pictures of past and recent Bimmers and who the designer was for each. Despite numerous, and now we know erroneous, comments about Bangle and his designs (including the false claim that he designed the E46) you come to find out he didn’t do any of the formulative work and any of these cars. At best he can be called an overseer, and at worst nothing more than a liaison between the designers and the board. For haters, lovers and those who don’t care about BMW recent designs it is an enlightening article. probably the best article Bimmer Mag has ever published.

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One detail kept my attention: under the front bumper, beneath the license plate there was some kind of lens with about three inch diameter. It looked somewhat like a DE projection foglight. I do not know the purpose of this single lens. Is it a roadholding aid, a radar controlled cruise control or what? Frank

It’s actually a projection lens. Developed especially for all those idiots who toiled so hard to get the Nav screen to be able to play their "Gay Boys In Bondage" DVD but were unhappy with the size of the display. Now they can watch all their favorite movies in 50" wide screen while they drive. Rumors are that BMW is also developing a new cupholder that can handle a 2 gallon pop, as well as a holder for a shopping bag size sack of popcorn. Work in progress is referred  to internally as the "Mi" (movies for idiots). — Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).

Response:

It’s actually a projection lens. Developed especially for all those idiots who toiled so hard to get the Nav screen to be able to play their "Gay Boys In Bondage" DVD but were unhappy with the size of the display. Now they can watch all their favorite movies in 50" wide screen while they drive. Rumors are that BMW is also developing a new cupholder that can handle a 2 gallon pop, as well as a holder for a shopping bag size sack of popcorn. Work in progress is referred  to internally as the "Mi" (movies for idiots).

Will I be able to retrofit my E34 with the cup holder at least?

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Will I be able to retrofit my E34 with the cup holder at least? Yes. The swap is simply the removal of the front passenger seat and bolting in the new cup/snack  holders. Close… According to the "leaked" Croatian sales brochure the iFeed system replaces the front passenger seat and the cup/snack holders mount in the rear passenger seating. iFeed takes over the transport of drinks and snacks to driver’s mouth allowing the driver to concentrate on the all important task of driving. It is claimed that the system is intuitive and easy to use and only adds to the driving experience. It is also claimned that it is the first automotive robotics application to reach the motoring public. Its developers say that soon all cars will have equivalent system and that they’ve proposed a standard for automated refills. This will allow "drive by" drink/snack refills without requiring the driver to leave the car. Reportedly the demostration "snack station" was able to refill the drink and popcorn containers in less than 7.2 seconds. — The instructions said to use Windows 98 or better, so I installed RedHat.

Not only that, but word is the DUC (defecation-urination control), is close to prototype. The system will provide on demand solids and fluids waste managment services to driver (default) and passengers (when seat sensors detect occupants). The tricky part for BMW is trying to figure out how to get the system to deploy just BEFORE an airbag inflation. — Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – It’s actually a projection lens. Developed especially for all those idiots who toiled so hard to get the Nav screen to be able to play their "Gay Boys In Bondage" DVD but were unhappy with the size of the display. Now they can watch all their favorite movies in 50" wide screen while they drive. Rumors are that BMW is also developing a new cupholder that can handle a 2 gallon pop, as well as a holder for a shopping bag size sack of popcorn. Work in progress is referred  to internally as the "Mi" (movies for idiots). Will I be able to retrofit my E34 with the cup holder at least?

Yes. The swap is simply the removal of the front passenger seat and bolting in the new cup/snack  holders. — Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).

Response:

Will I be able to retrofit my E34 with the cup holder at least? Yes. The swap is simply the removal of the front passenger seat and bolting in the new cup/snack  holders.

Close… According to the "leaked" Croatian sales brochure the iFeed system replaces the front passenger seat and the cup/snack holders mount in the rear passenger seating. iFeed takes over the transport of drinks and snacks to driver’s mouth allowing the driver to concentrate on the all important task of driving. It is claimed that the system is intuitive and easy to use and only adds to the driving experience. It is also claimned that it is the first automotive robotics application to reach the motoring public. Its developers say that soon all cars will have equivalent system and that they’ve proposed a standard for automated refills. This will allow "drive by" drink/snack refills without requiring the driver to leave the car. Reportedly the demostration "snack station" was able to refill the drink and popcorn containers in less than 7.2 seconds. — The instructions said to use Windows 98 or better, so I installed RedHat.

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Hi folks, today I went for a walk in the neighbourhood in Munich, and suddenly I stood in front of an almost uncamouflaged, brand new BMW E90 (new 3’series). It was a 4 door sedan, painted in silver, with some black tapes which covered the BMW logos and tried to hide the identity of the car somewhat. My impression was that the new 3-series is not a design revolution. Those who like the E46, should feel comfortable with the E90 as well. Both cars appear to be the same size, although the E90 is larger. Compared to the E60 the front and rar lights of the E90 are more conventional. IMHO it is a well designed car, which should not cause a nwe wave of Bangle bashing. Critics may also say that the E90 looks too similar to the E46 to be new. One detail kept my attention: under the front bumper, beneath the license plate there was some kind of lens with about three inch diameter. It looked somewhat like a DE projection foglight. I do not know the purpose of this single lens. Is it a roadholding aid, a radar controlled cruise control or what? Frank — please replace spam-muelleimer with fk-newsgroups for e-mail contact Citroen – Made in Trance

Response:

Active Cruise Control sensor… They could have found a better (more hidden) spot for it.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi folks, today I went for a walk in the neighbourhood in Munich, and suddenly I stood in front of an almost uncamouflaged, brand new BMW E90 (new 3’series). It was a 4 door sedan, painted in silver, with some black tapes which covered the BMW logos and tried to hide the identity of the car somewhat. My impression was that the new 3-series is not a design revolution. Those who like the E46, should feel comfortable with the E90 as well. Both cars appear to be the same size, although the E90 is larger. Compared to the E60 the front and rar lights of the E90 are more conventional. IMHO it is a well designed car, which should not cause a nwe wave of Bangle bashing. Critics may also say that the E90 looks too similar to the E46 to be new. One detail kept my attention: under the front bumper, beneath the license plate there was some kind of lens with about three inch diameter. It looked somewhat like a DE projection foglight. I do not know the purpose of this single lens. Is it a roadholding aid, a radar controlled cruise control or what? Frank — please replace spam-muelleimer with fk-newsgroups for e-mail contact Citroen – Made in Trance

Response:

Question:

I was wondering if anybody would know if it is possible to register a European Specs BMW  in the States. I have been stationed in Germany for the past years and would like to ship my to cars back home. However, I won’t be able to spend major money on a conversion. I have a 92 BMW 318IS in excellent condition with 88,000kn (55,000 miles) on the clock and a 93 520I, also  in excellent condition. I believe that the 520i never sold in the States. At any rate, does anybody have any experience with this? Your help would be appreciated. TIA

You can find some general info at http://www.importexporthelp.com/importing-cars.htm. Also, at http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/import/ there is a "List of registered importers" about halfway down the page.

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I was wondering if anybody would know if it is possible to register a European Specs BMW  in the States. I have been stationed in Germany for the past years and would like to ship my to cars back home. However, I won’t be able to spend major money on a conversion. I have a 92 BMW 318IS in excellent condition with 88,000kn (55,000 miles) on the clock and a 93 520I, also  in excellent condition. I believe that the 520i never sold in the States. At any rate, does anybody have any experience with this?

Although there are exceptions for military personnel, the exception does not exclude bringing it into compliance with US DOT/EPA/NHTSA regs.  See:  http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/import/ Floyd

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Expect to pay approximately $10,000 US to certify each vehicle. With the 318iS, don’t bother, sell it and buy one here, they’re really cheap because they’re totally undesireable.  If it’s an M42 vehicle, it’s possible that it will be cheaper to bring in, because it already exists here, The 520i would be an interesting vehicle to have here, but still not so much of a conversation piece as to warrant the expense. Brett Anderson KMS www.bmwdiffs.com

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I was wondering if anybody would know if it is possible to register a European Specs BMW  in the States. I have been stationed in Germany for the past years and would like to ship my to cars back home. However, I won’t be able to spend major money on a conversion. I have a 92 BMW 318IS in excellent condition with 88,000kn (55,000 miles) on the clock and a 93 520I, also  in excellent condition. I believe that the 520i never sold in the States. At any rate, does anybody have any experience with this? Your help would be appreciated. TIA

Response:

I was wondering if anybody would know if it is possible to register a European Specs BMW  in the States. I have been stationed in Germany for the past years and would like to ship my to cars back home. However, I won’t be able to spend major money on a conversion. I have a 92 BMW 318IS in excellent condition with 88,000kn (55,000 miles) on the clock and a 93 520I, also  in excellent condition. I believe that the 520i never sold in the States. At any rate, does anybody have any experience with this? Your help would be appreciated. TIA

Isn’t there a provision for service people stationed abroad being able to bring home what they acquired while outside the US with minimal hassle? Except maybe for emissions issues with cars, I’m sure there is. If there isn’t, there should be. — Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).

Response:

I was wondering if anybody would know if it is possible to register a European Specs BMW  in the States. I have been stationed in Germany for the past years and would like to ship my to cars back home. However, I won’t be able to spend major money on a conversion. I have a 92 BMW 318IS in excellent condition with 88,000kn (55,000 miles) on the clock and a 93 520I, also  in excellent condition. I believe that the 520i never sold in the States. At any rate, does anybody have any experience with this? Your help would be appreciated. TIA

Response:

Question:

The OEM BMW cooling system parts don’t seem to be made from the most durable materials, but rather the least expensive ones.  Would the cost of the vehicles be that much higher if they spec’d all-aluminum radiators, aluminum thermostat housings, and metal water pump impellers?

Dunno. However, failure of rads and water pumps isn’t unique to BMW. And all cars have hoses which can and do fail eventually. Also, some model BMWs seem far more prone to rad failure than others. — *Very funny Scotty, now beam down my clothes.                   To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Response:

The temp gauge is designed to indicate "normal" for a wide (too wide) level of operating conditions. Not really much point in having a gauge, then?

How true.  There are aftermarket kits that retrofit 3 REAL gauges to the E36/46.  Wish there was a nice system that would go into the 5er seamlessly. Real water temp, oil pressure, oil temp, volts would be nice.  MPG guage (is it US only, or universal) could go. Evidently this was done a number of years ago to eliminate owners complaints/concerns when they noticed engine temps varying somewhat (as they do depending upon driving conditions). Wonder which owners these were?

Much more likely to be US than European. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Bottom line, you won’t show an overheat condition until the damage is done. Strange. My E39 did just this – the gauge went to high and the light came on. I stopped and let it cool down. Then checked the coolant which was low. Filled with water and drove home – luckily not a great distance. Found a weep at the thermostat housing. Replaced this plastic part and changed the coolant. No more problems. What can cause problems is ignoring the gauge. If it goes over normal stop, let the engine cool, and check the level. If the level is ok, try again. Even if something like the waterpump is shot the engine won’t come to any harm while there is still water in it. Ignore things because you’re in a rush and be prepared to pay.

There have been a number of posts on the roadfly E39 board where the car showed the overtemp, the driver immediately rolled to a stop, and still had significant damage.  Usually the 4.4 liter V-8, but the amount of warning was quite short … usually a rapid loss of fluid caused by a major radiator failure. Your earlier comment is right on.  Modern engines have less tolerance for high temps than the old lumps of the past.  The OEM BMW cooling system parts don’t seem to be made from the most durable materials, but rather the least expensive ones.  Would the cost of the vehicles be that much higher if they spec’d all-aluminum radiators, aluminum thermostat housings, and metal water pump impellers? Newest 6 has electric water pump for cooling.  Theoretically, this offers several advantages.  But I wonder how the system involved (motor, wiring, etc) will perform over the long haul.  The BMW engine, properly maintained, can go several hundred thousand miles without major work (overhaul).  Yet a major failure in a subsystem (cooling, oil pump bolts) can bring all that engineering excellence to an abrupt end. R / John

Response:

– does this temp gauge reflect the true engine temperature, or   does it measure temperature of some proxy, e.g., temperature   of the coolant?  If the gauge didn’t exceed halfway point   then can I be assured that the engine itself didn’t overheat?

Sometimes even with real themp sensors if there’s no water near the sensor it’ll give a lower temp reading. – with the coolant lid completely sealed should the cooling system   be under pressure?  Should the hoses that transport water around   the engine be firm to touch?  In my case they showed no real   pressure.

When the engine is a little bit warm when you release the rad cap you should get a whoosh of air under pressure.  If not then probably the rad cap is defective & you’re losing water (steam) out of it. – I’d rather not tow my car to a shop, I’d rather drive there,   perhaps close to work (30 miles), and maybe do some errands   in the mean time.  Am I safe as long as I make sure the water   is replenished often, that the check-coolant light doesn’t   come on for too long, and that the engine temperature gauge   never exceeds what looks to be its "optimal" engineering   halfway-on-gauge value?

The cause could be all sorts of things. For instance if the fan ins’;t working then the car will onyl overheat at low car speeds but will be fine on the highway.  If the thermostat is stuck (why??) then you’ll be ok for a few miles while the car heats up.  Whatever you do don’t put cold water into a hot engine! If you want to akwe the risk of ruining your engine then that’s up to you.  I guess you bought the car privately?  Otherwise you should have some comeback on the trader.

Response:

Be sure the engine is running or already cold before adding coolant or water.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – All, I bought a very nice used 2000 BMW 328i a few days back and have been very happy so far.  After a few days I was driving in city conditions (stop/go/idle a lot) and noticed some steam coming from under the hood while driving and a slight antifreeze smell.  Then the low-coolant-level light came on. The service guy at the station tried to unscrew the coolant cap and water/coolant came out — he said it look overall full.  I drove on a bit more, parked, let the car cool while doing some other things. When I came back and unscrewed the cap there was no visible coolant — filling with maybe 3/4 a liter of water (8.9 liter capacity total) brought the level to max.  On the way home (about 40 miles) I did this again twice — about 1/2 liter each time. So a few comments/questions: – the engine temp gauge never indicated overheating (it was suspiciously   constant at half-way on the gauge, but I did confirm that it works   because on cold start the same gauge registers a cold temperature,   and gradually rises till it maxes out at "1/2" level on gauge – does this temp gauge reflect the true engine temperature, or   does it measure temperature of some proxy, e.g., temperature   of the coolant?  If the gauge didn’t exceed halfway point   then can I be assured that the engine itself didn’t overheat? – with the coolant lid completely sealed should the cooling system   be under pressure?  Should the hoses that transport water around   the engine be firm to touch?  In my case they showed no real   pressure. – I’d rather not tow my car to a shop, I’d rather drive there,   perhaps close to work (30 miles), and maybe do some errands   in the mean time.  Am I safe as long as I make sure the water   is replenished often, that the check-coolant light doesn’t   come on for too long, and that the engine temperature gauge   never exceeds what looks to be its "optimal" engineering   halfway-on-gauge value? Thanks for reading this far, I look forward to your answers. Nathan

Response:

My independent BMW mechanic told me that the cooling systems are the weak link in the engines.  He said this is the number one cause for complete engine failure.

Running out of water for whatever reason is probably the number one cause of failure on any modern engine. The days of cast iron lumps that could tolerate this to a degree are long since gone – thankfully. — *Santa’s helpers are subordinate clauses.*                   To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Response:

The temp gauge is designed to indicate "normal" for a wide (too wide) level of operating conditions.

Not really much point in having a gauge, then? Evidently this was done a number of years ago to eliminate owners complaints/concerns when they noticed engine temps varying somewhat (as they do depending upon driving conditions).

Wonder which owners these were? Bottom line, you won’t show an overheat condition until the damage is done.

Strange. My E39 did just this – the gauge went to high and the light came on. I stopped and let it cool down. Then checked the coolant which was low. Filled with water and drove home – luckily not a great distance. Found a weep at the thermostat housing. Replaced this plastic part and changed the coolant. No more problems. What can cause problems is ignoring the gauge. If it goes over normal stop, let the engine cool, and check the level. If the level is ok, try again. Even if something like the waterpump is shot the engine won’t come to any harm while there is still water in it. Ignore things because you’re in a rush and be prepared to pay. — *OK, who stopped payment on my reality check?                   To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – All, I bought a very nice used 2000 BMW 328i a few days back and have been very happy so far.  After a few days I was driving in city conditions (stop/go/idle a lot) and noticed some steam coming from under the hood while driving and a slight antifreeze smell.  Then the low-coolant-level light came on. The service guy at the station tried to unscrew the coolant cap and water/coolant came out — he said it look overall full.  I drove on a bit more, parked, let the car cool while doing some other things. When I came back and unscrewed the cap there was no visible coolant — filling with maybe 3/4 a liter of water (8.9 liter capacity total) brought the level to max.  On the way home (about 40 miles) I did this again twice — about 1/2 liter each time. So a few comments/questions: – the engine temp gauge never indicated overheating (it was suspiciously  constant at half-way on the gauge, but I did confirm that it works  because on cold start the same gauge registers a cold temperature,  and gradually rises till it maxes out at "1/2" level on gauge – does this temp gauge reflect the true engine temperature, or  does it measure temperature of some proxy, e.g., temperature  of the coolant?  If the gauge didn’t exceed halfway point  then can I be assured that the engine itself didn’t overheat? The temp gauge is designed to indicate "normal" for a wide (too wide) level of operating conditions.  Evidently this was done a number of years ago to eliminate owners complaints/concerns when they noticed engine temps varying somewhat (as they do depending upon driving conditions).  Bottom line, you won’t show an overheat condition until the damage is done. – with the coolant lid completely sealed should the cooling system  be under pressure?  Should the hoses that transport water around  the engine be firm to touch?  In my case they showed no real  pressure. Yes. – I’d rather not tow my car to a shop, I’d rather drive there,  perhaps close to work (30 miles), and maybe do some errands  in the mean time.  Am I safe as long as I make sure the water  is replenished often, that the check-coolant light doesn’t  come on for too long, and that the engine temperature gauge  never exceeds what looks to be its "optimal" engineering  halfway-on-gauge value? Risky, but doable as long as you don’t have a catastrophic failure along the way.  BMW’s cooling system has several plastic parts:  thermostat housing, overflow tank, and radiator.  These tend to be far less robust than the engine they are designed to cool.  Cracking and leakage (sounds like your problem) is a frequent symptom and its been known to happen fairly early in the life-cycle of the cars.  (Far more common on V-8’s than Sixes)  If your car is somewhat north of 70,000 miles, a full cooling system inspection is certainly in order.  If cooling system components need replacement, you might go the preventative route and replace everything while the mechanic is in there:  Thermostat and housing (aluminum housing if available for M52 engine), radiator (Nissen aluminum vice OEM) and overflow tank.

The first thing you should do is *bleed* your cooling system and check for leaks. If things check out, I too would recommend replacing your water pump with its plastic impeller, plastic thermostat housing (BMP and others have metal ones), and radiator. These should all be part of your 60K miles service.

Response:

My independent BMW mechanic told me that the cooling systems are the weak link in the engines.  He said this is the number one cause for complete engine failure. I would spend the $$$ to have it towed unless you have thousands of $$$ tucked away to put in a new engine. Greg

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – All, I bought a very nice used 2000 BMW 328i a few days back and have been very happy so far.  After a few days I was driving in city conditions (stop/go/idle a lot) and noticed some steam coming from under the hood while driving and a slight antifreeze smell.  Then the low-coolant-level light came on. The service guy at the station tried to unscrew the coolant cap and water/coolant came out — he said it look overall full.  I drove on a bit more, parked, let the car cool while doing some other things. When I came back and unscrewed the cap there was no visible coolant — filling with maybe 3/4 a liter of water (8.9 liter capacity total) brought the level to max.  On the way home (about 40 miles) I did this again twice — about 1/2 liter each time. So a few comments/questions: – the engine temp gauge never indicated overheating (it was suspiciously  constant at half-way on the gauge, but I did confirm that it works  because on cold start the same gauge registers a cold temperature,  and gradually rises till it maxes out at "1/2" level on gauge – does this temp gauge reflect the true engine temperature, or  does it measure temperature of some proxy, e.g., temperature  of the coolant?  If the gauge didn’t exceed halfway point  then can I be assured that the engine itself didn’t overheat? – with the coolant lid completely sealed should the cooling system  be under pressure?  Should the hoses that transport water around  the engine be firm to touch?  In my case they showed no real  pressure. – I’d rather not tow my car to a shop, I’d rather drive there,  perhaps close to work (30 miles), and maybe do some errands  in the mean time.  Am I safe as long as I make sure the water  is replenished often, that the check-coolant light doesn’t  come on for too long, and that the engine temperature gauge  never exceeds what looks to be its "optimal" engineering  halfway-on-gauge value? Thanks for reading this far, I look forward to your answers. Nathan

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – All, I bought a very nice used 2000 BMW 328i a few days back and have been very happy so far.  After a few days I was driving in city conditions (stop/go/idle a lot) and noticed some steam coming from under the hood while driving and a slight antifreeze smell.  Then the low-coolant-level light came on. The service guy at the station tried to unscrew the coolant cap and water/coolant came out — he said it look overall full.  I drove on a bit more, parked, let the car cool while doing some other things. When I came back and unscrewed the cap there was no visible coolant — filling with maybe 3/4 a liter of water (8.9 liter capacity total) brought the level to max.  On the way home (about 40 miles) I did this again twice — about 1/2 liter each time. So a few comments/questions: – the engine temp gauge never indicated overheating (it was suspiciously  constant at half-way on the gauge, but I did confirm that it works  because on cold start the same gauge registers a cold temperature,  and gradually rises till it maxes out at "1/2" level on gauge – does this temp gauge reflect the true engine temperature, or  does it measure temperature of some proxy, e.g., temperature  of the coolant?  If the gauge didn’t exceed halfway point  then can I be assured that the engine itself didn’t overheat?

The temp gauge is designed to indicate "normal" for a wide (too wide) level of operating conditions.  Evidently this was done a number of years ago to eliminate owners complaints/concerns when they noticed engine temps varying somewhat (as they do depending upon driving conditions).  Bottom line, you won’t show an overheat condition until the damage is done. – with the coolant lid completely sealed should the cooling system  be under pressure?  Should the hoses that transport water around  the engine be firm to touch?  In my case they showed no real  pressure.

Yes. – I’d rather not tow my car to a shop, I’d rather drive there,  perhaps close to work (30 miles), and maybe do some errands  in the mean time.  Am I safe as long as I make sure the water  is replenished often, that the check-coolant light doesn’t  come on for too long, and that the engine temperature gauge  never exceeds what looks to be its "optimal" engineering  halfway-on-gauge value?

Risky, but doable as long as you don’t have a catastrophic failure along the way.  BMW’s cooling system has several plastic parts:  thermostat housing, overflow tank, and radiator.  These tend to be far less robust than the engine they are designed to cool.  Cracking and leakage (sounds like your problem) is a frequent symptom and its been known to happen fairly early in the life-cycle of the cars.  (Far more common on V-8’s than Sixes)  If your car is somewhat north of 70,000 miles, a full cooling system inspection is certainly in order.  If cooling system components need replacement, you might go the preventative route and replace everything while the mechanic is in there:  Thermostat and housing (aluminum housing if available for M52 engine), radiator (Nissen aluminum vice OEM) and overflow tank. R / John

Response:

All, I bought a very nice used 2000 BMW 328i a few days back and have been very happy so far.  After a few days I was driving in city conditions (stop/go/idle a lot) and noticed some steam coming from under the hood while driving and a slight antifreeze smell.  Then the low-coolant-level light came on. The service guy at the station tried to unscrew the coolant cap and water/coolant came out — he said it look overall full.  I drove on a bit more, parked, let the car cool while doing some other things. When I came back and unscrewed the cap there was no visible coolant — filling with maybe 3/4 a liter of water (8.9 liter capacity total) brought the level to max.  On the way home (about 40 miles) I did this again twice — about 1/2 liter each time. So a few comments/questions: – the engine temp gauge never indicated overheating (it was suspiciously   constant at half-way on the gauge, but I did confirm that it works   because on cold start the same gauge registers a cold temperature,   and gradually rises till it maxes out at "1/2" level on gauge – does this temp gauge reflect the true engine temperature, or   does it measure temperature of some proxy, e.g., temperature   of the coolant?  If the gauge didn’t exceed halfway point   then can I be assured that the engine itself didn’t overheat? – with the coolant lid completely sealed should the cooling system   be under pressure?  Should the hoses that transport water around   the engine be firm to touch?  In my case they showed no real   pressure. – I’d rather not tow my car to a shop, I’d rather drive there,   perhaps close to work (30 miles), and maybe do some errands   in the mean time.  Am I safe as long as I make sure the water   is replenished often, that the check-coolant light doesn’t   come on for too long, and that the engine temperature gauge   never exceeds what looks to be its "optimal" engineering   halfway-on-gauge value? Thanks for reading this far, I look forward to your answers. Nathan

Response:

Question:

Guitar Honey seems to be a great clener…. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I am new at guitar and I recently got a black acoustic guitar and I was wondering what is the best way to clean it???

Response:

make sure the label in that old T shirt says "100% cotton".

  I use 100% cotton "Hanes" t-shirts, except that I prefer to use new instead of old t-shirts (why risk getting any more "impurities" on it than you have to?). I also use Martin Guitar Polish by "Martin & Co" (est. 1833!)… good stuff! It is especially good at getting oily residue from your hands and arms off the guitar, as well as making it easier to wipe off later, when the polish isn’t handy.     -Axeman Before you buy.

Response:

Didn’t know that, but I’ve never worn anything BUT 100% cotton. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – just cut the back out of a plain white T-shirt, preferably one that’s almost worn out.  Almost nothing softer for wiping a guitar. For polish use McGuire’s (SP?) #7, available from Autozone, Pep Boys or Advance auto.      Excellent advice, and I agree with one caveat:  make sure the label in that old T shirt says "100% cotton".  If it says "50% cotton/50% polyester" don’t use that one.  The polyester fibers can act as an *abrasive*, especially on a nitro finish. The Old Guy Backspace the "Z" out of my "reply to" address, or it’ll kick back to ya!    http://www.newsfeeds.com       The Largest Usenet Servers in the World!

– "I’m not a Cobol programmer, although I’m often told I look like one" – Bob the Dinosaur, Dilbert John Sessoms So MANY guitars, so little money…     (SIGH!) Note: I can barely speak for myself, so don’t go gettin’ any ideas that my words represent the views of anyone else.

Response:

just cut the back out of a plain white T-shirt, preferably one that’s almost worn out.  Almost nothing softer for wiping a guitar. For polish use McGuire’s (SP?) #7, available from Autozone, Pep Boys or Advance auto.

     Excellent advice, and I agree with one caveat:  make sure the label in that old T shirt says "100% cotton".  If it says "50% cotton/50% polyester" don’t use that one.  The polyester fibers can act as an *abrasive*, especially on a nitro finish. The Old Guy Backspace the "Z" out of my "reply to" address, or it’ll kick back to ya!    http://www.newsfeeds.com       The Largest Usenet Servers in the World!

Response:

just cut the back out of a plain white T-shirt, preferably one that’s almost worn out.  Almost nothing softer for wiping a guitar. For polish use McGuire’s (SP?) #7, available from Autozone, Pep Boys or Advance auto. Breath on it and wipe it with flannel.  Seriously! — Findlay Sonic Revival www.mp3.com/sonicrevival www.geocities.com/sunsetstrip/disco/8856 I am new at guitar and I recently got a black acoustic guitar and I was wondering what is the best way to clean it???

– "I’m not a Cobol programmer, although I’m often told I look like one" – Bob the Dinosaur, Dilbert John Sessoms So MANY guitars, so little money…     (SIGH!) Note: I can barely speak for myself, so don’t go gettin’ any ideas that my words represent the views of anyone else.

Response:

Breath on it and wipe it with flannel.  Seriously! — Findlay Sonic Revival www.mp3.com/sonicrevival www.geocities.com/sunsetstrip/disco/8856 – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I am new at guitar and I recently got a black acoustic guitar and I was wondering what is the best way to clean it???

Response:

I am new at guitar and I recently got a black acoustic guitar and I was wondering what is the best way to clean it???

Response:

I am new at guitar and I recently got a black acoustic guitar and I was wondering what is the best way to clean it???

  GHS makes this Guitar Polish (I

Question:

Experiences on the TMS/Jim Conforti chip or the Dinan chip? ‘86 e28 535i 5-speed 80% normal driving in town (deep south Mississippi), 20% interstate

Response:

Do it! A performance chip on earlier OBD I cars actually makes a difference! You will feel the difference. In addition to the 2 chip makers stated, you may want to also check Mark D’Sylva’s EAT chip. Its a bit cheaper than Jim C or Dinan with the same, if not better, performance. Really, for E28s and other 80s/early 90s BMWs, the only *downside* to adding a chip is you have to run premium (91 octane or higher).

Response:

That’s good to hear. I bought a second "spare" 059 ecu on ebay and swapped it with the one in the car when I bought it… testing it. I noticed a difference between the 2 stock ecu’s. The injectors were having probelms approaching 4000 rpm, kinda sputtering like a rev limiter. This and a slight idle problem were fixed with the replacement ecu. I know it wasn’t chipped because I opened it to count the pins before I put it in the car. It’s an ‘86 535i 5sp, nearly immaculate for $2100. Although it came with TRXs, I managed a complete set of BMW style 29 wheels with caps and Conti tires for $65.00 at a local yard. I think the wheels were from a 2001 528i.

Do it! A performance chip on earlier OBD I cars actually makes a difference! You will feel the difference. In addition to the 2 chip makers stated, you may want to also check Mark D’Sylva’s EAT chip. Its a bit cheaper than Jim C or Dinan with the same, if not better, performance. Really, for E28s and other 80s/early 90s BMWs, the only *downside* to adding a chip is you have to run premium (91 octane or higher).

Response:

Question:

I have to take my 2003 M3 (4k miles on the odometer) in for the recall as well.  I think the oil pump will also be replaced or perhaps the entire engine. The instructions are to break in the engine, as if new again after the service recall. Also, the BMW dealership I bought the car from only offers Toyotas as courtesy cars (Corolla).  I find that very difficult to believe and wonder if BMWNA is aware of this.

- snip having a "courtesy car" usually means not having to wait in line for a bus.  what matter who makes it?  think of it like a free rental. keith

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi I had booked my car in for an oil service but then I got a call from BMW saying that it needs the con rod bearing recall. I said then that would I still need to pay for the oil service & they said yes but it would be a discounted amount. Now, seeing as they will – snip the car was due an oil change..    you got value from the old oil that is being drained out….   you are getting new oil…   pay for it! keith Just because they are removing the oil pan doesn’t mean they are going to throw away good oil.  My guess is that the recall in europe doesn’t include an oil change so just enjoy the freshening up of your engine.

Gimme a break….You guys are gonna hurt yourselves if you keep bending over for BMW. If they weren’t actually going to replace the oil wouldn’t you INSIST? Sheesh…

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi I had booked my car in for an oil service but then I got a call from BMW saying that it needs the con rod bearing recall. I said then that would I still need to pay for the oil service & they said yes but it would be a discounted amount. Now, seeing as they will – snip the car was due an oil change..    you got value from the old oil that is being drained out….   you are getting new oil…   pay for it! keith Just because they are removing the oil pan doesn’t mean they are going to throw away good oil.  My guess is that the recall in europe doesn’t include an oil change so just enjoy the freshening up of your engine. Gimme a break….You guys are gonna hurt yourselves if you keep bending over for BMW. If they weren’t actually going to replace the oil wouldn’t you INSIST? Sheesh…

Of course they change the oil. Unfortunately they will charge for it but this is industry convention. This is more of  a problem in some equipment I own which may have 200 litres in the transmission and I, along with anyone else who has had such a problem, will have been billed for this even though the problem was faulty design or manufacture. Someone has to pay for any manufacturing fault and if fluid was included in their repair then a small charge would have to be amortised over their production volume and passed to the consumer in some way. No one is going to be first doing this because they will have a competitive disadvantage. The figures involved must be vast. Huw

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hmmmm – my dealer (Gallery Automotive Group, Norwood, MA)  =always= gives me a BMW as a loaner.  Sometimes it’s a 325i, but usually it’s a 330i or a 528i.  This particular dealer also sells VW and Mazda, so they certainly have cheaper alternatives available to them to loan out. Tim/ I guess it’s up the individual dealer. Personally, I don’t care what my loaner is. Nothing feels better than slipping into my M5 after a few miles in a Ford Tore-us. I also hope that the money they save by loaning out something cheaper (especially if it is a marque they also have a dealership for), keeps the cost of service down. I disagree.  I bought an M3 because I love driving and love fun cars.  My dealer has given me 325s as loaners, and they’re ok, but not great. I now request a mini when I go in for service, which is much better.  If you’re spending a lot on a car, they can give you decent loaners.  I’ve heard reports of people getting porches and other nice loaners when their bimmer was being serviced, too. My dad used to have a rolls-royce, and when that needed to go in for service (which was a lot more than it should have) he’d get a loaner rolls.  The idea here is that you spent a lot of money on your car, and its giving you problems.  The least they can do is give you a good loaner to try to mitigate the inconvenience. As for the service costs, when these cars are under warranty that isn’t a factor.

And even though I ‘only’ bought a certified pre-owned 318TI ( I love it by the way ), BMW Northwest usually has given me a BMW loaner ( once a 325i, once a 5 series wagon, etc ) although once I was given some little white car ( Hyundai I think ) from Thrifty Rent A Car.  It was free through so I’m not complaining, I just wouldn’t mind getting a loaner with a Z or a M in the badge! John L Rice

Response:

Hmmmm – my dealer (Gallery Automotive Group, Norwood, MA)  =always= gives me a BMW as a loaner.  Sometimes it’s a 325i, but usually it’s a 330i or a 528i.  This particular dealer also sells VW and Mazda, so they certainly have cheaper alternatives available to them to loan out. Tim/

I guess it’s up the individual dealer. Personally, I don’t care what my loaner is. Nothing feels better than slipping into my M5 after a few miles in a Ford Tore-us. I also hope that the money they save by loaning out something cheaper (especially if it is a marque they also have a dealership for), keeps the cost of service down.

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hmmmm – my dealer (Gallery Automotive Group, Norwood, MA)  =always= gives me a BMW as a loaner.  Sometimes it’s a 325i, but usually it’s a 330i or a 528i.  This particular dealer also sells VW and Mazda, so they certainly have cheaper alternatives available to them to loan out. Tim/ I guess it’s up the individual dealer. Personally, I don’t care what my loaner is. Nothing feels better than slipping into my M5 after a few miles in a Ford Tore-us. I also hope that the money they save by loaning out something cheaper (especially if it is a marque they also have a dealership for), keeps the cost of service down.

I disagree.  I bought an M3 because I love driving and love fun cars.  My dealer has given me 325s as loaners, and they’re ok, but not great. I now request a mini when I go in for service, which is much better.  If you’re spending a lot on a car, they can give you decent loaners.  I’ve heard reports of people getting porches and other nice loaners when their bimmer was being serviced, too. My dad used to have a rolls-royce, and when that needed to go in for service (which was a lot more than it should have) he’d get a loaner rolls.  The idea here is that you spent a lot of money on your car, and its giving you problems.  The least they can do is give you a good loaner to try to mitigate the inconvenience. As for the service costs, when these cars are under warranty that isn’t a factor.

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi I had booked my car in for an oil service but then I got a call from BMW saying that it needs the con rod bearing recall. I said then that would I still need to pay for the oil service & they said yes but it would be a discounted amount. Now, seeing as they will drain the oil anyway what are your opinions on whether they should charge at all or what is a reasonable amount?  I would guess perhaps that maybe I wouldn’t mind paying for the oil itself but no doubt the oil gets charged by BMW as part of the recall? I guess all this goes out the window if they have to fit a new engine! I also managed to not have to pay the 11 pound a day "admin charge" for the "courtesy" car they’ll give me. I said it’s their recall they should pay for it! Incidentally, going to get them to look again at the dodgey gearbox/clutch at the same time.

Not sure how much is fair but they did a complete oil change on mine when the work was done. They also fixed a number of odd bits free as a gesture of good will and gave me a mini cooper for a couple of days with a full tank of petrol. Time to kick some dealer butt?

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I have to take my 2003 M3 (4k miles on the odometer) in for the recall as well.  I think the oil pump will also be replaced or perhaps the entire engine. The instructions are to break in the engine, as if new again after the service recall. Also, the BMW dealership I bought the car from only offers Toyotas as courtesy cars (Corolla).  I find that very difficult to believe and wonder if BMWNA is aware of this. Must be your first BMW. Try to fine ONE dealership that offers a BMW as a loaner. They SELL not RENT BMW’s. In fact, see how many car rental places rent BMW’s (some, but not many). Besides, it’s good marketing. After driving anything else you’ll really appreciate your Bimmer. Welcome to the real world.

Hmmmm – my dealer (Gallery Automotive Group, Norwood, MA)  =always=  gives me a BMW as a loaner.  Sometimes it’s a 325i, but usually it’s a 330i or a 528i.  This particular dealer also sells VW and Mazda, so they certainly have cheaper alternatives available to them to loan out. Tim/

Response:

Hi I had booked my car in for an oil service but then I got a call from BMW saying that it needs the con rod bearing recall. I said then that would I still need to pay for the oil service & they said yes but it would be a discounted amount. Now, seeing as they will

- snip the car was due an oil change..    you got value from the old oil that is being drained out….   you are getting new oil…   pay for it! keith

Response:

I have to take my 2003 M3 (4k miles on the odometer) in for the recall as well.  I think the oil pump will also be replaced or perhaps the entire engine. The instructions are to break in the engine, as if new again after the service recall. Also, the BMW dealership I bought the car from only offers Toyotas as courtesy cars (Corolla).  I find that very difficult to believe and wonder if BMWNA is aware of this.

Must be your first BMW. Try to fine ONE dealership that offers a BMW as a loaner. They SELL not RENT BMW’s. In fact, see how many car rental places rent BMW’s (some, but not many). Besides, it’s good marketing. After driving anything else you’ll really appreciate your Bimmer. Welcome to the real world.

Response:

Question:

It’s a simple fix. The problem happens sometime when you are programming the memories and hit the buttons out of sequence. But in your case, I would definitely sell the BMW and buy a Subaru. If you expect perfection when you "pay that kind of money" you can’t afford the car. Idiots like you think that because you pay what you consider is a lot of money nothing should ever go wrong. You probably think that spending half a million on a Maybach would mean you never need to get anything done to it. WRONG. You do- except for that price they fly in a team to do the work at specially designated service centers and may even ship the car there if necessary. It’s too bad you are so busy you don’t have the time to take the car to the dealer. Maybe you should hire a few more Vice Presidents to take care of your empire while you go to the dealer, or just get one of THEM to take it in for you. OR – try to get your shifts at McDonald’s changed so you can go when the service department is open. Loser.   DAS,   What’s wrong with that?   What’s wrong with that is when I pay that kind of money, I don’t expect anything to go wrong.   And I don’t have time to take the thing to the dealer.  There’s work to do.   I’ve been driving for 30 years and never had any problems with Hondas, Mazdas and my favourite, the Subarus.   I was thinking about getting an M5 in a few years but now…   NO way.   Oliver     What’s wrong with that?     Seems a good addditional security feature.     DAS     —     For direct contact replace nospam with schmetterling     —       The steering wheel does not move up when the key is removed..

Response:

I’ve had an  E60 530d for 5mths, love the active steer….Considering getting a 1 series for my wife, but disappointed there’s no active steer option…

What does she say? — *If you lived in your car, you’d be home by now *                   To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Response:

I paid $1,500 over invoice in February for a 545. (used a broker) Love the Active Steering and ARS.  The steering can be temperamental on some uneven pavement but for the most part it is great. Reliability – Have a rubbing window problem on all doors that can’t be solved.  The steering wheel does not move up when the key is removed..

I’ve had a 545 since April of this year. I specifically did not buy AS. I very much dislike it. In my opinion it takes the car too far from BMW standards of tactile feel and proportion. I like linear steering and the standard rack is, not only better than AS, but better than the E39. I’ve had no problem with our 5′er, though I expected some issues since it was a first year production. I’d have waited until the second year of production, but my E39 was just damn worn out and the front end was getting to goosey for my tastes.

Response:

I was referring to the steering wheel being blocked reported by Richard Paddock which, I thought, was a feature of the immobiliser.  Evidently not. DAS — For direct contact replace nospam with schmetterling —

DAS, What’s wrong with that? What’s wrong with that is when I pay that kind of money, I don’t expect anything to go wrong. And I don’t have time to take the thing to the dealer.  There’s work to do. I’ve been driving for 30 years and never had any problems with Hondas, Mazdas and my favourite, the Subarus. I was thinking about getting an M5 in a few years but now… NO way. Oliver What’s wrong with that? Seems a good addditional security feature. DAS — For direct contact replace nospam with schmetterling —   The steering wheel does not move up when the key is removed..

Response:

I’ve had an  E60 530d for 5mths, love the active steer….Considering getting a 1 series for my wife, but disappointed there’s no active steer option… What does she say?

After driving my car there’s lots of "arm twirling" in her Golf….  I think also that for those of us not so interested in "spirited" driving, there’s no downsides to AS Leong

Response:

I have the same rubbing window problem. It’s very irritating. I wouldn’t have bought the car if I’d known. Oliver (please visit www.solobis.com/huioliver to see if their Affiliate Program is of interest)   I paid $1,500 over invoice in February for a 545. (used a broker)   Love the Active Steering and ARS.  The steering can be temperamental on some   uneven pavement but for the most part it is great.   Reliability – Have a rubbing window problem on all doors that can’t be   solved.  The steering wheel does not move up when the key is removed..   Leased for 3 years so will never be out of warranty.   OK, I bit the bullet and ordered a 2005 E60. (I am quite happily   dumping my 2000 911, which I consider a pretty dismal car. If anyone   wants a good price on a 2000 911 with only 26k miles on it, let me   know.) The dealer didn’t require a deposit on it (and, without much   negotation I got about $1500 off sticker, which suggests to me that   these things probably aren’t flying off the shelves – could I have   done a lot better?). Thus, I’m not really locked in yet and I could   change the configuration pretty easily at this point.     The main point of controversy for me was whether or not to order the   sports package. I know that there are strong opinions on both sides of   the issue, particularly regarding the active steering and ARS, but I’m   wondering if any type of consensus is building one year later.   Basically, the owners I’ve spoken with love the active steering   whereas the traditionalists aren’t fans. Any further thoughts on this   before I take the plunge?     (Unfortunately I’ve only been able to drive the vehicle with the   sports package, as my dealer orders nothing else. The car felt   wonderful to me, but hard to judge in a 10 minute drive.)     Also, are the 2005 cars essentially identical to the 2004 models, or   has BMW tweaked any problems out of the first year run?     A final thought: I can’t imagine owning this car beyond the warranty   period. The prospect of fixing all the junk in this car scares me.   Will independent service places even continue to exist, or will the   dealer ultimately be the only one capable of fixing this car?  Does   anyone have any (early) thoughts on E60 reliability?

Response:

What’s wrong with that? Seems a good addditional security feature. DAS — For direct contact replace nospam with schmetterling —   The steering wheel does not move up when the key is removed..

Response:

DAS, What’s wrong with that? What’s wrong with that is when I pay that kind of money, I don’t expect anything to go wrong. And I don’t have time to take the thing to the dealer.  There’s work to do. I’ve been driving for 30 years and never had any problems with Hondas, Mazdas and my favourite, the Subarus. I was thinking about getting an M5 in a few years but now… NO way. Oliver   What’s wrong with that?   Seems a good addditional security feature.   DAS   —   For direct contact replace nospam with schmetterling   —     The steering wheel does not move up when the key is removed..

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – OK, I bit the bullet and ordered a 2005 E60. (I am quite happily dumping my 2000 911, which I consider a pretty dismal car. If anyone wants a good price on a 2000 911 with only 26k miles on it, let me know.) The dealer didn’t require a deposit on it (and, without much negotation I got about $1500 off sticker, which suggests to me that these things probably aren’t flying off the shelves – could I have done a lot better?). Thus, I’m not really locked in yet and I could change the configuration pretty easily at this point. The main point of controversy for me was whether or not to order the sports package. I know that there are strong opinions on both sides of the issue, particularly regarding the active steering and ARS, but I’m wondering if any type of consensus is building one year later. Basically, the owners I’ve spoken with love the active steering whereas the traditionalists aren’t fans. Any further thoughts on this before I take the plunge? (Unfortunately I’ve only been able to drive the vehicle with the sports package, as my dealer orders nothing else. The car felt wonderful to me, but hard to judge in a 10 minute drive.) Also, are the 2005 cars essentially identical to the 2004 models, or has BMW tweaked any problems out of the first year run? A final thought: I can’t imagine owning this car beyond the warranty period. The prospect of fixing all the junk in this car scares me. Will independent service places even continue to exist, or will the dealer ultimately be the only one capable of fixing this car?  Does anyone have any (early) thoughts on E60 reliability?

I’ve had an  E60 530d for 5mths, love the active steer….Considering getting a 1 series for my wife, but disappointed there’s no active steer option… Leong

Response:

OK, I bit the bullet and ordered a 2005 E60. (I am quite happily dumping my 2000 911, which I consider a pretty dismal car. If anyone wants a good price on a 2000 911 with only 26k miles on it, let me know.) The dealer didn’t require a deposit on it (and, without much negotation I got about $1500 off sticker, which suggests to me that these things probably aren’t flying off the shelves – could I have done a lot better?). Thus, I’m not really locked in yet and I could change the configuration pretty easily at this point. The main point of controversy for me was whether or not to order the sports package. I know that there are strong opinions on both sides of the issue, particularly regarding the active steering and ARS, but I’m wondering if any type of consensus is building one year later. Basically, the owners I’ve spoken with love the active steering whereas the traditionalists aren’t fans. Any further thoughts on this before I take the plunge? (Unfortunately I’ve only been able to drive the vehicle with the sports package, as my dealer orders nothing else. The car felt wonderful to me, but hard to judge in a 10 minute drive.) Also, are the 2005 cars essentially identical to the 2004 models, or has BMW tweaked any problems out of the first year run? A final thought: I can’t imagine owning this car beyond the warranty period. The prospect of fixing all the junk in this car scares me. Will independent service places even continue to exist, or will the dealer ultimately be the only one capable of fixing this car?  Does anyone have any (early) thoughts on E60 reliability?

Response:

I paid $1,500 over invoice in February for a 545. (used a broker) Love the Active Steering and ARS.  The steering can be temperamental on some uneven pavement but for the most part it is great. Reliability – Have a rubbing window problem on all doors that can’t be solved.  The steering wheel does not move up when the key is removed.. Leased for 3 years so will never be out of warranty.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – OK, I bit the bullet and ordered a 2005 E60. (I am quite happily dumping my 2000 911, which I consider a pretty dismal car. If anyone wants a good price on a 2000 911 with only 26k miles on it, let me know.) The dealer didn’t require a deposit on it (and, without much negotation I got about $1500 off sticker, which suggests to me that these things probably aren’t flying off the shelves – could I have done a lot better?). Thus, I’m not really locked in yet and I could change the configuration pretty easily at this point. The main point of controversy for me was whether or not to order the sports package. I know that there are strong opinions on both sides of the issue, particularly regarding the active steering and ARS, but I’m wondering if any type of consensus is building one year later. Basically, the owners I’ve spoken with love the active steering whereas the traditionalists aren’t fans. Any further thoughts on this before I take the plunge? (Unfortunately I’ve only been able to drive the vehicle with the sports package, as my dealer orders nothing else. The car felt wonderful to me, but hard to judge in a 10 minute drive.) Also, are the 2005 cars essentially identical to the 2004 models, or has BMW tweaked any problems out of the first year run? A final thought: I can’t imagine owning this car beyond the warranty period. The prospect of fixing all the junk in this car scares me. Will independent service places even continue to exist, or will the dealer ultimately be the only one capable of fixing this car?  Does anyone have any (early) thoughts on E60 reliability?

Response: