1. Home
  2. BMW Cars and SUVs
  3. Observations from the BMW Armchair

Observations from the BMW Armchair

Statement of the Obvious: Having owned 6 BMWs thus far, I just can't see all the problems folks seem to be having and/or bitching about these cars. I'm thinking loud-mouth isolated incidents for most. WHAA, my radiator broke. WHAA, my engine broke. WHAA, I can't read the owners manual. WHAA, I don't know how to drive a BMW. My experience shows my cars to be more reliable than any other car I have had the chance to drive, own, or work on. The ease of access and replacement of parts, basic maintenance, and driveability of the cars kept me coming back.

I have, in all fairness, culled quite a few stories and repair procedures from the internet. I have attempted to help others fix their problems or give them access to what I have found to help. I've even sent CDs for free to those who asked. BMW repairs found on the internet are some of the most extensive I've found for any car. If one were to catalog and use most of it, they could become a BMW mechanic fairly easily. I guess it could be trolls on this board, but I'm more inclined to believe it's silly folks who keep rehashing the same "WHAA" every few weeks. The ONLY common sense here is from the regular posters and they know who they are. I also see a lot of folks who buy crappy, cheap BMWs, a.k.a. someone else's problem, and whine because they didn't get a like-new, something-for-nothing car. Forget about simple maintenance. BMWs run forever with original fluids. Oh yeah, my car runs like s**te and I haven't changed the air filter or plugs since new and it has 100,000 miles on it. BTW, where's the filter? I don't know the model or year of the car.

So as you read this, get pissed. Flame me. Call me names or whatever. You all want to say what I've said, if even to say it quietly. I haven't owned a Chevy, but I have towed one with my 535i. BMW is not a yuppie car, it's a driver's car. It breaks. Fix it or sell it to someone who will. Don't pay some smart-assed mechanic way too much to fix a car that ain't broke. Hint: You're being suckered, STOOPID! How about buying the Bentley and some tools, look over the internet, and get your hands dirty once in a while. The pride of DIY will only be behind having a child and a trophy wife. Wise up, it'll payoff big time.

End of the Obvious Stuff - Heh!

Bill in Omaha '86 535i - present daily driver ('81 323i, '85 528e, '87 325es, '88 325is, '98 528i - wife's)

Reply to
Bill
Loading thread data ...

OK... Bill's back on his meds and we took his keyboard away for two weeks. HAH!

Reply to
Bill

I dunno, Bill. For a guy with that many plastic radiators hanging around the house, I wouldn't be quite so damn cocky ... ;^)

-- C.R. Krieger (A regular whiner holding my breath over the E28's radiator)

P.S.: You *are* one of the gang over at

formatting link
aren't ya?

Reply to
E28 Guy©

Gleaned all I can get from mye28.com. LOL I presently have only the 535i and the 528i to enjoy. I never had the problems with a radiator on any of them. It may be silly, but I used the green Prestone from Wal-mart and flushed every two years. I did keeps tabs on possible corrosion and the rubber hose condition. Honestly, I had trouble with a hose on the raditor neck, once. The hose cracked under the neck, under the clamp! Slow leak and 5 days to find. Plus it was cold outside, which probably contributed. The hoses were fine until I changed them all two years later (the car was driven 144 miles in 1 of those years). In all fairness to everyone here, I needed to rant and the wife tuned me out! LOL No, Krieger, you're not a whiner, but you answer some that are. 8 )

Bill in Omaha (with "thunder" snow) '86 535i

Reply to
Bill

Bill

As you know I have a 96 E38 740i. I want to replace it (Ho Ho Ho) but what with?

Options:

All cars pre owned and up to 4 years old MAX

7 series 745i or 745Li V8 Petrol Max speed 155 limited 0-60 5.8sec 7 series 730d (diesel turbo) Max speed 148 0-60 6.2sec 6 series 645Ci V8 6 series 630Ci Six cyl 6 series 630d six cyl turbo diesel.

Other options include Jaguar XJ8 or Merceded but can't get my head around the engine options as they all appear to me as TAXI cabs (90% merceded in Euroland are diesel taxis!)

Sir Hugh of Bognor

The difference between men and boys is the price of their toys. Intelligence is not knowing the answer but knowing where and how to find it!

Hugh Gundersen snipped-for-privacy@h-gee.co.uk Bognor Regis, W.Sussex, England, UK

Reply to
hsg

As you know I have a 96 E38 740i. I want to replace it (Ho Ho Ho) but what

Wow! You left out the VW Polo. Sounds like you got money to burn. How about sticking with what you have? I'm partial to the 2000 740i sport over here, but gas went to $2.47 for 89 oct today. I use that in my chipped 535i and get 22-24mpg in the city. When the weather improves, I'm road trippin 2000 miles and we'll see what happens. I heard the 3-series diesel gets great mileage and has low-end grunt... and it's less expensive than your other choices.

Bill in Omaha (I'm melllttttiiinnngggg!) '86 535i

Reply to
Bill

Eh? VW - you must be joking or going insane. I wouldn't touch one with a barge pole (very long pole that old timers used to push narrow boats (see wikapedia) along tow paths when the horses couldn't pull them - before the steam or IC engine) although I did live with a 1.8 Golf GTI and a 1.8 Golf Auto in the early

80's Nice but juicy!

Not really but now I am approaching 61 and the 'ole bus' is 11 years old this year - keeping cost are virtually nil as all or most depreciation has happened by now and it had a new engine V8 @ 100K due to nikasil problems and now only just run in @ 197K miles but------- When things do go wrong like 2 years ago at Xmas - fuel pump $600, then both front tie bars @ $400 and this year a rear suspension arm @ $350 and last September and exploding AC compressor clutch $1200. Things get expensive. Ok! I could get it all fixed and watch it rust away (rust on left rear wheel arch and hood need stone chips done + repaint. No Sat Nav but then I think if I don't know where I am going by now @ 61 I shouldn't go anywhere!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

See above but then I do like the E38 style and I can pick up a very late 2002 E38 440i Sport model LOADED for around $15000 (8K GBpounds) which is about average or maybe less private.

Cannot weep for you Bill. Gas over here is 88p a liter x 4 for US gallon = $6.53 roughly. At an average of 20 MPG Imperial or around 24 MPG US It's not too bad and I have got around 32MPG Imp when cruising through France and Spain and even

27MPG imp on a run here in the UK.

The new 745i has a 6 speed auto and better management and can actually give over

24MPG imp regularly on petrol (GAS) although the official average is only 19mpg. The Diesel (turbo diesel) @ 238 BHP can pull 0 - 60 in around 6.8 secs top out @ 148 MPH and return over 35MPG imp or about 42 MPG US. However, I do love my V8 but the annoying thing is I can only get the V* diesel if I get LHD and the RHD version is only six cyl.

About the same as my 740i in stock form.

Too small - I like big cars - so much more metal to bend before it get close to me in a pile up!

Only the other day some idiot in a small van did a U turn on a 70 MPH dual carriageway (2 lanes in each direction with centre reservation ) without warning about 50 ft in front of me - How I missed the Bastard I have no idea except that the BMW will stop when I want it to without skidding.

Hug in West Sussex UK comfortable at present although a bit wet due to the inclement weather and really pissed off about the LABOUR Gov' and cost of living...... As we all are.

Sir Hugh of Bognor

The difference between men and boys is the price of their toys. Intelligence is not knowing the answer but knowing where and how to find it!

Hugh Gundersen snipped-for-privacy@h-gee.co.uk Bognor Regis, W.Sussex, England, UK

Reply to
hsg

Reply to
Bill

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.