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BMW 7-Series 2006 and earlier
1317 messages, Last post on Sep 16, 2012 at 11:07 AM
You are in the BMW 7-Series Forum.What is this discussion about? BMW 7 Series
#748 of 1317 BMW 745 by ghloeb
Nov 29, 2002 (7:38 am)
Well, I bought it -- and it's fabulous.After two months of wavering while my 1998 740i lease ticked to the end, I started the process of buying the 740 from BMW because of my misgivings about the 745. This tread was a huge source of info on this.
When BMW offered very favorable financing terms to move out the 2002s, the cost of getting the 745 became fairly close to buying the non-warrantied '98 740. So I made the decision to get the 745 -- without ever having driven it. Can't really explain why.
My conclusions so far:
** The iDrive complexity issue is vastly overstated. It took very little time to get familiar with the base functions. The system's logic is fairly transparent, so I did not even consult the owner's manual on the iDrive until I wanted to do some more advanced tasks, like programming in voice commands for the built-in telephone. The "this car makes me feel like an idiot" folks should buy Cadillacs and shut up.
** The 745 is about 30% more fun to drive than the 740, which was already a near-perfect driving experience. The extra power in the engine is evident, making it just a tick smoother in highway driving. The sensation is slightly up-higher and more knife-like, more like the 5-series, instead of the lower sedan-like 740 feel.
** Once you drive it, the "looks" issue becomes less of a problem for those, like me, who consider the 740 a classic. The 740 is still the better looking car, but the feel of the 745 is in synch with the body changes, the rearward location of the cabin, the accent on the wheels, the more rounded corners. (It's cute that the video BMW gives you with the car includes a Chris Bangle segment explaining that the raised trunk design is tied to the roof aerodynamics -- they clearly are defensive on this point.)
** There are a couple of really silly quirks that are beyond explanation. Why would any engineer design a headrest to automatically rise when the seat is adjusted?
** Of course, if the car ends up spending 2 weeks in the shop because of software snafus, I'll have a completely different view. But I've heard the mantra "those problems have been fixed and all the campaigns have been performed on the late-build vehicles" enough to believe it, for now.
#749 of 1317 Website for Parts by hilty1
Dec 07, 2002 (3:47 pm)
Does anyone know of a good/reliable website where I can buy parts and accessories for my 2000 740il?#750 of 1317 RE: Website for Parts by harry0
Dec 10, 2002 (4:39 pm)
I have bought a few items from this company with no problems.http://www.mesaperformance.com/index.html
#751 of 1317 Parts & Accessories by hilty1
Dec 10, 2002 (6:02 pm)
HarryO - thanks for the information. I'll check out their site.#752 of 1317 745i What should I do? by jbox
Dec 16, 2002 (11:58 pm)
Been driving 745i since Feb'02. I was very excited upon arrival. The car is an engineering marvel! Well, except the one I leased? Let me explain. Had accelerator/throttle/handling problems that took BMW 2-weeks to pin down. Sent a guy out from the tech-ranch to figure out. Ran out of fuel 3 times on Hiway w/wife, tank was always ¼-½ full. This put the car out of service at BMW for 1-week. Driving control recently diminished that the rear axle was virtually replaced, including both rear tires. This took 9-days at my friendly BMW dealer. My wife things it’s a death trap and won’t ride again in the vehicle. I left it with the dealer because I don’t want the car on account the above. BMWNA knows about and have offered nothing but to pay for the total of 10-days off-lease based on the records. Any suggestions?#754 of 1317 Help for jbox by pearl85
Dec 17, 2002 (9:01 pm)
Try posting on the following link. Lots of people are having problems and solutions are offered along with bmwna deals.#755 of 1317 by l943973
Dec 18, 2002 (11:41 am)
"** There are a couple of really silly quirks that are beyond explanation. Why would any engineer design a headrest to automatically rise when the seat is adjusted? "I think its a great idea. When the seat goes up, your in a more upright position so your head in higher. I'm assuming that it rises only when the seat moves to a more upright position.
Now if it rises when the seat is moving back away from the steering wheel, then it doesn't make sense.
#756 of 1317 BMW 760Li YachtLine (??) by jstyle
Dec 18, 2002 (1:50 pm)
I think BMW should focus on building more reliable 7 series models before focusing on luxury yet I can't seem to stop drooling over this interior from BMW Individual division.#757 of 1317 Head rest rising too far is software bug by footie
Dec 18, 2002 (4:51 pm)
Take it to your dealer and get your software upgraded to Rev 4.2 for the car.A friend with a new one got his done and it now works.
He loves being a Beta tester for $75K products that are still a year or so away from being finished and ready for sale.
Good luck!
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