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Sedans BMW 5-Series BMW 5-Series Maintenance and Repair
2416 messages, Last post on Nov 24, 2009 at 8:41 AM
You are in the BMW 5-Series Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
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When I got my brand new BMW 535 2006 model from a dealer, the "front" car didn't have a place to hang the license plate. The dealer told me "if the front car doesn't have the place to hold the license plate, then it doesn't require by law. If the car does have the place to hold the license plate in the front, then the law requires to have the front license plate." Recently I got a ticket at SFO, I told the policeman the same thing, however he still gave me the ticket because missing the front license plate. At that time, I pointed out many luxury cars (mercedes, BMW and more) at SFO and they didn't have the front license plate because no front license plate holder. The policeman got confused but he doesn't want to recall the ticket. What is a CA law about the front license plate requirement? If there is no exception, then how can I contact BMW to handle this issue? because their design. If the BMW dealer told me about the front license plate for my car is true, then where should I get the statement or something to show it to the police in case the policeman stop me again in the future. Thanks in advances. |
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Replying to: pham (Jul 21, 2009 10:31 am) If the cop had been in a good mood, he would have given you a "fix-it" ticket rather than a traffic violation. Maybe your dealer should pay the fine for bad advice. I suspect this is just part of the revenue-gathering going on now. This type of ticket has long been the "sucker punch" for motorists parked in public places. |
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Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Jul 21, 2009 5:14 pm) Or.. move to Kentucky! No front plates! 
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Replying to: kyfdx (Jul 22, 2009 3:20 am) No need to go that far, Arizona has no front plates either. 
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Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Jul 21, 2009 5:14 pm) I once got one of those in NH because my plate mount had been knocked off by a careless parker.
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Replying to: andys120 (Jul 22, 2009 7:30 am) 
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No end to the political correctness. Plus a revenue stream for already bloated budgets and bennies. Never seen so many cops looking to give tickets since this recession started. |
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.....in my constant quest to find a beater that is not an Escort or Corsica, I'm going to look at a 528e tomorrow ('88, automatic, 151k miles, allegedly owned by a mechanic, new brakes and battery). Yeah, I already know they're slow; this is basically going to be a 'run around town and possibly visit mom once in a while' (second car). This one looks OK for the price, and supposedly runs great. Anything endemic to these I need to know about? Owner supposedly has all books and records, which I like a lot. Thanks!!
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Replying to: ghulet (Jul 24, 2009 12:01 am) Not that it matters... An '88 BMW is pretty maintenance intensive.. that's what all your money is going to go for... Even for a second car, figure $100/mo, if nothing big breaks.... Personally, I wouldn't get an automatic in an old BMW.. |
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Replying to: ghulet (Jul 24, 2009 12:01 am) The E28(1982-1988) 5ers are very nice cars but, as kyfdx pointed out, they are getting a bit long in the tooth. Still, you can usually get at least 300,000 miles out of a well maintained car. The 1988 528e had the so-called "Super eta" motors, which have a wee bit more horsepower and a higher redline than the 1982-1987 eta motors. The eta motors were designed for fuel economy and low speed torque, and they operate at relatively(for a BMW) low engine speeds. The autobox is well suited to a super eta car. As for negatives, the engine has a timing belt which MUST be changed every four years/50,000 miles. The motor also requires a valve adjustment every 15,000 miles(a very simple job). I'd definitely have the car examined by a knowledgeable BMW tech. As for running costs, a lot will depend on your willingness to perform minor maintenance/repairs and the proximity of a good dealer or indie BMW tech. If it was my car, I'd change the engine oil every 5,000 miles, the aforementioned valve adjustment at 15,000 miles, the plugs/filters/ATF/final drive oil every 30,000 miles, the coolant every two years, and the brake fluid annually. |
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