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Sedans BMW 3-Series 2009 BMW 3-Series
276 messages, Last post on Aug 25, 2009 at 9:57 PM
You are in the BMW 3-Series Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
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Replying to: roadburner (Nov 23, 2008 11:13 am) It depends on the setting and the individual. I can see situations where I would choose one over the other, but I would not want to be stuck with either as my only car. I will say that if I owned a 135i or 335i, I know I would become bored with it in a couple years. My E30 is the first car I've owned that I know I'll never get rid of. It just has too much goodness - performance, character, looks, exclusivity.
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Replying to: fedlawman (Nov 23, 2008 1:28 pm) Exactly. This is how I'd feel if I could get a nice '65 MGB to drive around on weekends. I could still work on it, no one else has one and, as I recall, it had the tightest shift linkage & steering ever. When I went from it to a 240-Z, I found the steering rubbery & the shift linkage pretty sloppy as well. Of course, the Z was the better car in many other ways, but the B certainly had its points. It's a shame that BMW has taken the path to remove the driver from the maintenance and hands-on enjoyment of the car, beyond driving it. I read Roundel every month & probably will for years, since the people who write the articles & who ask the questions actually want to do hands-on things with their cars. A computer with wheels doesn't do too much for me, and I get the impression that the Roundel crowd agrees. I went with an appliance recently (Honda/Acura TSX), but was very pleased to see how the owners manual went into great detail to help the owner do basic tasks (oil & filter changes, bulbs, etc.) -- they're not in the "take it to the dealer for everything" mode, which BMW seems to embrace wholeheartedly. I'm moved to question which one is the appliance, really?
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Replying to: cdnpinhead (Nov 23, 2008 4:53 pm) Sad to say, my Mazdaspeed's manual doesn't provide much more-if any-DIY info than the manual for my wife's X3. In comparison, the manuals for my 1975 2002 and my old 1972 Bavaria provide instructions for changing the engine oil, transmission oil, final drive oil, and the coolant(including bleeding the cooling system. There are also directions for checking the clutch plate wear and adjusting the handbrake- although the manual does recommend that an authorized BMW dealer re-pack and adjust the front wheel bearings! I suspect that over 90% of current BMW owner/operators-driver is much to generous a term-would pee their pants at the thought of merely checking the coolant.
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Replying to: roadburner (Nov 23, 2008 6:32 pm) The forums are filled with threads with testimonials like, "I bought a used 7 year-old (insert model here) with 106,000 miles 4 months ago, and the automatic transmission just starting making a funny noise whenever I drive over a manhole cover. I went to the dealer and they told me I need a new transmission for $5000. I'm never buying another (insert brand here) ever again." Then all the lemmings show up and start talking about the class action lawsuit they're going to pursue because (insert brand here) knowingly uses inferior components and won't stand behind their product. Sheesh!
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Replying to: fedlawman (Nov 23, 2008 7:53 pm) The forums are filled with threads with testimonials like, "I bought a used 7 year-old (insert model here) with 106,000 miles 4 months ago, and the automatic transmission just starting making a funny noise whenever I drive over a manhole cover. I went to the dealer and they told me I need a new transmission for $5000. I'm never buying another (insert brand here) ever again." And Heaven forbid if any of these fools even crack their owners manual or take resposibility for their moronic actions... |
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Here's a cool video from BMW touting some of the "BMW Performance" parts that are now available. The pricing isn't all that competative but some of the items are very cool- such as the "racing" seats and the steering wheel equipped with shift lights and other digital readouts. Of course, by the time I equipped a 135i with all the parts I wanted(including an LSD) the price tag would be such that for the same money I could buy a nice E30 M3 for track days, an E39 540i with MT for a commuter, and an early M Roadster just for doing smoky donuts and burnouts... 
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I'll be happy to discuss the 2009 3 Series when you decide to do so. 
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Replying to: carnaught (Nov 24, 2008 9:33 am) Here's a topic - the pros and cons of factory performance parts vs. Dinan. Discuss. 
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Replying to: fedlawman (Nov 24, 2008 2:45 pm) |
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I'd be very careful to mod a car that's still under warrentee. Especially a BMW. I was considering removing/modifying the CDV valve for example..but have decided against it. First to second gear engagement was less seemless before they changed the fuel pump. I thought it was the CDV but after BMW changed the faulty fuel pump.. now, first gear gives far more roll for relaxed (under 3.5krpm) shifts. The result is a smoother shift from 1st to 2nd. I'm soooo glad they replaced that faulty fuel pump under warrentee!! I wonder if they would have had I modified the CDV. Joseph San Diego |
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