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Hammer Floyd posted:Hey guys, apologies if this isn't the right thread, but I figured that a BMW megathread would be the place to ask about a certain BMW. I'm looking into this as well ever since I saw a fleet of Z3s with hardtops as track cars at a private circuit. I know there's some crazy poo poo about a big chunk of the rear end falling apart but I don't really know the terms or details.
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Jun 28, 2008 01:23
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Drove the 08 335i 6spd yesterday. Oh my god what a car. It feels kind of funny and not as tankish (in a solid way, not a heavy turd way) as my 540. I also found out the 550 was $89k sticker, the 335 was $62k sticker, and the M3 was $75k sticker. They won't let me test drive the M3 though..sigh. I might get a used 335 in the future though, $35k right now..
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Jun 28, 2008 03:08
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Xenoid posted:Drove the 08 335i 6spd yesterday. Oh my god what a car. It feels kind of funny and not as tankish (in a solid way, not a heavy turd way) as my 540. I also found out the 550 was $89k sticker, the 335 was $62k sticker, and the M3 was $75k sticker. Wow, that's nuts. Why are BMWs so expensive in Canada?
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Jun 28, 2008 04:33
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King Nothing posted:Wow, that's nuts. Why are BMWs so expensive in Canada? Because us Canadians have to pay lots of taxes! But seriously, I do not know exactly why but cars in Canada have always been more expensive, even after factoring in currency difference. Like Canadian law is a little different, with daytime running lights and different safety stuff, but I don't think that contributes to the huge cost diff between US and Canda.
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Jun 28, 2008 17:06
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So I installed my UUC Red Tranny mounts last night and took it for a spin and there is quite a bit of vibration around 1500rpm and they transmit a lot of road noise while on the interstate. It's possible that I over torqued them and that's the problem, but I'd like to know if anyone else has an experience with them. I knew there would be a little bit more NVH, but this is far beyond what I expected. I'm going to re-torque them tomorrow and see if that fixes it, otherwise I'm going to order the UUC blacks + TMEs and sell this pair on BimmerForums. Also, having a freshly rebuilt shifter feels amazing.
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Jun 28, 2008 18:29
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Pimpsolo posted:
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Jun 28, 2008 19:52
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Pimpsolo posted:Anyone have any experience with anything like this, have any ideas about what's wrong, or might be able to point me in the direction of a good independent shop that has the ability to scan the computer witout raping me anywhere in or around Tampa, Florida?
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Jun 28, 2008 23:56
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ricepowah posted:Because us Canadians have to pay lots of taxes! But seriously, I do not know exactly why but cars in Canada have always been more expensive, even after factoring in currency difference. Like Canadian law is a little different, with daytime running lights and different safety stuff, but I don't think that contributes to the huge cost diff between US and Canda. Yeah considering our currencies are pretty much equal now that'd be some awfully heavy taxes to make up the difference.
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Jun 29, 2008 00:02
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VacaGrande posted:Vortex Motorsport Thanks a lot, I just emailed them, we'll see if they can diagnose this. I think SiGmA_X may be right, that it's the ABS module. If it is, I found this site http://www.modulemaster.com/ that seems to specalize in module rebuilds. My main worry is that no matter what shop I bring it to to scan, they'd want to rape me on the labor of bleeding my brakes and removal and installation. It looks like I could just easily pluck out my ABS module and send it to module masters, avoid reprogramming (since it's the same module, right?) bleed the brakes, install the new pads and rotors I just ordered, and get everything back tip top for the fee of whatever modulemaster charges. On a side note, what brake fluid replacement do you all suggest for an e46? On another side note, I live in Florida (read: hot) and I filled my e30 325e with 10w30 because I had a ton left over from a previous car. I hear a bit of ticking every once in a while, and it seeps a tiny bit of oil. I hear a 15w50 might be good to take care of both, what's everyone's opinion?
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Jun 29, 2008 01:13
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King Nothing posted:Wow, that's nuts. Why are BMWs so expensive in Canada? I've written about this on my blog before -- we Canadians really get it up the bum bareback from European car companies. Generally you can expect a 17% markup on cars compared with the American market, but some companies (*cough*Volvo*cough*) go hog-wild with their Canadian pricing (up to 35%). Why? Because they can. Car companies have clauses in their dealership contracts that specifically forbid border-area American dealerships from selling to non-residents, so that their Canadian subsidiaries can really rake in the profits. Someone mentioned taxes, but that's bullshit -- we get to pay sales taxes on top of wildly inflated Canadian prices. An example of this -- MSRP on a base 135i coupe in the US is $34,900. Move it over to Canada, and the MSRP magically becomes $41,700. That's a 19.5% premium, or $6800 difference. That's a lot of dosh to get your speedo in km/h instead of mph. But the car companies do it because they can get away with it. I don't think it's a smart strategy on the long term though. I was ready to lay cash on a 128i earlier this year but when I weighed the pros and cons of owning a car I ended up deciding against it, and I'd be lying if I said that the unexplainably inflated prices had nothing to do with it. Edit: you can't tell at all that I'm a little pissed about these business practices, can you 
el topo fucked around with this message at 03:38 on Jun 29, 2008 |
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Jun 29, 2008 01:36
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Pissingintowind posted:Not sure if you guys have seen this, but it is loving awesome. I disagree... that is loving AWESOME. Doctor Grape Ape posted:So I installed my UUC Red Tranny mounts last night and took it for a spin and there is quite a bit of vibration around 1500rpm and they transmit a lot of road noise while on the interstate. Well, the red ones are specifically for track use... so I'd say that's pretty normal. Just for kicks though, when you re-torque them, make sure you don't pre-load them at all... in other words, tighten the nuts with the full weight of the transmission against the mounts against the cross brace. snugglz fucked around with this message at 01:49 on Jun 29, 2008 |
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Jun 29, 2008 01:44
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King Nothing posted:Wow, that's nuts. Why are BMWs so expensive in Canada? They just are. I was just putting the numbers up for fun, but I'd never buy a car brand new, especially in Canada. I got my car (97 540) in the USA and saved a few thousand and plan to do it with any car I buy. I think the 335 might be my next car, especially once the prices drop a bit and I can put a chip in it (360hp, 400ft-lbs OH GAWD). Isn't it funny that a stock M3 is 415hp and 315 ft-lbs? I need to drive one and see how it compares! I made that note really short last night cause I was tired as gently caress, but why is the 550 so much? I thought I'd prefer it better but once I saw how much more it was than an M3 I thought it was pointless. Can any of you related to the 335 experience though? The clutch pedal has TONS of travel, yet the "sweet spot" is just a tick in, making all that travel worthless. It doesn't have power steering wheel adjustments which felt kind of cheap to me. The cupholders were nice, because none of my past BMWs had cupholders that worked. The car had no NAV but I wouldn't want it. The dealer guy told me what iDrive did and since it does nothing, I don't need it. The brakes are ABSURD. I started the car at a stop sign, rolled forward at 10km/h or so, and tapped the brakes. OOMPH. I thought I smashed the brake pedal, it's just so sensitive and powerful. The turn stalk was weird. You barely move it and it clicks? Kind of strange to me at first but not bad since I never actually move the turn signal stalks 90% of the time. I just hold them up or down a little bit so that the signal is on and it bounces back to neutral. The back seat is LARGE and very nice. I didn't go in there, but it looks big to me and I'm 6'3" and 165lbs (and going down). It had the air controls and vents back there too. I also think the new cars look a lot better in person than in pictures. The coupe blows the sedan out of the water looks-wise. I hope that new sedan looks a bit better next year. I thought I'd throw in how pissed I am at the other dealers in town. They won't let me test drive a lot of cars, including the base LS3 Vette, yet I can get into a 335 without a problem. Maybe I need to wash my car and drop the "looking to replace the 540" line at the dealership. Lastly, I've been pushing my car a bit in some corners with the TC off and all I can say is, when does this car lose traction? 235/45ZR17 Nittos all around and yet I can't get the rear end to slide out? I know the car is making plenty of power. I have a feeling it's the tires because I couldn't keep the rear of my E36 325 on the road when the tires were bald, and yet with stupid amounts of throttle and lots of turn dialed in, I can't get this to slide out! Xenoid fucked around with this message at 05:51 on Jun 29, 2008 |
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Jun 29, 2008 04:11
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Doctor Grape Ape posted:So I installed my UUC Red Tranny mounts last night and took it for a spin and there is quite a bit of vibration around 1500rpm and they transmit a lot of road noise while on the interstate. It's possible that I over torqued them and that's the problem, but I'd like to know if anyone else has an experience with them. I knew there would be a little bit more NVH, but this is far beyond what I expected. I was going to reply to you the last time you posted about this, but I figured you tried them out somewhere. You didn't over torque them, they're racing spec bushings. They're meant to be like that. Get the black ones that UUC sells, or stock. Rob @ UUC must have 8/10 of those orders come back on those. I also don't think you'll need those enforcers. They're overkill.
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Jun 29, 2008 16:14
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I went out and fiddled with the mounts today and I'd say it got rid of 80% of the vibration. Now I only get noticeable vibration if I lug the engine when taking off from a stop. I'll give them a week to see if I can tolerate them, if not I'll pawn them off to some moron on BimmerForums and get the blacks.
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Jun 29, 2008 21:04
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I'm replacing the timing belt, water pump, and thermostat on my E30 today for the first time! I've never done anything quite like this before but holy Jesus this is easy. It's time consuming but it's so much easier than I was expecting. I also bought new eccentrics for the rockers so I can stop adjusting those every two weeks...
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Jun 29, 2008 21:27
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on a similar note, happiness is a new Bentley manual for the E30. It's huge and worth the investment. lots of info on all the different E30 models.
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Jun 30, 2008 04:42
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el topo posted:I've written about this on my blog before -- we Canadians really get it up the bum bareback from European car companies. Generally you can expect a 17% markup on cars compared with the American market, but some companies (*cough*Volvo*cough*) go hog-wild with their Canadian pricing (up to 35%). It's not just european companies. A civic Si here with even the most basic options will probably put your over 30k. 30,000 for a civic when you could go south of the border and get a much nicer car for the same price makes me hate new cars in canada. Next year when I start looking at a Cooper S I'll be test driving them here and then heading down to the states to buy one, as long as they'll honor my warranty at canadian dealerships.
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Jun 30, 2008 04:48
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So I got a brand new 750Li in February. Yeah I know, but at the time I had no idea that there would be a complete remodel, I love my car though, so I'm cool with it. Anyhow so about 7000 Miles in, about 2 weeks ago, there was this massive thunderstorm and the streets flooded like crazy. I thought I could make it home, because my work is only about 2 miles from where I live. To keep it brief... I was wrong. The streets down the road were basically up to my door with water and the intake is about 4 inches off the ground. And now it's at my local BMW dealership enjoying a completely new engine being installed in it, after only 7000 miles, due to basically the whole engine being flooded, and it hydro locking. I mean there's flooding in the middle of the country but some of these thunderstorms we get in Southwest Florida are insane. Fun stuff. It'll be in the shop for a couple more weeks since they have to order a new engine straight from the fatherland. Now I get to drive this kickin' bright blue Dodge Avenger rental. GEE THANKS ALLSTATE! In other car related news though, tomorrow I'm going to be picking up a 1982 Ferrari 308GTSi, on a sweet deal. So, you know, I won't be too worried about driving my 7 again.  I just stumbled on this thread today, so I'll be sure to post some pics in a couple weeks when I get it back.
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Jun 30, 2008 05:07
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Crustashio posted:It's not just european companies. A civic Si here with even the most basic options will probably put your over 30k. 30,000 for a civic when you could go south of the border and get a much nicer car for the same price makes me hate new cars in canada. Next year when I start looking at a Cooper S I'll be test driving them here and then heading down to the states to buy one, as long as they'll honor my warranty at canadian dealerships. Even without the warranty, you would probably save enough to pay for any repairs out of pocket and still come out ahead.
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Jun 30, 2008 05:39
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dvorak posted:...I got a brand new 750Li...
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Jun 30, 2008 05:55
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dvorak posted:So I got a brand new 750Li in February. Yeah I know, but at the time I had no idea that there would be a complete remodel, I love my car though, so I'm cool with it. Does insurance cover something like this? I can't imagine a new engine is cheap. Also, this is a dumb question, but the modern 750 has the V8, right? And the 760 has the V12? You had better post a new thread when you get your new italian trash! (sorry felt obligated to throw that in there in a BMW thread)
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Jun 30, 2008 14:42
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Doctor Grape Ape posted:And I'm still in love with my $45 eBay chip. There's more torque below 3k, no flat spots, no hesitation, and I picked up 1 or 2 MPG. Kind of hard to gauge with how often I've been going WOT. Can you give me more info about the chip?
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Jun 30, 2008 15:05
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emanonii posted:Can you give me more info about the chip? It was from a seller on eBay called "eurosport64" and as far as I can tell everyone has been happy with the chips he sells since he has a 100% feedback rating. People on BimmerForums were also praising the chip. This is his eBay store: http://motors.shop.ebay.com/merchant/eurosport64
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Jun 30, 2008 15:18
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I just finished getting my car back together after replacing the timing belt and water pump and adjusting the valves. I put the spark plugs back in hooked everything back up and started adding the new coolant and it's loving leaking from the loving goddamn water pump. Looks like I'll be busy for the rest of the day taking everything apart again 
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Jun 30, 2008 19:33
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hey guys, I have a question. sorry if this is the wrong place I have a 2001 325i four door automatic with 114,000 km's. I absolutely love the car but the time has come to sell it. Before I do I want the check engine light to go away. In the winter the car stalled on me and would not start when I took it in they told me that it had flooded the cylinders with oil due to a bad pcv valve. so 600 dollars later it is fixed. about a week after I got it back I filled up with gas and it gave me a CEL I checked on the internet and they said it could be from the gas cap and that it can take about a week to clear. Eventually it did go away and it would occasionally come back and then disappear a few days later. I thought nothing of it because the car still seemed perfect. However the past two weeks the CEL has not gone away and I am sad to say that I need to sell the car. I don't even know where to begin looking. I was thinking I would check the TB because there is a whistle at a certain point of the throttle being pressed down. Would this cause a CEL? any other help is greatly appreciated as I have been trying to figure this out for some time.
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Jun 30, 2008 22:15
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Doctor Grape Ape posted:It was from a seller on eBay called "eurosport64" and as far as I can tell everyone has been happy with the chips he sells since he has a 100% feedback rating. People on BimmerForums were also praising the chip. Thanks. Looks like his stuff is all OBD-I.
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Jun 30, 2008 22:35
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emanonii posted:Thanks. Looks like his stuff is all OBD-I. Yeah, OBDII cars require reprogramming, like from the Shark Injector thing. Last time I looked those were around $250; you could definitely spend that $250 on worse mods, really depends what you want out of the car, and what your plan is in the long run.
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Jun 30, 2008 22:50
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Xenoid posted:You have a new 750Li and you're getting a Ferrari but your rental company gave you a dodge Avenger. I found this hilarious for some reason. Why didn't the BMW dealership give you a 3 series as a loaner? I find it pretty  as well. I'll find myself just be driving down the street, and I'll start sort of chuckling to myself about that fact. I'm used to it at this point though. I've been driving it since the accident 2-3 weeks ago, and I probably still will 2 weeks into July. The reason they can't give me anything is because it's not a warranty job, I'm pretty sure. It's going through insurance. Which comes to our next question...CornHolio posted:Does insurance cover something like this? I can't imagine a new engine is cheap. Also yeah the 750's got the V8, whereas the 760 has the V12. I heard it was pretty wicked, but from what I read the price wasn't worth getting juiced any more than I already was on the 750 as it is. As an aside, of course I'll let you guys get a bunch of shots of my new Ferrari Magnum p.i. this week. Not in this thread of course. 
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Jun 30, 2008 22:53
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I drive a 2003 330i 5sp, non-sport, with 60,000 miles on it. I purchased the car with 44,000 miles on it and a CPO warranty. The single previous owner was a lessee. I drive the hell out of my car - I run through the gears as often as possible, I often accelerate to redline, and I quite frequently take trips to the country roads and take turns at stupid, but absolutely fulfilling speeds. Knowing how I love to drive, I'm constant with maintenence. Oil and filter every 5,000 miles - Mobil 1 5W-30 and Purolator filters - plugs were done 2,000 miles ago with the last oil change, and I check the air filter regularly (OEM BMW filter replaced when the CPO check was performed) and so far it never looks any dirtier than I'd imagine it out of the box. I wipe the foam clean and replace it. Since my last oil change, the low-oil light has come on twice - both times the light came on when I turned the car off, and happened ocassionally until I checked and topped off the oil; both times it's been about a half-quart low. If it's normal for these engines to burn a bit of oil when pushed, I have no problem feeding it oil as often as it likes. However, from the reading I've done here and a few other BMW DIY havens, it seems that burning oil can also point to a few other problems, notably VANOS failure. So BMW gods, can anyone shed some light? Also - because if it's a more serious failure I'll be having the work done under the CPO warranty, do I need to worry about having done my own maintenence? I've kept logs, and any examination of wear parts should show that they're in great shape.
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Jul 1, 2008 07:45
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FYI Mobil 1 5W30 doesn't meet BMW's spec. Whether that matters is beyond me, but the only Mobil 1 offering that does meet it is 0W40.
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Jul 1, 2008 13:23
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Adnuo posted:If it's normal for these engines to burn a bit of oil when pushed, I have no problem feeding it oil as often as it likes. However, from the reading I've done here and a few other BMW DIY havens, it seems that burning oil can also point to a few other problems, notably VANOS failure. So BMW gods, can anyone shed some light? I've owned 3 BMWs, and they've all burned oil. '99 328i, '95 M3, '03 M5. I think we have a similar driving style, and my oil usage in the 328 and M3 match yours. Usually about 1/2 qt every 2500-3000 miles. Nothing too significant. The M5 burns much more (probably 1 qt every 2500-3000 miles). Did you top off a 1/2 quart twice during this last oil change? If you're seeing an increase in oil usage, it could point to a whole lot of things. If it's consistent usage, I wouldn't worry too much about it. I agree with wolrah - Mobil 1 5w-30 doesn't match the BMW Castrol 5w-30. I don't think it's makes a massive amount of difference with the 330, but at your next change, I'd make the switch. The M5 is notoriously more picky on oil, I only use the BMW 5w-30 (Castrol).
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Jul 1, 2008 15:29
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wolrah posted:FYI Mobil 1 5W30 doesn't meet BMW's spec. Whether that matters is beyond me, but the only Mobil 1 offering that does meet it is 0W40. Any thoughts on the Castrol European Formula 0w-30? There has been some good discussion on other boards on the topic and was wondering what y'all thought here... With my driving less frequently and for shorter distances, I would think that this might be a good fit for me.
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Jul 1, 2008 15:50
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Why do you insist on using non-BMW oil? I already mentioned in this thread that the BMW branded oil is rebadged Castrol Syntec 5W30. It is also very cheap at the dealership. With my 10% CCA discount, it comes to like $4.50 per quart. It doesn't make sense to bother with other stuff.
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Jul 1, 2008 16:01
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Pissingintowind posted:Why do you insist on using non-BMW oil? I already mentioned in this thread that the BMW branded oil is rebadged Castrol Syntec 5W30. The closest BMW dealership to me is 30 minutes away. The closest AutoZone is 30 seconds away.
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Jul 1, 2008 16:07
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Doctor Grape Ape posted:The closest BMW dealership to me is 30 minutes away. The closest AutoZone is 30 seconds away. Most dealerships will ship for you. Shouldn't be over $10, which is still about the same if not cheaper than 3rd party oil, I believe.
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Jul 1, 2008 16:11
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Ultimate Mango posted:Any thoughts on the Castrol European Formula 0w-30? There has been some good discussion on other boards on the topic and was wondering what y'all thought here... I put that in my car last oil change and it's seemed fine. I looked at a lot of UOA's, one guy had used this and bmw's 5w30 and the UOA results were almost identical. I'm going with the BMW 5w30 oil next time, it's much better value with the cca discount, and there doesn't really seem to be much to choose between them if you don't need the extreme low temperature protection.
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Jul 1, 2008 16:57
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Is there any reason the Z4 is so polarizing? My '93 E36 has just about had it and I'm looking at used Z4's for my next car. I figure I might as well get a two seater convertible while I'm still young enough to get away with being so proactively inconsiderate, and the Z4 looks nice to me. Of the few people I've discussed it with, about half said they thought it was "ugly, gay, etc." while the other half thought it was "awesome, hot, etc." Come to think of it, I used to really dislike them in still photos. Seeing one in person though is a different story. On a side note, have any tall people had long term experience with a Z4? At 6'4 will I have any problems with it?
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Jul 3, 2008 13:10
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It isn't long term experience, but there's a possibility that you would not have much (if any) headroom judging by the amount I had when I test drove one recently (I'm just over 6ft)
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Jul 3, 2008 15:02
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Mr. Onslaught posted:Is there any reason the Z4 is so polarizing? My '93 E36 has just about had it and I'm looking at used Z4's for my next car. I figure I might as well get a two seater convertible while I'm still young enough to get away with being so proactively inconsiderate, and the Z4 looks nice to me. Of the few people I've discussed it with, about half said they thought it was "ugly, gay, etc." while the other half thought it was "awesome, hot, etc." Come to think of it, I used to really dislike them in still photos. Seeing one in person though is a different story. I think its the styling, I find it to be the most extreme of that design 'language' if you can call it that. When you find the Z4 a tad small (I'm 6'4" and even the 650 isn't really comfortable), try an S2000; its one of the only two seat convertibles that really fit me like a glove (it was perfect, and I miss it dearly). Then go out and buy a Miata.
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Jul 3, 2008 17:52
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Mr. Onslaught posted:Is there any reason the Z4 is so polarizing? My '93 E36 has just about had it and I'm looking at used Z4's for my next car. I figure I might as well get a two seater convertible while I'm still young enough to get away with being so proactively inconsiderate, and the Z4 looks nice to me. Of the few people I've discussed it with, about half said they thought it was "ugly, gay, etc." while the other half thought it was "awesome, hot, etc." Come to think of it, I used to really dislike them in still photos. Seeing one in person though is a different story.
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Jul 6, 2008 17:55
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