What do you hate most about your BMW?

[kvc]

The assumption by one and all that because I own a BMW, I have a never ending disposable income, that all and sundry are encouraged to gouge at every opportunity. This extends to retailers, mechanics, dealers, customers and those choosing to park too close in shopping malls...
It's a different story when I drive my beaten-up old pick-up (ute for us Aussies). I'm then offered discounts, deals and all manner of sympathy because I must be on the bones of my arse...or so they assume.

[Helihover]

Originally Posted by kvc

The assumption by one and all that because I own a BMW, I have a never ending disposable income, that all and sundry are encouraged to gouge at every opportunity. This extends to retailers, mechanics, dealers, customers and those choosing to park too close in shopping malls...
It's a different story when I drive my beaten-up old pick-up (ute for us Aussies). I'm then offered discounts, deals and all manner of sympathy because I must be on the bones of my arse...or so they assume.

This is it right here.......

Personna I can't stand it.

I daily a really nice Z3 and it's amazing what people think. Most of the newer Hondas cost double what I payed for my Z. All people see is a bright red convertible bimmer......... I think some of it has to do with the design of the cars. I've been ask several times over the past two years if my X was new. My boss, a car nut too, thought my Z was only 4-5 years old! It's a 2000.

At the end of the day, they can all go f themselves. I drive bimmers because I like too, not because my neighbor thinks there cool.

[Trasportador]

Originally Posted by Helihover

This is it right here.......

Personna I can't stand it.

I daily a really nice Z3 and it's amazing what people think. Most of the newer Hondas cost double what I payed for my Z. All people see is a bright red convertible bimmer......... I think some of it has to do with the design of the cars. I've been ask several times over the past two years if my X was new. My boss, a car nut too, thought my Z was only 4-5 years old! It's a 2000.

At the end of the day, they can all go f themselves. I drive bimmers because I like too, not because my neighbor thinks there cool.

So I work in a medium sized office complex, not too many tenants so everyone kinda knows everyone by face and car. I daily my red E34 540. Sometimes I take the e38. One day, I took the Imola X5 as I had to drop the wife off to the airport and go straight to work. Yea, mistake. My boss came to my desk.. "You have no self control do you?" I had to laugh(coming from the guy with a a Benz fettish)... Then, two women that work at the office next door caught me outside taking a smoke, and accused me of having a BMW "problem." I asked them why they'd say that, they point to X5, I deny ownership and produce a Bus pass. It was a funny day. Been rocking the E34 every day since. I don't need the attention.

[upallnight]

Originally Posted by kvc

The assumption by one and all that because I own a BMW, I have a never ending disposable income, that all and sundry are encouraged to gouge at every opportunity. This extends to retailers, mechanics, dealers, customers and those choosing to park too close in shopping malls...
It's a different story when I drive my beaten-up old pick-up (ute for us Aussies). I'm then offered discounts, deals and all manner of sympathy because I must be on the bones of my arse...or so they assume.

Just the opposite with me. When we were in the market for a house I would drive my pickup to the various sites to view the model homes. Most of the sale staff didn't even bother to greet us at the sale office. However, when we showed up in the PORSCHE it was a completely different story.

[kvc]

Originally Posted by upallnight

Just the opposite with me. When we were in the market for a house I would drive my pickup to the various sites to view the model homes. Most of the sale staff didn't even bother to greet us at the sale office. However, when we showed up in the PORSCHE it was a completely different story.

My point exactly - people will make an assumption about your income level or affluence, depending on the vehicle you drive...
As you pointed out - when arriving in your pickup, sales staff didn't want to know you, but the opposite happened when you rocked up in the Porsche. Some people are so damn predictable, it's sickening...

[Kristophe]

I can't say there is anything I hate about my BMW. I've found many of the repairs very DIF'able. Granted dealer OE parts are horribly expensive however with a little research one can often find the OEM equivalent at 1/3 less the price. I do agree that there is a "BMW price multiplier" that many mechanics utilize when it comes to repairs. Example: once when I was having my BMW checked for a possible bad fuel pump the tech suggested the spark plugs needed to be changed and he quoted a little over $300. I was shocked. Are you serious? $300 BUCKS? Its a Straight Six and they're all on top! But he didn't flinch. He'd likely only pay what, $5 or $6 piece for (6) NGKs, and maybe 45 mins in labor, if he took his time. I suspect a lot of BMW owners gladly pay such prices so the repair curve is lower on those who would otherwise pull up in a Ford.

[johnlacson]

So far, I can't really say I hate any of my Bimmers, otherwise I probably would've switched brands by now.

I dunno ... fuel efficiency could be better... but for an 05 2 ton SUV, it's at par with most current American/Japanese SUVs of equivalent size/weight. So not really a complaint in any way (specially since the newer X5s have incredible efficiency for the power they put out)

Most non-car people think my 89 E34 is only 6 years old.

Most non-car people think my 05 X5 is last year's model.

Dealer labor prices are a bit over-the-top, but I guess given the 'luxury' classification of the brand, it's expected. Although I wish dealers would tier rates based on the model/generation of the car, would also be nice to feel like the mechanics actually knew the vehicle, and not assume it works like the latest model ones. Each generation has its own quirks and indy mechanics know these quirks... dealer mechanics and SAs feel like they're reciting spiels without knowing the car at all.

Simple example is duplicate keys... older cars do not need 'coding'... but right off the bat, some dealers will justify $300 spare keys for E30/E34 keys because "They're computer coded".

I honestly wouldn't mind dealer labor prices, if they were the absolute best service that I could get for my Bimmer. I feel that dealers SHOULD be the best (not the cheapest) option for servicing any year/model Bimmer. An indy should be the more practical option. As it stands, indy's are the better and cheaper option for regular maintenance of any Bimmer beyond the initial warranty.

[nice1guv]

I love my facelift 3.0d!
Awesome power, torque, economy, comfort, handling and looks.

Only a couple of things have bugged me so far: the air filter and fuel filter.

Changing the air filter is an absolute bugger of a job!
I've done it 3 times, the first time took the good part of an hour and now even though I know what I'm doing, it still takes nearly half an hour.
You have to remove the cabin filter housing and covers, engine cover, air intake, air filter cover that has a hidden bolt that has to be done by feel with a uni-joint socket on an extension bar,
and then the cover has to be rotated in a space where it just doesn't fit to get it out! Come on!
Getting this cover back on is even worse, I've actually put a hole in a new air filter once trying to get it back in place! What were they thinking!?

The fuel filter is also a right pain in the arse!
Under the car, under a huge cover with lots of bolts some requiring two socket extensions to reach.
On a diesel where it is best to change filters quite often, this is just a pain.
What makes it even worse is that the pre-facelift cars had a normal diesel bowl type of filter in the engine bay, a minute job to change.