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• Fix it, or don't bother? 31 Jul 2004 (Forum)
  Hi all, looking for opinions on the following: I'm shortly going to trade-in my 99T BMW 318SE for (probably) a two year old 530. The 318 is in A1 top condition inside and out, with one glaring exception. A few weeks ago my wife conducted a spot of "stunt parking" involving a high kerb and the passenger side "skirt" (not sure if that's the right term, but I mean the very bottom bit of the side bodywork, which appears to be a 10cm high piece).
• New A6 Alloys 15 Jul 2004 (Forum)
  A quantum leap forward in handling and that engine is sewing machine smooth, would never have been able to tell by listening that it's a diesel. Couldn't even hear it in the cabin, had to open the window. It might even have BMW worried for once. Particularly with the eccentric looks of the new 5. As H.J. said in his review, do you really need more ? Well I don't. Anyway, my question is this. I don't fancy the standard (16") alloys which come with the 3.0 tdi.
• Financing new car advice 7 Apr 2004 (Forum)
  Or should I take the plunge and replace with 1. a new(ish) car on PCP or loan and stomach the high payments due to depreciation or 2. buy an older (2-3yr) but solid car (bmw/merc?) that has had the depreciation hit but could handle for example 120k in the next 3 years? I keep go round in circles...can't make sense of it. Can anyone else????!? Thanks!
• Oil Life (hic) again 27 Nov 2003 (Forum)
  The oil manufacturers own websites cofirm that they produce oils that are 'specifically designed' to meet the requirements of car engine manufacturers. BMW says to me that their experts know far more about oil and engine set-ups than honest john. So does anyone reading this have any evidence or data that scientifically evaluates the performance of a fully synthetic oil in terms of its ability to remain in grade over for example 18,000 miles?
• New or Used? 12 Sep 2003 (Forum)
  My current thoughts are: New: Honda Civic Type R Mini Cooper S Seat Leon Cupra R 225 (I can go a little higher than £16k) Used: BMW M3 EVO (98 r/s 40k miles) Audi S3 - (2 years old less than 40k miles) Merc CLK 320 (98 r/s 40k miles) What do you all think?
• What to replace her with? 8 Jul 2003 (Forum)
  Ideally, it should have 4 seats, however 2 if necessary It must be a hatchback or an estate of a reasonable size Cars we have ruled out are: Mercedes E55 AMG estate - Too big unfortunately All Saabs BMW MINI Cooper S - due to also owning a MINI ONE in the family All Fords Japanese cars - just dont like them, sorry :D Thanks a lot! Chris
• Rover (MG) cars 19 May 2003 (Forum)
  We'll call this one a Rover and try and say it's competition for the Escort or Astra, not the Fiesta or Nova (corsa). 3.We won't bother updating it like Honda does every few years. We'll just call it a 213, then 214, then 200 and yes, folks will fall for it. 4. When BMW realises the mistake they've made in buying a Rover and offloads it all, we'll rebrand as MG and take the old range down to Halfords, for garish paint, crummy spoilers and go-faster tack. 5. Marketing crisis.
• Advanced driving question 9 May 2003 (Forum)
  My guess is: move to lane 2 and ignore the inevitable hooting and light flashing. Thanks. Leif. PS: saw an expensive BMW convertible steaming down the M4 at 100 mph in lane 3, then dart across to lane 1, undertake some cars, then dart back out to lane 3. I was gob smacked at the risks being taken. A few miles further on chummy was stopped on the hard shoulder behind a dark blue Vauxhall, with a porta-plod talking to him through the passenger window.
• wrong car, right car 3 Apr 2003 (Forum)
  i particularly enjoy episodes when then test the more sportier cars. the guy had a bright purple tvr camera and was looking for a 35k car of a prestigiuos quality, he tried the new BMW, porsche 911, a ferrari, a jag xk8 and a number of others and in the end, still wasnt satisfied till he got another tvr.(sorry cant remember all names for them!) personally, i would have taken the jag, at £36,500 and a convertible it possitively purred when he put his foot down, and it wasnt even supercharged.
• Diesel value with short trips ? 13 Feb 2003 (Forum)
  I am also told that diesels are OK for going up and down motorways but not short journeys. Surely with the new diesel engines (Merc or BMW) they cope with short journey economy ? Any advice will be greatly appreciated.
• Caravan towing speed record 5 Nov 2002 (Forum)
  From the local paper: On Saturday (November 1 2002), an almost stock standard diesel car and caravan broke the existing world diesel towing speed record. The combination (a BMW 330d - Jurgens Fleetline) broke through the 100 mph barrier for the first time, beating the existing record (99.3 mph or 160.8 km/h) by over 5 km/h, setting the new record at 166 km/h. The event, held at Mafikeng International Airport, also saw two South African records broken - the diesel towing record (also the world record) and the petrol towing record.
• MotorEasy extended warranty 26 Oct 2002 (Forum)
  Unsurprisingly, all exotica are excluded (including the Fiat Croma), and higher premiums are required for large BMWs, Jags/Daimlers, Land Rovers, Audi Quattros/Turbos/V8s, Alfa V6 and turbos, Renault 25 Turbo and Safrane, and the Rover 825 -- which I guess says something statistical about not only maintenance costs (Merc and Lexus are in the same bracket in that respect) but also reliability.
• company car options 8 Oct 2002 (Forum)
  Also, if I take the car, what should I buy. The job image means it couldn't be a banger and would need some image so I have been looking at BMW, Audi, Merc, VW, Saab, Volvo, Honda etc. I would prefer 5 doors or an estate but that's not crucial and I have about £5,000 capital I can afford to spend up front. I have been to the local auction to check out what you can get for the money.
• Body repair - a fair price? 30 Aug 2002 (Forum)
  So is this reasonable, or should I shop around? This place has a good reputation locally, and was full of newish BMWs and Mercedes being straightened out when I visited. I reckon the difference between my car's value now and its value with the damage repaired would be around £1,000, so it's (just) worth doing. Also I like the car, and it wouldn't be easy to find another one in such good mechanical condition.
• ABS and slippery roads..and more 9 Aug 2002 (Forum)
  He also says ABS is ineffective on slippery roads. He also goes on to say...boy I like this part!.....that BMW's and other fancy (sic) brands encourage bad driving because they are advertised as superior and safer cars. .....this is too good not to share, so I now stand back.....
• Misfiring in 1999 328 30 Jul 2002 (Forum)
  I took it back a second time, but they couldn't find anything wrong with it. Does anyone have any ideas? (Or failing that does anyone know of any good BMW specialists, who know the E46 inside out) Also, I have a question on Refurbished alloys. A Wheel/Tyre specialist nearby (Monty's wheels & tyres in Iver, Bucks) offers this service, does anyone have any reports (good/bad or indifferent) about the service. will it make the wheels last any longer (i.e. less likely to crack), or shorten the lifespan, or is it entirely cosmetic?
• latest NCAP safety results 1 Jul 2002 (Forum)
  Latest results: Mercedes C-class 5 stars Off roaders Honda C-RV 4 stars Range Rover 4 stars Jeep Cherokee 3 stars Opel Frontera 3 stars More follows Sports cars Mazda MX5 4 stars Mercedes SLK 4 stars Honda S2000 4 stars Super-minis Audi A2 4 stars BMW Mini 4 stars Opel Corsa 4 stars VW Polo 4 stars Family cars Ford Mondeo 4 stars Jaguar X-type 4 stars Opel Vectra 4 stars Peugeot 607 4 stars Proton Impian 3 stars Full details of Euro NCAP?s latest crashworthiness tests and images for download can be found at the official website www.euroncap.com
• Auction report, St. G-Hill, X5s, & Reg Nos. 11 Nov 2001 (Forum)
  In the St Georges Hill/Ashley Park/Burwood Park areas of Walton/Weybridge, you can see a BMW X5 driven proudly with the number plate X55 NOB with the lettering arranged to read X5 SNOB ! There is also a Merc with the plate D1 SCO, another car (I forget the make) driven by a dishy blonde girl with the plate 50 FAT.
• Wot car? 22 Oct 2001 (Forum)
  Which car would the experts recommend that could be fixed by my wizard mechanic friend and not have to resort to main dealers because it needed special diagnostic equipment. I'm thinking 95/96 BMW 520, Volvo 850 ( not sure about the front wheel drive and the alleged leaky oil seal problem. Vauxhall Omega unreliable? Scorpio? Any thoughts folks?
• Defending BL/Rover 2 Jul 2020 (Forum)
  Had this continued or Honda had seen the worth of Land Rover and Mini then bought the full firm then there would be plenty production at Longbridge today. Sadly BMW bought it with only one plan in mind and despite the distraction tactic of paying to develop the 75 they broke the firm up and binned Rover which was then unsalvageable. Rover created the Discovery on a shoestring and despite early gearbox issues it became a very well liked model with a particularly robust Diesel engine.