Last weekend Gabriele and I got away to the Blue Ridge Mountain wine area of Virginia. We stayed in a nice VRBO, had a couple of great meals and hit four wineries on Saturday. Our first stop after driving down Friday was the Ivy Inn in Charlottesville. It was a bit of a drive from […]
Earlier this month I completed the washer fluid repair I talked about in a previous post. The windshield wiper system in my E39 M5 was leaking in multiple places. While planning for the DIY I also had the shameful (for an enthusiast) realization that it had been four years since I had changed the car’s […]
Last weekend I replaced the rear brake rotors and brake pads on my 2006 M3. For an amateur DIY enthusiast like myself that’s a pretty big job, and I’m happy to say it went smoothly. Craftsman Auto Care hosted our local chapter at their Chantilly location. Craftsman is a regular sponsor and a great partner […]
My 2002 M5 needed some relatively minor work recently. The car is old enough to be graduating from college this year, so it’s no surprise things are breaking. I tackled these at home rather than a club DIY event and I was partially successful. The first issue was the HVAC blower died. No air was […]
Usually on Work, Wine and Wheels I’m writing about red wine. But as summer arrives sometimes a white wine is the right choice. Recently Gabriele and I have enjoyed three quality summer Chardonnays that will enhance any event or meal. The first one is the Hartford Court 2021 Russian River Chardonnay. This wine is flat-out […]
It’s been a busy few weeks filled with E39 M5 projects. Last month I installed a new thermostat, and in the process discovered the lower oil pan gasket needed replacement. Then I purchased a truly impressive invention that advanced my car’s communications into the modern era. For the past few months my car had been […]
About this time last year I reported on a webinar that tracked the appreciation of BMW M Cars. The webinar was organized by Paul Seto, hard-working president of both the National Capitor Chapter (NCC) of the BMW CCA, as well as the director of the M Chapter. The data shared came from Hagerty senior analyst […]
Recently I dove into a DIY project that initially seemed too complicated. If you’re a fan of the Wheels posts you might remember I purchased clear projector lenses to install on my BMW E46 M3. When I realized the ZKW-R lens installation required me to take my HID Xenon headlights completely apart I wondered if […]
Gabriele and I got back recently from a week in western North Carolina. We rented a cabin about halfway between Boone and Blowing Rock. It was a refreshing break that included a little snow, sightseeing and a lot of good food and wine. An old favorite of ours, Joy Bistro, had closed but we found […]
Things have been slow on the DIY front this winter. The club DIY events don’t kick back in until March. I’m lucky that I don’t have to daily drive either of my cars in bad weather. In the meantime I’ve been researching BMW M Lighting options for both of my cars. Like many BMW topics […]
There is a brand new book out called Government Marketing Best Practices 2.0, available on Amazon. I’m proud to say that I contributed a chapter in the book, along with a number of other government marketing experts. Credit for the book goes to long-time government marketing expert and consultant Mark Amtower. Mark has written the […]
Last weekend I replaced some original sensors in my 2002 BMW E39 M5. Scandinavian Import Servicenter in Rockville, MD kindly invited the DIY program back into their beautiful facility. Last year I replaced my power steering hoses and reservoir at the same location. This time I needed to replace some sensors that were original to […]