BMW DIY advice, and the occasional critique of the company
Anyone who owns an older BMW knows buying the best quality car parts at the best price can be confusing. In this era of global consolidation and cost cutting, it’s never been harder to know how to balance quality and value. The Truth About Cars ran an excellent piece today about how car manufacturers exploit […]
Both of my BMWs were made before integrated Bluetooth phone connectivity became the norm for new cars. That’s never been a big deal for me, since I much prefer to not take calls behind the wheel. However, working in professional services means that occasionally a call can’t be avoided. I needed a hands-free option, especially […]
2012 was BMW of North America’s best year ever in this country. All told the company sold 347,583 vehicles, including the Mini brand. BMW model sales totaled 281,460, an increase of 13.5 percent from 2011. The company finished the year with a huge surge, selling almost 40 percent more BMW vehicles in December 2012 than […]
This weekend Gabriele leased a new Infiniti FX37. Two years ago we purchased a 2011 Toyota Highlander, and it was a good vehicle with loads of room and zero issues. But Gabriele wanted something sportier, and was willing to give up interior space for a more engaging ride. Just like two years ago, the aim […]
Over the weekend I installed my big Christmas gift from my wife, new headlights for my 1999 E36 M3. The new set is actually the same kind of headlights from the manufacturer Hella I installed back in 2004, but in black rather than chrome. For a little background, the stock headlights on the US E36 […]
Merry New Year to all! Yesterday I received what will be my last WordPress.com annual traffic report, since I moved this site to chrisparente.com in early October of this year. It’s a good looking report and a nice little extra for wp.com bloggers — here’s my story on my 2011 report. According to WordPress I […]
Happy holiday wishes to all. Before traveling to be with family this holiday season, I took care of worn sway bar end links on my 1999 M3. Recently I replaced my rear shocks, and not soon afterwards starting hearing a soft clunking sound when turn right and going over bumps. It didn’t affect driveability, and […]
Car and Driver just published its 2013 1o Best Cars list, and the new BMW 3-Series made the cut. The BMW 3-Series has done so an incredible 22 straight years. The editors sound like they really loved the previous E90 3-Series, because they snuck some qualifying statements into their descriptions of the F30. They weren’t […]
Today’s piece is a two-fer, bringing together both Work and Wheels. I found an interesting article about turning an old BMW E36 into a weekend track car. The story was on the Hooniverse car enthusiast site, “hoon” being Australian slang for a reckless driver/gearhead. My 1999 M3 is an E36, so obviously I was the […]
Last week BMW released its October sales numbers in the U.S. The 2012 numbers continue to be impressive, with October year to year sales up 20.9 percent, and year to date sales up 6.7 percent. (These percentages exclude the Mini brand.) Compared to the first two quarters however, the growth rate has slowed. As I […]
Beginning with the E39 5 Series in 2001, BMW introduced lighted rings around the headlights on their cars. These quickly were termed “angel eyes” and became a big hit in the market. Early BMW angel eyes were powered by a halogen bulb. This caused the color of the rings to be yellow, which didn’t match […]
This weekend the battery in my 1999 BMW M3 finally gave out. I bought the car in late 2003, so I know it was at least nine years old and probably was original equipment. The fact it lasted so long is testament to BMW quality a couple of car generations ago. When my car was […]