BMW DIY advice, and the occasional critique of the company
This Saturday I got some simple upkeep done on my 2001 BMW 530. The oil filter needed changing, and I needed to fix the corner of the passenger side headlight assembly, which somehow got pushed slightly out of position. The oil filter change is very straight-forward, but of course you need the right tools. In […]
Here’s a rare Wheels post that doesn’t talk BMWs. This past weekend my wife Gabriele and I purchased a brand new 2011 Toyota Highlander. Readers of this blog will know I’m no believer in buying new cars. My view is let someone else take the new car depreciation hit. But as I explain below, the […]
I have so much to be thankful for this year, including items in the three categories of this blog. So on Christmas Eve, here are some Work, Wine and Wheels highlights from 2010. In the work realm, 2010 was a great year. A lot of what Strategic Communications Group accomplishes for clients doesn’t become public […]
BMW M — that’s a term that means a lot to auto enthusiasts. It’s a term that connotes a car that is the epitome of its class, the absolute sporting pinnacle of that particular style of car. Ever since BMW put the twin turbo, 300HP N54 engine in it’s 1 Series car, there was speculation […]
One of the first things you should do if you own a BMW out of warranty is find a good independent mechanic. On this blog I talk about the DIY things I’ve accomplished, but the big stuff needs a professional. Gary Martin at Martin Motorsports is an enthusiast who I can trust to maintain my […]
A couple of recent events have reinforced for me the complexity that comes with BMW ownership. Much of this seems unnecessary, and BMW often does a poor job of communicating problems to owners. Last week an old friend of mine asked for some advice. He drives a 2007 E93 328 convertible, and had a daytime […]
Here’s the second part of my interview with Mike Miller, writer for Roundel and Bimmer Magazine. Part one was published Monday. Thanks again Mike for agreeing to take these questions, and thanks also to the forum participants for helping me come up with the questions. Don’t agree with something you read below? Drop a comment, […]
I’m excited today to publish the first of a two part interview with Mike Miller. Mike is a long-time columnist for both Roundel and Bimmer magazines. He’s also a former mechanic, a holder of a Master’s of Environmental Law degree from Vermont Law School and basically a lifetime lover of BMW. However, that doesn’t prevent […]
This weekend I had some first-hand experience with policing conduct online. I’m active in some BMW online forums, and I saw the car above offered for sale. But, it looked awfully familiar. In a forum focused on the E39 M5, this nice looking, low mileage 2002 was offered for private sale locally in McLean, VA. […]
I’ve been worrying about BMW reliability lately. And not about either my M3 or my 530. It’s how BMW’s quality and reliability have worsened in recent years. A little background — I don’t buy new BMWs, I like to buy lightly used ones that have been well maintained by their owners. So no one in […]
This weekend I replaced the stereo in my 1999 M3 with a more powerful head unit. In BMW parlance I went from a C43 to a CD43 radio, the stereo unit included in many BMW models from the year 2000 0n. A little background to start. It’s widely known that BMW sound systems are not […]
This weekend I tackled an irritating issue with my BMW 530i. I had a problem with the air conditioning, and the recent heat wave pushed this problem into the urgent quadrant. Summer time in DC, plus my wife complaining about it meant I could no longer use the time-tested technique of ignoring the problem. The […]