Under Development. This section will outline my thoughts and experiences with my 2006 BMW 330xi as well as an event log.
European Delivery - Do it. This is probably the best way to take delivery on a car like this. You save money, create a memorable experience, and then there’s the AUTOBAHN! If you’re of the profession, Henry Schein has their mother office in Munich.
As a daily driver, I don’t see how this car can be beat. It’s fast as hell, handles great, looks fantastic, is all wheel drive, gets great gas mileage, and still gets rock star parking from the valet. The 335xi sedan might be the only exception, save gas mileage. This car almost qualifies as a Q-ship, too, as I still get a little smirk every time I see the face of a Mustang, G35, or IS250 driver in my rear-view mirror.
Styling - I absolutely love the exterior. The interior is quite nice, but I would hold short of saying it’s overly luxurious.
iDrive - First and foremost, I love the concept, and this is the system that started it all. Just take a look at just about every luxury auto maker (and just about every auto maker for that matter), and you’ll see this system copied in one form or another. One control to cover all is a great idea. I can’t stand clutter, and the dash boards of Lexus, Infinity, etc. look more like boom boxes than a classy luxury car. One of the things that frustrates most me with touch screens is fingerprints. I would constantly feel the need to clean the thing. Having driven cars that get around this by having physical buttons next to the nav screen, the concept of actually hitting the button you want is easier said than done when driving. With the car swaying around, it’s easy to hit the wrong button or miss entirely. The iDrive knob requires your wrist to be placed in a very stable position, so it’s easy to make accurate selections.
That said, what I don’t like about iDrive is, well, it’s overall execution. It’s just not very good. The menus are sluggish. I mean s-l-u-g-g-i-s-h. Sometimes the computer lags for several seconds before it does anything, resulting in a lightning fast execution of every command you tried to issue. Then you need to figure out where you are and how to get back to where you were.
Special Needs
Premium Fuel - It’s not just about octane rating, it’s about additives, too. Stick with major brands. BMW insists on Top Tier Fuels and nothing lower than 91 octane rating for a reason. Premium is more expensive, but if you’re concerned about saving $0.09 here and there, you probably shouldn’t buy a car like this.
Performance Wheels/Tires - 18-inch wheels and tires are susceptible to road damage way more than I thought. So far, I’m 2 for 2 on needing new tires each year at the end of the winter season. The moral of the story is get a separate set of wheels and tires for winter. I originally thought that I could skip this step because I have AWD, and though I never felt I had a traction or control problem in the snow, two Chicago winters have brought with them an abundance of unavoidable potholes. Not only do ultra performance tires not like the cold, they’ll just get beaten up plain and simple.
Run-flat Tires - While the idea sounds good at first, I am no longer sold on RFTs. If you can’t change a tire or use a temporary repair kit, then RFTs might be a good idea. However, if you’re a normal person with at least a minimum capability to follow a picture diagram, the drawbacks to RFTs greatly outweigh their one benefit.
8.27.08 36,500mi - Serviced by European-American Motors
I’m sorry to say that this car is subject to BMW’s 50,000/4 year free maintenance schedule, where the company "revised" it’s maintenance requirements now that they’re picking up the tab. Lifetime manual transmission fluid, lifetime differential oil, 15k+ mile oil changes? Yeah, right.
I follow the real maintenance schedule and change the fluids as originally designed and prescribed. Rudy understands what the maintenance schedule should be, and was totally cool with me providing some of the special lubricants I wanted to use. This is quite the opposite treatment one would undoubtedly receive at Perillo or just about any other dealership for that matter.
And they didn’t reset my ECU as requested, so I can still claim my free oil change at the dealer when the mileage hits. This guy is truly a pro and glows with experience. Pricing was very good. Bonus points if you sprechen Deutsch! I’m a lifetime customer now.
- Engine Oil Change (RedLine synthetic)
- ADW Transfer Case (OEM)
- Differential Oil (OEM)
- Power Steering Fluid (OEM)
- Manual Gearbox Lubricant (RedLine MTL)
Next Up:
The Winter Package as a weapon? The ultimate city washing cycle?
