Impressions after 1500 miles of ownership

[ArtE36M3]

     Featured on BIMMERPOST.com

I took delivery of my car on September 1st at the Welt in Munich and had a great trip.http://http://f10.m5post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=741762

My car was headed for the east coast with a few of her ED siblings on the Toronto. The ship left Bremerhaven on the 13th and was scheduled to arrive in Brunswick, GA on Oct 1st. I think this stretch of anticipation was the worst. I thought waiting for the initial delivery was bad but this was way worse. Then of course I received the call on the 23rd of Sept regarding the oil pump issue. I tried to remain positive and awaited patiently. My personal feelings on the oil pump is that its ok. I feel that BMW did the right thing by recalling the pumps before there were more failures. My only gripe about this is BMWs lack of communication with me after the initial phone call. i called BMW NA a few times for updates with little success. I was assured by both the rep on the phone and by my CA that my car would be repaired at the dealership as soon as the car arrived. The BMW NA rep said that because the dealership is responsible for the repair that from here on out my communication should be with them only. My car arrived at the port on oct 1st, cleared customs oct 4th, was on a carrier on oct 7th, and at the dealership on the 8th. This led to some confusion. The dealership was under the impression that they were awaiting parts to repair my car and so was I. There was no communication that would lead us to think otherwise. After a day or so of poking around it turns out that the car has already been repaired at the VPC. I was following the boards closely and I know that is was a possibility however i was told that it wasnt the case for my car. Either way I was excited to get my car back. I flew to atlanta last friday oct 12th to pick up my car, finally.

I arrived at 11am, picked up by the dealership in a brand new 7 series. it took an hour or so to get out of there and on the road. I had 400 miles on the car from my ED trip and a 900 mile adventure ahead of me back to NYC. The perfect way to break in the beast. The drive up the east coast was pretty boring for the first 5/6 hours. there wasnt a lot of scenery to look at but the car was amazing. i was still observing my break in so really didnt get on it much. kept it under 5k and under105-110 mph. the best way i can describe this car is that it has a split personality. it can be tame and civil when required but can also become a ferocious beast when asked of it. I drove most of the way in comfort settings and felt like any other sports sedan. when i got bored i just pushed my m button preprogrammed for sports pluss settings and the car would come alive. Sports plus steering is very heavy and allows you to feel almost too much of the road. really can only be used on the best quality roads. Sports plus suspension feels perfect to me on the highway but maybe a little too much in local NYC streets. throttle response in sports plus mode is very sensitive. should not be used in traffic.

So I arrived home after about 14 hours on the road. this was the longest i have ever been on the road at one time. I was surprisingly not tired or stiff after sitting for so long. i guess this is a testament to the comfort of the cabin and seats. i found that the standard sound system was adequate for my tastes. In addition when the sound system was off, whether it be artificial or not, the car sounded amazing. My favorite sound is the throaty rumble after upshifts. During the 14 hours I was able to learn the layout of the interior pretty well. There is a lot going on but can all be accessed through the idrive system. The steering wheel controls are also very helpful, especially the scrolling button. it was great to look thru playlists or phone numbers to call.

After a few hours of sleep I headed out the next morning to have my optimization service completed at my local dealership. This included the oil and filter change, the differential fluid change, and a software update. in the words of my SA, "you can now drive it the way it was meant to be driven." And I did.

I dont really feel that the car had more power but was able to use more of it so therefore felt faster after optimization. This car almost has an unusable amount of power for the street. The car actually felt pretty good observing break in rules, now that there more powerband to use, its an animal. Since the optimization last week I have put a couple hundred miles on the car. This has been in a combination of highway and local driving. I have tried most settings and feel that for everyday driving i like all settings to be set in sports mode and the DCT in 2(not second gear). when i have the need to awake the beast i will have everything in sports plus and the act in 3. in traffic i keep everything in comfort and efficiency and DCT in auto 1.

In aggressive driving the DSC kicks in quite a bit probably to the temperature dropping this week. It has been in the 50s this week, not warm enough for the michelin PSSs to stick to the road. Maneuvering this car does take some getting used to. it feels very big. i found myself constantly feeling that the cars on my right were closer than they actually were.

My gas mileage thus far has been ok. My mileage during my 900 mile trip was about 22mpg. That was mostly cruising around 80mph. For the past week I have been averaging about 18 mpg with combined driving.

So all in all I really do love the car. I am getting it detailed this weekend with Opticoat and some clear wrapping. I will post some picks after. It was a long wait after ordering and then an even longer wait and getting a taste of it in Germany. But it is all worth it.

Despite all the negative press on the forums recently, i'm still happy with my choice. I still would have bought the car knowing that the seats have no side bolsters and an LCI coming soon. My philosophy on that is enjoy it while it still is current and relevant. Dont worry too much about it being dated later. Plus the changes are very subtle. For those worried about resale value, the more negativity you spread, the more it depreciates. its a self-fulfilling prophecy. i understand the anger and anxiety but in my opinion its not worth the stress. just enjoy the good stuff. it by far outweighs the negatives.

[vaibhav11]

Nice writeup... my car just arrived at Brunswick earlier this week and now it's a waiting game.

You mentioned that your dealer in NY performed some optimization, specifically a software upgrade. What is / was this upgrade?

Thanks.

[ArtE36M3]

The software update is part of the first service. I am not sure what it encompasses exactly. Some members reported an increase in power after. I'm not sure about the power increase but I know that the launch control isn't available until after this update. Haven't used it yet to verify but that's what my SA said.

[PatrickC23]

Great write-ip- when u mention wrap, are u referring to clear bra? If so please le m know who you choose and how they are. I am in the NY/NJ area as well.

[ArtE36M3]

I'm using detailers domain in northern jersey. The owner Phil is a great guy and a real car enthusiast. They do top notch work. They made their name on the Porsche forums. They are also pretty active on bimmerfest. They have a pretty impressive portfolio. I have friends that have worked with them and been very happy.

[RPiM5]

Dude,

Congratulations on your Re-Delivery. Nice write up too. I have to admit I'm a little jealous that we took delivery on the same day and my car is getting to the port tomorrow here on the West Coast. Seems like I've been waiting for FOREVER! I'm also glad to hear that the dealer in Atlanta treated you well. Those guys are good!

I miss my beast so much!

[nytrus112]

Nice write up for real. The upcoming refresh is totally overrated. Would pay it little to no attention personally. I think I'm gonna get a clear bra put on this thing also come to think of it. Hmmmmm.....

[mgallen]

Excellent write-up, and thanks for keeping things in perspective.

Car makers are constantly changing and enhancing their cars - it's a business requirement to drive consumer demand for their products and to remain competitive.

[cmhsam]

Good feedback. Glad to hear you are enjoying the car

[Greer]

Nice write up!

[uhn2000]

Great writeup 40 days to go.