Greater Manchester

[Weedy]

Just want to find out if there is anyone on the board from Greater Manchester (UK),come on , dont be shy.

[328isRob]

Not me....

[E46enthusiast]

Yep!

About halfway between Bury and Bolton.
Where are you Weedy?

Kieran

[Weedy]

Hooray,another union jack,thanks,I'm in the Oldham area and I bought my E36 from Ian Anthony,which i now believe belongs to Williams.
Only had it a few months,and it's my first so i'm still smitten,My wife has become a BM widow.
Thanks for the reply,and hope to hear more from u in the future.


Pete.

[E46enthusiast]

Hi Weedy,

I work in the Oldham area in the newspaper industry which I think you have some connection with as well.
I'm currently on my third BM (two prior E36's) with a fourth on order for delivery in January. This time - due to a growing family - I've gone for a tourer but it will have the new valvetronic 2 litre engine which I believe is a huge improvement over the old 1.9. I have purchased all my prior BM's from Ian Anthony but this time round they have really P****d me off for various reasons and I have ordered from Howarths in Rochdale. First impressions are a more relaxing buying experience with less pressure than Ian Anthony. Time will tell if customer care is any good or not!
Hopefully the car will be trouble free.
Speak to you soon.

Kieran

[Mikebull]

I'm from Leeds so not that far from Manchester. And my car was bought at Ian Anthony.

[Weedy]

Thanks to Kieran And Mikebull for the replies,yes I too looked in Howarths first off and they seemed very helpful so I might take it there for my next service,what do u think?.
Do u fellas do any tinkering with the cars via a Bentley manual or do u leave it to the experts?.


Weedy

[Mikebull]

I do very minor tinkering and usually get the info off other bmw forums rather than buying a manual.
I just do stuff like repair paint chips and I am going to change the oil myself. The dealer told me to have it serviced when the lights go out or after 2 years. I do a lot of short journeys so I am going to change my oil after a year and then get the dealer to do it when the lights go out. Just safer that way I think. Another thing I am going to do is remove a sound deadening baffle from the air box which makes it slightly more growly and gives about another 2hp. Not much but hey it's free. That is about as far as I would go. Too expensive and risky for me to try anything more technical.

[E46enthusiast]

Hi guys
I've had all my BM's from new so with the 3 yr warranty I basically don't touch them.
My current car (E46) which I've had for almost 3 years has only needed 1 oil change and 1 inspection so they are pretty cheap to maintain.
I had practically no warranty work needing doing on my E36's but sad to say the E46 has blotted it's copybook a few times. Problems have been fairly minor but irritating none the less.
When it was just over 12 months old the battery died on one of the coldest nights of the year (sorted by BMW emergency service), I then had a defective engine thermostat, various rattles from the drivers door, a leak in the front passenger footwell and rough running. All problems have been dealt with under warranty although the rattle and the footwell leak have never been entirely eliminated.
It will be interesting to see if the new car returns to the quality levels I normally associate with BM.
Having said all that you can't beat the driving experience. Even the lowly 318's feel special behind the wheel.
Whenever I drive anything else, somehow it just does not give the same driving experience or pleasure as the BM.

Kieran

[Mikebull]

I agree, nothing touches a Bm
That's why I bought a bmw myself. Something about bmw engines, the noise they make is just gorgeous. I have always loved them ever since my dad got a 7 and at a very young age decided I had to have one when my dad got a 635 csi. I currently have a 323 I Coupe (M3 was not an option insurance wise at 19). I have only ever had one problem with mine and that was the passenger window would wind up half way and then go back down again. Something to do with it catching on a seal. Other than that it has been perfect. Only problem is now I have had a bmw I can't go back to an ordinary car. Guess my next car is gonna have to be a M3.

[E46enthusiast]

I agree about not being able to go back to an "ordinary" car after having a BM.
Whilst I was weighing up my options for changing this time round, I did look (briefly) at Saab, Audi, and Mercedes (yeuch). They are all nice cars in their own right but none of them give the same degree of driving pleasure or pride of ownership you get from a beemer.
I've got to a BMW via Datsun (Nissan), Talbot (don't laugh - I was young and impressionable), various Vauxhalls and a brief dalliance with Rover.
Can't see myself going back to any of them now! I've never stuck with a marque as long as I've stuck with BM.
The nice thing is that once you've bought the car, with the low depreciation and extended service intervals it is actually cheaper to run than a mainstream car.

Kieran

[Mikebull]

They arn't bad on prices anymore. I bought a paint chip repair kit for my 3 series and it cost £7. My mate bought one for his Ford Puma and it was £12.

Shows how times change.

[E46enthusiast]

They are not bad on parts - I'll grant you that, but the labour rates for non-warranty work can sting you. Round here it's about £50 /hr but in the Greater London area you don't get much change from £100 /hr.
Watch their body shop prices as well - most dealers contract out body work repairs and take 25% on top of the body shop price.
A few months ago I put a serious dent in the boot of my car courtesy of an unlit lorry with a large pole sticking out the back. Ian Anthony wanted close on £600 for the repair but I had it done at an excellent little body shop that does work for Howarths, Whitefield Mercedes and Land Rover for £200. They actually employ traditional panel beaters who are able to knock the dent out and the paint match is perfect. Their is no evidence of any damage whatsoever. Ian Anthony wanted to replace the whole bootlid - hence the £600 quote.

Kieran

[Weedy]

When I drove mine home and got it on the drive I noticed two tiny pot marks on the bonnet and one on the rear door panel,why don't we see these in the showroom,anyway got on to I.Anthony they made an appointment for me to take it in,and a company called Dentmaster put it right,in about 15 mins.U couldn't see a thing brilliant.
I'm of now to have a read,my Bentley manual arrived today,talk about a kid with a new toy.


PS Oh yes! what is it about the feel of a BM?.Nothing comes close.


Pete.