[cd4477]

Well the time has come. I am turning in the palmetto trees and sandy shores of Charleston, SC for the Windy City. I am excited to meet and become a part of a great group of enthusiasts and alike. I am in need of some advice. I am living in downtown Chicago and will be utilizing street parking 60-70% of the time.

1. It is going to snow. I am looking to purchase a car cover to use during times my car will sit for longer than a day and is not in the garage. Good move?
2. I have straight up RFTs not winter tires. Are they a requirement? I have experience driving in the snow, but assume I will need a set. If anyone has some to sell PM me.
3. Recommendations your favorite dealership in the Chicago area?

I am sure there are things I am overlooking, so please enlighten me. Thanks in advance, have a great Labor day weekend.

[Spazdoc]

Welcome.

1. Do you have RWD or AWD? I would recommend dedicated winter tires, regardless (Duxler in Evanston does storage if you purchase; Fall-Line Motorsports in Northbrook and Patrick BMW do winter tire rotation/storage)

2. There are dealerships in the Chicago city limits, but I go out to Patrick BMW in Schaumburg, which is a bit of a hike for you.

3. As for car washes, I can recommend a few good spots in the North Shore (Evanston to Highland Park area), but that would be about a 20-30 minute drive from downtown. I am sure one fo the guys here can recommend deatil/wash shops in the city.

You can also check out euroteknik.com - it is a good european car owner site for the Chicago area.

[Ricer X]

Having never had to park on the street for an extended period, I am bothered by more issues than the weather with that. But that's just me. I'm guessing the car cover can't hurt, but I'll let the city guys answer that and what dealerships to visit. In my short ownership period, I am happy with Knauz (way up north).

If haven't had a BMW x drive, but I ran my Infiniti G35x through 4 winters and it handled awesomely. No issues whatsoever even with the all seasons on in the coldest of weather. I currently don't have X drive and am taking my stock rims and putting Blizzaks on them for my winter set up. Even then, on the worst days I am driving a different car.

[wt1110]

Best dealer in the area is Laurel's BMW in Westmont, which is about a 30 minute drive from the Loop.

If you don't have an x-drive, I suggest you purchase some winter wheels. The thick snow here is a bit though to navigate through, especially since the city is getting cheap, and there seems to be less snow plows in recent years. I have a set I might be selling, but will not be sure until I sell my car.

What color is your car? I was just in downtown by State and Roosevelt, and saw a Space Grey one, with black mesh and kidney grills.

[ultimate]

your going to be tempted in getting your car serviced at perillo which is the only dealership downtown, but everyone on here pretty much would stay away in both sales and service at that dealership.

[cd4477]

Thanks for the help, I am excited to be in the area.

I have RWD so it sounds like I will definitely be looking into winter tires.

I have a Black 330, check out the garage. I am not in the city right now, will return in a week or so.

I am not exactly thrilled with having to park on the street. I can only imagine the dings and scratches. Is salt an issue?

[floot_roops]

Yeah, there will be dings and scrapes. I garage park but managed to pick up a ding within a month of having the car in the city, after street parking a half dozen times.

Salt can be a bit of an issue, but if you just wash frequently, even if it's just a "rinse," you should be fine. You will definitely notice a fair amount of salt buildup between washes. Chicago can get heavy winters, but the city's actually decent at operating during inclement weather (despite our grumblings when things slow down, they do better than a lot of other cities), but they accomplish this with liberal salt spray. There ends up being a nice coating of salty water on the roads that gets kicked up and mists all over your car.

[Spazdoc]

Originally Posted by floot_roops

Chicago can get heavy winters, but the city's actually decent at operating during inclement weather (despite our grumblings when things slow down, they do better than a lot of other cities), but they accomplish this with liberal salt spray. There ends up being a nice coating of salty water on the roads that gets kicked up and mists all over your car.

I just came back from living in Boston for almost 5 years, and don't even get me started. But about the snow, I remember that the Boston area was horrible with plowing. Last winter, they went through their snow plow budget by December! And they use sand, which tracks into your home if you live in the city. It was pathetic all around. Complaining about how Chicago handles the snow is just a 'grass is greener' mentality.

[Daya]

save yourself the frustration and spend the extra for garage parking or a dedicated parking spot. Most drivers in chicago use their bumpers as their PDC. Once they feel the car behind/in front of them they know they should stop

Start paying attention to people's bumpers and you will see how many nicks/chips/dents there are, most people just accept it since they park in the street and they know they will get hit.

I even saw a 3-series (non-enthusiast) do this once...

[Spazdoc]

Originally Posted by Daya

Start paying attention to people's bumpers and you will see how many nicks/chips/dents there are, most people just accept it since they park in the street and they know they will get hit.

Once again, Boston was much worse. We lived in Little Italy/North End, perhaps one of the more congested areas of the city for parking. We had garage parking 1/2 mile away from our condo, and kept our previous car off of the streets as much as possible because of the poor drivers. I have seen people hit the other car so decisively that it moved 4 inches back (not light taps). Of course, on weeeknds you would see people parallel park their Maseratis, Bentleys, Ferraris, and Lambos on my street.

But yes, I have also seen some people with those rubber bumper guards that you hang off of the bumper.

[scribbler11]

This might help:
http://www.bumperbully.com/

[TunasBMW]

i will never park on the streets unless i find a front or end meter spot...your bumpers will thank you...

perillo is the worst, i got in a small accident and they kept my car for 6 weeks to repair, and didn't even change the rear bumper which was the main reason it was in...stay way.

[UdubBadger]

Welcome to the CHI. All good advise above. When selecting winter tires/wheels I suggest 16s or 17's and go the same size all around, 225 is about the widest I would go. Blizzacks, Winter Sport 3d's or M3's or Goodyear Eagle Ultra Grip GW3's are the way to go. Don't cheap out on this or you'll find youself on the wrong side of LSD in the middle of January.