[PiperD]

Originally Posted by Holeinoneboy

Hey what's your take on clear car bra? Do you think it is a good idea?

I really do think it's a matter of personal opinion. I've managed to get stone chips on my doors, as well as further up the hood than the bra would go so I really don't see the point in spending the $$$. Sure, the majority of chips happen in the places where the bra would be, but my e46 has enough chips outside of that area that I've pretty well given in to the fact that "it'll happen, get over it".

For the most part I just try to stay far back of trucks and the like on the highways. Even so, the other day I was in traffic doing about 50kph and I could swear a small rock hit my windshield

Also didn't help that I was out one night having some fun and my friend was ahead of me driving his Elise and unfortunately sprayed a bunch of rocks my way. No clear bra could have saved me that night!

Again, to each his own!

[beemah]

bra eh!

like it on the M series

[disden]

hey all; my car arrived! picked it up yesterday. I was alittle annoyed that I had to call the dealer to confirm its arrival. The saleman is on vacation and I knew this ahead of time. He called before he left to tell me approximate arrival, ect. When I called the dealer late yesterday, they said "yes, your car is here and scheduled for delivery on Tuesday evening." I was stunned! I said "No, I am going to pick it up today! Now in fact! " Within 2 hours my car was prepped and in my driveway. That was kinda frustrating, were they just going to let my car sit there for 5 freaking days without notifying me?! All the paperwork was done months ago, so nothing to sign; all they had to do was wash, clean and gas it up! Anyways, life is good now. Hope everyone elses cars arrive soon without this kinda crap to deal with. Enjoy!

[Holeinoneboy]

All Right disden!!!

Finally!

After this long, I bet you forgot what it was like.

Yeah, that would annoy me too. Don't these people know we are "nuts" about our cars.

Hope to see some pictures soon!

[Holeinoneboy]

Originally Posted by PiperD

I really do think it's a matter of personal opinion. I've managed to get stone chips on my doors, as well as further up the hood than the bra would go so I really don't see the point in spending the $$$. Sure, the majority of chips happen in the places where the bra would be, but my e46 has enough chips outside of that area that I've pretty well given in to the fact that "it'll happen, get over it".

For the most part I just try to stay far back of trucks and the like on the highways. Even so, the other day I was in traffic doing about 50kph and I could swear a small rock hit my windshield

Also didn't help that I was out one night having some fun and my friend was ahead of me driving his Elise and unfortunately sprayed a bunch of rocks my way. No clear bra could have saved me that night!

Again, to each his own!

Suppose your right...no clear film is going to prevent all stone chips.

Out here in Alberta, they use so much sand on the roads, it is just one more challenge of owning a nice car.

I found an outlet here in Edmonton that will do the mirrors, front portion of hood, bumper and below and the lights (both headlights and driving lights) for under $500. Does not seem too bad.

I plan to keep the car so my take is ANYTHING I can do to possibly prevent the deterioration of such a great looking car, I will do.

[PiperD]

Originally Posted by disden

hey all; my car arrived! picked it up yesterday.

Congrats on the reunion! But.... no pics = didn't happen

[PiperD]

Picked up the 335i this evening

I'll post some pics tomorrow. Initial impression:

Admittedly I am sorry to see the 330Ci go. The 335i is unquestionably a faster ride and more luxurious, but the e46 felt more raw. With the ZHP package the exhaust note was sublime and the suspension communicated nuances in the road quite well.

Having said that, after putting the winters on I then went out for an installation run... and discovered that this car is feeling more alive the more I get used to it. So it's just a matter of time I suppose.

So Holeinoneboy, you're the last one left!

[Holeinoneboy]

Right on PiperD :

I was wondering if you picked it yesterday.

Glad to hear it arrived - hopefully in one piece.

It's a shame you could not pick it up before the winter blast you guys received. Would have been nice to stretch her legs on some dry roads.

Were you happy with the PDI work done by the dealership?

Looking forward to seeing some pics.

As far as my car goes it makes me laugh a little.
15 days to get from Bremerhaven to Halifax over the Atlantic by ship...
6 days by rail from Halifax to Edmonton...
... and it looks like it is going to be @ 19 days to get from the east side of Edmonton to the west side by truck.... hiliarious

Congratulations my fellow 'Manon' shipmate.

[PiperD]

Some pics:

[Holeinoneboy]

Hey PiperD:

Thanks for posting some pics. Great colour combo.

The car looks great. I can only imagine how the looks are out done by the driving experience.

Nice to see the pics with the 230's and then your winter wheel setup.

Now you have to get used to both driving and using all that technology.

Congratualtions again!

[disden]

congrats on the car finally arriving! those are great pics, I love the coral red interior, too bad it can't be ordered on the E90. plus, those 230's are sweet! I don't have pics of my car, I have been working entirely too much. I have noted one problem: my drive to work is only 3 miles each way, and I find myself wanting to drive it much more! 6 miles a day is simply not enough to enjoy this car.

[PiperD]

disden -

Get some pics up when you get a chance! They serve as a great bookend to the thread

The wifey deserves equal credit for the colour choices. I have ideas of how I want everything to coordinate, and then she makes suggestions based on that. I was leaning towards the Terra, but the overall colour palette would have matched the 330Ci too much (she helped with the colours on that car too). The red is nice, more subdued than it appears in most pics.

Holeinoneboy -

What's your estimated delivery date? Before I was thinking you'd be in the car Jan 17-22 but I think you're saying Jan 27th or so? Sorry if I got your hopes up - i ddn't factor in the cross-province leg!

Also re: dealer prep work - it was acceptable. A few small/light scratches here and there. I'll probably try to enlist picus' detailing services in the spring.

Guys, I wrote up an initial review if you're interested.

[Holeinoneboy]

Originally Posted by PiperD

disden -

Get some pics up when you get a chance! They serve as a great bookend to the thread

The wifey deserves equal credit for the colour choices. I have ideas of how I want everything to coordinate, and then she makes suggestions based on that. I was leaning towards the Terra, but the overall colour palette would have matched the 330Ci too much (she helped with the colours on that car too). The red is nice, more subdued than it appears in most pics.

Holeinoneboy -

What's your estimated delivery date? Before I was thinking you'd be in the car Jan 17-22 but I think you're saying Jan 27th or so? Sorry if I got your hopes up - i ddn't factor in the cross-province leg!

Also re: dealer prep work - it was acceptable. A few small/light scratches here and there. I'll probably try to enlist picus' detailing services in the spring.

Guys, I wrote up an initial review if you're interested.

Just got the call this afternoon. I am picking it up next Tuesday the 23rd.

Can't wait. Really excited.

I saw your other post regarding my tire/wheel insurance question. Is this the first time you took this option? Have not seen the details of the insurance... does it cover the wheels as well? Is there a cap on the amount of claims either in dollar value or amount of claims? I think the dealer said it was something like $580 ???

I have to do some research on detailers in Edmonton. I wish Picus had a spot here. He has been really helpful.

I will post pics and story hopefully Tuesday - that is if I am not playing with my NEW BMW!!!!!!!

[PiperD]

Just glanced over the terms this evening. Didn't see a cap on claims, but did see a max allottment for related labour of $100. Covers wheels and tires. Wheels have to be damaged to the point that they can't form a tight seal against the tire anymore.

So the 23rd eh? In the end I was off by one day then

You're going to love the car. I'm doing the break-in by the book mostly, but today I did a few runs up to 6500 in 2nd then engine-braked back down. Exhaust sounded nice, almost a completely different sound than normal. I remember being at the dealership in September after making an oil service appointment, and I heard this roar of an exhaust note. I was like "WTF was that???" I snapped my head around to see this guy tearing down the street in a black 335 on a test drive. Up until this evening I was never convinced that I had heard right that day.

So ya, you'll like it :rocks:

Anyhow remember to post pics!

[Holeinoneboy]

Hey fellow 'Manon" ship mate, I finally got some time to take some pics of the new car. Here she is with her "winter boots" on.

It was kind of funny the day of delivery. All that waiting and anticipation left me a little "emotionless" ... I was kind of 'out-of-sorts' ... that is until I saw the car...

Although the dealer did not impress me a great deal, the car most definitely did.

My first impression of the car are alot like yours. (Your review was great btw)

There are (3) words that come to mind when I think about the car - Power, Refinement and Quality.

All cars are never perfect for everyone. Invariably there is always something that we wish were a little different but on the whole I am completely satisfied.

The challenges I have had in the early days of ownership are:

Finding a comfortable driving postion (I am 6'4" & 250lbs. so this is a little tricky in any car of this class) - here is a funny one. The seam stitching in the seat is biting my ass! - the ridges are a little hard right now.

Rolling off to a smooth start from a stop. There is either a sticky gas pedal or a little lag in either the transmission or the engine.

I am having lots of fun figuring out all the technology. Voice acitivation has been highlighted by lengthy conversions with "Stephen Hawking" - he just does not seem to understand me...

I am completely in awe of the pulling power of this vehicle. It's really not the horsepower that impresses me, its the torque and when it arrives! I find myself wanting to push the car more and more but am limited by my decision to stay with the standard break-in period.

I am quite pleased with the iPod integration kit. My 80GB iPod with over 3000 songs leaves me with endless supplies of "old guy" music. It works really well. And the Logic 7 is fantastic IMO.

Bluetooth works great. My Blackberry has over 500 client/personal entries and they all show up on the display within a minute of sitting in the car. The telephone in the car works great.

I am quite pleasantly surprised by the steptronic shift paddles as well as the sport mode in the auto transmission. I know it is not a manual. Nothing could be the same but my occupation sees me in the vehicle a lot and just find it easier to have the focus on driving. The sport mode and steptronic are lots of fun to simulate the feel of manual operation. It is pretty cool, on downshift it 'blips' the throttle!

The overall feeling of quality is probably what impresses me the most. BMW has stayed true to their lineage. The choice of materials and the application of those materials truely create the Ultimate Driving Experience.

Can't wait for summer days!

[PiperD]

Very nice pics Holeinoneboy, and the car looks very nice (and clean! )

I share the same feeling expressed in the last line of your post. I need to get the 230's back on and have some fun, this weather is killing me!!!