# who had fights with their spouse on ED because of driviing/parking issues?



## nethole (Feb 20, 2015)

My wife is intersted in knowing who had fights with their spouses during european deliveries because of just getting a new and massively expensive car, but being in unfamiliar areas and on some smaller (than american standard) roads?


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## Bikie (May 2, 2004)

Had lots of problems in the days of paper maps. GPS navigation makes finding your way in Europe a breeze. Don't leave home without it. Plus read this. http://www.gettingaroundgermany.info/auto.shtml


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## Face128i (Nov 19, 2008)

We had no problems at all throughout Germany & Austria, I thought the roads were in much better condition than in the United States. I don't recall the roads being particularly narrow, except for old city centers, some mountain roads and construction zones. My suggestion in larger cities is to park the car at your hotel and walk or use public transportation, it is much more convenient.

Additionally, the no-deductible insurance is supposed to be very good, so we didn't worry too much about curbing a wheel or a minor scratch. The only "fights" we had were who got to drive .


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## OnYourLeft (Jan 4, 2015)

I also recommend getting the Head Up Display option which gives you directions on where to go. The HUD also gives you real-time maximum speed limits along with your actual speed which is helpful in Europe because the max speed limits are constantly changing. (see attached image)

The other tip is to use GPS coordinates for all your hotel and any other destinations that you plan on driving to. I found it to be much easier, faster and accurate to enter in the NAV system than addresses. Make sure to have you delivery specialist teach you how to enter a location using GPS coordinates. When you know how to enter it once, then it is a piece of cake after that. Let your spouse enter the GPS coordinates so you can blame them if you end up in the wrong location

You can find GPS coordinates at this web site:
http://www.gps-coordinates.net/


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## Link1970 (May 24, 2015)

OnYourLeft said:


> I also recommend getting the Head Up Display option which gives you directions on where to go. The HUD also gives you real-time maximum speed limits along with your actual speed which is helpful in Europe because the max speed limits are constantly changing. (see attached image)
> 
> The other tip is to use GPS coordinates for all your hotel and any other destinations that you plan on driving to. I found it to be much easier, faster and accurate to enter in the NAV system than addresses. Make sure to have you delivery specialist teach you how to enter a location using GPS coordinates. When you know how to enter it once, then it is a piece of cake after that. Let your spouse enter the GPS coordinates so you can blame them if you end up in the wrong location
> 
> ...


Are GPS coordinates entered as decimal degrees or as degrees, minutes, seconds into the NAV system? Thanks.


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## Dave 20T (Apr 7, 2013)

No need for fights. If worried, just stick to highways, wider streets, and park the car in a parking garage (expect that it not be cheap) when in a city center.

Munich is a very drivable city. It is not much different from downtown Chicago or San Francisco as far as driving. However, it's not like Houston, where there's wide streets. Switzerland, Netherlands, Belgium, and France (outside of Paris and even Nice) are fine. Places like Liechtenstein have driving similar to Cooperstown, NY or Hightstown, NJ. Nobody in Liechtenstein drives fast and parking is easy.

Italy seems a bit crazy though I have been there only as a car passenger, not a driver.


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## OnYourLeft (Jan 4, 2015)

Link1970 said:


> Are GPS coordinates entered as decimal degrees or as degrees, minutes, seconds into the NAV system? Thanks.


The iDrive Nav system gives you the option to enter GPS coordinates using *either *formats.
I just use decimal degrees because it was faster to enter the information. What is really neat is that every time that you enter each digit, the map screen automatically updates based on the inputted information. Once you have entered all the information, it show you the location of your destination on the map to confirm that is the correct location that you want to go to.

The GPS coordinates entry option is in the bottom. You just have to scroll down to see it which is *hidden* below the screen. You can enter detailed coordinates there.

Being my first BMW and first time driving in Europe, I drove 1,400 miles through 5 countries and the Nav system worked perfectly. The only time it went off reservation was when I drove through tunnels of which there are plenty in the Austrian, Swiss and Italian alps. After exiting the tunnels, the Nav system locked right back onto the satellites to provide accurate information. I also took about a dozen wrong turns on my trip and the Nav system automatically re-directed me to the right direction. The BMW iDrive Nav system is supposed to be one of the best systems currently available from any of the manufacturers.


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## jcs (Dec 25, 2001)

Never had any problems with my wife during european deliveries. I drive and she gets us where we have to go.
TomTom on the iPhone and iPad, and paper maps.

Oh... we never bought a "massively expensive car".


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## Gluhwein (Aug 21, 2011)

The Mrs and I fight every time we get in a car. She refuses to drive but bitches about my skills. 62 years old and I never had an accident but she screams anytime I approach the speed limit. Thankfully she usually falls asleep after a few minutes. 

At the Welt I make sure she has a fair share of beer and wine before we drive off.


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## m5in2009 (Nov 11, 2007)

:yikes:we used the nav system to find hotels on the fly and for the most part the directions were accurate. In 16 days we were directed to a park with canal and no hotel in sight in Utrecht and to a hotel with a name different from that shown in the nav system. Also on the way out of the Dolomites we were directed across a wide washed out riverbed..however after about a mile the pavement reappeared and we were 'on the road again' so to speak.


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## Face128i (Nov 19, 2008)

Gluhwein said:


> The Mrs and I fight every time we get in a car. She refuses to drive but bitches about my skills. 62 years old and I never had an accident but she screams anytime I approach the speed limit. Thankfully she usually falls asleep after a few minutes.
> 
> At the Welt I make sure she has a fair share of beer and wine before we drive off.


Love it! :rofl:


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## jcs (Dec 25, 2001)

Gluhwein said:


> ... At the Welt I make sure she has a fair share of beer and wine before we drive off.


My wife is asking if there is wine at the Welt now... she thought they only had beer!


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## The Sage (Nov 27, 2014)

Not so much fights, but she complained a lot about how fast I was driving on the Autobahn.


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## Dallas550 (Jan 16, 2011)

The Sage said:


> Not so much fights, but she complained a lot about how fast I was driving on the Autobahn.


This. It was fine doing 110 or 120, but over 120 caused just a few words to be said. Still got up over 140mph though...


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## The Sage (Nov 27, 2014)

Dallas550 said:


> This. It was fine doing 110 or 120, but over 120 caused just a few words to be said. Still got up over 140mph though...


I hit 120 mph, but the screams from the wife became a distraction from driving safely.


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## dkreidel (Aug 24, 2005)

We had quite a blow out after driving to London from Paris. I was/am quite experienced in driving in UK, but humping the '97 LHD 540 6-speed through Central London after a long day of travel from Brussels was too much for the both of us. I pulled over when she went off on me, and she jumped out and accosted an off-duty black cab to take her to our hotel. The cabbie asked if he should drive slowly so I could follow, but apparently her reply was "who gives a #$* about him!?

All was better the next day 

To this day the Marble Arch is known as the FMA - F'n Marble Arch, as we drove past it about 50 times while I tried to pick our way via poor paper maps and her lousy map reading - pre GPS.


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## ynguldyn (Sep 23, 2005)

Does no one really have a wife, who actually drives faster than you do?


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## opfreak (Nov 10, 2009)

ynguldyn said:


> Does no one really have a wife, who actually drives faster than you do?


mine will at times. frightening.


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## Tanning machine (Feb 21, 2002)

My wife doesn't drive stick shift. Problem solved by ordering a manual.


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## Dave 20T (Apr 7, 2013)

dkreidel said:


> To this day the Marble Arch is known as the FMA - F'n Marble Arch, as we drove past it about 50 times while I tried to pick our way via our poor paper maps and her lousy map reading.


I had that problem in Zurich. The parking garage was a mere 3-4 blocks from the hotel. Simple! No need for a map! No need to carry luggage when the car can be driven to the hotel and parked in front for 3 minutes or so. .....Wrong!!!!

Too many one way streets. No maps as they were by the luggage. I ended up driving 20 minutes round and round, going farther and farther until finally I got back to the same block as the garage. I just walked and got the luggage.


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## mgthompson (Oct 14, 2007)

Our ED trip was not our first vacation in Germany, and probably my 35th trip to Germany. We planned the whole trip together, and used bmw-routes.com to create the daily drives. Every morning I plugged in the USB stick that contained that day***8217;s navigation plan, so there were no surprises or discussion about the route. The only stressful part for my wife was when I came close to the 155MPH speed limiter. She just closed her eyes and asked when I would be done playing.


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## milepig (Apr 24, 2012)

jtuds said:


> We didn't at all.
> 
> Where were you that the roads were dicey?
> 
> We were in Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, and Czech Republic. No probs.


Main roads were fine in Austria and Italy (as well as Germany). The dicey part for me was when you got toward the center of smaller towns, which we not engineered for my 535, and we barely fit. We did almost kill each other while trying to park next to a stone wall outside a small hotel (where the owner told us to park.). We fit, but left minimal room for others to pass. The car was in one piece the next morning, however.

The main probably we had was with following the GPS in Italy. The loaded maps were so out of date, that they showed us going through fields when actually on the Autostrade, totally misdirected us into Venice until we just followed the posted signs intead, and at one point we were directed to an on ramp that had been closed for so long there were instead cows grazing in a field.


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## Dave 20T (Apr 7, 2013)

I like European Delivery but it has some limitations. Some may be nervous about damaging a new car. If too concerned, then rent a car. I don't like the idea of breaking in the car during a vacation. I didn't drive fast with my car unlike a rental.

A nice thing are the memories and also getting a fresh battery. The battery is sometimes only 2-3 weeks old then it is unused during the ocean journey. In contrast, if you buy a car in the US, the battery sat around without use longer.


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## boothguy (Feb 1, 2007)

The Spousal Unit and I have reached an understanding, following a lot of driving trips in a lot of places. She used to have a bad habit of making sharp intakes of breath when "concerned", and without any other input, it was causing me to look over to see what was going on. Many moons ago, the first time I took her to Paris, I warned her not to do that any more, because it was distracting me, and she agreed. The first time we approached one of the biggest and hairiest traffic circles anywhere - Place de L'Etoile, which runs around the Arc de Triomphe - I reminded her of her commitment. It was very early on a Saturday morning, traffic was light, we only had to make a quarter of a lap, and I had been living and working there for some time already. As we completed the transit of Etoile and pulled into the street where our little hotel was located, I congratulated her on her silence. She held up a little street guide she had been holding, showing me the deep bite marks in the leatherette cover. This was 30+ years ago. They're there to this day.

This is the maximum allowable reaction (3:15 of the attached clip) - narrow stone streets of Cortona, Italy in a 414hp M3.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmAEHR6okrI


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## SD ///M4 (Jan 24, 2011)

The Sage said:


> Not so much fights, but she complained a lot about how fast I was driving on the Autobahn.





Dallas550 said:


> This. It was fine doing 110 or 120, but over 120 caused just a few words to be said. Still got up over 140mph though...





The Sage said:


> I hit 120 mph, but the screams from the wife became a distraction from driving safely.





ynguldyn said:


> Does no one really have a wife, who actually drives faster than you do?


During our Euro Delivery in May 2016 I top-ended my M4 at 271 km/h or 168.4 MPH on the way to Stuttgart for the 2000 km/1200 mile service after the car turned over 2000 km. We shared driving duties during the trip, both on the road and on the three tracks that we visited, Nurburgring, Zandvoort, and Spa. On the return to Munich from Spa, she got her opportunity and also posted 271 km/h. Her comment as she was doing this, "You're right, this car is absolutely solid at this speed! It feels totally planted and stable!"


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## Mark K (Jun 5, 2010)

milepig said:


> The main probably we had was with following the GPS in Italy. The loaded maps were so out of date, that they showed us going through fields when actually on the Autostrade, totally misdirected us into Venice until we just followed the posted signs intead, and at one point we were directed to an on ramp that had been closed for so long there were instead cows grazing in a field.


If you are talking about A31 connector going south from Vicenza towards Rovigo off of the A4 Autostrada, cut them some slack. That road was fully open only last September (2016), some of it opened in summer of 2016 but not whole length.


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## 3ismagic# (Mar 17, 2011)

no arguments between the wife and I. The 2 year old on the other hand was quite generous with letting her preferences be known.


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## ChicagoBigHouse (Sep 2, 2013)

*yes*

We got in a big spat, although it wasn't due to driving.

We were leaving Nuremberg after a great day, and we stopped at a gas station to get some cans of beer to enjoy back at the hotel. Actually they were Radler beers (making the story worse).

Well, she gets back in the car and I recommend we put the beers in the cup holders to secure them. She doesn't, but states that she told me to wait until pulling out of the gas station. Apparently I didn't, and one of the cans rolls backwards and punctures on the metal pointy parts under the seat. The can explodes!

I pull over, and yell at her to throw the can out of the car as it is spewing everywhere. 

We don't talk for the hour back to the hotel as my first new car ever was ruined 3 days after picking it [email protected]!!

Back at the hotel, I get a bunch of towels and soak down the car floor, and then dry it out with other clean towels.

It ended up that there was no lingering smell or long term damage, but that was a rough one! No more drinks in the car, and we still talk about it to this day. :rofl:


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## sno_duc (Sep 3, 2008)

A while back I showed the wife the Top Gear segment on Stelvio pass.
She let me know, in no uncertain terms, that we will only drive on roads that have a center line with our new cars.
She doesn't mind my excursions into triple digits.


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## gdyear78 (Nov 9, 2015)

That would be a yes. Also a BIG yes when the back rim was curbed badly (still not fixed) last year around this same time. BMW did not fix either as many have experienced.

Sent from my iPhone using Bimmerfest mobile app


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## John Casey (Nov 4, 2015)

We had a brief moment in Rothenburg when she didn't finish her Schneeball before heading back to the car. Her idea was to finish eating it on the drive. At first I couldn't tell if she was serious. Eating rules were established that day.


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## soledoc (Feb 5, 2007)

boothguy said:


> The Spousal Unit and I have reached an understanding, following a lot of driving trips in a lot of places. She used to have a bad habit of making sharp intakes of breath when "concerned", and without any other input, it was causing me to look over to see what was going on. Many moons ago, the first time I took her to Paris, I warned her not to do that any more, because it was distracting me, and she agreed. The first time we approached one of the biggest and hairiest traffic circles anywhere - Place de L'Etoile, which runs around the Arc de Triomphe - I reminded her of her commitment. It was very early on a Saturday morning, traffic was light, we only had to make a quarter of a lap, and I had been living and working there for some time already. As we completed the transit of Etoile and pulled into the street where our little hotel was located, I congratulated her on her silence. She held up a little street guide she had been holding, showing me the deep bite marks in the leatherette cover. This was 30+ years ago. They're there to this day.
> 
> This is the maximum allowable reaction (3:15 of the attached clip) - narrow stone streets of Cortona, Italy in a 414hp M3.
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmAEHR6okrI


Oh man that was a fantastic video!! I've done that so many times with my wife in the passenger seat. I was so afraid for your car watching the video. My fear in those situations (and it has happened to me) is that those narrow streets end in construction or a dead end into stairs or a church. THEN you have to back up and worry about how the heck you are going to get out of this jam.

This is a great idea and I am so glad you got our of Cortona.


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