# Tis the time...



## riffic (Oct 31, 2002)

My wait is finally over... In less than one hour, I'll be out of the office and U-bahning it up to the ED center! Boy, has it been difficult concentrating on work today 

We had planned to head to Milán, but it started snowing again (wifey wants to hit those designer clothing outlets  ), and I'm afraid about trekking through the Alps without snows.

So, I think we'll head to the Alsace region...no mountains in that direction :thumbup: We were there this fall and really liked it and it's only about 4 hours away.

Hopefully, I'll get some delivery pictures up for everyone on Sunday night or Monday.

I'm off.....


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## shabbaman (Dec 16, 2002)

Enjoy every bit of your delivery and take plenty of pictures.

How has the weather been in Germany lately. Is it dry for the most part?

Also, thanks for the tip with the food. I didn't know that Germany had good Italian. Their sausage rocks, though. 

What I loved about Germany when we were there 2 years ago, was in Frankfurt, we're walking down some strasse and there was this outside food market. But it wasn't just food. It was alcohol too. People were eating and drinking in the street. 

Great stuff.

The only place you can do that here is tailgating before a Jets or Giants game.

Go Jets.


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## roots (Sep 27, 2002)

riffic said:


> *My wait is finally over... In less than one hour, I'll be out of the office and U-bahning it up to the ED center! Boy, has it been difficult concentrating on work today
> 
> We had planned to head to Milán, but it started snowing again (wifey wants to hit those designer clothing outlets  ), and I'm afraid about trekking through the Alps without snows.
> 
> ...


Hmm... so you work in Munich? I'm wondering how you can do ED because I believe ED is strictly for tourist. In any case, congrats and have fun with your car! :thumbup:

ian


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## riffic (Oct 31, 2002)

*First Report - LONG*

So I've had my car for 5 days and am completely in love!

My laptop with the first set of photos is with IT right now, so I will have to wait a bit to post the pics. In the meantime, here are my thoughts on the 330i and delivery.

Delivery was a breeze. We arrived around 1:30 pm, and it was very quiet at the delivery center. My car was the only one with the tourist plates waiting to be picked up, so I may have been the only one there taking ED. To my surprise, all 5 cars waiting inside (2 3ers, a 5er, X5 and 7) were also titanium silver!

When I checked in, I informed the lady that I wanted the wheel locks, so we walked over to the "boutique" section and plopped down € 22.50 for them. After about 1/2 hour in the Bistro, Bernhard, our delivery specialist, came to greet us. He is one of the nicest people I've ever met, and took so much time answering our questions, making recommendations, etc.

I asked for a loaner nav disk for Germany. The normal procedure is BMW gives you the disk with a pre-addressed envelope to ship the disk back to them after you drop off your car. He was nice enough to give us a 2002 disk for free (we don't have to return it), since there are only few changes between the editions and we likely would not notice them.

LOVE AT FIRST SITE: 
I started drooling when I first saw the car! I had been second guessing my choice of the ever-so-popular titantium silver, but all doubts evaporated immediately. IMO, titanium silver was made for a 3-series (or the 3-series was made for titanium silver, whichever you prefer)... I just couldn't believe that this was "our car" 


The first address we programmed into the nav was the nearby niederlassung dealership. After pulling out of the garage and taking more pictures, we were on our way.

NIEDERLASSUNG:
At the dealership, I purchased the U.S. alarm for 192.50€, including all tax. They printed out U.S. installation instructions for me. You may have read another thread I started about costs for activating the alarm after a self-install. Over the phone last week, the dealership had quoted me about 100 € for activation, which is nuts. After purchasing the alarm, I inquired at the service department, to get a price on alarm activation. For the first 10-15 minutes, no one could figure out what I was talking about, but finally I was able to talk to a technician who quoted me 30€ for activation. :thumbup: 
He said to just bring the car in... no need for an oppointment. Since it's been bitter cold here, I have not had a chance to install the alarm. Hopefully, this weekend.

I also checked into prices for the clears. They were out of stock of some of the front portions, so I decided I may go back later, but will check prices in the U.S., in the meantime. I have read that bekkars or pacific BMW is the best place to order, but can someone confirm this or tell me the best place to purchase in the U.S?

There is a special type of clears I know you can purchase in Germany. They have a silver trim around them (for this, it's best to purchase a new headlight lens, as well as turnsignal), which looks amazing with the titantium silver. Can this type be purchased in the U.S.?

Also, if anyone wants me to get them a price quote for a part the next time I return to the dealership, let me know.

THE FIRST DRIVE:
Our plans to drive to Italy were foiled because of the impending snowfall in the Alps. So, we headed west to the Alsace region of France. Shortly after entering the A-8, speed limits were removed, and away we could go
 
I now know what everyone means when they say this car just BEGS to be driven fast. WARNING: to anyone who thinks the wait for the arrival of your car is difficult, that's NOTHING compared to the agony of waiting for break-in period to be over when cars are zipping by you on the autobahn. I am a good boy, so I decided to obey the break-in rules and keep it under 4000 RPM, which is exactly 101 MPH. I felt sad as my fellow Brethren blew by me.

I also cannot believe how much this car wants to accelerate in 5th gear at 100 mph. Although undesirable, I used the cruise control for a while to keep me from running faster.
The handling of this car is outstanding. It goes immediately where you point it, stops on a dime, and makes you one-with-the-road, but is not uncomfortable. Of course, the heated sport seats with all that lumbar support might help out 

Our destination was Ribeauvillé, France, where we arrived about 8:30 pm. We had been there in October, but wanted to return with our own car. It's about 260 Miles west of Munich. Unfortunately, this little village was not in our nav disk, so after we got within 30 or so miles, I had to figure it out on my own (No, I did not bring a map ).

Ribeauvillé was cold and quiet, since it is super low-season. Luckily, we found a B&B open. That night, I didn't sleep so well, I kept waking up so make sure no one had taken my car. Anyone else do that?!
The next day, we headed south to Colmar, France, ate more great Alsatian food, loaded the trunk with wine and headed back to Munich.

I pulled off for my first fill-up with about 25 miles of fuel remaining. I winced at the 1.18€/liter price and took a big gulp as I forked over 67€ and change for a full tank of gas
:yikes:

Monday was a HUGE snowstorm, and I had to trudge through Munich for about 10 miles in the car. The DSC (?) kicked in immediately in 1st and second gear, and did a fairly good job of keeping the back-end from kicking out on me, though it certainly is not full-proof. These roads were terrible, however, since snow was pouring down and some of the roads weren't even plowed yet. I was overall pleased with the handling in these conditions, considering the car is RWD. I wish I could put on a pair of Snows to see what difference there is.

One final question: what sort of gas mileage does everyone get running at 100 MPH on the highway? I was at about 22 mpg, which is much lower than anticipated, since BMW reports 30 mpg under normal highway conditions. Despite the high speed, is 22 mpg normal?

Finally, to anyone who wants to use his/her nav outside of Germany, I highly recommend getting disks that are country specific. In France, the Germany nav disk was next to useless.

So ends my first (long-winded) report.


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## shabbaman (Dec 16, 2002)

*22 mpg is normal*

My 328 ran at about the same mpg when I was driving it fast.

Interestingly, if you drive your car at 60MPH for a long period of time on a flat surface, you'll get your car to do about 35MPG.

You'll probably never try that out, though. Too much fun bringing her up to speed.


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## jrubens (Aug 14, 2002)

these are the items I'm thinking about getting... could you find out if they are generally in stock and the price? I'm looking at a May ED.

E46 part number for CD: 82110026418 (or another BMW OEM CD Changer which will work with US models)

umbrella w/case is 82 27 9 405 747

e46cic Euro Alarm Kit - 65600021150 - Trim Piece - Black - 51167024827 - 
Trim Piece - Beige - 51167024828 - 

Wood Steering Wheel Trim/Cover: 32301097222

What made you decide you wanted the wheel locks? Is wheel theft a problem in Europe?


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## seivwrig (Apr 20, 2002)

jrubens said:


> *
> 
> What made you decide you wanted the wheel locks? Is wheel theft a problem in Europe? *


I know in England, any kind of theft can be a problem. Wheel locks are good but what kind to get is another discussion. I heard some talk about the McGuard (sp?) wheel locks. They are supposed to be good but the keys are the supposed weak link. The regular BMW wheel locks have a key that anyone that wanted to go thru the trouble could get. There are also BMW lugs that use a key (like lock key). They cost about twice the price of the internal tooth based studs.

I have not seen the official numbers on car theft in the U.K. or Europe, but I doubt is as high as South Florida.


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## jrubens (Aug 14, 2002)

of course, then you've got to carry something with you at all times in case you have a flat... although I guess the key could be stored in the toolbox?


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## MD2b (Dec 20, 2002)

shabbaman said:


> *...It was alcohol too. People were eating and drinking in the street... *


amsterdam has soooo much more to offer  :thumbup:


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## shabbaman (Dec 16, 2002)

*Oh we'll be there too*

I was in Amsterdam a few years ago. Can't wait to go back.


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## cruztopless (Sep 23, 2002)

I seriously need to stop reading about everyone's ED experience. I'm just torturing myself!!! :banghead: 

Thanks for the update riffic and am looking forward to the pics!


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## 03BMW330 (Nov 30, 2002)

> Also, if anyone wants me to get them a price quote for a part the next time I return to the dealership, let me know.


Can you check if they have *84 64 0 152 501 BMW Bluetooth Retrofit Kit *
(from 03/2002 with option 640) and how much does it cost!!!



> I seriously need to stop reading about everyone's ED experience. I'm just torturing myself!!!


It's BMW virus, somehow you got infected when you order you car and will go away (temporally) when you pick up you car but then it hits you again for 4-8 weeks when you get back from Europe. It normal


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## riffic (Oct 31, 2002)

jrubens said:


> *of course, then you've got to carry something with you at all times in case you have a flat... although I guess the key could be stored in the toolbox? *


jrubens,

yes, the wheel locks come with two "keys" and both fit nicely in the tool box. I'm sure they're not fool proof, but it may stop the average joe wheel thief.

I didn't think twice about purchasing the wheel locks, since:
-they're cheap (22.50€)
-installation is free at the ED center
-after reading most other ED stories, I thought everyone has got them, so why should I be left out?


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## jrubens (Aug 14, 2002)

Makes sense to me. I guess I'll have to add them to my budget.... which is ever increasing, despite means which aren't.....


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## riffic (Oct 31, 2002)

*picture problems*

I tried to post some pics, but the file size is too big for the server (each pic is about 1 MB). I've never posted pics here before, so can anyone give me some hints on how to shrink the file size of my photos?:dunno:


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## riffic (Oct 31, 2002)

*part price inquiries*

Last night, I sent a fax with all the above-mentioned part numbers to a Munich dealer. Hopefully, I didn't overwhelm them and will have a reply soon. I'll let you know as soon as I hear from them.


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## cruztopless (Sep 23, 2002)

My guess is to use a photo editing software like Photoshop or the software that came with your digicam to reduce the photo size. You can then upload your pics. This is all in theory since I haven't posted pics here either.


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## riffic (Oct 31, 2002)

jrubens said:


> *these are the items I'm thinking about getting... could you find out if they are generally in stock and the price? I'm looking at a May ED.
> 
> E46 part number for CD: 82110026418 (or another BMW OEM CD Changer which will work with US models)
> 
> ...


For those who asked for a price quote, I posted them on a new thread instead of burying them in this thread.


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## riffic (Oct 31, 2002)

*Picture*

Here's another attempt to post a pic of my new wheels


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## beauport (Jul 2, 2002)

riffic, is the license plate on the picture correct or has it been "altered" for Internet posting? Curious, if it's real then the numbers sure have changed since the fall. See my signature to see what I mean.


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## riffic (Oct 31, 2002)

beauport said:


> *riffic, is the license plate on the picture correct or has it been "altered" for Internet posting? Curious, if it's real then the numbers sure have changed since the fall. See my signature to see what I mean. *


Beauport, No altering done...it's the real thing. Maybe the number is so low because I took delivery the second week of the year? Maybe numbers start over again with each new year?

What month did you take delivery?


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## shabbaman (Dec 16, 2002)

*His numbers are right*

*Beauport, No altering done...it's the real thing. Maybe the number is so low because I took delivery the second week of the year? Maybe numbers start over again with each new year? *

I just got back from Europe and his numbers are correct. My numbers were M 32 Z. I'll post pics when I get a chance.

They are definately cool.


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## riffic (Oct 31, 2002)

Shabbaman, 

how's the new ride? did you manage to get through break-in before drop off?


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## beauport (Jul 2, 2002)

riffic said:


> *Beauport, No altering done...it's the real thing. Maybe the number is so low because I took delivery the second week of the year? Maybe numbers start over again with each new year?
> 
> What month did you take delivery? *


You're probably right in that they start over each year. I picked up mine in Sep 2002.


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## shabbaman (Dec 16, 2002)

*To riffic*

*how's the new ride? did you manage to get through break-in before drop off?*

The new ride sucks. I won't have access to it for at least a month. What can suck more than that?:banghead:

We did 1313 miles in 5 days, well actually, we did 1311 miles...the car only had 2 miles on it when we got it.

I'll write up a full description of the car and the stories about our trip, of course. :thumbup:

We're still jet lagging a little so we've been going to sleep at around 10:00 pm.

I'll leave you with this though. We reached break in on the A9 at around 5:30am on our way to drop the car off in Munich. Nothing but trucks on the road. My wife was driving. The car went from 105mph to 130. 
Herein a little question of mine was answered. 
I was reading the German 5 Series brochure and one of the specs for the 530i was that the top speed was an elecronically limited 250kph(155mph). Our car gassed out at 130. So, as is plainly evident, the US spec 530 is programmed at the factory to cut out at 130 - and not at the port or the dealer.

 But you all already knew that. 

I will never ever buy any other car nor will I buy a new car any other way.

In a nutshell, this is this experience may be summed up by the following:

The ultimate delivery of the ultimate car letting you experience the ultimate drive.


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## bmw325 (Dec 19, 2001)

*Re: To riffic*



> In a nutshell, this is this experience may be summed up by the following:
> 
> The ultimate delivery of the ultimate car letting you experience the ultimate drive. [/B]


Agree. ED (plus discount) was one of my big reasons for choosing to buya BMW.


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## seivwrig (Apr 20, 2002)

*Re: To riffic*



> [/B]I'll leave you with this though. We reached break in on the A9 at around 5:30am on our way to drop the car off in Munich. Nothing but trucks on the road. My wife was driving. The car went from 105mph to 130.
> Herein a little question of mine was answered.
> I was reading the German 5 Series brochure and one of the specs for the 530i was that the top speed was an elecronically limited 250kph(155mph). Our car gassed out at 130. So, as is plainly evident, the US spec 530 is programmed at the factory to cut out at 130 - and not at the port or the dealer.
> 
> ...


Our US Spec BMWs are limited at about 130-135 uness you drive a 7er or M car then they are limited to 155 mph. I don't know about the 540i.

But you summed it up real well. I did my high speed run on the E52 heading towards the Belgium border. I knew once I got to England that the cameras were everywhere and that the M25 and M1 are too congested.


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## mbr129 (Aug 23, 2002)

*Re: Re: To riffic*



seivwrig said:


> *Our US Spec BMWs are limited at about 130-135 uness you drive a 7er or M car then they are limited to 155 mph. *


Unless you are getting the new 330i with the performance package... it is limited at 155mph as well. Can't wait to drive that car in the Autobahn in August.:thumbup:


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