RANT:My Love and Hate of German cars.

After a little more research on battery registration I found that if you replace a BMW battery with the same amperage battery registration does little to nothing at all. It’s when you change to a different than oe spec things go a little haywire as the computer does not recognize the change in amps unless told to. The article I read said that if you replace the battery with the same one and don’t register it there might be a 1% reduction in battery life. The article was a technical one and not clickbait, so it may have some veracity. I wish I would have kept it so I could link to it.
 
jatleson said:
It is the new year - let`s revisit this. Since posting back in late 2017 - a new player has stepped to the plate - The Hyundai Motor Group. The Genesis G70 and Kia Stinger are legitimate German car competitors. Not quite as polished around the edges, but that will change as they evolve the generations. It is to the point where I can`t justify putting money in the 3 series. Still love the car, but when little things start going, it drives me crazy. None of the little things impact reliability or performance, but they put that question in the back of the mind - what is next? If I do have a change of heart and keep - I`ll be planning to pay for clutch, turbos and while it is being torn apart door lock actuators. Grand total for all that is starting at $6500 (price varies based on which parts are used).

The Korean cars have like drive train technology (twin turbo 6`s, rear wheel drive architecture, AWD option, 8 speed trns, some have 3 pedals), are built solid, feel solid on the road, and offer significant savings. On top of that the warranty is tough to beat. Having a nice, sporty, powerful car is a luxury. One way or the other you are going to pay. Question is do you want large, likely unplanned lump sum cash outages or planned monthly small cash outages with the large unplanned covered under warranty? Brain vs. Heart - Logic vs. Love. Happy New Year everybody.
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While the Koreans and the Japanese do often have the value and, sometimes, the quality proposition locked in which make them look great to your accountant and seem the logical choice, there are often intangibles which don`t show up until you get behind the wheel and start driving them. Over the last few years while car shopping I drove an American and German hot hatch back-to-back and also comperable Japanese and German sport sedans back-to-back. In both cases the non-German vehicle was less expensive. However, neather drove as well as the German option. The engines weren`t as smooth and didn`t put down power as well, the body structure didn`t seem as rigid, the ergonomics weren`t as good, and the way they behaved themselves at speed and especially in the corners wasn`t as confidence insipiring. Things I would never had know had I not driven them close together in long test drives.

My in-laws own a G90 and while it`s a VERY nice car, there are a few things which would give me pause if cross-shopping with other large sedans. Things like the seat bottoms being really short with no thigh support, slightly off ergonomics, squishy/floaty body control, and the use of lower quality materials in some areas. I noticed the same thing when looking at a Stinger.

For me, I expect a certian *feel* and experience when driving and so far only the Germans have been able to provide it, though I keep driving everything else to see what it has to offer. I`m willing to pay a bit more and have to shop a little smarter to get it. In all honesty, I`ve owned two long-ish term German cars and reliability has never really been a big issue. My BMW had a few issues under warranty, but once resolved I happily drove it for three more years and put nearly 130K on it when sold. My current GTI has been very reliable and I`m out of warranty and knocking on 60K miles. For me life it too short not to drive happy.
 
rlmccarty2000 said:
After a little more research on battery registration I found that if you replace a BMW battery with the same amperage battery registration does little to nothing at all. It’s when you change to a different than oe spec things go a little haywire as the computer does not recognize the change in amps unless told to. The article I read said that if you replace the battery with the same one and don’t register it there might be a 1% reduction in battery life. The article was a technical one and not clickbait, so it may have some veracity. I wish I would have kept it so I could link to it.
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This is true, my place of employment is an INDY that primarily services BMW, all the new cars "need to be told" that the battery has been replaced with a new one.
 
I guess I won’t be able to have my mobile mechanic replace my battery if I get a new German car. I might be forced to find a good Indy shop.
 
And that is the curse. Once you develop a sense for those driving dynamics and appreciation for materials, you are hooked.
 
Here is my experiences with batteries on all cars including the 5 German cars I owned..
If they have a way to remove the long strips to expose the cells, you need to check that and add distilled water if needed..
Batteries all die without water in all the cells...

I also keep Battery Tenders on all my vehicles, and that float charging seems to help keep them more healthy..

All vehicles that I Detail also have a Battery Tender on them as soon as they come into the garage and it does not come off until the Client is on their way to pick up their Baby...
Never had any issues using Battery Tenders, they are so easy to wire up so all you have to do is reach down to wherever you put the 2-prong plug, uncap it, and plug it in...

The plug to both sides is designed so it will never be accidently reverse connected, and short out your stuff... Foolproof...

Its especially important to keep them on the Battery Tender if they are outside in the winter... They make long extensions from the car to the Battery Tender, so it can always be inside the garage and not exposed to the elements...

Some vehicles, well, most newer vehicles for sure, are always doing something, and running their batteries down sitting in the garage... Some vehicles have issues that turn things on and they will drain the battery more quickly.. For example my 2007 Acura TL Type-S has an issue with the Bluetooth option I believe, and it will keep looking to connect even when the car is off, so that seems to kill batteries quicker.. Not a problem if it sits in the garage for weeks before I drive it again, when the B/Tender is on it...

Dan F
 
Dan said:
And that is the curse. Once you develop a sense for those driving dynamics and appreciation for materials, you are hooked.
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Truer words were never spoken..... :) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I still favor the older Bimmers over all the rest, thank you....
I refer to the E46, E38, E53, and E39`s right up to the end of their production..

Drove all the brand new ones to Texas to break them in.. :)
Drove the first stint, 1,200 miles, straight through, and was never tired, stiff, hurting, etc., from the car beating me up..

In the 49 years of making that drive from the Pacific Northwest, and Northern California, (well over 100,000 miles ), these Bimmers were absolutely the best Road Cars ever...

That awesome S-54, 6-individual throttle bodies, 4-pipes out the back, in-line 6-cylinder motor - absolute heaven to drive, feel, and listen to....
Their leather always felt great and smelled divine...
Driver`s cars....
DanF
 
Don’t know what I’d do without my Battery Tenders. They are a godsend even if I had to replace them every now and then
 
Stokdgs said:
I still favor the older Bimmers over all the rest, thank you....
I refer to the E46, E38, E53, and E39`s ..
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I was utterly addicted to the E30 and E36 M3s, those E46s were too modern for me :o

I sometimes think I NEVER should`ve sold my Korman`ed E30, but after the pickup rear-ended it....it just wasn`t the same.

And yeah on the Battery Tenders, though I have a fancier thing hooked up to the S8.
 
Accumulator said:
I was utterly addicted to the E30 and E36 M3s, those E46s were too modern for me :o

I sometimes think I NEVER should`ve sold my Korman`ed E30, but after the pickup rear-ended it....it just wasn`t the same.

And yeah on the Battery Tenders, though I have a fancier thing hooked up to the S8.
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Hey, Hermano !
I remember the huge backlash within the Bimmer Community when those "upstart" E46`s, etc., rolled out!!!! Some people were really, really, dead set against them...
Totally see their and your point of view regarding them... Awesome vehicles...

I test drove a new, just off the truck 2001 jet black E46 3 Series with the Sport pkg, seats, suspension, etc., 5spd, etc., and it was like - wow - where have you been, my Sweetheart??? :) :) :)

I think what really got me on this path was the incredible HID lights they had started in probably the year 2000???.. I needed those lights for that yearly/bi-yearly 4kmile trip to Tejas` and back...

Well, those were some awesome years, for sure...
Dan F
 
Accumulator said:
I was utterly addicted to the E30 and E36 M3s, those E46s were too modern for me :o

I sometimes think I NEVER should`ve sold my Korman`ed E30, but after the pickup rear-ended it....it just wasn`t the same.

And yeah on the Battery Tenders, though I have a fancier thing hooked up to the S8.
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Those E36s were the pinnacle of automotive fun. I had a 328 and it is still one of my favorite cars.

It`ll never happen but how awesome would it be if they re-popped them. I`d buy one.
 
Dan said:
Speaking of crazy... I`m in the market for a budget S class I think.
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Heh heh...we drove those too, W126 anyone? Loved them and only switched to Audis when a [certain individual] bought the local Benz franchise :(

Heh heh, I`m tempted to say that there`s no such thing as a BUDGET S-class, any more than there`re any budget Bentleys ;)

But OK, I do get the idea and sure don`t want to be a downer about it. Hey, I bought ours (gently) used and saved a bundle.

What series are you looking at? I`d sure avoid any weird-tech ones unless you have a pal who`s a Benz tech.
 
Accumulator said:
Heh heh...we drove those too, W126 anyone? Loved them and only switched to Audis when a [certain individual] bought the local Benz franchise :(

Heh heh, I`m tempted to say that there`s no such thing as a BUDGET S-class, any more than there`re any budget Bentleys ;)

But OK, I do get the idea and sure don`t want to be a downer about it. Hey, I bought ours (gently) used and saved a bundle.

What series are you looking at? I`d sure avoid any weird-tech ones unless you have a pal who`s a Benz tech.
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There is no such thing as a budget S class. Repairs are pretty brutal but the W221s are pretty good cars if you avoid the upper end engines and ABC. Airmatic repairs are inevitable as well. I`m planning on DIY for anything short of trans work or if the motor has to come out.

I`m all ears for alternatives though. I just want a big sedan that floats like I`m riding on a cloud. I actually like the way the E looks but the newer ones ride really rough, even with the non sport package. Couldn`t find an Airmatic one close by to test drive.
 
My rule of thumb, if your going to own multiple euros, own base platforms except one you really like. Ie, we have a BMW 328xi, Merc C300 4 magic, Audi A4 Avant 2.0T, Volvo S60R and Audi S7. Notice something? All base platforms, all base motors = easily repairable, less complex, affordable rides.
 
Dan- Ah, OK...you`re making informed decisions :D

Heh heh, NO air/hydraulic/smart/etc. suspensions for me ever again. Period. Every single one I ever had suffered a catastrophic failure at one time or another, and these days I won`t run the risk of it happening at the wrong time.
 
The Driver said:
My rule of thumb, if your going to own multiple euros, own base platforms except one you really like. Ie, we have a BMW 328xi, Merc C300 4 magic, Audi A4 Avant 2.0T, Volvo S60R and Audi S7. Notice something? All base platforms, all base motors = easily repairable, less complex, affordable rides.
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Good advice. My trouble is my non daily is also my most reliable car... the vette. :-)
 
Bill D said:
I guess I won’t be able to have my mobile mechanic replace my battery if I get a new German car. I might be forced to find a good Indy shop.
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A good indy shop is always a must when owning any car. No reason to pay exorbitant dealership labor rates. BMW is the only one I know of which has a registration process when they get swapped out. The easy answer is to just do it all yourself. The iCarly app and hardware to re-program the car is less than $100 all-in and you can get a good quality battery from any parts store or even the parts counter at the dealership depending on sales/coupons. The iCarly would pay for itself the first time you use it. Having the ability to disable the fake engine noise and program other features yourself makes it even more valuable.

Accumulator said:
Dan- Ah, OK...you`re making informed decisions :D

Heh heh, NO air/hydraulic/smart/etc. suspensions for me ever again. Period. Every single one I ever had suffered a catastrophic failure at one time or another, and these days I won`t run the risk of it happening at the wrong time.
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I read an article written by a guy who was running an early 2000`s Mercedes S-class (the one with the V-12) and had to replace the air suspension at ALL FOUR CORNERS! He did all the work himself, but the cost in parts alone was staggering and work to replace them was not for the faint of heart. No thanks.

Those air suspension issues make me wonder if the new magneticly adjusted shocks will be just as bad. Supposedly the ones used by GM in the Vette and some trucks aren`t too bad. However, if the logic modules ever died, look out....
 
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