Another New GT Owner

We took delivery of our first BMW last Saturday. 2012 535i GT in Black Sapphire Metallic with the Black Dakota Leather.

The rest of the ticket reads:
Luxury Seating Package (the rear automatic sun shades sold my 5-year old up-down-up-down )
Premium Sound Package
Sport Package
Value Package (have not sussed out the underbumperkicktoopen thing yet)
Heated Front Seats
BMW Apps

We started looking at the X3 (too small), then the X5 (didn't really feel "BMW" to us) and then the regular 535 which was still too small in the back seat. (Our other car is a 2010 Volvo S80 V8 AWD and it has as much or more back seat room.)

I decided to give the GT a shot as our last chance for a BMW and it is perfect! I probably would not order one with the BMW Apps (I can't really figgure out what they do) or the Premium Sound Package (just an upcharge for the Satellite radio??) but I got four grand off the MSRP and half-price on the extended maintenance package so it worked out.

I would like to throw out a few questions:

1. What is "Dynamic Cruse Control"? I don't have the distance buttons on the stering wheel so I'm not really sure.

2. I managed to nick the rear bumper with the trunk cover so I have a two-inch tan mark on it. Any help in how I can get ride of this? (It doesn't just wipe off.)

3. The manual talks about a safety triangle and first aid kit in the trunk. I did not get these, they were not in the car. Should they have been?

4. I passed on the tire and wheel coverage. The car has Dunlops and it reads like they are covered for road hazard anyway. I figgure I can buy two new wheels for the cost of the package anyway. Smart?

5. The tires have the green N2 valve stems. That means they are inflated with nitrogen, right? I know dumb question, the follow up is: what do I need to do to maintain these? Same deal, watch the TPMS? Anything special because it is N2?

6. Finnaly (for now) what should I do to maintain the leather? I traded in a F150 King Ranch and that leather was bullet proof saddle leather. Any recomendations for the BMW Dakota leather?

TIA
DLM

Not to bump my own thread but...

We have the rear view camera; can the rest of the camera package be added? What about the night view? Are these dealer instal options?

TIA
DLM

Congratulations dmunz and WELCOME!!

I had the same question about the cruise control - my sales advisor told me BMW likes to add "Dynamic" to just about everything. It's the favorite word. To me it's just cruise control, but maybe they mean to differentiate from "Active" cruise control.

Sorry to hear about the nick. I'm no expert, but do you think it would come out with wax or rubbing compound? I have to undertake a small paint project on my back bumper.

Hard to know regarding Tire & Wheel. You live in the south, so you may not have the gaping potholes of the north, but you have to know if it would have made sense for you, given where/how you drive. I bought Tire & Wheel because I cracked 3 rims on my last 535xi with the Sport package. The tires on this car seem much more forgiving, so I'll probably wind up not using the policy as much.

I'm with you on the BMW Apps - who the heck knows what that's for, but apparently it's important for the future. Whatever.

Sounds like a great car! Enjoy driving it! And keep your eye on the speedometer - the GT masks speed incredibly.

While there's a place to mount the triangle and first aid kit (they're mandatory in Germany and maybe other countries in Europe), they're optional on the USA cars. If you do European delivery, though, they're in the car to keep the Polizi (sp?) happy. I had to pack mine home in my luggage...they said they would dissapear if left in the vehicle.

N2 has some advantages, but I'm not sure it's really worth it. Most of the air you pump in is N2 anyway, but using strictly N2, you don't get the moisture or oxygen that can slowly degrade the insides. With the TPMS, maybe worth it, but I've had lots of cars for a long time and never had a problem.

The TPMS don't show tire pressure, only a change after a reset. So, you won't know if a tire is getting low until the green changes to red. I prefer the system that actually shows you the actual pressure, but these do not do that. You need to stop somewhere that has the N2 to refill. Then, you must ensure you haven't traveled too far, or the tires heat up and determining proper pressure gets messier. Some places give lifetime refills, but you have to get there first!

Welcome and congrats!

Go to auto parts store and get Meguairs ultimate compound for the scuff. Its a non diminishing abrasive polish. That means its pressure dependent. Also pick up a cotton or MF applicator. Increase pressure till the scuff comes out.

Thanks for the welcomes and comments. Its only been six days but I'm really having fun with this car. Very true on the speed comments BTW - I hit 85 this morning without realizing it! (Kind of a feet in Houston but I'm agains traffic for most of my commute.)

I have managed to find one grip - the navigation system is useless for me. I don't really care about where I am or the conditions in my imeadiate area. I need to know what the traffic flow is five miles up the road. For those of you familure with Houston, I commute from Pearland to the IAH area so I have to make decisions about how I go through downtown. These are based on traffic flow along 59 and 45. With GoogleMaps I can scroll up the road and see what is going on. I don't seem to be able to do that with the nav system in the car.

Am I missing something?

TIA
DLM

Originally Posted by dmunz

Thanks for the welcomes and comments. Its only been six days but I'm really having fun with this car. Very true on the speed comments BTW - I hit 85 this morning without realizing it! (Kind of a feet in Houston but I'm agains traffic for most of my commute.)

I have managed to find one grip - the navigation system is useless for me. I don't really care about where I am or the conditions in my imeadiate area. I need to know what the traffic flow is five miles up the road. For those of you familure with Houston, I commute from Pearland to the IAH area so I have to make decisions about how I go through downtown. These are based on traffic flow along 59 and 45. With GoogleMaps I can scroll up the road and see what is going on. I don't seem to be able to do that with the nav system in the car.

Am I missing something?

TIA
DLM

Good question! Start a new thread.....

I find the traffic alert system in the Nav system to be pretty helpful. I usually program my destination, even though I know how to get there, so I can see if there are any traffic issues on the planned route. It alerts are typically quite accurate. If you click on the alert icon it will give you all the alerts in the area. There can be delays in update, such as where there was congestion that has subsequently cleared up...

Also, I use a split screen where the left is the normal Nav, and the right enabled to map. You can then keep the right hand map scaled higher which will point out traffic alerts in yellow farther away. It gives you better visibility on the gray map vs. the color route map on a shorter scale.

However, it does not replace Google Maps and its traffic layer which is much more detailed.

I don't know how different the data is in various geographic areas, however.

Traffic is burried in one of the menus...it has to be turned on.

Congrats on the new GT...I am only 200 miles into mine and not one iota of buyer's remorse. This is such a great ride!!!!!

Ok, I finnaly have some more pictures







Sent from my ADR6425LVW using Bimmer App

Hello dmunz .....do not give up on the Premium sound I just ordered it on my 535i GT after fully checking it out and there is a real difference. Not only is the sound better but get into the sound center and you will find a graphic equalizer that has about 8 to 10 different adjustments to tune the sound system to your ears. It really works well.

Beautiful car! Thanks for the pictures!!

Congrats on joining the boat club! I love ours

Originally Posted by Bemo

Congrats on joining the boat club! I love ours

You know this is such a funny car. Sometimes when I'm driving I think I'm in a mini-van! Just because of the amount of room I feel behind me. As soon as I step on the gas or hit a corner that feeling goes away.

This car is really large and open on the inside and that is where the feeling of space comes from. Everytime I get out and look at the car I can't beleve the difference between how big I think it is and the actual size. (I'm always comparing it to our Volvo S80 and it really isn't that much higher or longer.)

For me this is the perfect combination of ride and room and I'm glad BMW did it.

FWIW
DLM

Congratz man....
welcome to the club....
I already put 1k miles into mine =p

but I did picked up a rock and got a chip mark.... in my rim this weekend....

it's a great car loving it

I am new to the forum. I have had my 550i GT for about 3 months and the car is still growing on me. I sold a newer Escalade for the GT. The reason? I was in the market for a new car, saw one GT driving down the street and it caught my eye. Since then, I can count on one hand how many I've seen on the road.

My car is a 2010. I bought it as a demo and I am the first owner. 6000 miles. MSRP was $92,025... so you can guess, it has EVERYTHING. Driver assistance package, luxury rear seating with entertainment and sunshades, sport package, HUD, night vision, etc. What really sold me on the car was the fact that it is luxury at its finest. And the fact that I got over $40k off MSRP. I mean, what (practically new) $90,000 car can you buy for $50,000?

I haven't done much to the car.... added a clear bra to the front to protect the paint; tinted the windows; and changed all the interior lights to LED. The LED look makes sense because at night, the door handles, side marker lights, and the license plate lights are LED from the factory. Don't know why they put those ugly yellow lights in the interior.

I will post pics of the car and the interior with the LEDs.
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