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List Something You Discovered About Your Car AFTER You Bought It...

241K views 885 replies 308 participants last post by  daka 
#1 ·
I already have a few "aha's" about my car after I bought it. If everyone lists one or two, I'll bet we all walk away with a couple "I did not know that" things ourselves...

Here's a few I discovered after the purchase:

  • The engine has no oil dipstick!
  • The hood and front side panels are not steel but aluminum!
  • My side view mirrors fold in when I push that little button by the mirror controls!:yikes:
Anyone else have some??
 
#778 ·
The EYE OPENER BATT REPLACEMENT

(2004 525i) This is something that I cannot understand of WHY these cars HAVE to be REGISTERED when replacing a simplistic damn battery as opposed to OTHER cars. I bought a battery from NAPA ($180.00) and had the stealership change it out and THEY charged me ($188.00) to do the "5 minute" battery exchange and of course when it was time to pay up, they said "it had to be registered" to the cars computer. WTF?!?!?! Explaining that the computer has to be "erased" from the current battery and "reprogramed" to the new battery. WTF kind of german engineering is THIS? Pure BULL****! Not too happy with my (1st) BMW. How stupid...... My 2005 Honda Accord that I kicked to the curb is WAY better. Plus it does not have the STUPID "I-DRIVE". Sorry, but that's how I feel.....:dunno::mad:
 
#780 ·
(2004 525i) This is something that I cannot understand of WHY these cars HAVE to be REGISTERED when replacing a simplistic damn battery as opposed to OTHER cars. I bought a battery from NAPA ($180.00) and had the stealership change it out and THEY charged me ($188.00) to do the "5 minute" battery exchange and of course when it was time to pay up, they said "it had to be registered" to the cars computer. WTF?!?!?! Explaining that the computer has to be "erased" from the current battery and "reprogramed" to the new battery. WTF kind of german engineering is THIS? Pure BULL****! Not too happy with my (1st) BMW. How stupid...... My 2005 Honda Accord that I kicked to the curb is WAY better. Plus it does not have the STUPID "I-DRIVE". Sorry, but that's how I feel.....:dunno::mad:
From what I have gathered it needs to be registered so the computer can properly charge it, vs over or under charging due to battery age/capacity. The car will do fine without it. The battery may or may not last as long as it could. I'm sorry you feel this way and of course everyone is entitled to their opinion.
 
#783 ·
But your car doesn't know you have a new battery and not to overcharge it. It thinks you are still on your old battery.
Exactly. That method does nothing for telling the computer it has a new battery. The entire point is so that it DOES know you have a new battery, not the other way around.

The higher end INPA cable is what, $99? + 5 minutes of coding and you can do it yourself

I hate dealerships and I've never even been to one
 
#790 ·
Exactly. That method does nothing for telling the computer it has a new battery. The entire point is so that it DOES know you have a new battery, not the other way around.

The higher end INPA cable is what, $99? + 5 minutes of coding and you can do it yourself

I hate dealerships and I've never even been to one
I bet they hate you back....you, sir, and your incredibly detailed & informative posts here on the 'fest have probably cost the bastards plenty! :thumbup:

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#793 ·
I also learned new batteries must be registered.

Also learned:
- You can change the oil filter from the top of the engine bay.
- The steering wheel sometimes needs reset for it to go all the way up after stopping, e.g. move it all the way out, in, up and down and then re-positions to desired position.
- Electronics in the bottom of the trunk should be manually re-positioned to the sides in order to avoid upwards of $15K in replacement electronics.
- I can set the cruise control at 100mph and expect a worry free, smooth ride.
- The windshield washer fluid reservoir is known for leaking--nothing some minor maintenance can't fix.
- That object hanging from the roof in the middle is a interior motion sensor?
 
#801 ·
The radio presets aren't just for the radio. They can be programmed to call the wife, banker, or boyfriend. Just bring up that person in iDrive, and instead of hitting Call, press and hold a preset button. I suspect this works for all kinds of iDrive functions, now that I think about it, e.g. checking oil level and other hard-to-find functions. I still need to play with it a bit.


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#838 ·
The radio presets aren't just for the radio. They can be programmed to call the wife, banker, or boyfriend. Just bring up that person in iDrive, and instead of hitting Call, press and hold a preset button. I suspect this works for all kinds of iDrive functions, now that I think about it, e.g. checking oil level and other hard-to-find functions. I still need to play with it a bit.

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Interesting. Will have to try that tomorrow.
 
#802 ·
The radio presets aren't just for the radio. They can be programmed to call the wife, banker, or boyfriend. Just bring up that person in iDrive, and instead of hitting Call, press and hold a preset button. I suspect this works for all kinds of iDrive functions, now that I think about it, e.g. oil level and other hard-to-find functions. I still need to play with it a bit.


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#839 ·
The radio presets aren't just for the radio. They can be programmed to call the wife, banker, or boyfriend. Just bring up that person in iDrive, and instead of hitting Call, press and hold a preset button. I suspect this works for all kinds of iDrive functions, now that I think about it, e.g. oil level and other hard-to-find functions. I still need to play with it a bit.

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Yep - works for maps, radio, phone - I have two buttons I use for maps - one for directions home, one for directions to work.
 
#812 · (Edited)
I learned many things:

1) I can spend most of a Sunday reading a single post (read all 32 pages today)

2) I now know several neat 'tricks' for my car, thanks!


My contribution:

I have the only BMW (per two different dealerships) WITHOUT the rack mounting things on the roof. Every other BMW I've seen has the four little pre-made cutouts you can screw a rack into. I asked two dealerships why I don't have those and both said they didn't know and they hadn't seen a car without them before. :dunno:
 
#813 ·
I have the only BMW (per two different dealerships) WITHOUT the rack mounting things on the roof. Every other BMW I've seen has the four little pre-made cutouts you can screw a rack into. I asked two dealerships why I don't have those and both said they didn't know and they hadn't seen a car without them before. :dunno:
I read your post and and it made me wonder about the 550i I bought about a week ago. Ran out to the garage, wtf, I don't have them either. My e39 540i had them!?

So much for my Thule roof rack from the 540i... :tsk:
 
#826 ·
Well mine have always been just right, so I really couldnt say how to clean them. Im sure doing a search here on the 'fest would yield some pretty good info....I guess dish soap might help, but dish soap will DEFINITELY strip the wax right off of your car, so I guess if it works youll need to wax afterwards.

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