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Where’s the, What’s this, Can I, Will this, How do I ……… SEARCH!

97K views 80 replies 40 participants last post by  Nalia 
#1 · (Edited)
We have Wheel, Tire and HPFP Stickies. Judging from the rash of basic questions being posted ***8211; perhaps we need a ***8220;******** How to use the ***8216;Search***8217; function***8221;?

Getting a new or new to you BMW is exciting and fun. As ***8220;enthusiasts***8221; we are compelled to learn everything we can about our cars. But with great cars, comes a great responsibility; and that responsibility is to become intimately familiar with the power of the SEARCH THIS FORUM function.

I***8217;ll take one step backward. The first responsibility is to RTFM!

***8220;But my car didn***8217;t come with an owner***8217;s manual.***8221;

So, here is a link to the BMWUSA Owner***8217;s manual download site. If you are even contemplating owning an E9X, spend some time and learn about the model you are interested in. What***8217;s more: This is where the answer to that pesky, ***8220;Triangle with Snow Flake Sign ***8211; What***8217;s This?***8221; plus many other mysteries resides.

http://www.bmwusa.com/standard/content/owner/dgh.aspx

You are here on the internet. I presume that means you know how to use a browser? Therefore, you should know how to search. That IS how you made it to Bimmerfest.com, right? My point being, nearly any condition you might encounter with your beloved E9X, the likelihood that it has already been discussed here is pretty good. You don***8217;t need to be a ***8220;Google-fu***8221; master ***8211; just use some basic tricks and tools.
Here is how it works:

See that Search this Forum button on the far right?


Click it and you get some options.


What is on your mind? Type it in.

It does help if you use Standard American English because for some unknown reason the forum administrators set it up to operate that way, but worst case scenario, type in something like ***8220;Pwnd***8221; and yo wil get wat ur looking 4.



Wow Results in 0.07 seconds. It is guaranteed that you cannot post a new thread and have someone repond to it in less time.



Searching is so much faster than typing a whole new thread***8230; Search for something like 91 Octane. Then get back to us in a year or so when you are finished reading all the posts. :) j/k

Sometimes you will do a search and it really doesn***8217;t address your question. It helps if you make that clear in your initial post when you start a thread.

***8220;I did a search, but***8230;***8230;***8221; FWIW: In my experience, making the effort of doing a search makes veteran members a lot more willing to answer your question, that is ***8211; respond to your post. Many of the established members of the E9X forum are extremely knowledgable, well read, well educated folks. If you make an effort, (meaning a semblance of good grammar and good spelling), they will too ***8211; and you will gain.

What***8217;s more, if you have enough memory cells functioning, you can do a search based on Threads or Posts by a contributing member. How cool is that?



Do you need visuals?
Using the Google Images search function is a great place to start. 9 of 10 times it points me to a Bimmerfest site. Point in fact. Today, I did a search for Space Gray with Saddle Brown Leather and it pulled up 3 photographs I***8217;ve posted on the first page! If it doesn***8217;t point you to Bimmerfest, it will point you to ***8220;the other site***8221; where there are a lot of really good images. Use the resource!
If you see a paper clip listed in a thread it means there are pictures attached. Sometimes, this is a quick way to triage your search and save time.



Now, on to some real life examples:

***8220;I love my car. It***8217;s so clean and shiny, but OMG, I just discovered swirls and my leather has butt prints from my jeans and what do I do about the infernal brake dust and can I use 87 octane gasoline?***8221;

SEARCH : Leather Cleaner or Brake Dust or Paint Swirls

Did you know that Bimmerfest has a whole subforum dedicated to detailing? And guess what? You can search this forum too! In fact you can use the basic search functions with the general search button and it will give you a chance to see what folks who have other models BMWs might have to say.



***8220;I just heard a horrendous crunch when my car hit a pothole the size of the Grand Canyon and I can***8217;t believe I just bent my wheel. WTH?***8221;

SEARCH: Pothole Explosions

Finally,
If you lack imagination or are just plain lazy, here is a list of search terms to plug into the handy search function graciously provided by Bimmerfest.

Please feel free to add to the list of search terms***8230;..

Leather Cleaner
Pothole Explosions
RFT
Set TPMS
Snowflake
Rebadged Toyota
Oil Change Interval
Check Engine Light
HPFP
M-Sport
Comfort Access
IDrive
USB
Air Filter

Enjoy your 3er and may the Search Function be with you.
 
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#5 ·
Hey Popsicle Toes, I like your version better! It is far more comprehensive and your examples should help all but the terminally helpless. Good job, and I say make it a Sticky. I want to be the first one to say "Search is your friend. Refer to the Sticky, above, which almost bit you in the ass when you tripped over it on your way to post."

(I know you're going to get rid of that nickname now aren't you?)
 
#7 ·
I think no one should using Search.... Am I the only one around here that love to hear an echo echooooooo again and again ? :)
 
#8 ·
Kat, if everyone did search, then what will we have left to talk about? Now even the "how to search topic" is searchable. And even the topic that "there is no topic left to discuss" is searcheable. Marital advice? Hey, can't do that too, oh wait, it was deleted, yes we can. Nevermind.


Sent from my iPhone using BimmerApp
 
#15 ·
This goes well with my 'Oh my gosh' thread.

Let's stop flooding this forum with irrelevant unoriginal crap.

Original crap I can tolerate.. :D

Sent from my BMW Approved© HTC Desire using BimmerApp
 
#17 ·
tl:dr
 
#18 · (Edited)
Uggh! This facking place is looking more and more like the 'other' forum.

Just take a look at these thread topics!

- angel eyes... how to ?
- Best roof spoiler installment?
- black rims
- 335xi + Dinan Stage 2...about as good as it gets
- 335i resonator delete (sound)
- mods
- Smoked clutch at 4,400 miles?
The underage 2nd, 3d, and 4th hand 'mod squad' is here. Great...

This is the result of the affordablity threshold going down for these cars. I can't wait to upgrade.
 
#20 ·
I stuck this thread earlier today. Let's see if the readers find it useful.

- Mike
 
#21 ·
Thanks, Mike. Thought it was worth a shot.
 
#24 ·
I say Kat Deserves to be a moderator. :thumbup: Help clean this place up and maybe merge all the redundant HPFP and 'I ordered my car with halogens and want to retrofit xenons' threads
 
#26 ·
Saint Popsicle Toes.

First, though, a miracle has to be proven. If people start using search more, I'd say that qualifies.
 
#32 ·
Are you condoning the nickname Popsicle Toes? DSX seemed mildly disapproving of it, so I took it down......:(
 
#27 ·
I thought this was well written and concise.
THe only problem with this is that it does not show a single screen shot with furby076 presented.

This is anti-furbyism and I will sue you for this! BTW can someone point me to a thread about sueing?
 
#30 ·
Which is the one which will get me a nice scarf? That's the one I want!
 
#38 ·
.
 
#41 · (Edited)
I searched and figured out for myself how to make my name purple....(more status) :thumbsup:

Saved you all the trouble.

Now if everyone else would do the same thing...
 
#42 ·
NK, I figured you'd be quite proud of my spouse for using the Bimmerfest Search Engine to find me a birthday present! She said Bimmerfest helped her and I asked "Who" it was that helped her out, figuring she made up a username and asked a question. Her reply: "Not sure, I just used the search button." :wow:

I hope this guest user serves as an inspiration to others. :angel:
 
#43 ·
Happy Birthday, CDub!

So what did she end up getting for you?

ps: thanks for the proof that search really does work :thumbup:
 
#44 ·
The Bimmerfest Search helped her find some reasonably priced driving shoes. I always joked I'd get some and I definitely do have pairs of shoes I vastly prefer to drive in than others, but now I have some dedicated ones (Puma Speed Cats). The name alone is worth the price of admission, though it's a tossup between the Drift Cats and the Speed Cats, lol!

She gave those to me in addition to a gift certificate to participate in 4-5 hour driving event through the backroads of Texas with exotic vehicles, including a Ferrari F430, Audi R8, Lambo Gallardo, and maybe a 911 Turbo. :yummy: Can't wait! Shooting for a mid to late June weekend. :thumbup:
 
#45 ·
Driving shoes???? Pics or it didn't happen!

Happy birthday c-dub
 
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