Cars & Bikes, Driving & Riding

Postby **NTP66** » Wed Jul 31, 2019 1:16 pm

Got in my car and drove it about 300 yards to the Subway in the plaza near work, and when I came back out with my sandwich the card wouldn't start. Battery is good because everything comes on, but it doesn't even try to turn over.

Do you hear the starter spinning if you open the hood and listen, almost like a whirring sound?

Postby **Kane** » Wed Jul 31, 2019 1:37 pm

Got in my car and drove it about 300 yards to the Subway in the plaza near work, and when I came back out with my sandwich the card wouldn't start. Battery is good because everything comes on, but it doesn't even try to turn over.
Do you hear the starter spinning if you open the hood and listen, almost like a whirring sound?

Not sure yet - I walked back to the office to cool down before I start digging around in it. I'm going back over to check the fuses in a little bit, and then go from there.

Postby **Kane** » Wed Jul 31, 2019 2:20 pm

Got in my car and drove it about 300 yards to the Subway in the plaza near work, and when I came back out with my sandwich the card wouldn't start. Battery is good because everything comes on, but it doesn't even try to turn over.
Do you hear the starter spinning if you open the hood and listen, almost like a whirring sound?

Went back over, and after a two second pause of nothing, it started right up. Taking it home before I turn it off again, though.

Postby **AuthorTony** » Wed Jul 31, 2019 6:43 pm

Went back over, and after a two second pause of nothing, it started right up. Taking it home before I turn it off again, though.

I had a Mustang do that once. Only the one time and never again.

Postby **Kane** » Wed Jul 31, 2019 6:50 pm

It's been fine ever since. Just got back from a beer and snack run.

Postby **NTP66** » Thu Aug 01, 2019 3:52 pm

My parents are on their way to Hilton Head with my niece and nephew in tow, and their BMW overheated in Virginia. Bad water pump, and they won't be able to even look at it until tomorrow. I don't know why they insist on making that drive, but given that they've had car issues the last three trip in a row (flat tires in 2017 and 2018, and now the pump), maybe they'll finally consider just flying down and renting a car.

Postby **DigitalGypsy66** » Thu Aug 01, 2019 4:00 pm

Ugh, it's going to put them in SC on Saturday morning, at best. The traffic from the I-26/95 interchange is awful this time of the year. It will be bumper to bumper from there, all the way down to the Coosawhatchie exit. Good luck and God Bless. If they stop near Florence, SC, I can give some solid restaurant recommendations.

Fortunately, it was a idle pulley tensioner belt that was worn out. $155 instead of $400 for an alternator. I'm not sure that's what I heard though, but we'll see.

Postby **NTP66** » Thu Aug 01, 2019 4:04 pm

He's being a putz and going to Enterprise to look for a bigger car, because he doesn't think a Fusion is big enough, since they brought down so much **** in their trunk. I think he's wrong, but either way, they'll be back on the road in the next hour or so as they have a hotel reservation tonight in SC. They'll make the short commute to HHI tomorrow morning.

Postby **DigitalGypsy66** » Thu Aug 01, 2019 4:07 pm

Glad they aren't going to wait to get it fixed. That would suck. Rental car makes sense.

Postby **NTP66** » Thu Aug 01, 2019 4:08 pm

The BMW down there apparently has no loaner cars available, which is surprising to me. I thought that was one of the things they say makes them stand out.

Postby **Kane** » Thu Aug 01, 2019 4:29 pm

That same thing happened to my folks caravan when we moved to Indy. It blew on the highway and the power steering went out. Luckily it was near an exit with a Firestone and a hotel. They were able to replace it by lunch the next day.

Postby **NTP66** » Thu Aug 01, 2019 4:31 pm

My dad called the service manager at his BMW dealership to see if he could pull some strings and get some info. This shop will do the work tomorrow, but it definitely won't be ready until at least late Friday and probably Saturday morning.

Postby **mac5155** » Fri Aug 02, 2019 9:06 pm

My parents are on their way to Hilton Head with my niece and nephew in tow, and their BMW overheated in Virginia. Bad water pump, and they won't be able to even look at it until tomorrow. I don't know why they insist on making that drive, but given that they've had car issues the last three trip in a row (flat tires in 2017 and 2018, and now the pump), maybe they'll finally consider just flying down and renting a car.

Brutal. That's probably a thousand dollar job on a BMW too.

Postby **NTP66** » Sat Aug 03, 2019 5:16 am

Well, it gets worse. They have to repair some oil seals, as well, so it’s about a $3500 job. I’ve been trying to get him to just sell the car because it’s absurd to maintain unless you’re doing the work yourself. He doesn’t want to listen, so whatever.

Postby **Kane** » Sat Aug 03, 2019 8:09 am

BTW, my FIL thinks it's the starter solenoid. Haven't had any issues since, but I think my o2 sensor also needs replaced.

Postby **NTP66** » Sat Aug 03, 2019 9:44 am

5AF got the starter solenoid bug, eh?

Postby **DigitalGypsy66** » Sat Aug 03, 2019 12:57 pm

My parents have two BMWs, and they pay hundreds if not thousands a month on maintenance. One is 2014 X5, the other is an 2008 535. The X5 has cost more money in just under 5 years than the sedan in 11. SC built...hmmmm.

Postby **dodint** » Sat Aug 03, 2019 1:28 pm

I still say I am the luckiest BMW owner in history if these anecdotes are to be believed. I flog mine on a racetrack and it still gets me to work and back. And it's 17 years old with 170k miles.

Postby **NTP66** » Sat Aug 03, 2019 4:29 pm

His is a 2012 (give or take a year or two) 535xi. He swears it’s not awful to maintain in terms of cost, but he’s just lying to himself. Hell, he still goes to the dealer for a majority of the work.

Postby **dodint** » Sat Aug 03, 2019 4:50 pm

We had a 2008 535xi. The only notable item we had was one of the transfer cases going. The car was 8 years old at that point and over 100k. Cost of replacement was $4500.

Postby **NTP66** » Sat Aug 03, 2019 4:53 pm

I think he’s got 90k or so miles on his. Do you know if parts are that much more expensive on the newer generations?

Postby **dodint** » Sat Aug 03, 2019 5:27 pm

Could be. Mechanical parts shouldn't change much but the systems attached to them are more complex every generation.

Postby **NTP66** » Sat Aug 03, 2019 5:28 pm

The AAA shop that he was initially towed to said they didn’t have the equipment to replace the water pump on his car. I honestly don’t even know if they were telling the truth or just didn’t want to deal with it.

Postby **NTP66** » Mon Aug 05, 2019 3:36 pm

They don’t post the labor rates on my dad’s invoice from BMW, but I have to imagine that they’re absurd given the totals. $1k for the water pump install ($154 for the t-stat itself

), $900 for the valve cover gasket, and $1k for the oil filter gasket.

Postby **dodint** » Tue Aug 06, 2019 2:18 pm

What do you all think of this color combination?

The blue is top shelf, my number one pick for that platform. The tan is a little too bold for me but I think it plays with the roadster styling and compliments the blue. But the aluminum trim really clashes with the tan, I think.