Cageeaich

Dave - I'm a bit old school and suspect there is more about marketing and creating a demand regards these all singing all dancing paint protections. My 2003 E46 3.0d had superb paint right up til I sold it 18 months ago after 200K. I used conventional wax and many could not believe how good the paintwork was. Trouble now is that a) my joints don't like the work of waxing which needs doing frequently and b), I'm not sure modern paint is as good as it used to be. Hence, considering a paint protector of some sort. I've already found that if I ask too many questions to auto detailers, they go very quiet. Gtechniq did em all a big favour publishing a price list which suddenly made those prices the de facto minimum. I'm still hoping to find a detailer who is absolutely genuine and wants my business. I am sure they are out there. Have you noticed how 'write-ups' always praise the products but never critricise (objectively of course). By the way, my right foot still works perfectly and is not affected by joint aging!🤣🤣

Hi Guys. I'm spending the kids inheritance on new full blown M car next month and wanted to ceramic coat or otherwise to protect the paint. Problem is, despite Gtechniq claims of 'five' or 'nine' years protection, CSL with EXO on an existing small M car from new appeared to wear off and need redoing in less than a year. The implied warranty is totally subjective and virtually useless (£1500 paid in less than a year). So not terribly confident about any product. Waxing was 'wot I done' in the old days but its a lot of grief. The new M car will be used regularly and not stuck in the garage for Sunday outings. Titan coatings has been mentioned but this outfit keeps everything very close and impossible to find out about. Other brands make claims which appear not to be supported by evidence and guarantees are .......??? Most petrolheads who have their car Gtechniq'd rant about it when first done. They are less complimentary after 18 months. Any thoughts or suggestions? I don't really want to plastic film the car.

Here's a tip for those hunting cheaper insurance. Check out the discounts offered to members of some unions or employment groups. CSMA (civil service and local govt) link with LV to offer discounts of 5, 8 and sometimes 10% through their 'affinity' or 'boundless' schemes. Many can join the 'boundless' group for £28 which might pay for itself with big discount on insurance. My next car will be M5 for which I've been quoted £448. Yes, I'm ancient with full clean and advanced car license. For those younger drivers of sporty machines, Admiral seems to be keenest atm. Not such a good policy with too many questionable clauses and very sharp practicy of jacking up renewal premium every time expecting the customer to say 'bog off', 'you're having a laugh'. The price then comes back down. For comparison, my Son is quoted £2K plus for his m140i by most outfits. Admiral around £600 but he also takes their house insurance policy. Some people get on well with brokers claiming to offer special insurance to BMW owners and high performance machines etc. I've never yet found one to be any good at all and all wanted to charge me much much more than mainstream insurers. Finally, some insurers give discount for passing the IAM advanced driving test or the RoSPA advanced driving test. RoSPA advanced drivers can access the affinity / boundless LV scheme as a benefit.

CAR NOW SOLD ! This car is really for the enthusiast given it has 200,000K on the clock 😀. To the amazement of the specialist BMW garage that has looked after the messy bits, the engine, turbo and entire injection system is still original, (courtesy of 10,000 mile oil changes.....) Only engine parts replaced are starter motor, swirl flaps and part of the coolant expansion bottle assembly. New torque converter approx' 130,000. Body work in very good condition for age (no unsightly rust) with new front wings fitted couple of years ago. Never been pranged and has always been dried before garaging. Removable tow bar. All upholstery excellent with no tears, snags of 'orible stained patched in fabric. Wheels original but showing age. Light metallic green. Standard 204bhp engine remapped at 100,000 miles so probably churning out 235bhp now. Usual consumable parts replaced throughout its life and small list of advisories that seem to appear from year to year. MOT history shows incremental mileage. Current MOT until 28th May, 2019. I have all bills since 2003. This drives exceptionally well giving the surge typical of the five speed auto that is not felt in current 8 speeders. Location East Devon. Currently sorned. All offers considered - buyer collects.

Trevor - it seems we are of a kindred spirit in some ways. Yes, Wiscombe Park is very close along with Charmouth Hill Climb though as yet, I've taken the 335 up Wiscombe hill just once with my wife trying to find the brake peddle on her side much of the time................. She loves the BMWs but not too keen on pushing too much and wants to be in MY seat!!!! Having passed my IAM test in '79 (yes, last century for the younger readers), I'm now working to take the RoSpa version. I'm trying to explore ways in which insurance companies can be persuaded to look at advanced drivers again with a view to encouraging younger drivers to benefit from advanced driving passes in terms of reduced insurance. The IAM as an institution is not interested in this position; it has other fish to fry. Unfortunately, when organisations get into bed with a service provider, the intrinsic benefits frequently become more important to the organisation than the wider extrinsic benefits. The motor industry desperately needs to get many many more advanced drivers out there................... I'm thinking of starting a post/forum/discussion on advanced driving in the context of younger drivers. Any words of advice? Do you think the membership might be interested? Best wishes. Keith

Hi fellow BMW drivers. As newbie, I see the custom is to introduce oneself - so here goes. As a Devonian, I am some way from any accessible circuits so get little opportunity to really push my car(s). If I can ever get like minded people together, perhaps I'll book Castle Combe or similar for a morning or afternoon. Done a few track days using supplied kit with the operation at Bedford Aerodrome being the best sorted - just loved the track M4s. Been on my BMW journey since 2003 with my first E46 330dse touring, the furthest in the picture - to be sold in due course. This has done over 200,000 but is still on original engine with only starter motor and swirl flaps replaced. Fantastic machine but now a little tired so replaced by the 335X. I'm a little puzzled by some of the forum posts which talk of turbo and injector problems etc on cars with much much lower miles - perhaps this is down to how the car's been looked after..... The third car is as you will recognise, a M140 with a little attention to height etc. When the time is right, we might play a little putting the 335 and M140 head to head.... Another passion I have is trying to get young people to enjoy the performance of their car from an advanced driving perspective. Advanced driving does not have to be dull and can be made attractive to youngsters. It's just a pity insurers do not recognise passing the advanced test as well as they used to when I was a very young driver. 20% discount at 19 years old was a massive attraction then! To all the posters on all the forums, keep up the good work and thank you for the answers and responses. Hope I can help out someone here as well.