[armanm]

Hey guys so recently my 535i was involved in a little accident, about $8k of damage to be exact. So I wanted to take this time to review the car a little as it has been exactly one year since I have had ownership. I will also be doing a little review on the rent-a-car I have to hold me over until she’s out of the body shop.

Given that the rent-a-car is a 2016 Nissan Sentra I am in no way comparing the two, just stating some observations.

Let’s start with the Nissan. Overall it is a nifty little car, underpowered yes but still fun to drive. For the small size overall it has a pretty spacious interior. The leg room in the back is bigger than my F10 which honestly surprised me. The driver’s seat isn’t as isolated as in the F10. What I mean is the F10 in a sense separates the driver from the front passenger in terms of seating and the center console. The car is underpowered but as I said it is fun to drive, I constantly find myself trying to shift the lever to the left to engage DS mode, but surprisingly it has a sport button to the left of the steering wheel. One odd observation was that the gears really hold high and I constantly hear the engine revving, I don’t know if it is my heavy foot or if the engine has an issue. Also when going up a hill I have to shift into the low gear to get it going or it begins to stall a little. I would imagine people trash these cars maybe that is why the engine behavior seems odd to me.

On another note I found it hard to adjust too at the beginning because the car doesn’t slow down once your foot is off of the brake, it coasts almost continuously and requires driver input for the most part to get it to slow down. I found myself almost rear-ending a few people. I don’t know if it’s due to the size of the F10 or the fact that it is rear wheel drive, or if it is the transmission design that makes the F10 start slowing down rapidly once your foot is off the gas pedal. I used to work for BMW as a product genius and most first-time BMW customers would come back after a few days or so saying that their car slows down rapidly once they ease off the gas. Maybe that is why BMW’s have poor MPG’s. One of the biggest differnces I found between the Nissan and the F10 was the almost smooth feeling in the Nissan when driving over uneven road or cracks and potholes. I find that the Nissan is almost floating on air and doesn’t really hurt your back when you go over a bump or over a pothole. The F10 is a bigger car but it is also rough over certain surfaces.
Some things I found out of the ordinary on the Nissan included no dipping mirror on the right, which I have come to love in my F10. The bluetooth system is a little strange, it is difficult to make calls from the car and I resort to physically dialing it on my phone. Another issue I found was that it is not possible to open the trunk from the key fob if the car is already unlocked, I don’t know if the car is designed that way or if there is some other issue at hand.

Okay, enough of the boring things. Now let me shift my focus to the F10:

Today is the 5th day I am without my car and each passing hour makes me that much more impatient to have her back. BMW is a special car, there is a lot of detail and thought put into each and every model that makes it stand out from the rest. I find that it has many conveniences that make it almost impossible to drive other cars, whether its an Audi, Merc, or any other luxury brand. I find the F10 to be the best BMW out there in terms of having luxury and sport. I have always loved the F10 even way before I leased one, during the three years I had an F30 I couldn’t help but count down the days til my lease expired to upgrade. The LED lights really complete the car when you look head on and they make it stand out from other cars in its class. Yes the car is big and bulky and sometimes slow coming off corners but it an absolute joy to drive. Now with the G30 hitting dealers in a few months I am kind of glad that it at least resembles the F10 a little, almost like an LCI of the current LCI.
I cannot state the number of times I have received compliments on my car (its Alpine white with black nappa in M sport). The M-sport is truly a night and day difference and really completes the look of the car, along with those sexy angel eyes. Oh and did I mention how wonderful those LED’s illuminate the road and how much of a life saver the fog lights are when making a turn. I have driven quite a few other cars that are in the same class as the F10 but none come close to it, in my opinion, in terms of the ride and the looks, and the sheer pleasure and joy that comes along with it. I have said it and will say it again: it’s the small stuff that BMW pays attention to that make it such a wonderful car.


Now I know not everyone will agree with me, or what I am saying, but these are the reasons why the F10 is such a wonderful car. Now I hope when the G30 M550xi comes out I can obtain one and do a little comparison to the F10.

In the meantime while my car is in the shop I have ordered some double slat, M5 style, grills with the M colors directly painted on (without the M5 logo), in gloss black. Im looking to also purchase a carbon fiber rear spoiler and a carbon fiber front diffuser, and maybe a cat-back later on.

On a side note I happened to drop by the body shop, after hours, to get a peak at my car. It was sitting amongst another F10 and an F01 with the bumper removed along with the right side headlight. Counting down the days til this is over and I can return to the sheer driving pleasure of owning an F10.

[ThaiBruin]

You have almost the exact same damage as I had a month ago. Though I only had my car for a month. It was a bit torturous driving around in a 2016 Corolla, but i eventually learned to like it for what it was ( I had it for about 8 days). Of course, I felt completely different once I got back into my F10. Are they replacing your LED? Mine was cracked so they had to replace it. Over $2k for just one housing. Thank goodness for insurance.

[armanm]

Originally Posted by ThaiBruin

You have almost the exact same damage as I had a month ago. Though I only had my car for a month. It was a bit torturous driving around in a 2016 Corolla, but i eventually learned to like it for what it was ( I had it for about 8 days). Of course, I felt completely different once I got back into my F10. Are they replacing your LED? Mine was cracked so they had to replace it. Over $2k for just one housing. Thank goodness for insurance.

Yes, they are. Mine has a crack on the edge. But they aren't replacing with oem. It's an lkq part. It's about $1200. Compared to oem at $2200

[ezaircon4jc]

Originally Posted by armanm

...I don’t know if it’s due to the size of the F10 or the fact that it is rear wheel drive, or if it is the transmission design that makes the F10 start slowing down rapidly once your foot is off the gas pedal. I used to work for BMW as a product genius and most first-time BMW customers would come back after a few days or so saying that their car slows down rapidly once they ease off the gas. Maybe that is why BMW’s have poor MPG’s......

It's the alternator strategy. Engaging the alternator puts a load on the engine slowing the car. It's somewhere in the manual, IIRC. My 535i gets EXCELLENT mileage! I can easily average over 30mpg on the highway without even trying; which ain't half bad for a car with the weight and power of the 535i. I'm confident I could approach 40mpg going easy on the fun pedal! I've had 4-bangers that didn't get as good economy as my Bimmer.

[ezaircon4jc]

Originally Posted by armanm

Yes, they are. Mine has a crack on the edge. But they aren't replacing with oem. It's an lkq part. It's about $1200. Compared to oem at $2200

Whose insurance is paying? If theirs I would demand a "like" rental car and OEM replacement parts!

You're OK and that's all that really matters!

[ThaiBruin]

Originally Posted by armanm

Yes, they are. Mine has a crack on the edge. But they aren't replacing with oem. It's an lkq part. It's about $1200. Compared to oem at $2200

was this at your request? didn't know they made aftermarket adaptive LED that was a direct replacement.

[ezaircon4jc]

Originally Posted by ThaiBruin

was this at your request? didn't know they made aftermarket adaptive LED that was a direct replacement.

LKQ is a supplier of recycled factory parts. Like from a junkyard...

[ThaiBruin]

Originally Posted by ezaircon4jc

LKQ is a supplier of recycled factory parts. Like from a junkyard...

oh. so it's basically a "refurbished" headlight.

[armanm]

Originally Posted by ezaircon4jc

It's the alternator strategy. Engaging the alternator puts a load on the engine slowing the car. It's somewhere in the manual, IIRC. My 535i gets EXCELLENT mileage! I can easily average over 30mpg on the highway without even trying; which ain't half bad for a car with the weight and power of the 535i. I'm confident I could approach 40mpg going easy on the fun pedal! I've had 4-bangers that didn't get as good economy as my Bimmer.

I can do 30+ on the highway, but I do pretty much 100% city driving and I am averaging about 16 right now. I constantly drive in sport with DS and do too much downshifting.

[armanm]

Originally Posted by ezaircon4jc

Whose insurance is paying? If theirs I would demand a "like" rental car and OEM replacement parts!

You're OK and that's all that really matters!

He claimed that I hit him when I was pretty much at a stop in traffic and he was zooming by going about 25 and cut into my lane as he was in the parking lane. But once my car is fixed a third party company will look into the matter and reimburse the not at fault party the deductible.

Mind you his car has only a few scratches.