[MBrown1003]

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A good friend -- let's call him the Gentle Giant -- rents space for part of his fleet in a garage that has a lift. A few weeks after I got my car back in the US, we put my 550i up on the lift so we could check out all the stuff you don't usually see.

Here's some pictures, including a shot of one of his cars -- a 2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8 (6-speed manual).

[skoTner]

Cool... but your car needs detailing down below

[Breach]

Originally Posted by skoTner

Cool... but your car needs detailing down below

Hah, IMHO pretty pointless unless there's risk of corrosion.

[XDEEDUBBX]

like looking up the skirt of a hot woman...but i dont feel bad at all lol

[skoTner]

Originally Posted by Breach

Hah, IMHO pretty pointless unless there's risk of corrosion.

:O No no.. not pointless at all. A real car enthusiast always keeps his car shiny, and not only where people can see

[ibimmer954]

Our local BMW CCA did a "tech session" at a local dealership where they removed the bottom cover of the F10 below the engine as well. That was much more interesting. The part that probably surprised me the most was the electric steering pump. It was this tiny little thing in the front of the car. My car has IAS so it probably looks a bit different than the non-IAS car I saw on the lift. There were something like 20 screws holding the bottom cover onto the car.

The front suspension looks like complicated and fragile to me. No wonder the whole thing needs to be replaced where there's even the smallest impact on the front wheels.

[Jon D]

Originally Posted by ibimmer346

The front suspension looks like complicated and fragile to me. No wonder the whole thing needs to be replaced where there's even the smallest impact on the front wheels.

We have our fair share of bumps and potholes here in Scotland, but after 12k miles of enduring a good bit more than "the smallest impact", I'm shocked and stunned to find that I'm still on the original suspension. Guess my car must be fitted with the extra heavy duty version

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by Jon D

We have our fair share of bumps and potholes here in Scotland, but after 12k miles of enduring a good bit more than "the smallest impact", I'm shocked and stunned to find that I'm still on the original suspension. Guess my car must be fitted with the extra heavy duty version

+1

Didn't ever consider BMW suspension was fragile, may be a little complex, but that's part of what makes it a BMW.

My neighbour has an E39 535i with 212k miles on the clock and all the front suspension, very similar to the F10, is original. Just passed its statutory (MOT) test without issue. His car runs some poor roads with lots of imperfections and potholes. Possible secret... 16" wheel set with decent sidewall dimensions.

HighlandPete

[hinckley]

Mbrown, is the antique car behind your 550 a '38 Buick Eight? I saw one parked in a Cambridge shopping center garage yesterday and thought it was odd. Is it the same car?

[MBrown1003]

Originally Posted by hinckley

Mbrown, is the antique car behind your 550 a '38 Buick Eight? I saw one parked in a Cambridge shopping center garage yesterday and thought it was odd. Is it the same car?

It's a 1947 Hudson Super Eight Coupe.

[joy5]

Originally Posted by Jon D

We have our fair share of bumps and potholes here in Scotland, but after 12k miles of enduring a good bit more than "the smallest impact", I'm shocked and stunned to find that I'm still on the original suspension. Guess my car must be fitted with the extra heavy duty version

+2

11K miles on the clock and don't feel those still untouched roads since last winter = full of potholes...

Thought of parking the car at home for winter and taking the train to work instead. may be I will have to continue doing that for the rest of the 2012 until we get some pennies to fix the roads...

By the way some pics of those things I always wanted to see myself - thanks for the post.

[Rob@StrasseWheels]

Nice! Loving the Deep Sea Blue!

[MBrown1003]

Originally Posted by Rob@StrasseForged

Nice! Loving the Deep Sea Blue!

Actually, it's Carbon Black Metallic...but not a huge difference. Besides, you don't see enough of the body in the pix to really see it.

[ceb]

Originally Posted by MBrown1003

Actually, it's Carbon Black Metallic...but not a huge difference. Besides, you don't see enough of the body in the pix to really see it.

Hmmmm, I would have called it as Imperial Blue, which begs the question - why do manufacturers make they lives (and the lives of their customers) more difficult by creating colors so similar that you can't tell them apart unless the cars are right next to each other?

That said, I've never seen Carbon looking quite that blue. Amazing what different lighting can do.

[simon530d GT]

Its the blue lifting pillars reflecting off the body work affecting your color judgement.

[Blkbimmer535]

lol