Sep 30th, 2010
BMW of North America is submitting a letter to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) this week announcing a voluntary recall of approximately 198,000 V8 and V12-powered BMW 5 Series, 6 Series, 7 Series, and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars models produced between the 2002 and 2010 model years. In the affected vehicles, a leak may develop in the power braking system, potentially causing a vacuum loss and consequent reduction of power braking assistance. Mechanical braking is still available to slow and stop the vehicle. There has been no report of accidents or injuries.
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Mar 5th, 2010
While this editorial has been in the works since late last year, I have refrained from publishing it until now- to better coincide with the official public unveiling of the the 2011 F10 BMW 5 Series.
BMW since the 1970′s has had separate classes of sedans based mainly on size and the level of luxury. This was even true through the late 80′s and 90′s when BMW was accused of producing “the same sausage at different lengths”. The 3 Series has always been the smaller sportier car with less luxury and available options while the flagship sedan was the posh 7 Series. The 7 exuded class and luxury. It was loaded with latest exclusive technologies and ultra premium materials while providing its clientele with copious quantities of space both in the passenger compartment and luggage area. The 5 Series has always been somewhere in the middle in terms of size, luxury and available technology.
Looking at the current 3 series (E90: 2005- current), the current 5 (E60: 2003- until this June), and the last generation 7 series (E65: 2002-2009) it is hard for most to discern the shared design language let alone shared components. Chris Bangle led the revolution to change the look of BMWs, “We were making sausages at different lengths and management at that time and especially Chairman Eberhard von Kuenheim and technical director Wolfgang Reitzle felt we needed to break away and chart a new course for the company and the brand,” Bangle said in David Kiley’s book Driven: Inside BMW, the Most Admired Car Company in the World. Under his leadership (he did not pen the designs) each model had its own style and enough exclusive bits and pieces to make each standout as an individual. Engines, transmissions and other mechanicals were shared throughout the lineup but for the most part things went their separate ways, especially once you openned the doors and gazed at the interior.
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Feb 8th, 2010
BMWNA is substantially extending the maintenance plan on all 3, 5 and 7 Series 2007 cars to boost sales over the next two months according to a report from Automotive News. The plan will run a full 6 years or 100,000 miles according to the report. Here’s an excerpt from the Automotive News:
“The intent is to attract additional customers to BMW’s used car business who still have reservations about the reliability and overall value of certified pre-owned cars,” BMW said in a statement.
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Mar 11th, 2009
A while back we had reported BMWNA was working on publishing a list of recommended oils to be used in gasoline engines.
This was a welcomed move as oil specifics have not been listed in the owner’s manual and some people like to have an independent garage (or alone) complete a mid recommended interval oil change. Then there is the occasional need to top the engine off; it has always been a question as to whether that quart of oil, the life blood of the motor, was up to spec.
The oils listed below meet BMW’s Long-life rating and are acceptable for use in BMW Passenger vehicles and SAVs in the US market with gasoline engines. (Excludes ///M and Alpina models).
BMW Long-life rating LL-01 Approved Synthetic Oils for the US Market
For ///M or Alpina models as well as the view the BMW document here
Jul 26th, 2008
Recently the NY Times was able to spend some time with the BMW Hydrogen 7, for the most part they came away from the experienced pleased though there was one glaring issue.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has made the decision to ban the car from the Lincoln and Holland Tunnels as well as the lower level of the George Washington Bridge, this essentially makes traversing the Hudson a bit more time consuming and frustrating since there are not as many options to beat the traffic.
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Jun 25th, 2008
With the upcoming release of the next generation BMW 7 Series we thought a nice stroll down memory lane would be in order. We have compiled a brief history of the model line since the inception of the 7 moniker in 1977.
The first 7 Series followed the BMW design that was introduced in the 1977 6 Series coupe. It combined an elegant exterior along with new technical innovations. This original 7 (E23) was designed to provide the sporty handling of a BMW along with powerful refined engines in a package for the upper class of society. The initial flagship of this first 7 series was released in 1980 as the 745i. Interestingly enough the car’s designation did not indicate displacement (and many thought today’s models started that trend!) it was powered by a 3.2 litre turbo 6-cylinder engine. It was one of the performance leaders in the sedan segment at the time. Over the 9-year span it was built (1977-1986) about 280,000 of this model were produced. It was a huge success for BMW.
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Apr 1st, 2008
Next Generation H7 to run only on hydrogen. There is only one major hurdle: there is currently no public infrastructure to fill these marvels up at! It is not like your corner Shell has a hydrogen nozzle….. yet.
Woodcliff Lake, NJ – March 31, 2008… BMW announces its latest milestone in its pursuit of the hydrogen future, the BMW Hydrogen 7 mono-fuel. Based on the BMW Hydrogen 7 bi-fuel version (gasoline and hydrogen), the mono-fuel vehicle’s internal combustion engine is optimized to run solely on hydrogen and shares the performance, comfort, and safety qualities of every production BMW
7 Series. The BMW Hydrogen 7 mono-fuel will be featured at both the 2008 National Hydrogen Association Conference in Sacramento, CA (Mar. 30 – Apr. 3) and the 2008 SAE World Congress in Detroit, MI (Apr. 14 – 17).
The BMW Hydrogen 7 mono-fuel is equipped with a V12 internal combustion engine (ICE) which has been engineered to run exclusively on hydrogen . Compared with the bi-fuel version, this vehicle achieves incredibly low emissions, increased engine performance, reduced consumption and greater range.
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Mar 14th, 2008
With the upcoming New York International Auto Show the rumors we have been hearing have been numerous. Most have not been confirmed: an early release of the new 7 series model because why else would BMW be shooting brochures (and get caught) for this car already? But others have been.
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