[uucdigest] Wednesday, July 9 2003 Volume 03 : Number 6555
_________________________________________________________________ | | Search the ARCHIVES: | http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] | | Visit Richard Nott's Ultimate BMW Database: | http://www.bmwdatabase.com | | For all available Digest commands including unsubscribe/subscribe, | visit the BMW UUC Digest page: http://www.uucdigest.com | | Send SUBMISSIONS to [EMAIL PROTECTED] | Complaints? Send 'em to [EMAIL PROTECTED] if you must. | Technical Problems? Send 'em to [EMAIL PROTECTED] |__________________________________________________________________ In this BMW UUC Digest: RE: dealer surveys - was RE: [uuc] X5 won us over in the end. [uuc] You can be charged for having bald tires on your BMW [none] RE: [uuc] Overheated e36 Re: [uuc] FX45/35 vs X5, etc. RE: dealer surveys - was RE: [uuc] X5 won us over in the end. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2003 23:10:29 -0400 From: "KMS - Brett Anderson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: RE: dealer surveys - was RE: [uuc] X5 won us over in the end. I should add to this..... > When all is said and done, the survey is how the dealer gets feedback, and > you really should fill it out honestly. The survey does not strictly refer to the immediate moment that you purchased the vehicle. If you had a problem, and the problem was solved, or if you had an issue, and it was addressed, then the survey should reflect the outcome, not the initial contact. Brett Anderson KMS ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2003 23:19:01 -0400 From: "Dennis Liu" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [uuc] You can be charged for having bald tires on your BMW fyi... vty, - --Dennis ___________________ http://www.ajc.com/wednesday/content/epaper/editions/wednesday/metro_f3b06b1 a35cda0b600cc.html DA says he will charge parents in teen crash Beth Warren - Staff Wednesday, July 9, 2003 Gwinnett District Attorney Danny Porter said Tuesday he will file misdemeanor charges this week against the parents of a teenager who is accused of causing a fatal wreck. Porter said he will charge the parents with the misdemeanor of allowing their daughter to drive a car that he claims had bald tires and worn brakes. The couple's daughter, Wendy Nicole Jennings, 16, lost control of the family's BMW March 7 while driving at speeds over 90 mph in a 55 mph zone on Peachtree Parkway in Gwinnett, according to police. The BMW crossed the grass median, rammed a Honda Accord headed in the opposite direction and then flipped before landing on the Honda, according to police reports. The teen's passenger, Jacob Miller, 17, and the Honda driver, Julia Burns, 61, died in the wreck. Jennings and the driver of a car police say was racing Jennings will each be charged with two counts of felony first-degree vehicular homicide, reckless driving and racing, Porter said. Porter said he also plans to charge Jennings' parents, Cheryl and Christopher Jennings, with permitting the unlawful operation of a vehicle, a misdemeanor, because they were aware of her driving history. Neighbors previously had complained to the parents after seeing the teen zipping through their neighborhood, Gwinnett police investigator W.A. Newman said. The parents could face up to two years behind bars and up to a $10,000 fine if convicted on both misdemeanor charges, Porter said. Neither the Jennings parents nor their attorney, Walt Britt, could be reached for comments Tuesday after repeated attempts. In charging the parents, Porter is citing a state law that forbids car owners from allowing others to drive an unsafe vehicle. But persuading a jury to convict the parents could be a challenge, said Atlanta defense attorney Jack Martin, who is not associated with this case. "I think a jury would be unlikely to convict on bald tires alone," Martin said. John Bobo, head of the National Traffic Law Center, said the case is unusual but could have merit. "If you had a car you knew was a death trap and allowed it to be used, then it may be a fair call" to prosecute, Bobo said. But a spokesman for the Washington-based National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers said the Gwinnett prosecutor is going too far. "I think it's a very rare case, and it should be rare," said Daniel Dodson. "It's sort of stretching the bounds of criminal justice by managing parental disciplinary decisions," Dodson said. The teenage victim's father, Richard Miller, said he and his wife hadn't allowed their son to get his own car because they didn't feel he was ready for the responsibility. "Both Wendy and Jacob were probably doing crazy teenage things" at the time of the accident, the father said. "Unfortunately, they didn't know the car was stacked against them. "I do believe the parents should be responsible," Miller said. Jill Burns, the daughter of victim Julia Burns, was surprised to learn the district attorney was going to charge the parents. "We lost our mom, and we trust the DA will do everything possible to bring us justice," Burns, 33, said. On Tuesday, Porter identified for the first time Susan Osley, 17, of Atlanta, as the driver accused of racing alongside Jennings. Osley, also driving a BMW, did stop after realizing there had been a wreck and she cooperated with police, her attorney, Christine Koehler, said. But Osley didn't tell police she had been racing with Jennings until after police got more details from witnesses days later, police said. Osley is expected to turn herself in next week, her attorney said. The average sentence in Gwinnett for vehicular homicide involving one death is about 8 1/2 years, the prosecutor said. Wendy Jennings will face the same charges as Osley. Porter said he will file a motion asking a Juvenile Court judge to transfer the charges against Jennings to Gwinnett Superior Court so she can be tried as an adult. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2003 20:25:48 -0700 (PDT) From: Neil Deshpande <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [none] Paul: If you survey is anonymous, be honest. If it is not, do what will get you the best service down the line. Based on what I know of car dealerships, I would take that tack. When I was consulting, we got surveys back from our customers and I always appreciated the negative comments and such as they were constructive. However, not all engineers were like that and I imagine even fewer car salesmen are. Neil Deshpande *** From: paul t <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> anyway, i did get the survey from nissan about a week later, and it's still sitting on my desk right now, i'm debating on whether to fill it out or not because i still get pissed thinking about the salesman. but after reading "...a few freebies will make you more likely to give them all five's on the survey..." maybe i should give a call to the dealer letting them know that i have the survey and was very disappointed with the salesman, what would you do for me to fill out this survey to all perfect??? would this be wrong? (blackmail?) especially since it's after the sale? or should i just not fill it out because they would not like it if i fill that out with honest answers. what would you guys do/have done? i know this is non-BMW related, but just thought i'd see what you guys think since it's related topic. thanks paul ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2003 23:28:52 -0400 From: "KMS - Brett Anderson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: RE: [uuc] Overheated e36 Pull the water pump, a job you should have done the day you picked up the car. My bet is, if anything resembling an impeller is still there, it's cracked so badly that it is no longer turning with the pulley. Replace the pump, replace the thermostat and housing, replace the radiator, and you'll be fine for another 10 years. (assuming you didn't cook the engine) Both hoses hot is not an indication of a closed thermostat, one hot, one cold is. Both hot means thermostat was doing it's job, but there was no circulation. Replace the thermostat because it will not be reliable after severe overheat. Brett Anderson KMS > -----Original Message----- > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Rick Cardinal > My '95M3 67k miles, had it two months, overheated on the way home today. > My ex-wife had several such failures in her '93 325i. > My turn. I didn't notice the gauge all the way over, it's blocked my the > wheel, until I had been on the highway for about 5 minutes. I pulled > over, coolant was leaking/spraying thru the cap. Fan running, both hoses > hot, so I assume the thermostat is not stuck closed. > I let it sit for about an hour, (AAA said two hours to get a truck- rush > hour Atlanta). When the gauge was back to 12 o'clock, I topped up the > overflow to a little over the cold mark with water. > Then I slowly got back on the highway to see how far I could get. Not > far, within a minute, the temp went right back up again. It took me > another two minutes or so to find a place to pull over, and right as I > did, I heard a pop and I killed the motor. The driver's side radiator > POS plastic hose connector broke. > So, some advice folks. Hopefully I don't have any head damage, I realize > it's a possibility. > But what do you guys think caused this? The famous POS water pumps they > put in these? I don't know if it has the newer style or not. But the > mileage is right where this crap starts. > So do I try to fix the radiator, or just get a new one? Damn thing looks > new. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2003 23:35:59 -0400 From: "Michael Lawrence" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: [uuc] FX45/35 vs X5, etc. Wow, I had about the exact same experience at the Infinity dealer too. I was totally underwhelmed by both FX35 and 45. I have to say the Murano really impressed me. Might have been expecting great things out of the FX vehicle, so I was disappointed. I expected the Murano to be a POS and it was a good vehicle, especially for the money. And we drove this right after driving a Cayenne S, which is priced about 3x more than it is worth, horrible cheap interior, bouncy ride, total and complete disappointment. Did notice it had a BMW exit handle though. As to the dealers, The Nissan salesman was good, I told him upfront I was just looking, wanted to drive, "call me if you want to buy in the future" The way it should be Infinity was over the top. The FX would be the vehicle god drives when he gets here, according to them. The bit about driving to a BMW dealer to compare would have been worth the laughs, as I firmly believe the X5 4.4 is still far better than any other SUV. Porsche Dealer was the worst. The salesmen's basically told us that if we didn't buy today, it sucks to be us poor idiotic fools who didn't. They were going to be sold out for months and months blah blah blah, funny to see about 30 Cayennes sitting on the lot now, 3 months later. Mike - ----- Original Message ----- From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Wednesday, July 09, 2003 9:38 PM Subject: [uuc] FX45/35 vs X5, etc. > > > I write: > > Actually, I drove both the FX35 and 45 back-to-back a few months ago. To me they were both thoroughly unimpressive and not worth the money. Might as well buy a Nissan Murano - which (no matter what the salesman tried to tell us) is basically the same vehicle. I know the platform's supposedly different, but try telling that on the road. > > The funniest thing was that we said we were comparing it to the X5 and the salesman wanted to drive the FX45 down to the local Bimmer dealer and tell the BMW salesman that we were comparing vehicles and he should let us do a side-by-side demo and he would show how the BMW would lose in every category. I almost took him up on it just to see the look on the BMW salesman's face when he said that to him. > > - John S. > > > Lee wrote: > > > I hear the FX45 is really the gem...pretty light on it's feet with 300+ hp. > > I know these look a little strange, but I kinda like it. > > Then Ben wrote: > > actually the car magazine reviews that I've read say that the FX35 is > really only marginally less desireable than the FX45. the 45 may have > the larger motor & a bit (35) more hp, but it's also $10k more > expensive and several hundred lbs heavier as well. and it's > only marginally faster. > > > _______________________________________________ > Join Excite! - http://www.excite.com > The most personalized portal on the Web! ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2003 23:39:28 -0400 From: "Bill Matthews" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: RE: dealer surveys - was RE: [uuc] X5 won us over in the end. On Behalf Of KMS - Brett Anderson > > Don't ask the dealer for any favours before filling out the survey. > > Simply get an appointment to see the Dealer Principal. Take the > survey with > you, and sit down with him and ask him "Can you h*lp me fill this out, > because I have a issue with <list of what you didn't like>" > > This then puts it on him to make you happy. If he offers you > goodies, then > he's doing so without you being "the asshole that asked for them". > > When all is said and done, the survey is how the dealer gets feedback, and > you really should fill it out honestly. There are comment lines, > where you > can explain your reason for whatever selection you make, so fill > it out and > give them the feedback they claim to want. > > Brett Anderson > KMS This only works if the Sales Manager and GM of the dealer are not the problems you are having to deal with. My wife and I almost walked on an MBZ deal for a new car for her that she had ordered and waited four months for because the GM chose not to honor something that had been written in the contract. "Chose" being the operative word here. In the end we took the car because it was the one she wanted, the dealer could turn around and sell it off the floor without the discount we had for more money so we weren't hurting him by walking and I could "cure" their refusal myself for less than $50 and 10 minutes work. Can you tell we are working on "principal of it" here? Before we finally picked up the car, the salesman asked what they could do to make it right. I knew I could walk in and say knock another $500 off the car and they would do it but I was not going to give the SOBs the out of buying us off and assuaging their conscience (if they had one). So at closing we let the salesman know about our dissatisfaction with his management, not him, and that would be reflected in the survey. We filled out a local dealer survey that included questions about honesty of the dealership with negative comments, filled out the appropriate negative comments on the MB-USA survey with zero's and my wife wrote a letter I didn't think she had in her to the QA manager whose name and address were on the questionnaire detailing her point of view and copying in the GM of the dealership. What did we get out of it? The GM had to write an obviously weasel letter justifying his stand to us and the MB-USA QA Manager. Worth $500? Was to me. And even if they have branded us as the local crazies, when we bring it in for service it may actually help. What was the problem in the contract? A seat belt extension and/or longer seat belt. Bill Matthews Hockessin DE 00 M Geeze some Volvos and an MBZ ------------------------------ End of [uucdigest] V3 #6555 *************************** | | In memory of Michel Potheau - friend, enthusiast, founder of the BMW CCA. |________________________________________ | Please visit these UUC-approved BMW parts vendors/service providers: | (listed alphabetically) | | Autoscope-Motorsports - http://www.autoscope-motorsports.com | |==================================================== | | Koala MotorSport . BMW technical information, special tool sales/rental | http://www.koalamotorsport.com | |==================================================== | | Taylor BMW - http://www.taylorbmw.com - Doc Bimmer! | |==================================================== | Turner Motorsport Inc . 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