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19 August 2004. Blog entry by
e39er.
Part deux
I checked the radiator and it was bone
dry. Emptied a 4-litre bottle of water but
it just flowed out on the other side. So
there we were, standing beside an Ultimate
Driving Machine (“UDM” – you’ll hear a lot
more of this acronym) trying to think of
names of people we could call for help.
Unfortunately it was a long weekend and
most people were out of town.
Everyone who passed by stared but no one
stopped to offer assistance. I suppose
good Samaritans are a rare breed, if not
extinct? I suspect in their hearts, the
(non-BMW) drivers were secretly happy to
see a BMW driver in a state of
helplessness. Can almost hear them say
“Good for you, you BMW driver!” After all,
BMW drivers are supposed to be an
obnoxious and inconsiderate bunch!
Thank God for the faithful BMW helpline -
although their initial advise was to ask
me to drive 80 Km to the nearest service
centre!?! To cut a long story short,
managed to get the car towed to a workshop
and got the problem fixed. It turned out
that the whole episode was due to a broken
water jacket or plug – worn out due to
age.
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5 August 2004. Blog entry by
e39er.
My second visit to my mom’s was equally
eventful. There we (my mom and my sisters)
were, stopping at the traffic lights at a
busy junction when, suddenly, there was a
warning beep and the display read:
“Warning – Your Radiator is Dry!” or
something like that. Within a couple of
seconds, there was another warning beep
and this time it read: “Stop the Engine
IMMEDIATELY or it WILL EXPLODE!” or
something like that. I looked at the
temperature gauge and it was in the RED
zone. Luckily, the lights turned green at
that moment and I immediately drove and
parked the car by the road and switched
off the engine. Too late? Steam (or was it
smoke?) was already coming out of the
bonnet. I’ve heard that damage to the
engine is a very expensive affair. Well,
damaged done, could do nothing else but
pray. Worst of all, this was already 7pm
and it was getting dark.
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4 August 2004. Blog entry by
e39er.
Talking about 0-100 Km time, I couldn’t
believe my eyes when I clocked more than
10 seconds for my run recently. Repeated
it a few times and still couldn’t get it
below 10. According to the owner’s manual,
I should be getting 8.8 sec. OK, the
quoted time is probably more for a young
chick of a car and therefore I should
‘discount’ it a little for this ol’ lady.
But, a time of more than 10 seconds for a
2.8 liter car is really appalling,
especially when the e30 325i that
Bimmerman mentioned can do it around 7
(granted, my ride is heavier etc)! Well,
it’s time to pay the trusted doctor a
visit! A transplant, perchance?
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3 August 2004. Blog entry by
e39er.
What problems have I had with my car, I
hear you ask? Where do I begin? It’s like
being smitten with a girl on a first date
(in the pub) and after tying the knot (in
Las Vegas), you realize that there are a
lot of faults you didn’t notice. To
divorce would be an expensive affair so I
chose to live with her.
On my first trip back to visit my mom (the
weekend after the ‘wedding’), she broke
down! I was stranded, as there were no
qualified mechanics within 80 Km. Luckily
I managed to get the local mechanic to
speak to the BMW helpline (I couldn’t
understand what the person was saying). He
put up a temporary fix by unplugging some
cables and replacing some fuses (don’t ask
me which ones!). Managed to get back
without further incidents and I drove
straight to the workshop. Problem: the
Engine Control Unit or the heart. So I
guess you could say that my lady has had a
change of heart!
I shall continue with the chronicles of my
adventure with my e39…
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28 July 2004. Blog entry by
e39er.
I finally did it. In a moment of weakness,
lost control of myself and made a
spur-of-the-moment decision. A decision of
the heart and not of the mind. I will have
to live with the consequences. Will I live
to regret this? Bliss? Pain? Yes, I have my
share of those. I will share my experiences
in this pages – how I was seduced and
surrendered to the inevitable. In case you
are wondering, I am referring to my purchase
of a used (or the politically correct term –
“pre-owned”) ultimate driving machine – an
E39 528i BMW.
Some ladies mature more gracefully than
others. Teutonic beauties are known to age
very well and this case, the age of the lady
hardly showed. In fact, if not for a few
minor blemishes, the car could pass for a 1
or 2-year-old. But in reality she is much
older and probably already in the late
fifties in human years. Born in 1996,
brought to a foreign land and sold in 1997.
Her first owner loved her and took good care
of her, only sending her to the best
professionals for treatment. However, age
has taken its toll - some of her joints were
creaking, the skin was all wrinkly, some
parts rattle and don’t fit properly… I could
find more faults with her but why should I,
when I derive so much pleasure just looking
at her, especially after a good bath and
rub. Taking her for a ride is something I
look forward to everyday.
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