BMW of NA has issued a recall that just began a few weeks ago at the end of March 2010. The recall is specific to year 2010 Sport Activity Vehicles, the X5 and X6 that were produced over a span of 2 days in December of 2009. Thankfully, there are only 210 of these recalled and it is related to the bonding of the windshield over a certain length that could affect stability of the roof in the event of a rollover incident.

Go to safercar.gov or nhtsa.gov for complete details on the recall.

Reportedly, some scientists at Stanford are using facets of nanotechnology to develop batteries that are made of paper and also fabric. How awesome! They are using ink made of carbon nano tubes and silver nanowires to produce a highly conductive battery that is lightweight and dependable, and bendable. Using the same idea with a nano tube ink to dye fabric they have developed a textile that can hold up to 3 times more energy than a cell phone battery.

Lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles should also see some gains in usage as a Japanese firm states that it has discovered how to make them last longer with about 10,000 recharges over 20 years. Could this be a game changer for electric vehicles?

Voyager 1 which was launched in the 70′s used nuclear batteries for all of it’s electrical needs that are due to last until 2020!

Now, this may sound like boring stuff, but, remember that your BMW battery may need to be replaced prior to the hot weather driving that will be here soon. You will want to be taking your BMW or MINI to a facility that uses a battery tester that gives accurate battery state of charge and “health” readings with printouts with documentation documentation. This way you can be sure that you are not replacing a battery prematurely.

There is a bill being considered that will most assuredly affect your future collision, (body shop) repair. It’s called H.R.3059, written by Zoe Lofgren D.-Ca, and it is being called the “Access to Repair Parts Act.”

That name makes it sound consumer friendly doesn’t it? But, the real intent and the real ramifications may prove otherwise if this law is enacted.

It basically negates patent law regarding automobile parts if the “copied” part is for used for cosmetic purposes. In other words, a producer of unlicensed automotive parts does not have to meet any quality, product safety or durability tests. The only requirement is that the “repair part” look similar!

This law will deny an inventor or a car manufacturer the ability to protect their intellectual property. The property that the car manufacturers spent millions on Research, Design, and Development and product safety testing.

Ahhh…the bad possibilities are endless. For example; just wait until a car gets repaired with a “knock-off” upholstery that sickens everyone in the car. But, hey, it “looked” just like the Original Equipment. Who gets to decide whether it’s just a cosmetic part? A side panel that is a copy, made of a lesser grade of steel?

Let’s take a guess what Lobbyists are pushing this one? Who benefits from this? Could it be the Insurance Companies? A politician or two? Oh, let’s guess. “Our insurance rates will go down….” Is anyone else getting tired of that old line?

At this point, it is in the House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary. It’s not too late to find out more about this and contact your Representative. You might even think it’s a good idea. Either way, you might want to make your voice heard.

Is an Oil Filter, just an Oil Filter?

There may not be a better way to protect that expensive BMW engine by following, (at minimum) the BMW scheduled oil service intervals. At our business, that will always include a high quality, German made oil filter. Not all filters are created equal. Of course, oil filters are sold cheaply at every big box parts place and even some hardware stores!

Why risk a major expense that could result from errant oil filter “stuff”, due to a cheap, poor quality oil filter? An inferior cheap filter may deform upon installation resulting in the passage being obstructed and basically, the oil not being filtered! The cheap oil filter media may also come apart or disintegrate causing additional issues.

Specific for your BMW, (or MINI), the quality German made oil filter is going to protect your BMW from engine contaminants and debris that can wear, and/or result in damage to that beautiful engine.

It would be more profitable for us to use the cheap stuff, (and profit does sound pretty good right now)! But, that is not the way we have been doing it for the past 29 years plus. We aren’t going to start now and hope that you won’t either, just for the sake of a few dollars.

Happy Spring and enjoy your ride!

According to the national figures from the Better Business Bureau, the largest number of complaints by consumers in 2009 was regarding cell phones, cable companies, and service plans, (that makes it number 1). What is nice to see, is that Auto Service and Repair is all the way down to number 10 on that list. Yeah. That is good news for our industry and also, you the consumer.

As more and more States take actions to regulate the repair facilities across the country, the industry has at minimum improve how it communicates with customers. In recent history there were/are some States, that did not require written estimates for consumers! We can remember going to a national training session and meeting shop owners from Texas, many who were still doing business without a written estimates and only a handshake. That may have worked in a different time and era, when your daily driver had about 1/5 of the parts that it now compromises. That was prior to the sophisticated piece of machinery that is now your modern BMW, with multiple millions of code and computers.

Maybe there are less complaints, because there are less of the untrained, uneducated and/or incompetent actually performing work on your automobile? Maybe because this business has become more and more difficult and expensive to operate? Maybe all of the above.

BMW is adding 200 jobs at the Spartanburg plant. It’s only 200 jobs, but considering the lingering high unemployment numbers across the U.S., this is a good thing.

Did you know that the Spartanburg plant draws methane gas from a local landfill to power about 25% of it’s energy needs? A cogeneration facility produces electricity and hot water for the plant, putting that methane to work.

Tire rotation should be done by a professional who knows your BMW or MINI. Do you have a sport package with staggered fitment? That means that your front and rear tires are different sizes. So don’t even try a front to back tire rotation! If those staggered fitment tires are also directional, you cannot rotate those from side to side, either. Just another tip to consider when you are craving a sport package on your next BMW.

How much do you really know about your tires? Leave it to a pro when it comes to something that is perceived as a simple tire rotation. A full rotation plan may not be right for your specific BMW or MINI.

Happy Motoring!

Unfortunately, the wet weather that has descended on the Bay Area has brought not just rain, but a lot of fender benders. Keep in mind that you DO have choice of where to take your BMW for body work and repairs. We are hearing frustrated consumers complain that their insurance companies are trying to get them to go somewhere other than a qualified BMW specialty shop after their BMW has been damaged in an accident. This is the kind of thing that you want to check out when you are purchasing your insurance. Read, and understand your contract so you know what your rights are.

You will probably be told that you have a guarantee or warranty with one of the insurance companies Direct Repair Shops, but, you probably have that with the repairer of your choice, also. Remember to ask!