BMW. Banyak Masuk Workshop.
Okay, today my MINI is admitted to the BMW workshop once again. This is the FOURTH, yes fourth time, it's gone for minor reparations in as little as six months.
Firstly, the front windscreen cracked like a whore, and had to be replaced. That took a week.
A month later, the REAR windscreen SHATTERED in Bangsar, when i was in Brabus. It just burst into a million pieces for no fucking apparent reason.
Four months after that, my window started acting up. It would wind down whenever it FELT like winding down. As of last month, it is now permanently broken. The part has to be couriered (is this even a word..) from Germany and will take at least TWO WEEKS to arrive.
That wasn't so bad, since i could still drive the car, sans window winding.
Today out of nowhere and without warning, my driver's seat became a flat bed. It reclined, and refuses to INCLINE. What the fuck. Brought it to BMW, and they said the whole seat is fucked up. They actually had the audacity to ask me if i had SHAGGED someone on the front seat. I was like...HELLO, it's a fucking MINI, not a MAYBACH.
A part has to be ordered from Germany yet AGAIN, (my window motor hasn't arrived yet either..) and i'm left MINI-less for AT LEAST two weeks.
Suffice to say i was pissed, and went up to the top to have a chat with the MD. He apologized profusely, and told me that he'd not only give me a courtesy car, but one which had only 7,000kms on the clock. And only a month old to boot. He told me that i could keep the car for as long as the MINI was being repaired.
So yeah, now i'm stuck with a Semi brand new 3 series. Which i have to say, is not so bad. It's the facelifted model with a ton of creature comfort. Even though it goes like a Rhino on stilts, it still cruises like a dream. As soon as i brought the car home, everybody wanted a piece of the action. I think everybody in my household took the car for a spin. If my nephew could reach the pedals, he'd probably be in Sepang by now.
Okay, now a small review. Firstly, the car's brakes locked up not even 5 kms from the showroom. My heart skipped a few beats, and i swear, if it wasn't for GT4, i would've gotten to know the divider much more intimately. The car just refused to brake, and the ABS shuddered, nay, FROZE in its tracks and left the car; and it's flabbergasted driver in dire need of Aku Brake Sendiri (ABS) tactics. After a few quick witted steering corrections, the car went back to its intended path, and left me a whole lot worse for the wear.
Another thing which raised an eyebrow was the fuel consumption. Dear god, this car doesn't so much as drink petrol as it PISSES itself through the exhaust system. RM 20 only got me as far as Mont Kiara and back. The MINI would've gotten me to Peru.
Niggling issues aside, the car is the embodiment of yuppieness. While it certainly doesn't have the "frontal" factor (as I call it) it has something better. The "internal" factor. You may not LOOK good driving it, but you FEEL good sitting inside it. You feel as though you could sleep your way through the drive, if not for the very undesirable effect of tumbling down a ravine and going up in a ball of flames.
The steering wheel has a tactile feel to it. The aircon vents felt solid, like it could last much longer than the dinosaurs. It FEELS good to the touch. The buttons have this springy feeling, not unlike that of other german marques. But the BMW was different. It felt just that little bit more special.
At this very moment, I'm sure many of you might be wondering why i'm swooning over a basic, bottom of the rung 3-series (did i mention that i was given the 3?) model, but believe me when i tell you that i've driven EVERY SINGLE BMW model, BAR the SIX series, and i have to say this car is right up there with the best of them. Honest. Top Trumps in the "feel good" factor.
The X3 bored me to tears in the first 5 minutes of my drive, and cost me 50 ringgit later on in the evening due to an unscheduled appointment i had to arrange, because my back had inadvertantly broken. Yes, the ride was that harsh.
The 530d, 530i, 525i and 520i are so mundane on the inside that i had to keep telling myself that i was actually in a Bavarian car, and not a Tut-Tut.
The Z4 was mesmerising. The roof was stowed away faster than you can say FOUR HUNDRED AND WHAT THOUSAND??!!
Yes the price is a total and complete turn-off. And yes, you get more boot space in Hitler's concentration camp than you do in the Z's boot. But i still loved it. It's got this brazen attitude about it. If the Z4 was an animal, it'd be a Baboon. Ugly from most angles, but colourful on the bottom.
The 735Li i had for the weekend made me feel like a king. Especially with "James" as our driver. :) I actually got teary eyed when BMW took the car back from us. Bastards. They made me feel like a cheap hooker. Lovers and leavers.
The 120i was seriously dull on the first attempt i had at manhandling the car; but suitably impressed me to more time i spent with it. It has the zest of the MINI, with the playfullness of any RWD BMW. It also has a computer which actually tells you when YOU need to be serviced. Honest.
And then we have the BMW MINI. The car that has let me down more times than i can shake a fist at, yet strangely, i am constantly reinvigorated whenever i turn the keyfob. For all it's apparent drawbacks, the MINI Cooper S, is the BEST drivers car in the world. I love it. I love love love it. I always smile so fucking wide whenever i grab the car by its gruff collars and swing it across a chicane. I am enthralled by its supercharger whining its way to the 6800 rpm cut out. I am constantly aware of my manhandles whenever i go through a semi rough patch of road.
The MINI is unforgiving, unrelenting, unreliable and unbelievably fragile. And I love it.
You want a car that doesn't break down? Buy C-class.
You want passion, character and zest?
Get a BMW. Any BMW.
It really is the Ultimate Driving Machine.
Firstly, the front windscreen cracked like a whore, and had to be replaced. That took a week.
A month later, the REAR windscreen SHATTERED in Bangsar, when i was in Brabus. It just burst into a million pieces for no fucking apparent reason.
Four months after that, my window started acting up. It would wind down whenever it FELT like winding down. As of last month, it is now permanently broken. The part has to be couriered (is this even a word..) from Germany and will take at least TWO WEEKS to arrive.
That wasn't so bad, since i could still drive the car, sans window winding.
Today out of nowhere and without warning, my driver's seat became a flat bed. It reclined, and refuses to INCLINE. What the fuck. Brought it to BMW, and they said the whole seat is fucked up. They actually had the audacity to ask me if i had SHAGGED someone on the front seat. I was like...HELLO, it's a fucking MINI, not a MAYBACH.
A part has to be ordered from Germany yet AGAIN, (my window motor hasn't arrived yet either..) and i'm left MINI-less for AT LEAST two weeks.
Suffice to say i was pissed, and went up to the top to have a chat with the MD. He apologized profusely, and told me that he'd not only give me a courtesy car, but one which had only 7,000kms on the clock. And only a month old to boot. He told me that i could keep the car for as long as the MINI was being repaired.
So yeah, now i'm stuck with a Semi brand new 3 series. Which i have to say, is not so bad. It's the facelifted model with a ton of creature comfort. Even though it goes like a Rhino on stilts, it still cruises like a dream. As soon as i brought the car home, everybody wanted a piece of the action. I think everybody in my household took the car for a spin. If my nephew could reach the pedals, he'd probably be in Sepang by now.
Okay, now a small review. Firstly, the car's brakes locked up not even 5 kms from the showroom. My heart skipped a few beats, and i swear, if it wasn't for GT4, i would've gotten to know the divider much more intimately. The car just refused to brake, and the ABS shuddered, nay, FROZE in its tracks and left the car; and it's flabbergasted driver in dire need of Aku Brake Sendiri (ABS) tactics. After a few quick witted steering corrections, the car went back to its intended path, and left me a whole lot worse for the wear.
Another thing which raised an eyebrow was the fuel consumption. Dear god, this car doesn't so much as drink petrol as it PISSES itself through the exhaust system. RM 20 only got me as far as Mont Kiara and back. The MINI would've gotten me to Peru.
Niggling issues aside, the car is the embodiment of yuppieness. While it certainly doesn't have the "frontal" factor (as I call it) it has something better. The "internal" factor. You may not LOOK good driving it, but you FEEL good sitting inside it. You feel as though you could sleep your way through the drive, if not for the very undesirable effect of tumbling down a ravine and going up in a ball of flames.
The steering wheel has a tactile feel to it. The aircon vents felt solid, like it could last much longer than the dinosaurs. It FEELS good to the touch. The buttons have this springy feeling, not unlike that of other german marques. But the BMW was different. It felt just that little bit more special.
At this very moment, I'm sure many of you might be wondering why i'm swooning over a basic, bottom of the rung 3-series (did i mention that i was given the 3?) model, but believe me when i tell you that i've driven EVERY SINGLE BMW model, BAR the SIX series, and i have to say this car is right up there with the best of them. Honest. Top Trumps in the "feel good" factor.
The X3 bored me to tears in the first 5 minutes of my drive, and cost me 50 ringgit later on in the evening due to an unscheduled appointment i had to arrange, because my back had inadvertantly broken. Yes, the ride was that harsh.
The 530d, 530i, 525i and 520i are so mundane on the inside that i had to keep telling myself that i was actually in a Bavarian car, and not a Tut-Tut.
The Z4 was mesmerising. The roof was stowed away faster than you can say FOUR HUNDRED AND WHAT THOUSAND??!!
Yes the price is a total and complete turn-off. And yes, you get more boot space in Hitler's concentration camp than you do in the Z's boot. But i still loved it. It's got this brazen attitude about it. If the Z4 was an animal, it'd be a Baboon. Ugly from most angles, but colourful on the bottom.
The 735Li i had for the weekend made me feel like a king. Especially with "James" as our driver. :) I actually got teary eyed when BMW took the car back from us. Bastards. They made me feel like a cheap hooker. Lovers and leavers.
The 120i was seriously dull on the first attempt i had at manhandling the car; but suitably impressed me to more time i spent with it. It has the zest of the MINI, with the playfullness of any RWD BMW. It also has a computer which actually tells you when YOU need to be serviced. Honest.
And then we have the BMW MINI. The car that has let me down more times than i can shake a fist at, yet strangely, i am constantly reinvigorated whenever i turn the keyfob. For all it's apparent drawbacks, the MINI Cooper S, is the BEST drivers car in the world. I love it. I love love love it. I always smile so fucking wide whenever i grab the car by its gruff collars and swing it across a chicane. I am enthralled by its supercharger whining its way to the 6800 rpm cut out. I am constantly aware of my manhandles whenever i go through a semi rough patch of road.
The MINI is unforgiving, unrelenting, unreliable and unbelievably fragile. And I love it.
You want a car that doesn't break down? Buy C-class.
You want passion, character and zest?
Get a BMW. Any BMW.
It really is the Ultimate Driving Machine.
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