[whatheheck]

Here you go for sharing in case some of you folks are not aware of this.

1) When I get done driving my beast- then I park it inside my garage - FYI, I always pop the hood open.

Why:

The engine cools down more efficiently.

It allows the engine heat to escape more rapidly.

It stops the heat emitted by the engine from cooking all the plastic and rubber parts thus prolonging their life and prevents them from cracking and going brittle.

It serves us a heat source and warms up my garage during winter time.

2) Battery: If I dont plan on driving my beast for a couple of days or when I go on business trips or vacation - I always hook up a trickle charger / battery maintainer. It keeps the battery always fully charged and makes it last longer.

3) Battery manufacturer: OE BMW battery that came from the factory are made by Varta of Germany. These are great batteries and lasts a long time.
When the battery eventually dies and needs to be replaced - BMW of America replacement batteries offered by the dealership are typically US made and they are not as good as Varta.

Good replacement batteries are Interstate Batteries. They are very well made batteries and are priced much lower than US Made BMW batteries.

When I replaced my M5 battery, I replaced it with Interstate Battery.
The battery was stamped on the side in small fine print "Made for VW by Varta, Germany".
Excellent battery, highly recommended.

3) Lightweight 12V lithium batteries such as Voltphreaks battery are ENGINE STARTER BATTERY.
They are extremely light weight and are good just for STARTING the engine.

My experience on this is: If you like to play your stereo system or watch a DVD while waiting for the wife to get done shopping, in less than an hour - most likely there wont be enough power left on the battery to re-start the car. I ended up returning mine.

http://www.voltphreaks.com/

Just thought I'd share my knowledge and experiences.

 

[SDAWG]

Dan -

Great tips, thanks for sharing.

Q - How long do you keep the hood open for ? Until you drive it the next time?

 

[whatheheck]

Hi Sean,

I usually leave the hood open until the next day. Then I close the hood to prevent dust accumulation on the engine bay.
Or you can just leave it open and enjoy looking at the beauty of the V10 engine : )
Close it before you drive the beast again.

BTW, here's photo of Lithium Battery versus OE BMW Battery:

Lithium battery = 7 lbs.
OE battery = 63 lbs.

Dan -

Great tips, thanks for sharing.

Q - How long do you keep the hood open for ? Until you drive it the next time?

 

[m630]

Hi Sean,

I usually leave the hood open until the next day....
Or you can just leave it open and enjoy looking at the beauty of the V10 engine : )

Close it before you drive the beast again.
.

Close it before you drive the beast again!!! Good advice! Classic!!!

 

[JAY55]

Great tips as usual Uncle D. Do you recommend Optima battery as a replacement?

 

[autodoc]

Great advice Dan....you might want to add....after spirited driving,it is not a good idea to shut engine down right away,you may want to let engine idle for about a min for fluids to stabilize. And also try to keep fuel tank full when leaving car for extended periods....less space for condensation and rust to form.

 

[whatheheck]

Hi Jay,

I heard good things about Optima Battery but I havent tried them myself so I cannot offer any advice on that, sorry.

Great tips as usual Uncle D. Do you recommend Optima battery as a replacement?

 

[whatheheck]

+1. Absolutely correct.

After spirited driving, let the engine idle for a bit to stabilize all the fluids before shutting it down.

And if you are to not drive your car for a while - it is indeed a good idea to keep the tank full.
The fuller the gas tank - the less condensation / less moisture can accumulate on the fuel tank.

Thanks!

Great advice Dan....you might want to add....after spirited driving,it is not a good idea to shut engine down right away,you may want to let engine idle for about a min for fluids to stabilize. And also try to keep fuel tank full when leaving car for extended periods....less space for condensation and rust to form.

 

[David Ajax III]

Dan, I appreciate the tip on Interstate batteries. Did not know that. That's now on my permanent quality brand list and one less thing I have to worry about in the future.

 

[iroquis_pliskin]

Great Post, Dan!
This is really helpful for me!
:cheers:

 

[whatheheck]

You're always welcome David.

Dan, I appreciate the tip on Interstate batteries. Did not know that. That's now on my permanent quality brand list and one less thing I have to worry about in the future.

 

[whatheheck]

You're welcome Albert.

Congrats again on your new M6!

Post pictures here for sharing when you get the chance please.

Great Post, Dan!
This is really helpful for me!
:cheers:

 

[iroquis_pliskin]

You're welcome Albert.

Congrats again on your new M6!

Post pictures here for sharing when you get the chance please.

Sure, I will post it once I got some of my parts that I have ordered
:cheers:

 

[q8kamikaze]

Thanks for the tips Dan , i have a question regarding the battery if i installed a new battery for the beast do i need a tuning for it ??

 

[whatheheck]

Hi Abdullah. If you replace your battery - you dont need to tune or retune your car.

Replacing the battery is just like removing the battery connection temporarily.
The only thing you need to re-set is the clock.

Hope that helps.

Thanks for the tips Dan , i have a question regarding the battery if i installed a new battery for the beast do i need a tuning for it ??

 

[AFC1]

Great thread/insight. Just a question....the garage at my house is not fully finished (i.e. no heat, bare wood walls, and somewhat dusty). In this case, would you still pop the hood after driving the car each time?



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[whatheheck]

Very good question. Yes I would.

The idea behind popping the hood open after driving the car is to let the engine heat escape out of the engine bay and allow the engine to cool down more efficiently, and at the same time it provides warmth to your garage during winter time.

Engine parts would also last longer as the engine heat escaping out of the engine bay reduces the heat trapped inside the engine bay that cooks most of the plastic parts and rubber parts.

So yes, I still recommend popping the hood open after driving the beast, then close the hood down once the engine is cooled down.
Garage dust is nothing compared to the dust the engine picks up when we drive the beast on public roads.

All my personal opinion.

Great thread/insight. Just a question....the garage at my house is not fully finished (i.e. no heat, bare wood walls, and somewhat dusty). In this case, would you still pop the hood after driving the car each time?



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