[frylord]

Hi,

New to this board so hi to everybody and tnx to the mods for approving my account.

Finaly got the wife to agree and I'm about to place an order for a 2006 M6, had to promise her a small car cause she doesn't want to drive the M6. I'm 99% sure about the color (Ext/Int Indianapolis red). Had a long and hard time deciding between Silvergray and Indianapolis but I've finally decided on Indiana.

1. Now before I go find me another dealer (Didn't like the dealer I wen't to first but that's a different story) I would like to see some of the individual colors aswell. Those computer generated pictures at the Individual site aren't really good, the colors shown differ from the real thing, alot! And those strips of paint in the catalog don't give me any idea on how it will look on the car.

I've searched the web but I can't find anything on the colors I want to see, be it on a 5, 6 or 7 series. The colors in question are:
Barbera red
Moonstone metalic
Mineral silver metalic

Is there a place I can goto to view all these colors? Maybe a BMW Individual center or something? I live in NL and I don't mind driving to germany. I'll be spending alot of money on this beast and I want to get the colors just right, so I don't mind going the extra mile (or kilometer).

Maybe the m5board owner (Gustav I think) should start a new section where all the colors are collected, like this site. it would help people like me (and there are alot of them out there) to decide on the color.
http://www.zroadster.net/tim/colors/col-z3current.html

No offence, the owners gallery is nice if you wanna view some pics but if you're looking for something specific it's way too unorganized. Like there are SL65 pics in the E60 M5 galleries?! :confused2

2. On to the next question. I was thinking of getting comfort access. Are there any 7 series owners out there who can share their experience with me? The biggest question I have is the range. My garage is next to my house and when my car is on the driveway there's no more then 5 meters between the frontdoor and the car. I ussualy leave my keys in my coat which is on a hanger at the front door. Will this unlock the car?

What about the batteries in the keys? When they wear out is there a manual way to open and start the car?

3. The CD player also plays MP3's right? I'm almost sure because the E60 M5 manual sais something about "compressed files" but it's not specific on what is actually ment by that. When I wanted to try it out on a M5 which was sitting in the showroom the salesperson wouldn't let me.

4. The TV does it also have digital reception or just good old fashion analog? If it has digital reception where does the chipcard go?

5. The Voice control system how well does it work? Any 7 series owners care to comment? Is it of any use at all?

6. Is the cars voice (input and output) system also available in Dutch or just English and German?

7. The first M5's had quite a few problems. I don't mind problems with the press cars and I didn't take the problems reported in the press that seriously. Obviously BMW rushed these cars and they weren't properly broken in so they started to fail.

But after that people started taking delivery and reports of the same problems started to popup from the customers. Mostly electronics but also engine, gearbox and differential problems.

How about the M6? Did it also have the same problems what are the experience of the people who took delivery?

8. The gearbox. I've heard alot of things about it. Some say it's okay and some say it's rubbish. I don't mind it being an automatic but my experience is that automatics in city traffic do not work that well. Any comments on this? How does the gearbox behave in city traffic?

9. Seats. heated/ventilated? Good idea or bad idea? Anybody care to comment?

10. Also I wouldn't mind if people just shared their general experiences, do's and don'ts would also be welcome.

When I find a dealer to my liking I'll probably ask them to arange a tesdrive. The dealer I went to at first refused to even lift a finger. I told him that I could understand him not being able to get an M6 for a testdrive but atleast try to arange an M5 (he had one in the showroom for godsake). At some point I got really really pissed at the salesperson, got up and left without saying a word. He was treating me as if I was buying a mini or something. I'm there to order one of the most expensive cars he has in his catalog and he treats me like crap. I thought to myself "If he's behaving like this now what about later when my car needs servicing" so I got up and left.

Thanks for all the effort.

 

[Gustav]

Hello and welcome! Thanks for your valuable feedback. Good points. Here you can see some M6 colours:

http://www.m5board.com/photopost/showgallery.php?cat=554

Also, that SL65 AMG is placed way wrong That has to be moved.

 

[Autobahnraser]

1. BMW M GmbH (Tel. +49 89 32903-0) can tell you what BMW dealers display cars with these colours in their showroom. I doubt there is just one dealer that is able to show you all the individual colours you want to have a look at.

3. MP3 capabilility is only granted if you do without the navigation system. But there will be offered a software update in the near future.

4. It has got analogue and digital reception. I can't answer your chipcard question, however.

5. Voice control works well and it is a vital addition to iDrive. You can select all menus and sub-menus directly with VC.

7. I did not experience any problems with my Juli 2005 M6 up to now.

8. SMG III gas got advantages and disadvantages compared to a manual transmission. The good thing about SMG III is the fact that you can shift up and down extreme quickly thru the forward gears without losing concentration. Only a real stick expert is nearly able to keep up with SMG III. But changing from first gear into reverse gear (bidirectional) just takes too much time. You have to move the lever and then wait for 1-2 seconds before the gear snaps in. On the one hand SMG III doesn't give the driver the possibility to modulate with the cluch - what is much fun while performing racing starts - but on the other hand a manual tranny can be a real pain in continuous stop and go traffic; SMG III is almost as comfortable as an automatic there.

9. Heated seats are standard. Ventilated seats are only available for the M5.

10. IMHO, the M6 is a perfect sport coupe with the following weaknesses: High consumption (but it is a V10), much weight (only compared to pure sport cars of same performance) and the disadvantages of SMG III.


Maybe you did not look like you can afford an M6. :blink:

 

[frylord]

1. BMW M GmbH (Tel. +49 89 32903-0) can tell you what BMW dealers display cars with these colours in their showroom. I doubt there is just one dealer that is able to show you all the individual colours you want to have a look at.

Thanks I'll call them tomorrow.

3. MP3 capabilility is only granted if you do without the navigation system. But there will be offered a software update in the near future.

So let me get this straight. The MP3 CD goes into the navi dvd slot? What about the CD changer? And why is it that there's no option for a DVD changer? Atleast for the 5 series.

9. Heated seats are standard. Ventilated seats are only available for the M5.

I was almost sure that I saw an option for heated and ventilated seats in the brochure... oh well guess you're right.

10. IMHO, the M6 is a perfect sport coupe with the following weaknesses: High consumption (but it is a V10), much weight (only compared to pure sport cars of same performance) and the disadvantages of SMG III.

I don't mind that it's a little overweight. What I'm looking for is a luxurious sportscar, which looks killer, can give a comfortable ride and can go head to head with the best of um. And the M6 offers all of that.

Maybe you did not look like you can afford an M6. :blink:

C'mon what is this? Some arrogant MB dealership! First thing I'm gonna do when I get the M6 is drive upto the dealership, find the salesperson and ask him about options for my brand new M6 which I got at another dealer.

Hey here's another idea for Gustav. Maybe a seperate section where people can rate and share their experience with a dealership.

 

[Ashok Arora]

Welcome aboard :cheers:

 

[Autobahnraser]

So let me get this straight. The MP3 CD goes into the navi dvd slot? What about the CD changer? And why is it that there's no option for a DVD changer? Atleast for the 5 series.

No, only M6s without a navigation system can read MP3 CDs. They work inside the dash-CD-system and the CD-changer then (the DVD system can't read any kind of CDs). A software update will fix that MP3 incompatibility problem!

 

[M6 Forever]

Couple of things to add:-

(1) Comfort Access is now officially an option for the M6 and the 650i, at least here in Oz. Also ConnectedDrive comes free for the first 12 months and then pay an annual fee there on.

(2) MP3 capability available from October 2005 production. Although the dealer said something which I honestly did not understand properly about how it connects.

(3) M6 Individual here is really relatively cheap. Only A$5,000 compared with A$10,000 to A$15,000 for Individual 650i. But the difference is made even more if you choose a standard exterior colour (e.g. Silverstone II, which looks real cool).

That complacent dealer deserves to be fired. I would have spoken directly to his manager. You deserve to be treated like a king buying their flagship product!

 

[frylord]

(1) Comfort Access is now officially an option for the M6 and the 650i, at least here in Oz. Also ConnectedDrive comes free for the first 12 months and then pay an annual fee there on.

Thanks for the reply. Could you also provide some insight on how it works and what the rangs is?

 

[SuperBMW]

Thanks for the reply. Could you also provide some insight on how it works and what the rangs is?

I have a lot of experience of Comfort Access on the new 3 Series and 1 Series.

The door only unlocks if you put your hand in between the door handle and the door. By the time you have pulled the handle the door is unlocked and opens. You have to have the key on you for this to work.

To lock the car you press your thumb on a little pad ontop of the door handle and it locks.

To open the trunk you must have the key on you and you press the unlock button and the trunk unlocks and opens

 

[frylord]

Thanks for the reply SuperBMW. So what happens if the key is not on you but lets say 5 meters away?

Could you try this out for me? Leave your 5 meters away from the car and try to unlock it. Just wanna make sure what the range is on the key.

Also what if the battery in the key runs out? Is there any other way to unlock the car besides the electronic key?

 

[Mark Carson]

The keys do not run down (assuming you drive the car regularly) since they charge when they are in the inigition slot.

I have a 2002 745i (push-button start) and the "spike-less" key on it is very different from the key I had on my 2000 528i and on my new 2005 645Ci (both of which have a normal key that is turned in the ignition). The 528 and the 645 both have excellent remote range with the push buttons on the key. I can unlock the car from over 30m with no problem. The 745i needs to have you with 3m in front and maybe 6m in back (I have metal tinted windows which hurts the range as I'm told receiver for the remote is in the rear window). The 2006 6er is moving to an ignition/key which look more like the one on the 7er (push-button start), so the range will probably stink compared to the spiked key from the previous model years. Do the M5 and M6 already have push-button start or still have a spike key on the 2005 models?

I saw an M6 in Separng Bronze at BMW M in Garching in July when I took ED on my 645Ci. It looked better than the Indy Red in my opinion on the cloudy day that I was there. I also saw an M5 in Silverstone II which was very nice. I also saw Interlagos Blue which is a bit dark and too much toward the purple end of blue for my tastes.

And you are right, the brochures and the photos on the web (both user forum postings and BMW's images) are all very far from what the cars look like in the flesh (or steel/aluminum). You almost have to see them in order to pass judgement on them. For instance, the web photos of Indy Red are very nice, but in person, the color did not impress me at all.

Oh yeah, to unlock the car (745i anyway) if the remote does not work, you remove the metal "key" portion from key/remote and unlock the door manually. There is one place in Honolulu where I have to do this. It is very near to a TV transmission tower, so the remote is probably overpowered by it. The "spike-less" key/remote works better when you hold it away from your body while the "spike" key works better with your body (like your jaw bone) as an antenna. Sure it looks strange to hold the key to you jaw but having the car beep and flash from 50m away often surprises people close to your car when they don't "see" anyone (you) around it

One last thing: the 2006 BMW 650 brochure (U.S.) is now on-line and it shows MP3 support for the CD Player and CD Changer beginning in Octover 2005, so it appears they have the CD/Nav/MP3 issue resolved, finally.

 

[M6 Forever]

Thanks for the reply. Could you also provide some insight on how it works and what the rangs is?

Tell you the truth, I don't fully understand ConnectedDrive. Basically it's a package of several features made up of BMW TeleAssist, BMW Online, BMW Tracker and Driver Assistant (I might also miss other features here). Online for example, gives you internet-based services while driving (looking up restaurants, hotels etc.), Tracker keeps your car tracked when stolen (although questionable usefulness in real life after reading the M5 story in M5Board :grrrrr: ). etc.

Better if you look up the bmw websites and read it up. Free for the first year and the annual fee after that here is something like A$300. Anyboady here used it? I get the feeling I will never use it much.

 

[frylord]

The keys do not run down (assuming you drive the car regularly) since they charge when they are in the inigition slot.

Wait. So this doesn't work as the MB Keyless-Go? You still have to put the key in the ignition slot? Whats the purpose of having it then? You can open the doors without taking the key out of your pocket but once you get in you still have to take the key out of your pocket to start the car... Everybody knows how much of an hassle it is to get something out of your pocket when you're sitting down.

I like the MB sollution, which uses a passive transponder. You can either use the Smartkey or order a smartcard which you carry around in your wallet. I haven't had any problems with it.

This is one option I won't be opting for.

 

[SuperBMW]

Wait. So this doesn't work as the MB Keyless-Go? You still have to put the key in the ignition slot? Whats the purpose of having it then? You can open the doors without taking the key out of your pocket but once you get in you still have to take the key out of your pocket to start the car... Everybody knows how much of an hassle it is to get something out of your pocket when you're sitting down.

I like the MB sollution, which uses a passive transponder. You can either use the Smartkey or order a smartcard which you carry around in your wallet. I haven't had any problems with it.

This is one option I won't be opting for.

The BMW system works like the MB system, key must just be on you

The Comfort access key is different and has a replacable battery that is supposed to last 2 years with normal use, and it does not recharge like the normal key