Bye bye HAE

[steve_earwig]

Defected... to the dark side

Ah well, at least it's an estate and you didn't completely loose your reason

Now why the HELL has nobody motorised centre mirror movement?

Call me Mr. Silly but isn't it easy enough to reach up to it?

+ Dual trip computer. One thing seriously missing from the 406

A what? So you can work out your fuel consumption as you take two different routes to your destination. Or so while one's doing that you can play Pong on the other one?

+ Split tailgate

Is this so you have to lug heavy things even further? Or carry ladders? Or park in car parks with low ceilings? I've never taken an interest but I presume it's not split like a van...

+ Electric headrest adjustment - Über nice!

Can you use it to massage your neck?

[grasmere59]

My 406 Exec has a dual trip computer ,if you go to BMWLAND on the net and do a search there is a procedure of reseting the throttle pedal for a sharper response,i did it on mine and it made the throttle pickup better.

[Welly]

Pics please!

[mjb]

Now why the HELL has nobody motorised centre mirror movement?

Call me Mr. Silly but isn't it easy enough to reach up to it?

I challenge anyone to properly adjust one with one hand on the wheel without thinking "dammit too far" at least 9 times.

if you go to BMWLAND on the net and do a search there is a procedure of reseting the throttle pedal for a sharper response,i did it on mine and it made the throttle pickup better.

That's just applicable to the auto boxes...

Seems I need to get my hands dirty and replace the "vanos" (BMW's VVT thing) piston seals. Good chance to get to know the engine bay over xmas

[steve_earwig]

I've had mirrors like that, they move in jerks so you give it more and more pressure and it suddenly moves way too far. So you try to push it back the other way and erk! back where it was

You sure it's not a whole lot of slack in the cable? (I bet either you looked already or it doesn't have one )

[Welly]

BMW Laaaand are surprisingly helpful compared to some forums I know, I am even a member there myself. I'm sure someone could help with the throttle issue.

I aint never heard of no electric-adjustable rear view mirror but at the same time I can't see why it wouldn't be a good thing to have along with the other memorised stuff. I wonder if there's a reason that no-one's ever made one

[steve_earwig]

It'd probably make the mirror HOOOGE Mind you, you (they) could use Bowden cables from motors in the roof console...

Next: Motorised ash trays and cup holders

[mjb]

I've had mirrors like that, they move in jerks so you give it more and more pressure and it suddenly moves way too far. So you try to push it back the other way and erk! back where it was

You've had a car, ergo you've had a mirror like that

To be fair, the bimmer's mirror is ridiculously big+heavy like everything else on the car, and doesn't actually jerk around when you adjust it. Unfortunately I adjust my seat a lot and make excessive use of seat memories (why electric seats were a must-have in my pug replacement) so I'm always having to adjust the things

You sure it's not a whole lot of slack in the cable? (I bet either you looked already or it doesn't have one )

Electric throttle body. No idea where the pot is yet, suspect it's the black plastic 'thing' underneath the pedal

Next: Motorised ash trays and cup holders

YES!!!!!!

[scotty73]

I'd like a motorised cup holder, the one on my 406 is by the arm rests and i find it very hard to reach past it to get at my beer it's fooking annoying tbh.

[Captain Jack]

How much did you pay for it? And yes... pics!

[mjb]

2200.

Well I've done 500 miles in it now, an I have to say I quite like it as a cruising car. It's very nice. Apart from the faults I need to fix I do have to say that the 5-series uses the same drum-in-a-disc arrangement as the 406 for its handbrake and guess what's utterly useless?

I've also noticed another problem - the gearstick doesn't centre properly. The cause, it seems, is a spring-loaded pin in the gearbox which has seized. D'OH! I can live with it I also desperately need to re-align the headlights, which are way too low and make a night-time motorway drive into something quite scary

It is nice though. Everything is so much more substantial than the 406. I'm utterly shocked that it's quicker than the coupé was (0-60 in 7.3s vs 7.5s on paper) since it weighs a hell of a lot more (1720KG vs. 1458KG ***) but it's only got about 40bhp more to play with. In fact 1st and 2nd really don't seem like they're in too much of a hurry to shift the car, but it really pulls well at speed. Just wish it were more responsive to throttle inputs.

It has one thing that a lot of 406 owners would give their back teeth for though - a little knob on the washer stalk which adjusts the sensitivity of the auto wipers

Sure, it's got its faults, but I'm very happy with it. Can't see it getting the emotional attachment that the coupé did, but still it's a very nice car for 1/4 to 1/5 the price of a brand new Vauxhall Corsa


*** I swear most of the weight is in the doors!

[grasmere59]

I think you'll find when you've stripped out the handbrake and perhaps fitted new shoes it'll be good,the one on mine is excellent unlike the 406,as for the headlights they are not good at all no matter how you adjust them,mine has got xenons and there not much cop either,i sold my old 528i sport to a friend and he upgraded the bulbs and that made a difference he said.

[steve_earwig]

Upgraded them to what? Flame-throwers perhaps

Handbrake on the Tomato, sorry, Toyota is drum-in-disk too and is excellent (*washes mouth out with soap*). It might be something to do with it having one cable to a balance bar and two cables to the brakes...

[Doggy]

The handbrakes on my Carlton & Omega were both drum-in-disc and worked fine too. Maybe it's a French thing, (remember the Xantia fiasco)?

[steve_earwig]

Er, no