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The Shell Oil Company recently issued a warning after 3 incidents in which mobile phones (cell phones)ignited fumes during fueling operations.
In the first case, the phone was placed on the car's trunk lid during fueling; it rang and the ensuing fire destroyed the car and the gasoline pump. In the second, an individual suffered severe burns to the face while answering a call when fumes ignited during refueling. And in the third, an individual suffered burns to the thigh and groin as fumes ignited when the phone, which
was in their pocket, rang while they were fueling
their car.
YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT:
Mobile phones can ignite fuel or fumes. Mobile phones that light up when switched on or when they ring release enough energy to provide a spark for ignition. Mobile phones should not be used in filling stations, or when fueling lawn mowers, boat, etc. Mobile phones should not be used, or should be turned off, around other materials that generate flammable or explosive fumes or dust, i.e., solvents, chemicals, gases, grain dust, etc. Another safety warning you should know about concerns static electricity. Below is an email from Pat Cabiling, who works at Chevron Texaco's Richmond Refinery.
FOUR RULES FOR SAFE REFUELING
1) Turn off engine.
2) Don't smoke.
3) Don't use your cell phone - leave it inside the vehicle or turn it off.
4) Don't reenter your vehicle during fueling.
http://www.pei.org/static/fire_reports.htm
You can also search for things like this on urbanlegend.com.
Remarks regarding cellular phones, victim gender and footwear are inaccurate. Only refueling fires that appear to be started by static electrical discharge are detailed in our report. It does not pertain to cellular telephones. In fact PEI has never been able to document a single refueling incident caused by a cell phone.
Anyone have any experience with this?
- As per the Feb. 17th issue of FORTUNE magazine.
Best Regards,
Shipo
Al I can say is nothing. I am very disappointed by the uninspiring look of the future 3 series. Even the new Accord appears more stylish.
To make things worst, I believe in the same page is a photograph of a future Chrysler Cross(something, sorry can’t remember) convertible and the BMW style headlights in this non-BMW vehicle are more faithful to current BMW models than what the future 3 series shows in the photo!
"Speed Patrols", aka left lane drivers going the speed limit, feel compelled to control traffic as they see fit. IMO, if you drive in the fast lane, either lead, follow, or get out of the way.
tailgate? i don't think so. flashing lights is probably one of the more safe/polite means of communicating, as opposed to whipping by in the "slow lane" on a 2 lane freeway.
fyi, i never listen to npr, their reporting is biased and mostly misinformed.
FWIW: After my oil change, my next scheduled Inspection according to the OBC was 15, 550 miles -- I think that is incredible. Of course with the way I drive it will be probably about 11k miles.
FWIW: If you drive slow in the fast lane in Houston, someone will run you over or "pop a cap in you".
FWIW: In Great Britain, the traffic on the Ms is great. The right hand lane is exclusively for passing and it is great to see people pass and move over repeatedly -- like playing leap frog. The flow is great and everyone keeps their cool. Unfortunately we are not as civilized.
On a 4-lane highway, I'm seeing more cars (probably 70%) on the left two lanes, going at speed limit or slower, while those on the right two are going faster.
Worse yet, during rush hour, it is actually the right most lane that has become the express lane. Yeah, it is true.
Maybe people confused "New England" with "England", and decide to travel on the left. : )
I read a while back that Ford made close to 5 digit profit on each of its bigger SUV's like Explorer, Expedition, and Excursion.
Excuseme?
-Paul
It's a common and accepted protocol in Germany *and* the US to "flash to pass". This is so common many cars have a "flash to pass" function in the headlights: pull turn signal stalk back to momentarily flash. Many US cars have this feature. The inexpensive US-made Ford Focus (which Tom and Ray Magliozzi absolutely loved) has flash to pass headlights. If you flash to pass, you're simply using a feature US manufacturers purposely provide.
The US auto manufacturers describe them as "flash to pass" headlights. E.g, Saturn corp's official web site so describes them:
http://www.saturn.com/fwd4/standard_features/
Re what US drivers think about signaling the request to pass by flashing headlights, 68% view it this way, according to this on line poll. About 23% view it as an act of aggression (Tom and Ray obviously in this category):
http://vote.sparklit.com/poll.spark/10583
Obviously the poor US driver training results in the 23% who misunderstand this. In Germany and other places where driver training is better, likely 99% understand it properly. This is just one example. US drivers are likely negatively impacted in many other areas as well by the poor driver training.
However the fact that 23% in the US may not understand the purpose of this function (which their own car likely has) might indicate it's wise to be pragmatic and think twice before you flash US drivers, about 1 in 4 of whom may misinterpret it due to ignorance.
It's unfortunate Tom and Ray Magliozzi didn't take advantage of their position to better educate their listening public.
As far as I can tell, none of the slow drivers in the left lane have noticed the signs!
I had my car in for an oil change today and I asked the dealer if they recommend that I top off the battery with distilled water. Their response was that the battery is sealed and it doesn't need any maintenance...
NPR is left of center as far as media reporting but I've never thought of them as misinformed. As with anything else, with politics you can present the same facts in a different enough light so that the end result would be different. I judge political commentary relative to the news source.
Profit margins - I'll be happy if BMW AG makes good money. Making $200 per car does not seem like a viable long-term business model. Let consumers decide what's a fair price - it's not like auto manufacturers are forcing you to buy an SUV at a 10-grand profit margin?!?
"Maybe people confused "New England" with "England", and decide to travel on the left. : )" That's a real good one!! And very true around here in the Boston area.
Dave - We have ~ 180 cars at the autoX - roughly half are BMWs. There are ~ 20 cars in my class.
When I drove the BMW I was able to take it to very high speeds and press it through corners and it handled great. The engine is very smooth. This car had the auto tranny and it shift perfectly. There were no rattles (very important). Excellent brakes with very good feel.
So what was the problem? The ride. It was the worst I have ever experienced in a car. It was flat out brutal. I could feel EVERY bump on what looked like a smooth road! On a road with bumps the rear of the car kick over every one. My 4x4 pickup truck rides better. What a disappointment. I though BMW had the ride/handling formula down perfect, but I guess not.
My '91 318i cost me about $5000 in misc breakdown repairs in only 9 months! My experience is not uncommon.
The $2500 you plan to spend on a used car is just the beginning when you buy BMW.
- The car you drove may have had the sport package, which includes 17 inch, low profile tires. These will ride somewhat firmer than the standard tires.
- The car you drove may have had the optional 18 inch, very low profile tires. These will ride even firmer than the normal sport package 17 inch tires.
- You're used to the ride of your 4x4 and DeVille, so the 330i seemed rough by comparison. This difference would be magnified if you transitioned from a Deville to a 330i sport package with optional 18 inch wheels.
I suggest you take another test drive, and make sure it's a non-sport 330i. It will still handle very well, and the ride may be closer to your taste.
thanks all,
L8's!!!!!
By the way, the service manager was knowledgeable and courteous. However as in any business, we need to be proactive on our behalf.
http://www.valentine1.com/
http://www.escortradar.com/
The Valentine has directional arrows, which is nice. It also has a dedicated rear sensor. Some tests show it has slightly greater sensitivity than the Passport. However it's only available mail order and the price is $400, and the concealed display is $40.
The people who have used both sometimes report the Passport seems to have slightly better false signal rejection. It's $300, which includes the concealed display. It's available at local car specialty stores. Infrequently you'll see it discounted to about $270.
See www.eopinions.com for user reviews of each.
Re mounting location, the minimum you want is a hard wired installation. This is vastly better than using a cigarette lighter cord. Mounted up high, just to the left of rear view mirror, it's hard to see from outside the car, especially the rear.
An interesting new option is the cordless Escort Solo S2. Usually cordless detectors aren't as good as a corded one, but allegedly this one is better. Whether it's equal to a corded Passport 8500, I don't know.
There's a fancy Valentine remote mount, whereby the detector itself is in the center brake light housing, and the remote display is integrated into the rear view mirror. It's about $200. See
http://www.ecisbmw.com/product_files/accessories/V1%20Display.htm
Note a radar detector doesn't let you drive without regard to speed limits. They're of very limited use against laser radar (Lidar). If you're the first car hit by instant on radar, forget it. The main benefit is for those doing lots of freeway driving in a range of traffic densities: too heavy and traffic is moving too slow. Too light and there aren't enough cars ahead to trigger the radar trap. If you're going way over the speed limit you risk being identified visually.
A detector will let you cruise along with the faster traffic, at a safe speed, and in most cases give you sufficient advance warning to avoid being singled out of the group.
A more compliant suspension causes the car to bounce, lean, wooble and be less agile.
The change from driving those linguini bouncy SUVs to a BMW is dramatic, and since you have become used to its handling and don't need dramamine anymore, the change is rather dramatic.
The vast majority of BMW owners on this board are actually looking for this type of stiffer suspension setup.
Perhaps, the sporty handling of a BMW is not what you really are looking for. Perhaps you would be happier driving some of the competition cars that are more compliant, like the MB320, or the Acura TL, or Volvo or Audi A4, even 6. The Lexus IS300 and Infinity will provide a similar sporty/stiffer ride.
Anyone know if there is a running in period for the 2003 325 automatic? I called the dealership and they said they didn't "think so". Thanks for the info.
Dan
I'm not an expert, I'm just a guy who has a bad opinion of BMW. I will continue to post my bad opinions here. I'm not trolling when I stick to the facts.
I hate BMW.
"I'm going to go over the BMW 3 series discussion and claim the Hyundai Elantra is better than the BMW 325; of course I don't believe such a claim, I just like to what kind of rebuttal I get."
Trolling or not, you lost all your credibility right there.
btw, don't even reply, this is my last post to you.
Continue to read and learn much from this group. Thanks for the information and insight. Often don't have anything to post that hasn't been said before, so I just read along. 1 month and 1,400 miles on my CPO 330Ci and truly enjoying every minute of it.
I installed the UGO last weekend and it took about 30 minutes. Anyone thinking of doing it shouldn't be concerned. There are great instructions at e46fanatics.com. I was concerned about cutting the cover, but the installation went flawless. Now my question, I'm thinking of getting the BMW 6-disc changer for the trunk. Has anyone installed one themselves and how difficult was it?
Crevels
'02 CPO 330Ci
You bought a 6 year old used car with 80,000 miles, and you didn't have it checked out by a mechanic first...
I wouldn't buy a 6 year old BMW, Lexus, or ANY car without a mechanics approval. You should accept responsibility for your actions and stop blaming BMW for your failure.
"Argue with an idiot and he will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience."
newguy14 Apr 24, 2003 10:55pm
I have to disagree here. I have driven around the M25 and a couple sprints up and down the M1. The right land lane is not exclusive for passing. The UK also has obnoxious drivers. Driving on the motorways in the UK sucks. The French toll roads are better.
To make matters worse, after driving in Europe, there seems to be a stereotype of BMW drivers. Sometimes, if you don't watch it, you will find yourself as part of that stereotype.
Headlight flashing-I find this to be more the case in the US, then my limited 6 days in Germany. I have never had headlight flashed at me in Belgium, The Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Wales or England except in Germany from a car coming the opposite direction. The Xenons must have blinded him. In Germany, you will see people use their left indicator.