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I have '06 and '09 vehicles. There isn't anything in my manuals regarding battery registration. Neither vehicle has hot DC sockets. I would ask my dealer about battery registration, but I sometimes get bad info from them.
You are probably safe on the 06 model, but I can almost guarantee the 09 3 series requires registration.
Check out the statement at the bottom of the page in this link...
http://www.autobahnperf.com/TechNews/BMW_Battery/Battery.html
Your owners manual describes the registration process....go to the index and find the page for "battery replacement".
Before I expend the effort to do so, could you please explain what the info will be used for?
Or, is it just a survey?
Thanks!
Exactly. :mad:
I routinely ask BMW drivers at my local gas station how they like their RFTs, and I have yet to meet one that knew they were on his car.
According to that "analysis", it would seem that the majority of BMW owners really don't see GFT .vs. RFT an issue.
If an owner doesn't even know what type or brand tire is on his vehicle, then he really isn't in any valid position to have an opinion on the issue, is he?
Still, if I had my way, BMW would at least provide a location to place a space-saver spare in the trunk for those who insist on running GTS's...
Wow, sarcasm! You might need to cut down on the caffeine.......Talking to actual customers provides "analysis" aplenty. It's not that they don't see it as an issue, they don't even know there is an issue. Probably playing the radio too loud.
I am guessing, but I think the biggest concern of most of these drivers is nothing but how much the lease payment is. Some of them are enthusiasts, but most see the cars as something like a fancy Rolex watch. Something to be seen in. [I could be wrong, but I doubt it.] IMHO.
As for the other questions (GFT vs RFT), it wouldn't hurt to respond. The question would be sent to the reporter and they might want to follow up.
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From BMW's perspective, they are selling more cars than any time in their history, so, in that light, RFT's are pretty much a "success story" for the manufacturer. For many RFT antagonists, if GFT's were suddenly available once again, the complaint du jour would simply move to the next item on the list (and, for many, that list is a long one).
Personally, I see both sides of the issue.
RFT's usually are louder, ride rougher and don't get the mileage of GFT's. On the other hand, if your wife or daughter is in the "bad part" of a city or on the highway late at night and have a flat, RFT's are probably a good thing.
Like most things, its rarely a black .vs. white issue, but many shades of gray.
As a member of BMWCCA, I get the club magazine each month, and there are always letters bitching about how BMW has "lost its way" by straying from its history of manufacturing the "Ultimate Driving Machine".
An example...Most BMW's sold nowadays are automatics. That isn't due to BMW mandating them, but it is due to what the buying public wants. Like any successful company, BMW provides what the vast majority of buyers want, or at a minimum... will accept.
I say again, IMO it would be great if BMW offered an optional spare tire/tool kit. Of course, I feel sure that there are a few million other options that others would want if asked.
At this point, its really a non-issue. BMW is NOT going to return to GFT's regardless how many in the minority of owners (or "would-be" owners) scream and complain.
Just like I would tell anyone who suggests cars move away from drive-by-wire throttle back to cable/linkage throttle controls, it ain't gonna happen...
Time to move on...
If most drivers don't know what tire type they are running on their automobile, it really is a "non-issue".
When it was time for new tires, she elected to stay with RFT's, even though I suggested otherwise.
Her reasoning was that, flats seldom occur in front of a tire store, but at the most inconvenient time and place... when she is alone.
Her $$$, and her choice.
She did change to Continental RFT's, and IMO they are much quieter that the OEM tires. Its a MINI, so ride quality really wasn't/isn't an issue with her.
I do agree with the noise level on the older RFT's....The Bridgestones on my 07 Z4 sould a lot like that 18 wheeler you spoke of earlier....
Good thing my radio has a lot of volume to it, coupled with my "less that perfect" hearing ability nowadays...
Prior to the introduction of the RFT on everyday passenger cars, the only vehicles that ran run-flats were armored limousines and combat vehicles---which should tell you their proper place in the world IMO.
To me, the RFTs on my MINI were as useful as bullet-proof glass and 1" armor on the floor pans.
So when I get a flat with regular tires, I have to stop and call AAA on my cell phone.
When I get a flat on my RFTs I can drive for 50 miles and pay for two brand new RFTs, because I've totally ruined one of them, for a mere $400.
OR---I could leave my car and take a taxi home for that kind of money and have plenty left over for the cab ride to the tire shop and the $15 repair bill waiting for me there.
I do believe you though, that newer RFTs are *much* better, but they still strike me as a kind of expensive overkill and, most ironically, a rather vulnerable piece of equipment.
I like $1.99 rubber gloves that are disposable, not $200 tires.
Agreed in total.
Unfortunately, we appear to be seeing a lot of those solutions in search of problems these days...
I will say this, though... I had a neighbor that got killed by a drunk driver while he was along side the interstate hwy changing a flat (he was well off the roadway, even off the emergency strip on the right side of the road). He might still be dead today, but if his car had RFT's then, he wouldn't have been on the side of the road waiting for that drunk driver to come along and hit him that particular day.
I feel confident his wife would see a lot of value in RFT's...
Yeah, and many (if not most) of them come from BMW.
My primary beef with RFTs has to do with using them in the wide-open spaces out here in the West. I have no use for a tire that no one will repair, that few shops can even replace and that no one stocks out in the hinterlands. I won't trouble the board with yet another rendition of my flat tire story on a Sunday in way-north Nevada, but if it'd happened with an RFT-equipped car, I might be there yet.
Or, I could have spent $400 on the tire (including the express shipment from San Francisco or Salt Lake City), plus a few days added to my journey.
RFTs are for those who live in urban areas and never venture away. Period. Full stop. The end.
Happily (for BMW), that covers the vast majority of the people who drive the brand -- not the car, the brand.
In general, I agree.
But, as an exercise, I decided to call a few local (large, established) tire dealers to see if they had the GFT size tires to fit my 2010 328i (Sport Package).
I live in the upstate of SC, a fairly urban area.
After 5 calls, no one carried tha sizes in stock.
So, it's as much a "unique" tire size as it is a tire "type" issue.
The relatively "recent" explosion of specialty tire sizes and types over the last 1-2 decades has made it dramatically more challenging for tire dealers to carry complete lines of tires in stock.
So, if you are in the boonies and lose a tire that happens to fall into this category, and you follow the recommended maximum mileage guidelines, you're screwed... GFT (w/space saver spare) or RFT.
The lesson is no different for brand of car. Why buy a MB, BMW or MINI (at least, for a daily driver) if the closest dealer happens to be 200 miles away? You would be much better off in a vehicle with a dealership nearby.
I guess my biggest concern is with the need for special tire machines and the fact that almost no one will repair RFTs. Normal tires can be repaired more often than not, and outright replacement is rarely necessary, or at least that's been my experience.
Couldn't tell them from regular get-flat tires... I think the latest all-season runflats are pretty much a non-issue, as far as handling and ride...
I'd still be worried about getting a flat out of town, and having to wait days for a replacement, but it doesn't surprise me that owners don't know the difference.
I'm thinking that summer RFTs might be different, but haven't experienced those in the last few years..
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If you need to replace your RFT let us know how well it works. It's supposed to be drive like non-runflat.
We lived with the horrible ride and the incredibly annoying tire noise for a year and a half. Last week, one of the run flats, went flat...go figure. So I sprung for a set of new 25/45R-17 Michelin Primacy MX tires ($720 with shipping from www.tirerack.com). Yesterday we had them installed. I am delighted to say that the car that I test drove is back!!! The car drives like a dream. The only noise I hear is the engine, instead of the overwhelming sound of tires...something that sounded like the flying saucer sound effect from a bad 1950's sci-fi movie. The other major benefit is that I can drive the car...like a car. And not like a character in the movie "The Wages of Fear," (sorry for the 1950's movie analogies) where truck driver's are carefully avoiding bumps in the road to prevent their truck loads of nitro from exploding. My neighbor, who is a BMW mechanic, recommended the new set of tires and I'm back in love with this car and no longer cursing it out. I'll need to pick up a donut and jack kit which will sit in the trunk. Its well worth the investment and loss of trunk space. Good riddance to bad run flats!
all of the bad reviews of the previous posts on other brands of RFT's applies to Michelin?
So far I have not noticed excessive noise or other driveability issues.
However, there are some very "rabid" RFT haters out there, and for many of them there will never be a suitable RFT available.
Personally, I"m neutral. I do wish BMW would give the option of a space saver spare, but that doesn't appear to be in the cards. Obviously, it isn't a deal- breaker for me...
Carmakers make decisions on what to offer all the time, and we (as a customer) either take it or pass on it. For example, Model X comes with a Bose stereo, but you prefer a different stereo brand... The choice is to accept the Bose or pass on Model X.
And, there really are some advantages to RFT's... As I think I have posted here before, my neighbor was well off the side of the interstate hwy changing a flat when he was hit by an incredibly drunk driver and killed instantly. If his car had RFT's, he would probably be here today.
Now, that doesn't mean ther aren't disadvantages to RFT's... just that, depending on the situation, they may work for you OR against you.
Chew a tire up in Podunk, WY, and you have a real problem. Even then, in many cases, that isn't limited to RFT's alone. If my 328i BMW (Sport Pkg. - 18"wheels) shreads a tire there, there's little chance I will find a 255/35-18 RFT OR GFT locally (in stock).
Still, if I had the capability to carry a spare designed into the vehicle, I might make it to a larger city on a space-saver spare... maybe.
That's why I think BMW should at least offer the space-saver space in the trunk (like my wife's 2005 MINI convertible that came equipped with RFT's).
But, I knowingly bought the car with RFT's, so I accepted the risk.
Besides, if you run a RFT while flat for an appreciable distance, it's ruined as well.
It's like tires are going flat left and right these days. I have way more bicycle flats than car flats (by about 100 to 1 !!!) and I don't see any RFT bicycle tires being marketed.
(cue commercial: "bicyclists, what if YOU have a flat tire while crossing a bridge in a narrow bike lane? You need the all new TREK RFT tire---only $185, for that peace of mind!")
You'd laugh, right?
Very good point. This is the other half of the RFT fiasco -- NO SPARE TIRE. When I'm driving in bumf*** western U.S. out here, which is pretty much my only choice, I have absolutely no expectation of getting a replacement tire. What I do want is either: 1) a tire that any normal truck stop or 24-hr service station can repair and put back on the car, and/or 2) a spare that matches the other four tires -- I'll put it on and drive back to Phoenix. Then I'll take however long it takes (2-3 days) to replace the tire, if that's what's required.
It's the magic daily double -- crap no-one-can-work-on-them tires or ones that no one is willing to patch, combined with no spare.
Oh boy.
The Germans have no concept of western North America or Australia -- it's big country with very limited services. Apparently they don't want to include those of us who live in such places in their demo. I guess it makes sense, given the number of social-climbing people living in densely-populated areas.
The fact is that BMW no longer care about enthusiasts; they care about people who will buy (or more likely lease) the cars in ever-larger numbers.
Oh well.
While we all probably agree that having the capability to have some type of spare in a new BMW is desirable, enough buyers don't seem to care. And, as long as sales continue to increase, I really doubt we will see any spare tire options.
In fact, we may see the mandatory RFT issue pop up on other manufacturer's products due to BMW's continued success.
It wouldn't be the first time.
I agree that the modern BMW is oriented to urban environments as well. Four year service included in the price of the car has reduced value if the nearest dealer is 250 miles distant.
But, that's nothing new, either. In my lifetime, television evolution has been driven by the urban environment much more so than the rural environment ( after all, where I grew up, there were only 2 channels one could receive...in the 1950's and early 60's).
On another point, I don't think I have ever seen a bicycle RFT. Seems like a popular solution for competitive bicycling. Maybe Mr. Shift_Right is onto something there!
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Who has had a flat in the last 5 years? Not me. Sure it happens, but when's the last time you saw anyone on the road changing a tire?
Fact is, most buyers don't even KNOW their car has run-flat tires. I have a friend who didn't even know her BMW was all-wheel drive when she bought it. :surprise:
It's worth the piece of mind... a sixteen year old grandaughter of a friend had a flat on the road at night with a GFT...scared the hell out of her...he went right out and bought her a set of RFT's. I would not have a car without run flats. Period. Welcome to the 21st century!
Suck it up.
They are here to stay!
It still held air.... no tire place would plug or patch, because it was within 1" of the tread edge... Friend of a friend plugged it for me... 3 weeks later, no issues.. (saved me $350-$450 for a new tire).
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Yesterday. On I-85, in SC.
Ove the last 3-4 years, my wife has had 2 flats (on RFT's-repaired in both instances) and my younger daughter had a flat within 2 weeks of me buying her a new set of tires... Fortunately, it was repairable as well.
Years ago, when I was much younger, my father told me to never stop along the side of the road to change a tire... just drive on the flat to the next parking area/exit ramp and change the tire. Back then, most cars had inexpensive steel wheels, so ruining a wheel wasn't too pricey.
On a modern car, especially such as a BMW, a replacement wheel can easily run $500+ alone, and adding a replacement tire can add $150+ to the mix, so in many cases I would suspect the car owner to be reluctant to continue onwwards with a flat. Of course (to me, anyway) my life is worth $750-1000.
Fact is, most buyers don't even KNOW their car has run-flat tires.
I agree... Overall, we probably have the least educated car-buying-public that I can remember in my lifetime.
For the majority of new car owners...As long as it starts, and the ride is smooth, nothing else matters.
And, no, she doesn't drive like a blue-haired grandma, either.
But, I also know that many drivers get far less mileage...
While I can't be sure, I suspect that's where she found (finds) the tire stabbers...
The SC DOT has a mobile car repair service that runs along I-85 between Greenville and Spartanburg, SC (where I live, very close to the BMW plant). Its very common to see (in fact, its probably more rare NOT to see) the techs out changing someone's flat on a daily routine, especially during rush hours...
Personally, I think the local tire centers pay someone to go out casting nails, screws, etc. along the highways... Brings in a lot of business...LOL!!!
1. One was piece of metal (looked like part of a seat belt clasp) that tore a slit in the tread. Had to replace the whole tire.
2. Second one was when I rubbed a section of broken/jagged curb leaving the plant and cut the sidewall. Again the entire tire had to be replaced. (I think was was when I started paying for road hazard warranty).
3. The other three or so incidents were caused by nails or screws that caused slow leaks, so I noticed the tires losing air and was able to get them fixed before they went flat. In fact, one of them was on my 2009 G37 which came from the dealer with a slow leak (nail or screw).
Even with all those, I'm still not a fan of RFTs.
That way, if I was displeased with the RFT performance, I could easily switch over to GFT's. As it was, that choice wasn't available...
Seeing as how my wife has owned a Mini since 2005, equipped with RFT's, I'm well aware of their characteristics and limitations.
And, you should check your facts, along with that attitude you are sporting. She has had 2 RFT's repaired.
But, why let little things like facts get in the way of your opinions?
BMW builds what sells, like any other company. Just because you don't like the direction the company has taken in no way make it the wrong direction.
I would bet most of the investors in BMW don't have any problem with their business decisions...