[D_o_S]

Hi all,

I have a little bit of a philosophical question... How do you guys that have your BMW as your daily driver treat your car? I.e. are you absolutely paranoid about every little scratch? Or is it "just" a car... I don't know how to behave... accidentaly, when parking, I scratched the rear tow hook cover... I don't know if I should get it re-painted, or leave it as is, as its not that big of an issue....

All in all, should I be paranoid about all these small scratches? Or is a DD always something that shows its "use", i.e. it's likely to be scratched sooner or later, so having scratches is just part of the fact that you're using it?

Thanks (I hope I made some sense).

[335e92tx]

I could have gotten it repainted for like 350$. But after looking at all the swirls and orange peel on the factory paint I just decided f* it. I think it is more of a car for track enjoyment anyway than a show piece.

I agree its important to keep it nice for at least the first year or so and do what you can to keep it from getting trashed but screw all the obsession with every minor blemish (IMO)

[Michael Schott]

My 328i e90 is my DD. I should take better care of it but it only gets washed every 2 or so weeks and then through an automated car wash. The interior is neat but the leather could use a good treatment.

I don't baby my car at all but I don't abuse it either although many here would consider my use of car washes with brushes as abuse.

Maybe I'll do a good detail next spring with Zaino and clay.

Thanks, Mike.

[TiAg335i]

The guys on E90Post create sort of a false reality for many of us daily drivers.

The truth of the matter is that if you use your car DAILY...as in, getting up to go to work or school every morning, then it is IMPOSSIBLE I repeat IMPOSSIBLE to keep your car absolutely blemish free over an extended period of time. Now of course, someone is going to rebut this by saying the opposite. Those people probably live in hillbilly land somewhere where there are no other cars or people to get in the way. For those of us who live in densely populated areas, this is almost law.

I tried in vain to keep my car scratch/ding free but it's just not possible. If you drive your car daily, it's just inevitable. Accept it and move on, if you have time and/or the money to fix it, that's your perogative. But to worry about things that aren't under your control is just time and energy wasted. This much I've learned.

Think of each ding/scratch as kind of a "battle scar". Sometimes that helps me feel better.

[MontegoblueE92]

Originally Posted by TiAg335i

The guys on E90Post create sort of a false reality for many of us daily drivers.

The truth of the matter is that if you use your car DAILY...as in, getting up to go to work or school every morning, then it is IMPOSSIBLE I repeat IMPOSSIBLE to keep your car absolutely blemish free over an extended period of time. Now of course, someone is going to rebut this by saying the opposite. Those people probably live in hillbilly land somewhere where there are no other cars or people to get in the way. For those of us who live in densely populated areas, this is almost law.

I tried in vain to keep my car scratch/ding free but it's just not possible. If you drive your car daily, it's just inevitable. Accept it and move on, if you have time and/or the money to fix it, that's your perogative. But to worry about things that aren't under your control is just time and energy wasted. This much I've learned.

Think of each ding/scratch as kind of a "battle scar". Sometimes that helps me feel better.

I go to a school of 25,000. I've had the car 2 1/2 years without a single ding. It's possible, you just have to be willing to walk the extra distance. If you want the closest spot so you park between two soccer moms everywhere you go, then yes, your car will get beat up. But if your car matters to you more than the 40 ft of parking lot extra you'll have to walk, you can keep it like new.

[Year's_End]

i cleaned my car once a week for the first year of ownership. now it's like once every three weeks.

it's just a car. and it has scratches on the front quarter panel but i'm indifferent about those at this point.

[choicez]

Luckily, I have a Xterra as my daily driver and I careless what happens to that ride. So if your a d*ckhead and parks really close to me, don't blame me if I fling my door open and leave my autograph on your car. It's great to have a beater because you could give a crap if it's dirty or banged up.

My BMW I baby tho.

[Year's_End]

Originally Posted by choicez

if your a d*ckhead and parks really close to me, don't blame me if I fling my door open and leave my autograph on your car. It's great to have a beater because you could give a crap if it's dirty or banged up.

that makes you a dickhead. i'd trade 30 seconds of inconvenience to spare someone a door ding and however much it could cost to fix it.

[TiAg335i]

Originally Posted by MontegoblueE92

I go to a school of 25,000. I've had the car 2 1/2 years without a single ding. It's possible, you just have to be willing to walk the extra distance. If you want the closest spot so you park between two soccer moms everywhere you go, then yes, your car will get beat up. But if your car matters to you more than the 40 ft of parking lot extra you'll have to walk, you can keep it like new.

Well, then you're just lucky. You are telling me after almost 3 yrs your car has not a single flaw? My school isn't big enough to park like a mile away from everyone else, so I just use the underground parking lot and park way at the end spot, a little bit over the line so no one can ding me.

Where do you live/how old are you? That has a lot to do with it also IMO.

[jpsum]

The way I treat my 330 is no different from my previous car (06 civic sedan). Maintain it well and try to wash it just once per month. I don't lose any sleep over a little scratch here and there.

[taliesen]

My E90 is my DD (only car in the household now that the wife has moved out - more garage space!!), but to be fair, I work from home 98% of the time. In fact, in 4 months ownership, I'm just shy of 1500 miles on the clock. That being said, I am still extremely paranoid and cautious, and plan to continue to baby it. I always park as far away as possible (and the extra walk won't hurt my overweight frame, so it kills two birds with one stone). Wash every 2 weeks or so, regardless of mileage, and getting ready to do the pre-winter detail in the next month or so.

I plan to keep this for a long, long time - and it's gotta stay looking good to help with finding the replacement for the soon to be ex!

[MontegoblueE92]

Originally Posted by TiAg335i

Well, then you're just lucky. You are telling me after almost 3 yrs your car has not a single flaw? My school isn't big enough to park like a mile away from everyone else, so I just use the underground parking lot and park way at the end spot, a little bit over the line so no one can ding me.

Where do you live/how old are you? That has a lot to do with it also IMO.

I'm 22. I live in Memphis. Every school is big enough to park far away. You find the least used parking lot and park there. That's what I do. And I have no door dings, and never scratched the car. Granted, I did have an accident in February that replaced a fender and front bumper, but even those showed no signs of wear besides rock chips.

[TiAg335i]

Originally Posted by MontegoblueE92

I'm 22. I live in Memphis. Every school is big enough to park far away. You find the least used parking lot and park there. That's what I do. And I have no door dings, and never scratched the car. Granted, I did have an accident in February that replaced a fender and front bumper, but even those showed no signs of wear besides rock chips.

Well...that is unfortunate but that's kind of my point. I find it hard to believe there is anyone out there with a DD with not a single accident, ding/scratch whatever.

[MontegoblueE92]

The accident was due to a freak ice storm we had. I woke up and it was sunny. 4 hours later we had about 6 inches of ice/snow. So, with no salt on the roads whatsoever and RWD, I just slid.

Point is, even after 2 years I never had an imperfection. If we hadn't had hell freeze over that day, I would've never had anything done. And I've not had anything happen since.

Not to mention, in your first post, you stated:

"I tried in vain to keep my car scratch/ding free but it's just not possible. If you drive your car daily, it's just inevitable."

It is not inevitable. Being extra careful will stop stuff like that from happening.

[DevJ]

Originally Posted by TiAg335i

Well...that is unfortunate but that's kind of my point. I find it hard to believe there is anyone out there with a DD with not a single accident, ding/scratch whatever.

+1

Originally Posted by MontegoblueE92

The accident was due to a freak ice storm we had. I woke up and it was sunny. 4 hours later we had about 6 inches of ice/snow. So, with no salt on the roads whatsoever and RWD, I just slid.

Point is, even after 2 years I never had an imperfection. If we hadn't had hell freeze over that day, I would've never had anything done. And I've not had anything happen since.

Not to mention, in your first post, you stated:

"I tried in vain to keep my car scratch/ding free but it's just not possible. If you drive your car daily, it's just inevitable."

It is not inevitable. Being extra careful will stop stuff like that from happening.

No it won't. And I'm pretty sure crashing and getting a new fender is an imperfection. You drive your car daily, you've crashed. Keeping your car in perfect condition is impossible. My M3, which stays in the garage, even has a scratch on it. No biggie. It happens to every car.

[DevJ]

Originally Posted by choicez

Luckily, I have a Xterra as my daily driver and I careless what happens to that ride. So if your a d*ckhead and parks really close to me, don't blame me if I fling my door open and leave my autograph on your car. It's great to have a beater because you could give a crap if it's dirty or banged up.

My BMW I baby tho.

Well then I hope someone dings your bmw. How can you want to ding someone else's car but expect no one to ding yours?

[blue2fire]

Just a car, why buy a 3 Series and keep it at home?

It will still depreciate like crazy and you will get the least amount of convenience when you drive a crap car everyday. If you cant deal with the scratches, lower the deductible.

[blue2fire]

BTW, some of you guys might want to say "Touch Wood". I can see a nice thread coming tomorrow.

[Jammin Jason]

when i got my e90 i always baby it. always cleaning it and such but after awhile i was like "fcuk it!" its a DD i cant do anything about natural wear and tear, pebbles hitting my car from the road and etc..

[choicez]

Originally Posted by DevJ

Well then I hope someone dings your bmw. How can you want to ding someone else's car but expect no one to ding yours?

That's because I don't park into someone else's space or don't give them any space to open their driver or passenger door.

[Year's_End]

Originally Posted by choicez

That's because I don't park into someone else's space or don't give them any space to open their driver or passenger door.

I'd advocate spitting on their windshield instead of fucking up the metal. Not that I'd do that, it's just not something that causes damage.

[karliejai]

now its just a car.... lol