This might be moved, but we got a loaner 328i while my wife's 323i is in the shop.

This car is wierd. The Navi has traffic flow, but it only shows slow or stopped, i.e., no green which is OK I guess. I can say that the timeliness or lack there of is about on par with our RL Navtraffic. What is strange is that there appears to be a bug in how/when it displays street names. At .5mile zoom, there are many street names, but when zoom into .25mile most disappear. Then zoom into next smaller scale and they reappear. The user interface is not that intuitive. Also, does not show the name of the road that you are travelling on. I looked at all the settings and could not see anything that would turn that on/off. That seems to be a major oversight.

Also, I could not find a clock anywhere.

 

One other thing re the Navi - I could not figure out how to pan. Could zoom, but not pan. Tried everything.

 

Yep, that glitch with the street names depending on scale is odd, but is there. You can't pan and the system won't show you the current street you are on unless you do split screen.

Traffic data is from Clearchannel so it is free and does a good job - you just need to remember that it only shows congestion and does not indicate if the traffic is clear.

 

interesting
How is the Clearchannel data broadcast to the car?

It seemed to update frequently, but some congestion areas would come on and then go away so I wasn't sure if it was getting the data right or the data was just wrong for a few minutes

 

I have heard few testimonies here from people who liked other navs more after leaving the RL. Something about the ease of use is frequently mentioned.

 

I find it odd when mentioned in reference to BMW. I hated BMW interface. I don't find Lexus particularly nice as far as nav goes either. Maybe their newer models are better. I find data entry VERY challenging compared to the RL, but actual guidance is a little friendlier than in the RL

Aside from that, BMW's are fun to drive. I drove an E46 back in my test drive rounds, it was crazy fun. I've also drive my friends 328xi and his brother's E38. Both were loads of fun.

 

I don't use mine to guide me since I have a sense of direction and can read a map.

I have no doubt about the UDM's fun factor, but those maintenance bills must brutal to swallow. I think shahram would break put in shingles.

You gotta pay to play, but I pay enough to play in an RL.

 

Agreed :lol: Hey, I like being talked to by a nice female voice, what can I say

Any German has a high maintenance bill, which is why I steered clear of BMW when I was buying, despite liking them.

Acura isn't that horribly expensive to maintain surprisingly. My 1G RL gave me minimal issues. I can't speak much for the 2G since I'm only 6 months into it The only thing that's scared me about the 2G is the size of the fuel tank. I fill almost 4 gallons on top of the click I swear, someone got the manual spec on fuel capacity wrong.

 

we have the loaner car because the instrument cluster died. 1999 323 - care to guess what the bill will be?

 

$500.

 

1800?

 

close - cluster is $950, labor will be about $500.

 

The price is about normal, the installation cost is about normal. The fact that it needs replacing is no surprise either if you own a BMW.

 

kind of funny update:
They still have the car. Took them 3 days to get the instrument panel. Installed it yesterday. However, there was some change in the components that record the mileage. In the 1999 (car in the shop), the component is integral to the cluster. The new part expects that component to unpluggable so that the mileage will be accurate in the new cluster. So they tell me they have to put a sticker on the door that indicates what the mileage was when the cluster was replaced. They cannot release car to me until sticker has been attached. Ok, no problem. However, they don't have the sticker and they have to order from BMW. So, car will sit 2 more days until they get the sticker.

 

Is this like The Price Is Right where the closest guess without going over wins? If so, .

 

This has become comical. They got a parts shipment from BMW yesterday, but as of closing time they had not found the sticker in the shipment. They have now had the car 1 day shy of 2 weeks.

 

I just goes to prove that no matter how formidable the reputation of any vehicle may be (good or bad) a dealership / service center experience can dramatically skew that vehicle's reputation in the mind of it's owner.

As I have said in the past, I am thankful to have a great relationship with my dealership's sales & service. That is coming into acute focus as I am shopping a second vehicle (not to replace my RL).

Although the RDX is on my list, it is the lower priority of what I am cross shopping. I know I would do well with my Acura dealer should I decide on the RDX, but instead want to research the alternatives first. What seems to be insurmountable is simply getting a test drive with the dealers of the models I am considering to purchase. I schedule appointments, they do not acknowledge them. Or they ignore the 'test drive' aspect and cram me for trade and finance details, ignoring the test drive request. The concept that I FIRST want to determine what I want to purchase is beyond comprehension.

The dealerships inept communication (they have NO ability to listen to what I am asking) might drive me to buy an RDX, not so much that is the best vehicle for my needs as much as the Acura dealership may be the best end result and long term experience over the competitors. And yes, I know my Acura experience is not shared by all.

If I were getakey, I would be asking the BMW Dealership "What part of Ultimate Driving Machine does this experience fulfill?" Your patience proves you are a better man than I.

 

Totally agree with you Tampa on the Dealer experience.
This one is somewhat mitigated by the fact that at least my wife has been driving a brand new loaner car in the absense of her 1999 car.
Also, to give the Dealer some credit, the symptoms did not point to the cluster, but rather some sort of short in the wiring. Took them several days to diagnose and it wasn't until they pulled another cluster out of a technicians own car that they confirmed it was the cluster. They did not charge me for that work.

 

I think that BMW service departments are more competant than the Acura service departments because they get a lot more practice. When you go in for surgery do you want the surgeon who is working on his first patient or the one who has performed the operation a lot of times?

 

 

I concede victory. db wins this thread.