TDIclub Secret Society of BMW Owners (SSBMWO)

Blue_Hen_TDI

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 23, 2005
Location
Slower, DE
TDI
owned: 96 B4V, 06 Golf, 12 NMS, 15 GSW
Thanks for the info. Maybe I will replace it at 60K miles.

It's pretty unscientific, but you can do a visual on it to see if the rubber mass between the inner and outer rings looks bad. If it's got any pitting or cracking to it, get it out of there. If the rubber looks nice and smooth and black, maybe you can go awhile. I'm guessing a car kept in a climate controlled garage would get more miles out of the HB than one sitting outside in a place with lots of freeze/thaw cycles.
 

dogdots

Vendor
Joined
Sep 4, 2002
Location
Kansas City
TDI
None
Mines never been parked inside and I'll hit 119k miles tomorrow on my way home to KC from Minneapolis, still on the original balancer. Maybe luck of the draw? I'll be inspecting mine soon and had planned to order the fluidampr now that they are back in stock. If mine looks ok I'll hold off getting it until I am in Atlanta in March and just pick it up in person.
 

n1das

TDIClub Enthusiast, Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2002
Location
Nashua, NH, USA
TDI
2014 BMW 535xd ///M-Sport, 2012 BMW X5 Xdrive35d, former 3x TDI owner
Most people on the e90 forum report them going out around 120,000 miles. Mine gave out at 139,000.

Peter, when you fitted the Kosei's, did you ever find BMW center caps to fit them?
I'm only at 207k miles on my 2012 X5 35d (M57 engine) and it still has its original HB.
 

dogdots

Vendor
Joined
Sep 4, 2002
Location
Kansas City
TDI
None
I was in Minneapolis this week, lots of snow the past couple of days. I left at midnight headed for KC to try to beat the worst of the storm driving my 335d. When I left Minneapolis there was enough freezing drizzle to keep the top third of my windshield icy until the drizzle changed to heavy snow just after the Iowa border. Drove through constant snow until the Missouri border, then it cleared up shortly after. Car did fantastic on the ice and snow with the all seasons, I haven't even put on my Blizzaks for the season yet. Probably won't at this point. I couldn't figure out why my headlights weren't projecting well until I stopped for fuel and knocked 1/4" of ice off each one :)

The good news is I got 44.6mpg calculated at fill up on the trip home, the bad news is it took me 3 hours longer to get home because of the icy and snowy conditions. 436 miles door to door, 9 hour drive time.
 
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nicklockard

Torque Dorque
Joined
Aug 15, 2004
Location
Arizona
TDI
SOLD 2010 Touareg Tdi w/factory Tow PCKG
Dubfamily,

Not sure it it's just me, but all I see is a massive post and two huge minus signs--no images load.

335d update: I just got air shocks installed in the rear for towing. This gains 23.6 mm of additional clearance, or putting my rear close to stock ride height (PO had installed coilovers, which ride great, but are quite low). So now I kind of have a good hybrid suspension setup: progressive rate coilover struts in front, progressive springs and air shocks in rear. I had an automatic compressor/controller installed with it. It all adjusts easily with a small remote that clips to my visor. The controller/compressor is wired to an ignition-on fuse. Next up is mounting the Execuhitch and buy a spare tire/wheel.
 
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jck66

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 4, 2001
Location
Greenwich, CT, USA
TDI
12 Passat SE / 14 BMW 535d
@nicklockard, please share your experience with the execuhitch installation and use? I'm considering one for my F10 535d and would be interested in information other than marketing materials. TIA! :)
 

Blue_Hen_TDI

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 23, 2005
Location
Slower, DE
TDI
owned: 96 B4V, 06 Golf, 12 NMS, 15 GSW
I had my tired original 335d sport suspension replaced with the Bilstein B12 Pro-kit (B8's w/Eibach springs), new shock/strut mounts and spring pads, as well as complete M3 control arms and new tie rods. After waiting two weeks for a bit of shake out and settling, I'm currently at the shop for 4-wheel alignment. The car already felt great. Should be even better with alignment and a tad more camber up front.
 

Twinkieflyer

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 14, 2017
Location
Blacksburg, Virginia
TDI
2002 ALH 5spd
Well I did it. Bought a 2016 535d xdrive. CPO but can buy up an extra year for 3000.
Car has warranty otherwise thru 8-2021.

The big question, with 30,000 miles on it and doubtful I will drive it more than 15k a year, should I buy the extra year or not. Since I am planning to keep it quite a while, I have started thinking about saving the money for later big $ repairs.

I still plan to drive the Jetta about 1/2 the time. I am going to miss the 5spd.
Need to go pick it up and drive back to VA from Detroit.
Thanks for any advice,
 

tditom

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Sep 5, 2001
Location
Jackson, MI
TDI
formerly: 2001 Golf GL, '97 Passat (RIP) '98 NB, '05 B5 sedan
Well I did it. Bought a 2016 535d xdrive. CPO but can buy up an extra year for 3000.
Car has warranty otherwise thru 8-2021.

The big question, with 30,000 miles on it and doubtful I will drive it more than 15k a year, should I buy the extra year or not. Since I am planning to keep it quite a while, I have started thinking about saving the money for later big $ repairs.

I still plan to drive the Jetta about 1/2 the time. I am going to miss the 5spd.
Need to go pick it up and drive back to VA from Detroit.
Thanks for any advice,
Congrats!! I'm still really enjoying my 2014- every time I drive it.
 

nicklockard

Torque Dorque
Joined
Aug 15, 2004
Location
Arizona
TDI
SOLD 2010 Touareg Tdi w/factory Tow PCKG
Well I did it. Bought a 2016 535d xdrive. CPO but can buy up an extra year for 3000.
Car has warranty otherwise thru 8-2021.

The big question, with 30,000 miles on it and doubtful I will drive it more than 15k a year, should I buy the extra year or not. Since I am planning to keep it quite a while, I have started thinking about saving the money for later big $ repairs.

I still plan to drive the Jetta about 1/2 the time. I am going to miss the 5spd.
Need to go pick it up and drive back to VA from Detroit.
Thanks for any advice,
$3000 for one year of CPO is absurdly over priced. They'd probably just deny anything important anyway. Around 160k miles, the complete emissions system will go to junk. You'll need the money to resolve it. About $13,000 for OEM or $4000 for 'ABC delete'.
 

tomo366

TDI Lifer, Member #68
Joined
Jun 30, 1997
Location
Kensington, Maryland USA
TDI
2015 Jetta SEL TDI
The Wife took my BMW to a TNT meet in Greensboro NC got to within 5 Minutes of their destination got rear ended at a light.....The Guys Passenger came up and asked if everyone was ok.....and said follow me and disappeared driving away is Air bag blew and front bumper hanging off.....but got away Pissed damaged doesn’t seem that bad.....but havent seen my car in person yet....however looking for a new Bumper Cover online said discontinued!
 
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JDSwan87

Black Swamp Thing
Joined
Feb 9, 2014
Location
Michigan near Toledo
TDI
2001 Jetta TDI, 5 speed Lagoon Blue Metallic(sold); 2005 Jetta TDI Wagon auto
Tomo, as long as your wife is ok, that's all that matters. The guy that hit and ran will get his come uppins
 

nicklockard

Torque Dorque
Joined
Aug 15, 2004
Location
Arizona
TDI
SOLD 2010 Touareg Tdi w/factory Tow PCKG
@nicklockard, please share your experience with the execuhitch installation and use? I'm considering one for my F10 535d and would be interested in information other than marketing materials. TIA! :)
Hi,

I've completed the installation of the Execuhitch (Invisihitch). BTW they are two brand names for one company since Execuhitch was bought out by IH. The landing pages (and promo videos on youtube, etcetera) for marketing purposes still have Execuhitch, but the company reps who took my order and payment are Invisihitch. Anyways, a good company from what I can tell.

The finished installation is nearly invisible. You can only see the chain attachment tangs and a small rectangle. I'll post a picture in a bit. I think it looks really nice.

The hitch installation I would rate as 8/10 for ease of installation. I deduct 2 points for minor fitment issues:
  1. The hangars for attaching bumper skin to are too thick to fit the stock clips. You have to grind them down thinner, which leaves them susceptible to rust, unless you also powder coat the freshly ground steel afterwards.
  2. You DO have to cut out a minor amount of plastic to make room for the working end of the receiver. However, it does not show unless you are literally under the car. I don't mind, but the instructions should have mentioned this.

For function I would rate it at 8/10--only because I haven't really put much load on it yet. I stood atop the hitch ball with my weight and a heavy object with the bumper skin not yet re-installed, in order to view how much the unibody flexes near the bolt/flange locations. It was about 3mm by my eyeball, but evenly distributed. I'd say that this is within normal service limits for the unibody--as it was engineered with a European OEM hitch almost exactly the same design. My body weight plus the item I held was very close to the stated 250 lb tongue limits, so I thought it a decent approximation.

My trailer is variable ride-height air ride with load leveling Hensley hitch, so I'm not worried much about frame/unibody issues.
I did attach the trailer (to the hitch ball and without the load leveling or Hensley hitch) and rode around for testing, and I nearly forgot it was back there within minutes. The car and ride is nice and settled. Air ride on both ends really helps. But, I credit the Invisihitch for being well engineered. It's super solid, alignment is perfect, torque specifications were clear and easy, and it calls out thread-locking compounds where appropriate, plus they include all hardware.

There is no noise, clanking, or flexion during towing. I paid $684. I rate overall value at 7/10 at this time. If Invisihitch reads this, I'd suggest:

  1. At this price point, the directions should be PERFECT at the very least.
  2. The attachment tabs should be correctly sized
  3. They should provide a cutting template for a perfectly shaped/sized square hole in the bumper skin to give room for the hitch (plus, you need a bit of clearance to get your fingers in to reach the lighting plug).
  4. Provide an alternate mount for mounting 7-pin trailer wiring connectors (like mine).

My score may change as I gain more experience using it in real life.
 
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jck66

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 4, 2001
Location
Greenwich, CT, USA
TDI
12 Passat SE / 14 BMW 535d
Thank you for sharing. Forgive the newbie questions, but did the vendor provide 7-pin wiring or did you finagle that yourself? The instructions for the F10 car only mention a 4-pin. I asked the sales rep about it via email and didn't really get a good answer. I don't own a trailer (nor have much experience with them) but it seems easier to adapt a 7 to 4 than the reverse. Then the car is prepared for either situation.
 

nicklockard

Torque Dorque
Joined
Aug 15, 2004
Location
Arizona
TDI
SOLD 2010 Touareg Tdi w/factory Tow PCKG
Thank you for sharing. Forgive the newbie questions, but did the vendor provide 7-pin wiring or did you finagle that yourself? The instructions for the F10 car only mention a 4-pin. I asked the sales rep about it via email and didn't really get a good answer. I don't own a trailer (nor have much experience with them) but it seems easier to adapt a 7 to 4 than the reverse. Then the car is prepared for either situation.
Invisihitch vendor provides a 4-pin connector and their proprietary trailer lighting 'ECU' module which supposedly has a fault detection and recovery mode. It sounds cool, but I don't like the connectors--in my experience they're a common failure point. I want to do my trailer wiring once and only once :)

I'm making a hybrid 7-pin connector from:

  • 4 wire lighting (brakes, running, turning lights) using Tekonsha Zero Contact kit--this can not short. It is fault protected but does not have the fault recovery modes of the Invisihitch module
  • I may decide to integrate the Invisihitch module for fault recovery features using butt-spliced, crimped connections, after the Zero Contact kit...still debating if it's really necessary and worth the extra effort. Packaging is an issue because that stuff is bulky
  • 12VDC for trailer accessories which I'll just tap into a fused contact for
  • Electric trailer brakes
  • I may fun wire for trailer reverse lights, but it's not required for my trailer class

Lastly, I agree with your thoughts--it's easier to do it once for a 7-pin setup then 'dumb it down' to a 4 pin if all you ever tow is a small trailer. Most of the work is in getting the bumper skin off/on, setup, and packaging the various modules and wire bundles neatly. Once you get on a roll, you can crimp and heat shrink pretty fast. I'd rather do a 7 pin setup on one day and have it 'future proofed.'
 
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tomo366

TDI Lifer, Member #68
Joined
Jun 30, 1997
Location
Kensington, Maryland USA
TDI
2015 Jetta SEL TDI
Four people in the car and no one managed to snap a pic of (or write down) the license number of the car that hit you?
That's kinda crazy.
Steve
One of the people in the other car came up to us and asked if everyone was OK and said follow us and took off! My Daughter tried to chase them on foot......and the person who was sitting in our Passenger seat had knocked the plug out on my Dashcam.......:( so no no one got the tag # they were dragging their front Bumper and Both Airbags blew.....still upset! Got my car back today from the Bodyshop looks great!
 

Blue_Hen_TDI

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 23, 2005
Location
Slower, DE
TDI
owned: 96 B4V, 06 Golf, 12 NMS, 15 GSW
One of the people in the other car came up to us and asked if everyone was OK and said follow us and took off! My Daughter tried to chase them on foot......and the person who was sitting in our Passenger seat had knocked the plug out on my Dashcam.......:( so no no one got the tag # they were dragging their front Bumper and Both Airbags blew.....still upset! Got my car back today from the Bodyshop looks great!
Had to be a no-insurance deal I'd think. People are such a-holes, and I don't know why no-insurance penalties aren't stiffer.

No injuries and a car that looks good again is the takeaway. You can be thankful for that much at least.

You just gave me a good prodding to install a dashcam and hardwire it though. I hardwired my radar detector in the 335D. I guess that shows where my priorities are.
 

tomo366

TDI Lifer, Member #68
Joined
Jun 30, 1997
Location
Kensington, Maryland USA
TDI
2015 Jetta SEL TDI
Had to be a no-insurance deal I'd think. People are such a-holes, and I don't know why no-insurance penalties aren't stiffer.

No injuries and a car that looks good again is the takeaway. You can be thankful for that much at least.

You just gave me a good prodding to install a dashcam and hardwire it though. I hardwired my radar detector in the 335D. I guess that shows where my priorities are.
Actually my Daughter is being treated for Whiplash.....I do have my Valentine one hard wired have to take it down in Va and DC.....sad the Dashcam was off when my Jeep Cherokee got totaled the Dashcam got me my Deductable back...
 

KERMA

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Sep 23, 2001
Location
here
TDI
99 beetle and 04 jetta
Count me in the SSBMWO.

Driving a CPO 2014 328d since April of last year.
 
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