11 Litres, 22 Cylinders, 2x BMW. M6 & 760iL.
Discussion
I've been meaning to get started on a Readers' Thread for a while, I read a lot more than I post, and I also work away for most of the year, so spend a lot of time in rental cars. The downside of that is situations like this:
(sorry for potato picture) - 'mine' was one of the black ones.
This has meant that my actual UK mileage is minimal, and so fuel ceased to be an issue. This has led to the purchase of some more interesting cars the last few years.
Back in 2012 I was doing a 30 mile each way commute, so a diesel made sense, and a fast one made it interesting. Therefore a 335d (not mapped) was perfect.
Picture is at the zip-wire in Wales, after a night parked on the seafront in Prestatyn, where I think every seagull within 100 miles decided to bomb the car! Oh, and I drink a lot of cola (deal with it).
This was a fine car, and for doing 20k+/year was actually quite reasonable in terms of cost, just the usual x35d engine issues like the boost hose, and the usual Hydro unit failures... I still miss this car, the pre-lci shape & the MV4 wheels just "work".
I changed jobs into my current role in 2015, which meant the car then spent most of its time in Manchester Airport. With mileage no longer an issue, I traded in for a petrol.
z4, 35i (so the 3l twin turbo). This is the only picture I have of it (in airport parking!) Again, a nice car, noticeably quicker than the 335d - I think the DCT box helps there, but it's a stiff ride, and on the broken tarmac of Manchester, this got wearing. The search was therefore on for something more practical, and comfy, to complement the z4. I went out and bought a £1500 Volvo V70. (no pics).
December 2016 & the Volvo went to a mate who was on his arse financially & needed a car (he's still using it now). I had one years NCB & needed to use it on something, so the thinking went like this:
1 - I like BMW.
2 - want something comfortable.
3 - still needs to be quick
The logical solution was therefore a long-wheelbase 760iL, obviously! (And keep the z4 as well).
Here's the specification from the ad:
2004 54 Registered BMW 760Li 6.0 V12 Individual
78k Miles
13 BMW Main Dealer Service Stamps
BMW UK + 1 Private Owner From Brand New
Special Order BMW Individual Specification Including -
BMW Individual OrientBlau Coachwork
BMW Individual Platinum Merino Leather Upholstery
BMW Individual Extended Leather Upholstery
BMW Individual Interior Trim Including Roof Grab Handles
BMW Individual Platinum Alcantara Roof Liner and Parcel Shelf
BMW Individual Interior Trim in Piano Finish Black
BMW Individual Entry Sills Illuminated
BMW Individual Leather Steering Wheel
BMW Individual Option 416 Electric Side and Rear Sun blinds
BMW Individual Option 2M2 Light Alloy Wheels, V-Spoke 152 20 Inch
BMW Individual option 760 High Gloss Satin Chrome
BMW 761 Individual Sun Protection Glazing
BMW Individual Multifunction Center Console Communication Unit
BMW Option 456 Comfort Seats Electrically Adjustable (Rears)
7 Series Options Include
202 Steptronic Gearbox
216 Servotronic Steering Assistance
223 Dynamic Damper Control
229 Dynamic Drive
245 Steering Column Electric Adjustment
261 Side Airbags Rear
302 Alarm System
323 Soft Close Automatic System For Doors Front and Rear
356 Climate Comfort Laminated Glass
358 Climate Comfort Windscreen
415 Sun blind For Rear Window
416 Sun blinds
430 Interior and Exterior Anti Dazzle Mirrors
431 Automatic Anti Dazzle Mirrors
442 Cupholder
456 Comfort Seats Electrically Adjustable
460 Comfort Seats Rear Electrically Adjustable
488 Lumbar Support Driver and Passenger
502 Headlight Washer System
508 Parking Distance Control
521 Rain Sensor
522 Xenon Headlights
534 Automatic Air Conditioning
609 Navigation System Professional
638 Car Telephone Professional
677 Harman Kardon Hifi System Professional
853 Language English
Extra Order Options Excluding The Individual Options -
315 Automatic Tailgate Operation
403 Electric Glass Sunroof
428 Warning Triangle
441 Smokers Package (Never Used or Smoked in)
455 Active Seat Front Driver and Passenger
494 Seat Heating Front Driver and Passenger
496 Seat Heating For Rear Seats
541 Active Cruise Control
601 TV Function
603 Monitor in Rear
607 Telephone Preparation (Front & Rear)
612 BMW Assist
620 Voice Command System
631 Second Telephone Receiver In Rear, Cordless
672 CD Changer BMW for 6 CD's
696 DVD Changer for 6 DVD's
698 Area Code 2
785 White Direction Indicator Lights
8SC County Spec Teleservice
8SM Vin Visible From Outside
8SP COP Control
812 England Version
880 English On Board Documentation
940 Special Request Equipment (Individual Spec)
More photos on request, I am the world's worst picture taker.
Have a look at the engine chart (N73) - this car may weigh 2.2 tonnes, but this v12 ignores a lot of that weight!
The M73 version is the previous 5.4l version(non-direct injection in the e38 750i).
After a couple of days of driving around, it was Christmas, and therefore time to take our annual pilgrimage to my sister, for Christmas. The run back from Chelmsford to Rochdale on Boxing day remains the best mpg I've achieved yet!
On that note, it's an 88 litre tank, 400 miles is possible, but not often achieved. Around town (or sat on the M60 in rush-hour having landed back at the airport), 10 mpg has been seen more than once. £0.50 /mile running costs on fuel alone (approx.)!
A couple of months in, I needed tyres. I'm a Michelin fan (by preference) and although the car came on Michelin Primacy tyres, I do tend to have my fun in the corners, so will always specify a performance tyre where possible. The decision was therefore obvious. MPS4S's all round, in the staggered fitment for the 20" wheels. 255/40/20 front and 285/35/20 rear. Excellent tyres, but no change from £1000. At the same time, I got the gearbox (the common 6-speed ZF HP6 as also found in the 335d!) fluids changed. Shifts weren't bad before, but peace of mind & all that... £300.
This made the car much, much nicer to drive, if slightly noisier from the tyres, but with the double glazing, I can live with it...
Then the logic7 amp blew, which made the audio rather poor. so a new one was sourced. £1500.
During September, I got on ebay for a set of winter wheels (I think they're worth it - YMMV, but this isn't the thread for it) & picked up a set quite locally for £200. I then got 5x (Michelin) Alpin PA4 in 245/50/18 flavour (the 5th for the spare wheel, as it was an original 2004 tyre! - never used, but still...) That's another £1000.
As mentioned in the barge thread, I initially thought the ride on 18" wasn't that much better than on the 20", but I was wrong. It's truly comfortable on 18". It's not bad on 20" either, when compared to the z4!
Then, October, disaster... EML came on, from cold & start-up, the car is fine. Two miles down the road, light throttle makes it "judder", while heavier application is fine. A further 2 miles down the road and there's no issue at all. We still don't know what's the root cause. I left it with the garage for the whole of the month, on a "when you can basis", as I didn't need the car day-to-day, so that's where we're at right now.
This therefore meant I had to start using the z4 more to go to the airport, and shopping, etc, which is fine, but the ride got wearing quickly. (i.e. the main reason I looked for something else in the first place). I had cause to go to Farnborough, so called in at Barons BMW there, as they had a z4 35iS with the adaptive suspension, and the plan was to try that & see if it was more usable day to day. Of course, it had sold before I got there, so I had a look at an e92 M3 they had.
Again, I liked the e92 shape, and the M3 was nice. Couldn't come to a good deal on price though, so walked away. This led me to look for M3's, and while looking at one in Sheffield, the dealer there had an M6. It'd be rude not to, so M6 test driven. Still sporty, but comfier than the z4, and by god... that engine! Again, couldn't come to a good deal on price, so off I went.
I'm now looking at M6's... talk about scope creep!
I had a look at a few, many 55 plate, varying mileages, but nothing stood out. Finally went to see one on an '06 (so the £535 tax...) that was hosted here (PH) & autotrader.
The dealer is on here, but I'll let him comment should he want to rather than point him out, it was a pleasant experience, and a nice guy to do business with. I'd happily recommend him.
M6 bought, and z4 traded in. I "lost" £4.5k on the z4 over almost 2 years, and 5500 miles. Not great, but not terrible either.
Initial impressions of the M6 are that it's a completely different animal than the z4 or the 760 (not really a surprise), the wet weather today and injudicious use of the full-power mode shows just how much this car could bite the unwary. It commands respect & attention when driving hard in a way that the z4 and 760 don't. I need more time/experience to be sure, but I suspect it comes down to the difference between (approx. 200bhp/tonne & 300bhp/tonne).
I bought the ipod kit & fitted it today - little bit of DIY, as the 6 cd changer is hard to go back to, after the HDD music in the z4.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Going to have a little trip out to Morecambe tomorrow with a couple of mates on 'bikes, so a more thorough assessment & some pictures to follow. I don't have any pictures of the M6 yet - and the ad. is down so I can't steal from it!
In summary (the TL,DR bit).
2004 BMW 760iL. 6l v12, 445 hp, 2200+kgs
2006 BMW M6 5l v10, 507 hp, 1600 (ish) kgs.
I'll get more pictures up over the coming days, as well as driving impressions / experiences: if there's anything you're especially after, just let me know.
If you made it this far, thanks for reading!
Rob.
(sorry for potato picture) - 'mine' was one of the black ones.
This has meant that my actual UK mileage is minimal, and so fuel ceased to be an issue. This has led to the purchase of some more interesting cars the last few years.
Back in 2012 I was doing a 30 mile each way commute, so a diesel made sense, and a fast one made it interesting. Therefore a 335d (not mapped) was perfect.
Picture is at the zip-wire in Wales, after a night parked on the seafront in Prestatyn, where I think every seagull within 100 miles decided to bomb the car! Oh, and I drink a lot of cola (deal with it).
This was a fine car, and for doing 20k+/year was actually quite reasonable in terms of cost, just the usual x35d engine issues like the boost hose, and the usual Hydro unit failures... I still miss this car, the pre-lci shape & the MV4 wheels just "work".
I changed jobs into my current role in 2015, which meant the car then spent most of its time in Manchester Airport. With mileage no longer an issue, I traded in for a petrol.
z4, 35i (so the 3l twin turbo). This is the only picture I have of it (in airport parking!) Again, a nice car, noticeably quicker than the 335d - I think the DCT box helps there, but it's a stiff ride, and on the broken tarmac of Manchester, this got wearing. The search was therefore on for something more practical, and comfy, to complement the z4. I went out and bought a £1500 Volvo V70. (no pics).
December 2016 & the Volvo went to a mate who was on his arse financially & needed a car (he's still using it now). I had one years NCB & needed to use it on something, so the thinking went like this:
1 - I like BMW.
2 - want something comfortable.
3 - still needs to be quick
The logical solution was therefore a long-wheelbase 760iL, obviously! (And keep the z4 as well).
Here's the specification from the ad:
2004 54 Registered BMW 760Li 6.0 V12 Individual
78k Miles
13 BMW Main Dealer Service Stamps
BMW UK + 1 Private Owner From Brand New
Special Order BMW Individual Specification Including -
BMW Individual OrientBlau Coachwork
BMW Individual Platinum Merino Leather Upholstery
BMW Individual Extended Leather Upholstery
BMW Individual Interior Trim Including Roof Grab Handles
BMW Individual Platinum Alcantara Roof Liner and Parcel Shelf
BMW Individual Interior Trim in Piano Finish Black
BMW Individual Entry Sills Illuminated
BMW Individual Leather Steering Wheel
BMW Individual Option 416 Electric Side and Rear Sun blinds
BMW Individual Option 2M2 Light Alloy Wheels, V-Spoke 152 20 Inch
BMW Individual option 760 High Gloss Satin Chrome
BMW 761 Individual Sun Protection Glazing
BMW Individual Multifunction Center Console Communication Unit
BMW Option 456 Comfort Seats Electrically Adjustable (Rears)
7 Series Options Include
202 Steptronic Gearbox
216 Servotronic Steering Assistance
223 Dynamic Damper Control
229 Dynamic Drive
245 Steering Column Electric Adjustment
261 Side Airbags Rear
302 Alarm System
323 Soft Close Automatic System For Doors Front and Rear
356 Climate Comfort Laminated Glass
358 Climate Comfort Windscreen
415 Sun blind For Rear Window
416 Sun blinds
430 Interior and Exterior Anti Dazzle Mirrors
431 Automatic Anti Dazzle Mirrors
442 Cupholder
456 Comfort Seats Electrically Adjustable
460 Comfort Seats Rear Electrically Adjustable
488 Lumbar Support Driver and Passenger
502 Headlight Washer System
508 Parking Distance Control
521 Rain Sensor
522 Xenon Headlights
534 Automatic Air Conditioning
609 Navigation System Professional
638 Car Telephone Professional
677 Harman Kardon Hifi System Professional
853 Language English
Extra Order Options Excluding The Individual Options -
315 Automatic Tailgate Operation
403 Electric Glass Sunroof
428 Warning Triangle
441 Smokers Package (Never Used or Smoked in)
455 Active Seat Front Driver and Passenger
494 Seat Heating Front Driver and Passenger
496 Seat Heating For Rear Seats
541 Active Cruise Control
601 TV Function
603 Monitor in Rear
607 Telephone Preparation (Front & Rear)
612 BMW Assist
620 Voice Command System
631 Second Telephone Receiver In Rear, Cordless
672 CD Changer BMW for 6 CD's
696 DVD Changer for 6 DVD's
698 Area Code 2
785 White Direction Indicator Lights
8SC County Spec Teleservice
8SM Vin Visible From Outside
8SP COP Control
812 England Version
880 English On Board Documentation
940 Special Request Equipment (Individual Spec)
More photos on request, I am the world's worst picture taker.
Have a look at the engine chart (N73) - this car may weigh 2.2 tonnes, but this v12 ignores a lot of that weight!
The M73 version is the previous 5.4l version(non-direct injection in the e38 750i).
After a couple of days of driving around, it was Christmas, and therefore time to take our annual pilgrimage to my sister, for Christmas. The run back from Chelmsford to Rochdale on Boxing day remains the best mpg I've achieved yet!
On that note, it's an 88 litre tank, 400 miles is possible, but not often achieved. Around town (or sat on the M60 in rush-hour having landed back at the airport), 10 mpg has been seen more than once. £0.50 /mile running costs on fuel alone (approx.)!
A couple of months in, I needed tyres. I'm a Michelin fan (by preference) and although the car came on Michelin Primacy tyres, I do tend to have my fun in the corners, so will always specify a performance tyre where possible. The decision was therefore obvious. MPS4S's all round, in the staggered fitment for the 20" wheels. 255/40/20 front and 285/35/20 rear. Excellent tyres, but no change from £1000. At the same time, I got the gearbox (the common 6-speed ZF HP6 as also found in the 335d!) fluids changed. Shifts weren't bad before, but peace of mind & all that... £300.
This made the car much, much nicer to drive, if slightly noisier from the tyres, but with the double glazing, I can live with it...
Then the logic7 amp blew, which made the audio rather poor. so a new one was sourced. £1500.
During September, I got on ebay for a set of winter wheels (I think they're worth it - YMMV, but this isn't the thread for it) & picked up a set quite locally for £200. I then got 5x (Michelin) Alpin PA4 in 245/50/18 flavour (the 5th for the spare wheel, as it was an original 2004 tyre! - never used, but still...) That's another £1000.
As mentioned in the barge thread, I initially thought the ride on 18" wasn't that much better than on the 20", but I was wrong. It's truly comfortable on 18". It's not bad on 20" either, when compared to the z4!
Then, October, disaster... EML came on, from cold & start-up, the car is fine. Two miles down the road, light throttle makes it "judder", while heavier application is fine. A further 2 miles down the road and there's no issue at all. We still don't know what's the root cause. I left it with the garage for the whole of the month, on a "when you can basis", as I didn't need the car day-to-day, so that's where we're at right now.
This therefore meant I had to start using the z4 more to go to the airport, and shopping, etc, which is fine, but the ride got wearing quickly. (i.e. the main reason I looked for something else in the first place). I had cause to go to Farnborough, so called in at Barons BMW there, as they had a z4 35iS with the adaptive suspension, and the plan was to try that & see if it was more usable day to day. Of course, it had sold before I got there, so I had a look at an e92 M3 they had.
Again, I liked the e92 shape, and the M3 was nice. Couldn't come to a good deal on price though, so walked away. This led me to look for M3's, and while looking at one in Sheffield, the dealer there had an M6. It'd be rude not to, so M6 test driven. Still sporty, but comfier than the z4, and by god... that engine! Again, couldn't come to a good deal on price, so off I went.
I'm now looking at M6's... talk about scope creep!
I had a look at a few, many 55 plate, varying mileages, but nothing stood out. Finally went to see one on an '06 (so the £535 tax...) that was hosted here (PH) & autotrader.
The dealer is on here, but I'll let him comment should he want to rather than point him out, it was a pleasant experience, and a nice guy to do business with. I'd happily recommend him.
M6 bought, and z4 traded in. I "lost" £4.5k on the z4 over almost 2 years, and 5500 miles. Not great, but not terrible either.
Initial impressions of the M6 are that it's a completely different animal than the z4 or the 760 (not really a surprise), the wet weather today and injudicious use of the full-power mode shows just how much this car could bite the unwary. It commands respect & attention when driving hard in a way that the z4 and 760 don't. I need more time/experience to be sure, but I suspect it comes down to the difference between (approx. 200bhp/tonne & 300bhp/tonne).
I bought the ipod kit & fitted it today - little bit of DIY, as the 6 cd changer is hard to go back to, after the HDD music in the z4.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Going to have a little trip out to Morecambe tomorrow with a couple of mates on 'bikes, so a more thorough assessment & some pictures to follow. I don't have any pictures of the M6 yet - and the ad. is down so I can't steal from it!
In summary (the TL,DR bit).
2004 BMW 760iL. 6l v12, 445 hp, 2200+kgs
2006 BMW M6 5l v10, 507 hp, 1600 (ish) kgs.
I'll get more pictures up over the coming days, as well as driving impressions / experiences: if there's anything you're especially after, just let me know.
If you made it this far, thanks for reading!
Rob.
Fantastic read OP. 
Your 760iL looks fantastic - I'd love to see a photo of the interior, if you have any!
Back when I was doing business travel we didn't drive to the airport, my employer preferred us to use a private hire firm. I remember a the back of a 730dL being a very pleasant way to get home from Heathrow!
And you must let us have photos of your M6 - that V10 is such an amazing engine!
Your 760iL looks fantastic - I'd love to see a photo of the interior, if you have any!
Back when I was doing business travel we didn't drive to the airport, my employer preferred us to use a private hire firm. I remember a the back of a 730dL being a very pleasant way to get home from Heathrow!
And you must let us have photos of your M6 - that V10 is such an amazing engine!
My old M6:
One week old, delimited...flat out on the autobahn:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTMKkPxei0I
Had the car for six years and had very little trouble with it. Worst thing was a complete ECU meltdown at about 30,000km, replaced under warranty, but a massive job that took the dealer a week to get right. It was a great GT for a long fast drive......
One week old, delimited...flat out on the autobahn:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTMKkPxei0I
Had the car for six years and had very little trouble with it. Worst thing was a complete ECU meltdown at about 30,000km, replaced under warranty, but a massive job that took the dealer a week to get right. It was a great GT for a long fast drive......
So as promised...
This morning saw two bikes & the M6 go to Morecambe. That's Livin'
Before even setting off, conscious of the feeling I had from the car in the wet yesterday, I checked tyre pressures. Front were 0.3 and 0.4 bar down, rears both 0.5 bar down. With that resolved, a further glance showed that the front's are Conti Sport2, but are 2011 manufacture, and the rear are Accelera Phi, ?? which I've never heard of... Could have sworn it was Continentals all around, but no matter. If anyone's got any experience of the Accelera, I'd love to know - my gut feeling is I'll not do more than a few hundred miles before spring, so they can keep the wheels company until then, when I'll swap them out for my preferred Michelin.
The road out of Rochdale over Owd Betts was very slippery, as was the Grane road into Blackburn. Therefore no heroics. After a pootle along the front in Morecambe, and then a cooked breakfast, time to go back. Roads were now busier, but drier. Stopped off at the cafe along Grane road on the way back, a few nice bikes there, and some sports cars! (If a Galaxy & IQ count...)
And then finally, a view of a 6 that I've not seen before - and really would rather not do it again. While I'm a bangle fan overall, this is painful!
As to thoughts on driving:
It's a lot better on dry roads, and the correct tyre pressures help, in comparision to the z4, the steering (epas in the z4) is so much nicer, much more feel & clearly telegraphed information being passed through the rim, you can actually get a feel for the grip levels in a way that you never could in the z4, and had to take on trust.
It's possible to cruise happily on the motorway at 56mph behind a truck. Put the dampers into comfort mode & this is a better distance cruiser than the z4 for me, although a good part of that is the fact i am marginal at 6'3" for fitting in the z4 (I couldn't have driven a manual one). The ride is more settled in the M6 however, (both using go-flat tyres).
Of course, it's also possible to hit that power button & get the full 500hp. The noise inside is "good" from about 4.5k upwards, I don't see that getting old for a while. 1st and 2nd gear aren't really where it's at in my opinion, the 0-60 benchmark is pretty irrelevant. What I want is roll-on acceleration for the overtake, and this car, in 3rd/4th delivers that in spades. Full throttle in 4th at 70mph creates gaps very quickly, doing the same in 3rd is, frankly, overkill! It'd be very easy to collect significant licence points in this car, should I ever happen to see another police car (I can't remember when I last saw a traffic car, but then I don't do huge mileage, as stated). Thankfully, the HUD means I can pay attention to this at all times.
(FWIW i don't drive like an idiot, and am always conscious of other road users. My actions when no-one's about may well differ from that which I'd do in normal traffic).
Overall, so far, I'm very happy with it. In fact, my biggest gripe is that the ipod interface is really, a bit s
t. It's pretending to be a CD Changer, so CD1 = playlists, CD2 = Artists, etc... but it's just not as good as the e92 functionality, never mind the e89 z4's next gen version.
I've also been out in the 7 to take some pictures, so will start on that post next. As before, if you're still with me, thanks for reading!
This morning saw two bikes & the M6 go to Morecambe. That's Livin'
Before even setting off, conscious of the feeling I had from the car in the wet yesterday, I checked tyre pressures. Front were 0.3 and 0.4 bar down, rears both 0.5 bar down. With that resolved, a further glance showed that the front's are Conti Sport2, but are 2011 manufacture, and the rear are Accelera Phi, ?? which I've never heard of... Could have sworn it was Continentals all around, but no matter. If anyone's got any experience of the Accelera, I'd love to know - my gut feeling is I'll not do more than a few hundred miles before spring, so they can keep the wheels company until then, when I'll swap them out for my preferred Michelin.
The road out of Rochdale over Owd Betts was very slippery, as was the Grane road into Blackburn. Therefore no heroics. After a pootle along the front in Morecambe, and then a cooked breakfast, time to go back. Roads were now busier, but drier. Stopped off at the cafe along Grane road on the way back, a few nice bikes there, and some sports cars! (If a Galaxy & IQ count...)
And then finally, a view of a 6 that I've not seen before - and really would rather not do it again. While I'm a bangle fan overall, this is painful!
As to thoughts on driving:
It's a lot better on dry roads, and the correct tyre pressures help, in comparision to the z4, the steering (epas in the z4) is so much nicer, much more feel & clearly telegraphed information being passed through the rim, you can actually get a feel for the grip levels in a way that you never could in the z4, and had to take on trust.
It's possible to cruise happily on the motorway at 56mph behind a truck. Put the dampers into comfort mode & this is a better distance cruiser than the z4 for me, although a good part of that is the fact i am marginal at 6'3" for fitting in the z4 (I couldn't have driven a manual one). The ride is more settled in the M6 however, (both using go-flat tyres).
Of course, it's also possible to hit that power button & get the full 500hp. The noise inside is "good" from about 4.5k upwards, I don't see that getting old for a while. 1st and 2nd gear aren't really where it's at in my opinion, the 0-60 benchmark is pretty irrelevant. What I want is roll-on acceleration for the overtake, and this car, in 3rd/4th delivers that in spades. Full throttle in 4th at 70mph creates gaps very quickly, doing the same in 3rd is, frankly, overkill! It'd be very easy to collect significant licence points in this car, should I ever happen to see another police car (I can't remember when I last saw a traffic car, but then I don't do huge mileage, as stated). Thankfully, the HUD means I can pay attention to this at all times.
(FWIW i don't drive like an idiot, and am always conscious of other road users. My actions when no-one's about may well differ from that which I'd do in normal traffic).
Overall, so far, I'm very happy with it. In fact, my biggest gripe is that the ipod interface is really, a bit s
t. It's pretending to be a CD Changer, so CD1 = playlists, CD2 = Artists, etc... but it's just not as good as the e92 functionality, never mind the e89 z4's next gen version.I've also been out in the 7 to take some pictures, so will start on that post next.
As before, if you're still with me, thanks for reading!Edited by Prinny on Sunday 5th November 16:47
Rob was kind enough to give me a go in the 760 at one of our barge meets. What a thing! Of course it felt like a small house down medium sized roads, but with the most smooth surge of power I have experienced. The only issue is that I am certain I would lose my licence if I owned one. The individual trim is delightful as well.
I have driven an m5 of this era - an old boss had one. We went to see a client and had to refill twice because of the single digit mpg. What a noise though. I have to admit that his running costs and the number of non-proceeds (mainly gearbox related) scare me a bit!
I have driven an m5 of this era - an old boss had one. We went to see a client and had to refill twice because of the single digit mpg. What a noise though. I have to admit that his running costs and the number of non-proceeds (mainly gearbox related) scare me a bit!
And so onto the big 7.
This is how it currently stands on the winter wheels. It's better than I expected, but by gosh, 18" wheels are small on this car!
Here's the heart of the beast
There's a piece of trim missing at the front of the engine (you can see the 4 grommets) - that's deliberate, and once we figure out what the CEL is, I'll put it back.
And here's the back of the beast - the pipes are 100% invisible from outside, but they're around 3" diameter - a 6L v12 expels a lot of air!
|https://thumbsnap.com/yDp7Tw4e[/url]
Moving to the inside, you're faced with this:
Once you've got bored with the electric blinds / windows, you can use the controls to adjust your seat / heat it, or you can open up the armrest to make a call on the vintage 2004 hand-held phone.
Or you can use the iDrive (version 1.1 - the 7 series was the very first recipient of idrive, version 1.0 had no "menu" button to go back with, and was deemed too confusing for the user, so the 1.1 version has the "menu" button, as can be seen above) to control the rear display unit & watch a film (6x DVD changer in boot).
It's not 1080p, in fact when compared to most smartphones these days, it's pretty poor, but it's good enough to watch.
This gives you a better idea of the resolution, and shows just how many dinosaurs died to make this car go.
Finally, if you're bored of all that, you can check your appearance with the rear mounted vanity mirror (check the alcantara headlining)
[url]
Moving into the cheap seats, this is your perch.
These (comfort seats) are by far and away the best seats I've sat on in a car, this includes Volvo & Saab. The ability to change the backrest angle half-way up makes such a difference, as does the flexible bit of the headrest that can be bent around your neck. I keep saying this in posts, but that one bit makes such a difference, until you've tried it, you really don't know what you're missing. That said, the "massage" function is valuable too, but it does take some getting used to! (it's very slow, and not what i expected at all!).
Once you're sat there and ready to go, this is your dash.
The wheel colour is something I've got used to - I don't notice it anymore. It's the one part of the individual trim I'd have ignored if i were specifying. To use the well known phrase... "its's good, but it's not right!" Buttons in the rim are for changing down a gear. It's not active unless in manual mode (and there's equivalent "up" buttons on the back), but they're superfluous to be honest, this engine doesn't need to be cajoled like this, a heavier right foot is sufficient.
The centre console is remarkably plain, most things are hidden away / relegated to idrive. The two drawers pop out (as shown for phone), the bottom one contains my extra strong mint supply! Piano black trim is nice too, if only for the finish, as can be seen better here.
Tour over, a backward glance as you walk away.
There are some cosmetic issues to solve, the bonnet badge has abraded over time and is now not much of a roundel anymore.
I also had a (great big fk-off st me that's scary coming toward the windscreen) stone flick up a bit back, luckily it hit the kidney chrome, and nothing else, so a new one of those (it's just a plastic chrome ring) is on order.
So what's it like to drive, i hear you all say?
Well, it's an interesting mix of things.
It's a quick car. It's not RS3 quick off the line, but it's still under 6 seconds to sixty, starting in second
and that's accomplished doing nothing other than flexing your foot. No button pressing, no nothing, it's just a big NA engine doing what it does best. You can happily keep up with all normal traffic without ever doing >2000rpm. But, beyond 4k, it snarls - there's a real push in the back in a lower gear, a inexorable feeling of gathering momentum in a higher one. I don't know, (will have to time it / do it from the dash-cam's) - but I think from 100+ this might actually be quicker than the M6. (It might not either, but it'll be fun trying!). It's also interesting how little an extra 4 people on board affects it. On your 1400kg hatch, that's maybe 15-20% extra weight, but the same people in this are 6% ish.
It has overtaking presence, people see it in rear view mirrors and they move out of the way. This is somewhat bemusing, as i'm normally not trying to go faster than anyone else, indeed I value my licence too much, but a quick dinosaur depletion will whisk me past, no fuss, no drama. It can corner too, the active body control suppresses roll well, but at the end of the day, while it's capable of travelling a b-road faster than your average car, it's not "that" much fun doing it - although it surprises other people when you keep up!
But, it's a limo at heart. So long as you can stomach the advanced dipso habit this car has in traffic, it's wonderful on a commute. For many weeks of the year, I'd land back at Manchester Airport at 4:45pm, and hit the Friday rush hour on the M60. Left hand lane, auto handbrake on. Sit in silence (well as much radio as you want), and just waft along at idle speed on the wave of torque, enjoying the climate controlled air of your insulated, double-glazed cocoon. Traffic halts, no bother. Just press the brake pedal & wait one second, then release & it's auto held. Traffic starts moving, just tap the throttle pedal and you're off. The sense of serenity, (serendity?!
) is just fantastic. It's a very much zen way of travelling. Smoooooth.
But it's not perfect. It's got one absolutely infuriating thing. Radar cruise control. Don't get me wrong, this can work, in conjunction with other things, it can work fantastically well, indeed the new Volvo s90/v90 cruise/stop-start/auto, etc is quite possibly my de-facto standard for a commuter car, the way it will go from your set cruise speed to an engine off halt, and then as traffic moves again, set off automatically and follow - you pretty much only need to steer - is absolutely amazing, and if I had to do a daily commute, I now wouldn't have anything else - it really is that good.
My version of radar cruise however is the beta one, it's piss-poor. I'd go so far as to say it's really fking annoying. This is because you can only have it on or off, there's no standard cruise on it's own functionality, you have to use the radar. The ONLY time this works is when you're on a quiet motorway and there's not another car in 50 miles. Then, it functions like it should. But if there's a car ahead, it's "seen", and as you come up to the point where you think "ok, time to indicate out & move to the next lane", is exactly when it decides "warning - car too close - BRAKE". Every. Single. fking. Time. If someone knows how to deactivate the radar functionality & just make it "normal" cruise control, please, please let me know.
So there you have it. I'll try and keep things updated as I go, all feedback is welcome.
This is how it currently stands on the winter wheels. It's better than I expected, but by gosh, 18" wheels are small on this car!
Here's the heart of the beast
There's a piece of trim missing at the front of the engine (you can see the 4 grommets) - that's deliberate, and once we figure out what the CEL is, I'll put it back.
And here's the back of the beast - the pipes are 100% invisible from outside, but they're around 3" diameter - a 6L v12 expels a lot of air!
|https://thumbsnap.com/yDp7Tw4e[/url]Moving to the inside, you're faced with this:
Once you've got bored with the electric blinds / windows, you can use the controls to adjust your seat / heat it, or you can open up the armrest to make a call on the vintage 2004 hand-held phone.
Or you can use the iDrive (version 1.1 - the 7 series was the very first recipient of idrive, version 1.0 had no "menu" button to go back with, and was deemed too confusing for the user, so the 1.1 version has the "menu" button, as can be seen above) to control the rear display unit & watch a film (6x DVD changer in boot).
It's not 1080p, in fact when compared to most smartphones these days, it's pretty poor, but it's good enough to watch.
This gives you a better idea of the resolution, and shows just how many dinosaurs died to make this car go.
Finally, if you're bored of all that, you can check your appearance with the rear mounted vanity mirror (check the alcantara headlining)
[url]Moving into the cheap seats, this is your perch.
These (comfort seats) are by far and away the best seats I've sat on in a car, this includes Volvo & Saab. The ability to change the backrest angle half-way up makes such a difference, as does the flexible bit of the headrest that can be bent around your neck. I keep saying this in posts, but that one bit makes such a difference, until you've tried it, you really don't know what you're missing. That said, the "massage" function is valuable too, but it does take some getting used to! (it's very slow, and not what i expected at all!).
Once you're sat there and ready to go, this is your dash.
The wheel colour is something I've got used to - I don't notice it anymore. It's the one part of the individual trim I'd have ignored if i were specifying. To use the well known phrase... "its's good, but it's not right!" Buttons in the rim are for changing down a gear. It's not active unless in manual mode (and there's equivalent "up" buttons on the back), but they're superfluous to be honest, this engine doesn't need to be cajoled like this, a heavier right foot is sufficient.
The centre console is remarkably plain, most things are hidden away / relegated to idrive. The two drawers pop out (as shown for phone), the bottom one contains my extra strong mint supply! Piano black trim is nice too, if only for the finish, as can be seen better here.
Tour over, a backward glance as you walk away.
There are some cosmetic issues to solve, the bonnet badge has abraded over time and is now not much of a roundel anymore.
I also had a (great big f
k-off st me that's scary coming toward the windscreen) stone flick up a bit back, luckily it hit the kidney chrome, and nothing else, so a new one of those (it's just a plastic chrome ring) is on order.So what's it like to drive, i hear you all say?
Well, it's an interesting mix of things.
It's a quick car. It's not RS3 quick off the line, but it's still under 6 seconds to sixty, starting in second
and that's accomplished doing nothing other than flexing your foot. No button pressing, no nothing, it's just a big NA engine doing what it does best. You can happily keep up with all normal traffic without ever doing >2000rpm. But, beyond 4k, it snarls - there's a real push in the back in a lower gear, a inexorable feeling of gathering momentum in a higher one. I don't know, (will have to time it / do it from the dash-cam's) - but I think from 100+ this might actually be quicker than the M6. (It might not either, but it'll be fun trying!). It's also interesting how little an extra 4 people on board affects it. On your 1400kg hatch, that's maybe 15-20% extra weight, but the same people in this are 6% ish.It has overtaking presence, people see it in rear view mirrors and they move out of the way. This is somewhat bemusing, as i'm normally not trying to go faster than anyone else, indeed I value my licence too much, but a quick dinosaur depletion will whisk me past, no fuss, no drama. It can corner too, the active body control suppresses roll well, but at the end of the day, while it's capable of travelling a b-road faster than your average car, it's not "that" much fun doing it - although it surprises other people when you keep up!
But, it's a limo at heart. So long as you can stomach the advanced dipso habit this car has in traffic, it's wonderful on a commute. For many weeks of the year, I'd land back at Manchester Airport at 4:45pm, and hit the Friday rush hour on the M60. Left hand lane, auto handbrake on. Sit in silence (well as much radio as you want), and just waft along at idle speed on the wave of torque, enjoying the climate controlled air of your insulated, double-glazed cocoon. Traffic halts, no bother. Just press the brake pedal & wait one second, then release & it's auto held. Traffic starts moving, just tap the throttle pedal and you're off. The sense of serenity, (serendity?!
) is just fantastic. It's a very much zen way of travelling. Smoooooth.But it's not perfect. It's got one absolutely infuriating thing. Radar cruise control. Don't get me wrong, this can work, in conjunction with other things, it can work fantastically well, indeed the new Volvo s90/v90 cruise/stop-start/auto, etc is quite possibly my de-facto standard for a commuter car, the way it will go from your set cruise speed to an engine off halt, and then as traffic moves again, set off automatically and follow - you pretty much only need to steer - is absolutely amazing, and if I had to do a daily commute, I now wouldn't have anything else - it really is that good.
My version of radar cruise however is the beta one, it's piss-poor. I'd go so far as to say it's really fking annoying. This is because you can only have it on or off, there's no standard cruise on it's own functionality, you have to use the radar. The ONLY time this works is when you're on a quiet motorway and there's not another car in 50 miles. Then, it functions like it should. But if there's a car ahead, it's "seen", and as you come up to the point where you think "ok, time to indicate out & move to the next lane", is exactly when it decides "warning - car too close - BRAKE". Every. Single. fking. Time. If someone knows how to deactivate the radar functionality & just make it "normal" cruise control, please, please let me know.So there you have it. I'll try and keep things updated as I go, all feedback is welcome.
Thanks all for the (overwhelmingly positive) feedback so far! 
I haven’t got the hang of multi-quoting on the ipad yet, so please forgive me.
I’ll of course update on the engine issues, but I suspect we’re at least a week or two away from that yet. The possible bad news is that the N73 engine has some very specific parts (hpfp’s no less) so it could be a v12 specific thing, (it could also just be something easy). We’ll see.
Complementary as always Alec, shame you can’t make it to the next loser’s meet...
And BIRMA, I am but an apprentice... you also have the small matter of 4 turbochargers. Must admit, the ‘65’s are epic.
There is a club however: https://www.shelldriversclub.co.uk/smart/index.htm...
I’m sure you already know it!
I haven’t got the hang of multi-quoting on the ipad yet, so please forgive me.
I’ll of course update on the engine issues, but I suspect we’re at least a week or two away from that yet. The possible bad news is that the N73 engine has some very specific parts (hpfp’s no less) so it could be a v12 specific thing, (it could also just be something easy). We’ll see.
Complementary as always Alec, shame you can’t make it to the next loser’s meet...
And BIRMA, I am but an apprentice... you also have the small matter of 4 turbochargers. Must admit, the ‘65’s are epic.
There is a club however: https://www.shelldriversclub.co.uk/smart/index.htm...
I’m sure you already know it!There is a club however: https://www.shelldriversclub.co.uk/smart/index.htm...
biglaugh I’m sure you already know it!
Indeed I do
biglaugh I’m sure you already know it!
Indeed I do
Prinny said:
In summary (the TL,DR bit).
2004 BMW 760iL. 6l v12, 445 hp, 2200+kgs
2006 BMW M6 5l v10, 507 hp, 1600 (ish) kgs.
Isn't the E63 M6 nearer 1800 kg?2004 BMW 760iL. 6l v12, 445 hp, 2200+kgs
2006 BMW M6 5l v10, 507 hp, 1600 (ish) kgs.
Anyway, a very nice set of cars you have. The 760iL looks amazingly comfortable and full of gadgets, even by today's standards. Having said that, even cheap rental cars amaze me, as I've not had anything high-end newer than 2002.
Time for the November update.
I decided to get some vanity plates - for fun. Cars are now V10 & V12 (BRJ)- where the BRJ is a (very)tenuous link to "barge". (yes, I am sad).
In 7-series news, not much to report. I still don't have an answer for the misfire, so car is at the Dealers now, & I am awaiting financial ruin.
Before it got there, I decided to do a little cosmetic work. The cracked kidney grille as mentioned previously was replaced:
New Piece:
The (Australian)view with old one removed (CBA flipping it, you get the idea...):
It took about 30 seconds, you can just see in the photo how it's held on with clips. Of course, I don't have a after picture, as I'm useless like that, and car is at dealer.
In 6 series news, I have come to the conclusion that the Accelera Phi tyres are really, really poor. Just in case it was something else, I took the car to have a Hunter alignment.
Before:
Some corrections made > After:
It wasn't perfect, but nothing a million miles out to make me think the tyres aren't at fault. So, if you're ever looking at a car & see Accelera Phi, the owner is either a Drift King, or a Cheapskate!
I then took the M6 to the latest loser conference, where it did sterling service as a shelf for quality street. You can see the new plates, also just about make out the PH smiley in the corner.
Apart from that, it's been general pottering about for the month.
7-Series costs:
- £37.13 for new grille- trim ring.
- £399 plate
- £24 Actual no. plate
7-Series Mileage: 5
Cost per mile = £92.06! - ok, this isn't really representative...
6-series costs:
- £290 something for ipod kit
- £113 (recurring warranty cost)
- £142 (Hunter Alignment)
- £399 (Plate)
- £24 Actual No. Plate
- £325.90 (Fuel)
6-Series Mileage: 696
[b]Cost per mile = £1.86[/]
I knew this car is legendary for thirst, so for sts & giggles, I'm going to keep genuine track - here's this month's fuel receipts.
or in better detail:
||Date || Old Mileage || Trip || Litres || Cost/L || Gal || MPG
||01/11/2017 || 50050 || 119 || 48.07 || 1.269 || 10.579 || 11.249
||04/11/2017 || 50169 || 189 || 39.34 || 1.299 || 8.658 || 21.831
||10/11/2017 || 50358 || 148 || 53.02 || 1.309 || 11.668 || 12.684
||26/11/2017 || 50506 || 238 || 53.77 || 1.339 || 11.833 || 20.113
||28/11/2017 || 50744 || || 54.07 || 1.339 || 11.899 ||
As the 7 has been away the whole month, I've got used to the 6. The SMG does take a bit of getting used to, principally around low speed maneuvering. It's fine going back/forward on the flat, but the gentle takeup often means you do a slight roll when on an incline. No big deal. In terms of day to day driving, I notice the difference between an auto & it - principally, in an auto BMW, you can set cruise to (say) 30, and the gearbox might change after reaching it, to go into a more economical gear. The SMG can't do that and will disconnect cruise when changing gear.
The reasons why are perfectly logical, but it's somewhat annoying, the DCT in the z4 could cope with it. So, I have learnt to modify my technique in applying cruise.
I also am experiencing a rattle from the driver's door card. If the weather is good tomorrow (doubtful), I'll have a go at eradicating that.
Finally, I bit the bullet & am getting new tyres for the M6. I am a firm believer in Winter tyres (we've had snow on 3 mornings now in the past month), so have gone for my preferred Michelin's again. Pilot Alpin 4 in 255/40/19 F and 285/35/19 R. However, as Camskill have taken over a week to get them delivered, they're not in this months' finances, as they're not here yet!.
As usual, if you made it this far, thanks for reading!
I decided to get some vanity plates - for fun. Cars are now V10 & V12 (BRJ)- where the BRJ is a (very)tenuous link to "barge". (yes, I am sad).
In 7-series news, not much to report. I still don't have an answer for the misfire, so car is at the Dealers now, & I am awaiting financial ruin.
Before it got there, I decided to do a little cosmetic work. The cracked kidney grille as mentioned previously was replaced:
New Piece:
The (Australian)view with old one removed (CBA flipping it, you get the idea...):
It took about 30 seconds, you can just see in the photo how it's held on with clips. Of course, I don't have a after picture, as I'm useless like that, and car is at dealer.
In 6 series news, I have come to the conclusion that the Accelera Phi tyres are really, really poor. Just in case it was something else, I took the car to have a Hunter alignment.
Before:
Some corrections made > After:
It wasn't perfect, but nothing a million miles out to make me think the tyres aren't at fault. So, if you're ever looking at a car & see Accelera Phi, the owner is either a Drift King, or a Cheapskate!
I then took the M6 to the latest loser conference, where it did sterling service as a shelf for quality street. You can see the new plates, also just about make out the PH smiley in the corner.
Apart from that, it's been general pottering about for the month.
7-Series costs:
- £37.13 for new grille- trim ring.
- £399 plate
- £24 Actual no. plate
7-Series Mileage: 5
Cost per mile = £92.06! - ok, this isn't really representative...
6-series costs:
- £290 something for ipod kit
- £113 (recurring warranty cost)
- £142 (Hunter Alignment)
- £399 (Plate)
- £24 Actual No. Plate
- £325.90 (Fuel)
6-Series Mileage: 696
[b]Cost per mile = £1.86[/]
I knew this car is legendary for thirst, so for s
ts & giggles, I'm going to keep genuine track - here's this month's fuel receipts.or in better detail:
||Date || Old Mileage || Trip || Litres || Cost/L || Gal || MPG
||01/11/2017 || 50050 || 119 || 48.07 || 1.269 || 10.579 || 11.249
||04/11/2017 || 50169 || 189 || 39.34 || 1.299 || 8.658 || 21.831
||10/11/2017 || 50358 || 148 || 53.02 || 1.309 || 11.668 || 12.684
||26/11/2017 || 50506 || 238 || 53.77 || 1.339 || 11.833 || 20.113
||28/11/2017 || 50744 || || 54.07 || 1.339 || 11.899 ||
As the 7 has been away the whole month, I've got used to the 6. The SMG does take a bit of getting used to, principally around low speed maneuvering. It's fine going back/forward on the flat, but the gentle takeup often means you do a slight roll when on an incline. No big deal. In terms of day to day driving, I notice the difference between an auto & it - principally, in an auto BMW, you can set cruise to (say) 30, and the gearbox might change after reaching it, to go into a more economical gear. The SMG can't do that and will disconnect cruise when changing gear.
The reasons why are perfectly logical, but it's somewhat annoying, the DCT in the z4 could cope with it. So, I have learnt to modify my technique in applying cruise.
I also am experiencing a rattle from the driver's door card. If the weather is good tomorrow (doubtful), I'll have a go at eradicating that.
Finally, I bit the bullet & am getting new tyres for the M6. I am a firm believer in Winter tyres (we've had snow on 3 mornings now in the past month), so have gone for my preferred Michelin's again. Pilot Alpin 4 in 255/40/19 F and 285/35/19 R. However, as Camskill have taken over a week to get them delivered, they're not in this months' finances, as they're not here yet!.
As usual, if you made it this far, thanks for reading!
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