2005 BMW M6 V10
Discussion
Well i'm back from the NC500 and i'm delighted to report that the car is still in one piece and was impeccable all trip.
The highlights are that I covered 650.2 miles from door to door (of the petrol station near my home) so I was able to top off the tanks and get a proper reading on what I used fuel wise. The results are;
Mileage: 650.2
Total litres used: 203.08
MPG: 14.55
That also ties in roughly with what the car was saying;
It is worth noting that over the first 2 days when we were on the twistier roads the car was saying an average in the high 11's. It was only the last day on my run home from Skye in the early morning yesterday that the average speeds were higher due to less traffic and more flowing roads.
Oil-wise the car hasn't used anything measurable in my ownership (600 miles) up to the start of this trip and on the trip it used 0.4/ltr across the 650 miles which, given the harder use, is probably about right.
I have also found that the engine is freer revving and sounds sweeter after this trip. I suspect the upper rev ranges weren't visited often in its London life, certainly not for sustained periods, and this run has blown away whatever cobwebs remained. It really is sounding as sweet as can be.
The overall experience has been superb. I think it could be the perfect North Coast car. My highlighted points are;
Well the suspension work will still happen but i'll be cautious. Really don't want to ruin what a great car it is presently.
It needs new tyres so they will be ordered asap.
The standard exhaust is quite muted. I think we may see if I can pick up another centre box and gut it to see how it sounds. I don't want to lose any of the understated nature of the car but it would be nice to release a few more of the nicer decibels further up the rev range.
I did find the seats very comfortable for the trip but I would say that it would benefit from a set of the BMW Performance bucket seats. I may look into fitting these too.
I will now have to head to work and live with the fact that I won't be getting my adrenaline hit for a wee while again.
I'll leave you with some pics.
The highlights are that I covered 650.2 miles from door to door (of the petrol station near my home) so I was able to top off the tanks and get a proper reading on what I used fuel wise. The results are;
Mileage: 650.2
Total litres used: 203.08
MPG: 14.55
That also ties in roughly with what the car was saying;
It is worth noting that over the first 2 days when we were on the twistier roads the car was saying an average in the high 11's. It was only the last day on my run home from Skye in the early morning yesterday that the average speeds were higher due to less traffic and more flowing roads.
Oil-wise the car hasn't used anything measurable in my ownership (600 miles) up to the start of this trip and on the trip it used 0.4/ltr across the 650 miles which, given the harder use, is probably about right.
I have also found that the engine is freer revving and sounds sweeter after this trip. I suspect the upper rev ranges weren't visited often in its London life, certainly not for sustained periods, and this run has blown away whatever cobwebs remained. It really is sounding as sweet as can be.
The overall experience has been superb. I think it could be the perfect North Coast car. My highlighted points are;
- The engine can pull from low speeds in 4th if need be and will still get to silly speeds without the need for a gearchange.
- It's very very quick. Once moving there wasn't any situation it felt it needed more power and the company it was keeping was rather impressive!
- It handles! The shorter wheelbase was felt and it wanted to turn in. I had played with the tyre pressures in the days before and settled on 34.5psi on the fronts and 34psi on the rears. I found it to be a perfect setup for rear grip and front end pointyness! It never felt understeery at all this weekend and no sign of the 'lift' i was experiencing before.
- Its ability to cope with reasonable road undulations was it's forte. The NC500 roads are not all flat dreamy stretches of smooth tarmac. A lot of it is pitted and heavily undulating. Some of the very low cars in the group will have some significant scars on front splitters and undertrays; not the M6 though. The worst it suffered was a failed clip on one of those deflectors forward of the rear wheels which meant it was sitting oddly. I pushed it back in place and it seems to be fine now. I'll get a new clip.
- The suspension EDC settings were a bit of a revelation too. At lower speeds i felt the stiffest setting was too much prior to this trip but I would say the car felt infinitely better with it on the stiffest setting for 90% of the trip. It cornered flatter and was more communicative on handling. Only on the rougher slower roads would i knock it back to the middle setting.
- The brakes were also a revelation. Now that I had proper pedal feel and good fluid in there they were epic. Great feedback and no fade. They may well be killed on a race circuit but this isn't a circuit car. I was very hard on them and they were relentlessly taking care of business. No changes needed there whatsoever.
- Understated, unassuming....unbelievable! That was pretty much the feeling among my pals about the M6. It was in some exceptional company so was hardly noticeable in the group but on the road it has a real presence and once the right foot is applied it wails into life and absolutely flies. It was as quick as anything else on the trip this year and that is despite me being only a handful of weeks post-surgery. It's testament to how easy a drive it is.
Well the suspension work will still happen but i'll be cautious. Really don't want to ruin what a great car it is presently.
It needs new tyres so they will be ordered asap.
The standard exhaust is quite muted. I think we may see if I can pick up another centre box and gut it to see how it sounds. I don't want to lose any of the understated nature of the car but it would be nice to release a few more of the nicer decibels further up the rev range.
I did find the seats very comfortable for the trip but I would say that it would benefit from a set of the BMW Performance bucket seats. I may look into fitting these too.
I will now have to head to work and live with the fact that I won't be getting my adrenaline hit for a wee while again.
I'll leave you with some pics.
![](https://thumbsnap.com/sc/PflFXqBR.jpg[/img]</a> <a href="https://thumbsnap.com/YggHLVUg" Target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[img]https://thumbsnap.com/sc/YggHLVUg.jpg)
![](https://thumbsnap.com/sc/dsgA3m8B.jpg[/img]</a> <a href="https://thumbsnap.com/GcCpuBQz" Target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[img]https://thumbsnap.com/sc/GcCpuBQz.jpg)
That's great stuff... what a way to spend a few days and the Ford GT just lifts the group, doesn't it?
[quote]I have also found that the engine is freer revving and sounds sweeter after this trip. I suspect the upper rev ranges weren't visited often in its London life, certainly not for sustained periods, and this run has blown away whatever cobwebs remained.
[/quote]
On the slightly lower end of the performance/value scale, I have been loaned an H reg MB S124 300TE from an indy dealer for my trip to Glasgow due to unforeseen issues with my S211.
When I picked it up, it seemed lethargic and aged. A few high revved gear changes and cruising at 100+mph from Penrith to Glasgow has resulted in a much more free revving and sprightly car!
[quote]I have also found that the engine is freer revving and sounds sweeter after this trip. I suspect the upper rev ranges weren't visited often in its London life, certainly not for sustained periods, and this run has blown away whatever cobwebs remained.
[/quote]
On the slightly lower end of the performance/value scale, I have been loaned an H reg MB S124 300TE from an indy dealer for my trip to Glasgow due to unforeseen issues with my S211.
When I picked it up, it seemed lethargic and aged. A few high revved gear changes and cruising at 100+mph from Penrith to Glasgow has resulted in a much more free revving and sprightly car!
k obviously 
rdysan said:
Hi James. All still going well with the M6?
hey there!Yes the M6 is still going beautifully. I've probably only covered another couple of hundred miles since the NC500 run but it has been in relatively regular use, seeking only fuel from me! The oil level doesn't seem to have shifted either so that's good.
One very minor issue has been noted. With the headlights set on auto they appear to remain on at all times. I suspect the sensor isn't working correctly as I would have expected them to turn on and off with the light levels. I may look into this in greater detail.
James B said:
hey there!
Yes the M6 is still going beautifully. I've probably only covered another couple of hundred miles since the NC500 run but it has been in relatively regular use, seeking only fuel from me! The oil level doesn't seem to have shifted either so that's good.
One very minor issue has been noted. With the headlights set on auto they appear to remain on at all times. I suspect the sensor isn't working correctly as I would have expected them to turn on and off with the light levels. I may look into this in greater detail.
On this... I managed to smash my windscreen last week with my disklok (don’t park your car at the airport, put the disklok on when it’s running & then watch in horror as the wheel rises when you turn off the ignition, & crack Yes the M6 is still going beautifully. I've probably only covered another couple of hundred miles since the NC500 run but it has been in relatively regular use, seeking only fuel from me! The oil level doesn't seem to have shifted either so that's good.
One very minor issue has been noted. With the headlights set on auto they appear to remain on at all times. I suspect the sensor isn't working correctly as I would have expected them to turn on and off with the light levels. I may look into this in greater detail.
- Today’s Top Tip), and car is now at dealers for a new one (eta 2nd July). Like you, lights on auto were always on. I don’t know if I’d had a replacement screen before (nothing in the history, still got the running-in sticker on it), so will let you know if it’s the screen being a contributing factor.The auto lights on the older 7-series work perfectly (as they did on the 335d and the z4), so it has to be one or the other.
[quote=Prinny]
On this... I managed to smash my windscreen last week with my disklok (don’t park your car at the airport, put the disklok on when it’s running & then watch in horror as the wheel rises when you turn off the ignition, & crack - Today’s Top Tip), and car is now at dealers for a new one (eta 2nd July).
Hells donkeys, Prinny what a PITA. I also use a Disklok and have never applied it while the ignition was still on but only due to luck. That's a great heads up - I'll be ultra aware of this in future! Did you get the insurance to pay or did you have to foot the bill yourself? I understand the screens are expensive (all to do with the HUD).
BTW James, recently purchased another E63 M6. A pretty low mileage comp edition.
On this... I managed to smash my windscreen last week with my disklok (don’t park your car at the airport, put the disklok on when it’s running & then watch in horror as the wheel rises when you turn off the ignition, & crack
- Today’s Top Tip), and car is now at dealers for a new one (eta 2nd July). Hells donkeys, Prinny what a PITA. I also use a Disklok and have never applied it while the ignition was still on but only due to luck. That's a great heads up - I'll be ultra aware of this in future! Did you get the insurance to pay or did you have to foot the bill yourself? I understand the screens are expensive (all to do with the HUD).
BTW James, recently purchased another E63 M6. A pretty low mileage comp edition.
rdysan said:
Prinny said:
On this... I managed to smash my windscreen last week with my disklok (don’t park your car at the airport, put the disklok on when it’s running & then watch in horror as the wheel rises when you turn off the ignition, & crack - Today’s Top Tip), and car is now at dealers for a new one (eta 2nd July).
Hells donkeys, Prinny what a PITA. I also use a Disklok and have never applied it while the ignition was still on but only due to luck. That's a great heads up - I'll be ultra aware of this in future! Did you get the insurance to pay or did you have to foot the bill yourself? I understand the screens are expensive (all to do with the HUD). - Today’s Top Tip), and car is now at dealers for a new one (eta 2nd July). BTW James, recently purchased another E63 M6. A pretty low mileage comp edition.
Screen is nice & clear, but no more stickers. No big deal.
Auto lights still come on (as headlights) all the time, even at lunchtime. Sensor doesn’t appear to be broken (no codes at least). Still tinkering, will get ncs / inpa fired up tomorrow & have a play.
The cost will have to wait until later, as I’ve got a pop-quiz about it going on the 1-5 barge thread!
Prinny said:
I picked the car up today. I’ve paid for it. Not wanting to declare a windscreen claim (I got some quotes) across the 4 cars / policies vs. paying for it was a dark moment... but hey, you can’t spend it when you’re dead, right!?
Screen is nice & clear, but no more stickers. No big deal.
Auto lights still come on (as headlights) all the time, even at lunchtime. Sensor doesn’t appear to be broken (no codes at least). Still tinkering, will get ncs / inpa fired up tomorrow & have a play.
The cost will have to wait until later, as I’ve got a pop-quiz about it going on the 1-5 barge thread!
Cheers for updating. Sorry to hear the lights haven’t fixed but it may be a positive as it may be that it has been changed in the setup deliberately. Will watch with interest. Screen is nice & clear, but no more stickers. No big deal.
Auto lights still come on (as headlights) all the time, even at lunchtime. Sensor doesn’t appear to be broken (no codes at least). Still tinkering, will get ncs / inpa fired up tomorrow & have a play.
The cost will have to wait until later, as I’ve got a pop-quiz about it going on the 1-5 barge thread!
Also keen to hear about the price as I replaced both my Vanquish (£4500) and C63 screens last year. No idea on the cost of the latter but interesting to hear it has an effect on insurance as mine dropped a little this year.
Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff