Re: 730li e66 probs
Bought my LCI (facelifted) E65 730i half a year ago and been whacking it hard every day. Keeping it stock. Fantastic car, no problems so far except for worn bushings in the lower arms, but that is to be expected considering the way i thrash the car through humps and lumpy roads in the CBD.
Before going on my daily routine, i start 'er up and warm up about 5 mins, about the time it takes for me to finish my breakfast ciggie. This ensures that engine oil is well dispersed throughout before i abuse my baby (although many experts say it is not necessary for modern cars, i still do it. Maybe it is psychological). Not only engine oil, but also to ensure transmission is well lubed and warmed and ready to rock n roll. Also for the suspension mounts to be warmed up enough to take the shocks i am gonna give them. Could be my imagination though, but i always feel the car rides over bumps and depressions better after warming up, as opposed to clunking though uneven roads when cold.
Engine has no leaks, burns a bit of oil though. Transmission still smooth as butter, it takes some getting used to the throttle, modulating it with your right foot to avoid jerking, especially when it kicks down from 2nd to 1st gear when you attempt to blast off from standstill. Wearing thin-soled driving shoes (like TOD'S or Prada) helps a lot in "feeling" the throttle pedal.
258 bhp, 300 Nm for a naturally asiprated 3000cc so mai hiam lah, is not bad liao for a relatively small-engined luxury barge. I consider 3000 cc small because in the USA they don't even bother with the 730i/Li. They go right away to 745/750/760 i/Li.
Noting its sheer size, it is surprisingly much faster than many poseur Jap and Korean cars out there, except the higher end Lexus. It is even faster during hard acceleration than the supercharged C180/200, IS250, Audi A4 1.8T, so you can whack all these boy racers out there in short traffic light sprints AND 0-100km/h up the ECP. After 100km/h, no need to say. This engine never runs out of breath on Singapore roads, unless you're thinking of killing yourself at 200km/h. Think the S350 is slightly faster during acceleration. But 730i accelerates faster than Audi A8 3.2L. I am comparing used models of the above cars. The new Audi 3.0L supercharged is awesome.
Handling-wise, fantastic considering the sideways g's this 1900kg behemoth generates every time you whack hard into a curve. Amazing that even stock, this fat piggy out-corners smaller cars like C Class and A4 fwd. Of course E60 and E90/92/93 handle better but that's cause they are also BMWs. Try it yourselves at the CTE branch out into the TPE, gar gar lai, step on it and feel the telepathic way the entire chassis turns towards the direction your steering points. You cannot believe it is a 1,900kg full sized luxury car you are driving.
Jeremy Clarkson was right: BMWs seem to shrink in size the faster you drive them.
