It's here (BMW/Alpina/D3 thread, ignore if you're delicate)

[Ess_Three]

Not Bull**** Bowfer based on statistical evidence gained by 14 yr old kids at our local school . I think the figures were something like 78% of BM divers did NOT indicate left, (probably 100% X5 drivers)

MAybe it's different up North MAte

Is this character for real?
He's got to be a wind up?

Christ on a bike...is this an example of the modern Audi driver?

 

[Sussex Lad]

Is this character for real?
He's got to be a wind up?

Christ on a bike...is this an example of the modern Audi driver?

Not at all, don't get me going on about bikes AKA 'Inconsiderate visions in Lycra' expect most of them only cycle to work so they can save fuel to run their X5's !! (Joke)

 

[Davidb67]

Nice one Bowfer.
(Hope that idiot mowing the grass hadn't launched any small stones at yer motor!)

 

[treblesykes]

Dont have to be an bm driver to fail to indicate, I don't bother if I can see no other cars will be affected by my manoeuvre. But I do use the mirrors a lot and keep aware of other cars. Arguing over who is worst Audi or bmw drivers is pointless, As is which is the better car. If the car suits you buy it, but there will always be a better car whatever you get.
But if you get a bad car no point moaning and moaning on here it just winds people up. Just tell it like it is and accept that even though you didn't get on with your car other may be very happy with theirs.
I don't see the need to call those who disagree with you either delicate or cottonwool, that's just being conceited.

 

[Sussex Lad]

Dont have to be an bm driver to fail to indicate, I don't bother if I can see no other cars will be affected by my manoeuvre. But I do use the mirrors a lot and keep aware of other cars. Arguing over who is worst Audi or bmw drivers is pointless, As is which is the better car. If the car suits you buy it, but there will always be a better car whatever you get.
But if you get a bad car no point moaning and moaning on here it just winds people up. Just tell it like it is and accept that even though you didn't get on with your car other may be very happy with theirs.
I don't see the need to call those who disagree with you either delicate or cottonwool, that's just being conceited.

Not only talking about cars mate. Kids and others all benefit from indicators being used!! Mirror SIGNAL manouevre was what I was taught by Sussex Police Advanced driving course!

 

[Sussex Lad]

It certainly does.
I managed to easily get 120mph out if it the first night I had it, on a straight the A3 would barely muster 100mph.
Can't see it bothering the likes of an S3, but it's plenty fast enough for me.

Which Autobahn or racetrack dod you drive on or is there no speed limit in SCotland now, like there's no University fees and I think no prescription charges.

 

[Ess_Three]

Which Autobahn or racetrack dod you drive on or is there no speed limit in SCotland now, like there's no University fees and I think no prescription charges.

If you've done the Sussex Police Advanced driving course, I'd be surprised if you weren't told: 30 means 30, 40 means 40, 50 means 50 and 60 & 70 mean whatever you can get away with after assessing the conditions.

I was told that by several menbers of Grampian Police's Traffic section.

Not that I'd comment one way or the other if 120 was suitable or not.



Oh, and we DO pay for perscriptions.

 

[bacardi]

but overall I stand by my views that they are overall an inferior product to Audi, .

Totally agree with you here, my mates BMW has gone for 20k miles without the need for any wheel bearings or steering racks, I mean, come on, how inferior is that? why would you want to keep the same old rusty wheel bearings in your car for more than 5 or 6 k miles

 

[h5djr]

Totally agree with you here, my mates BMW has gone for 20k miles without the need for any wheel bearings or steering racks, I mean, come on, how inferior is that?

I can't quite claim 20k in this car yet, but 15k without even a visit to the dealer. My previous 140, well that was the same, for 36k, apart from a service at 18k.

 

[bacardi]

If we're talking reliability of our respective car history,

I can claim 88k in a Civic type R,
35k in an impreza,
20k in a Mini
heck, even 115k in a MkII cavalier
and I could go on with all the other cars I've owned

but I can't get more than 6k average out of wheel bearings on my A3

 

[newbiecrg]

Unless Audi build something amazing I think I will look elsewhere when I get rid off my S3.

Not slagging the car, had no problems with it and I like it but I will try a different flavour...lolol

Pedro

 

[mitch78]

:thumbsup:

 

[RedSportback]

Congrats Bowfer looks a very nice motor. Saw one in the flesh in a local dealer a few weeks ago.

Happy motoring

 

[h5djr]

If we're talking reliability of our respective car history,

I can claim 88k in a Civic type R,
35k in an impreza,
20k in a Mini
heck, even 115k in a MkII cavalier
and I could go on with all the other cars I've owned

but I can't get more than 6k average out of wheel bearings on my A3

Well in that case I can claim 344,125miles in various Audi's over a period of 23 years + 5 Golfs before than and I've never had a wheel bearing, or a steering rack or anything major changed.

As I said yours must have been a 'second' sold off cheap!

 

[newbiecrg]

I have 10K no bearings problem and my dad Golf IV has 70K never needed a bearing....

Pedro

 

[GlasgowRangers]

Which Autobahn or racetrack dod you drive on or is there no speed limit in SCotland now, like there's no University fees and I think no prescription charges.

Are you trying to get wide pal?

 

[klauster]

Is this character for real?
He's got to be a wind up?

Christ on a bike...is this an example of the modern Audi driver?

I strongly hope NOT!

I posted a friendly post about following one up the M1 and get told its crap and so are all BMW drivers....

There are crap drivers in all brands of car, using indicators is the least of my worries...

I hate the drivers on the M1 who love to press the break (hard) in the fast lane more, people need to learn how to drive on a motorway after they have passed the normal driving test if u ask me!

 

[newbiecrg]

but I can't get more than 6k average out of wheel bearings on my A3

There has to be something definitly wrong with your car... something is causing the wheel bearings to fail... either chassis alignment I do not know... but that is way abnormal... a wheel bearing is made like a tank... I can only think that the housings must be somehow creating some abnormal forses (torsion?) on the bearings making them fail... either that or really bad service from the garage which I doubt...

I wouldn't be impressed either bacardi... I understand your feelings about the car and Audi in general..

Pedro

 

[golf]

 

[L60N]

I wouldn't be impressed either bacardi... I understand your feelings about the car and Audi in general..

Pedro

Yeah, im sure we ALL do. We feel sorry for you Bacardi... Now change the ****** record for christs sake. You dont arf know how to drone on about the same problem. ITS BORING NOW!

I bet your a right hoot on a night out. Whinging about your bearings..

If I had that much trouble with a car, i wouldnt be on here moaning about it In every thread someone posts. It would have dealt with it long ago and it would be history.

 

[bacardi]

Yeah, im sure we ALL do. We feel sorry for you Bacardi... Now change the blood record for christs sake. You dont arf know how to drone on about the same problem. ITS BORING NOW!

I bet your a right hoot on a night out. Whinging about your bearings..

If I had that much trouble with a car, i wouldnt be on here moaning about it In every thread someone posts. It would have dealt with it long ago and it would be history.

LOL, Drone on? Drive my car for a few miles and you'll know what droning is about


Feel sorry?
Why's that then?
Sorry that I have a sh7t car?
Sorry that I've wasted days of my life in an Audi dealership?
Sorry I've got a car I can't trust and can't get shot of for another year?
Why should you be sorry, are you Audi?

They're not sorry so I've no idea why you should be

I'm bored with people banging on about how amazingly reliable their A3's are, how nothing ever goes wrong with them and then gets all prissy with anyone who says anything negative about them .

From now on, rather quantify any issues, would you rather I just say Audi A3's are unreliable cack?

People have problems with Audi's - deal with it

 

[L60N]

Point... Missed?

 

[bacardi]

Do you live in a wonderful magical world of make believe?

If I could get shot, I would have

Long ago

 

[L60N]

People have problems with Audi's - deal with it

Thats for you to deal with, which i can see your having trouble with. But as i said, anyone with half a brain would have got it sorted long ago, Twenty six visits to a dealer with repeat issues is quite laughable really, and im sorry, its not Audi im laughing at, ITS YOU!

 

[newbiecrg]

yeah.... I would go there 3 times... after that hell would break loose...

Pedro

 

[treblesykes]

Yap yap yap Tell the f..ing dealer to get it sorted are you a man or a mouse? Bad cars happen but things can be fixed. VAG send 100's of 1000's of cars out with exactly the same parts as in your car,many probably made by the same people who supply bmw,merc etc . If your car is somehow prematurely wrecking these parts then jump on your dealer until he pulls his finger out and finds the problem.

So dont moan at us we are perfectly happy,We are not the ones who cant sort out the easy things in life such as cars.My A3 had a few hitches but a few phone calls and visits to the dealer sorted things fine,Find me a car that never breaks, generally they are all mass produced so don't expect miracles.

 

[Ess_Three]

Yeah, im sure we ALL do. We feel sorry for you Bacardi... Now change the ****** record for christs sake. You dont arf know how to drone on about the same problem. ITS BORING NOW!

I bet your a right hoot on a night out. Whinging about your bearings..

If I had that much trouble with a car, i wouldnt be on here moaning about it In every thread someone posts. It would have dealt with it long ago and it would be history.

You know, sometimes it's better to remain silent and be thought of as a fool, than to speak up and remove all doubt.

Audi make good cars...you seem very fond of yours...but your whole 'bestest car in the whole wide world ever' crap is getting tiresome.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion....and theirs is just as valid as yours.

I really enjoyed my Audi...but it chewed through bushes/brakes/tyres/track rod ends like it had no right to....and was dull to drive....something no amount of moaning to a dealer can fix.

 

[bacardi]

Thats for you to deal with, which i can see your having trouble with. But as i said, anyone with half a brain would have got it sorted long ago, Twenty six visits to a dealer with repeat issues is quite laughable really, and im sorry, its not Audi im laughing at, ITS YOU!

Ok laughing boy

Obviously as your car is so perfect, you've not had to try to deal with Audi over a repeat fault, which, purely to wipe the smile off of your face and give you some foundation for comments, I hope you do


Then you will realise that maybe all things are not quite so rosy with your beloved marque

So,
What options do I have,
its a company car, not mine to reject
Lease company have been involved, they got no where (Obviously you would do better than them though)
First fault arose after about 10k miles, then the second round was after a year of ownership, again, you try rejecting on these grounds
Steering racks are common faults, again, difficult to reject
Wheel bearings are too, common issues (Not that you'd want to admit)

Come on,What would you do? obviously with half a brain I don't have the ability to think, I'd love to get some solid sound advice from someone so clearly clever and articulate as you, so what would you try? Perhaps I could let you take the car to audi and get everything fixed first time

If you've got no useful advice, lay off the sarcastic pointless comments and go back into your Audi shaped hole

 

[bacardi]

yeah.... I would go there 3 times... after that hell would break loose...

Pedro

Oh believe me it did, Which is why I can say, with quite some foundation, that Audi HQ are also totally useless hopeless idiots

 

[mitch78]

:thumbsup:

 

[treblesykes]

Bowfer? who's bowfer?

 

[warren_S5]

Don't you think we're getting slightly off topic here?

How does all this have anything to do with Bowfer's D3?

I'm with you on this, we can all joust opinions and rip into each other until we wear blisters in the tips of our fingers, but it gets to the point where a forum risks losing credibility if posts just degenerate into slanging matches every time someone airs a non conventional opinion.

I came to use this forum as I had been recommended it as a useful place for Audi info (after using SEATCUPRA.net for about 5 years). Their forums although not perfect are very well moderated, and there is some really useful info on there. I'm not saying there isn't on here also, but the problem is if you start to devalue posts with sh1t slinging, d1ck swinging or 'boys clubs' it can take a lot of effort and time to ditch that reputation. I know I'm completely at liberty to feck off somewhere else, but we have an opportunity to knowledge share and compare notes which would never have been available pre-internet forums. Its a real opportunity.

I know we can't get on with everyone, but there's no need being too defensive or too precious about stuff, and no need to insight attacks on individuals whoever it is.

 

[PNH80]

On a serious note though it does interest me why some cars are absolute heaps of ***** and others give years of perfect motoring without issue. I do feel sorry for anyone who gets a complete dog...like Bacardi. Although at the same time that particular car is no reflection on the brand as a whole at all. I have a relative with an Aston AMV8 which has been absolute **** from new. Lets not kid ourselves that Aston Martin make bad cars.
Is there any chance the factory set up of a car can be slightly incorrect e.g. the chassis welded ever so slightly out of true (i'm talking almost undetectable)so the whole movement of the car causes issues in the components? I'm grasping at straws obviously but it's interesting.

 

[warren_S5]

On a serious note though it does interest me why some cars are absolute heaps of ***** and others give years of perfect motoring without issue. I do feel sorry for anyone who gets a complete dog...like Bacardi.
Is there any chance the factory set up of a car can be slightly incorrect e.g. the chassis welded ever so slightly out of true (i'm talking almost undetectable)so the whole movement of the car causes issues in the components? I'm grasping at straws obviously but it's interesting.

I had 2 Leon Cupra R's (a 53 and an 05 plate - both 225 versions). Both exactly the same colour and spec, and both owned from new. They didn't even feel like the same car. Suspension was different (much crashier in the first), the second car was quicker, the gearbox was better, and it didn't rattle half as much. I had no end of probs with the first one which eventually got sorted out, so in the end I changed it and went for another as it seemed I had a dog. Sometimes it just happens I guess.

 

[Amchlolor]

Which Autobahn or racetrack dod you drive on or is there no speed limit in SCotland now

Within no more than 3-5 miles of my house, I can happily and safely reach the sorts of speeds I mentioned.
No junctions, no houses, nothing.
The only thing I'm likely to hit is an errant fox, or maybe a gypsy.
Both vermin, so doesn't matter.:icon_thumright:

 

[s3mike]

You forget, Bowfer - Just because it is a perfectly straight road, perfect weather, perfect visibility and in a car designed to do much higher speeds doesn't mean it is actually ok to speed. Anything up to the arbitrary 60mph limit is fine but 61 is a recipe for death, destruction and permanent imprisonment.

Not that the the police training courses encourage them to drive as fast as is safe for the conditions or anything.

It's so much more dangerous than the people I follow who do 45 through the village past the school and then continue at 45 into the national speed limit - Oh then they flash me for overtaking them on a five mile straight with no cars coming the other way.

I give up!

 

[Amchlolor]

It's so much more dangerous than the people I follow who do 45 through the village past the school and then continue at 45 into the national speed limit - Oh then they flash me for overtaking them on a five mile straight with no cars coming the other way.

I give up!

With you there.
Further down my 'favoured' road is a 30mph limit.
Not at all unusual to find people I have overtaken catching me up in the 30mph zone.
To them, I'm the nutter...

 

[h5djr]

I'd much rather be near a driver who is driving fast, but is concentrating on their driving than be near one who is driving slower but is talking on the phone, constantly turning their head towards the passenger that they are chatting to, watching TV on their Sat/Nav etc etc.

In a lot of cases it's lack of concentration that causes accidents not speed but if a car is going even slightly over a speed limit is put down as a speed related accident because the police have no way of telling if the driver was concentrating on their driving.

 

[Oli.]

Erm...No. A very patronizing comment there. For the record i have a degree and a masters in industrial design and am a designer by trade so i don't have to be 'in the know' about Alpina to comment on the design aspect of the car... I find the design additions unnecessary and old fashioned. Alpina seem to get 'retro' and 'old fashioned' very much mixed up. It's just too obvious for me. Far from discreet as you call it. Sure... putting stickers on the car that say A L P I N A and pin stripes are REALLY subtle and discreet aren't they?
Your idea of 'special' is very different to mine.

Don't get me wrong i have nothing against the car, i actually think it looks alright apart from the interior is dire for a £28K + car.

Obviously a bit paranoid, considering my post wasn't aimed at you!!!! It was the post that said 'dull as cheese' - But well done for going on the major defensive, and letting everyone know your credentials.

I like the pinstipes, that are an option, but are not on Bowfers car. Comparing Alpina with other BMW tuners like ACS they are very discreet, even comparing to an M SPORT. The only exterior things the change are front spoiler, wheels, and an ALPINA badge - To the average joe(not you), they wouldnt even know that is anything other than a BMW. ACS change wheels, skirts, rear spoilers, bumpers, exhaust etc etc.

Anyway Im glad our idea of special is different, or we'd all drive the same cars, and forums would be boring.....

 

[dsl55]

Have missed out pages 2 & 3 of this thread, I think it's about your new Alpina so on that score, having had quite a few bmw's in the past, I like it and the wheels are one of my favourites of all time, absolute classics. I'm old skool when it comes to bmw, E30's were best so not a massive fan of the new 3 saloon but in Alpina spec looks better. I was considering a 320d as a company car but discounted it 'cos they look poor unless you can spec them right up with bigger wheels, m sport etc

Interesting choice and not many around so good work!