RECENT ARTICLES
Bob Martin Appointed North Atlantic Driving Events Chair
The BMW CCA Board recently approved the nomination of Patroon Chapter’s Bob Martin as North Atlantic representative to the Driving Events Committee. He will assume the position immediately, and will work with retiring NADEC Bill O’Neill during a transition period. Bill has served the region admirably for many years...
Happy 10th Anniversary to the Best Daily Driver Ever
Ten years ago, on Presidents Day Weekend in 2016, it was bloody freezing out. To give myself something to do and something to write about, I pounded on Craigslist as an exercise in finding the most appealing standard-transmission BMW available in my area for less than two grand. I...
Exploring the Florida Keys with a 2026 BMW X3
After barely escaping the aftermath of a large January winter storm in Virginia, our delayed flight landed in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Upon deboarding, we proceeded straight to the car rental lot. I had reserved a new BMW 5 Series and was looking forward to driving it through the Florida...
Join Us for a 2026 M Club Day at the BMW Performance Center
How would you like to spend the day driving someone else’s new BMW M-car around a closed track, performing exercises to improve your driving skills in the morning and then competing to see who is the better driver in the afternoon? If this sounds like the way you’d like...
Two BMWs Finished the Bathurst 12 Hour in the Top Five
The Bathurst 12 Hour was the opening round of the 2026 Intercontinental GT Challenge (IGTC) championship and took place this past weekend on the fantastic Mount Panorama circuit in Bathurst, Australia. BMW came in as defending race winners. While they fell short of the win this year, they had...
Tim Tramnitz Completes BMW M Motorsport Factory Driver Roster for 2026
BMW M Motorsport has added one more factory driver to the roster for 2026, with 21-year old German driver Tim Tramnitz becoming the latest and youngest member of the team. That means there are 23 works drivers from 11 different countries that will represent BMW M Motorsport in 2026....
Tech Talk | Sensor Issues, Button Frustrations, and Hub Questions
Welcome to Tech Talk, where our resident BMW tech Nick Owen answers all your pressing BMW technical questions, frustrations, and issues. Have a question for Nick? Email him at techtalk@roundel.org. Let’s get into it. 2012 335is o2 Sensor Problem I’d appreciate your help with a friend’s E92 335is with...
Cars Are Fixed By the Process of Elimination
There’s one question I’m often asked: “Can’t you just plug into the car and let it tell you what’s wrong?” And while those that are skilled in their trade will say: “it’s not that simple,” the perception is that we know what the problem is once we plug in....
This Is Alpina’s New Logo
Now that Alpina is officially part of BMW, there are more changes incoming for the beloved tuning house and now, brand. First was the January announcement that BMW Alpina will create a line of vehicles meant to emphasize the power and ride comfort Alpina became famous for, and in...
BMW Recalls 575,000 Cars—Including 87,000 in the U.S.—Due To a Potential Fire Risk
Last year, BMW recalled more than one million cars due to a starter fault that could, in rare instances, cause a fire. Now, another 575,000 cars have been added. According to report in German publication kfz-betrieb, BMWs with a starter relay manufactured between July 2020 and July 2022 are...
The Lucky Steering Box
One of the things that’s been on my to-do list for years with Bertha, my ratty resurrected transmogrified former track rat ’75 2002, is addressing a steering issue that was annoying and mysterious. The car did this very odd thing where, on making left turns, particularly when under load...
Cars Are Fixed By the Process of Elimination
There’s one question I’m often asked: “Can’t you just plug into the car and let it tell you what’s wrong?” And while those that are skilled in their trade will say: “it’s not that simple,” the perception is that we know what the problem is once we plug in....
This Is Alpina’s New Logo
Now that Alpina is officially part of BMW, there are more changes incoming for the beloved tuning house and now, brand. First was the January announcement that BMW Alpina will create a line of vehicles meant to emphasize the power and ride comfort Alpina became famous for, and in...
BMW Recalls 575,000 Cars—Including 87,000 in the U.S.—Due To a Potential Fire Risk
Last year, BMW recalled more than one million cars due to a starter fault that could, in rare instances, cause a fire. Now, another 575,000 cars have been added. According to report in German publication kfz-betrieb, BMWs with a starter relay manufactured between July 2020 and July 2022 are...
The Lucky Steering Box
One of the things that’s been on my to-do list for years with Bertha, my ratty resurrected transmogrified former track rat ’75 2002, is addressing a steering issue that was annoying and mysterious. The car did this very odd thing where, on making left turns, particularly when under load...
Tech Talk | A Major Problem for a Mini Clubman
Welcome to Tech Talk, where our resident BMW tech Nick Owen answers all your pressing BMW technical questions, frustrations, and issues. Have a question for Nick? Email him at techtalk@roundel.org. Let’s get into it. 2011 Mini Cooper Clubman S Limp Home I am hoping you can help solve an...
The BMW VDX Concept Will Make Your Liver Quiver
You may have seen the BMW Vision Dynamics Experience—VDX, for short. This car is yet another Vision vehicle leading to the introduction of the first all-electric BMW M model; however, this “test bed” is more a look into further possibilities for electric vehicles. Right now, this thing is mind-blowing:...
The Surprising X3
We just got back from seeing our middle son Kyle in Santa Fe. He’s now separated from his wife, but we’re still close friends with his in-laws. They’re absolutely wonderful folks. Not only did we stay with them during the visit, they said not to bother renting a car...
The SoCal Vintage Is More Than an Event
Right about June—maybe even May—the anticipation grows. November’s SoCal Vintage meet is months away, but you’re already hearing the questions: “Will I finish this by November?” “Will I see you at SoCal Vintage? Fast forward to the first Saturday of November. Autumn is in the air. The Southern California...
BMW’s McLaren F1 GTR Is on Display Until the End of May. Here’s Where to See It
If you haven’t noticed from all the stories, I’m a bit obsessed with the McLaren F1. To me, it’s still the defining supercar, and certainly the one that was top of mind for the entirety of my childhood. Once Road & Track tested it, the F1 remained at the...
Tech Talk | N63 Avoidance, M240i Improvements, and a 2 Series Bushing Conundrum
Welcome to Tech Talk, where our resident BMW tech Nick Owen answers all your pressing BMW technical questions, frustrations, and issues. Have a question for Nick? Email him at techtalk@roundel.org. Let’s get into it. New Car Advice Looking for my next weekend ride. Any chance you can share your opinion...
BMW’s Updated Logo Is Coming to Every Model
You might have missed it, but the BMW logo got an update for the iX3. Considering that it still looks like the traditional logo at a glance, or even when stared at, you’d be forgiven if you didn’t notice. But a closer inspection, pointed out by BMW Blog, shows...
Join Our Virtual Ultimate Garage Webinar
We are kicking off Year 6 of our M Chapter Virtual Ultimate Garage webinar, where we get to see and hear what fellow club members have been working on over the years. We look forward to a live virtual tour of an incredible panel of member’s garages, followed by...
Self Propelled | The End of the Human Element?
Many, many news articles recently have discussed the pros and cons of AI. To some, it’s a marvelous future: machines that can process enormous quantities of information, organize that information, and learn from it. To others, it’s 1984, Brave New World, and your choice of terrifying futurist science fiction,...
Hacking My E39 Taillight. Again.
Four years ago, I had a problem with the right taillight on my E39. All of its functions—directionals, brakes, parking, reverse—failed. I assumed that it had to be due to a bad ground. I was right. I remember it being incredibly difficult to pull the connector out of its...
Safety Third | The Allure of the Greatest E38 7 Series
One night in 2015, I posted a Japonrot 330xi-swapped E46 wagon on Craigslist and went to sleep. When I awoke, I had dozens of emails and voicemails offering to buy it. Clearly, I had posted it too cheaply, but the deluge of inquiries still didn’t make sense. It had...
Happy 10th Anniversary to the Best Daily Driver Ever
Ten years ago, on Presidents Day Weekend in 2016, it was bloody freezing out. To give myself something to do and something to write about, I pounded on Craigslist as an exercise in finding the most appealing standard-transmission BMW available in my area for less than two grand. I...
The Lucky Steering Box
One of the things that’s been on my to-do list for years with Bertha, my ratty resurrected transmogrified former track rat ’75 2002, is addressing a steering issue that was annoying and mysterious. The car did this very odd thing where, on making left turns, particularly when under load...
The Surprising X3
We just got back from seeing our middle son Kyle in Santa Fe. He’s now separated from his wife, but we’re still close friends with his in-laws. They’re absolutely wonderful folks. Not only did we stay with them during the visit, they said not to bother renting a car...
Hacking My E39 Taillight. Again.
Four years ago, I had a problem with the right taillight on my E39. All of its functions—directionals, brakes, parking, reverse—failed. I assumed that it had to be due to a bad ground. I was right. I remember it being incredibly difficult to pull the connector out of its...
Re-Resurrecting Bertha (Part VII: Inspection)
If you own a vintage car and live in one of the 10 states with annual motor vehicle inspections, or one of the four with bi-annual ones, you know the drill. While I have nothing against keeping unsafe cars off the road, safe versus unsafe is never a binary...
Re-Resurrecting Bertha (Part VI: Air Conditioning)
Your reaction to this might be “Air conditioning work? In the middle of winter? Siegel, have you finally breathed too much brake cleaner?” It actually makes sense. I do a lot of a/c work over the winter. I mean, if you need to tear into it, what better time...
