BMW of the Week – e28 M5 Time Warp.

I’ve got a bit of a disorder where I’m no longer impressed with many cars.  It’s an occupational hazard that keeps me from getting excited about any BMW unless I find something to be excited about.  Call it overly critical, perfectionism, or purely a case of over-exposure. It is what it is.

 So . . . when I get a car like this into the shop, well, it’s just . . . impressive.

This e28 M5 came to me from its new owner who was a close friend of the original owner who had passed away some time ago.  The car has a touch above 42k miles and it is super clean. Here are some pictures that show that it’s a really nice M5.  You just look at it and say ‘That’s a REALLY nice M5′  Enjoy . . .

 

To drive this car is simply amazing.  The first thing I noticed is that it is not loud.  I never really got into the original M-cars as most of them are buzz-boxes and they are a bit before my time as far as personal dream cars.  Then I ‘got it’ and realized why people loved these cars so much. 

Driving this M5 brought me to think I should have the Pet Shop Boys on the radio and a Members Only jacket covering my Ralph Lauren polo shirt all while peering through a set of  Ray-Ban Wayfarers at each approaching turn.  This car drives like it is new.  This car drives like it is new.   Unreal.  I’d repeat it again but I’m sure we’ve got the point.  

This car is humbling and somewhat depressing.  I just can’t reproduce a car like this.  There are a lot of things I cannot do as a restorer of BMWs; that is precisely why I’m so impressed with this car.  The things I notice and love about it aren’t necessarily the things that get others excited,  but lets go back to the pictures . . .

Keep in mind that this car has not been restored.  The door hinges are so perfectly preserved it’s almost sickening.  Each piece of hardware has its original coloring and finish.  When most cars are restored, hardware is sent out for plating and it all comes back shiny and new, but all the same color and finish.  During original assembly, different types of hardware had different hues and finishes, all of which are on display on this M5.

Looking around at all the latches and catches, you see a similar trend throughout this time capsule of a car . . .

The engine bay is equally impressive.  It has the original A/C set-up that has not been converted to R134 and the A/C lines still have their original foam insulation still in-tact.   The throttle linkage is immaculate with no dirt or corrosion present.  When I took these photos, the car had yet to be detailed . . .

What really makes this car special is a richly documented history and a definite museum-quality example of BMW Motorsports in the United States.   The trunk of the car tells many a story when you look through the records and see how preserved the tool kit is . . .

The most fortunate thing about this car is that it is in very appreciative hands and was not the subject of a big-wig auto auction going to the guy with the deepest pockets.  I know what was paid for the car as does the owner, the seller and possibly a few others.  No one else really needs to know, as this car is simply priceless.  The unfortunate thing about this stunning M5 is that once more the bar has risen for me as to what I find ‘impressive.’  

Sometimes I miss the days when a simple shiny and clean 20 year old BMW would leave me awestruck . . .

 

Chris Keefer

La Jolla Independent BMW Service

BMW of the Week – 2003 330i

At first glance this BMW isn’t looking so bad, but the closer I get the worse things turn out to be.   This car came to us with the customer complaint that it ‘felt a little loose’ in the front end of the car.  ‘Loose’ is quite an understatement as the control arm bushings are about ready to fall out of the car.  The typical 3 Series BMW in San Diego will need new control arm bushings in the 55k range as the roads are a bit harsh and the bushings take a beating.  He’s got about 120k on the clock so instead of doing the second set of bushings, he still needs the first.  This is the least of my concerns for this sad car . . .

When a BMW has a windshield with a massive crack, it speaks volumes about the lack of care and/or respect that the car receives.  A crack like this takes weeks to develop, but I’m sure it has been there for over a year.   It makes the car look like shit, not to mention that it is illegal to drive around like this in San Diego.

If you look at the many uses for packing tape you’ll notice that ‘keeping your rear window up’ is never mentioned.  However, this clever fellow has found that it works just as well as a new window regulator.  Don’t do this, spend the $300 and get the damn thing fixed.  Packing tape doesn’t do a great job keeping the window up, but it does wonders on your trim and paint when you go to remove it. 

I haven’t gotten in the car yet but I’m sure there are more treasures that lie ahead.  I put the key in the ignition to start the car and all these friendly and familiar warning lights pop up on the instrument cluster.

The right side headlight is out, but the left side still works so that’ll do for now.  Gee, he’s out of gas, what a surprise . . .

The car needs brakes badly.  The rear brakes are metal-on-metal and the front brakes aren’t far behind; but the car still stops so it’s all good.  The air bag light is also on, but who needs air bags when you have seat belts . . .

This is a first for me.  It has been almost 70k miles since he has had any sort of service on the car.  Now he may have had an oil change here and there, but the car was obviously serviced by some joint that cannot reset the service light.  When the -69,175 blinked on the indicator I laughed harder than I have in awhile, you just don’t see this, maybe he’s going for some sort of record.

 

I see a lot of people toss ATM records, dry cleaning slips, or fast food reciepts in the back seat of their car, but this guy just tosses multiple parking tickets in the back instead.  I counted about 13 parking citations in the back of the car which means that he’ll be due for a tow in about another week or two.  The good news is that I figured out how he’s going to pay for the tickets . . .

The back seat of your BMW is not the place to start a recycling business.  In case of a hot date or business meeting he’s got some LA Looks hair gel ready and waiting.  As far as I can remember, Arrowhead spring water has been clear, not brown.  I don’t want to know what he’s got brewing in there.

This is truly a shame.  Another example of a perfectly nice BMW trashed by its owner.  These are great cars and in my opinion, one of the best cars that BMW has produced over the last 20 years.  That said, you must maintain your car if you want it to continue to serve you.  Buying a car, trashing it to the point that only a junk yard will buy it, and repeating the cycle is way more expensive than a little preventative maintenance and some tune-ups along the way.

Chris Keefer

La Jolla Independent BMW Service in San Diego

BMW Modifications – Do this First

Before you start dumping gobs of horsepower into your BMW or installing the latest and greatest coil-over kit, learn how to drive it first!  It’ll cost you a heck of a lot less money, you’ll have tons of fun, and in the end you’ll actually know a lot more about your car and your limitations as a driver.

 I was at a confrence in St. Louis a few years ago and hanging at the hotel bar with current NASCAR driver Boris Said.  He had just purchased a new M5 and was just about ready to get rid of the car.  I asked him why.  His answer, ’it’s just to damn fast to drive around town’   

However, I can pretty much guarantee that as these words came out of his mouth, Joe-Racer Boy was online ordering some sort of turbo-charger kit for the same car.  He’ll probably wreck it a week after it gets installed.  It never ceases to amaze me that while BMW continues to make faster and better handling cars, that some tuner company will offer all kinds of shit for people to buy.   Learn to drive first!!  Here’s how . . .

Your local BMWCCA Chapter will be of great resource in your new quest of driving perfection.  A good first step is to sign up for an Autocross event.  Autocross is a full day of driving around a ‘track’ that has been set-up with cones in a large parking lot. In San Diego we might have one of the better autocross events, as most of them are two-day events and they are held at Qualcomm Stadium; a huge lot with interesting dips and slopes.  Autocross is the best $50-70 you can spend, and in general it is a very safe experience for both you and your car.  The BMW Car Club will have several experienced instructors present offering in-car instruction, and they’ll serve you lunch.  When the autocross ends, you’ll have a huge smile on your face, you’ll know a lot more about your car, and you’ll realize that you need a lot more practice!

Driving school would be the next option and has a much different feel than an Autocross.  You’ll be on a real track, it’ll be a full weekend event, and you’ll learn a hell of a lot more than the Autocross events that you’ve attended in the past.  Driving schools are also offered by the BMWCCA along with several private schools depending on which track is in your area.  Prices on these schools vary depending on location and duration. 

One huge benefit in all of this ‘learning to drive’ stuff is that it might actually save your life one day.  If you do all of this before you bolt on a turbo kit or spend thousands on a suspension kit, you might find that your car is fine the way it is or scale back the modifications to better suit your needs as a recreational driver.

Have Fun!

Chris Keefer

La Jolla Independent BMW Service in San Diego

BMW Leather Care – Start early and often

My buddy Tommy had me replace his seats as the seat sides were cracked and the leather was basically pealing off in little chunks.  We are getting ready to load the new ones in and he claims “This sucks, you’d think that they would have used better leather”  Then I proceeded to explain that he had no one to blame but himself.  You MUST care for your leather, or it will not hold up over time.

So you are looking around the car care isle and wondering which product of the dozen or so would be best to use and it gets confusing.  They all make certain claims about rejuvenation and conditioning, but if your seats look like Tommy’s they aren’t going to be saved.   You’ll need to start over with different seats or get yours re-upholstered.

As far as all those leather care products,  the best product on the market in my opinion, is Leatherique.  You won’t find this on the shelf as it is a little pricey and doesn’t fit the whole shelf set-up of a conventional car care store.  Visit their website for details at http://www.leatherique.com.

I’m by no means a leather expert so I’ve asked George Pavlisko, CEO of Leatherique to help us better understand what’s going on with our leather and how to properly treat it. 

George on leather . . .

Leather is very tactile, just like our own skin, if your skin is dry, you can feel it with itchiness, discomfort, and see it with redness, flaking, etc.  Our leather has no way to let us know it is getting stressed.  As good stewards of a natural, recycled product, it is up to us to keep it in a healthy state.  If you think of your leather as skin, and treat it as well as you would your own skin, you’ll have the best results for the longevity of leather.  Jeans, cords, chinos can be like 600 grit sand paper on the surface of your leather.  I have a joke that I tell at seminars that a bare bottom is the best way to protect your leather.

An old finish can oxidize from the sun and commercial products with wax and silicone clogging the pores. Any interior prior to about ’92 has a surface sprayed lacquer which tended to oxidize and harden over time.  After about ’92 most interiors are a water based finish. We began the technology for water based products and set the industry standard for others to follow as everyone used lacquer until the EPA began regulating tanneries and leather manufacturers.

It is not unusual for good leather to last for generations.  When the Titanic was found, human remains had long disintegrated over years, but leather satchels and wallets were able to be retrieved and still held preserved paper money and artifacts.  Leather is more durable than people realize when cared for properly.  It is an excellent investment as it can easily be restored when it becomes worn, the color can be changed. It is always luxurious, adjusts to body temperature easily, it’s comfortable, and a true mark of quality. 

What are the challenges that leather faces as a seat covering over time? 

Normal dryness from temperature and use, Ultraviolet rays, harsh chemicals from commercial products, normal wear and tear as you slide in and out, neglect, and over treating with commercial products that can actually harm the leather. 

What doesn’t “mix” with leather that causes it to wear, crack, and dry out? 

 Neglect, products designed for rubber/vinyl, silicone based products, wax based products.  Saddle soap is formulated to clean perspiration and trail dirt from a horse and rider, it is too harsh for finished leathers and can break down surface color.  Products with alkaline ph, products with heavy petroleum oils.

If you have a new set of seats, how often should you clean and care for them?  

At least every 6 months.  Folks who begin treating their leather properly when it is new are the most happy after several years. They don’t experience the spider web cracking, severe cracking, dryness, flaking, and damage caused by neglect or over treating with useless commercial products.

How long can an individual expect their seats to last if properly cared for vs. seats that are never touched? 

The life of the car.  Proper maintenance is the key here.  We have many friends who own car dealerships, and use our products on their cars.  However, they never encourage a customer to maintain their interior as they know that once an interior starts looking shabby, the owner will want to trade it in for a new model. The owner spends most of their time inside the car viewing the interior.  A well maintained interior shows pride of ownership and sense of accomplishment. 

Many of the BMW sport seats suffer in the bolster area especially from the driver getting in and out of the car over time.  Any way to prevent or prolong this? 

You can prevent it by being very careful getting in and out, keep the leather healthy and supple, and if the color wears off, keep the color intact with new dye.

 Is it a by-product of the leather being dry and vulnerable? 

No, not dry as new hides should not be dry, it is from normal use.  As the leather flexes and the fibers pull and the padding underneath breaks down over time, there is less support for that area, and it will develop stress cracks and wear off the surface.

I’ve tried so many other products but stick to Leatherique as it is far and away the best.  What makes your product so different than the others as it seems that there are leather products and then there’s Leatherique?

Most of the commercial products are fast gratification waxes, silicones, or petroleum distillates with a lot of fragrance and water that temporarily make the surface of the leather shiny and smelly.  Average people associate that with doing something good for leather.  Our Rejuvenator is only nutrients of cosmetic grade that nourish the actual fibers of the leather, just as the animal’s blood stream nourished the protein based fibers when the animal was alive.

I’m not expecting to get any secret formula out of you, but I’m curious what the others use as a base vs. Leatherique as they are clearly different.  Yours is more of an oil while others remind me of hair conditioner.

There are no real oil molecules at all in our product.  Fats and proteins are a different type of molecule, and if you remember from your chemistry the molecule bonds with the protein receptors in the fibers of the leather, while heavy oil molecules just sit and are not absorbable into the leather.  The commercial products can rot stitching and cause it to pull apart, while the Rejuvenator molecules will dissipate if absorbed by cotton thread in stitching or seat belts as there are no receptors to absorb the protein and collagen molecules. 

My thanks to George at Leatherique for the great information and insight into proper leather care.   Taking care of your leather isn’t that hard.  If you make an effort twice a year to retain the look of your seats, it surely will pay off.

Chris Keefer

La Jolla Independent BMW Service in San Diego.

BMW 5 Series – Why I’m a 5 Guy

This weekend saw over 60 5 series cars at the Annual St. Patrick’s Day gathering for a bunch of guys and girls who feel much like I do – the best BMW Series over the years has been the 5 series.  It has great lines, is available in various formats and power ranges, and is the most versatile of the BMWs.  It was a great event organized by one of my customers and I got to see some great cars and to show off my latest project . . .

I became a ‘5er guy’ about 7 years ago when I purchased my first five series, a 1984 533i, from a customer who didn’t want to spend the money to replace an ailing cylinder head.   I loved this car.  It had plenty of room, decent power, and handled like a dream.   I could pack my trunk full of stuff, and throw four of my friends in in and load a bunch of surfboards on top. 

I graduated into a 1995 525i touring (station wagon) a few years after.  This might have been the best 5 series I’ve owned.  I changed it to a 5-speed transmission, put in a sportier suspension, and it was in immaculate shape.  It could do everything that my first five could do, plus get large things from Home Depot back to the house.  My wife wasn’t a huge fan however, as she thought it made me look like a Dad on the way to soccer camp.

Circumstances arose that had me replace the 525it with my current daily driver, a 2000 BMW M5.  This car isn’t as versatile, and I’m hesitant to throw boards on the roof, but it is one amazing ride.  It is great on long trips, handles like no other 5 series I’ve had, and you can still fit four friends in and then scare the living daylights out of them going from 0-60 in under 5 seconds.  Plus it really is a great looking car.

Recently, I’ve come full circle in my relationship with the 5 series.  I acquired another 1983 533i from a customer that is a euro model.  It has euro headlights and bumpers which really cleans up the look of the car.  It also has Cardinal red interior which I’ve always loved.  Over the last few weeks I’ve been taking what was a slightly abused car and transforming it into the 5 Series I drooled for over 7 years ago.  Here are some pics thus far:

Simply put, you don’t need to read a bunch of reviews to figure out what makes the 5 series so great.  Drive one.  If you own a 7 Series you’ll be impressed with how much lighter it is and how much better it handles.  If you own a 3 series you’ll notice that it handles almost the same but you’ve got space!  If you own a 6 series . . . well, that’s another topic for another day.

Chris Keefer

La Jolla Independent BMW Service

BMWs, your College Kid and Cars.

There are many jobs on BMWs that require a huge amount of patience, experience and skill; but probably the hardest task on a BMW is being the middle-man between a broke college kid and their parents when things go wrong.  Luckily it is not an everyday occurrence, but I’m smack-dab in the middle of a bad one and it happens often enough that I feel obligated to discuss it.  I’m the moderator between two parties right now. . .

The collegiate bought a 1998 3-series without having it looked over by a qualified mechanic.  This car is a crap shoot as you can get a decent car at a decent price, but are still expensive to repair and time and mileage haven’t always been kind to the e36 3-series.  He brought the car to us to check it over a bit about a month after purchase and he lucked out in many ways.  Bought a manual transmission car with low miles and a clean interior.  The bad thing was that the car hadn’t seen the best maintenance and the cooling system was on some serious borrowed time. I advised him to take care of the cooling system asap and to have an Inspection II done as soon as possible.  All this totals about $1600, maybe more if I found some issues during the inspection that needed attention. 

This is where it gets bad.  College kid doesn’t want to cost his parents any more money and also wants the car purchase to be a successful one.  I’m pretty sure he doesn’t have $1600-2000 to drop on the car as I was broke when I was in college.  He probably doesn’t want to call his parents and discuss why he bought a $4600 car that needs another $2000 in work.  So the car gets no attention and the situation gets dangerous.  

Three months later the car comes into the shop with a blown radiator and no coolant in the system. Not good.  As I discussed before, the chances of the cylinder head surviving this incident aren’t good.  However, the first step is to repair the cooling system, get the car to hold coolant under pressure and see how the engine does when it fires up again.  Unfortunately in this case, the cylinder head will need to be replaced as the engine is consuming a massive amount of coolant.  This is where my job gets tough.

Parents are pretty understanding these days, more so than when I was in college.  But the communication break-down between kids and their parents still seems to remain.  Before the colling system job, the collegiate was informed that it was potentially only the first step in what might lead to a cylinder head job, which pushes us into spending another $3000.  Three months ago he was told this as well but chose not to address the issues with the car.  However, as far as I can tell, this tiny bit of information was never passed on to his parents who I come to find are going to be footing the bill.  Guess who is starting to become the bad guy?

After about an hour long consult/diffusing phone call to his parents we decide to examine the entire car to determine the condition of the rest of the BMW before making the decision to fix it or cut the losses.  The car needs about another $1500 in addition to the cylinder head problem which is now pushing the total cost past $5000 in repairs.  ALL OF THIS COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED!! 

If you are considering buying your college student a car, or if they come to you for advice when considering their first car purchase, do a lot of homework.  BMWs aren’t always the best choice, in fact they are usually a bad idea for a college kid that doesn’t have a whole lot of cash laying around.  Regardless of the make and year, insist that the car be checked out by a qualified technician before it is purchased.  Most important, make sure that you develop a clear line of communication between your son/daughter and the shop that they are taking it to if you are the one paying the bills.

This BMW actually started out as a good car to own.  The price was very reasonable given the year and mileage, and at the time it needed only about $2200 worth of work to make it pretty darn near perfect.  In this particular case, bad planning and poor communication will result in a $3000 loss.  And my job hasn’t gotten any easier . . .

 

Chris Keefer

La Jolla Independent BMW Service in San Diego

The BMW CPO and Extended Warranty – What’s the deal?

OK, so you’re at the car dealer and there are two different warranties that may apply to a pre-owned BMW.  The first is a Certified Pre-Owned Warranty which is only available through an actual BMW Dealer.  This warranty comes ‘free’ when you buy a Certified Pre-Owned BMW.  The second is an Extended Warranty which is available from what I call ‘B-Dealers’ and it is issued by a private company not owned by BMW.  These warranties can be a good thing and you can make them work for you.  But here are some basic things you need to know before getting all excited about the fact that you are ‘covered.’

The Certified Pre-Owned BMW comes with the Certified Pre-Owned Warranty, which in most cases will cover you up to 8 years or 100k miles and is a pretty decent warranty.  It better be, because you paid a lot for it.  Compare the purchase price of your CPO car with that of a non-CPO car with the same year and mileage.  You’ll notice that you probably spent over $2000 more to get a CPO car.  What exactly is so great about a CPO car??  Nothing.  It is most likely a lease return that they detail and do an oil change on and then re-introduce it as a CPO car.  It probably goes through some sort of ‘146 point check’ which again means nothing.  So in essence a CPO car is just a BMW with a warranty built into the purchase price.  It’s a pretty decent warranty, but it will only fix things when they break.  You also must take the car to a BMW Service Center to have it repaired, which means that in San Diego you’ll be able to bring it in in about 3 weeks from the time you call.  For our customers that have a CPO Warranty, we try to find as much items in need of repair as we can and give this list to them.  That way they can plan ahead to bring their car to BMW and have those items fixed under warranty.  I think the most important thing you can do with a CPO warranty is to have someone look at the car frequently in order to maximize what you have already paid for. 

The Extended Warranty is probably the better option.  It allows you to go to any service center to have the work performed as long as the service center accepts extended warranties.  In San Diego, we do a fair amount of extended warranty work on BMWs.  This warranty program is issued through a private company and you may or may not want to sign on the dotted line when you buy that used BMW.  Unlike extended warranties for electronics and appliances, these warranties can be great, but you need to buy correctly.  If you decide to purchase the warranty, make sure that you understand the terms and that there is not an extreme amount of fine print.  More importantly, buythe most expensive package that the warranty company offers.  Time after time I see customers with BMWs in San Diego hand me their warranty info only to find out that ‘that item isn’t covered’ because they opted for the ‘gold’ package instead of the ‘platinum.’  So buy the most coverage that you can as it is usually those extra little items that fail and not the engine or transmission.

Making your money back on the warranty is probably the most satisfying thing you can achieve.  How can this be done??  First, don’t buy it if you don’t need it.  Many BMWs will not benefit from an extended warranty.  As a general rule we say that an extended warranty is good for the following cars – X5, X3, 740i, 740il, 745i, 745li, 750i, 760li, 540i, 545i, etc, etc.  Any BMW with a V8 engine or any of the X-series cars are good candidates for an extended warranty.  These cars need a lot of maintenance and the warranty will cover a lot of it.  Most 3-series cars and 5-series cars with the in-line 6 cylinder engine are pretty damn reliable, and they never seem to recoup the money that was spent on the warranty.  So I generally don’t recommend that you buy one for those cars unless you are really paranoid about a failing transmission. 

In the world of auto warranties, my best advice is to get the best coverage you can, and have a clear understanding as to what is covered and what isn’t.  Find a BMW service center that can make the warranty work for you and help you maximize your purchase.  Another way to maximize your warranty coverage is to ask your BMW mechanic if there are additional items that could be replaced that aren’t covered, but are items that would have over-lapping labor.  For instance, if your water pump fails and the warranty covers it, pay for a thermostat or new belts out of pocket as the labor is pretty much paid for by your warranty. I wouldn’t get too excited about having a CPO warranty, nor would I pay extra for the car because it’s a CPO.  Instead, I would opt for the cheaper price at a ‘B-dealer’ and add on the extended warranty — but only if it’s appropriate for the BMW your are purchasing. 

Chris Keefer

La Jolla Independent BMW Service in San Diego 

Buying a BMW – or any car for that matter

One thing that I consistently witness is people buying used cars that they can afford the payments on, but cannot afford to maintain.  The main problem is depreciation, and how it applies to BMW’s on a whole.  Within 5 years, a 750Li will be purchased for nearly $90,000 only to be sold for a mere $25,000.  The guy or girl that suffers is not the original owner — they obviously had plenty of money to be able to drive it off the lot and the loss won’t kill them.  The big loser in all of this is the guy who saw the car at the San Diego Auto Show five years ago, and has wanted it ever since.  It never fails.   A customer will come to the shop extremely excited about their new acquisition and I have the unpleasant duty to inform them that the car, while it looks shiny and new, needs over $3000 in repairs/maintenance.  Hard pill to swallow.

So . . . First of all buy a car that you like.  You’d never guess it, but people actually do buy cars that they wind up hating for one reason or another.  Find out what you like, regardless of the logo on the hood.  BMW’s aren’t for everyone, so make certain that you want one before taking the plunge.  My wife has a 1998 528i that she loved as soon as she drove it.  She bought the car, then told me that she can’t get the seat up far enough for her to comfortably reach the pedals!  Luckily, she was missing an adjustment feature and all was ok in the end.  These are the things to look at.  If you need cup holders, make sure they are good, and if you want a sunroof, buy the car that has one. Don’t buy a green car if you want a red one.

Second, don’t buy a car and then have it checked out.  That’s the same as buying a house and then getting it inspected.  Have the car inspectedbefore you buy it, and have it done by someone who knows that particular car.  I can check a BMW for you, but I’m not familiar with Benz or Nissan.  Believe it or not, we offer a Pre-Purchase Inspection for about $90.   What I typically do however, is a Post-Purchase Inspection, which unfortunately, can cost thousands.  Obtaining a CarFax report on the vehicle is a good start, but keep in mind that the report will not have any information on the present mechanical condition of the car; in addition, there are many body repairs that do not go through insurance companies and thus, never make it to the CarFax report.

Third.  NEVER buy a car sight unseen.  We now live in a world of instant gratification, or internet gratification.   I can’t tell you how many of my customers have bought cars online without seeing them in person, only to be extremely disappointed when the car arrived.  People lie about what they have for sale all the time.  Cars also always look better in photos than they do in person.  You can take a picture of a car that has been keyed on all 4 doors, trunk and hood and the scratches will not show in the picture.  So if you see a car online that you really like, go and see it, even if you have to fly.  Otherwise, stick to local cars so you can kick the tires before you buy.

Chris Keefer

La Jolla Independent BMW

bimmerdoc.com