Dave's Alpina

[Bing]

Oh yeah sorry it's a red interior

I think I want your car

What's the build number ?

[dave_alp]

I think I want your car

What's the build number ?

It's #294, registered 1/3/06 so quite a late example!

I've only had it a day, can't be selling it yet!! But you'll be the first to know

[ChawenHalo]

The dark side of BMW motoring - great car, love it.

[2alpsade]

Greetings Dave from a fellow Black and Red RS owner with 49k under our belt, too. Is yours a lux? Looks like it from the lights....
Beautiful car, aren't they?

Get her on the register and yourself on the Alpina Forum for all things relating to your specific car.

Steering wheel notchiness is a fault on the ECU caused by overheating of the circuitry. Get it boiling round your feet whilst having a drive and do some lock to lock turns and look for stickiness/notchiness.

Mark has already covered the HG pretty well. Lumpy idle when off SAP (secondary air pump) ie 30-40 secs after cold start, slight misfire and pinking under acceleration are what to look out for. If you're worried at any time, get her drop tested and that will reveal any issue. Oil/water mixing is not a by-product of a 3.4 HG failure as a rule, so don't rely on that as a warning. Just get to know how fluid and responsive your engine is.....learn it's habits and you'll understand if you start to get a problem. Whatever you do, don't keep adding miles to her if you think the HG has failed...just drive it to the nearest friendly garage and get that drop test done.

Your lumpy idle at startup is due to the SAP...call it a characteristic

Tyres - I'm sticking with Michelin. It's what Alpina recommend and they work brilliantly on the setup. Still stocks when I looked last week. There are plenty on Contisports, too, with good owner feedback.

Oh, and get some ALPINA graphics on the front - they look really good on the black paint

[SUUNTOBOB]

Hi
Dakota Odour Bomb
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Odor-Bomb-New ... 19d09f0242
My Previous owner was a smoker, this stuff is brilliant,
I sprayed a litte in the boot first then fire the engine up put the air con on full ON RECIRC then set the bomb off in the car leave engine and air con running while bomb goes off then turn engine off lock car up and leave overnight .
In morning open car fully and take it for a spin

this stuff really works 3 months later and ive forgot all about the smokey smell
Nice car by the way

[2alpsade]

Hi
Dakota Odour Bomb
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Odor-Bomb-New ... 19d09f0242

Just been off on a search for the odour defeater, and I think this is the same stuff as above. Came highly recommended by a detailer on the Alpina Forum...and worked for the owner that was interested in sorting his out.

HTH

[andysat]

Hi and welcome -lovely looking zed-any interior pics?

[dave_alp]

Thanks everyone for all the tips. Interior pics will follow once I've tidied it up with the recommended liquid leather and I'm back from holidays!

So, a mini review. I went to Gatwick this morning and then up to Aylesbury so put about 170 miles on her today.

Huuuuh it's fast. Mental fast. And makes a lovely noise, popping on the overrun. Bounced it off the limiter once by accident and boy do you feel it, it's like hitting a brick wall! It is very muscular across the rev range and will just pull from 1,500 right round to 7,000 ish.

Gearbox is direct, short throws but notchy, you need a strong left arm. Clutch is heavy but rewarding, it's easier to get a smooth gear change when being brutish as opposed to trying to be gentle. Seems like there is a bit of slack in the driveline, I hope that doesn't mean the engine or gearbox mountings are on the way out, but it can kangaroo a little bit in traffic. Might just be my driving.

Brakes are OK - not revolutionary but progressive and pull up straight and true.

Ride is AMAZING considering it corners so flat and rides on 19'. It is considerably more compliant and less rattle prone than the E89 loaner I had - which was an M Sport on 19' RFTs and rode really hard indeed.

Worst point I'm sad to say is the steering - I think it is faulty. It is perfect around town, perfect at a lepton, but it feels like there is some slack in it at normal motorway speeds, it's hard to keep it in the same place on the road. While it stays in a straight line if you let go of the wheel, there is about a 5 degree error somewhere meaning the wheel is not straight! Very frustrating, I feel a 4 wheel alignment coming on!

For the dieselers, my MPG for the day was 31, having hit traffic. It was 36.2 before that.

[2alpsade]

Seems like there is a bit of slack in the driveline, I hope that doesn't mean the engine or gearbox mountings are on the way out, but it can kangaroo a little bit in traffic. Might just be my driving.

Assuming the 'kangarooing' action is only in 1st or reverse on take-up, that will be the DMF springs taking up the drive load and oscillating a little due to the highspots on the clutch friction faces. Sadly, it's 'normal'. Don't be tempted to remove the CDV as that can make those oscillations worse as the impact on the springs is greater from a sharper clutch take-up (plenty will decry me for that, but who gives a hoot when they don't understand dynamics). Higher impact could lead to a cracked flywheel.

Less of the 'dieselers'!...I drive an Alpina diesel, too, and it is fantastic. Horses for courses and all that. Outhandles and outrides a zed, tho , but my 1st love is probably JUST the Roadster. Hard call.

[Stuart Truman]

Welcome from another Alpina owner! The car looks lovely

Mine has sticky steering and I need to get her booked into the dealer to get it sorted. If you have it it's noticable. It feels like the power steering has gone into standby and there's a slight delay as it wakes up. I shall report back on progress.

Anyhoo, enjoy the car. The Alpina Register has been mentioned, also get Adamski to add you to the Exclusive Roadster Club. There's nought more exclusive than an Alpina