For most of the decade now BMW has enjoyed a distinct competitive advantage – at least in the American market. They have offered a four-year, 50,000 mile maintenance-cost-free program called “BMW Ultimate Service”. The service includes free replacement of:

• Brake Pads
• Brake Rotors
• Wiper Blades
• Scheduled Maintenance (as outlined in the owner’s manual)
• Oil Changes/topping up of fluids
• Roadside Maintenance

It’s worth noting that BMW parts are generally well-made, and will not typically require new pads and rotors in this 50,000 miles. Still, it’s nice to know you’re covered. It’s also worth noting what the program does NOT include: tyres and alignment for starters. 

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For the weekend, a forum, torrent, and media site for those obsessed with automotives:
Sign up and have fun! Great source for information!

http://www.motorworld.net/

While we normally don’t report on new product announcement, the BMW M3 Convertible stands to be the best car BMW has released in the last few years. It’s a powerful combination of powertrain and luxury sportscar handling. It’s also one of the more restrained car designs from BMW in the last 5 years, which we warmly welcome. Hopefully BMW will let BeyondtheKM drive one soon so we can give you the full scoop!

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No, it’s not April 1st. BMW’s engineers have done something seen only in Back to the Future: using pollution to fuel a car. Looking nothing like a modified DeLorean, the modified BMW 7 series has the ability to consume pollutants that typically occur in in their Hydrogen 7 model. The Hydrogen 7 model normal creates little pollution because the main resultant is water.
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The Link of the Week this week tells of an unfortunate mishap by a pensioner who ruined not one but two Porsches. Porsche have more of their cars still on the road than most other car makers.

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As Americans struggle with the introduction of more and more speeding and red-light enforcement cameras, Britons, who have dealt with the cameras for many years now, are also struggling to come to grips with enforcement. In a recent survey of 500 Britons conducted by the IAM Motoring Trust Survey, 78% of Britons approved of speed cameras, up 9% from the year before. Before you start thinking these numbers are fantastics, it’s key to note that they are on the overall decline. In 1999, cameras received a 90% approval. 

So what’s going on here? Why are the numbers dropping? Well, only 36% believe that cameras were positioned only at serious crash sites. Further, only 39% believed that revenue generation was not the motive for speed camera use. Since fines often generate more revenue for additional cameras, IAM acknowledges that breaking the link between enforcement and revenue is the key to gaining public confidence.

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Beyond the KM, your first source for European automotive news and analysis!

An average of £129 worth of personal items are being left in the cars of female motorists on a daily basis – not surprising when you consider that over half (60 per cent) of women view their car as an extension of their home, with 85 per cent admitting to regularly leaving personal items in their car that belong in a wardrobe rather than a foot-well.

The growing ‘after work’ culture amongst office workers means that more than a quarter (27 per cent) of women regularly keep a change of clothes in their car and one fifth hoard make up in their vehicle.  Since we have almost doubled the number of leisure activities that we undertake in the last fifteen years¹, cars are often cluttered with hobby-related items too.  The top five personal items most likely to be left in a car by a female motorist – many relating to potential trips to the gym – are:  

1. Books (39 per cent)
2. Shoes (35 per cent)
3. Clothes (27 per cent)
4. Children’s toys (25 per cent)
5. Toiletries (22 per cent)

Supercar profits used to be a pipe dream. It was only a year ago that we told you the story of how companies like Aston Martin and Ferrari were making money hand over fist. Today it was Lamborghini’s turn as they announced financial results for 2007. 2007 was indeed quite a year.

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The latest innovation to stop foul play on the street

BMW has announced the first details of the new Canine Repellent Alloy Protection system. Designed to stop dogs fouling against the sparkling alloys of new BMW cars, the innovative Canine Repellent Alloy Protection system (C.R.A.P.) is the latest offering in the BMW EfficientDynamics programme.

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