[NinadJoshi]

Originally Posted by Sahil

My sister's C350 in Boston is due for it's 3'rd year service. It has clocked around 20,000 miles.

Herb Chambers; the Mercedes service has quoted 600$ for this service, is the price ok? What's the next best option?

The charge is consistent with what a dealership typically charges, assuming it is for the [B1 + Brake fluid replacement] service. (The service interval, by the way, is recommended at 20K miles or 2 years, whichever is earlier).

Basically the servicing is a rip off because apart from the engine oil and brake fluid flush, everything else in the 600 bucks is just 'visual inspection'. Anything extra coming out of the visual inspection is of course going to be charged over and above the $600.

Next best option: A credible local import service shop, but finding such a Papa John's shop is a hit or miss. You are better off feeding Herb the dough for the time being, imo.

[Superleggera]

Originally Posted by Sahil

My sister's C350 in Boston is due for it's 3'rd year service. It has clocked around 20,000 miles.

Herb Chambers; the Mercedes service has quoted 600$ for this service, is the price ok? What's the next best option?

Pls get a quote from service centers in Rhode Island or New Hampshire too.
They normally workout to be cheaper than Mass.

If the price difference is more than $150, it worth a drive to any of these neighboring states.

[Redline Shooter]

Originally Posted by Fraz33r

Redline, This question could not have come at a better time: Reason I have ordered a 328i RWD and yes I stay in New England and drive in snow too and awaiting delivery. You can PM me for more detailed questions if need be.

But here is a short answers for all your questions.

1) Cannot speak about MB much, but the BMW warranty is to vouch for. Their A.S.S. is near perfect and hassle free. That being said it is an "Automobile" with some high tech engineering going on there and is definitely bound to failure as compared to the Toyotas, Hondas and Hyundais.

2) AWD: Depends where he stays and who his passengers are : I stay in an area with moderate to heavy snowfall region where accumulations are not drastic as compared to the interiors. If he has a family/kids he would need a AWD to drive around in snow/emergencies. That being said an RWD with snow tires such as Continental/Blizzaks would do fine. I am planning to keep separate set of wheels ( Alloys + tires) for upcoming winter with me to be safe. I picked up an RWD for having FUN the rest of the year minus snow.

3) As far as buying it of inventory, just remember you are plonking 50K+ ( Assuming you are gunning for Msport ) a thorough research is a must. I would rather rent a car for a month and repent later. Additionally the I-drive system has got an upgrade in 2014 with a new touch pad interface if you are planning to add a Navigation option to it.

So in short: Please do extensive research on BMW specific forums before you make a decision.

Just my 2 and 1/2 cents.

Thanks Fraz33r for the inputs and am glad to inform you that you might wanna look behind in the waiting que,because finally ordered a 2014 328i xdrive in red with black and red stiching. And now the strenous act of patience. Since the beginning me and my brother were leaning towards the Bimmer but Merc was given us a great deal. Was getting a Red C300 from the inventory with sports package and the lot but unfortunately(or fortunately...) it was sold off just an hour before he could reach. Picking up this as a signal we both decided to strech the budget and make BMW happen to us. . And then started the strenous art of configuring the car properly, We wanted a M-kit but later realized that the dip before entering the parking lot will be a regular affair so we decided to drop it. We were a little confused about AWD/RWD because the auto fanatics that we are, we are always going to fall for RWD but my brother stays in Redmond. Monsoon is a problem,Snow isn't the biggest of the trouble. But still decided to go for AWD.

By the way i have absolutely no idea about winter tyres. Do they have separate alloys as well???

Originally Posted by maddy42

You may want to check out the CLA Class coupe. Its got 4 doors. Not sure if it will fit in your search but looks interesting.
Maddy

Yes Maddy for a moment we were considering CLA,was meeting our needs and budget. But my brother needs a car quite immediately and CLA is still not in available in the showrooms. though it looks brilliant and the engine options are good too.Anyways thanks for the input
But then as of now we have ordered the 328i x drive with sports trim.

Originally Posted by aah78

If the area he's in has considerable accumulation or icing, then an AWD with all-seasons isn't much better than an RWD.

I've always driven RWD with snow/winter tires without any issues and I've had the best results with studded Nokian Hakkas.

Studdless winter tires are a little easier to drive with on a drier road (more grip, less road noise).

Winter tires are important and recommended as their compound is designed to grip better in cold temperatures than a summer/performance tire.

An issue with the 3-Series when it comes to snow driving with heavy accumulation is the low ground clearance. Because the tires are already low profile, the car bottoms out much easier.

Thanks aah78 for the information.He stays in Redmond, and going by what he has to say it's the monsoon he is more worried about and not snow. We have ordered a AWD 328i which of course is not to my liking. But then now I feel we could have been better off with RWD and winter studded tyres. Nevertheless I will still check with him if anything can be done about it or not.

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by Redline Shooter

By the way i have absolutely no idea about winter tyres. Do they have separate alloys as well???.

Winter tires are fun killing devices used in Europe(even mandatory in some countries). By fitting these socialist communist devices, europeans are denied the joy of watching 4WD behemoths sliding down steep hills every time it snows 1 milli meter(A communist socialist measure of length designed to create small distances, and hence destroy the joy of bigness)

On a more serious note, a tire sock should be good enough rather than keeping snow tires for that 2 days freak snowstorm which may or may not come.
Will work out much cheaper

[Fraz33r]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Winter tires are fun killing devices used in Europe....

Haha Had a hearty laugh on this one.

Originally Posted by Redline Shooter

By the way i have absolutely no idea about winter tyres. Do they have separate alloys as well???

They do not have it. But you can get pretty cheap alloys and instead of swapping the tire only, you actually swap the entire wheel ( Alloy + Tyre) during the onset of winter. Less hassle free and can be done at any local tire shop or DIY as well.

[JMaruru]

A friend when he renewed his NY driving license in TN, has been given a 'Temporary Driving License' valid for about an year. His status is OPT and he had a proper DL in NY for about 2 years.

Is this some rule applicable only in Tennessee? Please advise.

[Sahil]

Here is the servicing cost for Mercedes

[Superleggera]

Originally Posted by JMaruru

A friend when he renewed his NY driving license in TN, has been given a 'Temporary Driving License' valid for about an year. His status is OPT and he had a proper DL in NY for about 2 years.

Is this some rule applicable only in Tennessee? Please advise.

No, depends on State to State. As far as I know, NJ ,OH TX states have different rules when it comes to DL. These states will give you DL till the validity of your Visa /I-94.

I stay in MA and these rules are not applicable here. I renewed my liscense last month and got it for next 5 years even though my visa expiry is before that.

[Fraz33r]

Originally Posted by JMaruru

A friend when he renewed his NY driving license in TN, has been given a 'Temporary Driving License' valid for about an year..

How long is the OPT valid till? Does he have a H1 already? What do you mean by a Temp license? Is it on a piece of Paper?

My guess is, He has got a license only till the validity of his OPT. Once he is on his work visa he can get extended till 3 years or whatever the date on his I-797 is/will be.

All states are independent in their DMV rules. AFAIK, MA gives by default 7 years regardless of the date of expiry of your visa whereas other states follow the expiry dates on your visa.

[kraft.wagen]

Originally Posted by JMaruru

A friend when he renewed his NY driving license in TN, has been given a 'Temporary Driving License' valid for about an year. His status is OPT and he had a proper DL in NY for about 2 years.

Is this some rule applicable only in Tennessee? Please advise.

Yes a lot of states issue license based on the validity of your visa.

[JMaruru]

Originally Posted by Fraz33r

How long is the OPT valid till? Does he have a H1 already? What do you mean by a Temp license? Is it on a piece of Paper?

Originally Posted by Superleggera

No, depends on State to State. As far as I know, NJ ,OH TX states have different rules when it comes to DL. These states will give you DL till the validity of your Visa /I-94.

Originally Posted by kraft.wagen

Yes a lot of states issue license based on the validity of your visa.

The license has been given until the validity of his OPT. It is on a card, but boldly proclaims 'Temporary Driving License' on top. I agree, that we get the license only until the expiry of our H1/OPT status. The issue is, NOT about the validity, it is about the 'Temporary' aspect of the license. This was not there in NY or even in NJ on the license. BTW, even the H1 guys get the 'Temporary' driving license when they renew in TN.

[kraft.wagen]

Originally Posted by JMaruru

The license has been given until the validity of his OPT. It is on a card, but boldly proclaims 'Temporary Driving License' on top. I agree, that we get the license only until the expiry of our H1/OPT status. The issue is, NOT about the validity, it is about the 'Temporary' aspect of the license. This was not there in NY or even in NJ on the license. BTW, even the H1 guys get the 'Temporary' driving license when they renew in TN.

you mean that you don't get a card, but its just a piece of paper with temp license?
That's a crazy rule, do you get a state id?

Yea just checked in the TN dmv site. Apparently you will be issued Temp license only

What Type of License Will I Receive and What Tests Do I Have To Take?

International individuals who are not US residents, will only be issued a Temporary Driver's License (TDL). The TDL will expire when the visa status or visa program expires. The date on the most recently issued I-94 document will be used to determine the visa status expiration date. However, for individuals in F-1, F-2 or M-1 and M-2 visa status, the course completion date on the I-20 will be used to determine the visa status expiration date. For individuals in J-1 or J-2 visa status, the program completion date on the DS-2019 will be used to determine the visa status expiration date.

[JMaruru]

Originally Posted by kraft.wagen

you mean that you don't get a card, but its just a piece of paper with temp license? That's a crazy rule, do you get a state id?

He got a card, all right. But with 'Temporary Driving License' in large bold font on top.

Originally Posted by kraft.wagen

Yea just checked in the TN dmv site. Apparently you will be issued Temp license only

Is this rule there in any other state? My friend is worried coz he wanted to use the DL as address proof for raising a car loan, and he does not know how the bank will treat a temporary DL.

[Gandhi]

Update on my trip to Yosemite. Everything was going according to plan till Friday night and I was keeping a close watch on the forest advisory. Some planets lined up against my trip on Friday night and changed winds direction. That caused the entire valley to be filled with thick smoke. Unfortunately I didn't check the status on the Saturday morning and drove all the way to the valley just to find out thick layer of smoke covering everything. So, we had to shorten our trip to few hours and come back in the evening.

Check out this photo, that's not fog -


Check out some clicks I managed to take in the photography thread - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shifti...ml#post3226025

Originally Posted by JMaruru

Is this rule there in any other state? My friend is worried coz he wanted to use the DL as address proof for raising a car loan, and he does not know how the bank will treat a temporary DL.

I didn't have to give any address proof when I applied for car loan from TechCU. I don't anyone asks for address proof here. That's a concept in India, not here. All they care about is your SSN and credit history.

If it's a statewide rule that applies to every one, I wouldn't really worry about it.

[josejoseph]

Originally Posted by JMaruru

Is this rule there in any other state? My friend is worried coz he wanted to use the DL as address proof for raising a car loan, and he does not know how the bank will treat a temporary DL.

I think your friend should be okay with the dates mentioned in his US visa/I-797/I-94 to show his duration of stay in US.

There are people including yours truly who bought a car without a US DL but based on visa status.

-- Jose