[Majikthese42]

Originally Posted by rds95991

Isn't Honda being sued for this for the claim that they are doing this to shorten the warranty?

Honda's odometers were off. BMW's odometers are accurate it's just the speedometer readout. The ECU knows exactly how fast the car is going.

I think the German speedometer error is a DIN thing, German manufacturers are required to certify that the car is at least as fast as the instrument indicates. If they publish a certain 0-60 number, the worst BMW built on the worst day of the week during Oktoberfest will be be at least that fast.

(I have been stuck behind new BMWs (temporary tags) twice in the last few weeks that were clogging up the left hand lane at about 5-7MPH less than the normal traffic speed in the area. ("The ultimate moving chicane"???) I happen to think left lane bandits should be shot and probably a lot of other drivers think the same thing. BMW dealers should at least clue buyers in about the speedometer error.)

[Majikthese42]

Originally Posted by turbotko

Where's the safety issue at?

The safety issue is where the uninitiated think they're driving over the speed limit in the left lane but are actually traveling below the speed limit and the traffic that wants to pass needs to pass on the right.

[S4to335]

Originally Posted by sdorn

I know this is common knowledge for many BMW owners, but I just realized that it is true! I bought my first BMW two weeks ago, and I immediately noticed something was wrong with the speedometer. I had a friend pace me to confirm it, then I took my GPS to find out exactly how far off it was. I found that when the speedometer says 55mph, the GPS said 52mph. With the cruise on 80mph, the GPS read 75 or 76mph.

I took the car in to the dealer today to get satellite radio installed and get the Bluetooth software upgraded, I told them about the problem. They said it was normal and there was nothing wrong with it! He had like a 3 minute long speech about how it was safer and tire circumferences change and blah blah blah. I had read it all on the internet before. He even said that every BMW on the road has this error intentionally built in! I can't believe a $40k car that is supposed to be a precision driving machine has one of the most key instruments on the machine off by such a huge margin.

We need to start a campaign to get BMW to address this issue. If all the members of this board and any other boards we can get to participate suddenly started taking their cars into their dealers to complain about the speedometers, that would cause a huge backlash at BMW. It might be enough to get them to fix the problem. Sending letters to BMW would also be a great idea, like one every week.

This really irritates me. I am seriously thinking about buying an aftermarket navigation system just so I can have an accurate speedometer. I even looked into the lemon laws here in the state to see if it applies in this situation. I would have to argue that it is a serious safety hazard to have an inaccurate speedometer, which is a plausible argument. I did some legal research, but I couldn't find any lawsuits involving this type of situation.

My last Audi was off by about 3 mph...80 on the speedometer was really 77.

[RichP]

damn this forum is going downhill fast... BMW needs an IQ test in addition to a credit application when purchasing or leasing a car.

[Loomp]

RichP - But how fast (actual speed) is forum going downhill? Really... all people want is for a car company (any company) to do the best that they can when providing a product. This means acurate guages too.

[DasBlitz]

Originally Posted by Loomp

RichP - But how fast (actual speed) is forum going downhill? Really... all people want is for a car company (any company) to do the best that they can when providing a product. This means acurate guages too.

wtf? Dude how much pain have you gotten from not knowing your exact speed?

[Loomp]

Pain?

[Loomp]

Dude, just the best you can in life. It is not that much harder to do. And it's really not that 'painful'

[DasBlitz]

Originally Posted by Loomp

RichP - But how fast (actual speed) is forum going downhill? Really... all people want is for a car company (any company) to do the best that they can when providing a product. This means acurate guages too.

You stated this. Basically saying BMW is suppose to have quality cars so why arent their gauges of high quality?

My response was....

Originally Posted by DasBlitz

wtf? Dude how much pain have you gotten from not knowing your exact speed?

Implying have you had some sort of issue happen due to not having proper gauges?

Originally Posted by Loomp

Pain?

Pain?

Originally Posted by Loomp

Dude, just the best you can in life. It is not that much harder to do. And it's really not that 'painful'

This response makes no sense.

[Loomp]

You asked "Dude how much PAIN have you gotten..." I didn't know what you meant. Thank you for clearing that up. I haven't 'gotten' any pain due to a guage that doesn't function as good as it COULD. My overall point is - if, in fact, BMW did do something, anything, to make the reading anything other than it truly is, then they spent as much just as much energy. I don't have proof either way that BMW did or didn't do anything of the like. I don't like to be deceived, nor do I like PAIN.

[1clean335i]

Something I found on while looking at the bulletins.....


get over it guys... its normal...



A certain amount of "speedometer advance" is necessary to compensate for negative tolerances in tire diameter, electronic controls, and other factors. This advance reduces the risk of the speedometer displaying a speed that is less than the vehicle's actual speed.

The amount of speedometer advance can be calculated by inputting a frequency (using the DIS Tester, "Kombi Test Schedule") that corresponds to a given speed and noting the speed that is indicated by the speedometer. The maximum permitted speedometer advance is 10% of the actual (input) speed plus 2.4 mph.

Example:

Actual Speed = 50 mph

50 mph x 10% = 5 mph; 5 mph + 2.4 mph = 7.4 mph

Therefore, the permissible displayed speed is 50 to 57.4 mph.

(Note: The displayed speed must never be less than the actual speed).

No repairs should be attempted if the speedometer advance is within 10% + 2.4 mph.

NOTE: The amount of speedometer advance has no effect on recording of accumulated mileage in the odometer display. The odometer records total mileage digitally and does not incorporate any "advance" tolerances.

[Loomp]

Great information. Thank you.

[Fraggy]

Originally Posted by Loomp

I haven't 'gotten' any pain due to a guage that doesn't function as good as it COULD.

The guage is working perfectly! Its reading just as BMW engineers want it to read. I like how it works.

[JJM335]

Originally Posted by sdorn

Actually, just the fact that it is inaccurate could be grounds for a lawsuit under the right circumstances.

IMHO, this comment is exacly why speedo's read optimistically. The predisposition of we Amercians to sue over damn near anything.

[sdorn]

Wow, you guys should let this go. This thread is more than a year old!

[itsbrokeagain]

Originally Posted by dkizerian

nissan 240sx

Never had a problem with mine. Hit the speed governor at 115mph..and the navi said I was going 114. Close enough.

[e90fanatic]

speed governor at 115?? that low? i went 120 the other day and it was fine...

[myfirstbmw335i]

my speedo is within 1 mph of nav and cruise reading everytime....

335i coupe, 6-speed, sport, nav and most everything else...

[742]

Originally Posted by Majikthese42

The safety issue is where the uninitiated think they're driving over the speed limit in the left lane but are actually traveling below the speed limit and the traffic that wants to pass needs to pass on the right.

Actual speed in the left lane is immaterial. First, a driver should only be there if they are passing. And if they are there, and faster traffic comes up behind them, they should move over. It does not matter if the driver is going 10 under or 30 over the speed limit.

Poor lane discipline is a killer, leading to multi vehicle accidents. The “Montana Anomaly”, where their highway fatal accident rate INCREASED 54% when they transitioned from no speed limits to a posted 75, is attributed by some engineers to a decrease in lane discipline. Basically the “I am going the speed limit so I can sit here in the left lane” mentality.

I agree with the suggestion that those sitting in the left lane blocking traffic should be shot. This would not only improve traffic flow, it would also improve the gene pool.

And as far as the speedometer reading precisely, even a perfect one is only one tire change away from being off a few MPH. I think BMW has handled this in a reasonable manner.

[poiney]

Originally Posted by 742

Actual speed in the left lane is immaterial. First, a driver should only be there if they are passing. And if they are there, and faster traffic comes up behind them, they should move over. It does not matter if the driver is going 10 under or 30 over the speed limit.

Poor lane discipline is a killer, leading to multi vehicle accidents. The “Montana Anomaly”, where their highway fatal accident rate INCREASED 54% when they transitioned from no speed limits to a posted 75, is attributed by some engineers to a decrease in lane discipline. Basically the “I am going the speed limit so I can sit here in the left lane” mentality.

I agree with the suggestion that those sitting in the left lane blocking traffic should be shot. This would not only improve traffic flow, it would also improve the gene pool.

And as far as the speedometer reading precisely, even a perfect one is only one tire change away from being off a few MPH. I think BMW has handled this in a reasonable manner.

I was in favor of the left-lane traffic proposal, but then you threw me a curve ball by your last paragraph. I can't say that my life has been too negatively impacted by having an inaccurate speedometer. On the hand, it is my only car to read significantly off, and as long as BMW computer knows the real speed, why not display it? My experience is that motorcycle speedometers read notoriously fast, which some may similarly argue is to prevent litiguous folks.

But I think 95% of the reason is the same as BMWs cars -- to give the psychological impression that you're zooming faster than you are. The discerning driver simply calculates the fudge factor of -5% in his/her head so this strategem only works on the unobservant.

[sdorn]

Originally Posted by 742

I agree with the suggestion that those sitting in the left lane blocking traffic should be shot. This would not only improve traffic flow, it would also improve the gene pool.

Definitely.

[Majikthese42]

Originally Posted by 742

Actual speed in the left lane is immaterial. First, a driver should only be there if they are passing. And if they are there, and faster traffic comes up behind them, they should move over. It does not matter if the driver is going 10 under or 30 over the speed limit.

They should. But they too often don't.

Both of the temorary-tag "Ultimate Moving Chicane" BMWs were passing the traffic in the right lane, albeit only creeping by 1-2MPH faster. There were large open spaces directly ahead which the next 20 vehicles in the left lane -- mostly vehicles with more-or-less accurate speedometers -- could also see.

This could be one of the many reasons why BMW drivers have a PR problem. There are others, but expensive fast cars dawdling in the left lane is probably even more irritating to the hoi polloi than decrepit slow cars dawdling in the left lane.