Where is everybody?
Hey! We're over here!
Saturday, March 26, 2011
26 March drive to Mullin and Murphy Auto Museums, Oxnard
Thanks to Fearless Leader Dennis for arranging today's fascinating trip.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
March 26 & Update
For those going on Saturday's tour of the Mullin and Murphy museums in Oxnard, here's a link to the lunch menu at Yolanda's:
They will do separate checks, so a suggestion from Captain Obvious - bring ca$h. Easier and faster for everyone plus you'll get to the Mullin sooner.
>> Our next GGC chapter event is May 22, a tour of northern SLO County ending at McPhee's in Templeton for lunch. An E-vite will be sent with all the details - meeting time is 9:30 at Tina's in Santa Margarita.
>> There is a local event I encourage you to support, the MS car show at Jason Lenn's ranch in Arroyo Grande, 1771 Corbett Canyon road, on Sunday, April 10. The show starts at 10:00, so I will to be at the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf in Pismo Beach at 9:15. We can have a coffee and hang out for a while, then head for the show, about 15 minutes away. Admission is $10 and there is also a $15 BBQ lunch, all proceeds going to the Multiple Sclerosis Society. It is an eclectic collection of everything from classics to hot rods, motorcycles, and there have been rare models where only a handful still exist. Jason is the proprietor of XK'S Unlimited, and there will be an open house at his shop on Friday, April 8. It is located at 850 Fiero Lane, just north of the airport.
Notes from March 5 Service Seminar
>> We were well served by Rob Rogers and assistant Glenn, and Coast provided donuts and coffee.
>> Their preference in the Perpetual Saga of Auto Trans Servicing is to leave it alone if it already has significant mileage - 60K+? They've had trouble with the high mileage ones they have serviced at the owner's request. Another thought to consider is doing what a writer to Roundel has done with his '95 525ia still on it's original trans. He does a "service lite" every 30K, simply draining and replacing the fluid instead of several flushes to completely change it. And of course he cleans the filters and screens.
>> The subject of oil capacity on M-cars was brought up, not unknown by a couple of our group to have them over-filled. The capacity for the V-10 is 10 quarts, and the S54 (6 cyl.) is 6 quarts.
>> The factory actively reviews major warranty issues, with link from each dealer to Munich. They have a significant computer setup to make this possible.
>> The tech inspection of new member Stephen Thompson's 335i coupe consisted of checking tires, brakes, suspension bushings, axle shafts and for any oil or fluid leaks from the drive train. They did the inspection gratis, and also ran through the Porsche Club list which is 5 pages (BMW's is two).
>> And finally we were reminded to take our cars and really drive them when the situation permits. They are designed and built to be driven hard, and can actually suffer from too much chugging around town.
>> Pictures of the tech seminar from Frank Cowan's blog (if you look through the archives you can find pix from last year's MS car show): http://ccbmwdrivers.blogspot.com/
One more thing - how many would be interested in getting together for breakfast roughly once a month? The 356 group meets at Scottie's in Pismo Beach on the 3rd Saturday of the month, pretty central for our group. We could have our own table on the same day since there's nobody else in the place at 9:00 when they open. Let me know..........
Cheers, Dennis
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Tech Session Q&A, Coast BMW San Luis Obispo, 5 March 2011
Many thanks to Robbie and Glenn!
Robbie explains the mysteries of German engineering
Glenn explains injectors
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
European Shell Commercial
Here's a link to a Shell commercial shown in Europe . Ostensibly, they're selling gasoline, but the cars used in the video steal the show.
Ferrari pulled several of their race cars from various ages out of storage, flew them around the world, and filmed them running through the streets of Rome , Rio , New York , Hong Kong, Honolulu , and Monaco . No CGI - these are the original cars on the original streets.
The best part is the sound - from the basso-profundo notes of the early, front-engine era, each scene cuts to a later generation, ending with the wail of a modern F1 car.
Even if you're not a gearhead, this video will stir the soul.
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=1_kwxzU4wL4&vq=medium
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Oxnard Tix & Local updates
Advance tickets are required for those going on the Oxnard auto museum tour. They can be purchased at the following link: http://mullinautomotivemuseum.tix.com/Event.asp?Event=333831
I suggest buying them ASAP since they may limit the number of people in the facility, though I don't anticipate a problem at this early date. Including a service charge the price is $12 for adults and $8.60 for seniors (62+), and you print yourself an E-ticket.
A large contingent from the Porsche Club is joining us, so we are expecting a group of about 50. Yolanda's in Oxnard has indicated they will accommodate us for lunch - I'll monitor that situation closely.
I will be sending an E-vite for this tour when I have a few more details nailed down. A larger gathering place than Panera Bread is at the top of that list.
Also attached is our 2011 schedule as of now, with dates later in the year yet to be finalized. Note that the July event has moved to the 30th so we can support the Gathering of Friends car show on the 17th. The bold type on the schedule notes "official events" sponsored and insured by the Golden Gate chapter.
Local market place:
Dave Bundy's Z3 with Dinan upgrades is for sale. If anyone is interested I will put you in touch with him.
BMW parts for sale - my neighbor Mike's new arrival is very small with 2 legs, so the 4-wheeled friend (328i E46 sedan) is gone! Available (all new) are a set of 4 Kleen wheels for $40, a cabin filter for $20 and a Mahle KL66 fuel filter for $25 that fits many BMW models.
2011 - Event Schedule
Blue = Chapter Driving Events
February 26 Sat. Car Control Clinic at Candlestick Park
BMWGGC March 5 Sat. Tech. Session at Coast BMW
March 14 Mon. Laguna Seca Driving School
March 19/20 Chuckwalla Driving School
BMWGGC March 26 Sat. Mullin & Murphy Museum Tour, Oxnard
April 17 Sun. MS Car Show in Corbett Canyon sponsored by Jags Unlimited
May 14 Sat. Bimmerfest at Rose Bowl
BMWGGC May 22 Sun. North Coast Tour
June 4/5 Sonoma Historic Festival
July 2/3 Buttonwillow Driving School
July 9 Sat. CCC Candlestick Park
July 17 Sun. Gathering of Friends European Car Show at Laguna Lake
*BMWGGC SLO July 30 Sat.
August 19-21 Monterey Historics
*BMWGGC September ?
October 15 Sat. CCC Marina
*BMWGGC October ?
November 5/6 Thunderhill Driving School
BMWGGC December 3 Sat. Return to Parkfield Tour
Vintage Auto Races of Interest:
VARA British Extravaganza at Buttonwillow, June 4/5 (British Car Exhibit)
VARA Oktoberfest at Buttonwillow, September 10/11 (German Car Exhibit)
Dennis Harrold
SLO Area Contact
Monday, January 31, 2011
Sunday, January 30, 2011
30 January Meet and Greet @ Mongo's
Great turnout! Details of the 2011 driving schedule to follow.
Waiting for Mongo's to open
Still waiting...
Bruce's new "do"
Our server did a great job.Never got her name.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Upcoming driving events within 300 miles of zip 93458
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Back to the Track
Here is the latest issue of our monster nation-wide track calendar. It's January and we have 321 events listed for 2011.The only thing better than hitting the track is going with a buddy. Forward this to a friend and tell them they can get their very own subscription at MotorsportReg.com!
Here are the next 90 days of upcoming driving events in your region (within 300 miles of zip code 93458).
JANUARY | |||
| 7F-9 | Audi Club NA - Golden Gate Chapter | Thunderhill Raceway Park |  |
| 8S-9 | Extreme Speed Track Events | Willow Springs Int'l Raceway | More... |
| 15S | SCCA - SoCal Solo II | Auto Club Speedway | |
| 15S | PCA - Zone 8 | Newport Beach Marriott | |
| 15S-16 | Speed Ventures | Auto Club Speedway | More... |
| 15S-16 | Speed Ventures | Auto Club Speedway | More... |
| 15S | BMW CCA - Los Angeles Chapter - AutoX | Streets of Willow Springs | |
| 15S | PCA - San Diego | Qualcomm Stadium | |
| 16S | PCA - Golden Gate - Social | Blackhawk Auto Museum | |
| 21F-23 | SCCA - California Sports Car Club/CalClub | Auto Club Speedway | |
| 21F-23 | SCCA - California Sports Car Club/CalClub | Auto Club Speedway | More... |
| 22S-23 | PCA - San Diego | Streets of Willow Springs | |
| 23S | SCCA - San Francisco Region - Solo | Blackhawk Auto Museum | |
| 29S | Audi Club NA - Golden Gate Chapter | Sheraton - Petaluma | |
| 29S-30 | Speed Ventures | Buttonwillow Raceway | More... |
FEBRUARY | |||
| 5S | Extreme Speed Track Events | Willow Springs Int'l Raceway | More... |
| 12S-13 | Speed Ventures | Streets of Willow Springs | More... |
| 19S | BMW CCA - Golden Gate Chapter - Social Events | Astaria Restaurant | |
| 20S | PCA - San Diego | Bar Basic Pizza | |
| 20S | Mini Thunder | Thunderhill Raceway Park | |
| 26S | BMW CCA - Golden Gate Chapter - Car Control Clinic | Candlestick Park | |
| 26S-27 | Speed Ventures | Auto Club Speedway | More... |
| 26S-27 | Speed Ventures | Auto Club Speedway | More... |
| 26S-27 | SCCA - California Sports Car Club/CalClub | Willow Springs Int'l Raceway | More... |
MARCH | |||
| 7M | Your Private Track Day | Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca | |
| 8T | Your Private Track Day | Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca | |
| 11F-13 | SCCA - San Francisco Region - Club Racing | Thunderhill Raceway Park | |
| 11F | Extreme Speed Track Events | Willow Springs Int'l Raceway | More... |
| 12S-13 | Speed Ventures | Buttonwillow Raceway | More... |
| 27S | PCA - Loma Prieta Region - AutoCross | Marina Airport | |
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