No more BMW police cars

[8ob]

Folk seem to love them...mates caught fire on the motorway..he went straight out and bought another one

My mechanic hates them...he says the engine bay is full of things made of plastic that should be metal!

Dus Germans used to regard the uk as the "golden island", they could charge more for their products here than anywhere else in the world. Only need to look at the way Mercs are used as taxi's in places like India to realise there must be monumental difference in cost/pricing strategy for the same thing, prestige car here, taxi in the third world.

Bob

 

[roofman]

Folk seem to love them...mates caught fire on the motorway..he went straight out and bought another one

My mechanic hates them...he says the engine bay is full of things made of plastic that should be metal!

Yea all the inlet manifold and tracts are black plastic,as are a lot of other stuff like thermostat housing etc..You cant convince me though as i love the N57

 

[Nomad]

Doubt it. Its vandalism.
Typical authoritarianism thought process. We cant have so neither will you.

This sums it up - I have a history of spending far too much time fixing up "stuff that's not worth it" rather than scrapping something that still has some life left in it.
To deliberately destroy a modern engine to me is wrong on so many level, especially when the reasoning is "These engines are not suitable for Police use with long periods at idle followed by high speed driving, therefore we will make sure the engine is scrap before selling it to the public who would never experience the problem because they won't use use it in the way the Police do."

The fact it's an open secret that the police are selling high mileage cars with no MOT / mileage history - which are then being clocked by dodgy traders before being sold on as "low mileage" - is inexcusable.

The taxpayers are losing out when the cars are sold and the new owners are losing out when they buy a worn out car sold as low mileage.

 

[James1979]

Doubt it. Its vandalism.
Typical authoritarianism thought process. We cant have so neither will you.

I am more inclined to agree with the comments that suggest it’s to prevent litigation in the light of a coroner’s court suggesting that it was responsible for a death and therefore a big payout.

I’ve met some complete tossers who work in the police but I’ve never found one so petty that they’d spend all day drilling holes in engines so some unknown civvy couldn’t make a quid, I must admit.

Your average bod in the workshop or anywhere else couldnt give a stuff if they were all sold for a quid each. It’s all tax dollars.

 

[Shox Dr]

I am more inclined to agree with the comments that suggest it’s to prevent litigation in the light of a coroner’s court suggesting that it was responsible for a death and therefore a big payout.

I’ve met some complete tossers who work in the police but I’ve never found one so petty that they’d spend all day drilling holes in engines so some unknown civvy couldn’t make a quid, I must admit.

Your average bod in the workshop or anywhere else couldnt give a stuff if they were all sold for a quid each. It’s all tax dollars.

Why dint they scrap them, if thats the case?

Whats stopping someone from sticking another lump in reusing all the bits from the old newer lump.

 

[James1979]

Because it’s an easy one stop solution I suppose.

No disposal cost. No need to decommission. That’s how I would see it. Also there is some return to show they have at least tried

Most (or all ?) ex military stuff goes to auction with no reserve. That doesn’t seem to cause an issue. If you buy an ex mil land rover (no MOT) and clock it then put the first MOT on it what’s the difference?

If someone does put a different engine in and make it run then that’s a good thing? I’m a bit lost by that comment to be fair. Either which way the holed and potentially litigious engine is out of the equation which is good for the police lawyers.

 

[keithski122]

Bmw: Dream to work on mechanicly. one of the best. Fronts last ages. rears needed changing every 3-4 months, mind you I always change well before the line and drove hard. You don't get many miles out of them. I done about average 300pw at a guess. Had 5 e36 shape. (two were to strip and sell parts) moons ago...

Do a full filter change quicker than it takes the kettle to boil.

Worst car to work on is a toyota Mr2. Need to take the engine out to do pretty much everything.

Its a toyota though so no need to work on the engine much.

To be successfull in business you don't need to sell the best stuff, you need to sell the stuff that everybody wants.

I asked one of my bosses once why we had to specialise in crappy citroen and peugeots, he replied that it was because they went wrong more than other marques.

 

[Bornfree]

Most (or all ?) ex military stuff goes to auction with no reserve. That doesn’t seem to cause an issue. If you buy an ex mil land rover (no MOT) and clock it then put the first MOT on it what’s the difference?

It doesn't apply to land rover's as 20,000 mile one is just as likely to be a money pit as a 200,000 mile one.

 

[roofman]

Because it’s an easy one stop solution I suppose.

No disposal cost. No need to decommission. That’s how I would see it. Also there is some return to show they have at least tried

Most (or all ?) ex military stuff goes to auction with no reserve. That doesn’t seem to cause an issue. If you buy an ex mil land rover (no MOT) and clock it then put the first MOT on it what’s the difference?

If someone does put a different engine in and make it run then that’s a good thing? I’m a bit lost by that comment to be fair. Either which way the holed and potentially litigious engine is out of the equation which is good for the police lawyers.

Plus its the old classic "its always easy to spend someone else's money"...they get a fleet of cars by ticking boxes and when finished its no f ks given on re-couping any money to go back in the coffers, just tick more boxes for another new fleet Just another governmental body spending our money willy nilly.

 

[premmington]

Yet again authority being "economical with the truth" and not being questioned about it thoroughly. And they wonder why the public have almost no respect for them.

It pains me to agree with the above - it really does - but yes you have a point and I (not wanting to) - do agree with you 100%.

 

[armalites]

It would be interesting to see how/where they drill a hole in the block. If it was in a decent spot and decent hole I bet a plate could be machined to fill the hole and be bolted to the block.

 

[redlig]

Dus Germans used to regard the uk as the "golden island", they could charge more for their products here than anywhere else in the world. Only need to look at the way Mercs are used as taxi's in places like India to realise there must be monumental difference in cost/pricing strategy for the same thing, prestige car here, taxi in the third world.

Bob

The saying " Bull Sh*t baffles brains " comes to mind. Dropped a Co. Accord off at Heathrow and picked up a 190 Merc in Munich thinking this should be good. What a heap of garbage no wonder they were cosigned to Taxi's.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Bmw: Dream to work on mechanicly.

That's what my local garage chap says, everything just comes apart as intended with no snapped bolts etc.

 

[premmington]

If the saw blades are new I think it's a case. If bought a saw blade from a car boot someone's bent and flattened back into shape (I know it's nearly impossible but in theory) I should have no right to sue.
Getting mot's from new and upon exit from government service is the only way they'll get around the clocking scandal I think.

I never knew people still done it until reading this thread. I used to clock up like 40kpa+ in new fleet vehicles. Had a 13 plate custom with 7 miles on it. Had over 100k on when I swapped it out couple year later

I should of offered to buy it clock it and sold it before it had to have an mot.

Thinking about it. Having a van that had over 100k on it and never had an mot seems somewhat ludicrous. I've had 10yo cars that hasn't even clocked that amount

A airport link taxi minibus or trunking two shift sprinter van - can do 150k in it's first year (vehicles with two shift drivers).

It is not impossible to do 450k before the first MOT mileage report on gov.uk

 

[premmington]

That's what my local garage chap says, everything just comes apart as intended with no snapped bolts etc.

BMW not good on this score - but better than an Audi for sure...

 

[redlig]

It would be interesting to see how/where they drill a hole in the block. If it was in a decent spot and decent hole I bet a plate could be machined to fill the hole and be bolted to the block.

As long as you could get the swarf out . Best bet would be complete rebuild and a bit of sn*t in the hole. I would say weld but you haven't seen my Tigging.

 

[Bornfree]

It would be interesting to see how/where they drill a hole in the block. If it was in a decent spot and decent hole I bet a plate could be machined to fill the hole and be bolted to the block.

Probably drilled through the water jacket and the cylinder bore/ liner

 

[slim_boy_fat]

BMW not good on this score - but better than an Audi for sure...

Well, I just reported what he told me. Most of the mechanical jobs now are getting beyond me [routine servicing excepted] due to age and working kerbside. If it makes a difference, mine is one of the very first petrol e60s?

 

[armalites]

I’ve met some complete tossers who work in the police but I’ve never found one so petty that they’d spend all day drilling holes in engines so some unknown civvy couldn’t make a quid, I must admit.

Pretty standard and sad practice, my dad worked for a major hire company who supplied kit to Railtrack. He would take lorry loads of Stihl disc cutters/chainsaws/brush cutter and other stuff like generators to scrap yards and have to watch while they run a grinder through the engine casings.

All very sad in itself but even more so is the fact Railtrack could have brokered there own deal as in most case they had paid for an item at least double what they could buy it for. It's all down to the fact it's not an asset because it's hired in. Nobody ever sharpened chains, they were just replaced. I had a whole bag of chains that had probably done one job each and were thrown in the scrap bin

I'm sure it's a great contract for a hire firm, buy 500 chainsaws at £400 each and put them on long term rent at £30/week and then bin them at then end of the year.

It would be nice if you could just sign a disclaimer but often those things don't really mean anything and there will always be some muppet who says they didn't know chainsaws were dangerous

 

[redlig]

Probably drilled through the water jacket and the cylinder bore/ liner

Can you imagine a mechanic with ,say, half a dozen to do. First one drilled through as you suggest and get it checked the rest a quick jab with the drill and onto next job .Easy bonus.