[fuelairsparktiming]

Hey guys
I am doing an ethnography project for my senior year of college, and this is the community I chose for my project. Please answer the simple questions below. I first came here to diagnose a problem with my own 335 m sport.

What was the reason for your first visit to bimmerpost?
What do you find most useful about bimmerpost?
What is it about bimmerpost that keeps you coming back?
What is the most interesting thing you have found on this forum?

Thanks to all that participate.

[joeyb26]

1: I was looking for owners thoughts and reviews on the cars, and packages that came with the car so that I could make my own education purchase

2: The community is always helpful, if i have a question regarding something with my car, 99% of the time I can find my answer on the forums by either searching or asking in the appropriate forum

3: Its nice to have a place to come and be up to date on new BMW info. and its a great place to check out other people's builds and buy used parts from other members

4: Most interesting thing would probably have to be just learning new things about my car i never would have know. For example i never would have known about the USB port under the glove box until i saw it mentioned here

[Beek]

Ok I'll play. First visit? I was doing research for a potential purchase. Most useful? Quick and easy sharing of information and experiences. Why I come back? It's a fast crowd here and one must be mindful what one says, folks in the know will call you on BS, I like that even if I'm the one getting called sometimes. It's a great place to learn about my car and ways I might improve it. Most interesting? For no good reason and against my better judgement, I loved the infamous EMF thread.

[GTBrandon]

Originally Posted by fuelairsparktiming

Hey guys
I am doing an ethnography project for my senior year of college, and this is the community I chose for my project. Please answer the simple questions below. I first came here to diagnose a problem with my own 335 m sport.

What was the reason for your first visit to bimmerpost?
What do you find most useful about bimmerpost?
What is it about bimmerpost that keeps you coming back?
What is the most interesting thing you have found on this forum?

Thanks to all that participate.

1: Came here to find out more about the chassis of my car. I have a F34 (3 series GT) which is very different from all other 3 series. I wanted to see how many things were the same on my car and other 3-series, and what I needed to have specially made for my chassis, and then I was hooked.

2: I find most useful the fact that everybody on here has so much unique knowledge about these cars. I don't have to find out by breaking something, because somebody on here already did and is sharing their experience with others. If I have a question, I can get fairly immediate answers from many different people who might have differing options, which I like. It's a trusted community of people who have years working on these cars and modifying them. I can get ideas of things I would like to do, as well as reasons why I shouldn't do others.

3: There is always a new question and discussion that follows on here. I like contributing information to people who need it, and also enjoy asking questions when I come across something with my car. I constantly want to find out more about what I drive, and people on here seem to know a hell of a lot more than I do.

4: Most interesting thing, that's a tough one. There's so much on here that I find everyday. Probably just the community of people was really refreshing for me. I didn't expect to have anybody on here that would want to meet up in person for events or drives. I expected it to be remote people far away who just provided info on a random forum on the internet.

[JDMAF]

1. Came here to learn very specific info about F30 before ordering. Specifically the MPPSK option
2. Most useful was the ordering forum and tracking order after it was placed
3. What keeps me coming back? Car porn for sure. Some amazing builds and photos of those builds.
4. Most interesting is the countless "work arounds" people find for things they want to "improve" from the factory. Love how we adapt things to our specific needs and wants. Humans can be very inventive!

[MSCD]

Good question.... a friend in the office turned me on to the app after I purchased my E93. I love the photos of different cars, the news of pipeline vehicles is good too.

Going though the detailing section has been very helpful to me. I enjoy reading the articles about Euro delivery.

I have been looking at the 'coding' section as I want to start, but am nervous to!

Oh and I love BMW's- been a fan for a long time!

[mannymazz]

1. My first visit was to ask about tuning and modifications to my first bmw(435). I needed help and had a ton of questions about which tune best suited me and I got my answers.

2.what is most useful is that I have a whole community with similar interests as me on cars who can help me whenever I need an opinion or advice for my car.

3. I enjoy keeping up with the bmw news, trying to help others where I can as well as finding out new information in regards to my car.

4. The most interesting thing or in my case useful was when I created a post about unfair damage charges to my car. I was billed for damage which couldn't be seen and members of the forum all had advice for me on how to handle it.

[Goneinsixtyseconds]

Originally Posted by fuelairsparktiming

Hey guys
I am doing an ethnography project for my senior year of college, and this is the community I chose for my project. Please answer the simple questions below. I first came here to diagnose a problem with my own 335 m sport.

What was the reason for your first visit to bimmerpost?
What do you find most useful about bimmerpost?
What is it about bimmerpost that keeps you coming back?
What is the most interesting thing you have found on this forum?

Thanks to all that participate.

1. I'd used car forums (Jaguar, Audi) in the past and I was just about to order a BMW, so I joined.

2. It means I don't have to read the manual, I can just ask and someone will tell me.

3. If I don't come back on here I might have to start communicating with my wife in an evening.

4. That the list price of a BMW in the US is less than the UK, even though they have to travel further, but some of the options in the US are crazy expensive. Eg. One of the individual paint options costs £1880 in the UK, but $5000 in the US, which seems a lot for some paint.

[jstapels]

What was the reason for your first visit to bimmerpost?

I'm researching for my first BMW purchase.

What do you find most useful about bimmerpost?

The technical manuals, references, and how-to guides.

What is it about bimmerpost that keeps you coming back?

Interesting discussions

What is the most interesting thing you have found on this forum?

A link to the technical guide on the new B58 engine.

[jgoens]

1. Before buying a BMW I had frequented Bimmerfest and then found Bimmerpost just to research about the car.

2. In the beginning learning about tunes and coding was very useful and because of BP I got into modding. The wealth of knowledge here is remarkable. There are many things that people who don't go on forums would not know about such as recalls, modifications and valuable product tips.
Now, I use BP a little differently as a form of entertainment via the OT sections--particularly the political section. But I still learn technical stuff all the time.

3. BP constantly has activity and new stuff. If you stay away from the political section you will have pages and pages to read to catch up.

4. The single most interesting aspect that I have gained from is the coding section which I would have never have done if it had not been for the tips here and the fantastic and helpful people.

All in all, BP is cars, but is also the world with topics and conversations that span the globe on almost every subject imaginable.

[BEM-S4]

1. Researching a new car purchase for a vehicle that was never before offered (2-series)
2. Excellent knowledge base within subgroup of more dedicated users, DIY and aftermarket options especially which are hard to judge pre-purchase with no direct experience
3. Continually expanding knowledge of cars I currently own or plan to own in the future
4. Found a buyer for my coupe that enabled me to get a convertible!

[ajob]

Originally Posted by fuelairsparktiming

Hey guys
I am doing an ethnography project for my senior year of college, and this is the community I chose for my project. Please answer the simple questions below. I first came here to diagnose a problem with my own 335 m sport.

What was the reason for your first visit to bimmerpost?
What do you find most useful about bimmerpost?
What is it about bimmerpost that keeps you coming back?
What is the most interesting thing you have found on this forum?

Thanks to all that participate.

I mainly refer to the F85 forum.

1. First approach: looking for owner's opinions on the F85 before buying.

2. Quality information is easy to get: the forums are searchable and it's easy to interact with more experienced members.

3. The community values: helpful, cheerful but no BS left unchallenged.

4. Learning about coding ...and FLAC music!

If I may comment beyond your questions: I often wonder about the level of explicit empathy among many members, way above the expected utility of the actual exchange of information.

[BEM-S4]

Originally Posted by ajob

3. The community values: helpful, cheerful but no BS left unchallenged.

This is probably the least douchey forum I've been on. Granted the old timers (me included) get pissed when newbies post in the wrong section or obviously haven't taken 30 seconds to search before asking a question, but otherwise folks are generally good spirited.

It's funny it doesn't really match the perceived "asshole BMW driver" stereotype compared to Audi forums I've been on where people were horrible to deal with.

[sandman0615]

1 - I started on e46fanatics and migrated over here once I got my e90, but the reason i first joined e46 and later joined bimmerpost is because I love bimmers and wanted to check out the bimmer community. More specifically, I was/am interested in modding my car(s) and loved seeing everyone elses creations

2 - The vast library of DIYs and repair advice. bimmerpost has saved me thousands of dollars by allowing me to mod/repair myself, and quite frankly i prefer to do it myself whenever possible

3 - A combination of answers 1 and 2. I'm always checking back every day or so to check out the photos section, and if I ever have an issue or install, bimmerpost is my first (and usually only) stop

4 - Not sure if its the most interesting, but my favorite posts are garage showcases. Maybe its because I live in a condo and would kill for a garage of any sort. Check them out below. I also love the easter egg threads


And its worth noting that the bimmerpost community is awesome. Very supportive and helpful and contributes to all 4 answers

garage posts:
http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=637144
http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho....php?t=1038386

hidden tricks (there are others, this is the only one i have subed)
http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=671526

hope this helps

[kern417]

Originally Posted by fuelairsparktiming

What was the reason for your first visit to bimmerpost?
Interested in buying an f32 and I wanted to research in advance and make sure I was getting a good deal on something I would enjoy for a long time.

What do you find most useful about bimmerpost?
There is a lot of information and discussion around topics that you won't get from the dealer or anywhere else.

What is it about bimmerpost that keeps you coming back?
Mostly monitoring progress for the b58 engine and waiting to see which month has the best deals to order a car.

What is the most interesting thing you have found on this forum?
The dealer interaction is very high. I'm used to forums where vendors hop in a lot of discussions, but not actual care salesmen and dealerships.

good luck with your project

[jmg]

What was the reason for your first visit to bimmerpost?

I was looking for a good iPhone mount on my 328i. I posted in one thread and then disappeared for 3 years until I got another bimmer.

What do you find most useful about bimmerpost?

The community! Super helpful and a wonderful source of information.

What is it about bimmerpost that keeps you coming back?

I keep buying Bimmers. I'm on my 3rd one since joining in 2013. I didn't mod my 328i, but I am more interested in modding my current bimmer, so here I am.

What is the most interesting thing you have found on this forum?

The different political beliefs of the people here. It's interesting how people with similar tastes can be on such opposite sides of the political and therefore ideological spectrum. yet we all love our bimmers for the most part.

[bri1042]

Ok:

What was the reason for your first visit to bimmerpost?
To try and figure out what to do about the horrid audio system in my e90, and since I hadn't owned a German car before and I wanted to learn more about them

What do you find most useful about bimmerpost?
Tips and tricks for dealing with the foibles of our German vroom-vrooms from other folk who've run into issues (I can foam tape the crap out of interior rattles thanks to this place). The e90 and f30 Audio forums. I have learned more in the last three years about setting up a good sound system in car than I had learned in the previous 25.

What is it about bimmerpost that keeps you coming back?
Habit at this point, maybe. I enjoy passing on what I've picked up from others but I've seen an uptick in hostile trolling lately that I hope is just passing phase.

What is the most interesting thing you have found on this forum?
The most interesting thing about the crowd is all the non-US folk! It's neat seeing the different challenges they run into with the locality-based build differences.