DCT delivery day (w/REAL pics, but long)

[bills742]

Well, yesterday was my day for delivery...for those who are still waiting, the day does actually happen, eventually. It was a loooong day. I started off the day around 9 A.M. driving about .5 hours to Dulles airport to pick up my rental car. The dealer is located about 220 miles from my house, and I didn't want to pay for gas in an SUV for that stretch. The rental car desk asked me if I wanted to prepay for gas. I said no...ended up being a bad decision. Picked up my awesome Aveo (blue color, almost reminded me of LSB and headed toward State College, PA around 9:30.

I'm going to clear bra the car when I get it back to VA, so my plan was to blue tape overlayed with duct tape the front end to prevent rock chips. What better car is there than a rental car to test a section of my proposed plan (in case some weird reaction happens with duct tape on top of painters tape). So I put two small strips of painters tape with one strip of duct tape on the roof of my smurfmobile.

So I get to University Park Airport about 3.5 hours after driving. And look for a gas station in my TomTom. Nothing for about 8 miles. So I think, that's not too bad. Anyone thinking of returning a car to this airport, get gas long before you reach there. I end driving through the Penn State campus and traffic is backed up like crazy. I finally find a gas station, and of course, it ends up being full service only. Great, so all that money I saved by not asking National to refill the car with gas will go to the gas station attendant, not to mention the hour I lost by my detour to find a gas station. At this point, I was getting really frustrated, I just wanted my M3! The guy filling the gas takes his sweet time to wash the windshields, front and back, on a rental car I was about to return 1 hour ago. Then he asks, "what's going on with your roof (referring to the tape)?" I say, "it's a long story" and he's satisfied with my response.

Reach the airport, again, and wait for my CA to pick me up. When he saw me, he probably thought, what are all those bags for? I had a messenger bag and two Home Depot bags full of tape, scissors, etc. While riding to the dealership, he tells me that my M3 mats he ordered several weeks ago have not arrived yet. He says "you have three options, you can get the regular 3-series mats, the all weather mats, or wait for the M3 mats". Keep in mind that I already paid him $95 for the M3 mats that he ordered. I jokingly (but being serious) asked him "how about giving me the all weather mats for the ride home". I couldn't believe what he told me next, something to the fact "how about paper mats for the ride home". What an ass!

Get to the dealership, and there she is. All dirty and unwashed like I asked for. My CA did respect my wishes on this request. Car odometer only has 3 miles on it. I begin taping the car. It took FOREVER. About 4 hours later, it was done. I had a part blue, part jet black e92 M3. The drive back home was much more pleasurable then the drive there to say the least. The car really is a black beast. It feels like it has limitless power. Driving the car and knowing that you're faster than 99.9% of your fellow commuters is a very powerful feeling. The DCT does feel like a manual transmission (if you blindfolded a passenger and asked them what kind of transmission it was, I'm sure they would say a manual), at least in S mode which is what I spent most of my time in. Anyways, the car is awesome, sorry for the long story, thanks for listening, heading back out to drive!

Oh yea, already have about 250 miles on the odometer. The long drive made the break-in that much shorter.

[monsta]

holy crap! OCD OCD OCD I am fucking my arse off with the painters tape, my detailer told me to do something similar but this is extreme, he said to only do it to the wheel arches....hahaha thx for the laugh

opps forgot to Congratulate you CONGRATS!!! < we need a MDCT driving smily

[Keto]

Now that's a bra.

Grats bro!

[!Xoible]

track already?

congrats man... it looks very odd without clutch pedal, i think coz they used the same 6MT brake pedal instead of using a auto-size brake pedal

[e92OMG]

Congrats on the car! Dont ya think thats a bit overbored though but id do anything to protect my baby too

Anywayz i love your car! Im getting the same combo except with fox red! Show some pics after clear bra please haha.

[SHADY1]

As for making sure you don't get a single chip in the paint good stuff I hope you was at least driving at night during some of the trip. As for the dealer them bastards gave you a raw deal on the mats and did not even wash the M3. Enjoy your M3 and post more pics.

[Bama M3]

Congrats. Nice car, and really nice tape job.

[djburkeen]

jeeebus man, its only a damn car. and i dont understand how you could have saved money by renting a car. its not like they dont charge you per mile on top of the upfront rental fee. i would have just had a buddy drive me up there. but he might not have wanted to spend his day watching you tape up your car lol.

seriously though, i have been anal about my cars before (not that anal but pretty anal), then i had a kid, now i am not anal about anything. life is too short to be worrying about a rock chip or light scratch or two. btw go to langka.com for a great product for touching up rock chips.

enjoy your new m though.

[Jdebitjr]

What kind of "clear bra" did you have installed?

[uthatch]

What, no picks of the Aveo????

[monsta]

Originally Posted by djburkeen

jeeebus man, its only a damn car. and i dont understand how you could have saved money by renting a car. its not like they dont charge you per mile on top of the upfront rental fee.

most places don't charge you anymore for miles its all included.

[nusevad]

Congrats!! How many miles at delivery?

Do you go to school @ PSU?? I just grad. last December, was going to go to the Blue and White game today but have other plans...your talk about PSU makes me miss it!!

[RandyB]

Looks great! Good job also on the tape job. I bet that will get you some funny looks but it's well worth it!

[gorun]

I honestly dont understand the whole stone chip and bra business. You guys (many vehicle owners in the US) are prepared to have an ugly bra or the still visible clear bra and not get any chips so the next guy that buys your vehicle gets it with an immaculate front bumper and hood?! Just enjoy your ride and forget about the chips. If they bother you that much just paint the relevant parts every two years or so...

[dechoong]

That tape job is... errmm... a little over the top

[mkoesel]

Good story.

But I am surprised you taped it up all dirty. I would think that dirt + tape = scratch. Oh well, I guess we now know what a mummified M3 looks like, lol

[Davinhci]

OMG What the hell 4 hrs to put that stuff on? How many to take off? It also sux about the floor mats and what an ass of the CA for suggesting the paper mats. They are making a ton off us and atleast they can give us free floor mats.

[Davinhci]

Fifth: I think he had 3 miles on it at delivery

[mtsound]

wow, that a crazy tape job. car looks great though. i am originally from nova, but now live about an hour from state college. i could have given you a ride. My e90 m3 will be here shortly, no tape for me though

[MDCTFTW]

Jesus christ thats insane. 4 hours for a tape job?!?!?! You probably should have done the rear wheel arches too. And you put tape on a dirty car?

Driving the car and knowing that you're faster than 99.9% of your fellow commuters is a very powerful feeling.

I guess ...

[mdrobc13]

Dude did you leave ANY tape at home depot? LOL I mean I don't think the 200+mile drive would have caused THAT much problems to your front end in the way of rock chips...but then again the way you did it with the tape it MOST definately won't now! I know your clear bra installer really appreciated all the work you left him cleaning off all that tape plus the glue residue! LOL

Gotta let us know how it turned out! Congrats...I am still laughing tho.
Jeesuz.

[MDCTFTW]

Originally Posted by mdrobc13

Dude did you leave ANY tape at home depot? LOL I mean I don't think the 200+mile drive would have caused THAT much problems to your front end in the way of rock chips...but then again the way you did it with the tape it MOST definately won't now! I know your clear bra installer really appreciated all the work you left him cleaning off all that tape plus the glue residue! LOL

Gotta let us know how it turned out! Congrats...I am still laughing tho.
Jeesuz.

Painters tape comes off without residue.