Quote:
Originally Posted by Wills2
Loving the LCI 750d, what a machine very rare I would imagine, with some real punch from low revs.
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Indeed - the retirement from BMW line of the 50D engine was the trigger for selling our previous Alpina D3 even if it was still somehow young (120.000km and still behaving like in the first day). We were targeting a 7 due to the increased confort but, in order not to feel a huge gap in performance from the 350HPs of the Alpina, we were thinking of the 750D. Though, since the overall production of the BMW 50D engine was ceased at the end of 2020 for all models, the available 750Ds LCI at an affordable price and with decent features were fewer and fewer, so finding one suitable for our taste was one difficult and expensive task... We were thinking as backup solution about the 750i but due to the huge taxes in Belgium (4.4 liter engine) and increased fuel consumption (like extra 4-5L/100km with my drivind style - at +40.000km/year the fuel difference starts to matter) that would have translated in additional 5-6000Euros/year versus the 750D. We were lucky though to find one car very close to our check-list
; overall (especially due to the less sporty oriented gearbox software, downshifting later/slower even in S mode versus Alpina) and combined with the size of the car - the feeling is of a lazier car than the much more agile Alpina (F30 LCI) D3. I miss sometimes that crazy pull when flooring the Alpina but overall the 750D also is quite fast as well; even if you don't feel like it pulls away from under your body and the seat rest pushes you forward (like the Alpina) - you realize how fast the 7 is when you check the speedometer after flooring it and realize how quickly the speed increases. Not to mention that the size of the car and the increased comfort makes the speed sensation/perception fade away. No regrets and very excited so far
Quote:
Originally Posted by matowi
Back to the wind noise, I'd say that around A-B pillar area it is exactly the same in both cars: it's a non-issue until ca. 70-80 km/h (45-50 mph), gets noticeable but not extremely annoying until ca. 100 km/h (60 mph), and gets on my nerves from ca. 140 km/h upwards (ca. 90mph). Which leads me to the conclusion that my Volvo V90 with acoustic glass was extremely quiet - to such an extent that top-of-the range bimmers with standard glass simply don't keep up
Based on your comments, I think I will pay a visit to an independent glass shop or some used parts dealer and enquire about double side window panes. I'm reluctant to change the windscreen though... Probably, I'll keep it in stock form, unless I'm forced to change it after some stone chip or similar damage requires that a new screen is put in place
Not so sure about the cost... When I approached my local BMW dealer asking for a quote for the acoustic-glass front screen (with HUD capability), they said EUR 2500... so the front piece of glass would run me more or less the same as the whole car sound proofing. All-round glass would go into EUR 5k territory
Also, I am certain there's lots of sound-deadening stuff on the car in stock form. The back-to-back with my brother clearly confirmed that. Too bad BMW decided to not offer acoustic glass as standard on all 7s. I mean... who would object to a roughly EUR 1k price hike for a base model, if that made the car so much more luxurious? Most buyers wouldn't blink an eye
Looking forward to your report  |
Your further tests and findings make it more clear to me that the main area to work on are the windows (side and front). Btw - I checked visualy and indeed my side windows are double-layered. So I would definetely recommend to check some used parts dealers for some parts and, why not, labour quotations (some of these second-hand parts dealers specialized on BMWs only are familiar with working on the specific model and, if motivated, could work carefully on the entire inner doors dismantling, windows replacement etc). Quotations for these parts as new parts (all windows and all dedicated seals) plus labour from the official BMW dealer network would bring just frustration I guess...
About windshield - indeed, the proposed price of 2500E is discouraging. You could try either a quotation for an used one or... hurry with the stone chip?
(( Though the insurance might cover costs only for a similar windshield and not agree with the 'upgrade' to the double-layered one?...
Nevertheless I still think that the whole set of windows (front and side ones) will bring a more noticeable improvement than additional floor/trunk/roof sound-proofing for the 7. For the used parts I guess some homework needs to be done - like checking on realoem.com the part numbers for understanding the differencens and extra parts needed (like just the side windows are different or also the side windows frame seals need to be changed etc).
About my car: I did the driver's door window test, sealing it with adhesive tape. I would say that the difference is minimal; as I mentioned from the beginning, in my case that noise is not that disturbing - it's just the obsession that it's not quite normal to be present (even if most people would not perceive it). It's like a draft which can be heard sometimes as if there are some outside gusts of wind from time to time (but low in sound volume/dBs). I guess indeed it depends also on the direction of the side wind; and it doesn't seem to increase with the speed: I could hear it now and then at 120 but also at 160 with the same volume. Indeed at 160-180 the other normal/expected wind noise around the windshield/sunroof area increases a little but still below any other car I tested so far. I'll do soon a test by asking my wife to drive so I can check also the passenger's side window but at some point it seemed that I could hear it slightly also in that right area even when I did sit in the driver's place (a longer trip while I am staying on the passenger's seat will confirm it). If that is the case I guess I'll just live with it since, as said - it's not that disturbing, it's mainly an obsession that something is wrong with the driver's door seal or window seal and that a tiny improvement could be still done... Compared to the previous Alpina it's day and night improvement for the general cabin noise - I guess I hear that little noise exactly due to the fact that the cabin is so silent overall.
PS: there is indeed something special about those Volvo's. I was pleasantly surprised by my brother-in-law's XC90 with the acoustic package - incredible silent at high speeds for a SUV (if I am not wrong it won the title as the SUV with the best aerodynamic coefficient).