Oh, how my BMW mortal coil fails to fire

Well, it’s come to this: cheap, tawdry misappropriations of poetic metaphors.

Yesterday, something happened in my car that made it run rough and have no power. Come to find out today (thanks to an emergency visit to my pals at Village European) that the #4 ignition coil is dead. Prudence dictates that if one coil needs replacement, all should be replaced. And, since we’ve got the engine cover open, it’s advisable to replace all the spark plugs as well. (After all, who wants to spark a nearly dead plug? [And if you don’t get that joke, I can’t help you.])

Oh well…since you have the car, you might as well replace the front pads and rotors; there was only a few millimeters of surface left. All right…go ahead and change the oil, too, while you have it here. You know what? After the dealer aligned the car last spring, I couldn’t stand the way it drove, so do you mind also putting it on the rack?

To accurately describe the feeling one gets contemplating the cost of repairing a late-model BMW, I am forced to (mis)use the poetic term “mortal coil.” Usually, the term refers to the stress and frustrations of daily living.

Today, however, all I can think about is my BMW’s mortal ignition coils — they live fast and die young.


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2 responses to “Oh, how my BMW mortal coil fails to fire”

  1. Jon Banquer Avatar

    Hope you made your mechanic put in NGK plugs instead of the crap ones that Bosch sells.

    Jon Banquer
    San Diego, CA
    http://cadcamtechnologyleaders.blogspot.com/

    1. Alex Neihaus Avatar
      Alex Neihaus

      Well, I’m not sure what, exactly, they used. This shop uses “OEM parts” so I suspect they’d use the Bosch parts.

      Whatever they did, though, it’s like having a new car. Between the new plugs, coils and front pads/rotors — but especially their alignment rack — the car just drives great.

      I wish I had my summer tires on instead of the Winter run-flats. They’re noiser than the summer tires. But it’s New England after all, and I have no idea when we’ll next get whacked with snow.

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