Like A New Car

By the time you read this, we just passed the first month of the Milennium. I had a great first month this century! We had a safe New Year Party in Boston, a few summer-like days, and a great Milennium Party.

I am sure that some of you are still enjoying your Christmas presents. I know I am enjoying my Christmas gift….my car. (No. I did not get a new car. I wrote it down on my Christmas list but Santa must have forgotten to check his e-mail.) My "baby" had a beauty makeover and since then, it has been looking and feeling better than ever on the road. I don't know what happened but hey, things happen when you least expected. OK, I admit it. I made sure I misplaced my crumpled little New Year Resolution orange note somewhere so my car guy could find it. And the best thing is that he knows what my baby needs more than what I wrote down. What a guy.

Thinking about things that happen when you least expected, that reminds me. I never expected that time will go so fast. It is now the time for Ice Racing again. (Yeaahhhh!). I hope by now, we had at least one Ice Racing in New Hampshire. As I mentioned on my last column, we are holding tentative dates for Ice Racing on every Sunday from January through March. Our tentative dates for this month are every Sunday in February. For the first time ever, we will have Boston Chapter's First Ice Racing School. We are holding the event on Saturday, February 5, 2000. For more information and registration, please call or contact Stan Jackson Jr. at (603) 744-5035 or at jackson@boston-bmwcca.org. For confirmation regarding Ice Racing, please check the hotline (781) 894-8766.

On Wednesday, February 9th, Rich's Car Tunes in Watertown will hold Car Audio Tech Session from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM. A representative from a/d/s will talk about upgrading your car stereo that matches your needs and your budget. When you think something does not feel right or sound funny whenever you turn on that knob or push that button, your instinct might be telling you something. Something is probably wrong. Well, this is the right time, the right place and the right people to ask and to get the right information about your car stereo system. Make sure you do not miss this event. For more information and direction, please call Rich Inferrera or Lee Berkowitz at (617) 923-1490.

Weather permitting, on Saturday, February 19th, we will have our Parker Spooner Memorial Ice Race. If you missed previous Ice Racing, do not miss this one. This is the time where the best of each class will be perform his/her best time. For more information and registration, please contact Stan Jackson Jr. at (603) 744-5035 or jackson@boston-bmwcca.org. For confirmation, please call the hotline at (781) 894-8766.

If your schedule on February 23 on your calendar is still blank, get a black marker and write on it in big letters: First Quarter Meeting in 2000. It will be held in a new location, BMW Gallery in Norwell. As I am writing this article, I am waiting for confirmation from our surprised guest speaker. I can tell you right now that you will not be dissappointed for coming. Once I have the confirmation, I will put his/her name on our website and our hotline.We will have a big screen to watch video that our guest speaker will share with us. We will have charity raffle at this meeting. BMW Gallery at Norwell will also provide food and a 25% parts department discount. Reservation is not required, but highly recommended to give our host a count for food. For more information, please call or e-mail me. For directions, please call BMW Gallery at Norwell at (781) 892-4556.

In March, we will still be running Ice Racing. Our tentative dates are every Sunday in March. If you have never been to this event, it is never too late to come, join, learn and have fun this time. So come come and participate before the ice and snow are gone. Please check our hotline for confirmation at (781) 894-8766. Please contact Stan Jackson Jr. for more information and registration at (603) 744-5035 or at jackson@boston-bmwcca.org.

On Saturday, March 11, 2000, Foreign Motors West in Natick will host our annual Women Only Tech Session from 10 am to 2 pm. At this session, mechanics will show you and teach you some basic car maintenance. If you are a woman, this is a good opportunity for you to learn basic things about your treasured BMWs. You also have the opportunity to learn to do a thing or two by yourself. For example if you know your car need to change oil; you can call and make reservation to have your car done at the event. Then, at the event, a mechanic will teach you all about oil change by letting you change the oil in your car by yourself under his/her supervision. They will provide you with the right attire and the right tools to work on your car. This is just one of the things that you can learn at this session. This is a great event for you, as a woman driver, to learn about basic car maintenance, together with other women drivers for safety reason. If you have any questions regarding car maintenance but you don't know anything about it or too embarassed to ask anyone, this is the event you don't want to miss. Lunch and a special discount from Parts Department will kindly be provided by the dealership. At this time, you can also demo rides will also be available from the Sales Department. For more information and to register, please contact Ann-Marie Weber at (508) 949-7145 or at weber@boston-bmwcca.org so that we may give our hosts a count for food. If you are interested of having some maintenance performed on your vehicle during this tech session, please contact Lance Mitchell at (508) 655-5350 or (617) 235-9096.

On Friday, March 17, we will have our Annual Spring Wine Tasting in the evening, started at about 6:30 pm. The host will be announced on our website and on the next issue of BIMMER. Traditionally, on our Annual Spring Wine Tasting, a wine expert will come and have different kinds of wines. The expert will explain in detail about each wine and will teach you how to match the wine with the food that is provided by attendees and how to pick the right wine. There will be nominal fee (approximately $8 to $10), to cover the cost of the wine. Each guest/couple is expected to prepare and bring a food dish. Space is limited and reservation is required. Please check with Bob Wareham at (978) 369-7249 or rlwareham@aol.com for more information.

On Wednesday, March 22 Dick's Auto Body will host an Autobody Tech Session. The event will start at 7 pm at their location at 95 Elmwood Street in Somerville. The topic of the session is Collision and Autobody Repair. They will give you a general review of the obligation of a repair facility and an insurer: to repair the vehicle to pre-accident condition. They will talk in detail in terms of what is included on pre-accident condition, who or what specify the acceptable condition, and for what reasons. They will also provide condiments for the event. For more information and direction, please contact Richard Minolelli or Frank Cirurso at (617) 625-9171.

On Sunday, March 26, HMS Motorsport will host a primer and preparation tech session for Driving School. Yes, our first Driving School for this year is around the corner. This event runs from 10 am to 1 pm. HMS will kindly provide the lunch for attendees. If you will be attending driving school for the first time, it is highly recommended for you to attend. This tech session will teach you all you need to know about Driving School; what you need to know in preparing your car and yourself, before, during and after the the school. Steve Fitzgerald, our Chief Instructor, will talk to you about all this and he will also tell you about the track. If you are not attending or have never attended Driving School, I encourage you to come as well. If you have attended Driving School before, this session will be a good review for you. This is an event not to be missed, so come and join us. For more information and direction, please contact Joe Marko at (978) 532-1170 or marko@boston-bmwcca.org.

We are working on having our annual Go-Kart Racing in March at the new facility at Braintree. Our tentative date is March 18, 2000. Please check our web site and hotline for more information on this event and on all other events.

If you are passionate about automobile and the club and would like to get involved, please contact the staff by either calling us or e-mail us at any time. Everyone of us is just as passionate as you are about the club and BMWs. So we are certainly would be happy to share and work together with you for this club. If you have any questions and ideas about the club and its events, please feel free to call or email me.

February 2000 BIMMER

Behind the Wheel: Don't Miss Oktoberfest 2000 by Fred Beck

Under the Hood: The Trash Hole by Greg Scott

February 2000 New Members by Barry Tarr

Turns To Take: Like A New Car by Maria Anggraeni

Ethyl, The tii, and Bear Trap Road by Jonathan Porath

This Is Not Your Father's E21 by Justin Hughes

The Driveway Mechanic: E30 Door Brake Repair by Greg Scott

Dan's Castle Hill Photo Gallery by Dan Mull

Ron's Castle Hill Photo Gallery by Ron Sisco

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