Where do you park your car for the night? Parking on your driveway or your street is an option, but if you’re driving a BMW or other luxury model, that’s just asking for trouble. Parking in a garage or another secure location is going to be your best option, but let’s be honest here — no one wants to park their luxury car in a dusty and dingy garage that’s doubling as a storage unit.

Here are a few tips and tricks that can help you build a luxury garage worthy of your favorite BMW. 

Clean Out Your Junk

For most of us, our garage doubles as extra storage for the stuff that won’t fit in the house anymore but we can’t stand to part with just yet. Before you start making big changes to the space, you need to make room for your car. 

Start by going through all the junk that you’ve collected over the years. Figure out what you want to keep and what you can get rid of. From there, sort your get rid of pile into trash and sale/donate, and move forward from there. 

Anything that’s staying in your garage — from tools to Christmas decorations and everything in between — should have an assigned place. Opt for storage that matches the design aesthetic that you’re trying to create. 

Hook Up To Your Home’s HVAC

Climate control is essential if you’re creating a luxury garage. It might not need to be the same temperature as the rest of your home, but keeping the space cool in the summer and warm in the winter in addition to controlling the ambient humidity within the space can go a long way toward preserving your BMW and any other cars you plan to store. 

There are few options here, from portable AC and heating units to through-the-wall window shakers that can help regulate the temperature. The easiest and most efficient way to make your garage climate controlled is going to be to insulate it and hook it up to your home’s existing HVAC system. 

It’s important to note that both of these steps are necessary. If you hook it up but don’t insulate, all you’re doing is dumping air into your garage where it will leak out through the walls and door. Insulating without hooking up to the HVAC system can provide some protection, but you’ll find it hard to regulate the temperature as soon as you open the door. 

Consider Installing Lifts

For most standard homes, a one or two-car garage is the most common design choice. If your car collection includes more models than that, you might find yourself hard-pressed to keep them all safe and protected from the elements. If this is the case, you may wish to consider installing lifts that could easily double your storage space as long as you have enough vertical clearance.

Do some research and check out your available options. You might be surprised what you can do with the existing space you already have.

Upgrade Your Lighting

Unless you had a hand in designing your garage’s lighting scheme during the initial construction phases, the chances are high that it’s insufficient for the luxury vibes that you’re going for. Upgrading your lighting doesn’t have to be complicated. Choose fixtures that match the aesthetic that you’re going for. 

Recessed lighting gives you more headroom to work with without worrying that you’re going to smack your head on the light fixtures. Opt for chrome, stainless steel or other reflective fixtures to reflect more light and create the illusion of a larger space. Strategically-placed mirrors can also work to this effect. 

Finish the Floors

Most standard home garages come equipped with a basic concrete floor. This is functional and makes it easy to clean if there’s a leak or a spill, but it doesn’t create the luxury aesthetic that you’re going for. The easiest way to fix this problem is to finish the floors — coat the concrete with an epoxy sealant that provides a gorgeous look while working to protect the foundation.

If you’re handy, there are kits that you can purchase to finish the floors yourself, but the sealing substances can get a little tricky. If you’re not confident in your DIY skills, hiring a professional might help you get better results.

Improve Your Security

How secure is your garage door? Using an automatic garage door opener provides some protection, but it’s not foolproof. Take the time to improve your home security by installing a smart garage door opener. These devices connect to your home’s WiFi and control the door remotely. You can even program it to open for deliveries or to send an alert whenever the door is opened. 

Being able to open or close your garage door remotely from your mobile phone adds an additional layer of security that can help keep your home and your belongings safe. 

Enjoy Your New Luxury Garage

Owning a BMW puts you in a unique position. On the one hand, you’ve got comfort and luxury at your fingertips. On the other, that implied sense of luxury and excess makes you a target for thieves and vandals. The best way to protect yourself and your favorite car is to park them inside a secure garage, but it doesn’t have to be boring or basic. Deck out your garage and enjoy parking your favorite car in the lap of luxury.

It’s the thing that every BMW driver dreads. You’re driving down the highway and out of nowhere, a rock, a piece of hail or a coconut dropped by a passing swallow smacks into your windshield. In its wake, it can leave anything from a small chip to a massive spider webbing crack that obscures the entire road. 

Once the initial terror subsides, you’re left with a creeping dread, anticipating an expensive trip to the body shop to get the windshield replaced.

Thankfully, in a lot of cases, you don’t need to replace the entire windshield. When can you repair your windshield on your own, and when should you take a trip to the body shop?

Types of Windshield Cracks

They might all look alike, but different types of windshield cracks and chips all need to be approached in different ways. Stress cracks, for example, can often form without any impact at all, usually caused by extreme temperature fluctuations.

Edge cracks start within two inches of the windshield edge and can quickly spread up to a foot in length. Floater cracks will begin around the middle of your windshield, and crack chips form around impact chips, as the name suggests. 

With impacts, you’ll often see either bulls-eye or star patterns or a combination of the two. While large cracks may be beyond your ability to repair, chips and impact damage don’t necessarily require a trip to the shop.

Repairing Your Windshield

You can easily repair chips and some small cracks in your windshield with simple epoxy kits you can pick up for $10 or less at your local auto parts store. It’s essential to repair chips as quickly as possible. The longer you leave them, the more likely it is that you’ll accumulate water or dirt in the damaged glass.

The former can cause the layered glass to delaminate over time, necessitating a total replacement, and the latter can make it impossible to repair. Thankfully, if you get to it quickly enough, small chips are easy to repair. 

Start by cleaning the windshield around the crack with acetone or rubbing alcohol to remove any grease or debris that might affect the adhesive strip. Then fit the syringe as close as possible to the chip. From there, you’ll need to follow an alternating process of pressing adhesive into the crack and drawing a vacuum to pull any remaining air bubbles out. This will help to force repair adhesive deep into the recesses of the crack. 

Once you’ve alternated pressing and pulling a half dozen times, according to the directions, you’ll be able to remove the syringe and adapter and clean away any excess adhesive from around the now-filled crack.

This will cure in a few hours, and while it won’t be as crystal clear as the windshield once was, it’s less evident than the crack itself and will help protect the integrity of the glass, as well as prevent the cracks from spreading across the glass. 

When To Call a Professional

Unfortunately, you can’t repair every crack or chip on your windshield. Long cracks, such as those that reach across the entire windshield, won’t respond to the same sort of epoxy patch treatment that works for smaller chips and cracks. Chips close to the edge of the windshield may not even be repairable.

If you have one of these cracks, or there are enough cracks on the driver’s side that obscure the road and make it difficult or unsafe to drive, it’s time to call a professional and schedule a replacement. 

If you have a comprehensive insurance policy, it may cover part or all of the replacement cost, as long as the damage wasn’t caused directly by another car. That means anything, from a pebble on the road, to a falling tree branch or an errant coconut, would all be covered by your insurance, minus your deductible.

Make sure you go over your policy and figure out if making a claim would benefit you. If your deductible would cost more than replacing the windshield, then creating a claim could potentially just raise the cost of your policy.

Protecting Your Windshield

You may not be able to avoid every stone on the road or every chip in your windshield, but there are steps that you can take to protect your car and reduce your chance of damaging the glass.

First, don’t tailgate. Keeping your distance means it’s less likely that something will fall off the vehicle in front of you and land directly on your windshield. Construction sites can be dangerous as well, so try to avoid them whenever possible. 

When you can avoid them, stay away from gravel roads. Those loose stones are broken windshields waiting to happen. Train tracks can be hazardous, too, with the trains both kicking up rocks from the tracks and shaking them loose from the top and sides of the car. 

Most Importantly, Don’t Panic

Watching the instant a crack or chip appears on your windshield can be nerve-wracking, but the most important thing is not to panic.

Stay calm and repair the chip as soon as possible. If the cracks are large or obscure the driver’s view of the road, a replacement will be necessary.

Your car helps you get to where you need to go. Plus, your BMW gets you there in style.  To keep your car running smoothly it’s essential to keep up with everyday maintenance. 

Here are some common maintenance issues to look out for.

1. Faulty Restraint System

When this issue occurs, your airbag light flashes and stays there for an extended period. The problem is usually due to an imbalance between your passenger seat and a weight sensor. Your clock spring may also be faulty.

Here are some of the other common reasons for this issue:

• Faulty airbag module
• Defective seatbelt 
• Low battery voltage
• Problem with the wire harness
• Water damage 

To fix the issue use a scanner to clear the airbag light. Plug it into the diagnostic port located under your dashboard. Start your ignition, but don’t turn on your engine. Turn on the scanner and find the control settings for your airbag module. Then you want to check to see if you have any fault codes. These will help to diagnose the problem. If your restraint systems need to be repaired, take your BMW to the dealer. 

You want to get this issue fixed, so your airbags deploy properly. In 2017, frontal airbags saved an estimated 2,790 people over the age of 13. 

2.  Issues With the Sound System

Your iDrive system allows you to connect to your phone. This way you can listen to your favorite playlist while cruising down the highway. If your iDrive system starts malfunctioning, there will be lower sound quality. 

To reboot your iDrive, hold down the knob. Then press the CD eject button and audio system power button for around one second. 

If this issue persists, you might need to replace your system. To save money, consider buying individual parts online. 

3.  Check Engine Light 

This warning will pop up on your dashboard. It may mean your transmission got stuck in limp mode or your fuel cap is loose. 

Also, look out for these other common causes:

• Cracked or loose hoses
• Old battery
• Bad mass air-flow sensor
• Bad charcoal carbon canister
• High-pressure fuel pump failure 

Use an OBD-II scanner to read fault codes to diagnose the specific problem. If your light continues to flash, this can indicate a more serious problem. You want to take your car to the dealer as soon as possible. 

4.  Cooling System Failure 

As your BMW ages, the parts of your cooling system can become brittle. This can cause your system to malfunction. You will need to replace any broken parts. 

To determine if your system is failing, check for signs of overheating. If your temperature gauge remains high, this is a sign to turn off your engine and let it cool down. A steaming hood is also a warning your engine is overheating. In this case, you may want to add some extra coolant to your system.  

If you see white exhaust smoke, your car is leaking coolant. The coolant will be easily distinguishable since it is a bright green color. 

If you notice any of these signs, take your BMW to your local car mechanic. 

5.  Problem With the Locking System

Over time your car’s locking mechanism can weaken. Usually, it is due to the lack of connection between your key and the car sensor. Malfunctioning fuses or control module failures could also cause it. You may need to order a new key. Keeping up with routine maintenance can help to prevent this issue. 

It is important to get your locks fixed as soon as possible. This will ensure your belongings remain safe. In 2019, there were about 721,855 motor vehicle thefts. 

6. Oil Leaks 

You want to check for this, especially if you have an older model. Fuel leaks commonly come from valve covers. They can also occur at your transmission or differential seals. If you notice a burning smell or smoke coming from your hood, these are signs of oil leakage. Also, be on the lookout for oil spots on the garage floor.

When you notice these signs, take your BMW in for a repair. If you wait too long, it could cause long-term issues for your engine.   

7. Battery Terminal Issues 

The Battery Safety Terminal (BST) helps to reduce the risk of fire during an accident.  It works by disconnecting your vehicle’s positive cable. However, the cable can also come apart during minor impacts, like hitting a curb. When this happens, your car may not start. It will also trigger your airbag light to turn on. To fix this issue, use a scanner to clear the codes. 

How to Keep Your BMW Running Smoothly 

Your BMW allows you to ride around in style. With this luxury also comes the responsibility to maintain your vehicle. Keep in mind these common BMW issues during your next car inspection.