Best performance upgrades for me were poly diff mounts, sway bars, and exhaust (full header-back FI in my case).

I'm about to add a VLINE 2 for carplay and that IMHO should be a game changer bringing this car up to par livability wise; the 3d printed cupholder insert also makes the interior more livable.

As far as non-performance but easier to maintain than fix once broken, replacing the heater hose coupler ASAP and checking your sunroof drains now would be on my top list of stuff to get sorted out ASAP.

 

Agree that the poly diff mounts are underrated. Likely because they are a beast to replace.

 

What did changing the diff mounts do for you? Curious first I heard if this , I know changing out the subframe bushings improves handling

 

I am so on the fence getting one of those gadgets/ someting similar thereunto. The BMW has the wireless CarPlay and while I rarely use it, the lack of it in the G is palpable at times. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Let me know how it goes for you, Mike...

 

Thanks for not making me feel alone with this opinion.

 

Like I said, CarPlay is something I hardly ever use. In the Bimmer it connects automatically and I pay it no attention. On the rare occasion I ask that Siri clown anything it does what it does. Now that NC has finally enacted hands-free legislation that seamless operation would be greatly appreciated in the G.

It is like every other creature comfort: heated wheel, heated seats, power folding mirrors, massaging seats, etc. Once you experience it you wonder how you ever lived without it. I freely admit, though, that I am a excessively spoiled SOB, lol.

 

I don't have an iPhone, or a car that supports CarPlay, but both of my daughters do in each of their cars. And I have to say it's pretty amazing. It just works, cleanly, efficiently and without any real learning curve. I understand the want.

Then again, sometimes I intentionally leave my phone at home when I go out, because I hate feeling tethered to the damn thing. Spent most of my life without one, and I kind of miss that feeling of not being connected 24/7.

/oldmanrant

 

I can't imagine a world without heated seats, but all of my other cars have carplay and I don't enjoy using it as much as others. Plugged into the iPod/aux port on the G, all sounds from my phone play through my tastefully upgraded Bose setup that feels like an old friend. Any application. Phone calls transition nicely, etc.

I guess larger maps would help if shown on the heads up display, but I have lived in this state for decades and because my sense of direction is so poor, my mental cartography skills which map all the main roads are best in class.

Every time I use Waze in LA to beat traffic, it ends up mapping me through abandoned office parks and dystopian back roads that want to tear the exhaust off my car. I'd prefer to just sit on the highway for 10 mins extra and not have the added stress of zig-zagging through office parks and residential neighborhoods.

Waze "watch out for obstacles in the road"


Waze: "use the left lane"



Prefer Mentat Cartography:

 

As someone that works in the chip industry supporting the silicon that enables all the technology powering the age of "increased productivity", I can say that I completely empathize. I remember Christmas breaks at work where you literally were so bored after 3 weeks being unconnected, that you looked forward to going back to work in January with your candy bar phone and pager for professional stimulation; it was a huge, much needed reset. Blackberry->iPhone->CDMA/GSM/LTE->"unified communication and collaboration platforms"/Teams changed all that as we are now globally connected and brilliant engineers are heads down trying to figure out how you can be even more productive at work while driving in your autonomous car or talking into your smart glasses while jogging and answering emails, modifying spreadsheets and attending conference calls.

Maybe the evolution of AI and general artificial intelligence will provide the catalyst needed for our 12,000 year old brains to figure out how to work while we are sleeping as well, or at least while we are showering.

I see the ultimate vacation of the future being dropped out of a helicopter in the middle of nowhere with a tent, matches, food and a change of underwear.

If you need me, I'll be here (with satellite service enabled free of charge on my T-Mobile phone, crap. Maybe the moon is an option?):


/oldmanrant-extended

 

the tune lmao

 

I went with Z1 Urethane rear diff bushings and Cusco front and rear power braces and the entire car felt more agile and puts power to the wheels easier. If NVH was added, I really never noticed.

 

I also didn't notice any additional NVH with Whiteline poly diff bushings. Go figure. Even with the diff brace. And solid poly engine mounts even... totally fine, IMO.

That said, the car is super responsive to the throttle. Even though I've a friend who swears my car is too stiff to be comfortable, and he drives a little M240.

It's all so subjective.

 

My rear diff mount was shot, so every time I took off from a stop the pin hit the subframe with a horrid clunk. Replaced (which was a PITA, to be sure) and the rear end is solid - so power translates more directly to the wheels, instead of feeling like an automatic where the thing has to wind up before it goes.

 

Edit: Tried to multi-quote re: the VLINE.

Hopefully I'll get some down time over Christmas break (IE day) to work on the car. Looks like an easy afternoon of shifting stuff around in the dash stack to make the VLINE fit. Then... carplay. I'm at the point where what I want from an infotainment system is carplay and a volume ****, and that's about it.

It's not terribly cold yet, but work has been killing me with personnel BS for the past month. (anyone here a Georgia attorney that wants to live near Savannah?) lol.

I need to disconnect for a bit. Drive the darn car. Smile a little. Alas, December isn't the month for it... maybe January.