(1) is it bad for my engine or anything if i press on the gas pedal while the car is running in park? ive done that before and all it does is make the engine just work faster than it does when it normally sits at idle.
(2) for some weird reason my car seems to accelerate better when i floor it on eco pro mode than it does on sport mode. any idea why?
(3) what is the ideal way to brake, and how long do brakes usually last before they need to be replaced. i got this car a year ago about at this exact time and it was given brand-new brakes, tires, and a freshly cleaned-up interior when we bought it used.
(4) is there any advantage to fueling a car like mine up with .89 octane gas rather than regular .87 octane gas? i've been told that if i refuel using regular gas it will damage my engine.
(5) i havent done any sort of fix-ups or maintenance (even adding more air to the tires) for at least 6 or so months now. is that wrong, and is there any sort of maintenance or check-ups on my car i should be doing often myself? the car is still running just fine, no real issues
(6) my windows condense really bad during the night, so when i go to my car to drive to work and college in the mornings, i cant see out of my rear view mirrors and my back window is all covered in condensation that doesnt go away even if i wipe over it (it comes back quickly). is there a way to prevent or fix this, like perhaps make my windows hydrophobic or something?
(1) it's the exact same as revving it in neutral for automatic cars. revving in park/neutral is different than revving while in drive in the fact that it hits redline sooner because it's not trying to pull anything like it is in drive. it doesn't hurt the engine (so long as you don't hold high revs) but there is no benefit to it
(2) sport mode for newer bmw's like yours, as far as power goes, is supposed to give the car's computer a more aggressive throttle mapping and opens up the second exhaust (which is closed in ever other mode except sport or sport +) so it's odd that this happens. extreme is right when he says you shouldn't smash the pedal in low RPMs; you should smash it when your car is at or passes it's peak torque rating, which is like 1300 RPM for your car. i can't come up with any great ideas so my guess is when it opens up the second exhaust it gives more HP but moves the torque curve up the RPM range, meaning you have to rev it out more before your reach peak torque. but extreme is wrong when he says you should never floor it. you should floor it all the time, everywhere. near children and cops
(3) you should brake gradually increasing in pressure-- with 0 being no pressure on the brake pedal and 10 being lots of pressure: 0-1-2-7. something like that. lightly pressing on it at like 2 pressure if you're coasting to a stop is fine too, but any jerky or stompy braking technique is bad. the longevity of brake pads and rotors depends on driving style and the material they're made of, but rotors should last 40k miles. i'd imagine pads should go for at least 20k but i'm no expert on that
(4) BMW always uses high-compression engines, and since turbos artificially increase displacement and consequently compression, you should use 93 octane if possible, but don't settle for less than 91 octane. believe it or not this will increase both fuel economy and power, on top of keeping the engine healthier
(5) i'd be surprised if there aren't great maintenance schedules for a 320i online, but imo since it's been 6 months you should absolutely get an oil change (it won't be cheap if it's changed with the right oil; i spent $72 on just 10 liters of oil for my BMW) and change out the air intake filter (which should be very easy to diy)
(6) i have the problem too. adding a hydrophobic coating didn't work at all for me. the only real fix i've found is keeping window(s) cracked open a good amount overnight, which i don't do because i always end up with a spider in my car. using the wipers often and also using the defroster and/or driving with the windows down is what i do to keep it off
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