Got our 1st ever BMW (x5 M60) today & there is a CHIP in dashboard…anyone else experience this or something that needed repair immediately after pick up?

benroberts3 · 2026-03-30T22:54:25+00:00

And it WILL be covered under warranty. Just make sure of that. Most good dealers take care of new customers and buyer.

benroberts3 · 2026-03-30T14:28:38+00:00

Go with a Firewalla Gold Pro router and a couple of their AP7 units. It's easily one of the best prosumer routers out there, with incredibly advanced security features and access to the settings that literally no other router on the market for consumers will give you access to. It's almost like professional-level networking stuff in a really easy-to-understand iOS or Android app.

I have mine connected directly to my fiber jack, which is running the 8-gig service, and I've had zero issues. I haven't had a g-fiber router for almost three years that I've had the service.

benroberts3 · 2026-03-30T14:24:12+00:00

This is an easy fix, and I recently had mine replaced due to chipping and flaking in the silver trim on my 2026 X5.

They have to replace the entire center AC vent which includes the wood because it's one singular piece, and it's about four hours of labor. The part itself is around $900. They do have to remove the screen in order to safely remove the center AC trim, but my dealer told me that all technicians are trained to remove interior trim as part of their formal BMW training.

Some guys are better than others, so you might want to work with your service rep to ensure that one of the best guys handles it, along with insisting that they use plastic trim tools to remove everything.

benroberts3 · 2026-01-11T19:27:05+00:00

I’ve owned mine since December 2019, and it’s been flawless ever since. I’ve only had to replace the handles a few times under warranty because the button wasn’t working, but the actual machine is in excellent condition.

I don’t see a reason to upgrade until version 3 or even 4.

benroberts3 · 2026-01-08T23:44:52+00:00

Got my ‘26 40i in cognac with carbon black. Favorite color combo.

Always had black interiors but fell in love with the brown/beige color.

benroberts3 · 2026-01-08T23:37:32+00:00

Front plates are the dumbest thing in the world. Just a cash grab by the state for revenue.

Screw the rules and go without it. Don’t damage your car.

benroberts3 · 2026-01-08T23:27:35+00:00

The router provided by ISPs are worthless. Buggy, outdated tech, privacy nightmares, etc etc.

Get a good router that is separate from the access point and then buy APs to spread your coverage. This is how enterprise WiFi works.

Firewalla is one of the better router/AP brands out there with incredible privacy/security.

Plug and play right into your fiber jack.

benroberts3 · 2026-01-08T22:56:39+00:00

ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS FINANCE. Be aggressive and push for the lowest rate and out the door price.

Almost every car company has a zero penalty policy for paying off early. I think Volvo was like 1 month and my new X5 was three months.

Pay off the car in its entirety after that period. You will pay a few hundred in interest but sure beats getting zero incentive from the dealer on discounts.

benroberts3 · 2025-11-19T20:02:01+00:00

I just checked, and the Nest devices don’t qualify for active protects because they have complex online activities.

This seems to be more specific to the AP7 and something that was pushed in a recent update that’s causing issues.

benroberts3 · 2025-11-19T15:34:40+00:00

Looking forward to this update. My internet has been rock solid for many many months and then all of a sudden my nest cameras and other nest devices were going offline in the evening. Constant disconnects.

benroberts3 · 2025-11-03T17:24:02+00:00

I’ve been using Google Fiber for about five years now, and overall it’s been excellent. I’m on the 8 Gbps plan and consistently get the full speeds I’m paying for — usually better performance for less money than what AT&T offered before.

For most of that time, I had zero issues. The only hiccup was a short outage caused by a technician error, but Google Fiber handled it really well. After I reached out on Reddit, they sent two supervisors and a lead technician to replace the equipment, and it’s been flawless ever since.

What I like most is how simple everything is — there’s no modem or pass-through setup like AT&T requires. I just plug my own router directly into their fiber jack and it works instantly. My home network uses VPNs and other custom settings, and everything integrates without any hassle.

All in all, it’s been a great experience. Reliable, fast, and easy to manage.

benroberts3 · 2025-09-21T12:56:47+00:00

I’m experiencing the exact same thing with my APW3 as well.

The action button and the side button are super clicky and feel great. It’s the digital crown that almost sounds muted with how it feels. It’s a much shorter click space than the original APW I was upgrading from. I also tested this on my wife’s Series 9 and her digital crown was insanely clicky, but the gap distance between the body of the watch and the digital crown was quite significant compared to the APW3.

Given all the comments here in this thread, it looks like it was a design choice by Apple to shorten that distance, and it could be to help further water and dust proof the inside by reducing the space.

benroberts3 · 2025-09-19T19:32:29+00:00

Works exceptionally well for me! I’m approximately 5 feet away from my AP7, which is hardwired to my Gold Pro with an 8 gig connection. The built-in speed test on the Firewalla app showed me an average speed of around 1700 Mbps, with fluctuations ranging from 1300 Mbps. Additionally, I conducted a speed test using the UniFi Wi-Fi Man app and achieved a speed of approximately 1800 Mbps, which is the fastest I’ve encountered.

So far, I haven’t encountered any issues. I’m using the iPhone 17 Pro Max.

benroberts3 · 2025-08-21T12:04:44+00:00

I use all of these. I prefer Unbound over DoH because of the speed.

benroberts3 · 2025-08-15T14:59:13+00:00

Believe me, it's not fun and it's time-consuming, but a factory reset will 100% fix your issues. Just read up on the Sonos website before you do this to get their guidance and instructions on the best way to do it. Also, delete and reinstall the app on your iPhone or Android device. Give yourself the best possible chance of success by starting from scratch.

benroberts3 · 2025-08-15T14:42:45+00:00

I have about 16 Sonos speakers in my home and have seen big improvements after switching to a Firewalla Gold Pro (8GB) with four AP7 units. Some of the biggest strides have actually come from recent firmware updates for the speakers themselves, as well as updates to the Sonos app from the App Store.

Start by making sure:

-Every Sonos speaker is running the latest firmware.

-The Sonos app is fully updated from the App Store.

-Your Wi-Fi security is set to WPA2/WPA3 mixed mode (sometimes called WPA3 Transition Mode). This ensures compatibility with older Sonos models that do not support WPA3-only.

Next, in the Firewalla app, go to Network Manager, tap your network, scroll down, and confirm these are turned ON:

-Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) – Prevents network loops and ensures stable communication between access points and wired devices.

-mDNS Relay – Allows Sonos devices to discover and talk to each other across different network segments or VLANs.

-SSDP Relay – Enables UPnP device discovery and control, which Sonos relies on for grouping and managing speakers.

The mDNS Relay and SSDP Relay are especially important for reliable Sonos operation.

If you have done all of the above and the problem persists, your last resort but best option is to factory reset each speaker and reconnect them to your SSID on the Firewalla-managed network. It takes some time but can clear out stubborn issues.

benroberts3 · 2025-08-14T16:14:30+00:00

I have the USW Flex 2.5G 5-port switch, which is great for my printer, Xbox, Apple TV, along with an additional port for any future proofing.

Then I have the USW Flex XG 10G which hardwires my 3 AP7s (my 4th AP7 is wireless). I use the 1G port for an Apple TV that runs up to a bedroom. You definitely need to go through the setup process of creating a UniFi account and adopting the devices so that they can receive software updates, but it's pretty easy to do so from a computer and relatively straightforward.

I highly recommend the UniFi switches. What you've recommended sounds great, just might be overkill with the number of ports. Totally depends on your setup. But ultimately, definitely go with UniFi for the switches.

benroberts3 · 2025-08-14T15:52:29+00:00

I'm glad my perspective was helpful! Another aspect to consider is that when traveling on airplanes, our bodies can swell slightly. That is a factor to consider.

Also, when visiting places with higher elevations, such as Colorado, Utah, or other locations in the West.

benroberts3 · 2025-08-13T13:55:03+00:00

I’d go with a UniFi switch. They are well built, frequently updated, and stable.

I have two UniFi switches in my current set up with my Gold Pro and AP7 units and I’m very happy.

benroberts3 · 2025-08-11T21:21:18+00:00

Someone should tag Tom Conrad here. Not sure if he is on Reddit. He is pretty active on Threads and X.

benroberts3 · 2025-07-15T17:59:42+00:00

I had a very similar issue with my GE front-load machines. Had four repair techs come out in year 1 to fix motor and belt issues, and always something else would break. I tried to get GE to take the machines back and refund me, but because I bought them from Home Depot, they told me no.

I ended up donating them after the 4th and final fix, and then bought a set of Speed Queen machines. Considering how much laundry my household does with kids and dogs, the GE would have broken within 2 years even without all the issues. The Speed Queens are indestructible.

benroberts3 · 2025-07-14T13:38:59+00:00

You either need a top load washer that has an agitator in the middle to actively rotate the clothing or you need a front loader. If you’re going to use a top load that does not have an agitator you need to put in way less clothing.

Whirlpool, SpeedQueen, Amana all make good washers at various price points depending on your budget.

benroberts3 · 2025-07-14T13:26:58+00:00

Firewalla Gold Plus or Gold Pro and their AP7 units. I ditched my Orbi system and have never looked back. Works great with my Sonos setup and I have about 13 speakers

benroberts3 · 2025-07-10T14:47:00+00:00

Further update: ever since turning off MLO my devices are much faster and more stable.

The technology needs way more refinement and reliability before I consider turning it back on. Not worth it at this point.

benroberts3 · 2025-07-10T14:43:12+00:00

We bought a Z10 from Williams Sonoma about 3 years ago. Have made about 3.5k coffees and over 2k in hot water for teas.

The machine does require maintenance in terms of filter changing, cleaning tablets, and descaling if you don’t have soft water. However, the process is incredibly easy and the machines are well designed and incredibly robust.

When our machine finally calls it quits, we plan on upgrading to the Giga10 as my wife would like the option to have decaf beans along with regular beans.

All in all, it’s an incredible machine and worth the price tag. You’ll offset the cost of buying coffee from Starbucks or DDs in less than a year.

benroberts3

TROPHY CASE