BMW 3-Series 2005 and earlier

ccotenj

what color it is makes ZERO difference in how it performs. ZERO.

-Chris

ps. thanks genie. this thread is beginning to degenerate into "how to accessorize my trophy"...

blackren

While I can associate red with coupe better, personally I still think red and seda just don't match. Only exception is if the red is metallic colour and it's dark; otherwise, I think it's very dull looking. I saw a red 325i once in front of my school, and wasn't impressed. I also think red is a hard colour to be maintained as it gets dirty real easily.

Obviously, colour doesn't make your car go faster or not, but it does kinda tell what kind of person you are.

genie1

typical...blame the chick!

brave1heart

<<< Are the M3 and M5 steering wheels the same? >>>

They LOOK and FEEL the same to me but I'm not sure if they have the same part number.

brave1heart

Most owners would disagree that the 3-series is a sports car. It's a sport sedan and as such, the idea is to perform close to a sports car but offer a lot more practicality and comfort. Bright red is a very aggressive color that matches a sports car better than a sport sedan. The key thing is that if you do like it, you should get it - it would be a nice change from all the silver and black 3-series out there. It may not improve performance but who says that we should only care and talk about performance?

div2

Chill out! I ordered my Club Sport in red because it matches my California Dusters. And red really looks phat with 20' chrome wheels.

ccotenj

lol... nah, i was thanking you for attempting to get things back on track again...

ummm... if i started thinking that colour tells me something about the person who is driving the car, i think i need to re-assess how i judge people...

ummm (again)... the 3er isn't a sports car. it wants to be a gt (the m3 is a gt). the 3er is a real nice sedan that handles better than a buick. "sedan" and "sports" don't go together in the same sentence.

hey, if someone wants red, i have no problem with it. but it does get to me a bit when they obsess continually about it and worry about what others will think about it. buy what YOU want.

-Chris

ccotenj

rofl!!!

i think you could fit 21's on that club sport if you really tried...

-Chris

genie1

What's a Club Sport?

And can you fit 21" rims on it?

brave1heart

<<< "sedan" and "sports" don't go together in the same sentence. >>> ???

I don't think I need to explain to THIS board why your statement is completely wrong. Suffice to say that BMW invented the sport sedan segment.

ccotenj

feel free to explain... i don't think that i have to defend myself as a bimmerhead...

"sedan" and "sports" don't go in the same sentence. i'm sorry. they may call it "sports sedan" if they like (i believe oldsmobile made a "sports sedan" too).

sportscars are sportscars.

sedans are sedans. some are more fun to drive than others. but they aren't "sports" sedans. there is no such thing.

-Chris

brave1heart

There is ice and there is cream. Someone thought it would be a great idea to mix them and called it ice cream. Anyone here that doesn't like ice cream? It isn't ice and isn't just cream but it's still wonderful and tastes completely different from just ice or just cream. You need a name for that mixture. A sport sedan will not perform as a sports car and will not be quite as comfortable as a sedan. It's a compromise between sports and sedan and deserves its own definition, even if it is made up of two seemingly contradicting words.

1pierce

One last word from me on color. Obviously it is subjective. Some people think red is a gaudy-poser color, and some think grey is boring. Thats why they make all those colors - this isn't a Model-T, after all. I like bright colors, and got many compliments on my red car (still the only car I ever owned that made people come up to me in parking lots and compliment me).

As for coupes/sedans, lets be clear - coupes are ALWAYS cooler. But, unfortunately, most of us can't own them for practical reasons (I think the 325ci only has 4 seat belts in 2002?). I had only coupes before marriage. I'd buy a 325 coupe in a heartbeat if I didn't have (3) small kids. Ever try to get a car seat in and out of a small coupe - it's torture! Also, my wife would mutiny if I bought a coupe. I think the coupe looks exceptionally better in red because it doesn't have the black trim on the doors and bumpers. Not that the sedan looks bad, but I prefer the mono-chromatic look of the coupe. Interestingly, I think the black trim degrades the red slightly more than the silver - and of course, it's invisible on the black.

dave330i

Personally, I think a loud color such as red (or yellow) overpowers the subtle lines of the 3-series. There are 3 E36 in my apt complex. A black, white, and red. Their looks go in that order as well. A bright red sedan/coupe just doesn't look very serious to me. That said, color choice is subjective, and if red makes you happy, go for it.

mcnal01

I don't particularly care for mud flaps, my question is are they very effective in protecting the car. The driving conditions here in Alaska are less than desirable. Can you elaborate on how they clip on?

wlposton

I have a 2001 325 with a manual transmission. I have had my car for 8 months and I have 7100
miles on it. The other day my oil light came on. I would not have thought that I would need
to add oil at 7,000 miles. I am not a hard driver. I usually drive it pretty easy. The dealer is
telling me that some of the cars burn oil. That does not sound right to me!!!

HELP!!!! HAS ANY ONE ELSE HAD THIS PROBLEM?

wlposton

I have a 2001 325 with a manual transmission. I have had my car for 8 months and I
have 7100
miles on it. The other day my oil light came on. I would not have thought that I
would need
to add oil at 7,000 miles. I am not a hard driver. I usually drive it pretty easy. The
dealer is
telling me that some of the cars burn oil. That does not sound right to me!!!

HELP!!!! HAS ANY ONE ELSE HAD THIS PROBLEM?

dave330i

Chill out a little. All new cars burn oil for a while. Go to your local autostore and buy either castrol or mobil 1 synthetic. Don't have the manual with me, but I believe it's 5W-50.

shipo

A car that uses a quart of oil every 7,000 miles or so is doing just fine. There are many (myself included) who feel that if a car does NOT use some oil, critical components (such as the valve stem/guide interface) are being starved for lubrication and can wear prematurely. To take this even further, many manufacturers say that unless a car is using more than a quart of oil per 1,000 miles, the oil consumption is within tolerance.

My suggestion to you, keep track of the oil consumption, many folks find that the first few thousand miles on a new engine will consume a lot of oil (relatively speaking) and then after the Rings seat, the amount of oil used will drop. If you notice that your oil consumption gets worse (like 1 quart for every 1k to 2k miles), then it would be time to get concerned.

In summary, I suspect that all is well with you car, just keep an eye on things.

Best Regards,
Shipo

1pierce

I was riding with a business associate the other day in his BMW X5, less than a year old, and his oil light came on. We had to stop at a store and buy a quart of oil (or two, I don't remember). It was pretty embarrassing for him, since he spent the entire trip bragging about his X5. I'm kind of glad to know this is normal (a little weird, but from what some of you guys say, normal) - so that the embarrassment never happens to me.

1pierce

dave330i:

Why does a BMW have to be sooooo serious? A Mercedes Benz is serious. A Miata is fun. I think a BMW can be "serious fun".

I'm glad many of you guys are buying the other colors. Unlike 10 years ago, when red was king, my red one will be all the more distinguishable.

blackren:

"Mettalic, and dark" is not RED. "Crimson", "burgundy", "wine", maybe,...but not red. Recently C&D tested all of the current BMW M-cars, and photographed them all together. Incidently, they were all red.

shipo

I have heard from many sources that the Cadillac Northstar engine is an oil hog. Apparently it is fairly common to consume a quart of oil every 1,500 miles, needless to say, MANY Cadillac owners are more than a tad perturbed by this. My neighbor told me that his dealer told him that unless consumption was greater than 1 quart every 750 miles, there was nothing wrong with the engine. Personally, I think that is embarrassing, sure glad that I am not a Cadillac Northstar engineer. ;-)

Best Regards,
Shipo

dave330i

I like the lines of the 3-series, and I want people to notice the lines, not the color. Just a personal thing. Plus silver/white is Germany's color in F1.

1pierce

I've read a lot of consumer reviews of the 3 series, and it seems that people don't much like the stereos (base or HK). I'm kind of a stereo nut, and I wonder, are the base stereos really that bad? I have a great Bose system in my Maxima, and I've always sprung for the premium system when buying cars. But the Bimmer I'm looking at is already pretty expensive.

Since the lion's share of fidelity is in the speakers, could that be the problem? Have any of you changed out, or tried to change out speakers in a post 1999 3-series? I upgraded speakers in two previous cars, and it transformed the system. But, in some cars it is virtually impossible to get at the factory speakers.

1pierce

I like NASCAR racing. That probably tells you something about my color choices!

shipo

Scroll back a few thousand posts and look for a member with the handle "gurumike", and then drop him an E-Mail about his sound system upgrade on his 2001 330i. If memory serves me correct, Mike is one of the Sales Managers at Cutter Motors in Santa Barbara, CA, and is pretty knowledgeable about all things BMW.

Best Regards,
Shipo

brave1heart

You like NASCAR racing (I guess over CART and F-1) and you want to drive a BMW?!? I know that NASCAR is getting a lot of publicity and expanding its target audience but a typical NASCAR fan would still scoff at BMW's and say they are underpowered and overpriced. A typical BMW owner would be a lot more interested in racing leagues that make better use of advanced engine technology and aerodynamics primarily on road circuits. Maybe it's the start of some sort of convergence between BMW owners and NASCAR fans...

mschukar

1pierce:

I also appreciate a good sounding stereo and I'm not going to spend $30,000 and have an average sounding system. I was concerned after reading some essentially negative reviews of the stereo system on the 3 series.

With that in mind, I grabbed my Sarah McLachlan CD (good bass, detail and highs) and headed down to the dealer. They had a 2002 330xi which comes with the HK upgrade. They let me listen to the CD for a good half-hour inside the dealership (no road noise).

I came away very impressed and with no reservations on spending the extra cash of the HK upgrade. I don't know if BMW improved the stereo or if I'm not as picky as I think I am. For comparison, I listened to the same CD in a 325i with the stock stereo on a test drive. The stock stereo was flatter and not as crisp. I will be buying the upgrade.

I had planned on visiting the local auto stereo shop to see what they could do with $700, but my "test drive" convinced me that wouldn't be necessary. I suggest you take a good listen yourself and, if you would, let me know how it compares to the Bose system.

Now, does anyone know how I could plug an iPod into the indash stereo? 50 hours of music in something the size of a deck of cards beats a CD changer in the trunk anyday!

-Murray

dave330i

with the stereo when it gets in the way of the pure joy coming out of your engine?

I'm happy with my base setup in 330i, and if I really want to listen to music, I've got my home system.

genie1

B&O?

brave1heart

I also like to listen to the engine - about 80% of the time I guess. I'd typically crank up the stereo only when I cannot vary the speed (traffic, cop or sth) but for those 20% of the time, it's nice to have a good-sounding stereo. I'm surprised your 330i does not have the H-K - did you buy it before they made it standard on the 330? BTW, that surround sound button next to the DSC button makes a huge difference in the sound quality. And the only reason I discovered that button was because it's right next to the DSC button which I try to switch off most of the time ;o)

dave330i

I bought mine before the H-K became standard. I was planning on upgrading with after market system, but current system is good enough for my needs.

genie1: LOL! My mind is still scrambled from last night.

brave1heart

Funny you should mention it - my home "system" cost $200 when I bought it back in college and I still have not replaced it. I guess I don't do a lot of quality listening at home as I spend a lot of time reading. I think I'll put off the upgrade till we buy a house. I thought it was funny driving around with a $700 stereo and having a worthless stereo at home - it's supposed to be the other way round.

jpagan

I'm in the hunt mode looking to purchase my dream 3 series Bimmer. Could anyone comment good or bad regarding the Tampa, FL BMW dealers. Any good deals out there? I'm still considering 2001 models unless I get a solid deal on a 2002. Your input is always appreciated.

dave330i

I've got a $6-700 system at home (reciever, 5 speakers, and sub). I'll need to upgrade when I move to a bigger place. I think I'll wait until Genie1 moves to SF. ;-)

jpagan: many posters have stated that the best deals are usually Euro Delivery.

topspin627

I too find the red to be a stunning color but I like it much better on the coupe. One of the main reasons I went with black on my 330 i was because I didn't care for the black moldings when they contrasted with the car color.
Regarding the HK sound system, I was pleasantly surprised after hearing some not too positive comments about bmw audio in general. I think it's a very good system and it is powerful as well.
And thanks to this board I was able to get my 3 programed to "acknowledge" locking and unlocking the doors via a blinking light. The technician told me that it couldn't be done without also having the optional alarm but I told him otherwise thanks to you very knowledgeable folks and what do you know- 10 minutes later it was done! Thanks.

hawkbert

If you have a cassette player, just buy a "car kit" at Walmart. Plug one end of the kit into the iPod's headphone jack, and the other end into your cassette deck.

If you have the in-dash CD, I've heard of a product that plugs into the headphone jack of a CD player/iPod and then transmits a signal on an unused FM radio frequency. Just tune your radio to that frequency and there you go. I can't think of the product's name, though, sorry.

brave1heart

"$6-700 system at home"??? That's wild, I wouldn't think about putting in more than 2-3K tops in my home system. Do you get tower speakers for that kind of money? It must have an amazing sound. Do you keep it in the living room or you have a dedicated "music room" with the right acoustics? What's your setup like?

dave330i

My system costed $600-700, not 6-7k (actually 6-7k isn't that much either). $700 isn't much. At least I don't think so.

brave1heart

I'm sorry - I misread it. My mistake. $600-700 is more than reasonable and you can get a pretty decent sound if you have the right setup.

bgritz

My IT car-pool buddy just uses a 2 ft 1/8" male to 1/8" male line out wire into the Aux on his deck. I have also used the "cassette" style mentioned by hawkbert w/o any problems.
There might even be L/R RCA jacks on the back of the deck or where the changer plugs in which could be run to the 1/8" headphone jack.
p.s.
right now the 5-gig iPod our IT dept has, is looking more towards 60+ hrs of music with a mixture of stuff ripped between 128-190 kbps

Dov

I listen to lots of stuff on my PocketPC (ipaq). I use it as an MP3 player, AudioBooks, etc. I just ordered a 325iX and was disappointed to find that you cannot get a cassette and a CD. The cassette is actually more useful for me because I currently use a cassette adapter to play my MP3s etc. from my ipaq through my car stereo. To get the cassette however, you have to give up the CD and I did not want to spring for the 6 pack CD player(CDN$750).
Radio Shack has the FM transmistter which is a small unit which plugs into the headphone jack of your walkman, etc. You then tune your radio to the appropriate frequency, and you can hear your stuff from the car stereo. While I don't think it works as well as the casette adapter, I tried it on my current car and a few house radios and it was fine.
I plan on using it when my 325iX shows up (mid-Jan.)

shawn325i

no service experience to speak of as yet thank god, I have just over 6300kms on it.

ncbmw

My dealer tells me that my 325i will require Premium Unleaded. I never saw much a difference in performance in my other cars between the $ and $$$$ gas grades. When i went shopping for other cars, those dealers told me that newer more efficent engines dont need Premium.

so, since my first tank will be in a week. . what should I get?? cheapie regular at 1.15$ here in Boston or Premium at 1.40$??

I am not cheap, but i do not care to waste money.

Thanks

shipo

All of the engines in the various E46 cars are optimized for Premium gasoline. The engines electronic management system is smart enough to sense that less than optimal fuel is in the car, and when that happens, the engine will retard ignition timing in an effort to prevent detonation.

As a general rule of thumb, the lower the Octane, the less detonation resistance and the hotter and more unstable the burn (in any given compressive environment). Conversely, the higher the Octane, the greater the detonation resistance and the cooler and more stable the burn (given the same compressive environment).

Low compression engines (and/or those with retarded timing) can deal with less stable Regular fuel by not causing the fuel to explode as early in the compression stroke as an engine designed for Premium fuel. Having said that, an engine can achieve its best efficiency by having high compression and advanced timing.

High compression engines typically have the ability to use Premium fuel to its fullest with a combination of its built-in mechanical compression ratio as well as dynamically advancing the ignition timing.

If you run a Low compression engine on Premium, you should expect a slight decrease in performance and mileage.

If you run a High compression engine on Regular, you should expect a noticeable decrease in performance and mileage.

A year or so ago I read about a test an individual performed with his 3-Series regarding fuel quality. I cannot remember if that individual was a member here at Edmunds or if I read about him elsewhere. Never the less, he performed a fairly controlled albiet un-scientific experiment with his E46 where he drove a significant distance round trip first with one fuel quality and then again with the other (if I remember, these were two business trips a few weeks apart with similar weather conditions). The results were that his mileage dropped enough when running on Regular that it actually cost him more in fuel per 1,000 miles than when he had been using Premium. While this test may be easy to discount for many reasons, this individual was actually expecting cost savings when running with Regular fuel, and was quite surprised at his findings.

Hope this helps.

Best Regards,
Shipo

skobola

Well, you people are filling this board too quickly, but I could not resist not to respond to "it cannot be a sport car and sedan" opinion made some 20 posts before. I do not agree! I like 4 doors better because they add more usefulness to a car while keeping all the goodies of the 3-series. I also like them because they look more stealthy when compared to coupes. I am not saying that the Bimmer 3-series coupe are not stunning-looking, yet the 3-series 4-door are not bad-looking neither. Now, when we turn that 3 into a M flavor, than we are talking serious performance and sport-ness. And a M 4-door was at the top of all that, as it was confirmed by car magazines to be the best M3 because it was not flexing as much as a coupe. Therefore, the 4-door M was the ultimate "ultimate driving machine", should I say, the ultimate sports car! Of course, it its arena of up-to-$50k-cars. I wonder why BMW had withdrawn the 3-series M 4-door, but then, let me not digress in that pondering. Which brings me to ponder yet again that it is easy to get carried away... Maybe that could explain the high number of posts on this board as well... Damn, here I go again...

streetracer

I agree its a very odd juxaposition. You should be driving a Pontiac Grand Prix GTP like me, or a Trans Am. NASCAR is all about power and stability, torque and understeer

habitat1

Shipo provided a much better technical analysis than I could, however I originally posted the following a couple of weeks ago over on the Maxima forum. I think it applies even more so here:

"I am pretty frugal, but I also subscribe to the "don't be penny wise and pound foolish" philosophy.

"I have used nothing but 93 octane premium in my 1995 Maxima SE. According to my log book, I have used 4,834 gallons for 116,100 miles (24.02 mpg). Assuming I would have saved an average of 10 - 15 cents a gallon by going with regular, I theoretically would have saved $483 to $725 over the past 7+ years ($70 to $100 per year for 16.5k+ miles/yr). This assumes NO loss of milage. If it dropped by just 1 mpg, I would have used 213 more gallons of gas at an average of $1.25+. The added cost of $267 would wipe out 35-50%+ of the savings.

"My 1995 Maxima runs like new, with literally "no discernable engine wear" (according to my service manager). Whatever the reason - oil changes every 4k miles, premium gas, or just good fortune - I'm not changing a thing.

"My recommendation is to fill up with premium at Exxon on "thrifty Thursdays" when it's 6 cents cheaper. And, if you really need to save some more money, raise your collision insurance deductable from $250 to $500 or $1,000. I did that, drive a bit more carefully, and it's saved me $1,000+ over the past 7 years. At least it's a quantifiable risk and, IMHO, beats putting cheap gas in a good car."

With respect to BMW, change the last phrase to "beats putting cheap gas in a GREAT car". P.S. In addition to sticking with premium, I personally don't buy the "off-brands" as I have had experience with water in the gas in the past. I go with one of the majors.

njdriver1

Driving down the FDR this morning I pulled up alongside a brand spanking new M3 convertible. After reading the review, I have to agree the car is a thing of beauty in real life, even if we were only going 20 mph in traffic. Couldn't really notice the hood shape, but the side vents are super cool w/M3 logo. Does this qualify as a "sports sedan" coupe? or is that an oxymoron?

I've been perfectly happy w/ the HK system in the MY01 330. Under normal driving conditions, the exhaust provides a pleasant base rumble. I use the surround sound at low volumes (like a loundness button) and take it off to crank the tunes. Granted, its not as nice as my home stereo (cantons w/sub woofer) but it compliments the cockpit experience well.

Over 5 weeks in the car and I think I'm finally learning to drive it. The car doesn't appear to need peddle mashing like my other cars. A subtle thrust to the accelerator and I've gained enough momentum to catch-up with traffic. Any more and I find myself pushing north of 80mph way to fast.

frankw3

Winter is about to set in and I'm looking for advice on snow tires and rims. I have a 330 convertible with the sport package and 17" tires. I live in Boston and want to be able to take my car when I go skiing, but also want it to still handle well on pavement. Any recommendations on brand and size of snow tires? Someone told me I should put on 16" snows as they're better in the snow than 17" tires. Any suggestions on where to go to get the best deal on tires and rims?