Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
Kelly
Just tonight on the way home, I went from massive deluge, through the back side of that cell (rapidly diminishing rain), then on to a rainless but very wet roadway (intermittent road spray), back into heavy rain, and finally out of the rain but under a tree lined road with lots of drips. In all of that time, I had to touch the wiper control exactly once; to activate the automatic mode.
As for driving down a sunny road and having a Great Blue Heron obliterate your windshield, yes, you still have to activate the wipers/washers the old fashioned way, and I am Ok with that. ;-)
Best Regards,
Shipo
2002, came the BMW 330..... WOW!
So this is how the pedals should be configured! in other to perform a flawless heel-toe downshift. The smile in my face is causing me spasms
The relationship between the pedals, their position, the amount of travel of the brake pedal before it levels with the accelerator for the blip, is perfect. What a joy!
Now I understand why in the above mentioned cars it never worked. Only if you have an equinus-cavus-varus deformity in your foot, it is possible to heel and toe in those cars (and most poor engineered sports cars I suspect)
Good job BMW!
I hope the pedals placement in the upcoming 6-speed manual G35 gives justice to its sports car pretension!
Later
What should I do? have the oil change when i hit 15K or wait until I finish the 2500? Any advice is greatly appreciated. Meg
Of course, you can be overly precautious and just stick to the manufacturer's recommended service schedule, this won't hurt either
(FWIW my 330d requires 12.5k service intervals, but as I never exploit the enghine heavily, which would be just plain impossible for my safety, the computer tells me I've about 14k between intervals - but I stick to 12.5k anyway, just because it makes me feel better )
shipo - better that great blue heron hit the windshield when the top is down, if you get my drift! a seagull dropped a clam in the back of mine one day... glad it didn't hit me in the head...
-Chris
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
reset the service interval display?
Thanks,
you can either buy a tool to do the reset (which is what i did, you can get one relatively cheap on ebay), make a tool (i'm not brave enough to stick a homemade jobbie into the hole, but others are, and have been successful), or sweet talk your service guy into doing it for you...
-Chris
and where is the hole located?
I picked my 2002 325CI yesterday and I thought I was supposed to get continental conti sport contact. Instead I got Dunlop sp sport 2000s..... How do they compare to the Contis??
in my car, it's located next to where the positive battery post is... if you look in your owner's manual, it'll show you where to look... it'll be called "diagnostic reset something or other"...
good luck.
-Chris
A six speed box benefits two types of engines most: those that make their peak torque at a high rpm, and those that don't make a great deal of torque at all. Let's be honest, a 3.0L naturally aspirated inline six no matter how punchy is not a lot of engine to move a 3200lb+ sedan.
The engines that a six speed helps the least are those that make a ton of torque. Funny that, given that the Corvette and Viper have had them about the longest and need them the least, offering massive overdrive ratios and wide spacing.
-Colin
Criticizing lack of adequate interior storage space is one thing (a serious flaw in the 3-series, I think - one I grudgingly accept), but the CD display? That's a REALLY small nit to pick.
I missed my appointment to have Nissan "evaluate" my Maxima for lease return. Now, I can't have it done until late July. That only leaves me with about 3-1/2 weeks to fix any "excess wear and tear". Turning this car in will be a stiff lesson in the real cost of a deal. Assuming they only hit me for my chipped windshield ($250 insurance deductible) and my disposition charge ($350), that's $600 just to give back the car!!!
I could have leased through my credit union (no wear and tear clause) for about $10.00/month more, which would have cost me $420 over the life of the lease. So I saved myself -$180. Great deal, huh?
All in all, how many of us die-hard, driving nuts really care all that much about sacrificing a few creature comforts so that we can have driving nirvana? Not I, say me...even if I can't get my CD track repeat function.
Although cannot compare to the Contis, based on prior experience, they are at least better than Dunlops 8000 (also summer tire) and Yokohoma Avid V4 (no contest since this are all seasons).
Enjoy them!
I disagree. The reason why it is a benefit on big torquey engines is so that the vehicle can get 30mpg on the highway turning 1200-1500rpm. If a Corvette were spinning at 3500rpm like some cars do at 80mph, it would use a lot more gas, maybe 18-20mpg. Yet the engine has enough torque to accelerate at that engine speed on the highway.
true, aaron, but that would be just as easily accomplished with a 5 speed gearbox... plus be cheaper and have *some* weight savings...
-Chris
Aaron, I will agree with you that mega hp cars don't even need the 6th or even 5th gears. I remember test driving a 1994 Z28 Camaro with a 6 speed and 100mph in 4th gear and the engine was spinning at a relatively low 2000 (or maybe less) RPM. Editors of one magazine stated that you could drive a 911 Turbo around all day and not even need the 5th or 6th gear.
Many manufacturers offer 6 speed transmissions almost as a marketing gimmick more than anything else. I was almost shocked to see that lexus put a 5 speed manual into the IS300 instead of a 6 speed.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
I've followed this discussion for a while and just felt like that was a good time to chime in. Good to "see" you after a few years!
-Colin
My 2 cents, unless you are tracking your car (racing), the overdrive 6th is the one to want. Anyone else with more info, or just better info have any insight on this?
HEY!!! when'd you trade the impreza on a m3? good deal!! i'm assuming you are still autocrossing every spare minute of the day?
-Chris
Over the last 9 months, since moving to AZ from MN, the RPM band has been falling during normal driving. This time last year, 40 mph in 4th gear would pull around 3800 rpm, now I pull around 3200 (just approximations - I don't document these numbers or anything). Last year, 75mph in 5th would pull almost 4000, this year, closer to 3400. Is my tranny going south?
Last input: I recently replaced the clutch. They said the dual-mass pressure plate didn't need to be replaced, so I didn't do it ($650 part I really couldn't afford on top of the clutch), and the first few days after the repair, the car felt a bit tighter and more like its old self. Now however, it seems like the same lack of grunt is there and the same loss of power. Anyone have any insights? Will a tune-up have a profound impact? It has needed one for a while, but only recently eclipsed 70k (not past 71k yet) so I was saving for the scheduled service.
I don't abuse the car, use 89 octane and once in a while splurge for the 91. I do tend to short shift, staying under 4000 rpm, and other then the loss of power - which sucks! - the lower engine noise is welcome on the highway.
My last thought is that it could be muffler related. The muffler tends to "buzz" under heavy accelleration, creating a high pitched harmonic that while not extremely loud, is louder than the engine itself.
Any advice would be appreciated.
I think you have installed new tires which are larger in diameter than your previous tires (or BMW-recommended tire size for your car). (Significantly) Larger-diameter tires would lower engine speed for a given car speed and also give you less acceleration -- the another symptom you mentioned. A slipping clutch would raise engine speed for any car speed and probably cause an engine speed surge in higher gears when accelerating, like an automatic transmission.
the only way a manual transmission can ever offer differing RPMs in a given gear, at a given speed, is for the drive wheels or clutch to be slipping. since it is obvious that your 318 would not be spinning the rear tires on dry ground at 40mph and you've just replaced the clutch, what seems most likely is that your clutch was slipping last year... thus you saw higher rpm. there is also the possibility you've changed tire diameter.
there is nothing wrong with your transmission itself judging by these symptoms. gears do not slip, when they chip or otherwise mis-match they tend to seize in short order.
funny you should mention a luck of grunt though, when the clutch slips you are significantly reducing power to the wheels, so it should have more grunt now assuming nothing else changed.
a tune-up can often do wonders, yes. when you have the exhaust noise investigated, check the catalysts as well especially if you've ever smelled sulfur. they could be clogged which would certainly impact performance and economy.
-Colin
I've had the M3 since 5/1. I like it quite a lot, but haven't had a chance to autocross it yet-- I'd like to just to know what it will do.
how 'bout you? last I knew, you had a ... 328?
-Colin
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
I have said elsewhere that I am not very handy under a hood. So the whole affair has me a bit baffled as well.
My clutch went out because I was out of practice when I got the car. Not shifting, but just the simple things you need to know about manuals. Specifically, I was going to a game downtown. I was stuck at a garage parking entrance, the ramp was on a steep incline, and the jack off behind me decided he needed to ride my bumper the whole time, giving me just a few inches of space...like he knew I was clutching and hoping I would hit him. Well, my solution (adle-brained and short-sighted) was to basically ride the clutch in first gear for about 8 minutes while we climbed the hill to the ticket booth. That was an aggrevating moment of complete embarassment in my life! (Laughs at himself now, $800 later) When I got on level ground, a nice strong odor was coming from the car, and the clutch was almost to the floor. It did return to service over the next few days, never failing to shift, just feeling weak and soft. The damage had been done though, and now, 15k miles later, the clutch finally started to give.
This, as well as some physical restrictions that makes a 5spd in commuting traffic a no-go is why my next car will be an auto. I like sticks but I just don't need the hassles in the everyday driving situations. I swear the guy behind me was laughing, sitting just a few inches off my bumper and hoping I would hit him. And me? Well, my lack of familiarity with my own car made the situation worse. Should have just gave him a love tag.
Sorry for the long post.
nope, still got the 325 convertible... 110k, and still going strong... hoping one of these days to talk the missus into a 5er, but she still likes her pick'emup truck...
you still in kansas? gotta be some driving school around there, no?
harlequin - this is quite odd... it doesn't make sense that you would be going faster at lower rpms... it sounds like to me that you might have a bad tach cable, and that you only are "visually" seeing a lower rpms, but in reality you aren't turning a lower rpm... either that, or you have a bad speedo cable/sender (not sure how they work on your particular model) and you are seeing the wrong speed...
-Chris
I try to hit the backroads at least once a week during the summer (just did it last night) and although it's a lot of fun, it's a very different experience from timed events. The thrill and adrenaline are not the same. Plus, you have to be very careful pushing the car on public roads (even on deserted farm roads) because mistakes can be a lot more costly. The driving school that I did in NH was tremendous fun and a very different experience too but again, it's not a timed event and the adrenaline is not the same. I can still do a lot of the stuff they taught us there on public roads when appropriate but I cannot duplicate the excitement from an autoX event.
On a separate note, my Sumitomo HTR Z II tires now have a little over 2K miles on them so they have been fully broken in. Aside from the soft sidewalls, they have been great in every respect and I feel more comfortable pushing the car hard with them because they are so communicative and predictbale.
DL
the SCCA offers schools once per year at Heartland Park (Topeka) and Hallett (Oklahoma), plus there's the new complex that just opened near Omaha, NE.
-Colin
Things I like:
Driving is superb - tight feel, responsive, plenty of power
Fit and finish - not a single defect noted so far except for one defective wiper blade
Brakes are outstanding
Xenon lights are awesome - stongly recommend
What I am underwhelmed with:
Stereo - very weak for this price range
auto - seems to shift differently every time I drive
Size - Trunk is pretty tight for my golf clubs but the back seat is pretty comfortable
Uniqueness - now that I have one it seems like they are every where
Net, net - compared to my previous cars, Miata, Sebring convertible I am frankly not too excited so far - and I so much want to be! It is well built, drives well but is not wowing me
Sorry for the lenghty message but I thought other first time buyers might want to see news from my perspective
as far as the shifting... hmmm... does the e46 come with adaptive technology on the automatic (darned if i know)? if so, it's probably still trying to "learn" your driving style. if not, then it's possible you have a problem.
the stereos in the 3ers have never been anything to write home about. UPGRADE!! however, if you think the trunk is tight now, just wait till you put a sub in it... my clubs BARELY fit in... s'ok though, i can deal with that...
i won't touch the uniqueness issue.
compared to a sebring it doesn't excite you? man. that's pretty healthy praise for a car i never considered to be all that good...
something else to consider... these cars have a tendency to become more and more well loved (for lack of a better term) the longer you own them... 5 years from now when the thing is still solid as a rock, the "wow" factor may take hold...
-Chris
just curious as to what qualities are missing from your 325. retractable roof, check. everything else???
actually the stereo in my M3 isn't bad... it isn't great by modern standards but with 3 piece components up front and coaxial 6.5" in the rear its FINE. the problem I'm having is finding an aftermarket CD receiver that isn't silver with green, blue and yellow lighting... yeah, that's gonna look GREAT in an all black car, black dash and red gauges.
thinking about one of those Sony active black panel units. when not powered on, that would match well and it's not stupidly colorful when running... it is silver & red when you open the faceplate but I guess I'll live with it.
btw, here's some pics of my M3-- since no one here but Chris recognizes me I dunno how interesting it'll be. :-D
edit: duh, here's the link
http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4291815279
-Colin