Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!

BMW 3-Series 2005 and earlier

1546547549551552585

Comments

  • squirtdadsquirtdad Member Posts: 22
    Any input on whether fhe following 325i goodies are best done by BMW or after market (performance/price)?

    Roof Racks (BMW or Thule)
    Car Cover (BMW or ???)

    any other suggest great accessories?

    thanks
  • sunilbsunilb Member Posts: 407
    I went with Thule... I think their other components (bike carriers) are more stable.
  • gordonwdgordonwd Member Posts: 337
    I just bought a full Thule rack, model 735 (I think) for my 325i. I have an appreciation for products that are well-engineered, and I think that the combo of this rack and Thule's 599XTR bike mounting rails is pretty impressive -- perfect fit and all that. I have no idea what BMW charges for their branded racks, but I would be that it's significantly more than what you can get the Thule components for via the 'net.
  • mschukarmschukar Member Posts: 351
    I also have the Thule mount specific to the BMW. I like it because I can mount/unmount it to the car in 5 minutes. I was actually leaning towards a wagon before the salesman pointed out the mount points in the roof of the sedan.

    I saw an E46 the other day with a generic roof rack (pads sitting on the roof, clamps on the door sills). I cringed thinking of the damage it was doing to the paint!

    -murray
  • beemerbabebeemerbabe Member Posts: 2
    My husband and I are empty nesters, car fanatics, motorcycle fanatics, and we just got our first BMW 325i, with sport package. I have wanted one for over 20 years, and I have to tell you, I haven't come down to earth yet!
    We decided on the Titanium silver with the grey leather interior, sunroof (which is open ALL THE TIME in nice weather!!!).
    This car handles the 'twisties' better than any vehicle we've owned in the last 28 years. (About 50 at least!).
    Has anyone experienced the sensation of actually wanting to accelerate thru the turns. I have raced dirt bikes in the past, (and i'm planning on doing it again at 47 hee hee) and i know that you brake before the turn, and accelerate out, and man does our Beemer perform!!!! I just love "Dominic" ha ha I haven't named a car since my 1973 White Mustang Melvin!!!
    Us car fanatics are something, huh? :)
  • mbojilovmbojilov Member Posts: 7
    I have a 2003 325i and a few short weeks after I bought it last year I began to feel that the slant/mounting of the steering wheel is not comfortable at all for me. It is too horizontal and reminiscent of the positioning of a minivan's steering wheel. It must be just me since I have not read anyone else complain about this which is more than amazing, given that cars with a sporty character are supposed to allow for a more vertical positioning of the wheel (similar to F-1 or other race cars). If I had noticed this during the test drive, I would have never ever bought this car. Unfortunately, I was too impressed with the overall driving characteristics (steering, cornering, etc.) that I did not notice this at all for the first few weeks.

    Is there a way a BMW shop or some other after-market custom shop could work with the steering wheel column to bring it down or otherwise to allow for the wheel to become more vertical? The tilt/telescoping feature is virtually worthless. Although I can't figure out what BMW designers could have possibly been thinking (since prior 3-series as well as 5-series models also have the same issue), I noticed that on the new 2006 3-series this feature seems to have been significantly improved, if not perfected. I don't want to spend the extra money for the new one though, and I hope someone might be able to propose a solution (although I doubt such exists). Thank you very much.
  • shiposhipo Member Posts: 9,148
    Hmmm, I'm not trying to sound sarcastic or anything, but I do think that it's just you. I've been monitoring and contributing on the 3-Series discussions for nearly eight years, and drove an E46 for over three of those years, and in that entire time, you are the only person that I can remember who has voiced any dissatisfaction regarding the position and angle of the steering wheel.

    FWIW, I also drive a mini-van, and I'm afraid I don't see the connection between its steering wheel and the steering wheel of any BMW (E46 or otherwise) that I've ever driven.

    Best Regards,
    Shipo
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 235,200
    I put mine in the full down position, while my wife drives it in the full up position.. Do I wish it came down a little farther? Yes.. but, compared to our FWD Hondas, it is a race car steering wheel vs. a bus steering wheel..

    I don't see it as being "near horizontal" either..

    Maybe try putting the seat up higher?

    regards,
    kyfdx

    Edmunds Price Checker
    Edmunds Lease Calculator
    Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!

    Edmunds Moderator

  • mbojilovmbojilov Member Posts: 7
    Shipo and Kyfdx,

    Of course I did exaggerate about the near-horizontal or minivan-like positioning of the steering wheel but it was just to illustrate the point. I do have mine in the full down position while my seat at its full high but still no good. Meanwhile when I look at other cars including the A4, the G35 and C-class they all seem to offer the more vertical positioning. I am not sure why BMW did it they way they did but it seems like the E90 has improved on it (although I am judging just from the outside; have not yet taken it for a test drive).

    All in all, it doesn't seem like there is a solution other than getting rid of it and getting something else :( . Thanks for your comments nevertheless.
  • blueguydotcomblueguydotcom Member Posts: 6,249
    I'm flat out speechless regarding the steering wheel thing.
  • amt7565amt7565 Member Posts: 165
    It sure is exciting! Good luck and hope you enjoy the car for years to come ;)
  • jamesspotjamesspot Member Posts: 57
    This surprised me, too. With my legs, I need to drive with the wheel up and out in order to have room underneath to properly actuate the brake. I'm surprised that the wheel isn't low enough for someone.
  • gordonwdgordonwd Member Posts: 337
    I'm flat out speechless regarding the steering wheel thing.

    Blueguy speechless? Now that renders me speechless! :D
  • kominskykominsky Member Posts: 850
    Congrats on the car! Just remember that making a turn by slamming it off a berm isn't as effective in a BMW as on a CR/YZ/KX/RM. :)
  • paulepaule Member Posts: 382
    Blueguy speechless? Now that renders me speechless!

    ROTFLMAO!
  • beemerbabebeemerbabe Member Posts: 2
    hee hee hee YA GOT THAT RIGHT!!!! : O )
    Kind of like comparing apples and oranges!!!!

    The only thing i HATE about the new BMW is that i'm so obsessive/compulsive about clean, that i try to dodge the bugs and dust and gravel and pollution ha ha...................i use Meguiars to "bathe" it - you don't wash a car like ours ha ha and i bought thier latest 'generation Xtreme' wax and i've put on two coats already.........extra heavy on the hood and front cos that gets the brunt of the flying debris.........................Anyway, we got to drive it on a WONDERFUL trip this last weekend, and it performed beautifully................it is a bit rough, but the sports package makes it that way............hence the beautiful cornering!!!! : 0 )

    Happy Beeming!!!
    ;)
  • div2div2 Member Posts: 2,580
    Bimmer= BMW Automobile
    Beemer= BMW Motorcycle
  • 330blast330blast Member Posts: 49
    I need to replace my brakes (pads and rotors, both front and rear). Dealer quotes are all around $1000 (may get 20% discount from CCA membership), which is quite clear a rip-off as I recall that Shipo (or someone else) DIY for only $250.
    Can someone recommend a good independent shop in SF bay area (south bay to mid peninsula)? I hope to either get some significant savings or with similar money, get higher grade parts.

    Thanks,
  • sunilbsunilb Member Posts: 407
    I've haven't had to get anything done yet, except oil changes but someone recommended Palo Alto Bimmer (on Alma St, I believe). I had my last oil change there and they seemed to be okay.

    There's also Ray's Ultimate in Mtn. View [raysultimate.com], and Phaedrus in SF.

    Also, check out www.iaibmwsp.com-- supposed to be a list of reputable shops.

    Please let us know where you end up and your experience.
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 235,200
    Awww... div2.. you had to go and blow it for her.. she already has the screen name and everything...

    I wasn't going to say anything, but I knew it was coming...

    Edmunds Price Checker
    Edmunds Lease Calculator
    Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!

    Edmunds Moderator

  • dl7265dl7265 Member Posts: 1,381
    It was a rare day when someone referred to my Bimmer as a Bimmer not a Beemer. My standard reply is I don't drive a motorcycle. Then I get the dumbfounded look. i think we all wish that 90210 show never existed. Gave performance drivers the "im going to Rodeo drive to get a manicure"..Ggrr

    DL
  • shiposhipo Member Posts: 9,148
    Interesting bit of trivia...

    Back when I was working on the MB-USA customer service system, I was working with the database of every known MB car in North America, along with all known owners, lessees, drivers and addresses for each car. When sorted by zip code, the top two zip codes with cars came up as 90210 and 10021 (Upper east side of Manhattan). I always found that odd. Why? Well, 90210 really didn't surprise me that much, but 10021? I mean 'really', I used to live at 59th and Madison (right smack in the middle of 10021), and to this day I still cannot understand where all of those cars were parked. All I can figure is that each of the parking garages in the area (and there really weren't all that many) must have been chock full 'Cs' and 'Es' and 'Ss'.

    Best Regards,
    Shipo
  • 530ir1150r530ir1150r Member Posts: 263
    Could the MBs in 10021 be commercially owned and be spread out all over the country or parked in Conn. as an employee benefit?
  • shiposhipo Member Posts: 9,148
    Hmmm, interesting thought. I sort of doubt it simply because other than a few couture salons (such as Valentino's main U.S. offices and showroom), a dozen or so foreign Consulates, and the usual array of store fronts, this area of Manhattan is primarily residential. If I remember correctly, 10021 has its southern terminus at about 59th street, which is roughly the northern terminus of the Midtown East business district. Having said that, I seem to recall that 10022 and 10019 (Midtown East and Midtown West) were both in the top ten as well, and while they have some residential areas, they are primarily business, as in Rockefeller Center, Radio City Music Hall, Carnegie Hall and the northern end of the Theater District.

    Best Regards,
    Shipo
  • shiposhipo Member Posts: 9,148
    I'm thinking that my statement about Midtown being "primarily business" is not quite correct. I should have said that that area of Manhattan has a pretty high percentage of very high end corporate business.

    Best Regards,
    Shipo
  • dl7265dl7265 Member Posts: 1,381
    So your stats would have reflected if they were all corporate lease car's for example ?
  • shiposhipo Member Posts: 9,148
    Lease/purchase, it didn't matter. We had all of the addresses applicable to every car (with a considerable amount of them being leased, although I don't remember the split). FWIW, it's been nearly ten years since I worked on that system, but if I remember correctly, the name and address information was for the actual person who was the primary lessee and not the company it was leased to.

    Best Regards,
    Shipo
  • albellalbell Member Posts: 185
    I live in NYC and work in the 10021 area. Consider also that the zip encompasses the UN and many embassies, all of which seem to have multiple MB's parked outside at all times. Between all of the corporate and diplomatic domiclies in the area, I wouldn't find it all that unusual for that time, or the present.

    I do see a lot more MB's in the republic of the Upper West Side now than in years past, though, but Volvos and Subi's still rule here. :)
  • shiposhipo Member Posts: 9,148
    The UN is in 10021? Err, I'm pretty sure that 10021 stops within a few streets of 59th street, and the last time I checked, the UN building was down around Tudor City, something like 46th street if memory serves correctly. Isn't the zip code down there 10017?

    Best Regards,
    Shipo
  • memphis10memphis10 Member Posts: 161
    Shipo -

    Do you work for the U.S. postal service? :confuse:
  • derfoderfo Member Posts: 36
    Nobody works at the USPS!!!
  • albellalbell Member Posts: 185
    Yes, it's near Tudor City/10017, and without doing any checking, the UN may actually have its own zip code, in addition to its own reality. The point I was making was not about the location of that body, per se, but what might have accounted for the large number of MB's.
  • shiposhipo Member Posts: 9,148
    Got it! ;-)

    Best Regards,
    Shipo
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 235,200
    10017 is the zip code for the street address... Not sure if they have their own post office zip code, though....

    Edmunds Price Checker
    Edmunds Lease Calculator
    Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!

    Edmunds Moderator

  • erickplerickpl Member Posts: 2,735
    or am I just the piano man... I dunno. :)

    -Paul
  • dl7265dl7265 Member Posts: 1,381
    HA no kidding !
  • grantchstrgrantchstr Member Posts: 371
    http://www.unhp.org/crg/indy-maps-manhatzip.html

    The Upper East Side - the most expensive area of real estate in the USA, including 5th Avenue overlooking Central Park and Park Avenue etc.? (before I hear any crap about 90210 or whatever remember Manhattan is vertical real estate so multimillion dollar properties are stacked one on top of the other (not my taste in living however!). And you wont SEE them parked as they are all (valet) parked in inside carparks. Of course the MB like the BMW is actually a wanna-bee car, my really rich friends drive Aston Martins.
  • adleradler Member Posts: 2
    Do you know if that works for a 2002 330I as well. I tried it and everything is as you describe it but it still does not reset.

    Thanks.
  • adleradler Member Posts: 2
    Anyone know how to reset the oil indicator on the 330i. I tried what other posters wrote about holding the trip reset button but it did not work for me. Either I am doing something wrong or there is another method.
  • beta23beta23 Member Posts: 15
    I have a 2002 325xi and i want my MP3 player (not an IPOD) hooked up to my car. I have read other forums about blitzsafe or what not, but where do I get that and would my dealer install it for me?
  • erickplerickpl Member Posts: 2,735
    Yeah mine is a 2002 325xi. It works just fine. I had to do it a couple of times the first time through because I kept messing up. It does work. Just try it a few more times and you'll get it. :)

    -Paul

    beta, check with your local audio shops. They'd be the best ones to work with. Deal with one who sells reputable brands like Alpine, Kenwood, MBQuart, Kicker, etc. They should be able to help you and probably order the stuff you need.
  • grantchstrgrantchstr Member Posts: 371
    I want to plug in my iPod to the system ..... anyone done that conversion - does that require any software addition?
  • spiveygbspiveygb Member Posts: 18
    I'm considering an '03 325i w/ 20K for $24900 (no options). Not a great deal but I really like the car. However, I would like to get some comments from actual owners about the costs of actually owning a bimmer. I've heard the spectrum of answers from friends such as "it will be in the shop a lot and it costs a ton of money to have it serviced" to "it's no worse than any other car." The problem is they are going on hearsay and not actual experience. Thanks.
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 235,200
    For 4yrs/50K from the original in-service date, you won't pay anything for repairs or maintenance.. all is included.. You will only pay for tires.

    After that... not sure.. I've got an '03, but only at 2 years old and 29K miles...

    Edmunds Price Checker
    Edmunds Lease Calculator
    Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!

    Edmunds Moderator

  • spiveygbspiveygb Member Posts: 18
    Have you had any issues with it? Are you satisfied with the car? As I said the one I'm looking at is pretty bare bones in that there aren't any options pkgs., etc.
  • hgeyerhgeyer Member Posts: 188
    I recently completed a DYI iPod adapter installation - it works great. Below are some of the best instructions available. You need to have an E46 with the "Business CD" radio, no CD Changer or Nav System. You can buy the part at www.Bavauto.com, but I've seen them on Ebay as well.

    http://m3.madrussian.net/diy_ipod.shtml

    Also, no software update is required for the E46 or iPod.
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 235,200
    I've had a couple of sensors go out... Not much of an issue, as all covered under warranty..

    I have to say that $24,900 would be a little high for a lightly-optioned car.. It should be loaded for that price..

    And, I love the car... It is my wife's daily driver.... very cool..

    regards,
    kyfdx

    Edmunds Price Checker
    Edmunds Lease Calculator
    Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!

    Edmunds Moderator

  • gordonwdgordonwd Member Posts: 337
    I notice that the discussion names have been changed to maintain two separate groups for pre-E90 vs. E90. I think that this is a good idea since there will be a lot of activity in the E90 group as soon as people start taking delivery of their new cars, so this group will still be here for those of us with the old, obsolete E46s and such ;) .
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    Very observant of you! :)
  • blueguydotcomblueguydotcom Member Posts: 6,249
    My 03 330i has been in two for what I consider major breakdowns - they have the car for at least one entire day.

    1. Broken emergency brake - it never worked right from the day I bought the car.
    2. Broken ignition coils - engine was running rough and then essentially died.
Sign In or Register to comment.