Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Options
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
Can anyone recommend a dealer/service dept in the Toronto/Mississauga area? Perhaps one that can loan me a 6-cyl so I have something to aspire to in a couple of years?
re-assurance from what the dealer told me as well as what I read in the owner's manual
1) Oil changes - Once every 12-15k miles ??
Anyone with '00 models that followed the "recommended" maintainence schedule ??
If so, notice any loss of performance ??
2) Anyone install a K&N air filter ?? If so, did it help ??
I did drive S4. It is a very nice car. I was leaning towards it after I test drove a 330xi with automatic. But once I drove the manual 330xi, I fell in love with it.
I am still having problem with my car. Last week, my dealer replaced the clutch and the fuel pump. It is better now, but I am not sure whether it is as good as it was. I still feel subtle vibrations when it is idling. I am not sure whether it is my imagination. Would it be possible to entertain me in your car for about 15 - 30 minutes. I would like to compare it before I further harass my dealer as well as BMWNA. If you could, I would appreciate it. I live in Baltimore. I assume you live in DC.
Thanks
I imagine you're going to hear MANY different opinions on this one. I, personally, will NOT go 15K miles between oil changes. I intend to do mine at 7.5K intervals, with BMW picking up the tab for the one's the computer recommends. I may, in reality, be wasting my time and money, but the I'll feel much better erring to the side of too many changes instead of not enough.
For winter tires, wider is not better. I guess the M wheels are 7.5" wide front and 8.5" rear. For snow tires, you probably want 7J17 wheels on all four. You may not find any 8.5 wide snow tires in any case.
I may be in the same situation soon. My 330 coming in October, but with the regular alloy rims. Please keep me inform of what you find.
It never happened to me when I was in my light green accord, at least not 6 in a row... maybe my car "looks" fast. : )
The K&N filter will do little, if any, for your car's performance without the entire CAI (cold air intake). Total cost is $250 and up.
DO NOT wax the "Flat" black trim and/or painted surfaces, such as the flat black painted trim between the windows on the sedan. There are products used to treat this trim, maybe someone on the board can recommend a product. I have a hard time removing fingerprints from this flat trim.
Just finished install on my amp & Bazooka. Stunning difference. My total out of pocket was around $300. I hadn't fully considered how I could turn the bass down on the head unit (the amps signal is not affected) thus relieving the factory speakers from frequencies they couldn't cope with (which, in theory, shouldn't happen anyway in any car with an external amp w/crossovers!). Bazooka tube can be removed in about one minute should I ever need all the trunks space. I'll have the mp3 side finished tomorrow, so look for some pics soon!
In addition, if you're a detailing zealot like me, cut off the edges of the towel and surge the edges, this will remove the possibility of scratching do to the fancy edging on most towels.
Also, the plusher the towel, the better. The best I've found so far are Charisma towels.
Between work and a family vacation to the Outer Banks in North Carolina (OBX), I have not even been able to be in lurk mode for two or three weeks. A couple of items:
Dunde,
In my car, I only hear the "Clicking" noise when I have the signal set one way and the wheel is being turned the other beyond straight. As an example, when approaching my home, I have to turn left at the apex of a right hand curve. I normally activate my left signal prior to the curve, and then proceed around the curve to the right. My BMW simply clicks away without canceling the left signal, however, our Minivan in the same situation will cancel the signal and you must then re-activate it. I suspect that the clicking that you hear is a "Ratcheting" mechanism to prevent the canceling of the signal.
Brave1heart,
How is the steering retrofit?
Guru,
Thanks on the "Heads Up" on the Klasse ALL-IN-ONE, I ordered the 1 liter size from classic-accessories.com for $34.95.
Interesting item of curiosity department:
Does the climate control system on the E46 shut all vents into the car when it is turned off? When I turn mine off, I hear "vent activation noises" from the dash, and recently I have noticed that when I get into my car in the morning, the interior is still cool and dry when compared the air in my garage. In fact, after being on vacation and not driving my 328i for 10 days, the air in my car was still dry with just a hint of leather smell.
Best Regards,
Shipo
I drove a 328 today. It was heavier, but not as quick. It's a tradeoff. Probably the 2002 steering will be the best of both worlds.
My issue has always been the right left imbalance, with the left being too light for my tastes. But no one has an answer for that --- except maybe now that Shipo's (welcome) back -- other than to do the retro.
The 328 I drove was a coupe. With 40k on it it made a lot of noise. The rigidity of the sedan seems better.
Also, has anyone here ordered from a local reseller or do most of you just purchase direct?
I have a 1995 Nissan Maxima with 112k miles. My car care routine for the past 7 years has consisted of approximately bi-weekly washing with Palmolive or Dawn (takes 15 minutes, 20 if my 6 year old rinses, 30 if my 3-year old does). Every 3 months or so, I wax with Meguiar's Hi-Tech Yellow Wax #26 (takes 1 hour +/-). The car has been parked outside since new (that's D.C. for you, $500k+ early 1900's houses without garages). Under all these self inflicted and environmental conditions, the finish of the car ("ruby" color) looks virtually brand new.
I'm likely to be getting a new car in the winter/early spring. (Now #2 on the list for a 2002 M3; high on the list for a C32; also considering a 330/530/540). While I'm looking forward to "upgrading" my mode of transportation, I'm not sure I want to increase my maintenance and care responsibilities beyond what I (and my wife) already consider "near-anal". And I definitely don't want to feel guilty for possibly damaging my $40-$55k+ car with the same Palmolive product that "Madge" used to "soften hands" a couple of decades ago.
So what's up with all this Zany and Klasse and other stuff? Are BMW finishes more fragile than Nissan's?
P.S. I have also never, ever, had to take my Maxima in for repairs or maintenance other than routine service, which in 7 years and 112k miles has cost a grand total of about $3,800 including 2 sets of new tires and new front brake pads at 95k miles.
The Maxima is no BMW and I know I would enjoy the driving experience of an M/3/5 series (or an AMG). But I don't want to spend any less time with my family or more time at the dealership. Am I being unrealistic? Have you all had to make this trade-off?
As for the Dawn, I would reccommend it for the first time only before starting the Zaino process. It will strip off all wax buildup and leave your car's paint surface squeeky clean. From then on, I plan on using the Z7 wash when needed and continue with the normal Zaino process.
Should be taking delivery of my 330i this week. Woohoo!!
Did you upgrade the speakers? Did you start with the standard stereo or the HK upgrade? Also, is it simple to add external amps to the standard head unit?
I'm planning on buying a '02 325i and I would like an excellent audio setup. I plan on listening to the HK upgrade and checking with the local car audio store to see what they can do for an upgrade. You can buy a lot of stereo for $650! I would like to leave the head unit in place since another unit would look silly.
-Murray
I haven't done ANY waxing/polishing on my previous car, but I'm planning to take good care of my new 325i, and I hope I can learn some good tips from you guys. Thanks.
If the Bosch has now failed twice, it sounds to me like you've got bigger problems than the fan. Of course, that's just a guess on my part. Good luck.
http://www.geocities.com/~dawgstats/e46/
1. anyone seen or own a phoenix yellow mettalic, and if so can I come and look at it (I live in upstate NY, but will travel)
2. should I buy the hard top for the winter
3. how quiet or loud is it with the top up at highway speeds
Thanks in advance.
Jason
This should keep me occupied for a good half hour :>
My question is this: does the car come with wax on it when you take delivery? I have not waxed it myself, and thus I don't have to use Dawn to strip away any wax unless it came with wax on it when I took delivery.
Anyone know?
Whenever I ask my salesman (so far a good experience) about installing a CD player on my own (or non-BMW installed) or alarm or anything of that nature, he always begins with "If you do that it'll void the warranty..."
Is this really true? Whats the REAL DEAL?
thanks - stg
scholl: I've got a 2000 323 (wagon obviously) and I don't hear the sound you described from the dash, even though I specifically listened for it after reading your post. The whirring noise I do hear is the engine, but I'm sure you don't mean that...
stgreen: I have to agree with unboringuy. I can't speak about the alarm install, but for the CD changer there is only one simple electrical plug connection you have to make. Not much chance you'd get into warranty territory there.
All your questions can be answered there.
-Murray
I got this link from another board member from a few days ago. The all-in-one really is just that. It doesn't matter what's on the paint, whether it's new from the dealer (and there-fore well waxed(in theory!)) or if it's been car-washed for a year. If you have an older car with more severe build up of "hard" debris on the surface, Klasse will remove it but in that situation I would likely buy a small clay bar (or use one at work !!) for ease.
jk26 - click my name for my profile and email me with that question!
mschukar - My 330i was a May production and therefore had H.K. standard. I would not have ordered it if it were optional. I haven't changed any speakers. I've had all the different high-end speaker combinations available and, for my ears, the factory speakers perform quite well provided you don't ask them to reproduce lower frequencies at any medium to high volume. An after market sub-woofer doesn't have to take up half the trunk and totally transforms the whole listening experience. I scored an Xtant mono amp on eBay for $100 and I purchased my "didn't really need a 10 inch" Bazooka tube for $186. About $35 total in shipping. I'm friends with one of the owners at a local home theater shop who used do installs for 10 years. He put the amp in for free, but it only took an hour so I'd guess any local stereo place would do the same for around $50. Let's say you're not as cheap as me. I'm fairly sure the local Circuit City could supply and fit similar equipment for well under $400 all-in. That will certainly offer performance well in excess of the $675 H.K. option. If you're leasing and/or you don't mind paying a little more, factory H.K. AND the additional sub would definatley be best. Beyond that, you'd need to be spending around $2,500 - $3,500 at a decent stereo shop and entirely replace the factory audio equipment. As for installation, it's a breeze. The amp has 4 wires going in to it and what they need to be connected to is all in the trunk !! The factory amp, on both standard and H.K. cars is behind the panel on the left of the trunk. You can easily pick up the signals from the wires going into the amp for the remote turn-on and the audio signal. I'd have to look to see which ones they are. We only need one audio line as we're running mono. Then it's just pos. and ground! Any part of the cars metal body is ground, so just a short cable to either an existing nut/bolt combo or, as I did, screwed to the parcel shelf's underside. The battery is already in the trunk so it's not going to be too far from the amp. Then it's just the one line of speaker wire to the sub. Pictures to follow...
This is where I purchased my tube from. I got the RS104 (10 inch, 4 ohm). They have a link to Bazooka's home page at the top.
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1255468601
Not the most comfortable I've felt buying something on eBay! No pics, thin description and came to me in an USPS Priority Mail box with some screwed up newspaper for protection! But hey - it works !! I highly recommend trying to buy the same item, this model's frequently for sale there.
http://www.autopia-carcare.com/klassealtes.html
Some more info on Klasse.
http://www.properautocare.com/klasapguid.html
I wanted to edit the above post, but Edmunds edit feature will not permit a "word" greater than 17 characters in length. Odd.
The information on how to use to product is good.
I only have a few complaints about the 3 wagon.
1. It could really use a 6th gear. 1:1 in 5th gear means that 60mph comes at about 3000rpm, about the same as my old Integra. This impacts fuel economy and eventually can lead to increased wear. (oddly, the car seems to get better milage at 75 than at 60)
2. The continental sport contacts that come with the sports package chirp and squeal all too much for performance tires. Any suggestions for the eventual replacement? What tires have worked for you?
3. A combo CD/tape player should be standard in a car of this price range.
Other than those things, the car is perfect. Everything is intuitive, the controls are perfectly weighted, the handling is phenomenal. I love this car!
* Where is the definitive internet place to buy BMW products like mud flaps, all-weather trunk liner, rubber floor mats and things of the like for my new car?
* Also - what is 'fair' for installation of mud flaps. (I live in Western Mass and in a snowy area)
thanks -- stg
also - thanks for warranty info on electrical equip.