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Sorry board I just needed to vent some steam as the incident occured at the wrong time.
It looks great on the steel gray.
I LOVE this car.
I also got the alarm installed(talked the dealer down $100)and was wondering is there a way to lock the car without the alarm. I travel on a ferry to Connecticut frequently and too many alarms go off from the movement of the boat. Makes for an embarrassing announcent on the PA system.
Sorry, I don't have the manual handy at the moment.
It sounds like you need to order the car 3 months in advance and it takes 6-8 weeks for delivery from Europe.
My wife and I are thinking of doing this. Flights from Wisconsin to Munich are less than $500. Unfortunately, I don't think we want to go to Germany in the winter, so April might be the earliest we would go:-( Maybe I can use the delay to talk my wife into upgrading to a 330!
-Murray
Best Regards,
Shipo
We're looking into how small sport sedans are taking over the market. Seems that high fuel prices and the teetering economy have more people looking at smaller cars. But they don't want econoboxes! We're looking at the likes of the 3-Series BMW, C-Class Mercedes and Jaguar X-Type.
The ideal example for my story is someone who recently traded in a big luxury car for a smaller one--like a 7-Series for a 3-Series, or a big Jag for the new small one. Any help is much appreciated! Please post your comments in the Talk to the Press discussion or send them directly to jfallon@edmunds.com. Thanks as always.
Note - responses should be made only to the links provided above. Jeannine Fallon, the PR director, won't see them if you reply here.
Thanks!
Pat
Host
Sedans Message Board
330i - sports package
Fronts- 225/ 40 ZR 17
Back - 225/ 45 ZR 17
The dealer said this is impossible to have 40 on the front. Does anyone have these matching numbers on their new 330i.
Going to the dealer on tuesday
There was a miatia without any damage pulled over. I am thinking maybe he was coming up on it fast, swerved to go around it, and lost control. The driver looked relatively young and alert, so ruled out heart attack, lost of consciousness, or intoxication.
The damage didn't look severe enough for him to be traveling so fast, that it would be easy to loose control in emergency maneuver or that hard braking wouldn't have slowed down in time.
Best Regards,
Shipo
225/40 - ZR 17 on front and 45's on back.
25,000 miles on them and replacing them next week.
These were the original tires that were on the car when I picked it up at the dealer.
Can I use the mix up from the dealer to get a better deal on new tires(45's)?
Thanks for the help.
As far as getting a better deal because of the mis-match, HMMMM, I doubt it. You are probably better off getting a complete new set from TireRack (where tires in the 225/45-ZR17 size range from $106 to $217) than any other source. If you go back to your dealer, I suspect that even if he (she?) cuts you a "Deal", you will probably not do as well, but it is worth a shot. Keep us posted (pun intended).
Best Regards,
Shipo
Going for the same tires. Anything better on the market than conti's
Dealer quoted $225
You might also want to consider a tire like the Michelin Pilot HX MXM4 which is an all-season tire available in the 225/45 HR17 size. These tires are $168 at Tirerack.com and should last at least 35,000 to 40,000 with only a minimal loss in traction.
Best Regards,
Shipo
WIll let you know what happens.
i also wanted to add a dealer installed alarm. any idea how much it would cost?
Andrew
HIPPO168: any more problems?
I didnt pay attention to whether the shifter was "kicked out" after it went into 2nd, or I just didnt shift it all the way. But it certainly "felt" I had put it in 2nd. I don't know what the cause of that was.
any experience??
Coincidentally we just returned from a two week vacation in NC. We have a Yakima roof rack on our Isuzu Trooper. Our friends have essentially same rack system on a new 5-series. The wind noise was more noticable on the BMW, primarily because the rest of the car was so quiet. Definitely takes the fun out of opening the moonroof. My buddy took the rack off during the two weeks we were at the beach and put it back on when they were ready to leave.
My spec: 2001 330i, 5-sp, SP, PP, in-dash cd, heated seats, HK, rear shade, & half tank of gas (no cargo).
I did not opt for the SP, primarily to protect my rims (NYC potholes look like they were transplanted from the Al-Can hiway) and secondarily to get the all season tires as standard equipment.
During a normal 2-4 inch snow, the only problem I encountered were in climbing steep hills (I live not too far from the Appalachian Trail, so it is fairly hilly around here) in the snow. For what it is worth, my previous front wheel cars did little better on the same hills in similar conditions.
The hardest time to drive is when the snow is at least 6 inched deep OR when the snow is wet and heavy. For the most part, there has been maybe only one day that I would have driven my previous FWD car (1995 Passat GLX) and not the 328i.
One last item, DO NOT turn off the DSC in the snow unless you have lots of room between you and disaster (like a nice big snow covered parking lot). I tried it coming up the hill on my street earlier this year on a day when we had >6 inches of very heavy snow (with at least 3 inches still on the road), and the car snapped into a spin so fast, I barely had time to catch it.
Best Regards,
Shipo
Meg - I would have thought your Civic and Accord both used mast antennae. That's where the radio signal is collected. In the BMW, those vertical lines in the back window (right where the tint is!) are the antennae.
Denright - Do you have a sport package? If you have a later 330 sedan w/out SP it will have the trim.
And in conclusion of the on going debate on titanium head light trim......
Please people, it is not my guess or opinion that sport sedans don't have it, it is a fact. I know, several months ago, I'd speculated on the reasons why some did and others didn't but I have read the actual BMW bulletin on the subject. Granted I don't recall the specific date (early May production, possibly late April) but really, 330i Sport Sedans DO NOT HAVE TITANIUM TRIM !!!!!!!
Now can we please, PLEASE stop the trim topic !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you all for being such good listeners!
Anticipation is killing me...
I've been reading this board quite intently since ordering, and gained alot of knowledge, so thanks to everyone!
Windshield wipers: Are all 325i windshield wipers speed sensitive? I thought that only the PP wipers were? I do not have PP on my wagon and it has speed sensitive wipers. Of course, the wagon has all sorts of little things, like upgraded lighting, that justify its premium over the sedan.
Speaker rattle: Does anybody else have a little speaker rattle from the FRONT speakers? I noticed that during some especially complex classical recordings I get some buzzing from the left front tweeter. However, this only happens with the radio or certain CD's, never with tapes. The dealer thought that it was due to my CD player/adapter combo (no CD changer yet...saving up for that). However, when I used the same player/adapter on one of their loaner cars we could not duplicate the problem, which I did duplicate on my car's system. Ideas anybody?
Missing shifts: The only gear I seem to miss is 4th gear. It's actually rather disconserting, especialy when downshifting at high speeds.
Speaking for downshifting: Anybody else notice that the 325 does not engine break well unless you get the revs over 3500 rpm? I'm not sure why, but downshifting into 4th when going 60mph gets me little or no engine breaking. I have to go to 3rd gear for any significant breaking. Is this because of the engine managment program or because the rolling resistance of the car is so low?
Conti Sport Contacts: Are they unidirectional? I noticed the other day that the tires are not mirror images but actually seem to be identical from the back, as if right and left have the exact same tire. All tires have "outside" printed in the outside of the tires, though. Spekaing of the Conti's, anybody else take part in the Susan B. Korman Ultimate drive? They replaced all the Conti's with Michelin Pilots.
Milage: What kind of milage are ya'll making in daily mixed driving? I have yet to break the 25mpg mark. I usually drive mixed highway and traffic. Highway is a mix of 60mph and 80mph driving, but is consistent regardless of speed.
Maybe if Edmunds ever gets a search capability, we will be able to find the post.
Best Regards,
Shipo
Water = 8lbs per gallon
Diesel = 7lbs per gallon
Gasoline = 6lbs per gallon
Prior to my lessons, I just assumed that gas (and diesel) weighed about as much as water. An interesting side note; since the fuel load on an airplane counts as part of the "useful load", when you are loading a plane, more gas means less stuff (like passengers). With me so far? Diesel fuel, even though it weighs more by volume than AvGas, it has more power per pound than said AvGas. What this means in the real world is that if you take two otherwise identical airplanes one with a 200HP gas engine and the other with a 200HP diesel, the diesel will be able to carry a greater useful load the same distance as the more lightly loaded gasoline powered aircraft.
Sorry about the tangent gang, back on topic.
Best Regards,
Shipo
They performed a "Brake System Flush"; I assume by this that they completely replaced the brake fluid in the car. I found that interesting because most companies simply recommend you top off your fluid every so often and some recommend a fluid replacement when a brake job is done. I guess BMW wants to make sure that our cars are ready for autocross anytime, anywhere. ;-)
They performed a "Suspension Diag", and then it says "Check Clunck in F/E, Ordered 2 Front Control Arms and Bushings". Hmmm, I never asked them to check for a clunk in the front end, I have never heard one or felt one, and even now that I am trying to hear it/feel it, I cannot. I wonder if their test equipment is so sensitive that it can feel a clunk that has not yet "clunked"? Either that or BMW has decided to retro all early production E46s (mine was 12/1998) with the heavy steering with the Light-Light steering that is being taken out of the early 2001 models. :-( I guess they just want to share the wealth. ;-)
Best Regards,
Shipo
Congratulations on your rating, my hat is off to you.
With a full time consulting business, a wife who is an executive over at Liz Claiborne (ie. long hours), two children, working part time at another business that I own with my mother (I look at it as her retirement policy) and attempting to get my patented ergonomic computer mouse into production and raise enough VC money for marketing, I have not yet gotten my ticket punched. I envy you that you have gotten so far.
Meanwhile, I am lusting after a 1954 Cessna 170 taildragger (still in highly polished bare "Duraluminum" with dark green accent paint) at my local strip.
Happy landings.
Best Regards,
Shipo
Everyone else - sorry to be so off-topic. If anyone ever has the chance to have a friend take them for a spin (not literally, ideally) around your local area, I highly recommend it! I'll avoid such non-BMW subject as best I can. At least until I get a multi-engine rating or such like!
In theory, because brake fluid absorbs moisture from the air, it can become dangerously unable to withstand heat over time, as it becomes more diluted. In practice, in a mild climate like most of the USA, this is a virtually non-existent problem, but it doesn't cost much to be safe.
I'm not sure where you are going when you ask about unidirectional tires but from recent experience (this spring), I would not recommend cross-rotating any radial tires. I had a set of Mischlen XSEs on a Mazda 626 (60/40 weight distribution) for 3 1/2 years and put on about 65,000 (my wife drives a lot) while "rotating" tires front to rear on the same side about once a year. When I had the front brake pads and disk replaced and rear brake pads checked for wear, I had the tires cross-rotated. The resulting ride was very harsh and noisy -- like you were riding a a road with a pebbly surface. Given the tires previous smooth, cushioned ride and the now-smooth and cushioned ride with a set of MX4s, I will never cross-rotate any radial tire again.
Speaker rattle,
I have not experienced speaker rattle on my 325xi wagon at any volume. I would pull the grill and make sure that speaker mounting hardware is tight.
4WD wagon mileage,
I ride to work on two lane, 40mph max roads for about 16 miles with about 10 lights or heavy-traffic crossings where I have to either slow down or stop and get about 26.5 mph. When driving to Buffalo this summer, I clocked 29.5 mpg on the Mass Pike and NYS Thruway at about 74mph. Admittedly, I'm rather light on the accelerator 90% of the time but have about two merges where I press hard.
Wipers,
I believe that when the wipers on all 325's are set to continuous (2nd notch) and you stop, they become intermittent. Other than that, I have not observed any other speed sensitivity.
Most cars have a thin, dome seal as part of their cap assembly on the master cylinder reservoir. This seal isolates air above the fluid inside the reservoir from outside air. When you leak fluid past brake seals, fluid in the reservoir replaces this lost fluid while air, inside the dome seal, replaces the reservoir's fluid. Outside air is allowed in the other side of the dome seal to allow it to move but this vented air never makes contact with the brake fluid.
Unfortunately, the car I was driving at the time did not have this seal so that over a two-year period, outside air with its moisture reached the brake fluid in the reservoir. On a particularly hot day after about 1/2 hours of expressway driving, absorbed moisture in the brake lines expanded enough to push brake fluid back into the master cylinder. My first brake petal application only replaced that fluid in the lines; a second (panic-filled) application applied the brakes and re-started my heart and breathing.
Not knowing the cause and without any mushy-brake symptoms, I drove timidly for about a week with solid brakes until another hot day repeated the experience, although this time I was prepared since I would test-pump the brakes before each application. Needless to say, I replaced the brake fluid every year after that and never had a problem.
I believe BMW uses a reservoir seal (my 1972 had one) so I am surprised with the maintenance action that replaced brake fluid.
Contis are non-directional but assymetric.