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Comments
Again thanks for the advice.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
These are the type of establishments who bring you in twice and really do not replace anything (because it ain't broke) and charge you anyway. Wouldn't be surprised if he oiled up the shock housing and showed you it leaked!
Need a new mechanic.
Regards,
OW
Regards,
OW
I checked some sites that sell OEM quality parts; assuming you own an E46, the control arms will run $130-$180 per side. The bushings will $82-$150 per pair. If you are a BMW CCA member many dealers and independent shops will offer 10%-20% discounts on parts and/or labor. Find a good independent BMW tech and you should be able to get the parts installed for under $600.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
I'd put my money on the expansion tank-AKA resevoir-being cracked. It's a common problem on sixes with 100K or more on the clock. It's a relatively cheap and easy fix. Just don't overheat the engine again- unless you want to R&R the head gasket(and possibly the cylinder head as well).
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
Regards,
Kirk
I dont understand why that is the case. But, anyway, they installed a new headlamp unit and it is working fine now. I am trying to figure out if it better to use the automatic setting on the headlamp or not! I asked the service mgr the same question, and he said that leaving it in auto mode is better and this should not happen again.
br
manualguy
If you don't leave it in automatic, then it won't swivel.. they are fixed forward..
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Well now, ain't that annoying. As I understand it, Xenon headlight assemblies have a lifespan that is calculated more by on/off cycles than hours of operation. With that in mind, I always kept my Xenons off of the "Automatic" setting as they had a tendency to turn on and off all too often (i.e. shady street, tunnel, overpass...). Hmmm, I suppose that means that I could simply switch them to "A" when I want them on.
Best Regards,
Shipo
I never use the auto setting... I don't seem to achieve any real-world advantages from the swiveling... and since our DRLs are activated, I don't have any need for the automatic part, either..
When I need the lights, I turn them on.... When I stop, I turn them off.. just like the last 33 years...
(my wife loves the auto setting... go figure)
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"My front end seems to have a shimmy, and when I go over a bump, I hear a clunk."
That will get them to check the front control arms and bushings...
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Thanks for your time.
I am bring the car in tomorrow and frankly with my recent experience, I had no confidence in this new dealership (they just bought out the old one). Particularly I have concern with its honesty. Can anyone of you come up with some hypotheses of this problem? The car is only at 45000 miles and have been always serviced by the dealership before. I have only driven 45 miles since the services performed. TIA.
I've test-driven a 2000 323ci at a small used-car dealership. It has 97K miles. Steptronic, Sport and Premium, etc. Very clean inside and out. Tires in good shape. Engine smooth and responsive - compared better than expected. Tested alignment highway taking hands off wheel and car tracked straight. Handling on a fast run around highway exit ramp seemed good. However, going over a patch of rough pavement, the bumps felt harsher than I expected. I've checked enough forum posts to be aware of subframe issues, especially with coupes. The salesman says he does not have ownership / maintenance history on the car.
He wants $13K. The KBB is $15,140.
Should I pursue purchasing this car, if it checks out OK in an inspection?
Is there a way to find out the car's history through the VIN?
If I can't discover it's history, and the subframe, etc. checks out ok, are there still enough unknowns to make purchasing an extended warranty a good idea (not normally a fan of these)?
In short, am I taking a big maintenance risk here, or should I be ok, if car checks out?
Were I in your shoes I'd either be looking for a car with a 5-Speed or a 328i/328ci.
Best Regards,
Shipo
Thanks for responding. The dealer is offering a visual and a laser-based inspection of the subframe at least. As for the manual option, my son only knows automatic. My old 1980 528i was a manual and it sure was blast so drop it into 3rd at 60 and floor it on the highway - woohoo as they say.
So the 328 did not have the reverse gear failure problem? Any feeling as to how likely this failure is on a car w 97K that's been checked out by a mechanic - any signs he might spot that are a 'tell' for this? Or am I just rolling the dice? Would this make buying an extended maintenance contract a must?
Again, thanks.
Were I in your shoes, I'd be teaching my son how to drive a stick or looking for either a 2000 328ci or a 2001 (or later) 325ci (I've not heard of any significant level of problems with either of these).
Best Regards,
Shipo
My thirteen year old son will learn to drive my Wrangler stick this summer.
Either that or I'll disown him.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
Best Regards,
Shipo
If no, you are within a year of a $5000 or more problem
Reverse WILL fail on that car, and mine failed at 102,000 miles.
Good Luck
Gerry
Thanks for any help.
Regards,
Kirk
My 2002 BMW 325CI has not started 5 different times in the last three months. In three of those cases the car started 10 to 15 minutes later. Once it would not start for 2 days. After the second incident, I took it to the dealer and they could not find anything wrong with the vehicle, nor was there a code indicating a problem. Unfortunately it has happened a few times since. The power seems to work as radio and lights come on. When we we raised the front hood, the engine seemed to make a hiss when we tried to start it, but did not start to turn over at all.
My car has 53,000 miles and I live in the upper midwest.
Any ideas?
Is this a computer issue, does it need to be reset :confuse: ???
Thanks for your help in advance.
Take it to your local BMW dealer.
Regards,
OW
Thank you,
Zico97
Thanks,
Zico97
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
And it doesn't work when a call is made using bluetooth. FYI my LG phone worked fine before "Net Search" came up. On the screen, everything appears fine when it's compared with my other phone which is paired up.
I tried to delete my LG and re-pair and "Net Serach" doesn't go away.
Any thoughts?
Reset bluetooth software? then how to reset? I haven't found add info in the manual either.
Thanks!
My service engine soon light came on. I took the car to Autozone to have the code read. It came back with a lean condition in bank #2. The guy there told me that this code usually means one or more O2 sensors need replacing. Since BMW calls for O2 sensors to be replaced at 100K miles and mine are still the originals, I have no problem replacing them all and have already ordered them from Bavauto.com. However, the printout from AutoZone also lists MAF sensor as a possibility.
Looking through the Bentley manual, there are codes specific for O2 sensors. My questions are:
If the problem is really with the O2 sensors, why wouldn't the more specific code have come up?
Would BMW shop's OBDII reader give a more specific code than a generic reader from AutoZone?
Is there any other way to pinpoint exactly what the problem is when faced with a fairly vague reading?
Again, based on the milage of the car and the lack of $$ put into fixing things so far, I have no issue shelling out the gappy to fix whatever, but on the flip side, I have no desire to spend my money unnecessarily either.
Thanks!
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
Regards,
OW
Initially I didn't put the two events together, but do you guys think that a missing oil cap could cause a lean condition? Something with the crankcase venting? I'm well beyond my automotive knowledge here and merely guessing... please be kind if I'm way off base!
Oh, btw, I'm not sure how yet, but I'm positive I will come up with a way to blame my wife for the missing filler cap.
Best Regards,
Shipo
As for the wife, I will not blame her to her face since she'll know it's a lie and likely attack. I just need something to tell the guys so I can retain my ~cool~ factor. :shades: