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Comments
Just did it yesterday BTW (90 exactly last evening in Boston) - I was going (don't ask) with ALL the windows rolled down and Gypsy Kings (no comments, please) blasting from the H-K.
make sure to play the movie, you will enjoy it!
Oh...can anybody tell me if the personal map lights in front/back with the twin red beam map lights in front is part of the light upgrade?
I will pick up an order BMW in a couple of months and would appreciate hearing your experiences or opinions! m
I'm curious about your Post 5455- who's meatloaf2 and what did he say about my boys?
I've no idea what that Larry post was - I just thought of a funny response and blurted it out. It reminded me a lot of "Dave Barry in Cyberspace". He was describing how he was in an "intimate" on-line chat with Candy (or some similar name) as some hormone-crazed teenager jumped from nowhere and went like "Anybody here from Texas?"
Hope you've enjoyed your car, because it will be mine in the settlement!
OK, I'm sorry. Although you may not have any hair left on your head, I think the hair that sticks out of your ears is very stylish ;o)
jnscheong
You'll have to pay extra for ambiance lighting if you get the 325i or 325xi. It's part of the Premium Package, and not available as a stand-alone option.
http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2001-06-07-xenon.htm
Fancy lighting is standard on the station wagons as well.
I wonder who came up with 115 characters? Good thing that we're not writing in German...we could make up all sorts of LONG new words that actually make some kinda sense...like panzerkamfwagon
The Gypsy Kings also come to Chicago every year. They usually play at our outdoor summer festival (yeah...90 degree weather and all), Ravinia. It's pretty cool. They sing in Spanish...but aren't all that popular there. I don't believe that their French. Ipso facto...Basque!
Congratulations to those of you have gotten your cars over the last week!!!!!
brave1heart; the Gypsy Kings??? Yikes!! I'm surprised those kinds of CD's don't melt when put near Judas Priest CDs. :-)
Steering fix; Last week I gave my preliminary assessment of the steering retro done on my car. After a full week, I stand by everything I originally said... if you have the bad-bad steering or even just the bad steering, I can say with nearly 100% confidence that you will not regret getting the retro done if you choose to do so. There's only one downside about it that I've heard and that is that some people think it makes the front end FEEL heavier... I haven't noticed that.
Fuel Consumption; I managed to get 34.2 MPG driving home from work yesterday (330Ci, 36 mile commute) at an average speed of 73MPH... wow! I checked again coming to work this morning and got 32MPG (average 69.? MPH). These numbers are based on the OBC, so I assume they are reasonably accurate. In both cases, I reset the speed and MPG after merging onto the highway, so they represent best case numbers. Despite the fact that my average speed was fairly high (posted 55MPH), I made all throttle movements with the intention of maximizing MPG. I even ignored a challenge from 3 kids in a PT Cruiser (what were they thinking?!) Actually it was a pretty boring way to drive... I think I'll deal with 27 MPG and go back to my normal style of driving.
kominsky - Hope you didn't miss the fact that our beloved Odysseys claimed C&D's best van award, along with triumphing in the Edmunds van comparo. We have good taste in vehicles, my friend.
I'm still awaiting my 330i. It was put on a truck in South Carolina on Tuesday, and had an ETA of Thursday, but still hasn't shown up as of today. Must be the Houston floods...
Sold my Z3 yesterday. It was a sad day indeed, and I will miss it dearly. :-(
Haven't had as much time to frequent the boards now that I'm not sitting at my office all day. I gotta tell ya though - I could really get used to this lifestyle...
does anyone kniw the exact part number for the retifit steering?
Its late here (past midnight) and I just got in after having picked up at 5.45 pm today.....so you can tell.......!!
Lemme gather my thoughts and I shall present a more coherent picture in the am!!
BUT FOR THOSE DOUBTING THOMASES WHO ARE STILL UNDECIDED: THE 325xi (WITH AWD) AND STEPTRONIC IS PLENTY FAST!!! I MEAN, PLENTY FAST!!! AND ITS NOT EVEN BROKEN IN YET!!
more in the am folks....i am experiencing a combination of exhiliration and exhaustion i have not had in a lllllooooooooooongggggggg time!!
veekay1
there are 4 other part #'s involved also;
universal joint # 32-30-1-094-703
torx bolt(X2) # 32-30-1-094-718
seal ring (X2) # 32-41-1-093-597
seal ring (X2) # 32-41-1-093-596.
there is also a Job # listed (14BMZ), but I don't know if that is unique to my dealership or a universal BMW #. If you want any more info, I'll do my best to help out. The service manager also mentioned a Service Bulletin dealing with the change, but I don't see any mention of it on my work order.
-eug
I had them DISable the daytime running lights, and ENable the auto doorlock after 2mph
The drive home was flawless. The only problem I had was with all of the bugs crashing into the front bumper, windshield, etc.
As I have mentioned previously, Moss Motors and Richard Foard have been great to deal with. Got a great deal, great service, and a great car. For anyone getting the runaround in the Texas/Louisiana area, I would strongly recommend you contact him. Several others on this board have bought from him also. IE............
CCCMD - While I was picking up mine, I saw your 330i!!! It looks awesome! Sport Package makes it. Like the color combo too. Congrats. Richard was pulling yours into the showroom when I left.
veekay: what color is your car? isn't it awesome? I also had a few doubts until I picked up my car. WOW. I'd recommend the 325iT to anyone who needs just that touch more space. More space, same great looks, almost no hit in performance, even greater amazement from friends who never realized that a 'family mobile' could be so fun.
yeeha: careful...some women like men who can commit (even if it wasn't to them) and are unashamed of having kids. (the reverse is also true) something about forbidden fruit and coveting what you can't/dont' have. :-)
platypus: thanks for the info. why do they sing in spanish then? I'm just curious. every Tapas place in Chicago seems to have them stuck on repeat...not that I mind. Maybe I'll try to see them this summer.
Yea, its a black sapphire metallic/gray leather combo with PP, CWP, Step, Xenons.
As I said, the car feels like its dying to take off....but I gotta watch it for the first 1200 miles!!
Congrats Yeeha!! That is a great color combo!!
More after my am coffee!
As a note of interest, I'm sitting in my dealership as I type, waiting for Gretl's weekly car wash. Pretty cool that they'd install a workstation for internet usage while-u-wait!
Yeeha and Veekay--CONGRATS!! You have now joined the ranks of those who've had at least one fantasy fulfilled. All I can say is "ENJOY THE OHSOSWEET RIDE!!" Of course, I have yet to receive mine (It's on the Jingu Maru (yours too, tchoo?)). It should be in my grubby mitts by the first week of July.
Gipsy Kings--French? I love these guys. Make no mistake die hard rockers. This band is not the Latin equivalent of John Tesh or Yanni. Their guitar talents are superb. No fruity new age crap here. Also check out the latest albums from Incubus (esp. the song, "Drive") and Sugar Ray (fun cruising album).
Xenons--Just saw a report a few days ago on NBC News. Apparently, the gov't (I forget which dept.) performed research on the "danger" of HIDs due to the two hundred or so complaints they received from drivers about the supposed extreme brightness of the lights. The report showed that the center of the xenon beam was about the same level of brightness as regular halogen headlights, but the outer edge of the beam was something along the lines of 5 times brighter than halogens and in wavelength of blue/green, which is considered harsher on the eyes. But it was also noted that the xenons cover a considerably larger area of view for the driver, resulting in increased visibility. Nothing conclusive was provided as to what the gov't intends to do about xenons. All I can say is, "Don't take mine away!"
The fact that I've rented a 2001 Chrysler Sebring Convertible has me even more anticipatory of my 3. Not that these are even in the same category--but it's interesting to note the differences anyway. Okay, the convertible is a blast in the warm summer California sun, and the increased HP is noticeable. But, the build quality and the exhaust note (is there one?) just leave something to be desired. The goofy faux wood dash is hideous, and the bulbous steering wheel center is just plain goofy. And can someone out there please tell me why Chrysler finds the need to make their automatic shifters look like the back of a cobra's head?
Well, the most important news is that my 3 is almost here. Somewhere in the Atlantic, Lena is gently rocking (not too much, as she has SP) on the Jingu Maru. Just a little bit longer, and she will be mine...
The front line of the GKs is made up of two sets of brothers-the Reyes brothers who do all the singing and the Baliardo brothers (Tonino,Paco,Zeppo and Harpo) who focus on guitar only.
The Reyes grandparents left Spain in 1936 during the Spanish civil war which was happening in , er, um, Spain and took their son Jose. They settled in Arles. Jose gained fame later as a flamenco singer and toured the US with Manitas de Plata, the guitarist. When Jose stopped touring with Manitas in 1975 he formed a band (Los Reyes)
with some of his 11 children. The hoarse Arabic sounding voices of the GKs can be traced back to their father-luckily there is film footage of him and some of his sons as teenagers. The basis of the GK sound is there.
After Jose died of cancer in 79 the Reyes brothers hooked up with the Baliardos and played as the Gipsy Kings. They often played at parties given by Pablo Picasso and Charlie Chaplin. Picasso even sketched the eldest brother,Paul and managed to get one eye on either side of his nose, which was a first for Picasso.
Bridget Bardot was a fan and helped get them publicity.
The band became what we know today when they found a manager,Claude Martinez-they added keyboards,electric bass,drums and percussion.
The drummer (now departed-sniff!) was Negrito Trassante-Crocco, from Uruguay and he was to the rhumba what a BMW inline 6 is to sport sedan/coupe
engines-smooth silky power on demand.
When I test drove some 3s to compare the HK vs stock stereo I took two cds-a Wagner opera cd to hear how it would cope with the density of a large orchestra and Gipsy Kings Live to hear how it would handle bass and drums. It was lacking punch and definition on the latter so I passed on it-maybe it's the amp mated to the speakers.
I have seen the Gipsy Kings live 6 times since 93.
For those of you not familiar I reccommend the live CD, recorded in Germany for the most part.
They sing in both Spanish and "gitane", a Gipsy Dialect,but speak French. Great music for driving and they sound even better in a BMW.
BTW-I see Edmunds yanked that post from the Cadillac guy-the one with the post talking about the genitalia of a porcupine-almost choked on my mini wheats. Maybe we need to have a bouncer on the door? I know a big guy called Louie....
The live CD is a gem.
Well, I called my salesperson on the 14th, and she said that it's en route to the VPC. I checked BMWUSA on the 15th, and sure enough, it now says that it is indeed on it's way to the states. I can only conclude that the site and BMWNA were not given the latest information right away. Needless to say, I'm extremely happy that I don't have to wait longer. I would definitely call BMWNA and find out what the deal is.
How do I remove the kidney grilles on a 2001 325i? I'm planning to replace them with the chrome 330 ones. I tried banging the grille from behind-- but that didn't work. Also tried looking for tabs to release, but couldn't find any that seemed to do anything. Any help would be appreciatded. I know this can't be that hard...
Thanks.
The car has performed flawlessly and in fact drives better (faster) than when new. I am 100% satisfied and looking forward to my next BMW.
Even if I had problems with it-as I did many times with my previous car, a 1995 Dodge Stratus,I would get it fixed under warrantee. I feel for anyone who has had trouble with a BMW ,for example the recent spate of thermostat problems,but when the car is running well, as mine has been, the pleasure of driving it is hard to put into words.
There is a very good reason for the current success of the BMW 3 series-it is a brilliantly designed car and ownership is it's own reward. There are many cars with more "features" for the same money or less-but none of the features are a BMW inline 6, a BMW suspension and BMW beauty-the only way to get those is to buy a BMW and live happily ever after.
First time rear wheel drive....so, some questions:
1. When I shift from Park into Reverse I hear a very distant, rear "thud" and slight motion in the car.....only if its quiet and I am paying attention. Is this normal?
2. When suddenly pushing the gas pedal from a stopped or very low speed, I hear a similar "thud" or feeling of a "play", from the rear differential area ....is that normal? anybody else has had similar experiences?
Any comments would be helpful!!
Thanks