BMW 3-Series 2005 and earlier

danhug

As an native Uruguay an, I would like to thank you -Bavarian- for the kind words about "El Negro Trassante" as we know him back home. If you wish, I will get you some information about bands that he has played with in the past so you can trace his "roots".

By the way I am having problems again with my door. It does not close properly. They adjusted it already once and now it is happening again. Any suggestions? 2001ci/up/up/etc,5500 miles

gurumike

on the front bumper strip install, if you find it hard to install, will you become more frustrated if you'd been rooting for the (like they ever really had a shot) sixers?
Just wondering.

uge123

Bad news. My engine did something odd today. It was a warm Chicago day and I was idling my 325iT with the A/C on for about 5 minutes waiting for my dad when I noticed the temp creeping up. I had been driving for 20 minutes in suburban traffic at that point. I turned off the compressor but no change. Not in the red but getting close. So I shut off the engine and popped the hood for about 15 minutes...which is how long it took for him to get out the door. I turned the key to start and checked the temp. It was normal. So I started the engine and started driving. At the first light the engine temp started to creep, but not as bad as before. After a couple of uneventful miles, I parked the car, and ran an errand. I came out, drove a block and noticed acrid smoke coming from the hood. I pulled over and shut off the engine. I popped the hood and saw smoke coming from the radiator area. The engine temp at shutoff was smack in the middle of the normal range. No fluid dripping, and the engine itself appeared normal. Oil color was normal. Before shutoff, the engine drove normally. I called Roadside Assistance and they sent a flatbed out to pick me up. They also connected me to service at my dealer and he said it sounded like the radiator fan or accessory fan that might be causing it. I know that there was a thread on this earlier...but can anybody give me a quick rundown on this issue? I thought that they would have had this issue fixed by now. I really hope that there was no engine damage. I only have 130 miles otherwise flawless miles so far. I've run the A/C before, but not in conditions like today.

325iT/5spd/SP/xenon/heat/moon/leather

rjg325i

Seems like a good alternative to more expensive nav systems as it offers voice turn by turn directions. I hear its slower than higher end systems too. Anyone used this product and have an opinion on it?

Thanks.

gr8st8

Looks like you got a bad aux fan which is probably made by Siemens. unboringuy had this problem earlier too.

There have been thousands of posts on this on bimmer.org board and it appears that it has gotten BMWNA's attention as one of their representatives posted an acknoledgement of this problem several days ago. The consensus over there seems to be to get a new fan made by Bosch.

Sorry to hear your problem and hope you'll get you car back soon.

yeeeha

now fits like a glove, thanks to your advice. thank you. When I popped the strip on, it did not appear like the side strips would budge, so I did not try. Thanks again for your help...

platypus

Sorry to hear about your problem. It was my understanding that the bad fan/overheating issue was limited to 330i cars with manual transmissions. Yours is the first 325 I've heard of that has experienced overheating/smoke. Do you have the manual or step?

This is a serious issue that warrants an immediate recall by BMW. The internet represents just a small sampling of BMW owners, and there have been WAY too many reported cases on the net alone to believe that this is an isolated issue. There's no reason to leave owners stranded on the road when a simple recall and replacement fan will do the trick. Inexcusable on BMW's part IMO.

platypus

Thanks for the background on this wonderful band. I knew hardly any of those details.

gurumike

....but I think I'd go for upgrading the factory radio head unit with a Blaupunkt TravelPilot.

bmwagonmaster

yeeeha: You're welcome. That's what we're here for.
urge: As your fellow wagon owner, especially sorry to hear about your troubles,too. Like platypus said, it's probably the fan. And of course it would happen on the weekend when service is closed. Hope our sympathy eases the pain somewhat.
guru: OK, OK, I'll admit the Lakers were awesome and YOU WERE RIGHT. But then you're always right on the Board, and that's why you're our "go to" guy! But tell us the truth-- does Kobe buys his BMWs from you? What's he drive, the X-5 4.6?
veekay: Can't help. I've only got a 323 and don't have the noise you mention. You'll have to wait until "the Boys (Shipo, Brave,etc.) are back in town..."

christofori

I took delivery of my 330 xi on Tuesday. This is the second time I took delivery of the car; the first one was in Munich. I am thinking about installing an alarm system. Has anyone had experience with installing the system? The car is pre-wired for the alarm. I am debating whether to install it myself or go to the dealer. I would appreciate your comments.

Also, is it common/uncommon to install the mud flaps?

bmwagonmaster

You can find a "factual" answer here with alarm install instructions to decide if you can do it yourself:

http://www.e46fanatics.com/faq/

As for "opinions" on the alarm, you should be able to get a few of those here. I don't have the alarm because as I've posted before, I private garage the car at night, and the alarm wouldn't stop the local crackheads when street-parked. I just rely on the "Coded Driveaway Protection" (German for ignition disable)and prayer.

As for the mudflaps, in a recent post brave1heart called them "fugly."
That should about sum it up.

uge123

Thanks everybody for your comments. After doing extensive reading in the matter in the posts here and bimmer.org, I can't but wonder why BMW has not discarded all the Siemen's auxillary fans. Perhaps they are not all faulty. In any case, I'm rather disappointed but not angry...yet. I'll reserve judgement for the service findings on Monday.

As this seems to be a backordered part (1 week, according to most testimonials), BMW must be on notice that this is a commonly failiing part and is running serious risk of significant financial and reputation damage. No car manufacturer, especially one that charges a premium like BMW, should ever let a car out the door with such a known potentially serious problem as the auxillary fan.

Having vented, I still think the car is magic. The more I drive it, the more I love it and it's difficult to move back into anything vaguely sporty.

veekay1

I have a steptronic AWD 325xi.

The question is this:
When you hit the accelerator pedal with a sudden tap of the foot, do you hear a distant "thud" from the rear (?differential) signifying the transfer of power/torque to the rear wheels? Is this normal? Does this only happen in Steptronic models? Is this normal for rear wheel drive vehicles?
Please comment since its a brand new car and this issue is of concern to me!
Thanks in advance!!

kominsky

I installed my alarm a couple of weeks ago. For the most part it was a breeze. I posted a quick write-up on the install (post #4468). You can download the instructions at http://www.circlebmw.com/service/access/01219416538.htm

midtowneast

I got the call from the dealer on Saturday, he says I can pick it up on Tuesday. This week is tight for me so I will have to wait another week. The dealer surprised me,the BMW owner circle say the car is enroute to the processing center and the last call I made to BMW USA said the ship was due to dock in SC on the 6/14/00 and my dealer is in NJ. Anyway I am happy and look forward to comparing the BMW to my Acura tl-s. When I pick up the car since it is a 330xi 5sp I will let it run at the dealer until the aux fan kicks in just in case.

aaron330i

With the latest interest rates, I can get 5.9% through my credit union.

At first, I thought about just paying cash for my car because I just hate the thought of having an additional monthly payment.

Now, with the low rates, I wonder if I should do some sort of combo. 50/50 cash/fincnace, 25/75, 75/25.

I want to buy, not lease, so I didn't even consider leasing (still don't).

WWJD and WWYD?

christofori

Veekay: I have a 330 xi; I also hear the same sound. It was very prominent in the beginning. I have put about 1000+ miles; It seems to be fading. I am not sure whether the problem is related to the newness of the car, manufacturing/design problem, or just getting used to BMW's clutch. I will keep you informed.

Thanks for all those who replied to my posting about the BMW Alarm.

roc50mg

It's Sunday. The board is slow. Rainy in NY. I think it's time for another status check on my car: black 5 sp 330xi, pp, sp, cwp, cd, x, going to Freeport, NY. (week 25 production)
Anybody out there that thinks Tiger can pull off an amazing come back in the Open? Or will it be Sergio, Phil, or someone completely unexpected? It should be a very interesting day for golf.

Happy Father's Day! To all you fathers out there.

gurumike

It's in 150 now, so it should be a finished car by the end of this week. You're about 5 weeks away from being a driver!

jthai

Does anyone have any pics of a Black Sapphire?
Is it just a black metallic paint, or is there a hint of blue (sapphire) in it?

I don't trust the website since Orient Blue looks completely different in real life..

uge123

to answer your earlier question...I have a manual. There have been 325's on bimmer.org that have had this problem as well. however, it DOES appear, as you stated, to be limited to manuals. I wonder why manual cars only have one aux fan while the steps have two. Heaver cooling load from steps?

Swung by the dealership to confirm that my car got there okay. It did. Beautiful as ever. Sitting in the lot on this beautiful day begging to be driven. I could her its remorse.

To revisit an earlier topic. I recall that when my dealer delivered the car to me he said, "There she is." Like ships and other things, men often seem to refer to their vehicles in the feminine, no matter how male dominated the vehicle is. I wonder why.

roc50mg

jthai

Do you know if there was a change for Canadian models for the midyear update? On the bmw.ca website it still lists things like HK as an option for the 330i...

Thanks!

kominsky

I was just wondering what color your Odyssey is. Driving in to work today, I must have see a dozen of them and all but one was the same color as my wifes, Granite Green. It cracks me up because when we put the order in for hers, we were a little nervous because we hadn't seen one in that color yet... now it's just about all we see.

brave1heart

I logged in a 36.3 mpg avg over a 15-mile relatively flat stretch of highway at 71 mph. A/C off, all windows open, cruise control on. Would not be surprised if my 325i manual could reach 37 mpg with the windows up. The reason why I went through the torture of driving at this boring speed for so long: you guessed right - copper in front of me and I figured I'll keep myself entertained by tracking fuel efficiency. Truly astounding result, I have to admit. I typically get 23-24 mg avg out of a tank in mixed driving but I rarely let the RPM's drop below 3K. The new valvetronic engine is supposed to improve fuel efficiency by 10% over this. Incredible!!!

brave1heart

No thud of any sort in my 325i manual. I'm sure it's not something out of the ordinary but I have no idea if it is due to the step or AWD. I'm guessing it's the AWD but don't quote me on this. BTW, it's typical of new owners to be more critical of noises coming from the car - you will probably stop noticing the thud very soon.

brave1heart

No, the miracle did not happen although Tiger did have a chance around the 11-th when his birdie putt came up short. I'm rooting for personality (Sergio), although his grip waggles are torturous to watch and he doesn't seem mentally ready to win. I'm rooting against the wusses (wuss Mickelson and wuss Duval) - there's a reason why in spite of the fact that they are both good golfers, they've never and probably never will win a Major. It's called the wuss factor.

Pat, I hope "wuss" is allowed. If not, please feel free to edit my shameless message and substitute it with "coward". Thank you in advance.

platypus

If you haven't heard already, a recall was announced late Friday for all 3-series with manual transmissions. BMW finally got their act together on this one. The part number for the replacement fan is 17 11 7 516 813.

brave1heart

Either beepard or hair sticking out of someone's ears is considered profanity because my late-Friday message is missing.

brave1heart

Hopefully I can get this one done on the day I go in for the retrofit, jammed coin holder, and brake buffer. Any link to the recall statement from BMWNA? I'm assuming it's both the 325 and 330, right?

gurumike

http://www.bimmer.org/z3coupe/messages/archive/msgsy2001w23/43352.html

on a different car

platypus

Our van is Deep Velvet Blue Pearl (a fancy name for dark blue). I believe this color was only offered in '99 and midway through the '00 model year. We were choosing between it and Canyonstone Silver, which is similar to your Granite Green. I see a lot of blue ones down here in Texas, and not as many Granite Greens. It's a '00 EX model, and we added leather to it. No clears yet.

brave1heart

I was prepared to take huge shellacking for mentioning that I love their music and I was nicely surprised to find out that so many of you are fans. Great to know. For you flamenco fans, I also saw Paco De Lucia in the Boston Symphony Hall last fall and he was as incredible as ever. I also saw this Karmen flamenco dancer last year who was very gracious. Inspiring music and dance indeed. I wish U-2 tickets were that easy to obtain.

platypus

http://www.bimmer.org/3series/messages/messages/55415.html

Fred has been a regular on the message boards for longer than I have, and I trust his information. He now works at a dealership in Virginia.

bmwagonmaster

I told you my lawyer denright would be on the case for calling me names! And if you think that post is the only thing missing, have you checked on "the Muscle" lately? You were right, it sure drives sweet...

brave1heart

And I naively thought that denright was down in FL celebrating his father's B-day. I'm pretty sure I saw him making big leaps around Shtroumpf Muscle last night. He was wearing black clothes and a hood a-la-Shipo and was also carrying Volume 325 of the Mass General Law. Maybe that explains why my car was missing this morning. And you guys call this legal work honorable? Enjoy the ride while you can - I'm coming over to pull your hair out. So you say the wagon handles pretty good, uh? I'll let you know what I thought about it.

uge123

Platypus: Fred's post on bimmer.org mentioned cars built from Feb 2001 to April 2001. My car is a May 2001 build. It'll have to be replaced none-the-less because it's dead. I wonder if my car got one of the last batch of bad fans or if it was just a freak occurance.

Braveheart: I forgot. How many miles do you have now? How long did it take for you to get that kind of milage? Did it improve after break-in or did it get worse...thanks to being able to lead-foot it. :-)

veekay1

I have a steptronic AWD 325xi.

The question is :
When you hit the accelerator pedal with a sudden tap of the foot, do you hear a distant "thud" from the rear (?differential) signifying the transfer of power/torque to the rear wheels? Is this normal? Does this only happen in Steptronic models? Is this normal for rear wheel drive vehicles?
Please comment since its a brand new car and this issue is of concern to me!
Thanks in advance!!

alpine325i

That's weird, I'm a half decent guitar player-musician, and I've never heard of the Gypsy Kings. I'll check them out. I'll burn some of their tunes to disc. Have you ever heard of Pat Metheny? He's one of my favorite guitar players (Pat Metheny Group). Check out one of their live albums when you get a chance. My 325i is in the body shop. It will be finished on tuesday. My bill is a $100 deductible charge. The cost of the job was $750. How's your car doing? Does it feel a little faster and smoother? )

brave1heart

2,450 miles on it over a month and a half. I've never compared the mileage under equivalent conditions so I'm not sure how much better it got after the break-in. My estimated oil change was at 15.8K miles right around the time my break-in was over. It dropped significantly to 15.3K estimated over the next 1,200 miles. I've been using a lot of high revs (it's soooo sweet and addictive!!!) and my avg fuel consumption dropped because of my driving style. This 36.3 mpg test was the first serious one that I've ever conducted in the car. Will let you know again next time I get stuck behind a copper )

P.S. I use 93 AKI gas - this may be helping the mileage too.

brave1heart

All my guitarist friends in college loved Pat Metheny. I've heard a couple of CD's from him and I can tell he's a great guitarist but somehow their music sounds a little on the technical side for my taste. You know what I mean? I'm not a musician and I love music for the overall sound, not necessarily because of superb technical achievements although that has something to do with why I like it. I really can't explain - it's just whether it moves me and Pat Metheny did not do much for me. I'll give them another try - which albums would you recommend?

Gipsy Kings: I have "Mosaique", "Este Mundo", "Cantos de Amor" (compilation), and probably a couple more (have about 500 CD's in total) which I could not immediately locate. I sort them alphabetically and if you've ever seen "High Fidelity" you'll know that makes me a geek )

$750 for your car? That's nothing - is this it? My car's great - faster, smoother, better throttle response, great on gas, easy on the eyes, in one word: INSPIRING!!! Oh, did I mention that no-one has managed to pass me and get away with it?

johneunah

I don't know if this has been posted yet but does anyone know how to install these and if so how difficult is it? I am planning on buying it from circle BMW and would like to install it myself if it's a no brainer. also do you need to buy the trim panel as well? thanks.eom

platypus

For the uninitiated, I would recommend their debut album, simply entitled "Gypsy Kings." It best captures the spirit of the band. "Mosaique" and "Este Mundo" would be my next selections.

pat

I wrote to you Friday night. If you did not receive what I wrote, please email me at pat@edmunds.com. Also, just so you are aware of this, hosts do not have the ability to edit other folks' posts.

Pat
Host
Sedans and Women's Auto Center Message Boards

stevenf7

I plan to order a 325Ci by the close of June. I plan to buy the BMW floor mats, a car cover and a rear wind screen. Bmwusa shows an MSRP of $185.00 for the cover and $125.00 for the mats. The wind screen is not on the Bmwusa site. Can people suggest prices that are below MSRP, that I should offer to pay for those accessories? I'm in the San Francisco Bay Area. Are there BMW dealers here in the Bay Area that people have been particularly satisfied with?

Steven

parump

Steven,

Good places to purchase accessories are Pacific or Circle BMW, Cutter Motors, of Patrick BMW. (Use Google search engine to locate web sites.) These Centers charge less than MSRP for many accessories. I asked a bay area Center if they matched the prices of these competitors. He replied, "no." Although he did say that BMW Club members were entitled to a zero to twenty percent discount depending upon the item.

I hope that this is helpful for you.

parump

Johneunah,

Use the following link for instructions about the installation of the universal remote. Select the universal option on the left side menu - scroll down to locate:

http://www.circlebmw.com/parts/access/acc-cat.htm

uge123

The best part is that if you listen to their first album, you get to hear a resounding latin version of "My Way" aka, A Mi Manera. It's a great album. Mosaique has much more of a Moorish, or northern African influence. Also an awesome album.

Braveheart: Here in the Chicago area, I don't recall ever seeing AKI 91...only AKI 87, 89, and 93. It looks like I'll be buying premium...if I get the chance.

uge123

Oh...from my understanding, using anything above a car's recommended AKI is like wasting money. It makes no significant difference. However, using anything below causes a loss of power and mileage because of the anti-ping/knock mechanisms that kick in secondary to the low AKI gas.

I wonder how the madatory 10% Ethanol we have here affects the way a car performs. I recall that my Integra didn't like the reformulated gas and required 89 octane of the reformulated gas to perform like 87 octane of the older gas.