BMW 3-Series 2005 and earlier

dantlo

I finally got more and more help. All thanks to carpevino.

I called Dan Miller at BMWWNA today. He is waiting for a BOW "engineer re" to call him back and then he will call my dealer and instruct them what to do. The dealer told me this morning they were going to replace with the same assembly and I told Dan I rather get it fixed permenitely. He will let me know tomorrow. Also, he will try to get me a more decent loaner car than the Daewoo.

I will keep everyone posted.

Dan

gurumike

Great news - every ones favorite (especially brave!) clear turn signals are standard in the sport package of '02 models. In dash CD is, indeed, standard. And now the reason I'm most bummed - - available "bi-xenon" lights. Now I wonder, who will be first to do a bi-xenon conversion to their earlier E46 ???!!!

carpevino

Congrats on the repair! Glad to see they are taking this seriously. Hope you get a nice Roadster as a loaner.

Can anyone help decipher the tire pressure graphic on the door panel? I have a 330i with conti's.

Tinting- Anyone have a recommendation for a quality shop on Long Island. My dealer wants $350.

Alarm- Any comments on the BMW alarm. How's its sensitivity,ie: false alarms.

I can't beleive I've driven 1700 miles in 21 days, actually hit the 1200 mark on day 11. Can't wait to take her on I95 and listen to her growl.

aaron330i

For the trim that replaces the front license plate holder. Thanks

errickson

Q: I heard I can get a strip to replace my front license plate bracket.
A: Correct. You can order it from any BMW dealer- Part number 51-11-8-195-304 - list price: $16.20

errickson

on any price changes for the 2002's?

jrct9454

Don't hold your breath waiting for the first halogen-xenon conversion. It is not easy, and ridiculously expensive, because there are drastically different amperages involved, meaning a different wiring harness and different fuses. Not a question of switching bulbs...my guess is that parts and labor at the retail level would run in excess of $1k or more. [Which is one reason you see all of these xenon-wannabees running around with bluish halogen bulbs...getting the real thing installed in a car that is wired for the standard lights is not a small deal.]

jfedor1

I have a pioneer 12 disk changer, and I'm wondering if I can get an adapter to install it into my 325i BMW when it arrives.

thanks for all your help with my dealer problem they agreed to th6 6.5 and said it was just a mistake.

Josh

ladybugnova

Good morning.

I hope this question is not too repetitive, but I've been through 300 plus posts and I don't have time for more. What are the symptoms for the auxiliary fan problem, b/c I think I have it, and I think my bleepin' dealer lied to me about it. Surprise surprise, eh. How do I find more information about it? Thanks so much in advance,

Ladybugnova

trejos28

eug

Does the part no. you posted apply to the coupes too? The coupe's trim is painted to match the car.

errickson

That is the part number I saw on the e46fanatics faqs page. I can't remember if I used that part number, but I have the sedan, and my trim piece was black....but my car is also black. So, looks like I am not much help to you. Sorry.

jrct9454

Simple - the symptom is that the car starts to overheat - temp gauge tells you there is a problem. The part is from Siemens; if yours is something else [i.e. Bosch], you've got some other problem.

What you don't want to do is ignore it - that's how the rare but very discouraging engine fires get started.

joefriday

I just picked up my new 330i the other night (topaz blue/black, manual gearbox, PP, SP, CWP). Many others have eloquently described what it's like to be a new 3-series owner, so I won't bother to repeat what's already been said. I will point out a few things that surprised me:

Steering: I test drove a 330xi and a 330Ci with the light steering, and I agree with most that it is over-boosted. It's not that big a deal to me though. I noticed that on my car, with the "new, new" steering that there is a huge difference. There is very little power assist at all. While this will make the purists happy, it will probably deter some prospective buyers.

Ride quality: I was concerned that the sport suspension might be a bit too stiff. It's definitely stiffer than most cars, but is still quite comfortable. I think it is a perfect balance between comfort and handling. I can see why BMW made it standard on the 330i. If you want a softer ride you should get a Lexus ES300.

Noise: While there is very little road or wind noise, the engine noise is quite pronounced. The engine makes a healthy growl that I love to hear. I just think it may get tiring after a while.

Power: BMW says the 3.0 liter six has 225 horses. They must be Clydesdales because this engine has a ton of power. I test drove the M3 (both E36 and E46) and an Audi S4. I didn't expect the 330i to be close to those cars. While the E46 M3 is in a different class, the 330i is very close to the E36 M3 and the S4. It has enough low end grunt that I downshift far less frequently than I have in other cars. I haven't played around much at the top end, since I'm still in the break-in period, but I'm betting the top end power is fantastic, too.

shawn325i

Many owners have stated that their car seems to have more power than what BMW states as the hp rating. Is BMW known for understating the hp ratings of their engines???? or is that most other makers overstate???

drcr

Dantlo: great to hear that steps are being taken to address the sticky gas. Please post the ultimate solution so I can address w/ my dealer in the near future.

shift knob is pretty easy- did it w/ arm rest install. Don't worry about it going back and not being properly aligned b/c there is a female grove on the inside of the knob that fits with a matching male grove on top of the shifter.

Using a clutch since 14 (motorcycle)but after all these posts about how to shift, I frekin grinded second today..ouch- not too bad - rpms were very low. BTW- how badly do you have to grind em b4 you break a tooth .........drcr

jnscheong

First of all, congrat on your new 330i. Mine is at the VPC now, hopefully I will take delivery this weekend.

Does your 330i has the titanium headlight trim? Some posters who took delivery of their 330i recently have mentioned that the titanium headlight trim is missing.

jnscheong

burrsr

I'd guess that the ENGINE power ratings are right on. I would guess that the WHEEL power ratings are much higher than similarly rated cars. I believe BMW's drivetrains are more efficient (i.e., less power loss) than other makers'. Example:

Say you have a 250-hp car (or 260, since this seems to be a popular number) that is 85% efficient in its power translation to the drive wheels. This yields about 213 horses to the ground. Say a 225-hp 330 is 90% efficient. This yields 203 horses to the ground. This is a difference of only 10hp, not 25.

When you combine this with RWD effects and manual vs. auto (even MORE efficiency gains) effects, you can see how the 330 manual easily beats the CL-S (two similar curb weights) to 60mph. I would expect the same for 240-hp Altimas, 260-hp Maximas, and the like.

BTW, I remember seeing (somewhere here on Edmunds, I think) an actual analysis of this efficiency across several different cars using dynos. The Miata and Mustang Cobra were recently scrutinized for publishing inflated HP ratings for their engines. It was called "Real-world Horsepower" or something similar.

Disclaimer: numbers are fictitious (but hopefully somewhat realistic)and not open to scrutiny.

shawn325i

Sounds logical!

The one thing everyone seems to say after they have driven a BMW is "this car has more power then ___________"

I guess the IS300 is a good example. I did test drive one before ordering my 325i. With 215 horses and 218 ft-lbs torque, even with auto I expected it to be faster in a straight line.

shawn325i

shipo

A missed shift causing a grind here and there may make your spine change shape (sorta like finger nails on an old slate chalk board), however, it will do little damage to the actual gears or syncros.

Years ago I had 1982 Audi Quattro (similar body to the 1982 Audi GT Coupe), this car was semi hand built with lots of special goodies, as a result, the Q/C was different from a production car. My car apparently had a soft or otherwise defective second gear syncro, and when the tranny was warmed up, it was very difficult for me to shift into second without a horrendous sounding clash of gears. The car only had 3000 miles at the time so Audi agreed to fix it under warranty, however, getting a new transmission here in the states would have taken months, so I was given the option of waiting or having my unit rebuilt. I opted for the rebuild, and when they pulled the unit apart, the second gear assembly showed few signs of damage; the syncro on the other hand, was totally trashed.

This is not to say that if you accidentally grind your gears you will damage your syncros, in my case, the syncro was bad from the factory which is why it failed so soon.

Best Regards,
Shipo

rampuri

I know 3 series is pre-wired for garage door remote.Where can I buy this besides the dealer.How hard is it to install.Thanks.

shipo

You can buy the unit from either Circle BMW or Pacific BMW (I bought mine from Pacific) their url's are www.circlebmw.com and www.pacificbmw.com. As for installation, it takes all of 10 minutes (excluding the cutting of the headliner plate, more on that later). The unit comes with fairly good instructions, from memory; your steps are as follows:

1) Loosen the headliner plate (it just pries off) just to the rear of the mirror (the one with the sunroof control) and disconnect any wires.
2) There is a pre-scored rectangle (about 2" by 2.5") in the plate that you need to cut out. I used very sharp window scraper (ie. new razor blade) to cut mine out, total time about 15 minutes.
3) Insert the Homelink unit into the headliner plate from the outside and snap in into place.
4) Locate the power connector for the unit (mine was tucked into the headliner just to the right of the opening).
5) Reconnect the sunroof wires (if so equipped) and the transmitter and snap the headliner plate back into the roof.

Total time should be less than 25 minutes including the cutting.

Best Regards,
Shipo

joefriday

Thanks jnscheong.

My 330i is missing the titanium headlight surround, too. I think I actually like it better without it, but that's just a matter of taste.

By the way, my car arrived at the VPC on 7/2 and I picked it up at my dealer in Massachusetts on 7/10. That may give you an idea on when you will get yours. Hang in there.

aaron330i

I've had my 330i since last Saturday, and I have titanium trim around my headlights and dash guages.

PS Went from North Austin to Lockhart for lunch today at an average speed os 85mph. Man I love this car (and my Valentine).

deepdarkblu

Earlier in the week I posted about a brief power shutdown in my car. The service engine light, oil light, etc. came on and I lost all power for about 2 seconds. Oddly enough, the power suddenly came back on without my having to start the car again. I called my dealer and she said it might be diluted gasoline. I am skeptical about that one.

Well, today I had another freaky experience. I'm going about 30 mph, and my DSC light comes on, as well as the parking brake light. The weird part is that I was driving slowly in a straight line on dry pavement, PLUS my parking brake was in the down position, AND the parking light was orange, not the usual red when the parking brake is activated. The car seemed to drive fine, but these lights stayed on for about five minutes. I even tried to shut the DSC off, but the light stayed on regardless. So I call my dealership and they said to bring it in Monday when they'll have a loaner. After I get off the phone, I stop to take a left turn and suddely my power shuts off AGAIN! Thank God I wasn't turning into traffic! Can anybody explain what the #$@#($* is going on here? Help me! Lena's hurtin' bad!

tchoo

deepdarkblu - So far Lena's twin (my 325Ci) is behaving fine (touch wood), but she's only got 200 miles on her and has been babied. There are 2 defects though. Recently when I brake sharply, I hear a "thunk" noise from the right rear. I'm going have to bring that in to get looked at. And the coat hooks dangle - they can't snap shut. That I can live with.

burrsr

Go under Ownership, then Driving, then scroll down to find the "Horsepower in the Real World" article link. Also, there are some interesting HP and torque articles under the Tech Center page (which is also under the Ownership page).

roc50mg

Sounds like you got some problems there. I hope it's nothing serious, but sounds like there's potential for trouble. That kind of news sends chills up everyone's back who has recently picked up their car or is expecting one soon. For a brand new, high-tech, expensive car like the BMW, they seem to have their share of problems. I guess that's why Hondas and Toyotas are still so highly regarded.

brave1heart

kominsky - "...it requires a heavy dose of braking to lighten up the rear." Not sure what you mean, please explain. As far as smoking the tires, yes, I mean in a straight line. It's too easy to do that if you punch it while cornering at a very low speed.

break-in - aaron, you'll be fine. Don't worry about a couple of blips above 4,500. The break-in rules are more of a guidance, not religion.

The optimum level to drop the clutch for fastest off-the-line acceleration is from the peak torque level (3,500 for the E46 engines). I've read that this is how C&D was able to achieve their best time in repeated tries.

guru - the clears on your ride are OK. I still would not pay to put them on my car but I am close to being indifferent between those and the ambers, so my position has shifted after seeing the clears on your car.

False alarms: none so far. BTW, the alarm switches the sound off in 30 sec leaving just the lights flashing for a couple of minutes, so there's nothing to worry about.

Tire pressure - well, look at your tire specs and then find out which box you fall in on the tire pressure table

Bi-xenons - the low beam is all you need with the xenons. I've never even had to use the high beam.

radar detector - K40 is better because it's built in. It is too expensive, though, and the V1 is probably just as good as far as detection. I would not like driving around with an exposed radar detector, though.

One of my colleagues drove me today in his rented Mazda Millenia. The rear seat space is no bigger than the E46's and headroom is substantially less. Not to mention it's a much bigger car. The tires are very noisy, I realize how quite my performance Contis are.

Who's Lady Bugnova? Sounds mysterious. Could it be a spy from the Beetle board )

HP: BMW does not understate the HP in their cars. Just keep in mind that the HP rating is a measure for the engine's power. In reality, what matters is how these ponies get to the wheels and that's one more thing the BMW engineers shine at. When they say 225 ponies, you know you'll find most of them at the wheels. My 184-HP 325i can do battle with cars that have much higher-rated HP. Also, it's important to keep in mind that the peak HP is just a point in the chart. What really matters is having a high and flat torque curve for continuously fast acceleration and both E46 engines have very flat torque curves.

drcr - I've also grinded in second a couple of times for a brief second - you'll be fine. The tranny is built really tough and I would not worry about it.

bmwagonmaster

You can buy an adapter(about $100)from Crutchfield for your Pioneer changer to mate with the BMW plugs, BUT you will still have a problem with mounting the changer. There is a specific bracket arrangement that is designed to fit only the factory Alpine changer. You could have a custom bracket made and the install done by a local car stereo shop. I checked out that possibility, but their installation charge plus the cost of the Pioneer and adapter was close to what I paid for the Alpine and installed it easily myself. Since you already have the Pioneer, a custom install may be cost-effective for you. Hope this helps.

planoml

Hi all. I own a '95 325i. Love it, but am getting ready to get a new car, and am going back-and-forth between a new 3 series and the ML320. Before everyone starts yelling at me, hear me out.

I'm in Texas, and 75% of the people drive large cars (pick-ups or SUVs). I've already had two near-death experiences, and think that the ML320, would provide more protection.

BUT, the BMW is sooooooo nice to drive. Do I risk death for pleasure?

brave1heart

daswolf

Just read in one of your posts that you have Orient Blue too. Kind of Ironic, you've been so helpful to me and I just find out we have the same taste in color. How does the Orient Blue hold up in terms of finish maintainence? Would you still do the same color combo? I agonized over black vs. sand 'ette and finally went with the sand. I would of liked to get your thoughts on the black though.

Mine's been produced, still waiting. Expect it in 2nd or 3rd week of August. Ah the agonizing wait.

ds2k1

If I'm not mistaken, the 3-Series is at least as safe as the Mercedes. It's routinely regarded as having a better build quality, and it's been listed by several consumer groups that do crash tests of all types (eg, head-on, side impact, etc.) as being a "best pick" and safest in class. When I looked at my 330i for the first time, I was amazed at all the attention to safety BMW put into it. Frankly, I don't think you'll find a much safer car on the road. Get the Bimmer, my friend, you won't regret it for a second. I've got about 4500 miles on mine and it's been complete perfection and feels so rock solid you can hardly believe it. Best of all worlds.

unboringuy

What do you think of the garage door control unit? I'm toying with the idea, since I don't like the unsightly controller I currently have hanging from the passenger visor. I've heard the "range" is not that good. Does it work with virtually all systems?

kominsky

Under heavy braking (any braking I guess to a lesser degree), the weight of the vehicle transfers to the front end. At that point, it doesn't take V8 torque to start the wheels spinning. This is the concept behind trailing-throttle oversteer, a technique that, when used properly, can help tighten the line through a corner (I personally, don't have the throttle control to do this very well yet).

A pretty cool, although greatly exaggerated, display of this phenomenon is to watch motorcycle road-racing on Speedvision some time. These guys (some of them anyway) brake so hard entering a corner that the rear-wheel leaves the ground. Because the back end is so light and they start applying heavy throttle before the weight transfers back, they 'paint' a thick black stripe of rubber on the asphalt. Some of the more ham-fisted riders will even start smoking the rear tire. I say 'greatly exaggerated' since I seriously doubt you could lift the rear of any car by braking. Otherwise, the concept is the same.

tenet1

Thanks for your link. I does not work fully for my VIN. Some of the digits aren't what they should be.

Is it because that web site shows how to break down VINs for 2000 models??

What do you think.

bmwagonmaster

Mine works up to about 30 feet. I've got it programmed to control 2 different garage openers- a Sears Craftsman and a Genie, both with "rolling" security codes. No problems in 4 months of use. Hope this helps.

jnscheong

It's been a while since I used the VIN decoder. There is a reference to the 2001 model year in the decoder, so I don't think the decoder is for 2000 models only. I just noticed that a "F" in the 11th digit can mean either the Munich or Dingolfing Assembly plant. Go figure. :-)

jnscheong

P.S. also noticed digits 4-6 do not have decoding for 325's.

aaron330i

Did the Dawn wash
Was going to clay bar but found nothing to clay bar
Dried
Applied Z1
Applied Z2
Going to bed.

gordonsgirl

For Brave1Heart and all, I just got back my 5 week old 325 manual after a two week stint in the service department to replace the aux. fan. I was driving to work two weeks ago (only have a 5 minute commute)and I noticed that by the time I pulled into the garage my overheat warning light was on. I called the dealer and then roadside assistance to bring the car to the dealer. The good news is that the dealer/service was very helpful. The bad news is after waiting three months to get the car I had to wait two weeks for the fix. It seems that there is a backlog on getting parts out to dealers. So if you want to fix the problem before it happens, call and ask them to get the part in before you give up your car.

Lastly, the dealer loaner was a 330 - i purposely didn't test drive this because I thought I would be sucked into the power and of course I was. I usually keep my cars for a while but now I can see myself upgrading in a few years...

shipo

Unboringuy,

I am able to use my opener from 30 to 50 feet, I have not figured out what makes the difference but some days it just seems to work better than others. Based upon the instructions and the homelink.com web site, there are few if any remote controlled units that cannot be programmed into the Homelink unit for the BMW.

From the "Sometimes a Sleeper is the best" department,

This evening I was driving into the City (NYC) with the kids in our van. I was sitting first in line at the light on 56th Street at 9th Avenue when some "Rice Boy" in his IS300/Altezza squeezed around several cars in the left side parking lane and pulled up next to me with his nose pointed in such a fashion to make it obvious that he intended on being first across the intersection.

Well, maybe he was just asleep at the wheel, but when the light turned green, the first car across was our ubiquitous Green Dodge Grand Caravan with this little &^%@)* following me about 2" back and sawing back and forth trying to find room to pass me in the parking lane. At 8th Avenue, there was one of NYC's finest who was directing traffic and who must have been watching us coming up the street, because when we stopped at the light, Mr. Officer went back to have a chat with Mr. Rice and motioned for him to pull over. Green light, SEE YA!

Best Regards,
Shipo

gurumike

nearly falls off his chair

drempt

My sales guy called me today to say that I just made it. He said he got a letter from BMWNA stating that orders status below 111 have been canceled due to over capacity (both 325xi and 330xi). I asked him if he knew the delivery date, he said he didn't know but he's expecting some delays.

I just don't know what to think anymore. First I was told it'd be June production/July
delivery (I ordered the car on 05/11). A couple of weeks ago we were talking August delivery. Today we don't know when the heck the car will be delivered.

Please, Gurumike, could you find out what's going on with my car? Thank you!

325xi (Tulley, Nashua, NH)
T_Silver
AWD
Step
Fold down rear
CD in dash
HK
Wood trim

drempt

brave1heart

Safety - Csaba Csere from C&D had a great editorial on SUV safety a few months back. Basically, he was saying that the real danger is rollovers and that they typically happen when you leave the pavement and that a well-handling car will help you steer/brake/accelerate your way out of trouble. However, in a head-on collision, a heavier, larger vehicle which could not steer/brake/accelerate you out of trouble would still protect the occupants better because of its sheer weight. Take your pick. I know which one is far safer for my driving style but that would vary by driver. I'd rather have the vehicle that allows me to steer/brake/accelerate myself out of trouble.

daswolf - I absolutely love the Orient Blue exterior - great choice. Black 'ette is sportier, beige is more luxurious. Which one is better would only depend on personal taste but one thing is indisputable: as much as I like the black 'ette, it does get pretty hot in the car when you leave it in the sun.

Komisnsky - thanks, I got it. I'd fight the guy (not too hard, though) who said that engineers don't know how to explain in layman terms. So can you smoke the 330's tires while accelerating in a straight line on a dry road without heavy braking?

Shipo - you're a riot! Beat the sucker with a dark green van and your kids in it. Brings sweet memories of platypus' fun story about the RS4 family that puts on helmets at the intersection before they blow off all the other cars at the green and then they take the helmets off and high-five each other.

kominsky

sorry, I wanted to answer that part of the question in my last post, but never got around to it (I'm trying to clean up a bunch of loose ends at work before 10 days at (hopefully) sunny Myrtle Beach... yee-haw!!!).

"So can you smoke 330's tires while accelerating in a straight line on a dry road without heavy braking?" Although I've never attempted it, I would have to say the answer is "no way". I think I'll give it shot tonight on one of the worn down tar and chip roads near home. The traction on those roads is terrible. I'll let you know.

brave1heart

We went out for a long drive for an hour before sunset tonight with a colleague of mine. He knows the Albany, NY area very well and we took rt 9J - a scenic drive along the Hudson river. This is about 25-30 miles of newly-paved, two-way winding twisties through the forest. There are a couple of short stretches with occasional houses on each side for which you do need to slow down but other than that, it's drive as fast as you want: there is virtually no traffic and it is unpatrolled. You can see the Hudson river from vistas probably a hundred yards high and it's green and peaceful all around you. The only danger would be a deer and a fox that crossed in front of us. If anyone can make it there, it is well worth the scenery and the driving experience. This may be as close to Highway 1 in Cali as you will ever get on the East Coast. I wish we had drives that great in the Boston area. Oh, a few times I managed to see my passenger glued to the side window and not even fighting it. What a drive, I can't wait to do it again!!

kominsky

That's nothing, tomorrow I get to drive 12 hours in a minivan down I95 with two whining kids (and a whining mom)... now that's living! :-)