BMW 3-Series 2005 and earlier

brave1heart

Try to glue them to the window like I did with my passenger. That should keep them quiet or at least wear them down faster.

kominsky

LOL

gurumike

It's on order and it is in 112 status which would suggest that it is currently scheduled to be produced in the next 7-14 days. I saw other 325xis in 150 status so they are getting built. The cars dealers had ordered as AWD were cancelled as AWD and changed to RWD except Priority 1 (sold) orders. Yours is a priority one car so I wouldn't panic right now; and yes, your order does still show AWD on it's build options list.
Remind me again next week and we'll look to see if it's 150.

Andy98

This might be a difficult question to answer but this board has been extremely useful so I'll give it a shot... I'm interested in purchasing a 2002 330ix for delivery in Novemeber. When should I "do the deed", so to speak? Given that it appears that production comes to a halt in Germany for the entire month of August (they have the right idea!), should I visit my friendly dealer now or wait until September? Thanks for your opinions.

pick33

Message # 2. Congrats on your new car. I have the same car except in black. When I ordered it, the TBlue just became available and my conservative side said no, but now I probably would have changed my mind. Do not worry about the engine sound. When I first started driving it, I too was concerned. But once the break-in period comes and goes the engine sound should tone down to a BMW purr...Let me know when hear the difference.

jasonkureejii

I just went through last night's posts, and I'm sorry to hear about these problems, man. I don't know what to say, except I hope your dealer is able to resolve all your problems and nothing else occurs in future. You and others should also post these occurances on the problems board. Otherwise, your post didn't seem to shake the board any....?

shipo

Just for fun on your drive, keep a look out for unsuspecting IS300s who would never guess that there is a BMW driver lurking behind the wheel of a mini-van. ;-)

Best Regards,
Shipo

aaron330i

...become more of a growl. I noticed as I was driving in this morning with the radio off that the engine is sounding a lot more agressive, like a panther just itching to pounce.

I decided to take a route to work that's about 10 miles longer than my usual and I still arrived in 30 minutes. I wasn't even speeding too bad, I just wanted a relaxing ride. I figured it had to do with being away from the normal traffic pattern and just being able to sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride!

This vehicle continues to impress me and I have no idea how or why it's happening, but I find myself loving it more and more every time I get in it. My wife says she's not worried unless I start bringing a blanket with me out to the garage. lol.

daswolf

Would you please get me a status code for my Orient Blue 325i w/ sand 'ette going to BMW of Peabody MA. The Owner's circle has shown it "Produced, not shipped" for about a week.

Thanks.

muzzy325i

I have had my 325i for about 3 weeks. When I first got it the engine noise sounded way to pronounced. Now that I have ~800 miles on it, it has definitely turned more into a growl and sounds wonderful. I have a 30 mile commute to and from work, with a lot of curvy farm roads, I drove the entire ride last night with the radio off and the windows down and the eninge just keeps sounding better and better.

Also, I have read some post regarding a seat belt click. I have noticed this too and it is very annoying. I'm 6 foot 5, yes I do fit fine in a 3er, and my ear is even with the seat belt anchor. The click is about 2 inches from my ear. Was there a service bulletin on this and can my dealer easily fix it?

Thanks

shipo

Did you know that Muzzy means Grandmother in one of the Scandinavian countries (Norway it think). My children call my wife's mother Muzzy, I have always thought that was kind of cool. ;-)

I wrote down part number or SB number or whatever it was when it came across the boards a few thousand posts ago. I will look it up at lunchtime (assuming nobody else comes up with it before then) and post it for you.

Best Regards,
Shipo

gurumike

yup, still produced not shipped. It is totally normal for this stage to exist for 5-10 days. Don't worry!

jasonkureejii

My car now shows up as in transit! After 2 weeks in transit to the port and 3 weeks of sitting at the port, it seems to have made it on water....or BMWNA is THAT slow! Anyways, I guess the anxiety is starting to get to me! I had another dream last night that I was finally driving it...it was soooo real, because I could distinctly make out the steel gray color....I was sooooo ecstatic!

gbmw

Anyone with a 330CI ever intall stiffer sway bars..Any advice on this

errickson

the lagtime between produced and not shipped is: produced is finished at the factory. shipped is on the boat (ie in-transit) In between, the car has to be transported from whatever factory it was made at, and must wait in Bremerhaven for the next ship to depart....mine also took 7-10 days for this process...

denright

Took my car maybe 5 days to get from produced not shipped to actually being on the water. I think I got lucky in this regard.

8 days to go!!! (I hope!)

brave1heart

Seat Belt Mount "Click" by bmwagonmaster Jun 21, 2001 (03:40 pm)

I read in the June 2001 BMW CCA Roundel that there's an official Service Bulletin 72 01 01 (March 2001) about the B-pillar seat belt mount "click" noticed by some regular posters. The cause is a plastic spacer ring and the replacement part is 72 11 1 978 983, to be covered under warranty.

reubencahn

I had what I thought was the seat belt click, a loud click right by me ear and so sharp it sometimes sounded like a small rock hitting the car. It turned out to be a problem with the window regulator which kept the window from closing as firmly as it should have, hence the click. Have that checked as well.

jnscheong

I think you should order your car sooner rather than later. You never know when November delivery slots will be filled up. If the time of delivery is important to you, I am sure your dealer can work it out. The one drawback, however, is that there is no pricing info on 2002 models yet.

My $0.02 worth.

jnscheong

denright

Edmunds rated the 330i second among all entrants, losing to the Acura because of price considerations. The article stated several times that the 330i was the best car of the bunch, but it got edged out by .5% in the scoring due to its high sticker price. Worth a read.

One thing I found interesting was the time that Edmunds clocked the 330i, equipped with the steptronic, in the 0-60 -- 6.7 seconds. This is consistent with the MotorWeek comparison, which timed the 330i (step) at 6.8 seconds. This consistency also lends support to MotorWeek's tested 6.2 second 0-60 time for the 330xi.

I think it is pretty clear that the 330i manual would post a sub 6 time. Too bad they tested a step, the 3 series would have won otherwise.

trejos28

you lucky devil!

mmcbride1

But the had to be 'fair' to the TL-S and IS300, since they don't offer manuals...

Personally, I think they should test auto vs. manual if Lexus and Acura don't offer manuals. But then everyone cries about "You can't test an auto against a manual"! Sure you can. If Lexus/Acura don't want to offer a manual and BMW, Audi, Volvo do, too bad (yes, I know the A4 was not included in the test).

drempt

I feel a bit better now

How long is the production period? If my car is produced in the next 7 - 14 days, will it be delivered in August?

skobola

Well, that is exactly what I was thinking, but some also said that the 4-wheel traction actually helps the 3x series to get better 0-60 times regardless of their weight penalty. I believe that 6.2 is pretty good time for a entry level luxury sport sedan...

But I would never take a tiptronic! A friend of mine has it on her 330i, and I managed to overtake her husband when they were 3 of them in their 330i vs. me in my 99 323i manual (I was alone, about 350 lbs lighter then them).

denright

The 330xi tested by Motorweek was a manual (6.2 seconds) while the 330i was a step (6.8 seconds). Edmunds timed the 330i (step) at 6.7 seconds. Pretty consistent.

Although some people speculate that the 330xi's superior traction might actually make it faster than the 330i, I frankly doubt this. I expect that a 330i manual would come in under 6 seconds.

Side note: Motor Trend actually timed the 330xi at 5.8 seconds in the 0-60. ZOOM!!!

denright

While the IS300 will be available in stick starting in August, I wouldn't buy that ugly hunk of junk under any circumstances.

Although people say it is geared toward younger buyers, I AM A YOUNGER BUYER. Having just turned 30 in May (almost 3 weeks AFTER I ordered my car) I can scarcely imagine too many people younger than me being able to afford a $30K+ car unless they are blessed/cursed with family money.

In any event, real sport sedans and sports cars are available with a manual transmission. Any car that isn't available in manual shouldn't even be considered for the test, IMO. Just because you can stomp on a gas pedal doesn't make you a driver.

denright

I have been waiting since I ordered my car on April 28. I suspect I have been waiting the longest of anyone posting on this board. I must say, I don't consider myself overly lucky in this regard.

mmcbride1

I'm 26, and I hate the looks of the IS, too. I have to think it's aimed at the 16-25 market (and most of them can't afford any car, let alone a $30k one).

I'm supposedly dead in the middle of the target market (both age and income) and I don't like the car much at all.

Oh, well. At least it will perform better with the manual. That won't help the looks, though.

burrsr

The Z3 has really made me regret not getting the 330 with a manual. I know the next one will definitely be sans Step. Oh well; one stick, one Step -- chalk one up for diversity.

Besides the increasing HP trend among automakers (particularly the Japanese with 240-hp Altimas, 200-hp RSXs, etc.), I find the trend toward 6-speed manuals interesting. Even $25K Celica GTSs and RSXs are now available with this. I've never driven one, but I'd imagine that the gains would be marginal over a conventional 5-speed. The reasons in the past were mostly for fuel economy (ala the Corvette Z1, to keep engine rpms at highway speeds barely above idle). But now, high-strung, high-revving engines (such as the GTS, RSX, and e46 M3) seem to benefit from lower gearing throughout the range, basically requiring a 6th gear just to keep from being buzzy at constant highway speeds. It'll be interesting to see what BMW decides to do with more mainstream engines, such as the 2.5 and 3.0. I wonder how such a broadly powerful AND relatively efficient engine, such as the 540's, benefits from its 6-speed...

jasonkureejii

Wow! I ordered mine on May 17th. It completed production on June 1st and I'd suspect it took as much as 5-6 weeks for it to get on a ship...it had better be everything I dreamed!

tcn2k

I am 25 and i think the is300 is ugly. Drives like a suit-up toyota. I went for the bimmer because of the sleak look and the cornering. Plus, i always wanted one since i was working my butt of in school.

jasonkureejii

I know a couple of coworkers and a few asians in their mid to late twentiese who drive them....they're all decent people and have their own reasons, but I just couldn't get over the style, gauge layout, and the fact that it didn't have a manual. It was indeed fun to drive, but I definitely couldn't picture myself in one....

tchoo

I'm in Lexus' target age range (29) too. IMHO I disagree that it drives like a souped up Toyota. Which Toyota are you referring to? I agree that the interior of the IS looks like it came from the Toyota parts bin, and the exterior is definitely radical, but the handling is great, I felt that it handled as well as a 3-series. Its other shortcomings pushed me toward the Bimmer, but handling was not one of them.

mmcbride1

Yep, it's a great handler, it's just ugly.

shawn325i

joer325xi

Can anyone tell me if I will actually get my 325xi as 2001 model? Ordered in late June. Got a Week 27 production. Postponed to Week 33. Postponed to Week 35 ( the last week of August). It has a Status 112 and a priority 1. Ordered from Classic BMW in New Jersey. Topaz Blue, grey Leather, SP, Step, CD, Fold Down Rear seats, AWD.
Would it be status 112 and not be produced for 7 weeks?

lewparker

Hello all, it's been awhile! I too got bit by the aux fan bug. It happened after I'd had my 325i for about 3 weeks. I drove to New York from Baltimore to take my wife to JFK for a trip to Europe to visit her parents. As I approached the outerbanks crossing (?) I noticed that the temp guage was in the red and my heart sank, knowing full well what was happening. I made it to Brooklyn and as soon as I shut off the motor, the car overheated and lost some antifreeze.

The next morning I called Roadside Assistance. They towed the vehicle to Life Quality BMW in Brooklyn where it's been sitting for about two weeks. During that time, they gave me a rental (a Suzuki Grand Vitara with a six cylinder motor) which I drove back to Baltimore and which I've kept for almost two weeks, at their expense. They are delivering my bimmer to my house on Sunday via flatbed, and towing the rental back to New York.

While I have to admit that the dealer is being pretty cool about it, I had to argue and get a bit testy before they came around to my way of thinking. I told them that if they wanted me to go back to New York to pick up my car, that I would do it at my convenience not theirs, at $50 a day for the rental. The service manager at first told me that they would only pay for the rental until the my 325 is fixed, but they eventually relented and promised to deliver the car to Maryland. I think they are using the trip interruption policy in Roadside Assistance, up to $750, to pay for the delivery.

BMWNA seems pretty worthless about the situation. They couldn't tell me anything, other than that BMW is commited to producing as many parts as fast as possible to resolve the fan problem. Essentially they told me to deal with Roadside Assistance. The service manager at the dealer told me that there was a recall for the fan, but that it didn't cover my car - only for VINs a couple thousand lower than mine. He said that I already had the new fan, but it just happened to be defective - go figure.

At any rate, I'll get the car back on Sunday. In the meantime, even though the dealer and Roadside Assistance took pretty good care of me, I'm still a bit miffed that my brand new, $31K BMW left me stranded. Even my cheesy Dodge Shadow never left me stranded in over 5 years of daily driving.

I know, I know, it's a bimmer and it's probably worth a bit of inconvenience. I just hope that's my bit of bad luck, and I'll have no more problems.
Cheers.

larrylynx

Your message (lewparker) reminded me of the second month after I got my 1987 325is. I was 100 miles from home and the brakes froze up and over heated, warped the rotors... it was a mess. I had it towed to a Modesto, CA (sticks) BMW dealer, where it stayed for two weeks. A friend picked it up to deliver it to me, and it did the same thing again, within a couple of miles of the dealer! One more week, and they got it right.

I now have 260,000 miles on that car, and have enjoyed every mile. It still pulls strong (I added a custom chip) and is still great fun to drive. I had to replace the steering rack at 7 years, and lost 3rd gear (my favorite!) a couple of years ago, so had the tarns/drive shaft/rear end rebuilt, for $2,700, at a Sacramento BMW performance shop. Even with a few problems, it has been the best car I've ever owned, by far. I would have bought a new loaded 330ci, but can't bring myself to even consider shelling out $750 a month for ANY car. Leasing is not a good option as I drive lots of miles each year.

I recently bought a 2002 Aura 3.2 TL Type S. I guess I'm getting a bit soft, and the S offered so much more in the way of "amenities", including the "manumatic", for 32,000, out the door. I like the car very much. For what it's intended to do, it does it well. And when I get the urge to run through the gears and toss it around, I still have the Bimmer!

dave330i

Any performance difference with the custom chip? I assume the major advantage is getting rid of the governor (tires are rated for 149+, the car should be allowed to go at least that much ).

Shelling out $750/month isn't too bad, espically if you have easypay setup. You almost don't even notice it.

I guess I'm in the IS300 target range as well (28 yr.). The biggest reason I didn't get it was because no manual. There are couple of advantages to auto, eating, drinking, talking on the phone, etc..., but my feeling is, if you're doing all that, then you can't enjoy the thrill of driving your car.

kv007

i picked up my new 330xi on jun 30 --
orient blue, black leather, 5spd., sport, sunroof, xenons, aluminum trim, and gps.

the car came in about 10 weeks after order in mid-april. i think it produced on time, but took a little longer to transport than i expected - other than that, though no issues at all. overall, i'm very pleased with the dealer, devon hill bmw in philly -great price, no hassle, great service.

the aluminum trim is absolutely gorgeous--sucks that bmw makes you forgo the premium pkg for it but it's absolutely worth it to anyone who's considering it, go for it -- i hardly miss the rain-sensing wipers and the auto-dimming mirror.

i'm right at about 1000 mi. so car's getting broken in. the engine was a little rough initially, but seems to be smoothing out the clutch and the brakes are breaking in, and everyday i drive the car i enjoy it more and more. it's especially great at night with the orange dash glowing and the blue lights in front. just awesome.

only one thing though -- does anyone else think this car would be totally perfect if it just had a little bit bigger tires? the 205s feel a little skinny. well ok two things - storage space in this car pretty much sucks, but i guess that's not why we buy a bmw is it?

at 1000 miles after two weeks i have to slow down the pace, though, or i'll have 75K miles on my 45K lease!! i can't help it though, i just keep driving around and can't bring myself to put the car back in the garage at night.

my biggest challenge has been the 5speed--it's the first stick i've owned so still a little nervous every time i get stuck in an uphill traffic jam. starting to get the hang of it though. trying not to ride the clutch too much but if it keeps me from sliding into cars behind me and the worst thing that happens is that i have to replace the clutch a little sooner, no biggie.

for everyone who's still waiting, and waiting, and waiting, and still waiting, it will all be a memory soon enough. just hang in:)

alpine325i

I know what you mean, "I just keep driving around and can't bring myself to put the car back in the garage at night". It sounds like you've been bitten by the bug too. I just got in the house from my friday night cruise of 50 miles. Earlier today I had to go to the Classic American Guitar Show in Valley Forge. That was another 50 miles but I enjoyed every minute of it! I bought my car from Devon Hill also, great people, great deal, no hassle. I'm now in the process of selling my 2001 325i, so I have to cool out on the miles and start driving my Taurus if I expect to get close to what I'm asking for it. I plan on ordering a 2002 330ci SP, Step, CD. As far as hills go, I used to use the emergency hand brake to keep the car still, then release it when the clutch started grabbing. After I got better at driving stick I learned how to move my foot from the brake pedal to the gas pedal real quick and accurate. :O)

dl7265

Why u wanna sell allready ?

shop2

What chip did you use? Anyone out there have any recommendations, experience with performance gains etc?
Thanks.

shawn325i

Does the sport package not come with 17 inchers, 225's???

My 325i without sport is coming with standard 16 inchers, 205's.

Alpine, yeah, why selling already?????

kv007

yeah, why are you selling already? unless it's just because you want to trade up to the hot, hot 330ci.

i tried the hand brake thing, but it didn't work for me - too much to think about at once for my little mind!!

you live around devon? so you know how all these pretty rolling hills can be. i live off of rt. 252 in berwyn and love driving around all the back roads in malvern where all the horse farms are. awesome twisty, windy roads.

kv007

i have the 330xi, so the sport package doesn't actually change the tires --still the all-season 17-inch 205s that are on the 330xi. sp gives me different (i think nicer...) wheels, sport seats, m-aerodynamic panels, and sport steering wheels.

the 330i sp has 225s in front and 245s in back (z-rated i think), but they're probably not the best in the snow.

i was borrowing an audi a6 recently though and it had 17-inch 215s on it. of course its a heavier car, but seems a lot more stable...i'm no tire expert, but they probably have something to do w/it as well.

gurumike

Was that an A6 4.2 ? The only other Audi w/ 17" wheels is the 2.7T, but only cars built from February 2001. Otherwise all A6 cars have 16" rims.

larrylynx

My chip was burned by Schatz and Krumb, and performance shop in Sacramento, CA. They roll their own, and claim 15% hp improvement. I don't know what else, if anything, they had to do to accomodate the chip. I do know that I've hit redline many many times in my car (first 325is series, bought in Feb. 1987) and have never noticed anything to limit revs other than my own better judgement.

BTW, does anyone out there have experience replacing an air conditioner system for this car?

aaron330i

...well not really, but I cut a corner too close and put a gash in my right rear rim.

It's not too serious, but I'd like to get the rim treated or something to keep it from getting damaged any further. What should I do?

On the plus side, I now have three coats of Zaino on my car and it's looking pretty sweet!

kv007

my mistake - it was a 2000 2.7T and they were 215/55R16 tires, but it's a very stable car at high speeds.

do you think its more the bulk of the car itself or do you think the width of the tires do make a difference?

need a little tire lesson!