BMW 3-Series 2005 and earlier

ccotenj

not to mention when it's raining, or snowing, or cold, or and so on... i have ZERO desire to get out and pump gas...

not only rival... our gas is cheaper than any of our surrounding states...

fwiw, every now and then someone will try to bring self-serve to jersey, and the senior citizens groups rise up and smite them mightily...

-Chris

brave1heart

31 degrees here in Albany at 8 AM this morning. I heard it was in the 20's but warmed up by 8 AM. Turned the key and the "freezing, you will die!!" beeps woke up whatever part of me was still half-asleep. I counted 4 beeps. Yes, I know it's cold, I can feel it AND see it in my breath, really don't need the annoying beep, thank you. I will have to call the dealer to see if they can disable it. Good thing the bun heaters are already warmER in 30 sec. The car felt stiff like any cold car at first but loosened up in a minute or two. I try to get going right away and I take it VERY slow till the water temp needle gets halfway there. Then I gradually start pushing it. Even after the car is fully awake, half the drivers I zip by seem cold and sleepy, fudging with the radio controls, their mind somewhere else.

A tip I wanted to share with you - I pulled the steering wheel closer to my body for better feel. It may seem a little unnatural if you're not used to it but I was able to feel the car even better that way.

planoml

Not to beat a dead horse, but can you get the SMG or SSG on a Euro delivery car?

genie1

Yesterday was the first time I read about the *beep* (I was looking for info on resetting the clock). And then you mentioned your first hearing.

Well, I was close this morning but not quite (44F) so I haven't heard this *beep* yet

I'm sure it wont be too long though.

brave1heart

44 in Toronto and 31 in Albany?!? Go figure... I always thought that Toronto was at least as cold. Well, enjoy it while it lasts.

john01

Only on the M3. You can only get the options that are available in the US. ED delivery is no different than any other US model.

twoof1

dave330i
My dealer programed my clown nose & corner lights to blink with lock activation for free. I had it done when it was in for a service appointment. Of course my dealer insisted that it would not work until I showed them the step by step how to instruuctions. It not only works, it does not generate any fault codes. If you have it done when it's in for service, they have to hook your car up to the computer to read for any fault codes and it is a 30 second programing procedure while they are at it.

jpagan,
Is it a 2.5 or 3.0 Z3?
stick or step?
any other options besides PP?

genie1

and if it hadn't been raining the sunroof would have been open.

I have an automotive weekend ahead...

My friend with the new MB C240 sedan will be driving us to Niagara Falls on Saturday. Lunch will be at East Dell Estate. A nice Gewurtz maybe with a bistro style lunch, with a view of the vineyards and the lake, followed by a drive to the Falls to enjoy the fall foliage.

If we remember to bring documentation and the lines aren't too long, we might drive into the US for a bit.

And on Sunday, we will attend the car control course, so I can stop driving like a little OLD lady.

shipo

This is an historic moment, the first time I am going to agree with an AARP agenda. ;-)

Best Regards,
Shipo

dave330i

Everyone.

twoof1: Thanks for the info. I'm taking my car in tomorrow to get the steering retrofit done. You don't happen to have a link to those directions by any chance?

No idea if my beeps work or not. Same thing with the cruise control. Rain sensing wipers work nicely though.

jpnwdc

My question earlier about the seats in the 3-Series was how can I get more adjustable front seats without getting the sport package? I cannot get comfortable with the 6-way seats that come with the premium package because they offer no seat bottom angle adjustment - just height adjustment. Does anyone have the non-premium package manual seats? Do they offer more adjustment?

genie1

I have manual 6-way seats. After four months of ownership, I still can't seem to find a perfect all-round seating position.

I constantly have to adjust for highway/town driving (most of my highway driving is on the brakes at 20kph) as well as for different shoes.

I can't remember having this much trouble with my previous 4-way seats.

But OTOH, I now have higher expectations than I did before

shipo

Hmmm, my 1999 328i PP sans SP has the same 6-way power seats as the current 330i PP sans SP. Mine most certainly has bottom angle adjustment. How much time have you spent in a 330i? I suggest a long test drive so you can get familiar with the seat controls.

Best Regards,
Shipo

shipo

I have never had a car (with a manual transmission that is) that had a comfortable seating position that worked for both City and Highway driving (although my 328i is close). That is one of the reasons that I wanted power memory seats, 1 setting for City driving, 1 setting for Highway driving and 1 setting for the "Roll Over Maneuver" (See the topic “What FOOT do YOU use??” over in the “Coupes, Convertibles & Sports Cars” message #54).

Best Regards,
Shipo

ccotenj

LOL!!! well, i hope to be around long enough to someday take advantage of those AARP benefits...

plus, i'll NEED a m3 then... gotta make sure that i make it for the early bird specials on time...

-Chris

millerro3

the standard seats, whether manual or power, have the same adjustments on them. I think BMW made the wrong decision in not having a tilt adjustment on the standard seats, like they did in the E36. FWIW

jpnwdc

Shipo - the 6-way seats offer seat back angle adjustment. However, you can only raise and lower the entire seat bottom, i.e. you cannot independently adjust the height of the front and back of the seat bottom. I need to raise the front of the seat bottom to give my legs more support. Most cars with power seats offer 8 and sometimes 10-way adjustment. For some people the 6-way is sufficient. However, I cannot get comfortable. If I'm going to spend $30+ on a car, I better be comfortable! It's very frustrating because I love the way the 3-Series drives. If I could only put the seats from my Saab in the 3-Series...

dave330i

Haven't got the "Roll Over Maneuver" programmed in yet. Do need to get the winter mode programmed in (maybe). Haven't had any problems with my seats at all in City & HWY.

brave1heart

Yes and Yes. My 325i has the non-PP sport pack seats which offer more adjustment than any other 3-series. I think they are 10-way. You can raise the front (I do) for more comfort. They don't have adjustable lumbar support like the A4 but it feels like lumbar support is built in. Try them out, I do think they are the best seats I've sat in, except some people think the side bolsters are a little too restrictive.

hgeyer

These wheels are apparently an option with the 330i, but I can't find a picture of them anywhere on the BMW web site. Can anyone direct me to a picture of these?

nyccarguy

Go to build your own on the bmw site...it will show you the wheels you're looking for.

dl7265

The best feature on a long trip is that expandable thigh support, it makes the seats really great, i dont have any issues with the large side bolsters ,other than being prone to a lot of wear.

DL

hgeyer

Unfortunately, these wheels do not appear as an option in "Build your own", but they are listed under standard/optional equipment in the 330i vehicle description page as optional equipment.

Are these perhaps standard for any other trim lines?

nyccarguy

I believe the wheels you speak of are part of the sports package. Select the sports package option on either the 330i or 330Ci. I'm not sure what you mean by style 98 though.

derprofi

Look here for a picture.

hgeyer

The sports package includes the M-Style Double spoke #72M - different wheel. All of the 330 model descriptions show the "98 double spoke w/run flat tires and low pressure indicator" as an option, but do not show a picture.

Any suggestions out there (other than go to a dealer, which would make the most sense).

jodar96

I just checked out a 92 325i with 85K miles. It is 5 speed. It is in decent shape. I was surprized at the level of interior trim material; loose door panel, flimsy/sliding power mirror botton. It feels and looks very cheap. After I got on a road that I could do 70MPH, there was alot of engine and humming muffler noise. When the car idled, the tailpipe was making quite a bit of noise. Is it Normal?

I own a 96 Toyota Camry XLE V-6 that drives like a dream.

I hear older BMW's can nickle and dime you to death. Is it true? What type of things I should watch in this year car? The guy wants $8200, and he will probably take $7800. By the way, there is no way I will give up Camry's silky engine to get this BMW. I will keep both cars for their very different ride and feel.

In three years that this guy has owned this car, he has quite a stack of repair bill which worries me. I just don't want to drive an Ultimate Driving Machine all the way to the poorhouse!

tenet1

Based on your description of this 10 year old '92 325i, Why would you still consider wasting $8K on it?

Your money would be better spend on another used accord or camry of a later year.

brave1heart

Great!!! No need to look for anything else, especially a 10-yr old car then. Dreams do come true after all.

jrct9454

...I would also have to say that no '92 3er is likely to be a great candidate for used car of this or any other year. The guy responsible for the E36 launch was summarily taken out and shot for the number of problems that this car had during its first two years. Anyone who got a trouble-free car and is still driving it might disagree, but this is a risky model year for this car....at any price....

ccotenj

jrct is right, 92's had quite a few teething problems, 93's were somewhat better, and the kinks were pretty much worked out by 94...

all old cars will nickle and dime you to death... the fact that he's got a stack of receipts is actually a positive, that means he's been having work done on it when it needs it...

your quote "I will keep both cars for their very different ride and feel."... you are dead on correct with that... the 3er (even brand new), was/is a completely different car than a camry... what you are perceiving as the "silky engine" in the camry is actually the incredible ability of toyota to engineer any feedback from the car out of it, whereas the 3er is engineered to give the driver lots of feedback...

in my mostly worthless opinion though, jrct's suggestion to avoid the 92 is probably a good one...

reubencahn

I think Circle BMW's site has pictures of all available wheels.

jodar96

Ok everyone. I love this website. you hear all views. If you feel the '92 had several issues, I am hopeful that this guy or the previous owner had already encountered and fixed them!!!

The guy has agreed to let me have it overnight. I will first degrease the engine, take it to carwash, and do the undebody wash. drive it for about 30 minutes, take it home,and then go over the engine and underbody all night, and then decide.

I already know not to compare its build quality to Camry. So I won't go there from now on. I tell you 325's solid gear shift, and its willing engine was impressive for $8k.

ccotenj

try www.bmwwheels.com

-Chris

ccotenj

you'd be MUCH better served to tech it to a qualified bimmer tech and have him/her go over it... please don't take offense, but unless you are a bimmer mechanic, you really don't know what you are looking for...

-Chris

div2

What he's REALLY looking for is a Toyota with a Roundel on it...

shawn325i

I am starting to feel much more comfortable with the gearing and I now know what everyone is talking about when they say their car seems a little quicker. My 2001 325i does feel like it has opened up a bit and the DSC has settled down as well.

After a few months I'm more impressed with this car then when I bought it.

twoof1

sorry, I don't have the instructions any more.
I believe gurumike posted them here a while ago.
Guru are you still out there?
You might want to look back a couple of month's.
Also the guys on bimmer.org may be able to help out.

hippo168

There were some discussion about this couple months ago. It happened to me twice this past week. Again, both times happened in the morning when I first started the car...

I paid special attention after the first incident, and this morning, I was pretty sure I had it all the way in 2nd, and I actually held it in for half a second, but it just popped back out!?!? As it was popping back out, I could hear the normal gear grinding noise.

Anyway, I can still live with it, I just find it very strange.

brave1heart

... after < 6 months, of which I was away on vacation for almost a full month. Will try to put together a 10K write-up but if I had to sum up my experience with the car in one word I'd say "Inspiring!!!".

dave330i

Wait until you've autox your car. Truly inspiring.

ccotenj

i'm afraid you may be right... but, hey, i tried... i think i'd rather have an e30 and do a little "work" (hehe) than a 92 e36 personally, but to each his own...

-Chris

mschukar

Has anyone had luck exchanging wheels as an option? My dealer told me I would essentially have to buy a second set to get different wheels for my car.

-Murray

bmw323is

I took my car in for service today to fix that annoying seat belt click on the 2000 MY. It was interesting that they gave me a 323 loaner - a wagon. It was amazing how different this loaner felt compared to my 323i. The loaner had the Step, mine has a stick. Mine has the sport package while the loaner did not. I will say the little wagon is nice looking, but doesn't have much room in the back. And, for some reason, there were all kinds of rattles coming from the back. When I got my own car back if felt as though it were a 330 after driving the loaner all day. My car feels MUCH faster. Okay, I'm not going to go further into that manual/stick argument. Also the sport package seats are much better. Finally, the leather seats in this loaner were all smooth and hard (dirty too). Sure a loaner takes a lot of abuse. But, for those of you with leather, go buy a $5 bottle of Lexol conditioner and use it. The difference between my leather and that loaner was night and day.

BTW, while at the dealer, I bought some chrome exhaust tips. Got a 10% discount for being a BMWCCA member. I'll put them on this weekend. Looks like you just tap them on, right?

brave1heart

More info here:

http://bimmer.roadfly.com/bmw/e46/forum.php?postid=87909&page=1

I hope your biz takes off big - price will be close to 100 grand but what a beauty!!!

shipo

Thanks for the link, I think that car NEEDS ME! ;-)

Best Regards,
Shipo

brave1heart

They are positioning it to compete with the new SL500 and this will be one tough choice.

Oh, not for you, actually. Slushbox only for the SL500.

shipo

You are absolutely correct, manual tranny all of the way for me. Funny thing about a stick shift in the SL, I mentioned to a VP at MBUSA a couple of years ago how much more desirable the SL, E-Class, C-Class and SLK would be with an option of a stick shift. He got very defensive and said that &#147;Our customers would never buy a stick&#148;, in such a way that you got the impression that the ONLY reason a person would buy a stick was to save money! I made a similar comment to another VP and he said, &#147;When Americans buy an expensive German car with a manual gearbox, they expect a smooth and refined gear changing system, like on a BMW. The manual transmissions that we sell in Europe would never measure up the American expectations.&#148;

Oddly enough, I found myself in Stuttgart not six months later and the titular head of the group I was working with at debis SystemsHaus AG actually had an E420 with a 5-Speed. He was more than happy to let me drive it, and I can say that the shift mechanism was not even as refined as the shifter on my 1970 Challenger with a 340 4-Speed. Talk about disappointing. I heard at the time that MB was working on a new transmission and shifter for the SLK that would rival that of a BMW, alas, I left MB before it became available.

Another interesting item of note, a friend of mine who still works at MBUSA recently told me a story of an old SL (like a 300SL or a 380SL) that was from the last model year that had a manual transmission available. Apparently, since so few cars were imported with the stick shift, their resale value has gone up, and this particular car just sold for something like $35,000 whereas the Automatic version of the same car is going for somewhere in the mid to high 20&#146;s! Who knows, maybe by the time I am ready for an M6, MB will be sell a manual tranny SL, on the other hand, pigs might just learn how to fly. ;-)

Best Regards,
Shipo

chiromanic

looking for winter floor mats with deep wells. any suggestions welcomed.

twoof1

dave330i,
I found the folliwing info for you on e46fanatics.com FAQ section:
"Q: There is no audio or visual cues when I remotely lock my doors if I don't have an alarm. Is there any way to get a visual confirmation or the "clown nose thingy" to blink?
A: Yes. Here's how:
1) Have your dealer hook up the shop computer (MODIC) to the car.
2) Go to the "Anti-Theft" activation section.
3) Activate the alarm, but uncheck the "DWA" option.

After this is done, your corner light should blink once when locked and twice when unlocked remotely. In addition, the clown nose will blink when car is locked just as if an alarm was present.

Contrary to the previous version of the FAQ, there are no permanent fault codes that are generated for the latest E46's (at least for MY2001's and later) by programming this option."