BMW 3-Series 2005 and earlier

ccotenj

true bmw snobs use zymol...

-Chris

dave330i

The reason BMW only offers 1 tire option for xi is because they expect xi to be driven in adverse conditions (i.e. snow). SP tires with their low aspect ratio, and wide contact patch don't work in snow. If you opt for the SP tires (don't know if you can), then you have the added penalty of weight, higher cg, etc, while defeating the usefulness of xi (unless you swap snow tires during winter).

jjshabadoo

My lease ended today and I decided to turn in my 328i and purchase a 2002 330i for some of the same reasons shipo mentioned (e.g. used car market is oversaturated, etc.). I did consider purchasing the 328i which I leased through BMW Financial Services but they were firm on price. The guy said no negotiations what-so-ever. Given the market conditions this didn't make a whole lot of sense.

Shipo: Do you use Klasse after every wash? I would appreciate it if you could share with me (us) how you go about washing/cleaning your car? I've been washing my 328i with Armor All Car Wash, drying it with the Absorber and waxing it with a Japanese-brand wax (Soft 99) for black cars. Thanks

jim52

Will the 10K mile residual also go down 1% (i.e. from 63% to 62%)?

kominsky

shipo; I would assume (yeah, yeah, I know...) that the car will be waxed when you pick it up. Can you apply Klasse on top of the wax or will you use a stripper first?

Chris; woo-hoo, I'm a bmw snob! The best thing about zymol is that if you get hungry while waxing, you can just scoop up a couple of fingers full and eat away. :-) This is actually something a Zymol rep did at a local car show to 'prove' that it is all natural. I like the way Zymol applies, but don't like the fact that it wears off so quickly. When I run out, I'm probably gonna consider something more durable.

nyccarguy

I too am a big fan of how Zymol shines when the car is done with it. It is pretty hard to get off if you let it dry too long. The protection doesn't last long enough for me. Zymol is great for my Dad's 1966 Corvette Roadster which gets driven a total of maybe 5X per year, sits under a cover in a garage, and hasn't seen rain since the early 80's!

nyccarguy

If Shipo uses Klasse, I'm pretty sure its a damn good product. The guy does his homework!

shipo

The beauty of this product is that it only needs to be applied every six months or so. Given that I subscribe to the school of "How can I go the longest with the least amount of work?", the six month window is perfect for me. So far, I cannot complain, the finish on my 328i is in really nice shape, I will not hesitate to use Klasse on all of my future cars, unless, something better comes along.

Best Regards,
Shipo

nyccarguy

OK, I've "owned" 3 cars in my 9+ years of driving. I paid cash (check, not via a gymbag) for my 1st car and leased my second as well as my current vehicle. When you finance a car, do you pay interest on the Total cost of the car plus sales tax or just The cost of the car?

ccotenj

lol... well, i can't comment as to the effectiveness of any of them, since i don't actually wax my car (that's why detailers were invented), i just got the impression from various wax forums and so on that zymol was the wax of choice...

yup, shipo does his homework, wasn't disagreeing with him at all...

-Chris

ccotenj

you pay interest on the total amount borrowed... if you borrow the sales tax, you pay interest on that as well...

-Chris

nyccarguy

genie1

My brother's C-230 coupe will be here sometime next week...and I get to do a comparison...

He ordered it in November so I'm hazy on the details: 198hp, 200 lb.ft torque, kompressor...evolution package (17" wheels...), Capri blue exterior, oyster leather, Panorama sunroof, heated seats...I think thats everything.

Can't wait...especially as we had 15 degree weather here and it promises to hold up...

He's promised to let me drive it...since he did warm up my Bimmer a couple of times when I was on vacation.

brave1heart

... strip the paint off so the car would be lighter... Do they apply the zymol before they strip of after?

nyccarguy

I used to not be too fond of the multi-spoke stock wheels on the 330i. I've seen a few over the past weekend and they're growing on me. The Sport Package Wheels are still much cooler though:)

dave330i

That's how Germans got silver as their color in F1. Audi (or was it MB) wanted to reduce weight, so they stripped the paint, and polished the metal.

dave330i

Are you talking about MY01 or MY02? Haven't seen MY02 on the streets yet. MY01 wheels do make the car look somewhat boring.

nyccarguy

It was MB who took the paint off the race car to reduce its weight by 18 lbs.

I believe the MY01 wheels and MY02 wheels on non SP equipped 330is (plural of 330i) are the same.

petmj

I just recently purchased a 2002 325i and did not get the sports package. How good is the base suspension setup on this model? I'm wanting to lower the car as well. I was thinking about going the "Dinan" rout but that seems very expensive. I can get some Koni shocks/stuts with H&R springs much cheaper than the Dinan. Any opinions? Thanks in advance.

div2

Your money would be much better spent attending several BMW CCA driving schools. Hone YOUR skills before you start messing with the car.

nyccarguy

Invest in your own driving skills before you start messing with the car. And if you really plan to upgrade the suspension, why didn't you just opt for the Sport Package in the first place?

ccotenj

oh, c'mon div, then he won't get that cool lowered effect... i agree though.

question to the original poster: why didn't you get the sports package to begin with?

once you beat the stock suspension to death though, i'd go the dinan route (of course, i'm biased)... there's a reason that koni's from dinan cost more than koni's straight out of the box from someone else...

-Chris

whichone1

Does anyone know if Klasse All-In-One is available in Canada? If so, where? Any help is appreciated.

carwatch

All residuals go down by 1% starting March 1

nyccarguy

What airline are you flying on to Munich? Did you say you were paying $4XX per ticket?

dave330i

I was mixing some cds on my PC, when I noticed something. The stereo in the BMW is really flat, and muddy vs. my pc (all the cars I've owned were pretty bad). Then again, I got the car because it was such a blast to drive, and not for the stereo.

Gold101

Thanks for the replies everyone! I just test drove a new 325i manual and loved it. My son didn't drive it becasue he has no experience with the stick, but he loved the way it felt. The handling on this car is simply sublime! The engine was so strong for 182 hp and the sport seats are incredible. Now I just have to work out the price..........

Thanks

dave330i

Have you looked into ED by any chance? Could be a good bonding experience with your son.

mfeldman

It thinks there is more gas in the tank than there is. It worked fine till last service -- which was for steering and alignment. Now moves very slow off FULL. At fill up the tank had less than 1 galon and the warning light had not gone on. In the past it would go on with 2 gallons left. Any ideas?

ddblue

This guy paints helmets and other items for a living. My friend has had his painted helmets for about two years now. He even got in a wreck with one of them, and no structural issues arose due to the painting, so I'm not worried. This guy stands by his work.

I plan to use this helmet for auto-crossing only, anyway. I'll post photos of the helmet when it's finished (couple of weeks). I'm actually going to have a Batman motif on the helmet. Should look pretty aggressive (and just make me look like more of a kid than I already am. HA!).

dave330i

According to the manual, the low fuel light is suppose to come on with 3 gallons left. I don't see how steering and alignment service would impact it, but if it does it again, I would take it in.

shipo

We are flying SAS, we got a "Special Fare" via http://www.expedia.com. Said special fare does not accrue frequent flyer miles, and has a few other minor restrictions. However, I was mistaken on the price, I have previously posts that the tickets were $442 a piece, in truth, they are $447 per person, sorry about that.

Best Regards,
Shipo

brave1heart

According to the manual, the low fuel light comes on with 2 gallons (8 liters) left, not 3 gallons as dave330i indicates. There is about 1/2 gallon reserve past the two gallons, so the light really comes up when there are 2 1/2 gallons left in the tank. If you fill up 14+ gallons and the light never came up, there is probably a problem with the gas tank sensor.

petmj

As to why I did not get the sport suspension...dumb move on my part. I should have been a little more patient and waited for it as well as those nice looking 17's...however, the car still drives very well as is too. Just thinking about future projects I can do to the car...I spoke with a local Dinan dealer here in Alabama and the price is not a whole lot more than going elsewhere. Also told me that going with them would not have any negative warranty issues with BMW if one may occur.

topspin627

I had my 01 330i with sp in for a service and was given a 00 323 sedan for the day as a loaner. What a great car, as well. I was very impressed with the smooth acceleration and solid feel. I was particularly tuned in to the steering since this was before all of the controversy. In my opinion it was exactly the same as mine which is a post July 01 production and therefore had the retro fit already done.
After I picked up my car though it felt like a rocket in comparison. They replaced a fuel suction pump which was making a slight buzzing sound outside the car. Could that have been affecting performance? I didn't remember the car being so fast unless it was just the contrast of going right from the 323 to my 330.
Saw an 02 330ic in at the dealer and it was really great looking. I thought it was an M3 at first glance.
PS- Service was great. As good as anything I've experienced at Lexus which I think is the bench mark in that arena.

parsonguy

So as not to be off topic, are all of you habs toasting with a nip of lagavulin tonight, after parking your 3'er in a garage and surrending the keys to someone responsible? That game was to hockey what the 3'er is to the Camry and Accord. Faster, sharper, more wide open, with no red line and no dropping of gloves. It was a game of pure anticipation, speed, and teamwork. Kudos to our neighbors to the north.

visordoc

I had just changed from OEM Conti's allseason 205/50/17 to 225/45/17 Kumho 712 summer tires, and immediately noticed that the steering tend to follow the ruts in the road. This is especially pronounced when braking. Does anyone else experience this for wider tires?

Otherwise it drives very smoothly and I can now take corners at higher speeds than before. Can't wait till the weather warms up more to really push the tires more.

butmywife

Shipo--I just got a similiar deal on SAS----$600 from Seattle. We're arriving on April 18th (late) to pick up the car on the 19th. Will we see you there? Do you know anything about SAS? It was the cheapest flight and had the fewest hours in the air but came with lots of restrictions (no ff miles, your firstborn with any ticket changes, etc.) My wife and I are off through the Alps to Italy for 10 days. We'll be in the grey/green 325xi going as fast as the break-in period allows.

ccotenj

yes. it's "normal" what you are experiencing.

tramlining is a function of both the wider and "stickier" tires...

-Chris

jel620

My dealer is still saying they can only have the current lease rates (resid and MF) approved for sixty days with BMW FS. If I did this before March to get the current rates, then this would end at the end of April before I take delivery of the car in May. Can you please give me your dealership's name and also the sales manager's name? I can have my sales person call them for the details.

Thanks for the help!

raavir

My dealer told me that I can place a special order for lumbar support as a stand alone option, if I order power seats. Is it mandatory to have power seats to operate lumbar support?

shipo

I don't know where SAS came up with the "Special Fare" program, however, it seems quite a deal compared to everybody else. I like SAS quite a bit, when I was working for MBUSA, I used to fly SAS (Business Class, which I assure you, we are NOT flying :-(), and had no complaints at all. Copenhagen airport might be the cleanest, brightest and most spacious airport that I have ever been in, so layovers there are delightful as well. Interesting tidbit, flying from SEA to CPH, you only travel 1,004 miles further than we will from EWR to CPH (ain't those great circle routes great). I suspect you are going to be WAY north, like, polar ice cap kind of north, your flight home should be quite spectacular (assuming no clouds).

Unfortunately, we will not be able to hook up with you (unless our plans change), as our current itinerary has us taking delivery on the afternoon of the 17th, and then proceeding west toward Paris for a long weekend with friends, and then stopping in Stuttgart on the way back to visit some of my MB friends.

Have fun on you trip, if you get a chance, drive the Brenner Pass south from Austria, this pass has LOTS of history. I don’t know if you are into mountain bike riding, however, if you stop at the north end of Lago di Garda in the Riva, Arco, Torbole area, there is some fabulous trail riding that can be done in the area. Apparently, the mountain biking community has reopened the trails used in WWI to guard the mountains. I spent a couple of glorious weekends riding the area back in 1996, and would highly recommend it to anybody.

Best Regards,
Shipo

derprofi

I've also got a SLOW driver's side seat belt retractor in my '02 330i that's really starting to annoy me. I put up with a similar condition in my 10-year-old Sentra, but I can't believe I'm also seeing it in a brand new car. Anyway, I'm taking the car in for a state inspection this week and to have a screw removed from my right rear tire (fortunately it's not losing much pressure) so I'll be sure to ask about the seat belt as well and pass along any info I get.

duval1

Can you order the 325xi or 330xi for ED?

hfb

1) Which set of wheels do you have that you replaced the tires for?

2) Do the 225/45 look wider/sportier than than the 205/50?

carwatch

I guess it depends on the dealer. My dealer has locked the rates for me until the car arrives. The concept being that if they had the car in stock now, I would have gotten it already. That's their part of the deal. My order form shows everything: price of the car, interest rate for financing, for leasing (MF and residual). In my dealer's order form, it clearly states that at the time of delivery if there is any price increase, I can walk away from the deal with my deposit fully refunded. For a few dollars, I don't think BMW FS nor the dealer would risk that. Besides, by ordering the car, the dealer makes the most profit because they do not have to carry inventory cost like the cars in their lot.

Talk to your dealer again.

shipo

Yes, pretty much any German built car except the "M" cars.

Best Regards,
Shipo

derprofi

I was told by Joern at Passport that I could still order an M for Munich pick-up, but that there would be no discount involved. So the question then becomes whether or not it's worth it for the individual buyer to pay their own airfare and hotel costs in order to have the privilege of tearing around Europe in an M. As Ferris Bueller might say, "If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up."

nyccarguy

EVen if you get the M3 or M5 in Munich, you wouldn't be able to reap the benefits (Driving like a madman on the autobahn) of it due to the somewhat sensitive break in period of the M Powered Cars.

sunnybrook

break in, shmeak in...

That car is designed to be abused and abuse it you should. Then get rid of it after a year for close to what you paid for it.