BMW 3-Series 2005 and earlier

sunnybrook

After making some phone calls, it doesn't seem they are honoring a $1400 over invoice threshold. More like $1800-2000 now due to "market conditions".

postoak

That's good to know. Did you speak with Joern directly?

I note that you are in Alabama. You might next want to try Moss Motors in Lafayette, Louisiana.

http://www.moss-motors.com

sunnybrook

You are dave myers?

erickpl

Genie,

Thanks for setting me straight there. I am a bit new to this. *CLUELESS*

As for the Homelink, and that preperfed area, are you referring to the plastic panel between the visors up on the ceiling?

I think I could do all that, especially if the wires are already in there. Sounds like it is just a plug and go (once you cut the holes for the buttons). That's up my alley.

Is the CD changer just as easy?

shipo

Skimblz & Erickpl, are you the same person???

As for the cutting for the UGO, you only need to cut one hole about 2" square in the plastic (felt covered on back side) headliner plate that mounts between the visors.

Best Regards,
Shipo

erickpl

Yep, we're one and the same. I forgot one of my machines already had the userid and password keyed in (erickpl). So I created a new one (skimblz)... duh.

Sounds like the install should be easy. My wife is nervous. I'm like the person Tim Allen was imitating on Home Improvement.

How much is the Transceiver? I haven't had a chance to check prices.

hgeyer

The Garage opener should cost around $135. Hendrick BMW (www.hendrickbmw.com) offered it for this price in this month's Roundel (BMWCCA member price).

joefriday

The M3 sedan was produced in model year '97 and maybe '98. I believe the sedan is much the same as the coupe, but the sedan does have a slightly softer suspension.

By the way, a good source of info on all 3 series is Jeremy Walton's book "BMW 3 Series Enthusiast Companion". It has the answer to your question, plus more questions you might have on the topic.

seivwrig

Both. How do you attach files or send graphics with the email to Edmunds Town Hall. That way, I can post a photo of my 325i by the end of the week. It seems like I will in for good autobahn weather this weekend. I won't be Munich till Thursday but I can already smell the leather.

ds2k1

Yeah, the collarbone's a bummer, but it could have been a lot worse. Just caught an edge and fell hard directly on the left shoulder. Snap! Felt much like I imagine a quarterback feels when they get sacked and land directly on their shoulder. Anyway, recovery's not as bad as I imagined it would be, but I am thankful that I ordered the Steptronic right about now.

Good luck with your trip this weekend. Just promise the wife a beautiful trip to the beach somewhere this summer - that should smooth the way. Of course, this assumes that you can find the time, get a babysitter for young Jason, that she's not too self-conscious in a bikini now...

millerro3

"I believe you did notspeak to the right guy. Talk to D.Myers. He gave me the quote and it does include floormats."

too funny! you asked yourself for a quote? LOLOL--did you include floormats only for yourself?

Geez hosts, whatever happened to the user agreement? I guess I can start advertising cars on whatever board I want to? Or can I use a new ID so no one will know when I answer my own posts?? this place gets MORE ridiculous every day

brave1heart

I am totally with you on that. I think dealers should not even be allowed to post here. This is an enthusiasts' site and people come here to share, learn, and have fun; dealers come here to sell stuff. It's a conflict of interests, it's that simple. If I need to hear what the dealer has to say, I'll call them directly - I don't need them to peddle their car/product/alliance or whatever here.

tim_stl

I pulled the trigger on the deal Wednesday.

Topaz Blue
Moonroof
Bi-Xenon Headlights
Sport Package
Steptronic Transmission

I'm getting it from Autohaus of Clayton (MO) for 3 years, 36,000 miles at $1,500 under MSRP, floormats included. Now the wait begins....oh, the agonizing wait.

Tim

pat

I'm really not here 24/7, ya know? :-)

It's been taken care of.

(BTW a far better method of getting my attention is to email me. That way I know where to start when I get to the Town Hall. Posting about a problem means I don't see it until I get there - at which point I would have handled it anyway. See what I mean?)

Pat
Host
Sedans Message Board

ds2k1

If you call Mike at OceanFrontProperty, he can give you a great quote on some beach-front property in Arizona. I called him myself and am amazed at the deals I'm, er, he's willing to give! You won't be disappointed. I'll, er, he'll even throw in floor mats!

pat

millerro3

I can't totally agree with you on that one, with me being a salesperson and all.

But you will never, I repeat never find me advertising myself or my dealership,(and it is tempting!) I am here as an enthusiast myself, and to offer answers to questions posted by people regarding BMW, that's all.

Pat, sorry for not giving you enough time:^) and I will be e-mailing you soon about something else:) thx

Rob

genie1

Much as I'd love to help, I've never posted any pics. I doubt anyone wants to drool over pics of my E36 coupe, no matter how gleaming/glossy/spotless/beautiful, when they can look at their own E46s

(Maybe if it's a boring summer, I may inflict some on you guys anyway.)

Brave: help me out here...One needs to first post the pics on a host site like photopoint, right? You can then type the address in your Edmunds message for all to enjoy. Feel free to add any details I may have left out

pat

This is way off-topic, but I do want to observe that most of our members who sell vehicles for a living are quite helpful to our community and very respectful of the Membership Agreement.

Sometimes the MA is violated by accident and that is understandable - and usually easily corrected.

And unfortunately sometimes people are here for the sole purpose of generating business, as brave1heart suggests. Those are the folks who need to find some other place to hang out.

Almost all of the sales people I have met in the Town Hall over the course of the last three years or so have proven to be tremendous resources for our community. We all know at least two who hang out here. ;->

Pardon the interruption, carry on.

Pat
Host
Sedans Message Board

pat

There is an excellent explanation of how to do this in your Owners Club Photos discussion. Check it out at this link: KarenS "BMW 3-Series Owners: Photo Gallery" Apr 27, 2001 10:40am.

postoak

Ole' Dave was just trying to help! We'll remember your name and the $1400 offer in case anyone in that part of the world asks, Dave. :-)

amkam96

Allano, thanks for your reply, I will definetly price Tulley BMW soon as my lease on my pathfinder will expire on june 23,2002...I'll make sure to ask for all "incentives"

Brave1heart, If I leave my house in Salem NH, by 5:30 am (early start,isn't it:-( ) it takes me only 45 minutes to get Mass General Hospital..you would be amazed at the volume of cars out this early in the am, but traffic moves (speed limit +)...if I leave the house later..say 7:00am it takes me about 1.5 hours for the same ride and it's bumper to bumper(from 128 to leverett circle). Total trip 38 miles.

OT: brave1, real estate in nh along with most of the northeast has sky rocketed... a 4 year old house on my development (2900 sq/ft,colonial) listed and sold for $400k within 2 weeks...if I can be of any help please feel free to email me at amkam96@gis.net

bmw323is

I had my car in for service today and had a 2000 323i as a loaner. On the return trip to the dealer I got a flat tire. I pulled into a parking lot and started to change the tire and couldn't get it off the rotor - it was rusted/frozen on the wheel. I had to call the dealer and they sent a mechanic. He had a helluva time getting it off. He crawled under the car (after putting it up on a better jack) with about a three foot long pry bar and kept prying the wheel against something in the suspension. Finally it popped off. I could have driven on that wheel with no lug bolts! Since the wheels never come off the car (no rotating the tires), I suspect this type of seizing would not be unusual. So I had the dealer rotate my tires today (just front to back, no crossing). On a freeway, I wouldn't want to attempt to change the tire, but in a parking lot I'd like to think that would be an option.

By the way, the loaner was similarly equipped to mine except auto vs. stick. Felt like a totally different car with a totally different engine. For anyone on the fence regarding 5 speed or automatic, it's a no brainer. I know some must get the auto, but if you can drive the 5 speed, it's much quicker and feels much more sporty.

youts

What did you do when you got it? Right off the bat I'm thinking of installing a Lojack and tinting the windows. With so many town hall members buying new bimmers, maybe its a good time to quickly remind us newbies on the best products to take care of our new pride & joy. Shipo, were you the one who posted about a product applied to your wheels that makes cleaning them easier? Also, anyone have any experiences to share with any Dinan products?

cruz330ci

While it's definitely not in the same league as a broken collarbone, a persistent shoulder injury has me looking for a (preferably mobile) detailing service to keep my steel grey coupe looking loved. Any recommendations would be most appreciated. Anyone? Bueller..? Bueller..?

rhmass

youts, I ordered a 02 325xiT recently. Since the car will arrive in a couple of weeks, I called my insurance guy to find out the premium for the car. To my utter surprise, the addition of lojack will only save me $20 a year! All my previous cars had lojack installed because I was sold by the idea of the device "paying for itself" through the premium savings. The insurance guy told me the reason for the small saving in premium is that BMW already has superb auto security built in, any additional installation of such device will only marginally improve the security. Come to think of it, all the three BMW I have had never was stolen (knock on wood!). I haven't ordered the Lojack this time.

Kirstie_H

A major midwestern newspaper is interested in speaking with folks who have anecdotes and opinions on rear wheel drive vs. front wheel drive in winter driving conditions.
We're also looking for people who recently switched one way or the other and what they like/dislike about what they're driving now.
If you are interested in participating, please provide your city/state of residence and your daytime phone number to jfallon@edmunds.com no later than March 20, 2002.
Thanks as always,
Jeannine Fallon
PR Director
Edmunds.com

nyccarguy

My aunt, uncle, & 2 cousins live in Salem, NH. They've been there for many years (25+) because they didin't want to live in Taxachussets in the early 70's. They've got a big house on a nice piece of land (I don't know how much real estate goes for there though). Neither of them works in Boston. My uncle works in Lowell, MA and my aunt works in Avdover, MA.

huntzinger

...I got a flat tire...couldn't get it off the rotor - it was rusted/frozen on the wheel...had a helluva time getting it off. He crawled under the car (after putting it up on a better jack) with about a three foot long pry bar and kept prying the wheel against something in the suspension. Finally it popped off.

Had that problem crop up with my old VW Scirocco many moons ago. On many vehicles, its due to galvanic corrosion between the Alloy wheel (aluminum) and the rotor/hub (steel).

Depending on your local driving conditions, it can corrode up and manifest itself in less than 6 months.

The easiest fix I've found is to pull out my big gray jar of thread anti-seize compound and to apply a thin coating to the back surface of the wheel rim where it obviously touches the steel hub assembly. Make sure to watch out for large flat surfaces adjacent to the center hub, not merely the center hub.

-hh

postoak

FWIW, I just talked to a loan officer at Peoplefirst and she said that they COULD do a loan on an ED as long as the VIN of the vehicle was available at the 30 days before pickup date. Does anyone know if the VIN is available at that point in time? She said as long as the dealer can place the VIN on the Peoplefirst check, that they could do it. She said that she knows that BMW ED loans are being done.

shipo

There should be no problem with that, your VIN should be available while the car is still in production, if not before. Call your dealer and ask him/her for the VIN as soon as it's available.

Best Regards,
Shipo

seivwrig

At the time you do the payment, the dealer should have your VIN number. In my case, my car was also built. So my car has been sitting for over 30 days. But it should not be a problem.

Anyway, I'm off to Munich in about 7 hours. I hope to post some pictures on my website if my brother lets me borrow his digital camera.

genie1

Enjoy your trip and your new toy.

nyccarguy

enjoy your trip seivwrug! And your car too!

genie1

no kidding! I can only live vicariously through others right now as a NEW car is far far away in my distant future.

postoak

as I know it has been a stumbling block for some. Plus, it gives us extra leverage with the dealer F&I. The loan officer I spoke with seemed a little concerned that Peoplefirst was losing business due to this misperception and gave me a hearty "Thank you!" when I said I would set the record straight.

nyccarguy

What he's going through! I've got 9 months to go on my lease and I'm antsy! But he's going to Muich in 7 hours! he's gotta be going bonkers!

dave330i

New BMWs aren't that expensive. A lease on a new M3 is under $700.

nyccarguy: I think waiting at the airport would be enough to drive me nuts.

brave1heart

millerro3 - You sound really sincere. We'll make an exception for you if you promise to share inside information with us ;o)

genie1 - Yes, you need to upload your pictures to a host site like photopoint. I am using bimmer.org because it's free, easy to use, and they give you generous space for your files. Once you upload your pictures, they sit on a web page and you can reference them by their exact address just like any other web page. You can also use basic HTML (including here on this site) to post your picture directly in your post so viewers would see it as they read your post without having to click on a link. Keep in mind that the size of the original picture that you upload to the host site is important. If you are shooting in a large frame, when a user clicks on the link, they will see a picture that is significantly larger than their screens. What I do is shoot in large size and high resolution, then burn those pictures into a CD and they become my templates that will be used to produce smaller pictures. Every template is about 1-2 MB. I typically resize it and lower the resolution so the file would be about 100-200K before I post it or e-mail it. If you are planning on posting pictures directly into a post, make sure that their size does not exceed 100-200K at most so users with slower dial-up connections won't suffer. So in short, you do need a host site and if you are referencing your pictures with a link, make sure that the initial picture that you uploaded is in the size you'd like the viewers to see it. I hope this helps.

amkam96 - Thanks for your feedback. Most houses that I've been looking at (primarily in Sudbury, MA) have gone up 50% or more in the past 4 years. There is clearly a real estate bubble but I think the bubble may last for a few more years because the interest rates will remain relatively low. Also, too many people got burnt with the stock market in the past two years and they are a lot more comfortable buying tangible assets now, especially with the corporate accounting issues as a backdrop. My wife is in biotech and although her company is located off 128, most biotech is in Cambridge and we don't want to be more than an hour away from Cambridge. We also need to be more centrally located because I am a consultant and don't know where my next projects will be.

genie1

Thanks dave! I'd like to build some equity in my car before trading up. Also the not insignificant factor of unemployment rears its ugly head. I'm really glad I had figured that my EI would cover car payments if the inevitable happened.

Brave: Thanks, I was planning on taking some pics of my brother's 230 and my 3er down at Niagara when the weather improves. Just some glam shots.

nyccarguy

Rob is OK in my book. Even though he is a car salesman;) I find his posts valuable as a consumer and a BMW enthusiast as well. He seems genuine and has never even once even hinted that he's "dealing on 325s or has some great low mileage CPO 323s" unlike some others that have posted here in the past.

nyccarguy

I hope your 530i will be as reliable as your 328i has been...I saw a Maroon PARK AVENUE BMW LOANER CAR on the ramp from the west side highway this morning;-)

nyccarguy

I had to bring ye old Saab in for its 30,000 mile service (in Jersey). So I left my parents' house in Rockland county at around 6:30AM. I got to open my car up on a semi desserted NY State Thruway and then was given a 2002 Saab 9-3 SE Convertible as a loaner. Its turns out that the top doesn't work, but it was a joy for a car guy like myself who has to take the subway to work every day to sit in traffic.

brave1heart

Plus, you have not been run over yet )

nyccarguy

Very True brave!

millerro3

thank you for the kind words, 8^)

When I have free time, I am usually lurking around here, sometimes I'm extremely busy and miss a couple days, so please take no offense if I don't seem to be answering something directed towards me!

brave1..hmm inside info, huh? I think BMW keeps us in the dark intentionally so we focus on cars on the lot here! fav website for insider stuff(regarding BMW cars)is www.BMW2002.co.uk, sorry I have no idea how to post a link:( For the innerworkings and so on, I can usually ask someone here if I don't know the answer myself.

Rob

ds2k1

These guys come to my company every other week and do on-site detailing for anyone who wants it. Not sure if they come to your house or office, or if they require more potential customers, but give them a shot. Also, not sure where you live work, but I work in Mountain View. If these guys won't do it, they may be able to refer you to someone who will in your area. Good luck.

http://www.mydetailer.com/

daswolf

daswolf

ds2k1