BMW 3-Series 2005 and earlier

kdshapiro

LOL

jk26

Does anyone know how I can track my car, when it is loaded onto a ship and when it reaches port into the US? Do I just need the VIN number for this? Thanks in advance for any responses. My dealer said it is finished being built and is awaiting transfer, I just want to follow it the rest of the way!

Jason

chewie5

Just wanted to pass this along. It was posted over at roadfly. BMW Has Recalled the 2002 325I , 330I , 525I , 530I because the front strut could separate from the upper mount.

http://www.safetyalerts.com/recall/a/02/v00074.htm

or

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/recalls/Index.cfm (search for 2002 325i)

chewie5

Congrats on the new car.

You can track your car at BMW's website. You have to log in to the owner's circle with your serial number or VIN. The info on the website lags reality by several days, though. I've found that for the most up to date info, calling BMWNA is your best bet.

Dave

gurumike

Sorry, I didn't see your question until just now. I'm selling the 330i in "stock" spec, save the clear turn signals. I totally loved the ECIS intake and wouldn't hesitate to get another one if I wound up keeping my car (I won't).

nobee

a 325i with the STEP! I'm going to try to hit 140mph tonite! heehee
-nobee

330guy

I agree that once you get the wheel off putting a little anti-sieze on the hub is a good idea. I always do this when I swap out my summer wheels for the winter wheels. Here is a fix for when your wheel is stuck and it has always worked for me. Loosen each of the lugs about 1.5 turns. Drive the car about 5 feet and step on the brakes hard, this always breaks the seal between the wheel and the hub making wheel removal a piece of cake.

Hope that helps.

erickpl

Well, I took delivery of my 325xi last night... and wouldn't you know it, it was raining!

Now it's all dirty, but the dealer said bring it back Saturday and they'd detail it again. I like that.

Have a coupla questions:
1. Can you set the code to have it lock the doors when you drive off yourself, or does the dealer need to do it?
2. Can you set the code to have the lights flash when you lock/unlock the doors yourself?

Driving impressions:
WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOVE IT! Even in the rain, it was surefooted and stable. The natural brown interior and myrtle wood trim are fabulous. I didn't end up with all the bells and whistles, but I love this car! Everybody is already calling me a yuppy. I'll take that.

dave330i

Yes to 1 & 2, but the dealer has to do it. They'll most likely don't know how to do #2.

asinger1

asinger1

Do you guys use anything on the wood trim to protect i? Thansk, Adam

erickpl

Do you know if that recall information applies to 325xi's or is it just the 325i?

chewie5

I don't know if that applies to the xi's. I looked on the nhtsa site, and it only lists the 325i , 330i , 525i , and 530i. However, if you try to search by the make/model, it does not have separate entries for the coupe, convertible, sedan, or xi--just a generic "325i" model. It does say that it affects cars that were built in Nov 2001.

erickpl

I guess I'm okay. My car was built in January/February, but I'll double check to make sure.

Thanks for posting this kind of information. This shows just how useful this place can be. As a new owner of a BMW, I want to make sure I'm up to date on issues like this.

-Paul

conneen

Hey Guys,

I picked up my new 325xi on Saturday. It's time for it's first cleaning. I've never washed my cars myself before so I have nothing in the way of supplies.

What is a good "starter's kit". If I was going to spend no more that $200.00 on washing/cleaning/waxing etc.; what should I get?

Right now I'm doing my shopping at http://properautocare.com . I'm leaning towards the Klasse All-In-One as one of the products.

I guess I'm going to need, Wash Mitt/Sea Sponge, some sort of washing shampoo, drying towels, wheel brush, wheel cleaner, wheel sealer, tire dressing, body wax or something.

Any suggestions would be great!

Thanks,

Brian

P.S. I picked my car up through ED. I got it for 1500 over invoice and I dealt with Ted Wallewender at Carbone BMW in Utica, NY. It took 6 weeks from drop off in Munich to pick up in Utica. I highly recommend both Ted and Carbone BMW for the excellent job they did for me.

nyccarguy

Congrats on your new 325Xi! WOuld you mind summarizing your ED experience for the board? There are quite a few of us here who are either planning on ED or contemplatong ED (Present Company Included). Did you fly in, pick up the car and leave the next day or 2 days later or did you make a European trip out of it?

nyccarguy

Don't use dishwashing soap to clean your new 3er!

genie1

Congratulations! Klasse seems to be the way to go, as it's highly recomended by several posters, including Shipo. Make sure the towels you use are 100% cotton (good quality white bath towels work very well).

I use Zaino myself, am satisfied with results, but hesitate to recommend it as it is labor intensive to start and maintain. If I could choose now I'd go with Klasse. (What can I say, I like the concept of 2x a year applications).

The website: zainobros.com does have general car care tips that would help no matter what product you finally select.

chewie5

Check out carcareonline.com--it's an informative site.

Also

http://www.e46fanatics.com/faq/nast1.html

http://www.e46fanatics.com/faq/nast2.html

The first one is an article about washing, and the second is about waxing. I haven't read these 2 articles yet, but from skimming them, they look pretty good.

My car is in need of a cleaning as well, but I'm waiting for it to stop raining. I haven't given it a "real" wash yet. I've been keeping it clean with the California Car Duster and Meguier's Quick Detailer.

In addition to all the stuff you've mentioned for cleaning the outside, don't forget about the inside. I've picked up Lexol's Vinylex, leather cleaner, and leather conditioner. I havne't used them yet--anyone have any experiences?

Dave

dave330i

so I usually take my car to the local hand car wash. On those rare occasions I do wash it myself, I prefer using a shammy vs. cotton towels.

sunnybrook

I am planning on getting a 3 series with the sand leatherette interior but have opted for the standard titanium trim finish over the wood. Does anyone have this combination and how does it look?? It would seem it might be worth the extra $$ to get the wood...

brave1heart

What's the best product to clean the black exterior moldings? Has anyone used Forever Black (sold by Bavarian Auto)? I've tried a couple of products (incl. Vinylex) and nothing seems to be able to take the wax off the black moldings on the bumpers and the side...

erickpl

I don't have the sand leatherette but the natural brown.

Our car initially came with the brush aluminum trim. It looked horrible. Once we got the myrtle wood on (like it was supposed to), it looked like a totally different car.

Go with the wood if you get the chance. The aluminum works better with the black or grey interiors.

dave330i

try diluted vinegar.

pat

Laugh if you like - and I have no first hand experience - but I have read many, many times that peanut butter will do the trick! Often the suggestion is to warm it first.

No word on whether crunchy or smooth is better, nor have we heard what kind of jelly goes best with this approach.

;->

Pat
Host
Sedans Message Board

brave1heart

Thanks for your responses. I've also heard the peanut butter story and every time I heard it I thought it was some sort of a prank that's been tossed around to find the biggest sucker. And who in the world invented this peanut butter approach? That takes some genius ) Let's see - I've now tried jelly, salt, sugar, pepper, oregano, even that expensive deodorant that I bought for my wife last Christmas and nothing worked... let me try the peanut butter before the kids come back from school...

1pierce

I concur that you should never use dish detergent (breaks down wax) or granular detergent (scratches) to clean a car. In the summer, when I am just cleaning dust and light dirt from the car, I use straight, warm water - no soap - and I always completely spray the car before I start, to remove the heavy stuff.

In winter, when salt and road grime is an issue, I use a readily available liquid car soap like Turtle Wax Car Wash (I think they're all kind of the same - IMHO). That stuff is easy on the wax/finish and seems to get the car clean. I like soft cotton towels over shammys. I think they leave less water on the car in those nooks and crannys. I use a natural sponge to wash, and white towels to dry, so that I can see if I've missed any spots while cleaning - or if there is any tar on the car (my car is dark green, almost black).

I find that today's car paints are remarkably better than just a few (10) years ago. I went over 15,000 miles before waxing my '99 Maxima, the water still beaded on the hood, and the car looked great after washing. Of course I hate waxing - it takes me hours on a dark car because I'm a perfectionist. I haven't found any wax system that I would recommend - I think the "best", most durable ones are the hardest to work with, so good luck.

huntzinger

What's the best product to clean the black exterior moldings? Has anyone used Forever Black (sold by Bavarian Auto)?

I need (yet another) bottle of Forever Black.

I've tried some other stuff and it wasn't nearly as good. FB isn't "runny" and it has good lasting power.

FB does seem to be a bit weak in the "lift wax" category, so I usually prep any bad spots with a citrus based cleaner to take care of that. But in a pinch, you can go right over the wax with the FB and it will hide it pretty well.

-hh

kominsky

Anyone find a good way to clean the brushed aluminum trim? It seems like everyone who gets into the car has to paw it up and there are about 200 fingerprints right in front of the passenger seat. I used Windex once and it worked pretty well but I worry about the long term effects of using it.

genie1

peanut butter/crisco works to get wax residue off textured plastic. I tried canola oil...they all leave an oily residue (obviously), but they do get rid of the white gunk. After the first rainfall/wash, the oil is gone but so is the white stuff.

Forever Black has been recommended for the rubber trim, but I haven't used it myself.

Caveat emptor: My E36 has textured trim around the door handles...that oil stayed on for a couple of days...even after I blotted as much of it as I could. It got on my hands and then on to anything I touched, so I had to be very careful. Trim looks great though!

seivwrig

1)Nobee-Schaal BMW did not email me back. I had went by BMW Nederlassung Munchen and they could not do sell the US specs on the alarm and cd changer. I know you have the alarm on your car, if it US or Euro specs on the E46 alarm? I would like to know(from anyone) if there is a difference on the US and Euro CD changer , other than P/N.

2)I drove about 340 miles. The car drove like a champ but i had to battle cross winds. My big comment is on the Bi-xenon. When you are driving at night, at 90 mph, it appears that the beam cuts off at a relatively short distance. This probably would not be noticeable on flat roads, but on mountains,it will affect how fast you drive.

3)Nav is worth it. I will make a hint to anyone that buy the Nav and think they want to purchase more than one CD. First,determine what you are going to do. I have the U.K. disc (because I will be there most of my time), it got me out of Frankfurt and to Trier. Basically, all the discs have a map of Europe and the major roads with major cities. Why spend $116 multiple times? While I am mentioning this? My disc will be on sale when i get back to the states.

4)I love this car. I don't need the 330i. The 325i has enough power for mountain roads. I don't know if is me or the fact that I drive a Bimmer. I don't remember seeing this many M-Bs,Audis and BMWs when I was in Germany two years ago. I also got passed by most things moving with the exception of those lorries that jump up from nowhere. If you want to know why the Germans created ABS, drive the autobahns and find out how fast your car can do 90 to 20 mph.

I will try to get photos uploaded, no promises.

visordoc

Thanks for the info for the recall notice on 2002 3 sedans! I had just changed to performance tires 2 weeks ago on my Nov/01 production 330i, and the driving feel has been more "floating" and disconnected from the road since. Initially I had attributed the problem to the new tires, but today when I measured the suspension height (actually the wheel gap) from the top of the tire surface to the top of the wheelwell (painted body part, not inside), I got 6cm, which is 1cm more than before! I had just left a message with my salesperson, hopefully he'll look into the recall notice.

BTW, what is the wheel gap for those of you with the sports suspension?

brave1heart

See, you should have used peanut butter. It tastes better in case you get it on your fingers and need to lick it off )

postoak

That was quick! I guess it has been a week since you left, though! Where did you go with your 340 miles? Remind me of your color combo.

postoak

1) I decided (after much vacillation) on a color: gray-green with gray interior.

2) I received my BMW Factory tour confirmation letter. I'm all set for 6/24.

3) I negotiated a deal for $1200 over ED invoice.

postoak

Invoice:

Base ED-----------22,935
MP-----------------------430
Sp----------------------1275
BiXenon----------------635
Leather---------------1320
D&H---------------------645
Total Invoice------27,240
Profit-----------------1,200
Total Dealer------28,440
Sales Tax----------1,777
Inventory Tax----------66
State Inspection------22
Title Registration-----13
License------------------72
Doc Fee-----------------50
Grand Total-------30,440

Inventory Tax is a state of Texas "Ad Valorum" tax that varies not just from county to county but from different sections of the county (as the mix of taxing authorities change). It is approximately 2%. State sales tax is 6.25%. Doc fee is limited by state law to a maximum of $50 (so everybody charges $50).

BTW, $1,200 above ED invoice is $1,735 below ED MSRP and $3,330 below US MSRP.

bimmerfan1

Looking for 330cIc. Noticing very quickly that MSRP is pretty close to what you will pay. I know I have waited a while, but are there any dealers you all know that you can reccomend?

kdshapiro

The grey green color is awesome, that's the color of my 330i. It's a very distinctive color and doesn't show the dirt. I have the sand leather interior. I can't stop smiling as I'm in the car piling up the miles. 24mpg on my first couple of tanks according to the trip computer. And despite tempation to the contrary I've been a good boy during the break-in period, which has another 500 miles to go.

postoak

for the praise for the gray-green. This was a really tough decision for my wife and me. We went around and around from Silver, Steel Blue, Steel Gray, and Gray-Green. Silver might have won out but our other car is silver and we didn't want two the same.

postoak

I want to again congratulate you on being the only one I've seen (in months) post a $1,000 over ED invoice deal. I tried for that, but couldn't get it done. If you're lurking out there, would you mind posting the name of that southern California dealer that you worked with?

butmywife

Congrats on your choice of color. My wife and I also agonized over the color but, like you, chose the greygreen with black interior. It's a beautiful color.

We pick up in Munich on 4/19 but have yet to receive any information from BMWNA because our dealer hasn't done a Euro Del. in awhile and doesn't quite understand the progression for getting things done. Basically, I'm getting information off this board and telling them what they need to do next. It is almost comical at times. I received a good deal ($1250 over ED invoice) and they are treating me very well so I'm not complaining. I just signed the purchase order (with power of attorney )today so I should be getting some info. in a week or so.

Does anyone know if the sound system is installed in Germany or after they ship it back to the States? I'll survive with the hum of the engine and the beautiful Bavarian and Italian landscapes but if the sound system will be in the car when I pick it up I'll bring some tunes.

FWIW, I saw the brochure for the new 7 yesterday. Ugly isn't a strong enough word. It is a salty dog, kinda butt ugly. What were they thinking?

nobee

Actually, get whatever you want, it's your money...but, I have to say that the ti trim looks very fake (because it is) and close up, it definitely looks plastic. The brushed aluminum trim on the other hand looks fantastic with black interior, and the aluminum foot pedals..
Just my opinion,
-nobee

nobee

actually seivwrig, I believe, is still over here in Europe.

Seivwrig, let me get some information on the cd changer and the alarm today and I'll post it in a couple of hours....

-nobee

nobee

You're talking about the stereo system in general right? Yes, the Business CD player should be installed and ready to go for your driving pleasure!
I wonder why they call it a "Business?"
-nobee

dl7265

Congrads on the order. I see your opinion of the Moonroof . If i missed it who was your dealer ?

Best of luck ,
DL

denright

Talk to Bulent Inal at VOB in Rockville. Tell him "Don with the shaved head" sent you. I bought my 330xi for $1500 over invoice.

stgreen

I seem to remember something about a button one could push on the pre 2002 models that would automatically lock in the 6 strongest signaled stations on the bmw radio.

I just took delivery of a 2002 330xi (for the record: steel blue,grey interior, PP, CWP, AWDSports Pack, mud flaps, roof rack) and don't see a mention of that in the radio manual.

Also - do you know if its possible to upgrade the radio reception aftermarket ??

530bmw

I guess you got away without paying for MACO, am I right? I do not beleive MACO is appicable to ED but I see lots of people get charged for it. I am not sure what the real deal is.

530bmw

What you are looking for is a popular model and is in high demand which explains why you are not getting a break. I bought my car from Passport BMW with a pretty decent deal last December, if you want the name of my saleman please let me know and give me your email address.

kdshapiro

Yes that button still exists, I did it on my 2002. You hold down either the radio band button for a few seconds or the scan button. I don't remember which.