BMW 3-Series 2005 and earlier

sunnybrook

Has anyone had their dealer had this option programmed WITHOUT having the alarm installed? I've heard that it can possibly cause issues with the internal computer but wanted to see what the general experience has been. Also, the only key memory option that seems worth getting is having the doors lock when exceeding 5mph. Any others that might be worthwhile?

rascal8

I think the issue regarding the clown nose throwing out errors has been resolved. At least that is what I've been reading on the BMW boards, and my dealer activated the clown nose upon delivery of my 325 last June with no problems.
The only other option I would look at is the climate control fan. Mine is programmed to always blow air upon engine startup even if I have turned the blower off at last shutdown. I don't like this and will probably have it changed at next service IF this is programmable which I believe it is. Oh, also the seat memory. If you have the power seats AND a spouse or significant other that will be driving the car the ability to auto adjust the seat when the key fob unlocks the doors is a great option.

ttenn

This may have been discussed before, but I can't find anything on a search....

Does anyone have the turn signals in their side mirrors ala Mercedes? I love those things. Are there any aftermarket sites?

orkwis

Got back from my Ed a few weeks ago and wanted to mention what I thought was the biggest difference between US and German roads. It's not on the Autobahn where I picked up the signage pretty quickly, but in the city where you will seldom find a stop sign at a minor street intersection. If you dirve the major roads I didn't notice much problem, but as I understand it, on the smaller streets the car to the right has the right of way. I learned this about 15 years ago in Berlin after an enormous shout from the back seat as my wife's family held on for dear life. (Their German was easy to understand at that point!) I rediscovered the rule much more quickly this time when I came to the first intersection and noticed no stop signs. Maybe john01 can corroborate/elaborate?

rshaw11

I don't have the alarm and the dealer programmed the clown nose, and lights flash, with no questions. There's a service bulletin available to the dealer about it: 09 03 98. BMWNation.com has a good write up on Car & Key options. I had my dealer programm all the options to work. I like Daytime Running Lights and Auto Door Locking the most. Pathway Lighting works, but I don't use it much, and the Driver's Seat Memory works for my wife and me, but since I usually drive the car, it's not a big issue.

kyyuan

Everyone,

I'm seriously considering a 2003 330i. However, through much of my research on this board and Roadfly.com, the issue of BMW's reliability/quality keeps on surfacing. I'm well aware of the visceral excitement that driving a BMW can impart. But...

I would very much appreciate hearing any/all thoughts on this issue. I know this is sort of an old tune, but your thoughts are greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Ken

duval1

I have an Alpine system in my car and the small TERK antenna was placed inside on the rear parcel shelf. Great reception! As the installer stated, we've had no complaints with this installation and if it didn't suit me he would mount it to the outside. Of course that would mean sticking it down on the painted surface!

shipo

Orkwis,

You have the “Car on the right has right of way” thing correct. When I was working over in Stuttgart I had the hardest time with that one. In my case, I had to drive straight through a “T” intersection every day, during the evening, the bottom of the “T” was to my left, so, no worries, however, in the morning, the base was to my right, and to my “American” brain, I was on the through street, so I should have the right of way. Not!

Kyyuan,

I haven’t followed the 3-Series board over on roadfly for a couple of years, however, I do follow the 5-Series board over there and both the “3” and “5” boards over here. That said, I am not aware of any issues regarding “BMW's reliability/quality”. What specifically are you referring to?

Speaking strictly from personal experience (sampling of one), my former 1999 328i proved itself to be extremely reliable. During the 39 months and 40K miles that I had it, it suffered only two failures, both rear taillights burned out, about a week apart no less. It cost me a total of something like $2.00 to replace them (my dealership would have been more than happy to do it under warranty, however, it was just too easy to do it myself).

Best Regards,
Shipo

kyyuan

Thanks for sharing your experience. The quality issues that seem to surface are a list of vexing, but non-major problems. For example, moonroof not closing, window actuator, door noise, and thermostat (non-recurring), etc.

It sounds like your 1999 328i was a winner. Maybe it's because I've been spoiled by my little Honday's reliability--it's going on its 13 years and it's still running well, almost.

Ken

postoak

shipo - you're the software developer -- have you checked out the "new" search feature here? As far as I can tell it's the same as the old one -- it just searches the titles of forums -- not posts within any given forum. Is that right, or am I missing something?

vkwheels

I didn't check roadfly.com. I did/do hang out here for a while & got a feel for personalities & preferences. No one wants a car that is a pain. But even the big Japanese ones have their problems, few though they might be. So I felt the 325i was a reasonable choice for me. I just got it so I have no complaints, just wanted to put my 2 cents in.

zer2

FWIW: Regarding Autobahn Motor Cars in Fort Worth, I have never negotiated and purchased there but I have made extensive test drives on a couple of occasions and asked numerous questions of the sales people. They have always been extremely courteous and helpful, not pushy. I ended up buying in Houston due to a great deal on a 1998 328i w/sport, but have no reason to avoid Autobahn.

1pierce

If you want a perfectly reliable car, get a Honda Accord or a Toyota Camry. Not to be too harsh, but if reliability scares you off, a BMW is probably not the right car for you. BMW's are more expensive, less practical, and generally not the best "value" on paper for someone who buys cars strictly based on reliability.

FYI: I know a guy who bought an MB 190 ten years ago. Had it taken back under the lemon law. Bought a Range Rover next - also had it taken back under the lemon law (two cars by one person is probably a record). Now he has a Toyota 4-Runner, and has had nothing but trouble with it from day one. He will probably end up in a lawsuit over this one.

Go figure.

stgreen

I owned a saab 900se for 7 years and had the normal ups and down mechanically, but really loved the car. my new 2002, 330xi has had no overt problems, but the seatbelt clicking on drivers side has been a pain. been to dealer, still have problem. consumer reports takes quite a few surveys and bimmers generally do VERY well mechanically.

the car, handling, trunk space, etc.. is all determined on the driver and their situation.. (single, kids, snowbelt, etc...) but as far as mechanical woes, i;ve had very little - but only 5,000 miles into car...

stg

kyyuan

zer2:
Thanks for your feedback on Autobahn. I will definitely give it a shot.

1pierce:
Your point about reliability is well taken. I'm not looking for a perfectly reliable car and am willing to make some trad-offs between performance and reliability. Nonetheless, "overall" reliability is still a priority.

Eveyone else:
Thanks for your thoughts. If you have more, please share them.

Regards,

Ken

nyccarguy

The point that many of us are making is that these cars aren't perfect. You may have to bring it back to the dealer for minor things that do go wrong. For the most part, you're not going to have to bring it in for an engine rebuild or anything major during its lifetime with proper preventitive (and reccomended) maintenance. BMW include free maintenance for 3 years/36,000 miles and the bumper to bumper warranty goes for 4 years/50,000 (or 48,000 miles im not sure).

There's always someone who's going to tell you that their brother's best friend's uncle's college roomate's dog breeder had a BMW back in the 1970's or 1980's that "was always in the shop" and "expensive as heck to repair."

kdshapiro

No car is perfect and no car manufacture makes perfect cars all of the time. Anecdotally I've know of two recent instances with late model Hondas that prove mechanical failure can be had with any vehicle. Incident 1 Honda was bought back under the Lemon Law, incident 2 after two years tranny failed and needed to be replaced.

While these incidents are blips in the annals of time it does show no matter what car you get, you could be the unlucky person. Or conversly buy a alledged poor quality automobile and be the lucky one.

brave1heart

I had my car in today for tires replacement and luckily, it came out that the G. Komen tour was at that same dealership today. Would they take a walk-in? Sure. Great! Which cars do you have with a manual? Hmmm, just 3 - the Z coupe, the 325ci, and the 530. Ahhhh...shucks. The wait for the 530 was too long and I took my second choice - the Z coupe with a 2.5 ltr engine (same as my car's). I took the car out for a 1/2 drive (best lunch break I've had for a while!!) - here are my impressions:
- the steering felt MUCH heavier than my '01 325i's retrofitted steering. I can't say that road feel was better but I liked the heavy feel better than my car's. The Z has a lot more rumble than my 325i's and I LOVE that. My car is TOO quiet by comparison and I will probably be looking for a different exhaust whenever the stock one needs to be replaced. Shifting felt more precise, possibly shorter throws (not entirely sure)... The combination of the exhaust sound, heavier steering, and better stick action was great - my 325i SP felt way too civilized when I got back into it. However, I pushed the Z pretty hard in the twisties and I can honestly say that it can't even touch my 325i SP even with the worn out Contis...
And speaking of tires, I had the Sumitomo HTR Z II put in today. I have not driven nearly enough with them yet (plus they'll have to be broken-in first) but three things come to mind immediately: the tread pattern looks super aggressive, they are MUCH quieter and also noticeably floatier. It sounds a lot like kominsky's observations on the Kumhos - maybe this is common for new tires, I don't know. I will try a slightly higher psi all around to see if that will make a difference... Oh, the dealer charged $74 to mount and balance them + $25 for the weights. What do you guys pay typically?

brave1heart

http://www.boston.com/news/daily/20/traffic_study.htm

Is it time for the insurance company knuckleheads to accept that relaxing the speed limit is actually productive? I'll do my share of driver ed so I'd know how to be safe on faster roads...

pat

You are correct.

The search feature has been enhanced in a number of ways, but the enhancements benefit folks who want to find discussions about certain vehicles, or in the case of the multi-vehicle boards, certain subjects.

It has yet to be refined to a point where you can search for particular key words within one discussion and receive any useful results.

THAT IS STILL BEING WORKED ON!!!

Excuse me. I get a little worked up over this!!!!!

They say they are working on it. They say this is an extremely difficult thing to do. That's what they say.

I'm just a host here. Who am I to tell them that they are full of ..., er, never mind.



Pat
Sedans Host

postoak

Thanks for the response! I had been under the impression that the new format of Townhall (which I like by the way -- being able to pull up all forums on BMW 3-series) was going to have a revamped Search -- and I couldn't tell the old from the new. Glad it isn't just me!

pat

Yah, I probably gave you that impression because SO WAS I!!!

FWIW, I do believe they are going to make it happen. I just hope it is within all of our natural lifetimes!!

schumacher2

I read an article on BMW Nation that said SMG (Sequential Manual Gearbox) was an option for the 2002 3-series. Is this true in the US or only in Germany or is this article inaccurate? If it is available in the US I would be very disappointed, as I chose an automatic, but would definitely have chosen SMG had I known it was an option. I thought SMG was currently only available in the M series. If anyone could clarify this I would appreciate it. For those that think I should have gotten a manual anyway, I just have to explain that I would have but I only have one leg.

mschukar

Is it time for the insurance company knuckleheads to accept that relaxing the speed limit is actually productive?

Forgive my ignorance, but how would a higher speed limit help a trafic jam??

-murray

gwunj

After 3 agonizing months, my Topaz/Grey 330Ci finally arrived two weeks ago. How remarkable to walk up to my car in the parking lot and think, "What a gorgeous car!" The handling is astounding and the music eminating from under the hood is sublime. 15 days after getting the keys, I've got 1000 miles already. Ah well, looks like it will be a while before I get back to biking to work.

Of some interest is the OEM tires -- Michelin Pilot Sports instead of the Contis. I was quite happy to see the change, but have no idea if all the new ones are coming with them. I haven't heard a peep through the corners yet. Wet traction seems fine unless you obviously hit the go pedal hard in 1st ... such as checking to see what DSC will do, just in case.

Here's to hoping I don't lose that grin. Cheers!

Glenn
'02 330 Ci
Topaz Blue/Grey
SP,PP, Bi-Xenons, Heated Seats

leenelsonmd

I love hearing about the grins.

I have one, but it will get better this fall with the upgrade.

nohash1

A while ago i looked at the 3-series and never ended up getting one. Now that I am better suited I have stepped up even further. Not only am I thinking of taking the plunge, but at a big chunk. That is why I need the help to make a good decision. So, now I should tell you what I am looking at. The cars right now are really between two which are the M3 and the C32 AMG and also looking at the new Jaguar type s r or something like that. Anyways I wanted to get the opinion of the 3 series board because they seem to have the broadest and best knowledge i've seen in any boards. Which one would you pick and why. Or tell me which has the best of both world and stuff like that. It is hard to decide when no dealership have any of either cars to test drive or even look at. any help would be appreciated.

dl7265

Had my oil change and brake flush done. Now the brake petal goes allmost all the way to the floor before any pressure, is this a product of the fluid flush ? or is something wrong ?Any ideas ?

thanks
DL

john01

Been in Cyprus for 2 days and enjoying the weather, what a change from Berlin. Feel bad about checking the board from customer site, but they are all watching the World Cup (England vs. Brazil) game, so I guess a few minutes will be ok.

SMG is not available in the US currently. It is not the same transmission that is used in the M3. M3 has faster shift response and the "regular" SMG in the rest of the 3 series I understand is a bit pedestrian.

orkwis
I had the same experience shipo described. I am going straight in a T-intersection and assumed I had a right of way. Well, I got a dirty look from the German on my right and remembered that he had the right of way. That one is probably the most annoying one to me.

shipo

Postoak,

Unless I am missing something, the new “Search” capability is no better than the pervious version of the truth. Maybe the changes that are in store for next Monday will address this situation; at least, I hope so. ;-)

Ahhh, I now see that Pat has clarified the situation, thanks Pat. FWIW, I built a database for one of my clients that required “Search” capabilities for their web engine. We were able find an “Off the Shelf” package that was literally a plug-in that offered this capability, assuming of course that you built the tables according to their formula.

Don,

Get you car back to the dealership or brake shop that did the flush and have the brake system fully bled, it seems that you have air on one or more of the lines. Better yet, have them come and fetch your car on a flatbed and have the work done, as I’m sure you know only too well, a BMW piled into the back of a Semi is not a pretty picture. :-/

Best Regards,
Shipo

nyccarguy

Pat: Thanks for clarifying the search situation for us. One of the other boards I post on (preludeonline.com) lets you do a search by keyword such as "sports package" and then will come up with a list of threads that have the keyword mentioned in it. When you click on a particular thread, the key word you entered is in red.

nohash1: Those are 2 wonderful machines you're shopping for. If you must have a manual transmission (and you should for an amazing car like the aforementioned), then you've only got one choice, the M3. The C32 is a beautiful car and IMO the ultimate stealth mobile. Either way you can't go wrong. That's a tough decision that you can only make via test drives.

allano

If you did not see shipo's embedded response, please get your car back to the dealer (or maintainer) as soon as possible. Petal to the floor is just the kind of response you get with air in the brake lines.

pat

They seem to be saying that the way the data is stored is very complicated. I don't understand that, but whatever. The need for a keyword search is not at all unusual for any website.

You can search by keyword now, but the results are not useful. The engine returns a link to every discussion that contains the word (unless you restrict it to Titles Only), but there is no way to get to the keyword itself.

IMHO, that is ridiculous. We had that capability on our previous platform. We've been here for 18 months and for all of that 18 months they keep saying they are working on it.

I don't get it, but it's not up to me to "get it" at all.

ccotenj

yea, murray, i was kind of wondering the same thing (especially after sitting for an hour in a "paving delay" on 684 last night)...

-Chris

brave1heart

Well, in order to reduce traffic jams, traffic would have to FLOW faster, no? Higher speed of travel should help a lot, especially if it is combined with improving highway bottlenecks (exit points, secondary roads, etc.) Are you two saying that REDUCING the speed limit should help instead?!?

ccotenj

just that didn't see how increasing the speed would help when you are stuck in traffic... i.e. increasing the speed limit would just get people to the bottleneck faster... maybe i missed something?

just drove 850 miles in the last two days. frankly, yea, i think the current speed limit is plenty. number 1, the "real" speed limit really is about 10 mph more than the posted one. number 2, given what i saw (and what i used to see driving 140 miles per day), that's plenty fast for the average driver.

would i like to drive faster? shoot yea!

unfortunately for me, and you, and for the rest of us, we are surrounded by a lot of incompetent people, and judging by the way i see younger folks drive, not to mention the extremely limited driver training that they get these days, they aren't going to get more competent any time soon...

there *would* be more accidents if you let people drive faster, if only because then you would have an even greater speed disparity between the slow and the fast drivers. my personal opinion (which, along with 99 cents, gets you a 20 ounce wawa coffee) is that the main cause of accidents (besides complete idiocy) on the interstates is speed disparity, combined with bad/improper lane changing... i can't count the number of times i had someone jump in front of me over the last couple of times when i was cruising along at 80 (in a LARGE van, so it's not like they couldn't see me), and they were going 55...

-Chris

nyccarguy

I think actually the state troopers who patrol our highways actually set the speed limit. The Speed limit is 55mph, they know that people use 55 as a minimum rather than a maximum. They decide hmmmm...I'll let people go 70 - 75. Anything above 75 and you're getting a ticket in your BMW 3 series (Had to say it just to stay on topic).

rshaw11

Out here in the west, 65 MPH is the posted speed limit on most freeways, and even 70 on in rural areas, so most people drive 70 to 80 miles an hour. I agree that it's the difference in speed, and ignorant drivers, and let’s not forget drunk drivers, that cause accidents. Lowering speed limits would not eliminate poor (unskilled) and drunk drivers from the road. I remember reading one survey that actually said accidents decreased when the speed limit was raised back to 65 MPH (much to the disappointment of the highway patrol department).

mg330ci

Brave1Heart: While waiting for the car to arrive from Germany, researched the possible tire replacement available for the 330ci sp, and ON PAPER, based on others experiences, concluded that the best bang for the buck was the Sumitomos HTRZ (Z for non-winter driving and + for all season driving) (which one is the HTRZ II?) Please keep us posted on how they perform.

Gwunj: My 330ci SP came with Dunlops, they are fine, can't complain. Still getting used to a "REAL" sports car with RWD after driving a minivan and a honda accord for several years. I wonder why so much variation in the tires (my built date was late March)(are the dealers swapping the tires on arrival for some extra profit??)

mg330ci

Sorry, actually, the Michelins are probably more expensive than others but don't think my Dunlops are

butmywife

Well, the ButMyWifeMobile finally arrived a couple of days ago and it is like falling in love all over again. She's a beaut! (grey green metallic with black interior). I purchased the rubber front mats and trunk mat so that my golf game doesn't muck up the beauty. I'm getting the windows tinted on Monday--should look great with the black trim and interior. I forewent (is that a word?) the BMW CD in lieu of a pioneer 12 changer for about half the price and will get it installed in the next two weeks.

Here's my questions: We use gravel out here on the snow in the winter and I can just see myself screaming as I get the front chipped. I don't like the looks of the front bra because IMO in covers up the nicest looking part of the car. So, anybody out there have an opinion on the clear cover BMW offers? Anybody have it? Are you satisfied or are you having problems with it "bubbling?" Can I get a similar product elsewhere?

I'd appreciate your input. Thanks

A very happy ButMyWife

gwunj

mg330ci: I dunno about the variation. My gut feel is that the dealer isn't swapping them out, but I have nothing to base that opinion on. It just doesn't seem worth the effort on their part. FWIW, my build date was mid-April.

heh ... I went from the last 9 years in my old 93 Sentra to this. It's been quite an adjustment. There are occasions where I've gotten up to my habitual cruising speed on a road and then realize I still have two more gears left compared to what I'm used to!

Another adjustment is my size envelope. Backing up into a parking spot, I end up with about 2-3 more feet when I think I'm close to the bumper. No biggie, since a couple more attempts should calibrate me, but it was quite a shock the first couple times.

Glenn

claywaterfill

On the 325i, if you do not get the PP--but you do get SP--are the sport seats power controlled? In my reading, everything says power seats are included in PP; but, in SP, all it mentions is the 10 way adjustable sport seats. I am sure they are, but it does not say. I did not want to get involved with a BMW salesman because we are looking at next year--and the last thing I need is a salesman either hounding me for a year; or, not helping me because I'm not buying right away. I don't think I want PP because the moon roof can be bought by itself--and the auto tilt down passenger rear view mirror and self dimming mirror don't seem like things I have to have--I don't have them now, so I don't know what I'm missing, I guess. Equipped with 5 speed, SP, moon roof, Xenons and HK seems to be what I'm looking for. One more thing, does anybody here have the Topaz Blue Metallic paint? My wife likes that color; but I'm wondering if anyone here has it. It seems like it might be the kind of color you'd get tired of after a few years. Any feedback? Thanks!

obioha1

i'm new to this board, but i have been following all of the discussions. Yesterday i finally got to see what all of the hype is all about as I test drove a 2001 325ci with PP and SP. It was a manual which I haven't driven in like 8 yrs. After a little adjustment period and an encouraging salesman I got the hang of it and was in pure nirvana. The chasis was vault like and the acceleration incredible (for only 184horses!). Taking a curve on the hwy at about 90mph, the car was securely planted. The ride wasn't at all harsh and the car was suprisingly quiet with low profile tires. After the test drive I understood all the hoopla over bmw.I usually like to listen to the radio in cars b/c a quality sound system is important to me but the driving experience was so great that I didn't even turn on the radio. My mazda millenia s just doesn't feel as put together as I always felt it was.(damn!) A bmw maybe out of my price range but I think i will have to seriously consider getting one, b/c my next car will be financed over 4 or 5 years and i want to get exactly what I want. The precision, the balance, the acceleration, wow i'm just truly in love. I now understand what all of you have known for sometime. BMW is the ultimate driving machine.

claywaterfill

I agree with obioha1. When you read other threads like the Acura TL, you hear things like "It's a good car" "It's a great car" or "I really like my car." But, when you read about these 3ers, you can tell the writer has a smile permanently attached to their face as they are just so excited about it. You might as drive what you are excited about, IMO.

mlmurray

When I first began my search for cars in this class and price range (A4, S60, G35, 9-3, 9-5, 325i) I didn't understand what was so great about BMW. Indeed, it seemed that the BMW delivered less bang for the buck than most of the other cars. Well, I had test driven the others first thinking that surely one of them would be my pick. They were all quite nice - all having many qualities to recommend each of them. Before I made my final decision, though, I figured I ought to at least give the BMW a look...

Then I drove it... Holy Crap! How do you explain that a care with less horsepower and less torque than all those other cars could feel faster and drive better than any of the others? BMW just knows something the other car makers don't. They are like CocaCola. They've got the secret formula. Even my wife could tell the difference, which suprised me even more.

On paper, none of this makes sense (at least not for the 325). Like many others have said: Drive one and you'll understand!

-Mark

vkwheels

Obioha1 & mlmurray--I cannot explain it either. If it were JUST the blue & white status symbol and the looks, I wouldn't pay for it, but the holistic experience of it is so much more satisfying than the rest of the field that for me it was worth it.

mschukar

I think I see your point; increasing the speed limit would allow people to get to their destination quicker and reduce the number of cars on the road at any given time.

This works in theory, but probably not in practice. The traffic jam you're sitting in may well have been caused by someone not paying attention and slamming on their brakes to avoid hitting the car in front. The ripple in the flow of traffic can last for hours.

A faster speed limit wouldn't help as much as everyone traveling at the same speed without yahoos darting in and out of traffic causing people to accelerate and decelerate. We all know that will never happen.

-murray

brave1heart

I think the Sumitomo HTRZ is relatively poorly rated by consumers on the Tirerack's web site. The Sumitomo HTRZ II on the other hand is one of the top-rated ultra high performance tires. I spent a lot of time reading reviews and I also talked to a couple of people who regularly track their cars and they highly recommended the Sumitomo HTRZ II.

The first decision I had to make was whether I was going to go with summer tires or all-season tires. Once I decided I was going to stick with the summer tires, I had to pick between the max performance and ultra high performance-rated tires on the Tirerack. The best performance tires (like the Michelin Pilot Sport and the Bridgestone SO3's) are all in the max performance category but I decided against them because they are too expensive and I read about too many people only getting 10-15K miles out of them and I cannot afford that expense. The ultra high performance category tires on average do not offer the same performance as the max performance tires but they should last a little longer - I am hoping to get 20-25K miles out of the Sumi's and that's with regularly tracking the car. So far, I've put on about 250 miles on them and since these were mostly highway, I have not had the chance to push the car too hard. All I can say is that they are exceptionally quiet and the ride comfort is noticeably better. The ride with the Contis was almost uncomfortable above 35-36 psi's. The Sumi's are a lot more comfortable than the Contis even with 36/38 F/R. Keep in mind that I do not have experience with any other high performance tires and it is hard to compare brand new tires to the characteristics you old tires had when they were new. I will post more when I have had a chance to push the car harder and get a feeling for the tires' handling limits.

Here's the link to the ultra high performance tire ratings -
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/uhp.jsp

tiag325

I've had a very bad start to my weekend. While driving my 2001 325i (8091 miles) this afternoon the air conditioning started acting up. I was actually headed to my dealer when I stopped at a traffic light and noticed a bit of steam coming from the hood. I checked the temperature gauge and it was climbing. I went through the light and immediately pulled over. The gauge was just short of red.

I called roadside assistance and a little over an hour later was at my dealer. Of course, being after 5:00 p. m. on a Friday they're closed for the weekend.

I won't know what's wrong for sure until Monday, but I suspect either the thermostat, auxiliary fan or both. There goes the weekend!