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Comments
-Chris
they did this for me on a *used* M3. and then after that I went home and RTFM. ;-)
-Colin
http://www.e46fanatics.com/faq/faqs.php
When I was at the dealer the other day, I asked a detailer there about the tar. He instantly whipped out a can of Degreaser solvent (available @ Target) and sprayed the bottom trim panels. After a few seconds he wiped the plastic trim with a paper towel, and the tar was gone completely. Like Magic!!! Learn something new everyday.
Furthermore, I watched yesterday the 745 Test Drive on Speed Channel. BMW 7 Series Product Manager was bragging that "LOGIC-7 is the best Sound System ever in any car". The 03 Sound System controls must be the same as 02, only your ears will tell the difference, do they?. If you do not hear a substantial difference than BMW Canada owes us an explanation.
Jean
http://www.bmw.ca/automobiles/model_fs.asp?modelID=5&seriesID=1
As for buying over the phone, of course the manual is your reference, but I think the dealer should offer that courtesy. (My 2 cents).
XM radio--anyone else in this community besides Paul of the Desert have it? Paul, I doubt I'd travel to Bakersfield to get it installed, but your good experience & happiness with it are remembered.
Hey NYCCarGuy have you made the switch yet to entrepreneurship? OT OT OT
I guess the fastest acceleration (from 0 mph) you can get from steptronic is when you're in S mode (like I said, I'm just guessing). When those magazines test the 330iA, what mode did they use? Is it the S mode?
Just want to know. Last Sunday, I was provoked by a car on my left by speeding up after the traffic light turned green. I was able to catch up and ahead of him after a few seconds but hold on myself after I noticed that the rpm reached about 5500 (my bimmer is just a week old and has only about 225 miles). I was driving in D mode.
The Logic 7 is simply a fantastic system. Just awesome. But IMHO, it still falls short of the Mark Levinson system in the LS430... unfortunately. But I applaud BMW for the effort, and I hope they continue to improve it. =D Too bad my new 330ci's HK won't even come close. I can't wait to pick it up in December, though.
-Jeff
1 in each of the rear doors
2 on the rear deck
3 in each of the front doors. Don't forget the tweeters. Total of 10. non harmon-kardon type.
I just have a question about the wheel center caps. My wheels came with instructions to use the original BMW center caps. Does anyone have any experience with removing the center cap from the OEM wheel and installing on new/winter wheels ? Do the center caps just pop off the OEM wheels and you can just press fit them onto the new wheels ? I would think thecenter caps are installed pretty tight in order not to come off. Is there a locking mechanism ? Thanks for any help you can offer.
abcnyc - If the BMW OEM center caps fit, I would just buy a set to keep on the spare wheels. I'm pretty sure you can get them for ~$3 each from Circle BMW and Pacific BMW.
Mine will be attached to a beater 4x4 pickup or SUV though. ;-) Currently a $400 '86 Blazer is in the lead.
We don't get much snow in Kansas, mostly ice. Either way the M3 doesn't leave the garage on days like that. Any clear day, the beater will sit.
-Colin
I have a question that was unanswered though: Is the S mode will do a better/faster acceleration than the D mode from 0 mph? Are the test drivers testing the 330iA in D or in S to get the 0-60 mph time?
jules0066 - A residual of 62% for 3/36 is good, although I think I read that the current residuals are closer to 59%.
Dennis your are not being fooled by production but by BMW marketeers. Still waiting your review for the 03 330xi.
Jean
-Chris
who believes if you want xenons, GET xenons...
belts???
-Chris
- Mark
-Chris
Several of the people I met in Europe asked why I bought the "Big 325" gas engine. I told them that I had no options regarding engines.
The only minor point I noticed in my 2,700 miles was that the steering wheel was very slightly off center when driving straight.
All I can do for now is hope that my BMW is home for Christmas! I have been told that the Dock strike has international shipping in mess!!!
May I ask why you decided on the ECIS CAI...as compared to Dinan, GruppeM, and others? What affected your decision - price, performance gains, etc? Are you worried about the lack of warranty for a non-Dinan aftermarket accessory?
What other aftermarket performance parts do you already have or are planning on getting?
Appreciate your feedback as I'm considering doing some mods on my E46 99 323i SP.
Thanks!
Geez, ask a simple question
Plus, for those of us in the Bay Area, Mountain View & Morgan Hill are just around the corner.
You hit the nail on the head with your dissertation on the pro's & cons of a CAI. I have had both Dinan (on my Z3) & the ECIS and you description of both is right on. The Dinan is definitely more difficult to remove and maintain. I removed & reinstalled my ECIS 4 times (before I returned it) and each time I got faster & faster with it. Even the first time it only took about 20 minutes.
Please let us know your impressions after install and again after about a month of commuting with it.
Silver,
Most people do not realize that when dealing with warranty issues in a modded car that the consumer is protected by a piece of consumer protection legislation called the Magnusson Morris Act. In summary, this act says that the warrantor must prove in order to deny a warranty claim that the problem was caused by the non OEM upgrade. In other words if you put a CAI on your car and 2 month's later your thermostat goes out and the dealer declines to service it under warranty due to the mod's, the dealer must PROVE that the problem was caused by the modification. This burden of proof is on the Warrantor, NOT you. Most dealers are pretty cool about minor modifications and warranty issues.
Dinan's warranty is very good particularly if you are doing MAJOR engine mods. If you go with a supercharger or a stroker motor, than I would definitely recommend someone like Dinan that stands behind their product with a strong warranty.
Any one else have similar experience?
But there are two problems with this argument:
1. Mentioned the Magnnusson Morris Act isn't likely to change the position of a dealer denying warranty coverage. The reality of the situation is that the car is broken and they won't fix it. They have the upper hand. Are you going to pay a lawyer $300/hour to sue them?
2. Very few dealers will deny coverage for mods when the mod is clearly unrelated to the warranty claim. The problems are with the huge gray areas - does "chipping" a car to a higher power output level cause extra stress on the drivetrain and thus void the warranty on transmission and clutch? Does installing different brake pads void the warranty for rotors that warp? Things are often not clear cut.
So in these gray areas, you're really at the mercy of the dealer to "do the reasonable thing" and most do. And the reality of the situation is that one's legal rights under the Magnusson Morris Act are pretty much of acadmemic interest, rather than affecting how any claim will be handled. Mod with this in mind.
- Mark
Good point about chipping the car as that creates a whole new "gray" area particularly when your dealing with a turbo as most chip gains on a normaly aspirated car are slight if any whereas with a turbo you can usualy get dramatic power increases from chipping although the additional stress may in fact cause premature failures.
I also have heard about dealers who will try anything to charge the client and deny a warranty claim because of mods. The "We are sorry mam but we can't fix that sticky gas pedal under warranty because you have an aftermarket exhaust on this car" kind of thing happens all the time. Remember the manufacturer has a set reimbursement rate for warranty repairs whereas they can charge a client anything they want.
I know of 2 people who had this type of scam pulled on them (from my days on some Volvo boards) even though the warranty issue clearly had nothing to do with the mod. After getting the dealership management involved and citing the Magnusson Morris Act it was amazing how they changed their tune.
-Colin
brave, do please give us your feedback on the ECIS CAI as twoof1 suggested.
twoof1, may i ask why you installed/removed the ECIS CAI numerous times? And why did you finally "return it"?
Here's a very interesting debate on CAI's - most of the big players were out! http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=24845&highlight=gruppe (go to the last few pages)