BMW 3-Series 2005 and earlier

12467585

Comments

  • firstbmwfirstbmw Member Posts: 10
    i am leaning against them now because of various posts on the bimmer.org board. first they are supposedly not as good in the fog, tend to blind other drivers and cost $300 per headlight to replace after the warranty period. anyone who has gone through this decision have any thoughts about them? any input is, as always , much appreciated.
    firstbmw
  • mfeldmanmfeldman Member Posts: 140
    I had the same reaction as you. The 330 drove much better than the c320. But I was intrigued by the mb's safety features -- side and full curtain bags front and back. I'm surprised that bmw keeps touting the tubes when other manufacturers seem to have surpassed this system.
  • dhanleydhanley Member Posts: 1,531
    For the leather i used lexol--it works great. The person who had the bmw before me didn[t care for iot and it was pretty dry. Fixed! For the plastic/vynyl/rubber i use tutrle wax 2001 protectant--also works great, and restores suppleness. For the paint i use meguiar's gold class. It is better than others in not dirtying black trim.

    Something i tried which also works great is microfiber towels--great for removing excess water and wax that gets missed/left with the regular towels!

    dave
  • jccsscjccssc Member Posts: 44
    Thanks for the input - I still have this noise cruising around 80mph (not pressing too hard on the gas pedal). If you recall, I have a 00'528iA - I got it at the end of August/00 when it just arrived from the port.(have to wait 1 1/2 week for the color I want). I am planning to take it to my shop (Assael BMW in So. Cal.) sometime soon - will let you know what (if anything) they could tell me.

    John
  • lexbarbaralexbarbara Member Posts: 2
    My 330i seems to be popping open its trunk by itself. When I open my doors using the unlock button on the remote key, sometimes the trunk will open automatically. I know that it's possible that I am accidentally hitting the trunk release button on the key, but the pressure necessary to do so is much greater than the incidental contact I make with the button, and it happens too often to be just accidental. Has anyone had this problem? Do you think it is the key remote or the car itself? I am going to try to use the other remote key and see if the same thing happens.
    Also, I have probably asked this before, but where can I find Lexol? Thanks for any info on either of these questions.
  • dparis1dparis1 Member Posts: 45
    I have been informed that BMW Germany is aware that this is happening on some of their cars. The service manager said they are waiting for a compound(corking) to go over a center portion of the car.
    2000 miles and the car is in service for wheel alingment.
    I love the car but this is very annoying for a $44,000 car to have these problems already.

    BMW Xenon headlights adjust to oncoming traffic.
    They are worth it.
  • jccsscjccssc Member Posts: 44
    Thanks again for the update!! I still like to talk to my service guy about it and see what he'd say. WOW - 2000 miles and already wheel alignment? Do you have 17" wheel (or sports pkg) or what happened? is it covered under warranties? did they give you a loaner while your car is being serviced?
    John
  • dparis1dparis1 Member Posts: 45
    The dealer is 10 minutes away. They will pick me up later before 5pm to get the car. The car was offline from the beginning. I wanted to get everything fixed at the same time. They have not given me a time on when they will fix the high pitch noise.
    I have the SP and love the seats. It is covered under warranty.
  • larryintnlarryintn Member Posts: 103
    See http://www.carcareonline.com/ They have the products as well as some pretty good articles teaching how to clean and care for the various parts of your car.
  • larryintnlarryintn Member Posts: 103
    They're fine in fog and, if you have the xenons, you'll have the fog lights.

    They don't tend to blind other drivers. They have an auto-leveling system which levels the lights each time the car is started then again every 30 seconds (?) as you drive. The lights that are offensive are the fake xenon bulbs that people put in their cars with standard headlights and some of the Japanese HID lights which don't auto-level.

    They might be expensive to replace but chances are you'll never have to replace them. There is no filiment to "burn out", just a tube of gas and two electrodes. It works the same way as a neon sign. If it fails, it's probably a power supply or connection problem, not a bad "bulb".

    We've had our xenons for a year now and everytime I get into a car without them I think the a headlight has burned out.

    Get them. You won't regret it.
  • pearllypearlly Member Posts: 5
    I live in Canada and am considerin buyng my first BMW - either a 323i or a 2001 model. I have been told that traction in the snow is not great. Any comments??
  • mmcbride1mmcbride1 Member Posts: 861
    You can get an AWD 325i (called the 325xi). That should get you through anything you need it to. It costs $1,750 more than a regular 325i.
  • soldalmasoldalma Member Posts: 5
    I ordered a 330 Xi from BMW of Manhattan and now they say my car is in Rhode Island and someone has driven it. They offered me a lojack for free as compensation, but I think that is too little to get for the difference between a used car and a new car. What should I do?
  • markjennmarkjenn Member Posts: 1,142
    what is adequate compensation FOR YOU and ask for this. If they don't agree, cancel your order and re-order or go get another car. If this is going to bother you no matter what, walk away.

    Is a Lojack adequate compensation? That's a personal thing. You might want to inquire about the circumstances surrounding the car being in RI. If it got unloaded off the truck mistakenly and has an extra 3 miles on it, then you might look past it. If it has 100-miles when a salesman took it home for the weekend, this might be different.

    - Markr
  • soldalmasoldalma Member Posts: 5
    I was told the car was driven at least 300 miles. They did not give me an explanation. The salesman that originally sold me the car, Jon McKnight, no longer works for BMW of Manhattan.

    I don't think it's fair that I have to reorder. I had a contract with BMW of Manhattan to buy a new car and they are in breach of contract. I am very disappointed with BMW. I feel like cancelling and buying another brand. This would never happen at a Mercedes dealer.
  • brislance1brislance1 Member Posts: 87
    Call BMW of North America and complain. Believe me, they will straihten out the dealership!
  • soldalmasoldalma Member Posts: 5
    I did call them. They said this is a transaction between the dealer and me, so they did not have any power to force the dealer to do anything. But they said they would contact the dealer.
  • markjennmarkjenn Member Posts: 1,142
    This situation could have happened with any dealership or marque, Saturn, Chevy, or Ferrari.

    While you can expect BMW of NA to have some influence over the dealer and to intervene to mediate some sort of satisfaction, your agreement was with the dealer, not with the mfg or importer. Furthermore, if BMW NA was to intervene and pressure the dealer, they could be breaking the law by using their power to influence a private relationship between you and the dealer.

    You're getting in a twist about your "contract" with BMW of Manhattan. I doubt you had a legal contract. You probably had a refundable deposit down as most car orders are these days. You could have walked away on the day of delivery. It cuts both ways - you were not bound to buy the car and they were not bound to deliver it.

    If you do have a legally binding contract with delivery dates and penalties written in, then you may have a case to bring against them.

    You can get all upset about this and make yourself miserable, or you can walk away and get busy getting yourself another car. I'd suggest you move on.

    - Mark
  • ccchen1102ccchen1102 Member Posts: 30
    Well said, upstairs!

    I think this is why dealer can not receive non-refundable deposit.
  • soldalmasoldalma Member Posts: 5
    I have to disagree. I do have a legally binding contract. First, I am legally bound to take delivery of the car:
    "If my credit is approved and/or I fail to take delivery of the vehicle within five (5) days after I have been notified that it is ready, I understand the cash deposit I have given to you or $500.00, whichever is greater, may be retained to offset your damages."
    Second, the dealer is only excused for delays beyond its control:
    "I understand that you shall not be liable for delays caused by the manufacturer, accidents, sureties, fires or other causes beyond your control. Provided you promptly place my order with the manufacturer and the manufacturer refuses to accept the order or fails to deliver the vehicle after accepting the order, upon your prompt notification and refund of my deposit, I will not hold you liable and this agreement shall be cancelled."
    This does not exclude cases like the dealer sending my car to Rhode Island and having someone drive it for more than 300 miles so that they do not longer have a new car to deliver.
    A couple of weeks ago I called BMW of Manhattan and they spent several days saying they could not find my order. They only admitted that I had ordered a car after I faxed them the contract. Then it still took them a couple of days to tell me that the car was arriving. The salesman (Frank Cantavi) then left a message in my answering machine that they "would have a car for me" (notice he said "a" car, not "your" car, the message is still in the machine) in the next few days. Only the next day when I was making arrangements for delivery he casually remarked they would not charge me for the lojack I wanted to install, because the car had been driven more than 300 miles. He also said the car had been "swapped" (!!) and was in Rhode Island. I leave it to your judgment if the exclusions above apply to such bungling by the dealer.

    I also wrote to a friend of mine who is a long time BMW owner and who encouraged me to buy a BMW. Here is his answer:

    "Unfortunately, I've heard far too many similar stories about BMW dealers (mostly through internet bulletin boards). The answers always seem to come down to the customer being screwed: either take the damaged/wrong goods or wait all over again for what you really want and should have already received. "
  • larryintnlarryintn Member Posts: 103
    I don't think you have all the information yet about what happened with your order.

    Your last message included the word "swapped" which usually means that the dealer did a swap to get the car in RI so that car was never "your car" and was never your dealer's car.

    For some reason, your dealer doesn't have YOUR car so they swapped one from their inventory (or allocation) to the other dealer for this car which presumably matches your specs. They didn't let anyone drive your car to RI, they found you a car that was in RI on which someone had already put 300 miles.

    The reason why your car didn't come in is anyone's guess. It could have been a mistake made by your dealer in ordering, BMW in Germany, or BMW NA. It could have been damaged in trasit or at the dealership. You need to find out what did happen to YOUR car so that you'll know if it was a mistake made by your dealer, BMW, or if it was an accident. The answer to this question will affect what compensation you can get and from whom.
  • markjennmarkjenn Member Posts: 1,142
    Ok, you do have a contract of sorts.

    The language in your contract seems one-sided (towards the dealer) - they have your $500 and can retain it but the only recourse you have is to cancel. I would never should have signed it. In fact, my advice to anyone getting into car deals is that they just ALWAYS make the deposit refundable and hope for the best. In a car purchase, you're dealing with organizations that are generally untrustworthy and the costs of producing and enforcing a legally-binding contract are disproportionate to the significance of the transaction.

    But you do have a contract of sorts. Without specific language, it is difficult to determine what "damages" you would claim, but I'm sure a lawyer experienced in these matters might know what is precedent. I suspect that their putting you in the top of their queue for a new car is probably the best you can hope for, but you never know.

    As someone else has mentioned, it appears that they never ordered a car for you, or never intended to deliver the car you ordered because they got a better swap with another dealer. This is common. It is unethical, but it happens all the time. I believe you said your salesman left - this is also common and adds another complication. And as already mentioned, you never owned anything other than a promise - they didn't sell "your" car, because they never sold a car to you. The RI car is probably not the car you ordered, it is one they found that is meets your specifications that they hope you'll take.

    I'll continue to argue that these sorts of things are dealer issues and have absolutely nothing to do with the brand of car. The luck of the draw is that you'll have a smooth deal on your next car and therefore believe that BMWs deals always go south and Belchfire deals always are fine. It is all anecdotal and it is the dealer that influences how deals go, not the mfg.

    Anyway, I STRONGLY suggest you get your money back and walk away. You got screwed, but do you really want to force this dealer into delivering another car for you? The only way I'd consider still doing business with the dealer is to walk onto his lot now, find a car that I liked and that drove perfectly, and see if they'd cut you an invoice or better deal to make up for the problems. Then I'd drive it off the lot and never come back.

    Good luck,

    - Mark
  • brislance1brislance1 Member Posts: 87
    When did you order you BMW? I ordered mine in April and received it two months later on the date the dealer predicted it would reach the dealership. I received two written messages from the dealership confirming my order. These messages were copies of info they had received from BMW. I knew the week the car was manufactured and the day it was shipped.

    I have a feeling that the dealership did not order the car and are trying to rectify their mistake by making a swap. I urge you to put the heat on BMW or North America documenting your plight and asking them to get you the car you ordered. Good luck.
  • brislance1brislance1 Member Posts: 87
    When did you order you BMW? I ordered mine in April and received it two months later on the date the dealer predicted it would reach the dealership. I received two written messages from the dealership confirming my order. These messages were copies of info they had received from BMW. I knew the week the car was manufactured and the day it was shipped.

    I have a feeling that the dealership did not order the car and are trying to rectify their mistake by making a swap. I urge you to put the heat on BMW or North America documenting your plight and asking them to get you the car you ordered. Good luck.
  • coolmatt44coolmatt44 Member Posts: 54
    My parents are thinking of buying one of these for my 17 year old brother. They feel if he buys a car himself he is going to buy something unsafe,and will be likley to get hurt in those "all 17 year olds have um" car accidents. They are willing to pay $26,000, he would perfer the beamer, but my parents feel with a sport type car he will be more eager to speed, any feed back woud be very helpfull.
  • kfitzsimmons2kfitzsimmons2 Member Posts: 2
    Someone posted a web site that you can go to and track where your BMW is. I wrote the address down but unfortunately lost it. It was something about fanatics. I ordered a BMW a couple of months ago and would like to try to find out where it is.
    Thanks for any help.
  • footprintsfootprints Member Posts: 28
    Does anyone know of or have been at a reasonable dealer in the New Jersey/Northern area? I have just been to two dealers and would like to place an order for a 325xi soon(fact being that it's taking longer to get an xi model).
    I truly would appreciate any assistence from anyone which would enable me to be driving a New BMW 325xi.
    HELP!!
  • jccsscjccssc Member Posts: 44
    I took my car to the shop yesterday and later on the service manager told me almost the same thing you heard. The problem is commonly known, and it is on their bulletin - it also shows what to do about it. They are placing an order for a "bushing" and put in on the center aixle. (In the meantime, I got my car back and waiting for the part to arrive.) Don't ask me what it meant!! All I care about is to get it fixed ASAP so I can go back up to 80mph+ without any hassle. : )
    John
  • pearllypearlly Member Posts: 5
    I think your parents would be wise to avoid a sporty type car, although the safety factor is important. Most teen car accidents are caused by speed or inattention. A car with more safety features (BMW, Volvo, etc.) may help protect your brother from some injury, but it won't stop him from being in an accident. Has he gone through a driver training course? Does he really need his own car to get around at age 17 or can he rely on borrowing the parents car until he can "prove" he can handle his own vehicle?
  • larryintnlarryintn Member Posts: 103
    IMO, a brand new car is that last thing a 17 yr old needs. Find a medium to large two-door car from the late '80s to early '90s which will give protection but won't lose a lot of value as a teen beats it up.
  • willygleewillyglee Member Posts: 8
    Does anybody know how much mileage you can expect from the 17" sport tires (conti) that come on the sport package with the 323wagon? My dealer says they are very soft and will last maybe 24,000 miles or about two years.
  • soldalmasoldalma Member Posts: 5
    In fairness to BMW of Manhattan I want to clarify the situation as it is now, and also answer some of the questions posed above.

    1) My deposit was for $1000.00, not $500.00. The contract I signed was the standard for the dealer.

    2) I ordered the car on August 19th, the "Estimated Delivery Date" was November 10th.

    3) The dealer offered me another new car to replace the one I ordered. He said alternatively I could get one exactly as I ordered, but I would not get it before the end of December.

    4) Although the car offered to me had a different color (black) from the one I ordered (silver), I accepted the offer, as i) the car I will receive has more equipment than the one I originally ordered, and will be sold to me for the same price, and ii) I did not want to wait until the end of December to get a car as the one I ordered.

    5) At this point I am satisfied with the way BMW of Manhattan dealt with the problem, and I have no complaints. I think they made mistakes, but they corrected them.

    6) The pick up date is scheduled for Saturday, November 18th.

    Based on my experience I would strongly advise all those who order new cars of any brand from dealers to frequently follow up with the dealer on the status of the car.
  • hopper1hopper1 Member Posts: 25
    I'm interested in ordering a 325 and live in the Chicago area. Would be willing to order one from dealer within 200 miles. Anyone had good luck dealing with a particular BMW Dealer, if so who was the dealer and what were they asking for BMW 325 over invoice? Would appreciate any info, Thanks!!!!
  • larryintnlarryintn Member Posts: 103
    Did you ever find out what happened to the car that they originally ordered for you?
  • jimmalojimmalo Member Posts: 5
    I test drove a 325xi at "Bill Jacobs" in Naperville. Salesperson was Rick Santa Maria. Very courteous and thorough in explaining car. Went on a 20 minute test drive with Rick.After initial test drive he gave me the keys to test solo. Came back- begrudgingly- an hour later. Met with the finance manager, who was terrific, to explain,in detail, payment options. First impressions were very positive.
  • dcwong1dcwong1 Member Posts: 54
    I bought my '99 323i at Fields up in Northfield. I'm generally pleased with their sales practice. None of them were pushy or snooty (especially being a BMW dealer)and were courteous. My salesperson left earlier this year, but I'm sure that the rest will show you respect that I received. When I asked for a test drive, they just gave me the keys and told me to have fun. BTW - I've been told that (among Chicago dealers), Fields and Patrick receive the highest volume cars in the area. Both sold a little over 900 cars last year. I did go to Jacobs, Patrick, MotorWerks, and went past Laurel. A friend of mine purchased his '99 323i and he did encounter some bumps along the way (such as during financing) but is generally pleased. In addition, at Jacobs, everytime you have your car serviced there, they fill up your gas tank - pretty important these days.

    Motorwerks up in Barrington were average. Nothing special. Patrick wasn't the best over the phone so I ignored them completely. Don't know much about Perillo and/or Knauz!
  • dcwong1dcwong1 Member Posts: 54
    Concerning my friend who bought his car, it was at Jacobs. On Laurel, I've generally heard many positive things about them. One of my bosses bought his motorcycle there and was very pleased at their sales/service practice.
  • bavarianbavarian Member Posts: 63
    I visited just two of the Chicago dealers; Perillo downtown and Peter Levin in Chicago Heights. The former is a high volume dealer judging by the BMW licence plates downtown. They talked only in terms of MSRP.."I could maybe give you the price of a good dinner for two off" was the quote, with no freebies (mats,tank of gas,delivery prep) which spurred me to look at a few other dealers out of state. I got internet quotes from a few other Chicago dealers offering $100 of MSRP but mopped up the drool from my chin with some bounty towels and headed East.
    I bought my 325i from Dale Dabrowiak of Basney in South Bend, Indiana. Like De Fouw BMW in Lafayette,Indiana, this is a small dealership in a small town with presumably less walk-in traffic than the Chicago stores so they are likely more willing to bend on prices.
    My experiences with Basney have been first-rate and the car has been superb.
    The only puzzling aspect of my shopping experience was how little follow-up there was from some of the dealerships to try to get my business.
  • dcwong1dcwong1 Member Posts: 54
    I've been to DeFouw BMW in Lafayette back in the early 90's (Purdue Alum) but haven't been back there since so I can't comment. The DeFouw bodyshop did a good job on my GM car and they even washed it, which even surprised me.

    I think because you bought your Bimmer in South Bend, they don't expect you to have your car serviced there. However, you still should have received a followup call from them.

    At Fields, I received a $1000 off MSRP on my '99 and this was my first time there at Fields. This car was in big demand last summer and I still received the discount - I waited for over 3 months to pick up my car. Motorwerks said that they would match the $1000 and Jacobs would only give me $500 so I know there was "some" room to bargain with if you call it that. All of the dealers I've worked with said that with such a car in demand they couldn't sell it for wholesale price.

    Fields said they would have given me close to wholesale price on a 5-series (my dad was looking for one) but not on the 3-series.
  • bunky3bunky3 Member Posts: 8
    I couldn't log on to the website. I never bring the phone in the car with me, to much of a distraction, but my wife would like the conversion. Was it easy? It would be nice to utilize the features given to us by bmw, seems as though you are. My car started running really terribly, someone was putting cheap gas in it because the salesman said it was "Ok". I had to explain to my wife about the little computer that adjusts for these things, and now I think I've corrected her, of this quirk.
  • larryintnlarryintn Member Posts: 103
    The website is there. Must have been net congestion.

    No, we can't tie into the steering wheel controls. You'll need the BMW phone and handsfree kit to do that. What I did use was the BMW's antenna, speaker, and connections for power, ignition, and ground.

    The thing with the cheap gas is that when the computer adjusts for the lower octane your mileage drops so much that it's actually cheaper to run the more expensive gasoline!
  • dparis1dparis1 Member Posts: 45
    I am getting Lexol to clean the leather seats.
    What is good to clean the wood trim and other interior parts of the car?
    What about wax for a black car?
  • dparis1dparis1 Member Posts: 45
    The dealer has fixed the noise 90%
    They called it corking instead of bushing. The wheel alingment is an off center steering wheel.

    I drove 850 miles in two days. What a great car!
  • jccsscjccssc Member Posts: 44
    I hope that is good enough for you - 90% fixed - does that mean you still hear it (just a faint noise)? Does the problem relate to your misalignment?
    I am still waiting for the shop to call me once they receive the part they ordered for the car to fix the noise problem. Hope I don't have to wait long.
    I remembered the BMW dealer (sales manager) that sold me my new 00' 528iA telling me that after I drive the bimmer, I would not want to drive anything else. I did not believe him at first! Now I totally agree with him. BMW makes AWESOME cars - I was considering Lexus GS300 or Audi A6 2.7T when I was carshopping (along with 528i). I am glad I made the right decision. I still get excited every time I step into the "cockpit"!
    John
  • dparis1dparis1 Member Posts: 45
    I am waiting for the dealer to call me back. I expect the car to be 100% fixed the next time I bring it in. The noise is gone almost altogether.
    The sound I was hearing at 60 - 80 mph is no longer there all the time. There was never a wheel alingment problem. The driving wheel has to be fixed. Just a bit off to the left.(minor problem) They said a few minutes to be fixed. I never had a test drive with the 320 mercedes.

    The car fully loaded would have been a few more thousand than I paid. For that price i would have had the 530.
  • mfeldmanmfeldman Member Posts: 140
    I am about to take the plunge on a 330, so i read with concern about the hi pitch noise. could you please clarify. is this a design flaw that will show up on all cars? is it something that the factory is correcting in production for new cars or will all cars have to be retrofitted. these issues could affect my decision to buy a car off the lot or wait to order one. thanks
  • rleerlee Member Posts: 8
    I remember someone was asking how to get shipping schedule with VIN. Here's the link:

    http://www.wlna.com/vescols.htm
  • dparis1dparis1 Member Posts: 45
    The high pitch noises are not common from speaking to the service department. They have been very helpful in getting the problem fixed. This has not changed the way the car has been driving. It has been just a dream to drive.

    the only driving problem I have encountered is that even with the sports package the ride seems to be to smooth. Every now and than I have to make sure that I am actually on the road.

    You will not be sorry if you go ahead and order the 330i
  • gtbrokergtbroker Member Posts: 3
    i will be purchasing a 330i in the next few weeks. decided on moonroof & cd as options. still debating on either sport or premium or both.

    has anyone received a good deal from any of the 4 atlanta dealers (or dealers close in tennesse, south carolina or alabama)? how much over invoice (%) did you pay.

    also, are the general readers here seeing better deals by ordering or purchase a vehicle off the dealers lot?

    thanks.
  • retsgmretsgm Member Posts: 1
    I purchased a 323I with 6 ,000 miles on it in September and It didn't have a sticker on it. I was wondering if there is a place where I can type in the vin and see what options came with it? retsgm
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