BMW 3-Series 2005 and earlier

nyccarguy

Anything having to do with a tire's sidewall (puncture, bubble...) should be taken care of by getting a new tire. Part with the old tire immediately.

The dealer (and BMW) will not cover a tire under warranty. Check to see if the tire mfr. offers one. In most cases puncture wounds will not be covered.

rwong1998

My 2002 330xi needs about 1/2 a quart of synthetic oil every 5,000 to 8,000 miles. I was told that this was pretty normal. In contrast you should read the long term review of the M3 on car and driver, I think they went through at least 8 or 10 quarts of additional oil required during the time they had the car.

jean7of9

It was on few times (for a short period) on my 03 330xi while the oil level on the dipstick looked OK. I have only 6000km (3750 miles). But this yellow light is not really consistent i.e. if there is oil missing it must switch on every time, doesn't it. I also noticed this problem is specific to the 325xi/330xi only. Can it be a sensor problem?

jean7of9

I attended on Tuesday a special party for the introduction of the 04 5 Series. Five cars all with the 3.0 liters engine were on display with all options and colors. The car looked nice at the outside. On the inside, the Speedometer, seats, Steering Wheel are identical to my 03 330xi. The back seats comfort and trunk size are impressive. I will be test driving one soon and will report how its ride compares to the 330.

bmwseller

The new 5 is not going to compare with the 3 because they are made to be different cars and the experiences stand on their own....apples...
The 3's shorter wheel base and lighter weight are going to give a contrast that will derive options more than advantages. The speedometer and tach are similar to the 3 only in that that have silver trim. I don't know how you came away thinking that the seats and steering wheel were the same as the 330. The leather is a totally different texture compared and they are not shaped like a 3 series at all. The seats are broader, taller, and deeper. The headrests are bigger. They both look distinguishably BMW but in different senses. Jean, the steering wheel has different buttons, 3-spokes. It has features that work with the I-drive. The tilt is different. The leather is again a different texture and certainly the steering wheel with the gauges as a background is not at all like the presentation of the 330i. The 3 series sounds different to give a sportier sensation that is not emphasized in the more comfort directed 5......engine growl in 330i is a sweet sweet sound (it may make the car even quicker, high fan factor in 330 without a doubt). I look forward to your review of the total experience of the new 5 that of course will include the ride and drive (try the sport) and don't miss the Logic 7 sound, take my word, don't miss the rumble of the Logic 7 Sound (blows H-K right off the road). rumble
If anyone has a car that they already love, especially a fabulous 330i, and intend on keeping in favor of any other vehicle for the time being, than it's OK......do you need a hug? Look, it's virtually 100% different. Wait until we get the Bangle endition.

someday

Is this standard on the 2003 330i? I can't find any mention of it in the manual. Also the salesman said they couldn't activate the "clown nose" without installing the alarm system. I have read on this board that they should be able to.

thanks

blueguydotcom

Your dealership is trying to milk some extra coin from you. Sad how they abuse buyer trust...

thomaspeterdub

Does anyone know when the new redesigned 330Ci is expected in the US. Some dealers tell me that it will be available in the Fall 2004 while others say Fall 2005. Thanks.

radar10

I am looking for some winter rims for my 2003 325Cic w/sport pckg. I want to use 205/55R/16 Nord Frost tires that I already have. Can someone tell me what the rim specs are for this car? I was told that I need 16 x7.5 rims. Need to know the lug and offset numbers.
Thanks
David T

abcnyc

I saw something about recalls on 2002 330i for suspension and brakes. How do I find out if my vehicle is affected ? I didn't see anything obvious on the bmwusa website.

bmwseller

call any bmw service center with your VIN.

indigo320

Recently purchased 325xi 2004,awaiting delivery. I am thinking about adding BMW alarm system. Dealer wants $525. Would appreciate input on security system that comes with car..or alarm system worth the extra cost?. Live in city area.
  Thank you...

blueguydotcom

The car comes with an immobilizer - thus you can't really steal the car unless you tow it. No alarm will protect against towing.

The clown nose (the red light under the mirror) can be programmed (for free) by your service department to blink as if you had an alarm.

If thieves are not deterred by your blinking red light, then they're not going to be swayed by any alarm you put into your car.

Quite frankly, noisy alarms are more annoying to neighbors and passerby than thieves. Alarms do not keep cars from being stolen or broken into. If someone wants to get into your car, they will regardless of the noise. No alarm will stop that.

Save your $500 and put it toward something useful.

brave1heart

http://www.alldata.com/TSB/0206_mo.html

kennynmd

it is 16x7.5 and I believe the offset is 5x120

div2

5X120 is the bolt circle.

asleepy

i agree with blueguydotcom. i have a 2003 325i and when i went to pick it up, i requested the clown nose activation, signal lights blinking when i hit the lock/unlock on the key fob, daytime running lights and one press unlock on all doors. all this was done free of charge.

scipio1

Having had one of our cars (not a BMW) broken into in an attempted theft, I for one like having the alarm installed. It gives me better peace of mind. You can likely do a little better than $525 if you call around.

The cheapest way would be to buy the alarm mail order with a BMWCCA discount and self-install ($250ish). Otherwise, you can probably get a friendly dealer to do it for $425, parts + labor.

Whether or not you get the alarm, you MUST invest in a set of wheel locks. Under no circumstances should you neglect to get wheel locks.

ksoman

We used to own a honda accord
We used to live in Central Jersey
We used to have an alarm system on the car
We still had 3 attempted break-in's in a short time of 4 months - each costing $1000 plus in damage
We started leaving the car unlocked, with the steering locked
We never saw the car broken in again and never stolen.
We lived happily ever after...
The End.

blueguydotcom

Whether or not you get the alarm, you MUST invest in a set of wheel locks. Under no circumstances should you neglect to get wheel locks.

Why not just have a $50 deductible on theft? Steal my wheels and everything in the car...call the insurance company and it's replaced.

I'm with KSO on this one. I see people who lock convertibles and put alarms on. ROFL locking a convertible is like using saran wrap to keep a cat out of a chicken coop.

kyfdx

require higher deductibles than that.. And the requirements are going higher.. State Farm is starting to require $500 on collision and $250 on comprehensive. Any insurance claim is likely to increase your chances of getting canceled, whether your fault or not.

regards,
kyfdx

blueguydotcom

Insurance companies requiring people to have high deductibles? Okay...

Regardless, don't leave anything of value in the car and you have nothing to worry about. An alarm will not keep someone from breaking into a car. A simple flashing light is the most deterrence you can offer. A would-be thief either sees the light and decides he doesn't want the noise or he just smashes away.

ksoman

the 3 break in's in the honda accord that we owned, the only reason the car was not stolen was because the steering was locked and so even after the joker(s) had smached the entire dash to hot wire the car, it was useless because the steering only budged about half a degree making it impossible to drive the car away.

kydfx - is that a radio station name? anyway, I have been with statefarm for about 8 years now. Knowing quite a bit about the insurance industry insides, I can tell you the only real way to save money on insurance is not really shopping for cheap insurance but to have a clean history, and trying to stick with the same company. Loyalty earns you discounts, huge ones and having a clean driving record helps, so does bunching all your insurances with the same company. Oh the original point I was making is, based on the risk categorization, insurance companies will allow certain minimum deductibles (including $0) based on the specificity of the location. It is entirely possible that the same insurance company mandates a minimum 250 deductible in say phoenix, where cars constantly get stolen and driven across the border, but may allow for a $0 deductible a little further north, say in salt lake city, utah...

<eom>
ksso

bmwseller

state farm is huge around here (bloomington is just down the street)but not exactly inexpensive. The best insurance #'s available are from Liberty Mutual on a 'bimmer based on my experience. They have an agreement in place with BMWNA to insure BMW drivers. My own personal insurance was decreased by $800 per year by going with liberty.

ksoman

omg, my total yearly bill with one 3 year old jag and one brand new bmw is only about 1400 total for a year... and that includes $0 deductible on comp.

nobody, including liberty has been able to give me a quote which will reduce my payments for the two cars... again i'm not marketing my insurance company, 'm just saying that sticking with an insurance company and having a clean history helps. most insurance companies will kick in a discount for staying with them clean for 3 years and additional discounts after 5/6 years, plus other things like multi car, multi line, house/rental etc. will kick in some miniscule discounts which might add up to another 10%, if crafted carefully.

kyfdx

And I agree completely.. keep a clean record, stay with the same company, etc... I totaled a car in 2002, but with over 10 years and no claims, I didn't even lose my accident-free discount.. As you note, every state is different, but, try to add coverages, change vehicles, move to a new house, etc, and you'll find they won't write the $0 deductibles any more. I personally raised my deductibles years ago to benefit from the lower premiums.

As far as one company being cheaper than another? That will vary with vehicle, coverages, driver, etc.. I switched to State Farm in 1985, because my insurance company wanted $1800 per year to cover an 18 year old car that I was paying just $6000 for. State Farm covered it for $450 full coverage. I've been with them ever since.

regards,
kyfdx
(not a radio station!!)

ksoman

I'd raised this several months ago...
After enjoying sirius in my car for months, I'm ready to plunge into getting a sirius extension for my wife's 3. The issue is, having paid a little under $300 including tax and installation for my car's receiver and antenna, i'm not too keen on paying about $750 bucks for bmw to install only the receiver and antenna... does anyone have experience in this area just buying the receiver from bmw and getting it installed outside or by self? I'm not interested in XM and most enthusiasts who have DIT, have used and described the XM...

rpadilla

I have State Farm, and have been with them for over 16 years. I have had a few "incidents" in my driving career, but, nothing has raised my rates so substantially as to cause me to look elsewhere. I actually work for Liberty Mutual, and, with the discount available, my premiums are still lower with State Farm. I guess it just depends.

plawin1

I'm trying to shop a 3 series wagon in spite of the fact that the closest dealer is 75 miles away (and doesn't carry much inventory). Hence, a simple question:

I've never had a big need for leather. It seems slippery and hot (at different times of the year). Yet, the only options are leather or "leatherette". Any opinions? I'm not worried about resale value, just which works better for comfort and going around corners.

cabbatan1

I have leatherette in my 325 wagon.. It looks great,feels good,is really easy to clean and it didn't cost me extra. Having said that,the leather used in BMW's is quite nice. It's very rugged in appearance with lots of texture and not the smooth, shiny stuff found in most Japanese cars which is supposed to give you the perception of luxury. On the contrary,it looks cheap to my eyes.
I did not test drive a car with leather but I sat in several at the dealership and I don't think you would slide around much. In hindsight,If I were doing it again,I probably would pay the extra five dollars per month on my lease and go with the leather.
It is a BMW after all! I'm hoping to move into a 5 series when my lease is up in 2 years and there will be no question at that point.
Good luck!You won't go wrong either way,the car drives fantastic as you probably already know.

nyccarguy

if you really detest leather or don't feel the need for it, many here agree the BMW leatherette is more than just fine. It wears better and is still high quality. If you really want a car with cloth seats (if you're really not concerned with resale), there is an order code for it, but you'd have to special order it from your dealer with what I'd think would be a sizeable deposit.

blueguydotcom

Go with the leatherette. It'll save ya $1200 and most people can't tell.

FWIW, I love leather and loathe cloth. Can't stand how hot it is. But then again, I run my AC 24/7...

bmwseller

I bought my first 'bimmer and had to be told by a senior BMW client advisor some months later that it was not leather. Leatherette gets a thumbs up for looks and durability (and cost).

ksoman

1. by paying extra you are recycling money into the economy, so somebody somewhere gets a derivative job
2. the world beef consumption is so high that all the animals already sacrificed for my meat cravings have this skin left over that needs to be put to productive use, why waste such a valuable thing?
3. Needless to say, leatherette is an artificial chemically manufactured substance, it is not natural and like any chemical product, it may not be completely inert.

And after all that is said, I think bmw makes some awesome leatherette.
ksso

mxpro738

After doing a little reading here and at tirerack.com, it would appear Dunlop
's Winter Sport M2 should be on any BMW owner's short list... if living in the north east.

Interestly enough, tirerack.com also recommends the same tire for my wife's Honda Odyssey. After thinking about it, I like the idea. Tires make such a difference in the handling of *any* vehicle. Often, better handling = safer driving.

That said, any of you know if the M2 wears out faster than average, compared to typical Q-rated snow tires? Also, is the M2 rubber compound like the Blizzak... first half of the tread is winter compound, the remainder is an all-season compound?

Thanks for any insight.

plawin1

Thanks for the quick replies.

After posting my question, I realized that I could search on this discussion. Earlier posts have similar responses. I hadn't thought about the issue of maintaining leather which a number of people mentioned.

Special ordering cloth is an interesting idea. It's possible that they have other markets where they regularly offer cloth.

descartesdvd

I remember seeing a catalog a while back at my dealer showing available dealer installed options for the 3 series. My dealer no longer has any. If anyone has an acessories catalog or can get their hands on one, please send me an email. I would be more than happy to compensate shipping. Or if anyone can tell me where to get one, I would appreciate that too. Thanks

ddblue

Help. I'm past 36,000 miles (out of free oil changes), and I need to change my oil. I'd like to do it myself instead of paying BMW through the nose to do it. How easy is it to access the filter and oil pan? What tools will I need (if the standard filter wrench and socket are not enough)?

Any advice would help here. I guess I also need to reset the computer. Any suggestions?

mkco

I'm about to order an '04 325ci. Here's my question...

How is traction with the standard all-season tires in snow? Will I need to get snow tires? (I live in Southeast Michigan, and we usually don't get a lot of snow, but are typically good for at least couple of 6"+ snows per season.)

Here's why I'm asking: If I'm going to need to replace my tires with snows anyway, I might go ahead and get the Sport Package (which I know will be rotten in snow). But if you think I could get away with the all-season standard tires, I'd go that route since I'd prefer not to deal with the expenses and hassle of switching tires twice a year.

What do you think??? Thanks!

jim1395

get the sport pack and go with the snow tires. in my opinion snow tires are more money out of pocket up front, but on the back end you'll make you street tires last longer and the cost should cover you for 4 seasons.

ddblue

I lived in Northern Virginia for 8 years and just lived through last winter (brutal--and I can say brutal, since I'm originally from Chicago). My 2001 325Ci was a joke in the snow with the performance tires (SP). I got stuck on a 5 degree grade in the parking lot of McDonald's in about an inch of snow. Quite embarrassing, to say the least. Never did get that QP w/ cheese, either.

IMHO, I think all-seasons on a RWD BMW would not fare a whole lot better than the performance tires. Why? Well, I've seen a number of non-SP 528s get stuck in little more than a couple of inches of snow. After my McD's incident, I ordered a set of Dunlop Wintersport M2s from the Tirerack. Phenomenal snow tire and amazing in the rain and in the dry, as well. It made a world of difference, and I was able to get around in 5+ inches of snow (not like a 4x4 or AWD, mind you). I think it makes all the difference in the world. All-seasons are the equivalent of wearing one pair of shoes for all activities (sports, business, casual). It just doesn't work well in all conditions. I drive my 325Ci with the Dunlops from mid-October to the middle of March. Even when it's dry, the tires really hug the road well, and I should know as I drive pretty darned hard (8/10ths).

brave1heart

I'm getting rid of my wheel locks. I retorque my wheels regularly (after every run at the track) and it is too much hassle with the wheels locks. At 54K hard miles, my Star 44 wheels aren't worth that much to thieves anyhow.

brave1heart

When I purchased the car, I was living in Boston and I was parking on the street, so the alarm made a lot of sense. Not sure if I'd get it today as I live in a very safe suburb and the car is garaged. I think the alarm is expensive for what it is but I wouldn't write it off as an inefficient theft-deterrent. In addition to the siren, you also get a motion detector and a tilt sensor with it. If your car is being towed without your knowledge and you are nearby, you'll hear it. It's also nice to hear the chirp when you lock and unlock the car. The clown nose can finally be useful for something too.

kominsky

The filter is sitting in the engine bay, accessibility couldn't be any easier. It's a cartridge type and sits under a screw-on cover. The only issue I had with it was the size of the socket needed wasn't in my collection (it's BIG). You could probably use an adjustable wrench or something but then you cannot use a torque wrench.

The drain plug is behind a plastic trap-door under the car. While it's not too difficult to get at, I managed to snap the bolt the first time I did my own change... and that was using a torque wrench. Turns out that the bolt is hollow (made extracting it very easy, btw) and made to sacrifice itself rather than stripping out the oil pan threads. I'm not sure if I had a faulty bolt, improperly set (although I always double check it), or out of spec torque wrench. Anyway, the replacement went in without a problem.

FWIW, after hearing div2 and others talk about "top-sider" oil extractors, I got one. What an awesome device! I can now do an oil change without lifting the car or ever laying around on the ground. This is the one I got, but there are cheaper versions around. One thing to consider is that many cannot hold the full 7 quarts of oil... this one can.

http://www.griotsgarage.com/catalog.jsp?&SKU=10122

As for the computer reset, they sell reset tools or you could probably have your dealer do it for a nominal fee.

mkco

Thanks for the feedback! I just revised my order to add the Sport package. It's schedule for delivery in December -- I just hope it's not snowing that day!

gwunj

So of all the crappy luck, I was staining some bookcases and a gust of wind knocked it onto my bimmer. The top quarter of the bookcase his the car and left a thin 12" dent in the hood where the edge of the case hit. The top of the bookcase hit the top edge of the quarterpanel, near the hood and dented the ridge.

Can anyone recommend a good body shop in the Philly/S. Jersey area? Or do you think the local dealer (DeSimone) can do a good repair?

My last question is how much have people paid for similar damage repairs?

Thanks for the suggestions,
Glenn

ddblue

You're advice is a comfort. I had considered getting the oil extractor but hadn't heard anything about how well it worked. I consider your testimony invaluable and will purchase one immediately.

How did you deal with resetting the computer after changing your oil?

kennynmd

I recently bought a new 325ci. I just noticed that when I go bove 80 mph I have a little whistling/wing noise from my passenger window. Does anyone else have this problem or did just get unlucky.

kominsky

I haven't had the need to reset my computer yet. Other than the 45K mile Oil Inspection, all of my changes have been either covered under the free maintanence or the in-between ones that I did. I paid to have them do the 45K mile change only because it's the last one with the car still under warranty. I'm pretty sure I'll be buying a reset tool in the near future.

ponytrekker

I was thinking mid-November.