BMW 3-Series 2005 and earlier

kyfdx

Its a maintenance contract. If you mean you extended your covered maintenance from 3/36 to 4/50, then yes, you can extend it on out to 6/100 for $995.

regards,
kyfdx

efxx

#25343 of 25343 Not a warranty by kyfdx Jan 09, 2004 (3:33 pm)

"Its a maintenance contract. If you mean you extended your covered maintenance from 3/36 to 4/50, then yes, you can extend it on out to 6/100 for $995."

Yes, I meant maintenance. This is good news.

Regards,
efxx

bmwdriver02

Saw a Green 01-03 325Ci today (Sport Package, Black interior). License Plate read 'ENVY M3'

finewine

20k miles. New the car was 47k+ ( Found the original tax receipt) Paid 37k .
MOst 2001s same price but 35k+ miles.
With the CPO( new tires etc) feel I got a very good deal.@2.9% finance I was very pleased.
HOpe to stay on this board and not the problems and solutions board

nhlarry

I am under the impression that my warranty on the 2004 325XI is 5yr/50,000.
Will they offer extensions?

nhlarry

I have the 325 XI.For the first time I had to use the DSC button during very bad driving conditions: Snow, ice, hills. I was amazed at how good the traction felt.

riez

nhlarry... Read the owner's manual and warranty book. Details on all the warranties. There is the bumper-to-bumper, tire, battery, etc.

Plus there is the separate free maintenance agreement. Reportedly, that can now be extended to 6/100K for around $995 or thereabouts.

nyccarguy

DSC is automatic. Pushing the DSC button actually disengages it. Just leave it alone and let the alphabet soup of electraonics do their things.

nyccarguy

I know BMW doesn't need to start a horsepower race with anybody, they routinely understate their ratings, and there is so much more to driving than numbers on a paper. To me, handling is much more important than acceleration (I'd still love my prelude even if it had 50 less horsepower).

That being said, some numbers do seem to jump off the paper. The Jan 12th issue of autoweek reveals the specs of MB's new 3.5L DOHC 4 Valve/Cylinder V6. 268 Horsepower! That's close to what their 4.3L 3V SOHC pumps out (275 hp).

chile96

My gal has a MY03 325ia. How easy/difficult/expensive would it be to increase the HP in her car? If I remember correctly, BMW regularly uses Dinan(sp?) for this. Are there any other ways?

thanks
fo

div2

The days of finding 35+hp with a chip/intake/exhaust swap are long gone. Modern BMW powerplants simply don't leave much horsepower on the table. Dinan makes some good products, but their major selling point is that they provide secondary warranty coverage for BMWs that are still under warranty. For example, say your engine self destructs and BMW NA determines that the failure was due to Dinan software; in that situation Dinan will cover any warranty issues denied by BMW NA due to the software. In theory, anyway.
I prefer Jim Conforti's software. Jim is a brilliant tuner and his products WORK. Period. His Shark Injector( http://www.turnermotorsport.com/html/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=INJ3-O- BD ) is a really elegant design; it allows you to switch back to stock programming if you need to take the car into the dealer. A software/intake kit might uncork @20hp tops. If you want a large power boost you'll need either N02(Der Fast und der Furious?) or forced induction. As you might guess, neither alternative is cheap, and a poorly engineered installation can quickly turn your engine into a boat anchor. And of course, the least expensive alternative would have been to buy a 330i in the first place. In all honesty, I'd rather see you spend your money on several CCA driving events. Learn how to exploit the full potential of your car BEFORE you start tweaking it. I'd estimate that 90% of BMW owners have absolutely NO clue as to the true capabilities of their car. Don't you be one of them...

nhlarry

Nyccarguy: Isn't disengaging the DSC so you can drive in extremely slippery conditions with more control?

div2

Pushing the DSC button DISABLES the DSC for all practical purposes. There are a few situations when you may want to do this:

If you autocross the car, DSC may intervene and slow the car-particularly in tight chicanes and slaloms-I once tried to ice race an X5; unless you deactivated DSC any attempt to set up a drift was completely shut down.

If you are stuck in mud/snow and you need to "rock" the car out by shifting between Drive and Reverse

If you want to hone your driving skills in slick conditions-oftens I will drive with DSC "0ff" to practice handling the car without interference from the Bavarian acronyms(I do the same with my Wrangler; in inclement weather I keep it in 2WD until I can't go any further-then I engage 4WD) .

For 95% of the drivers out there, DSC should remain engaged at all times.

gtom71

kyfdx,

Where is the offer of the extended maintenance to 6yrs/100k documented? I want to read more about it. I'm assuming it covers everything the original 3yr/36k maint. contract covered. Oil Changes, Inspection I & II, brakes. Anything else it may cover?

imadrone

Picked up our 2004 325iT (Steel Blue/Gray, SP, manual, HK) in Munich Oct 17th, and dropped it off in Frankfurt November 7th after 4,400 splendid miles. It finally made its way through US Customs and we took delivery from our dealer yesterday. On the 140 mile trip home, discovered that the speedo reads about 6 mph higher than actual speed as tracked with our old BMW 320i. Naturally, I intend to corroborate the actual speed before contacting the dealership, but in the interim, I am wondering: 1: Have others had this problem? 2. Can the dealer recalibrate ?
   BTW, absolutely wonderful performer.

Many thanks,
Richard

riez

Just read Roundel (BMW CCA), Bimmer, etc. Car & Driver even had an expose on this within the past few years. BMW speedometers appear designed to do this. By their lawyers? Who knows. But the odometers are accurate.

kyfdx

I read about it on another forum website that I am not allowed to link, according to Edmund's rules. The forum has an ask-a-dealer section, and a couple of the dealers posted the info there. Supposedly available starting 1/12/04 at any BMW dealer. According to them, everything thats covered in the original free maintenance plan is covered under the extended plan, including the items you mentioned.

Of course, if you are a 10K miles/yr driver, you are only getting 60k of maintenance coverage in six years, so it would be of less value to you. My wife drives around 18K per year, so its kind of a no-brainer.

regards,
kyfdx

gtom71

Thanks for the lead. Found the website you mentioned. I've got an 3/02 bimmer and 25.5k miles, so definitely worth while for me too. Now I can sleep rather soundly for another 4yrs. 3months.

yama330

I am in my third winter with my 330xi. I think your perception is correct: disabling DSC improves traction. DSC prevents fishtailing by cutting out engine power as well as applying brakes on slipping wheels. This enhances stability and safety but is too conservative to provide maximum traction. In situations such as starting uphill in wet snow or ice, I find that with DSC engaged the car sometimes bogs down with the DSC light flashing on almost constantly.

This is vaguely explained in the manual: "To deactivate DSC. Press the DSC button briefly, the indicator lamp comes on and remains lit. DSC is now off, and ADB-X reverts to its maximum torque-transfer mode." The manual recommends this when rocking the car or for driving with chains, but it provides noticeably more traction in any slippery situation.

If you disable DSC, you are on your own as far as spinning out is concerned, but the car has more traction and is more fun to drive whether in the snow or on a dry road.

tcn2k

Deactivating the dsc is by pushing the button and the dsc light illuminates. But this only disables the dynamic stability control. There is also a brake control that is still very well active. To disable the dsc and the brake control, hold down the dsc button for more then 3 seconds. The brake light should come up as yellow, and the dsc illuminated. This turns off ALL monitoring system on your 3 series and you can really do some driving. If not, on hard cornering, the brake control kicks in and you would lose some acceleration off of a tight turn.

yama330

Brake control cannot be de-activated by holding the DSC button on the xi. I tried this in a test drive of the 330i, but it is not working on the 330xi, at least in the 2002 model. The 2002 manual mentions this only with reference to the 320i/325i/330i models, not the xi models. I wish I could turn off the whole gamut of ADB-X, CDC, ASC, etc, sometimes, but not with this model.

nyccarguy

nhlarry: I apologize, I thought you were posting that you needed to use your DSC thereby pushing the button. It is the miscommunication of written words as opposed to spoken.

div2: My Dad does the same thing when he drives his Infiniti QX4 in the snow. Most of the time the LSD & ground clearance do just fine and he doesn't shift into 4WD until he needs to.

gordonwd

Nothing was going to change my mind about ordering a 325i in the next few weeks, but here are some impressions of the “competition” from this morning’s trip to the N.A. Auto Show (Detroit). I had already test-driven a few of these, but it is nice at a big show like this to be able to traipse from one to the other, sit in them, and make comparisons back and forth.

SAAB 9-3 Arc. I really like the looks of this car and was very impressed on a test drive, plus it would be several K less than the 325 with my GM Supplier discount and other incentives. But I just can’t get my mind around that complex instrument panel. I did a quick count this morning and, counting the CD changer, there are 54 buttons in the center portion of the panel (plus an LCD screen and a display binnacle below the windshield). There was a time when I would have thought this was cool, but now it just seems confusing. I’d take I-Drive before this!

Pontiac G6. This is built on the same “Epsilon” platform as the 9-3, and is a really impressive-looking car – much better looking than the photos I’ve seen. I wouldn’t consider this instead of the 325i, and usually stay away from 1st-year models anyway, but I’m telling my wife that this is probably her next car (even with the funky multi-paned sliding sunroof).

Corvette G6. I’m not a Corvette enthusiast, but to me this is the best-looking ‘Vette since the ’63 Stingray. They’ve done a really nice job on it.

Mercedes C230. Not really on my radar, but I never had looked at one closely. My impression is that the interior is rather bland for what I would have expected. And the textured metallic insert on the console and center instrument panel didn’t do much for me.

Acura TSX. The first car I considered before settling on the 325i. A very nice car, especially for the price, but after seeing a couple on the road and sitting in it again I think that it looks much better on a younger driver.

Audi A4 1.8T. From inside, this car is too much like the ’98 model that I’m driving now. When I get a new car I like to have more of a change.

BMW 645 Convertible. I hate to say it, but with the top down that weird high rear deck stands out even more than on the other recent Beemers.

BMW 325i. The winner! I just want to make sure to get one now in 2004 before they manage to mess it up :-). (Read the January Car & Driver for a viewpoint on the 530i and BMW's direction in general.)

asleepy

One car that I would have seriously considered had it been available last April when I took delivery of my 325i is the 2004 Acura TL. A bit more upscale than the TSX and in the same price range as the BMW 3 series.

ksoman

i see another reason to buy your german car right now. I have seen the dollar rise 31% against the euro since last september. I don't think the german cars can manage to restrain prices purely on hedging bets anymore, simplistically speaking. For our own sake I hope the dollar sinks even further, because i strongly believe (not a political view, so don't flame me) that a dollar that's another 5-8% lower is an ideal $ for our economy to start exporting and building jobs here.... and i strongly suspect it'll go that extra lenght in its drop. So if you look at it, if the dollar has dropped about 35% against the euro, no kind of futures or hedging bets will insulate the high cost german manufactured cars anymore... get your cars while the pricing is still to your liking

ksso
Despite my kidding of KD for earning $100 per every positive note on behalf of BMW, I am not earning anything for making this pro german-car maker comment... lol

kdshapiro

"Despite my kidding of KD for earning $100 per every positive note on behalf of BMW, I am not earning anything for making this pro german-car maker comment... lol "

Send me an email I'll get you an application.

ksoman

Please send me the application form for the Make-Me-Rich schemes you are involved in.

Thank you
Your Truly
ksso

finewine

the auto came with front tires 225/45 ZR 17 90Y M+S Radial X

Back rubber 245 /40 ZR 17 91 Y M+S
I live in Texas where snow is minimal but wet roads are 30% of the time.the rest would be summer like. I will not be racing the vehicle but do want conering and durabitlity to be main attributes of the tire.
1) What do you think of tires that came with vehicle
2)any thoughts on best tires for this vehicle
tia

finewine

I would still be interested in any thoughts on my above post.
Hope this helps

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/general/speed.htm

postoak

Did you state what brand/model tires you have on the vehicle? I didn't see that, if you did.

kc328

Does anyone know at which collision speed the airbags should deploy for a BMW 328i convertible?
Many thanks,
kc

ksoman

Is this information required for a lawsuit?
I'd be scared to quote....

ksso

riez

They are all designed NOT to go off in low speed collisions. You wouldn't want to bump into someone or something in a parking lot at 5 mph or 10 mph and blow the airbags. Talk about ruining your day. Thinking I've seen some published numbers. Know they are out there. But I don't know the exact number(s).

Could depend on each manufacturer, but I'm thinking there is an NHTSA regulation for USA. Guessing Europeans have their own regulation. Check out NHTSA web site.

kc328

Thank you for the information. I will search the NHTSA website...

The results of my research only describe the dual mode for smart airbags, but do not indicate the "minimum deployment speed thresholds" also known as "barrier equivalent velocity". My guess was 5-10 mph but all crash tests are performed at 30 mph (= 48 kmph) I did not find any test for proper functionality of a dual-mode smart airbag. I found lots of articles about how deployment at low speed can cause serious injuries, but also how important the airbags are for high speed collisions. However, I found nothing about the "thin, red line" between the two modes/cases. I got extremely disappointed that not even the BMW's customer representative or any dealer I called had any clue regarding the matter, therefore I decided to ask the entire World and dig up for the BMW's specification...

How do I know that my airbags do work properly? Do I have to "wait" and "pray" that they will work if I get into an accident? This is not a joke or a harmless axiom.... I do not care in how many seconds my car reaches 60 mph (and I can test it...), but I DO CARE if my airbags work! Is there any test one can perform?

Many thanks,
kc

riez

kc328... Don't forget that the seatbelt is still the single most important safety device. Proper use of seatbelt, proper use of headrestraint, proper driving position, and ensuring your doors are locked gets you about 80% of the way there. The airbag is only a small supplement to this. That is why they are properly referred to as a SRS.

brave1heart

I agree that "german cars can't manage to restrain prices purely on hedging bets anymore, simplistically speaking". It is also true that a cheaper dollar should make U.S. export more competitive and it is likely to create more U.S. jobs. At least to a degree. A 31% currency drop in a year, however, is enormous by historic standards. What makes you think that "another 5-8% lower is an ideal $ for our economy"? And why stop there then - devalue by another 31%!! It's important not to forget that we import even more than what we export and all those imports end up being more expensive. Oil just hit a new 52-wk high today and so did gold last week. Yes, BMWs will also be more expensive. Devaluing the dollar is a tradeoff, not something that's all positives. Oh, and BTW, a 31% drop means that your house is worth 31% less to foreign investors. They hold a good deal of the mortgage-backed securities (MBS) that are used to finance it.

nyccarguy

I believe they are set to deploy at speeds of 12mph or faster. I'm not sure if that is a US government mandate or not.

kame

I'm in the market for a new car and I'm considering a BMW 330ci and an MB CLK320. I have two young children who will be, on occasion, sitting on the back seat in child seats. In addition to various other safety features, the CLK has an air curtain that extends the length of the side windows and protects against head injuries, debris intrusion and occupant ejection in the event of rollover. I can't seem to find much information on what the 330ci has. The materials I've found seem to indicate that the 330ci has a tube that inflates across the front seat areas, but doesn't extend to the back seats. (For that matter, the new 645 also seems to have the same system, which doesn't appear state of the art.) Does anyone here know?

kdshapiro

"They hold a good deal of the mortgage-backed securities (MBS) that are used to finance it."

Not mine...I paid cash.

ksoman

We knew that before you wrote it. All these pro-BMW comments has you flush with cash. Do you have a river in your backyard or atleast an inground pool that has banknotes instead of water?

ksso

ksoman

ARE YOU READING MY MIND !!!!!! As I said, I dont want this to be a political discussion, but I do agree with you and hence I was contemplating that another 8-10% erosion is all we can afford. As for our import costs, they wont go much higher as long as our biggest import is from countries that peg their currency directly or artificially to ours. As for my house just being 31% cheaper for a foreign investor (I actually did work in the resecuritization business previously), yes, that's a scary thought in some ways because right now i'm working on that issue and its influence on how it will affect our housing bubble and our super leveraged credit. I for one would be very very scared to get a mortgage at this time even despite the super low rates.

Going back to BMW (pretending this topic is still related to the 3 series somehow)... my point was, a 30% difference on a base 325i would mean a price jump from upper 20's-lower 30's to upper 30s-lower 40's. The other option bmw has is to farm out production to subcontractors, like they did with the X3... Will it affect the quality of my future bmw? I dont know yet.

ksso

shipo

If the dollar keeps declining against the Euro (and for many reasons I don't see the trend continuing much longer), the European car manufacturers, BMW among them, are going to eventually have to raise their prices. No news flash there. However, if/when the new car prices go up, my bet is that so too will the used car prices of the same models.

If I'm not mistaken, there was a period of time in the 1980s when exchange rates were fluctuating a lot, and through it all, Porsche just kept raising their prices (regardless of which way the exchange rates went), and in that case, the used car prices did in fact go along for the ride as well.

Hmmm, what will my 530i with 30K miles on it be worth if the new one gets bumped into the $60,000 range?

Best Regards,
Shipo

sopecreek

and price of parts will go up too...

ksoman

<eom>

kdshapiro

I'll get a CTS-V at that point.

gordonwd

I just read an article in the paper yesterday that specifically mentioned BMW and the exchange rate. It implied that they had already priced their cars a while ago with a "hedge" against currency rates, and that they are well-positioned to withstand the current situation as long as it does not go on too long. Their profits may not increase even though their gross sales are increasing, but they are not going to be losing money in the near-term in any case.

They are currently doing so well in the US market that they definitely don't want to do anything to screw it up (such as raising prices in mid-model-year). If anything, their opportunity to make adjustments comes any time they release a new model. So they probably priced the new 5-series, 6-series and X3 accordingly, and will do the same when the 3-series update comes out.

gordonwd

I really like the looks of a Steel Blue 325i with the sand leatherette interior. In general I am not a big fan of black interiors, and prefer a lighter color. But my wife pointed out that she does not like the similar-colored leather interior in her Intrigue because it "gets dirty too easily".

I think that leatherette is easier to keep clean than leather since stains don't soak in or get ground in, but does anyone with this interior have any comments on how hard it is to keep clean?

Keep in mind that I live in Michigan and we have several months of pretty sloppy weather to deal with (about 6" of it out there right now!). It's hard not to scuff your shoe against a door panel once in a while, etc.

My current A4 has gray leatherette and it still looks really good after almost 6 years, but in the BMW the only choices are black and sand.

kyfdx

Okay, it is my wife's car.. But, I still like to say it is mine.. has the black leather. I personally think the gray is the best color with the steel blue, but thats only available in leather.

regards,
kyfdx

ksoman

has sand leather... looks just like the brochure pictures of the convertible.. its interesting that we bought the car blind without having seen a real mystic blue... hers was the first mystic 2004 to land on the west coast... and the brochures actually hit the dealership after we had the car for a week

i think she loves the car more than me....

ksso

ksoman

very likely...

ksso