BMW 3-Series 2005 and earlier

potemkin

Shotgun!

potemkin

A friend emailed me a picture of the speedometer in his VW R32. It said he was doing 160.

bucky7

I'm looking to buy an 03 330i, cold weather and premium/xenon cpo @20k miles. Anyone have a clue as to a reasonable price?

kyfdx

On another forum..... a gentleman has his '03 330i for sale, with performance package and xenons with mileage in the high teens.. he is asking $28,500... It is less than two years old.. I think he bought it in September '03.

It isn't CPO and it isn't at a dealer, but that might give you a benchmark..

You can buy a brand new '05 for $35K-$36K.

regards,
kyfdx

blueguydotcom

Most important thing - you're happy.

I'd sooner own a TSX, TL, G35, WRX or Mazdaspeed6 before owning a 325i. I plain don't like that car.:(

ggs2

well i finally did it.i purchased a 2003 325i today.i did not get the one mentioned earlier that was used as a courtesy car.i couldn't stop thinking about those speed bumps.i ended up getting orient blue with sand leatherette,at,moonroof,premium package,cold-weather package,wood trim.the car has 27,000 mileson it and is a cpo. i spoke with the previous owner who told me he changed the oil every 7500 miles and had just put new bridgestone potenzas on the car.final price was $26,300.i was wondering what brand of oil everyone uses. i noticed under the hood that it recommends castroil.also, what do you'll use to clean the brake dust? thanks for all your recent reply's. ggs2

amt7565

Hello-
Suppose I get a 330 with premier package, but without the navigation, because it seems like most lots don't cary any 330i with the navigation anymore, then what are the options that I can buy it seperately and have it installed? Will BMW charge an extra charge for this?

Thank you.

shipo

For me, I use Mobil-1 0W-40 for my mid term oil change. Personally, I think that the BMW I6 engines are quite capable of doing the entire 15,000 miles without a change; however, I'm not so confident in the BMW/Castrol oil. Were it that I was going to keep my car past the "Free Maintenance" period, I would put Mobil-1 in and then drive the full 15K, but since my local dealership is using the BMW oil, I change it at 7,500.

Regarding cleaning the brake dust, I gave up on that and just changed the pads. The German auto manufacturers are required by law to use pads that have a very high graphite content, hence the black dust. Over here we have no such law, and there are plenty of aftermarket pads that offer braking performance as good as or better than and don't generate the black dust. I used the PBR/Axxis Original Deluxe pads on my 530i and have nothing but high praise for both their stopping power as well as their dustless operation. For further information, you can check their web sites (PBR and Axxis are the same company and market the same products, just under the two different brand names).

http://www.axxisbrakes.com/
http://www.pbrbrakes.com/

The pads themselves can be had at any number of retail establishments as well as many online retailers, and the task of mounting them is a relatively simple do-it-yourself process that should take no more than an hour per axle for someone who's done it before and no more than two hours for the first axle if you haven't.

Best Regards,
Shipo

bmw49

Good Morning,

While the subject of fuel is out there, in the early seventies I owned a Corvette and the engine seemed to pur when I used Amoco's hightest fuel. When I used another brand fuel, the engine did not get the same performance. I am about ten days into my 05' 325i and wanted to know if anyone had found a similar situation with one fuel brand over another.

Thanks,
BMW49

dl7265

Shipo, your doing 7500 mile changes on your lease vehicles ?Someone at the auction is gonna love you, in what a few weeks ?

Regards,
DL

tslbmw

Shipo,
Quick question, I need to add about a quart to my 01 330i and if I was going to buy Castrol synthetic, do I buy 5W-30, 10W-40. . .what the heck do those numbers mean anyway? I know I'm sounding like a real non-motorhead, but, I need a little help on this one.
THANKS!

div2

Quick answer: Go to AutoZone and buy Castrol Syntec 0W-30. Make sure the bottle states that it is made in Germany. If you cannot find the German Castrol use Mobil 1 0W-40. Both of those oils meet the BMW Longlife 01 requirements, which is critical if you follow the extended drain intervals used by BMW.
As for what all those numbers mean, the first number is the viscosity(thickness) of the oil at cold temperatures, hence the "W" which means Winter(NOT "Weight" BTW), while the second number is the viscosity of the oil at 100C. Like Shipo, I run the 0W-40 Mobil 1 in my BMWs but I believe that the German Castrol is probably just as good-based on what I've read, anyway.

brave1heart

Welcome aboard!! Nice car, nice options. I am going on 4 years with my 325i and I am still thrilled to drive it every day!!!

tslbmw

Thanks for the info! I picked up a couple of quarts of Mobile 1 this afternoon.

div2

You're welcome! Happy to help.

shipo

Reposted from the "2006 BMW 3-Series" discussion.

This weekend I received an envelope from the BMW CCA, which turned out to be an invitation to the "3 Across America" series of sneak previews of the E90, which is happening here in the Boston area on 28-March-2005. Cool!

While reading the "Invitation" I noticed a line that says, "The first 50 people to register will receive a gift and complimentary admission to the special activities..." I called this morning and was given a confirmation number to the event and as the operator was closing the conversation she said, "Okay Mr. Shipo, you are confirmed to DRIVE the new 3-Series at 9:00 AM on the 28th of March. Good bye."

After she hung up I just sat there like a fool with my mouth hanging open (flies buzzing in and out), "I get to drive one?" How cool is that? I guess that is what they meant by "special activities..."

I'll keep y'all posted. ;-)

Best Regards,
Shipo

webby1

I guess BMW forever !
You lucky dog...have fun and please report back!!!
Regards,
Webby

bmwfrevr

How come all I got from BMW CCA was an invitaion to the annual dinner! huh, I guess Shipo got the connections!!!
anyway, have fun and please drive the 325i if available and report back of what you think because that is what I ordered.
I can't wait to see it and drive it hopefully first week of May per my sales manager.

regards,
bmwfrevr
p.s I heard that they are releasing the prices last week of March anybody!? ideas!

shipo

Err, connections? None that I know of. :-/

Where do you live? Maybe the invitations for your location haven't gone out yet. For a list of the dates and locations of the events, see my post over here: shipo, "2006 BMW 3-series" #1379, 14 Mar 2005 12:02 pm

You might also try the 3 Across America web site and see if you can sign up anyway: http://www.3acrossamerica/com/invite

Let us know how you fare as I'm sure that there are many other BMW CCA members that would love to get their hands on an E90 before it hits the showrooms. ;-)

Best Regards,
Shipo

hgeyer

1-866-4-3AA-BMW

I just signed up for Chicago. I don't what's in store, but I was asked if I wanted to attend the "All Day Event" or just the "Evening Activities" - - sounds like fun!

They asked if I was a CCA member, I don't know if that's important or not, but they looked me up before confirming my spot (plus 1 guest).

PS - Shipo's link doesn't work, use this:

http://www.3acrossamerica.com/invite

kyfdx

Cleveland.. April 15th.. and, I have that day off work..

4.5 hour drive.. I wonder..

shipo

Hmmm, I see a "SLASHcom" instead of a "DOTcom", I guess I fat fingered that one. Thanks for backing me up. ;-)

Brest Regards,
Shipo

arizonajoe

Hi all,

All the 330i sedans in the Phoenix area dealer inventories are automatics. Every last one. When they tried to locate a manual regionally, they couldn't find one.

Did I miss the revolution? What is happening here? These are BMW 3-series sports sedans - why on earth would they even make automatics, much less stop making manuals?

Joe

blueguydotcom

Two reasons:

1 the manual is falling out of favor with drivers - people are lazy and/or can't contemplate really what the car is for.

2 evil dealerships stock loaded cars to maximize profits.

potemkin

Anecdotal evidence based on my own recent car shopping exercise indicates that M-B buyers are very lazy, but Lexus people are, by far, the absolute laziest. While Bimmerites are a hearty lot.

Infiniti is evil. They were trying to take advantage of my one weakness by charging more for the manual than the automatic.

blueguydotcom

More than what? You mean they wouldn't come 2k off the mrsp, only 1800? LOL

nyccarguy

Shipo: Interesting you're not a fan of Castrol. Might I inquire as to why? I used to use Mobil 1 Synthetic 5w30 in my Prelude (no, for you folks who don't know I'm not a BMW owner, just a dreamer & a fan) and found it needed changing more often than the factory recommended schedule. I swithced to Castrol Syntec 5w30 and find that my engine runs smoother with repeated trips up to its 7500 RPM redline and it seems to last longer. Comments?

shipo

Hmmm, a little history first...

Back in the last half of the 1970s, I was working my way through college (when I wasn't hanging around with Uncle Sam's Misguided Children that is) by turning a wrench. I had some old Grey Beards as mentors and as such, I got pretty good a doing everything except Automatic Transmission overhauls. Hmmm, I wonder if that has something to do with my aversion to them to this day. ;-) Anyway, some of the most popular oils of that day were "Pennsylvania Grade Crude" products such as Quaker State, Pennzoil and Wolf's Head. Unfortunately based upon what I saw, they were less than optimal oils, especially in high stress environments such as pulling the old Airstream up over Sherwin Summit on US-395 north of Bishop, California in August. It seemed that the engines in even the best maintained cars that used those oils (as opposed to mineral based oils like Valvoline, Havoline and Castrol GTX), would fill up with Paraffin sludge (at least that is what I was told it was), to the point where the oil couldn't even flow back to the oil pan down through the lifter valley. When I would pull those engines apart, you could literally scoop the gunk from the lifter valley and OH THE SMELL! Enough to make me gag.

So, what does that have to do with the BMW Castrol Synthetic recommended for late model BMWs? Well, it's the smell. I adhered to the 15K oil change schedule on my 1999 328i, and after only 30K miles, I would catch a whiff of that smell every time I opened the oil filler port. In addition, everything under the cam cover was covered with a substantial layer of varnish. Not a good sign considering that my previous 1995 VR6 Passat (which was fed a diet of Mobil-1 and nothing but Mobil-1) went well beyond the 80K mark and it was still pristine inside, not to mention the fact that it didn't smell.

Now, there are two potential reasons (at least) that I can come up with to explain why my 328i engine was suffering from the "Pennsylvania Crude Crud Syndrome" as I used to call it:

1) The BMW Castrol Syntec oil was simply not up to snuff, or
2) My (then) dealership was not using the BMW Castrol Syntec oil, and instead was using some other "house" oil, which was possibly not even synthetic. Don't laugh; back about the time when I got my 530i, I actually heard of a class action law suit against a number of BMW dealers, alleging just such a scenario. Was that dealership listed in the suit? I never bothered to check.

So, with the recommended oil tainted (at least in my mind), and with my previous experience with Mobil-1 being as good as it was, the decision was easy, I resolved to change my oil at 7,500 during the "Free Maintenance" period and use Mobil-1 during the second half of each 15K segment. Then, after I was on my own regarding maintenance (assuming I ever keep a car that long) I would switch to Mobil-1 exclusively and be happy with the 15K oil change interval.

Is this an indictment against Castrol? Nope, nothing proven. Is this an endorsement of Mobil-1? Yup, you bet. ;-)

Best Regards,
Shipo

potemkin

Shipo,

Does this recommendation of Mobil-1 extend to older BMWs where the recommended interval is 5K miles? And if I do switch to Mobil-1, should I also switch to 15K intervals? Right now I'm replacing valvoline and filter every 3K.

Blue,

"More than" was simply comparing the MSRPs of the G35 coupe & G35 6MP coupe. I didn't even look at real world pricing for the automatic. It's the first time I recall seeing where the manual costs more than the auto, though I'm sure it's not the first and others here can cite some examples.

shipo

Since I started using Synthetic Oil, I have always used it right from the first oil change and never looked back. I have heard stories that suggest that by switching to synthetic oil later in a cars' life, you run the risk of generating leaks. I have also heard that if you do switch, you should initially change your oil MORE often since the greater cleaning ability of the synthetic oil will start cleaning up what was left behind by your old oil, thus saturating the oil and filter earlier than you would otherwise think.

If I was to buy a mid-1990s BMW with say 75,000 miles on it, and if I knew that all of those miles had been run on conventional oil, I would probably convert it to Mobil-1, perform a 4K change, then a 5K change, then level off at say 7,500 miles for my changes thereafter.

Why not go to 15,000 miles for the oil change? Well, I can think of a couple of reasons off hand:
1) The newer cars have software in their OBC that determines what the interval should be. My understanding is that the primary piece of data that the OBC looks at is the amount of fuel consumed since the last oil change/OBC Reset, although there may well be other factors that the OBC considers. The computer then alters the interval based upon its calculations. The shortest I have ever heard about was somewhere south of 13K miles while the longest interval was well north of 17K miles (maybe even 18K if I remember correctly). The older cars have no such software, so to extend your oil change intervals too far would kind of like flying blind.

2) The newer engines are LEV or ULEV (in fact, the new 3.0 liter mills coming in the 2006 5-Series and E90 3-Series are ULEV-II), and as such, they don't generate as many combustion by-products as the older engines do, and that reduces the amount of particulate matter that the oil is required to hold in suspension, thus the advent of the 15K oil change for the newer engines.

Disclaimer: what I have written is based upon what I have read in various places correlated with my own experience. That is a fancy way of saying that this is my gut guess about what would be the proper way for ME to take care of an older BMW that I might own sometime in the future. That means that if I screw up, I shoulder the responsibility of fixing it. In essence, this advice is worth what you paid for it. ;-)

Best Regards,
Shipo

potemkin

Thanks for the free (yet valuable) info. I just changed the oil about 500 miles ago, but I'll do that starting with the next oil change.

Re: Disclaimer. Acknowledged, understood, and accepted. You are hereby waived of any and all responsibility.

bmwfrevr

thank you, you guys are awesome!!
just got my confirmation in Michigan for Sunday April 17th. this sounds alot of fun, I hope they will have 325 and 330 so I can change my order if the 325 doesn't cut it for me. errrrrr.

dl7265

WHEW, for those have recently joined (shame on me for letting elapse last year)if you do not have your card, make SURE you have your temporary reference number , or you will not get a spot.

DL

blueguydotcom

Very nice, doing the 9 am one in San Diego and they said I was within the first 50. Nice.

kyfdx

I don't know if I'm actually going to make it, but I'm registered for Cleveland on April 15th, at 9:00 AM..

Talk about getting up early....

pat

Um, you call that getting up EARLY?? If only, if only, if only I didn't have to be anywhere until 9 am! I'm due in at 6 at my full-time job, up at 4:20 or else I'm late. :-)

Sorry, couldn't resist needling you. But I'm looking forward to reading everyone's experiences with this ...

blueguydotcom

I'm anxious to play with a BMW and not worry about tire life!

dl7265

Funny thing, When the New E was introduced a few years ago I was invited to their event at the Texas Motor Speedway.It was set up at the same spot BMW uses for the Drive events. Any ways they young man in line ahead of me to drive the course on a E500 was asking the instructor about the course and was given the green light to take a (spirited run)Well after tire squealing after the 1st set of cones all the Seniors in line began shaking their heads and when he returned his arm band was promptly cut off...

DL

kyfdx

Yeah.. but, I live in KY!! It is an easy 4.5 hour drive..

You mean this isn't your full-time job?

regards,
kyfdx

tenet1

I just called and signed up. The event in DC is on a Friday at 6PM at a hotel. What gives!!???

I guess they will just be showing the car and not allowing us to drive. Bummer!!!

blueguydotcom

I had the same issue. you must be VERY clear with the rep that you're a CCA member and you want to go to the morning event.

kyfdx

Okay.. who wants to fly to Cincinnati and drive up to Cleveland for the event on April 15th? ;-)

I have the day off... and I thought a neighbor of mine who just bought an '03 530i would go, but no dice...

I'm going to be bummed if I have to cancel this.. Seems like a long way to go by myself for a 4-hour event..

On another note.. The Susan G. Komen BMW Ultimate Drive event comes to Cincinnati.. But, that isn't until October...

dl7265

How about ya fly down to Dallas ,and tour Southfork Ranch while your here

DL

kyfdx

I've seen it on TV..

Sounds better to me, my way... ;-)

dl7265

Hmm, do you have heated seats ? Sounds little chili up that way...

DL

kyfdx

Oh yeah... and the sport package.. we'll be flying low... lol.

tenet1

I've gotta work so I guess I am going to the dinner and drinks display session.

pat

Ah, I have 3 or 4 full-time jobs. Reckon that's why I got to get up so early.

And yeah, having to get up in time to drive four and a half hours to get there by 9 will be a royal PITA - I didn't catch on to that part - hope you can pull it off!!

rtboon

I am interested in trading a 2001 325cic with 68000 miles on it for a 2001 330xi with same mileage, would this be an equal exchange?

coby03

Just heard from the dealer that they have eliminated the Alcantara steering wheel from the ZHP option. I don't know about the rest of the Alcantara stuff inside (like the seats and shift boot). He said it's in the fine print that the manufacturer can change material specifications whenever they want. Seems a little crazy to do this AFTER the order was placed, or is that just me? Don't know if it's a deal killer until I see what the substitute looks like (the car's currently on the ship being delivered). Thoughts?