BMW 3-Series 2005 and earlier

jamesspot

http://www.bmw325i.net/wheel_pin.shtml

and that is what this little item is good for. Makes putting on those summer wheels an easier job (and the winter ones not quite as painful).

shipo

"There's even a space in the toolkit in the trunk that looks like it was meant to house this tool."

Ummm, sometimes not. The slot where they show the wheel pin being stored in the tool kit is for the Reflector Triangle, which is standard equipment for those of us who did European Delivery.

Best Regards,
Shipo

pat

I think we should all have April 1 off so we have sufficient time to plan more elaborate pranks ;o).

Well, I'm staying FAR AWAY from you!! I'll see you in May. Maybe. ;o)

brave1heart

I got the wheel pin ($5 from BMW Pacific) and it fits nicely in the toolbox. It used to come with the toolbox on E36 cars. I never got used to using mine, though - it does hold the wheel in place well but the ratchet doesn't clear the pin and you can't turn it far. It is much faster changing the wheels without the pin.

Funny how newer models have fewer and fewer tools. The E90 doesn't even have a latch to lift the hood - they will be so reliable, you'll never have to open the hood any more ;o) Light comes up on the dash? Bring it to the dealer, make them richer.

gordonwd

>Should the anti-theft light be blinking while the car is running,
>but the radio is turned off?

No. It should stop blinking when you start the car.

coby03

Well, the good news is that my 330Ci has arrived. I ordered it with the ZHP, but as predicted there are no longer any signs of Alcantara (steering wheel, shift boot, or emergency brake boot). Not sure if I like it, as I really wanted something different that the Alcantara offered. But that's not the bad news. Two things that are bugging me and keeping me from finalizing; first, it came in with Bridgestones. I specifically told the dealer I wanted Michelin Pilot Sports (or PS2). "No Problem" then, now it's take-it-or-leave-it. Second, they scratched/swirled the hood when "cleaning" it up so it's going to have to be buffed already. I'm :mad: What do y'all recommend?

brave1heart

Buffing should take care of it - that's no biggie in my book. It's only swirl marks... The bridgestones are mighty fine tires and very close in terms of handling to the Michelins. They are just as expensive.

coby03

brave1heart,

I beg to differ on the bridgestones. The handling may be close to the Michelins, but "mighty fine tires" ought to last beyond 10,000 miles. Albeit it's been on different vehicles, I have had three sets of bridgestones (potenza and turanza's) that either didn't last beyond 10,000 miles (potenza) or were absolutely horrible all-around (turanza). I know it's hard to believe what you read on the internet, but I tend to follow Tire Rack and have some faith in their evaluations. Michelins are far superior across the board. I have a Chrysler 300M Special w/Pilot Sports that are at 30,000 miles plus and have 7/32 tread left.

I think BMW struck a sweetheart deal (i.e.; low bidder) with bridgestone and we're being forced to live with it. I don't understand when I pay over $40K for a car I can't get what I want on it. The Alcantara I guess is not a big deal, but tires are (especially when I'm going to paying over a grand every time I have to replce them). And having to buff out a brand new car is also BS in my opinion. I'm likely going to do it since I had my heart set on this deal, but BMW's going to get an ear full. No JD Power initial satisfaction for this one...

paule

I didn't have much problem lining up the bolts but I guess I could see the potential benefit of the wheel pin.

One other comment is I was rather impressed with the lug wrench. Normally I would just break out the socket set but wanted to see how hard it was to change a tire with the available equipment.

The lug wrench is shaped in a Z shape (without the diagonal) which gives you an extra "leg" to step on to break the lug studs loose. A little thing that could make a big difference as to actually being able to change a wheel put on with an impact wrench.

shipo

"A little thing that could make a big difference as to actually being able to change a wheel put on with an impact wrench."

Yikes! If anybody gets anywhere near any of my cars (especially my BMW) with an impact wrench, they might find said pneumatic tool forcibly placed where they wouldn't appreciate it too much. :surprise:

Best Regards,
Shipo

blueguydotcom

I'd love to get over 15k miles on ANY tire. lol

qtowne46

Hey I'm new here put one thing I know is if you love your car you would never take it to a carwash. I have a 01 330 ci and she only gets washed by me in my garage. Just think of how many people take their trucks and suv's through there and how they recycle the water. AAGH! Even in the cold pennsylvania winters I'll wash my car with hot water out of the inside laundry room spigot. My wife thinks I'm a little strange but you won't find any swirl marks or scratches in my clearcoat. Plus all that brake dust never gets taken off in a carwash, even though you shell out $10. Your bimmer will thank you if you roll up your sleeves and wash away.

nmrt

Hello. could anyone please answer these questions, i am about to purchase a 325i with sport package.

do the tires that come with the sport package give low gas mileage relative to the normal ones? if so then by how much roughly?

do these sport package tires last less longer than the normal ones? if so then by how much?

thanks a lot.

gordonwd

do the tires that come with the sport package give low gas mileage relative to the normal ones? if so then by how much roughly?

I suppose that theoretically differences in the tires could cause differences in gas mileage, but for all practical purposes the answer is no. You will gain or lose a lot more in gas mileage by how well you maintain your tire pressure than from any inherent difference in the tire design!

do these sport package tires last less longer than the normal ones? if so then by how much?

It depends somewhat on how you drive, but even with conservative driving the last car I had with sport tires lasted 25K miles compared to 45K on my next car with all-seasons. So it is generally a significant difference. Drive like blueguy claims to drive and you'll really see the difference.

kominsky

Ok, I got most of the maintenance items done on my car within the last week. (tranny, coolant, diff, and motor-oil). Thank you all (and bmw325i.net) for your help along the way!

I still need to do the fuel filter, plugs, and brake-fluid. Hopefully the weather will cooperate this weekend. Anyway, I got to thinking about the hydraulic clutch. I've never seen, nor heard, of anyone changing the fluid for that. Is it the one true life-time fluid in the car? Not even sure that I could find a resevoir for clutch fluid. Does it use the brake fluid supply? If so, is there a 5th bleed point I should worry about when doing the brake fluid?

TIA!

tcn2k

With the new engine in the new 2006 3 series; does anyone here know if this engine is going to replace existing 2.5 and 3.0 engine in other models? Especially the x5's? I asked this in the x5 forum and their seems to be little activity there.

blueguydotcom

depends somewhat on how you drive, but even with conservative driving the last car I had with sport tires lasted 25K miles compared to 45K on my next car with all-seasons. So it is generally a significant difference. Drive like blueguy claims to drive and you'll really see the difference.

You want receipts or something? What are you the IRS? Lemme know. i'm sure I can at least dig up the last two tires I put on my ZHP last month! Think it was December or so that I put new tires on my Mazda.

dhanley

Yes, the new engine will go in across the BMW model line.

dave

rockbuster

Hi all,

I just bought a new 325i with Premium and sport package.

Since I brought the car home, every morning I get out of my garage, there is a pool of oil underneath the engine. Is this normal? I called up the dealership where I bought the car and they said they will look into it..

The other problem is pairing my T616 phone with the car's bluetooth handsfree feature. BMWNA said my car didn't have bluetooth even though I have the Premium package with BMW Assist. Is this true? My car's build is 08/2004 and I have the bluetooth passkey included with the manuals

Any feedback will be appreciated.

Thanks.

dhanley

I'm no mechanic, but i'd guess the pool of oil is not normal.

brave1heart

>>

I had my fuel filter replaced at 70K miles. It was clean and probably would have lasted till 100K miles easily. I had the plugs replaced at ~ 65K miles - they looked good and it's great to know that the engine is running well esp. with the type of driving that I do. The clutch fluid is the only fluid that I have not replaced. I looked up the instructions (try madrussian.com I think) and it didn't seem that easy so it's not a DIY with my skillset. I'll wait till I replace the clutch in a few years (or in a few weeks during One Lap - I hope NOT).

brave1heart

If there's any difference in fuel consumption, it's strictly academic.

Summer tires typically last roughly half the distance of all-season tires. Most people get 20-30K miles out of them.

You are buying a BMW. There are cheaper cars to operate but none of them will give you the thrill of driving a well-tuned 3-series!!

brave1heart

I don't believe I've ever run my 325i through a car wash. I am too cheap to pay $10 for a wash that isn't nearly as good as what I can do in 20 min. I wash it by hand (although not nearly often enough!) even in the cold Northeast winters. I keep the hose inside and when the temp is above freezing, I hook it up, rinse the car and then wash it with warm water.

nmrt

Thanks alll for the prompt response. i really appreciate the advice. seems to me that i shoudl really go for the sport package.

one last thing though, i live in philadelphia, pa. with the sport package tires would i need winter tires for the winter? i currently own a jetta with michelin mxv4 energy plus tires and have not had to swap out during winetr with any winter tires. do the sport package tires have the same type of "winter" grip as the michelins?

thanks

shipo

"do the sport package tires have the same type of "winter" grip as the michelins?"

Not even close.

I had MXV4 Energy Plus tires on my first BMW (sans SP), and they were, ummm, okay in the snow, but that was about it. My second BMW was ordered with the SP, and the only good thing that I can say about those summer tires when it came to driving in the snow is that they kept my beautiful rims from grinding away on the street. Basically the car was worthless in the snow. Once I opted for winter tires, my car became the best winter car I'd ever had the pleasure to pilot through the white stuff.

The following is a subjective (ie. my gut guess) ranking of how the various tires that I have had on my BMW have done in the snow:

On a scale of 1-10:
1.5 -- Michelin Pilot Primacy (OEM SP tires on my 530i)
6.0 -- Michelin MXV4 Energy Plus (OEM All-Season tires on my 328i)
9.5 -- Michelin Arctic Alpin (aftermarket Winter tires I bought for my 530i)

I hope this helps.

Best Regards,
Shipo

rockbuster

Hi,

I will have the leaking oil on my car fixed this Saturday and they will give me a loaner car.

Is there a limit on the mileage you put on the loaner car. I'm in the north SF area and planning to drive to San Diego when I have the loaner car?

blueguydotcom

Wow for 10 dollars I get a full hand wash, they do the windows inside and out, clean the interior, clean my wheels (ugh) and the car is sparkling. I've had it for two years no swirl marks.

tenet1

When the car was new, I would wash it each week with TLC. Now I have no patience anymore. Car washes here are about $12 at a decent car wash and you are done in 10 minutes. Since I have a silver 325, I sometimes dont wash for over a month (maybe 2) and the car still looks great. One of the benefits of Silver :shades:

brave1heart

Do you pay with dollars or pesos at this car wash?

In the Boston area, something like this will run $25, if you can find one at all.

tenet1

Same here in DC. Actually, an automatic carwash where they just vacuum the car and clean windows charges $25 for the wash. Not quite sure what the value add is over the $12 one i go to.

qtowne46

I have the 330 sport package with conti's and in the snow you mine as well forget it. With just a dusting of snow on the roadway I can barely make it up an on ramp to a highway. Luckily I have a work truck and my car gets to basically hybernate in my garage until spring. I was a little shocked at how truly bad it is with the ZR rated tires in the snow. Duh. That's the last time I go out till the wee hours of the morning and not check the weather forecast.

blueguydotcom

Dollars baby. Best car wash around (and San Diego has them everywhere). I have to drive 10 miles to get to it but I know the owner, most of the employees know me and my car - I used to get it washed there once a week and get it waxed every 6 months. Now only do a bi-tri weekly wash as the bmw sits in the garage 5 days a week.

It's almost May...time for a wax.

qtowne46

How 'bout it. Silver is very forgiving. I have orient blue, which is not. I used to take my windsor blue GTI through the carwash and it would come out looking like crap. It would have dirty water spots and the rims were not totally clean. And there I am sitting in my car tipping the hot little girl drying my car. Waste of money. What really gets me, are the people with beautiful cars all cleaned up and you look at their rims and there caked up with brake dust. Don't they ever LOOK at their cars? That, to me is someone taking their ride through a carwash. ">

qtowne46

Oh yes. I'm up in Bucks County. We get more snow up here and we are just 30 miles north. If you plan on driving in the snow you best get winter tires or the xi. That trusty jetta of yours is front wheel drive. Your getting a rear wheel drive with performance tires. That's a whole different creature. But's it all worth it. It's all good.

dl7265

"car tipping the hot little girl drying my car" Must be a LA thing

I washed my Sport Wheels allmost daily if not the car.I should have taken Shipo's advice and switched pads.

DL

dl7265

Ok, disregard that, Im blind. Now I see it's PA.

DL

shipo

I received an E-Mail message last week from one of our fellow TownHall member brislance1, and in it he said, "I have come to the conclusion that Axxis and PBA pads are the best kept secret in this country!"

I couldn't agree more.

FWIW, I had a conversation with someone at the parent company of PBR/Axxis here in the U.S.A. a few weeks ago, and he told me that the front pads for the E46 330i are now in production (the rears have been on sale over here for a while already, and since the 325i uses the same pads as the 1999 & 2000 328i, they have been available for an even longer time) with the first batch on the boat from Down Under as we speak. In addition, they are tooling up for a Summer/Fall 2005 production launch of both the front and rear pad sets for both of the new E90 3-Series brake sizes. Assuming that the timing is about the same as they were for the 330i front pads, the E90 pads should be on sale here in the States in Q4-2005 or Q1-2006. Perfect! I'm actually toying with the idea of ordering a set and taking them with me on our ED trip next April. Wouldn't that be a kick to see me in the ED lot jacking up my car and swapping out the brake pads before ever driving the car? I'll bet that Klaus or Dietrich (or whoever helps me out this time) will be saying to himself, "Vat ist he dooink? Vy mess mit pervection?" ;-)

Best Regards,
Shipo

brave1heart

The brake dust has never bothered me... As long as you don't touch the wheels, it will look even ;o)

bufforlife14

I am about to close on a 325 i, and I just found out that it is manufactured in South Africa. Please let me know about experiences or any resources that could provide information on going with a SA built BMW. from my initial research into this, it seems that the SA made car is more reliable, so why would I want a german built one if that is the case.

Any help would be great.

Thanks

benzbimmer

Recently bought used 2002 325i. There was no "Onboard Computer Owner’s Manual" or "Radio Owner’s Manual". One, are these important to have. Two, where can I obtain them.
Thanks
BenzBimmer

erickpl

the BMW Owner's Circle at www.BMWUSA.com.

-Paul

dl7265

Well.. you can't be sending pics of your new sled with dirty wheels now can you ? That just wouldn't be right

DL

benzbimmer

Tried it already, no luck. Pretty useless sight.

venture

Well...I've had my 325i for almost a week now and I already see brake dust on the front wheels.

If I buy Axxis pads, should I get the Axxis Deluxe Plus, Axxis Metal Master or Axxis Ultimate?

My driving habits are mostly subdued except for the occasional fits of insanity when I push the car almost to it's limit.

Also - will my dealer install them without much fuss or should I just do it myself? I've installed pads on my other cars, but am inclined to let the dealer do it this time.

Should I put them on all four wheels or is just the front ok?

shipo

According to the folks that I've talked with at PBR/Axxis, as well as their respective web sites, the three pads that you listed in order range from the most dustless and quiet to the most capable/noisy/dusty (although I doubt that they are as dusty as the OEM pads). I put the Original Deluxe pads (now replaced by the Deluxe Plus) on my 530i on the front end only, and noticed zero change in my cars' ability to brake. What I did notice was the almost complete absence of dust, which was a welcome relief given that both of my BMWs have had Type 42 wheels, which are some of most difficult to clean wheels BMW has ever mounted on a car.

Regarding having your dealer do the pad swap, so far at least, I've not heard from a single person who said that their dealer would do that job. It's best if either you do it yourself (it's possibly the easiest brake job I've ever done) or have a local BMW shop do the swap.

Best Regards,
Shipo

tenet1

This is a topic that hasn't come up in a while Anyway, I have a SA built 2001 325i and it has had no problems so far. I dont know if that says anything, but I do have some links that confirm your findings. See below:

http://www.bmw.co.za/Info/News/archive/ehighestquality.html
http://www.southafrica.info/doing_business/sa_trade/exporting/rosslyn.htm

nmrt

where is everyone who has recently bought a 2005 325i and thought that they had a good deal? i am currently in the process of barganing and no dealer is budging south of $1000 under invoice. man! a few days ago i was reading notes from people who got it $1700-$2200 under invoce. some even got it below invoice. coudl any of you who got such a deal let me know which dealer is giving such deals. i am in in the nj/pa area.

thanks

blueguydotcom

First, check online with the dealers in your surrounding area. You may be trying to pry the car from a dealer with little inventory. Contact the dealers with large inventories and let them know exactly what you want and for how much. Some fax blast this and it could work well for you...fax 6-7 dealers and break down what you want and how much they'll pay.

also, don't hestitate to look way outside your area. A 330i right now should be selling for about $3500-3700 below invoice. A 325i should be in the 1800-2k range below invoice.

Sorry but $1500 dealer profit on an 05 325i is crazy ridiculous.

nmrt

thansks blueguydotcom for the advice. i agrre with you -- $1500 profit on a lame ready-to-me-extinct 325i! i contacted sevarl dealers through carsdirect.com. all replied but none are budging from $1000 under invoice. i have expanded my are to a radius of 100 miles but still...

perhaps that i want a manual could be a possible reason. but i am not dwindling. i will see what good the faxing several dealers does for me. maybe i will even look into south connecticut -- now that 150 miles from philadelphia!

hippohippo

My friend helped me to do the oil change and other maintenance, but he didn't have the tool to reset the service indicator. It is now showing "-1000miles".

Is there any place where I can have it reset without charging top $$$ like the dealer?