BMW 3-Series 2005 and earlier

mschukar

I dinged the drivers side tail light on my '02 325i...

-Where would be a good place to purchase a replacement?

-How difficult is it to replace a tail light? Are there instructions on the web someplace?

Thanks for the help.

-murray

div2

I dinged the drivers side tail light on my '02 325i...

Don't feel too bad; I once rammed my 535is into an office building.

Where would be a good place to purchase a replacement?

The dealer. Some of the aftermarket stuff doesn't fit too well.

How difficult is it to replace a tail light? Are there instructions on the web someplace?

It's not too dificult. Check out this how-to.

gordonwd

This is not too difficult a job -- I just replaced both of my taillights this weekend (replaced the stock units with ones with clear lenses). It took about 10 minutes per light, and the only slightly special tool that I needed was a deep 10mm socket.

You might be able to find OEM lights on the web at a cheaper price than what your dealer will charge. I think there are some BMW dealers with web sites that sell parts at a discount.

kseits

2005 330i. At night every other car coming from the opposite direction flashes at me as if I have high beams on when in fact I don't. Took car to dealer, and they said everthing was fine. Any ideas? I'm new to the group. Thanks, Kevin

blueguydotcom

You can manually lower your xenons. Check the manual. Just lower them a bit and the flashing may stop.

hgeyer

About 2 years ago, I installed an ECIS cold air intake on my 2002 E46. I'm due to clean the cone filter and cannot find any instructions or cleaning products on the ECIS website.

Can someone recommend the proper cleaner/maintenance product(s) and would this be sold at an Autozone (if not, where on the web)?

Thanks

sobral

Hi guys. First post so forgive me if I get this wrong. I have a 2002 325i. No problems with the car other than I feel the drivers seat (manual)is not centered properly and causes me a lot of lower back problems. I have tried adjusting the seat every which way I can think of and no discernable differnce. Anyone have similar experiences or suggestions.
Thanks in advance.

kominsky

If I'm not mistaking, doesn't ECIS use K&N filters? If they do, I'd take a look at knfilters.com and see if they have cleaning instructions. Even if they don't use K&N, you may be able to find helpful instructions there anyway.

alibajalajaula

Tried to build a car and its impossible now. Any of you know what happened to the previous site? Its now riddled with propaganda and other stuff...

kyfdx

I just checked it... no problems.. :confuse:

gordonwd

Is this topic dead lately? Everyone driving an E90 now? I finally got around to taking pics of my '04 325i with the new wheels & tires, and clear-lens signal lights. I think it looks particularly good with my color (Steel Blue).

nyccarguy

Looking good. I love those wheels on the E46 325i!

fedlawman

325i OE Sport Package wheels are definitely my favorite for the E46.

kyfdx

I really like 68M wheels... but, they look a lot better on coupes and convertibles, than sedans... Of course, those only come on the 330i Sport, but I had a set on our 325i...

Of course, STEEL BLUE is the best color!!

nyccarguy

Did you get rid of the wife's CiC yet?

fedlawman

Call me weird, but I prefer the looks of the E46 sedan to the coupe.

kyfdx

Not surprisingly, once top-down weather arrived, complaints have dropped to just about zero...

Plus, every time someone complimented her car in my presence, I pointed out that she didn't really like it... I think she got tired of the look of incredulity on their faces...

So, either she has decided that she really likes having a convertible... or she is tired of me telling everyone she doesn't.. Either way, all is well..

Seriously.... She really does like putting the top down... So, all is well... for now..

regards,
kyfdx

kyfdx

I just meant the 68M wheels.... Not sure why, but on the coupe or convertible, they just seem to fit... On the sedan, they don't look as good...

I agree.... the E46 is a nice looking coupe... It is a fantastic looking sedan..

regards,
kyfdx

gordonwd

I agree.... the E46 is a nice looking coupe... It is a fantastic looking sedan..

I obviously agree as well, and I think that that it's a design that perhaps can't be improved upon, which is why the E90 was a styling disappointment to many (not all, but certainly to many E46 fans). As they say in sports and other endeavours, "it's hard to follow a legend."

The same thing happened, IMO, with Audi. I had a '98 A4 which at the time I thought was the best-looking sports sedan on the road until I saw the new E46 about a year later. I was still quite happy with my A4 for a few more years, and still like it (as I often see it parked in my neighbor's driveway ), but the new A4s are a real turnoff to me with that "gaping maw" grille.

Anyway, I'll be keeping the E46 for quite a while to come, and don't expect to see anything from BMW that looks better to me for quite a while either.

blueguydotcom

Anyone ever returned their Bimmer after a lease?

My 330i is due back on May 26. I arranged for an extra month - June 26 - but just realized I'd have to pay all my DMV fees to do that. Ouch. That's a big chunk in addition to my lease fee so I'm going to simply return the car and borrow my girlfriend's extra car for a week or two; my ED e90 arrives at the port on May 29. Hopefully VPC won't take more than a week or so.

Anyway, how thorough are they with lease returns? My wheels have rash - explanations aside, junk happens - and I've got some weird little scratches on my windshield (they were on the window after a month long trip - housesitter used the car).

nyccarguy

You really can't go wrong with an E46 i or Ci. Both very Handsome cars. The Ci definitely needs the SP or ZHP. The i looks good either way, but looks fabulous with the SP or ZHP.

I saw an E36 328i with a Sports PAckage today, still a sharp looking car.

blueguydotcom

Stopped by the dealer and they said my car was fine, no charges and they want it to sell on their lot.

koiman

Advanced Auto has them for less than half dealer price.

koiman

I agree the color and wheels are awsome now if it just came with dual exhaust the rear would look perfect.

brave1heart

I use ECIS' CAI cleaning kit - you should be able to find it on their website. Basically, clean the filter with warm water and then oil it. You should do this every 10,000 miles.

div2

Advanced Auto has them for less than half dealer price.

Don't be surprised if you discover some "new" leaks into the trunk. With a 20% CCA discount the price differential isn't sufficient to justify the off-brand stuff. NOTHING kills the value of a BMW more than being fitted with a lot of off-brand parts. Unless you are rebuilding a banger on the cheap I'd advise using OEM quality parts.

hgeyer

Thanks. I looked again and found the stuff buried on page 2 of the intake system section. Do you use the degreaser that comes with the kit?

cheffie1

Hey just noticed your car arrives in portt the same day mine does.......i'm in Canada and i have a 323i with sport and premium package on order. Mine arrives in Halifax....couple of weeks wait for me as it has to come to vancouver!!!! Waiting like a kid at Christmas.....2.5 months!!
Mike

blueguydotcom

That's a long wait!

I just returned my e46 today. Ideally, customs won't take more than a week on my e90.

austinman7

I'm going tomorrow to look at a 2005 325i with 17,300 miles on it that a local dealer is asking $29,988 for. It has a wind deflector on the moonroof. It seems to me I've read that these can sometimes be a problem -- create wind noise, rattle, or whatever. Has this been a problem with any of your cars? Is this something that would likely have been installed at the factory, or is it a dealer add-on? Could it be easily removed? Is it something you all would recommend having, or doing without?

If I make a deal, I'll be a first-time BMW owner. I've driven the 2006 325i but like the previous generation better. This one is steel blue with gray interior, which I like. For me, the 17,000 miles make it a virtually new car. I'm going to run a CarFax report on it in the morning.

Any insights on my questions about the wind deflector, or anything else I should be looking for, would be greatly appreciated. Thanks very much.

brave1heart

Yes, I use the degreaser that comes with the kit.

koiman

Gee Thanks I never knew a tail light bulb could kill the value of my bmw. Just think what it would do to a 95 318 lol. As we all know bmw has a terrific rep for electronic. I'm surprised div your supposed to be the expert. lol.

div2

Wrong again; mschukar was referring to a tail lamp lens-not a bulb. That said, the Sylvania/Osram euro bulbs found at some auto parts stores are an acceptable replacement.

kyfdx

I wouldn't worry about the deflector... They are easily removed... If you don't like it (personally, I think they are tacky), have the dealer remove it before delivery, and make sure there are no scratches, etc..

The 3-series has a built-in diffuser that rises as the roof goes back.. It does a pretty good job of eliminating the vacuum effect..

About the car.. Is it CPO from a BMW dealer with the extended warranty?

regards,
kyfdx

austinman7

kyfdx,

Thanks for the information on the moonroof deflector.

No, this is not a CPO, it's a stray 325i that showed up at a Buick dealership. I did a CarFax on it this morning and it started life as a corporate fleet car. It seems like a nice car, but I've driven several others at my local BMW dealership that are CPO cars and I feel a little better about them. I was only drawn to this one because it's just a year old and has 17,000 miles on it. Most of the others I've looked at have 30-40,000 miles and are 03s and 02s. I passed on this one today.

nyccarguy

I went down to Florida for this long Memorial Day weekend (I had Saturday & Monday off). My buddy is in medical device sales and gets a company car. So since they moved from Michigan to south Florida, they decided to upgrade her 330CiC to an M3 Convertible. It is his wife's car (equipped with SMG). I'll leave my SMG comments for later, but the accleration of this car is something else. Too bad all the roads down there are pin straight & glass smooth. The car was so solid even at 100+ mph with the top down & the 19s. I love the sound of the engine.

nyccarguy

is admitting you have a problem. Hello, my name is nyccarguy and I'm addicted to torque (torqueaholic?). Driving around in my friend's E46 M3 Convertible last weekend made me realize how torque deficient my Prelude really is. I was waiting to hear NASA tell me how much time is left until takeoff at every light. I did feel how much lighter my Prelude felt (one bonus) compared to the M3 Convertible w/ 19s.

tenet1

nyccarguy - put yourself out of your misery and buy a Bimmer already!!!!

mobile1ph

Hello there,

Im new to the forums and really need some advise. I am being offered a 1995 BMW 325i for $3,000. it has 126,000 miles. Problem is its a salvage vehicle. which i've been told has to do with the car being in a wreck and the owner bought it back...I think. On top of that the car is in bad shape as far as the exterior goes. NO accident marks but the paint is in bad shape. Bumper sidings need replacement along with some of the basic rubber that keeps the noise out. foglams are also gone..literally. The front drivers seat does not go all the way up after reclining. Driver seatbelt socket is also busted. Brkaes may need to be looked at and the transmission needs to be serviced. I also know that it cannot be traded in because of it being a salvage.

The only thing i can see thats good about the car is the engine "seems" to be okay and the air condition is fine. The heater is not though.

Basically im being told its a great buy. What do you think Steve? im desperate for outside opinion here. Any help would greatly be appreciated.

Thank you very much.

erickpl

My instinct tells me that if YOUR feelings about the car are questionable and there are obvious issues that you are not wanting to address, then pass.

If you want your first BMW experience to be a good one, look for a CPO and get a warranty and a newer vehicle. It may 'only' be $3,000, but how much will you have to pump into it just to get it in decent shape (appearance and mechanically)? Those hidden costs could quickly make the $3,000 bargain a money pit.

-Paul

div2

im desperate for outside opinion here. Any help would greatly be appreciated.

I'd also advise you to run away. You can find plenty of nice older clear titled BMWs in the $5000-$10000 range. If the heap you are looking at had a stick it might make a decent club racer, but that's about all it would be good for. Even then I wouldn't pay over $1000 for it.

nyccarguy

I wish it were that easy :P There's the car nut side of me and the sensible side of me. The car nut side of me says to look at used E36 328is (plural) & CPO E46 330i ZHPs. I don't have a shred of mechanical ability unlike shipo or div2. I know when something is wrong, but have NO clue how to fix it or do any maintenance.

With nyccarguy jr. on his way in September, my condo's mortgage payment (not to mention the insane assesment that very well could be a car payment), 2 mechanically sound ('00 Mazda Protege ES Auto 72,000 miles & '01 Honda Prelude Type SH stick 68,000 miles) paid off vehicles my sensible side tells me to hold off on car buying for a few years or until something MAJOR goes wrong with one of our current rides. We'd like to buy a house in about 3-4 years.

Ideally I wish BMW would offer the 3 series touring (E90) with RWD or AT LEAST with a proper Sport Suspension. We'd really like to do ED. I'd also like to get my hands on an E90 335i sedan :P We all can drem can't we?

tenet1

I hear ya. Saving for that house is definately more important. Both of our cars are paid off as well and we bought a bigger house recently so buying another car was out of the question. However, these days i am getting very tempted to look at an e60. That car is growing on me and the e46 is getting tight with 2 little ones back there. Plus then I will get the e46 to drive to work everyday while wifey get the 5er

ajfinoak

Am new to this forum. Am shopping for an '05 325 wagon (not 4WD) and would like to hear any feedback on prices, what to get for options, problems to look out for, etc. Dealer near me (SF Bay Area) has 3 '05's with Premium and Sport Pkgs and 10- 15K miles on them and Certified for 35K (seems high?). Thinking I should get a Certified Used one since I now have '97 Lexus and '01 Acura and am used to no repair $'s.

sunilb

Does anyone know of any e30 (325is) reviews that are online? One which compared an E30 with the E46 would be ideal.

I'm entertaining the idea of getting one to use as a daily driver (though the 325is is hard to find; or when they get listed, they sell pretty quickly if they are in decent condition).

jimbres

The trunk-mounted CD changer in my '01 330i stopped working a couple of weeks ago. When I switch the audio mode from FM to CD, the head unit display reads 'NO MAGAZINE', & I can't eject the CD holder. After charging me $55 to look at the problem, my dealer recommended that I spend another $285 to send the changer out for repairs. Can I keep the music going & save money by buying a new changer elsewhere? Can anyone recommend a source?

I'm also starting to think about alternatives. For example, if I could jack my iPod directly into my car's sound system, I'd happily do without a CD changer altogether. Does anyone have experience with an iPod interface?

As always, your views are welcome.

kominsky

Anyone done a fuel filter change on an E46? I plan on doing mine this weekend and would like to hear any tips. Did you have to pinch off the hoses, etc? I look forward to doing my own work when I believe it's within my abilities, but the thought of writhing around the driveway, covered in gasoline, cursing the day I was born is not appealing to me.

div2

I look forward to doing my own work when I believe it's within my abilities, but the thought of writhing around the driveway, covered in gasoline, cursing the day I was born is not appealing to me.

Hey, where's your sense of adventure? :P
I haven't wrenched on an E46(yet), but I suspect that the E36 fuel filter change procedure is similar.

venture

Someone bumped the left front corner of my E46 this morning in a parking lot while I was in a store (doesn't seem to matter where you park). :mad:

There was white paint on the fender and parking light lens. I was able remove the paint from the fender with good ole Turtle wax and elbow grease (no scratches, chips, or gouges thankfully), but am having a devil of a time getting the paint off of the lens.

Someone suggested getting plastic cleaner like is used on motorcycle windshields.

Before doing anything I thought I'd ask here.

Anyone use anything that worked for a similar situation?

div2

Someone suggested getting plastic cleaner like is used on motorcycle windshields

Yep, that's what I'd use. Meguiars makes a good plastic cleaner. Brasso will also work-but keep it off the paint.