BMW 3-Series 2005 and earlier

Mr_Shiftright

Yeah, balance can't control what happens to the wheel & tire mechanically...if it's being pushed or urged by some other problem. Balancing only takes care of its own rotation.

nyccarguy

Even though my mechnic said the shocks and tires are shot, I told him they aren't in the 2008 budget for my E30 325i that I paid $950 for. I had an alignment done that corrected the steering wheel being cocked to the right. The car steers pretty tight for an 18 year old car with heavily worn suspension pieces.

roadburner

Believe it or not, several of my friends on the Yahoo E39 list are very happy with Monroes struts/shocks. They are made in Europe and apparently they work very well on a street driven Bimmer.

nyccarguy

to be at watkins glenn by now, right roadburner?

densmith1

I am hearing a faint high pitch sound when going a steady 40 mph or 45 mph. Does anyone have ideas of what may be causing this noise?

nyccarguy

have a good resale value, but c'mon. I was driving by a Mitsubishi dealer today and saw a Boston Green/Sand Leather 2000 E46 328iA. The car had the Premium Package, Sports Package, & Automatic. No Xenons. 39K miles. The sticker said they were asking $18,9K for a (almost) 9 year old car! They must have picked the car up at an auction for what 6 or 7 K?

Mr_Shiftright

Asking prices are nothing more than an exercising of your First Amendment Rights :P

roadburner

to be at watkins glenn by now, right roadburner?

I wish; car, house repair, and a nasty cold conspired to force me to write the trip off. And I'm still mad about it... :mad:

shipo

I wish; car, house repair, and a nasty cold conspired to force me to write the trip off. And I'm still mad about it... :mad:

Rumor has it that they've finally discovered the cause of the common cold. The answer for simple avoidance of catching said cold is that you absolutely, positively must stop running naked through the woods.

I said that to my (then) 71 year old mother-in-law once upon a time and she responded in a kind of wistful and reflective tone of voice, "Gee, I haven't done that in many-many years." Realizing whom she had just said that to, she immediately clapped her hands over her mouth, and then upon removing them yelled, "And if you ever breathe a word of that to my daughter, I'll beat you to a bloody pulp!"

I immediately replied in my best Sgt. Shultz voice, "I know nothing..." :shades:

Best regards,
Shipo

roadburner

I immediately replied in my best Sgt. Shultz voice, "I know nothing..."

LOL! Great story! I wish my cold or whatever the heck it was had had such an interesting origin...

nyccarguy

comfortable behind the wheel of my E30 325i. Last night I took it to go pick up dinner. Got it up to about 70 mph on the highway. The car feels amazingly solid for an 18 year old car whose suspension is shot (to put it lightly). Once I put shocks, springs, wheels, tires, & brakes the car is going to drive almost good as new. I've got a really solid car. I'm excited!

backy

I took my new (for me) 2000 328Ci 5MT on its first road trip today, about 330 miles roundtrip, mostly freeway but a little city at the start and in the middle, and 30 minutes of nasty stop-and-go in construction at the end (which let me get a lot of experience with the stick shift, since I haven't owned a stick for 2-1/2 years).

The car performed beautifully and made for a pleasant trip on a picture-perfect fall day in MN. The suspension soaked up the rough spots well, the power seat with power lumbar was very comfy, and--the best part--when I entered the road construction zone after 330 miles, the mpg meter read 35.1 mpg! For comparison, on a road trip I took this past spring with my '04 Elantra (I4 4AT, 138 hp), I got about the same fuel economy. For most of the trip I had the cruise set at 72 mph, with some slower speeds in town. I noticed that when I was going around 55-60 mph, the instantaneous mpg meter was reading 40+ mpg. I filled the tank this morning and after a total of 340 miles (10 in town before I left), the needle was just a hair to the left of 1/2. That means the car's cruising range is about 600 miles!

I knew the E46 could get good fuel economy if driven moderately, but these numbers exceeded my expectations. And a couple of times when other drivers did something that was stu...er, ill-advised, and I needed a burst of power or some crisp handling, the car delivered there too.

The only casualty was that somehow the moonroof shade got detatched from its track as I was sliding it closed. I'll have to take a look at that tomorrow--hoping it will be easy to pop back into its tracks.

After this trip and a thorough read of the owner's manual tonight (finally got time to read it cover to cover, and learned some things I never knew about, e.g. the automatic anti-pollution setting on the HVAC system), I have a much better idea of what the car is capable of.

roadburner

The E30s are great cars. I may yet pick up a 325is or 318is before all the good ones are gone...

steverobertslv

I just installed AUX input into center console in 2004 325i. Not too tricky as long as you start in the right spot. Although once installed, i tested system with car torn apart and the AUX mode was working. Put car back together and now have taken apart 2 more times, CANNOT get AUX to show on business radio. I think I might have to take it to the dealership. RIDICULOUS. But to answer you question, it was not difficult to install.

roadburner

I may be going you one better(or worse, depending upon how you look at it) as I found a clean 1975 three-owner 2002A which I may be bringing home...

fedlawman

I love the idea of putting an S14 into a 2002...

kyfdx

Automatic, again?

What is it with you guys? :surprise:

roadburner

Automatic, again?

What is it with you guys?

Well, by the time I got there, they had sold all the manual 02s.
Seriously, swapping in a MT is a very easy weekend project. I may wait a while, as the engine and tranny were just rebuilt 9000 miles ago. Anyways, here's a picture of the potential purchase:



Mrs. roadburner doesn't know about it yet; I want it to be a surprise...

shipo

SAAAAWEEET!

Mr_Shiftright

Those square tail light ones are nice cars but pretty slow. You may have to massage that puppy for Mrs. Vee haf our vays.

fedlawman

LOVE those bumpers... :P

roadburner

Those square tail light ones are nice cars but pretty slow. You may have to massage that puppy for Mrs. Vee haf our vays.

I agree, it's no rocket ship; more of a nostalgia trip. I drove-and almost bought-a couple of 02's in college. I ended up with a 1973 Bavaria(which my future wife found for me) several years later...

roadburner

LOVE those bumpers...

At least you can park it by ear...
Here's the engine room:



and the interior:




Fortunately, I've got a pristine Alpina steering wheel which will replace the bus-sized OEM piece:

nyccarguy

That's an incredibly clean car and interior. Keep us posted with what's happening.

Mr_Shiftright

Looks VERY familiar. I've been in a lot of those engine compartments.

Looks good all around although I can still feel my butt cracking into pieces as I sit on that compressed horsehair seat. We need some padding in there for wifey I think, yes? 2002 seats are truly miserable once they age.

Ah, I see you have the ZF automatic, ya? Never owned one of those, but drove them---they seem to work fine. A bit harsh shifting but that's kinda good.

Does your heater fan work? You don't want to have to replace that puppy.

roadburner

Ah, I see you have the ZF automatic, ya? Never owned one of those, but drove them---they seem to work fine. A bit harsh shifting but that's kinda good.

I pulled out my Brooklands 2002 compilation and the Brit magazines that tested the automatic '02s really liked it. Car and Driver and Road & Track also tested 2002 automatics and both magazines were fairly complementary.

Does your heater fan work? You don't want to have to replace that puppy.

Don't I know it; if the fan does go belly-up I'll just tear into it and replace anything that has even a remote chance of failing- the heater core, water valve, hoses and clamps- you name it.

Mr_Shiftright

They're pretty reliable cars. If you do the heater core, that's a great time to replace the heater fan whether it needs it or not.

roadburner

I won the auction; I'm probably going to pick it up on Saturday...

shipo

Congratulations!

roadburner

Congratulations!

I hope you aren't being premature; I haven't seen it in the metal yet... :surprise:

roadburner

I drove the 2002 home with no problems. It's a solid car with a few fiddly problems, but nothing I can't fix over a few weekends. I will have to R&R the heater fan, but it's not that terrible a job since the car doesn't have A/C. I'm fortunate in that I have a few friends who also have '02s and are willing to help and give advice. The car already has a Weber 32/36 DGAV carb and-get this-a Mark Ten capacitive discharge ignition system. It also came with a box of spare parts and the original factory service binders. At least I won't run out of things to do this winter...

fedlawman

"Mark Ten capacitive discharge ignition system."

IIRC, doesn't that require 1.21 Jigawatts to activate?

Well, whatever you do, don't go faster than 87 MPH... :surprise:

roadburner

The Mark Ten was a popular ignition system upgrade. It boosts the spark power while greatly extending the life of the ignition points.

roadburner

nyccarguy

looks like it is in nice shape.

Mr_Shiftright

If that Weber ends up sucking too much gas you might think about going back to stock or getting a Weber book and going through it. People often install Webers but simply do not jet them properly.

Sorry to hear about the heater fan...I just knew it.....how could the Germans build such a nice car and have a 99% failure rate of heater fans?

Anyway, take a good mood pill and do your yoga before replacing it.

roadburner

If that Weber ends up sucking too much gas you might think about going back to stock or getting a Weber book and going through it. People often install Webers but simply do not jet them properly.

I haven't checked the mileage yet but I'm probably ging to stick with the Weber. I do plan to find a good used factory air cleaner and adapt it to the Weber.

Sorry to hear about the heater fan...I just knew it.....how could the Germans build such a nice car and have a 99% failure rate of heater fans?

Anyway, take a good mood pill and do your yoga before replacing it.

No biggie, I have a direct line to Roundel magazine's resident 2002 expert... On top of that, the 2002 FAQ site has a very detailed write-up on how to completely refurbish the heater box. Might as well just do it once and do it right.

Mr_Shiftright

Well there's nothing technical about R&R on the fan motor. It's just very tedious and there's no room to work. But yeah, maybe he has a few tricks to make it bearable. Do whatever you have to do to never go back in there again, unless of course you like working upside down and dropping little nuts on your face.

erickpl

Haven't been on the E46 forum for a while. Sold my 02 325xi here in Huntsville and purchased an 05 645 CI vert. Drove it for 2 years and sold it for a truck for a more practical transportation when hauling stuff to/from the coast and my son's school.

My 3..




My 6..




Been out of the BMW family for almost a year now, but hope to join back up when my wife graduates. Would love to can her A6 for something a bit more reliable electronically. She's been eyeballin' those X6's, but a 335i coupe would probably work well too.

Great to see the names I remember still being active!

-Paul

shipo

Hey Paul,

I've been wondering where you ran off to.

BTW, I love the shot of your 3er with the SR-71s in the background. I too am "timed-out" in the BMW camp and will hopefully return "home" someday. :shades:

Best regards,
Shipo

erickpl

Well, I'm not in CA anymore, but I think you knew that. But still working with the same team. Go figure.

After my daughter had a car wreck last year, we almost put her in a 2006 BMW 330i with EVERYTHING - same interior as our green one, but with white exterior. She didn't want it. Why?

It was an automatic.

Good girl.

She's now in a 07 Jetta GLI (2.0T with 6 speed). Fast little car! So both wife and daughter are in the VW/Audi camp. I'm still plugging in my Jeep.

-Paul

nyccarguy

Good to see you! I didn't know you sold the 3er for the 6er.

gerrygrace

hello

coolant light coming on now and again, keep toppping it up, still overheating , replaced thermostat, expansion bottle, but recently it overheated and engine ceased, it starts still but ????

erickpl

Yep, sold it off to go all practical.

When my wife graduates with her degree, we'll likely end up in another BMW. She's less than satisfied with her Audi's quality (though it drives pretty well, regardless of quattro).

-Paul

Mr_Shiftright

First thing I'd do is follow factory procedure on bleeding air out of the cooling system, since you've opened it up.

roadburner

When my wife graduates with her degree, we'll likely end up in another BMW. She's less than satisfied with her Audi's quality (though it drives pretty well, regardless of quattro).

We looked at a CPO A4Q before we bought our 5er. The sales guy at the Audi dealer was hopelessly inept. Turned out to be a blessing in disguise...

erickpl

Well, she had an A6, but it went airborne and she totalled it. She walked away. We put her in another - same color, interior, etc. The first one was 100% problem free until then. This one, not so much.

She's loving the X6, but I'm still partial the the 5 series. While I loved the 6 and love the 335i, we like the storage of the larger ones. 550i or 535d are looking tempting.

-Paul

backy

I have put nearly 1000 miles on my 2000 328 Ci since I got it on Oct. 1, and I am really enjoying it. I particularly am loving the tri-level seat heaters as the weather is getting colder--I can tell I'll really like them when it's -20 F this winter. The car has exceeded my expectations for fuel economy (averaging mid-20s in around-town driving and mid-30s on the highway, about what I got with my Elantra automatic) and handling in the slips.

I did take it back to the dealer to address a couple of problems I noticed right after delivery. The "40" part of the 60/40 rear seat back wouldn't latch, and I found that a plastic trim piece was missing from the top back edge. Also a trim piece was missing on the passenger's outboard seat track (was laying in the trunk, with some fasteners broken). And the sunroof shade was balky. They fixed the back seat and trim piece at no charge (internal charge was over $400), but said that in order to completely fix the sunshade they would need to install a new moonroof "kit" to the tune of $1000 for the part (!). So I will live with the balky shade--the roof itself works fine, and most of the year here in MN I'll have the shade retracted anyway. Otherwise the car runs great. I think I'll wait until spring to take care of a few fine scratches/scuffs and door dings--I know a good PDR place that is reasonable for the dings.

thomatl

Check out Best Buy. I bought iSimple model ISBM72, which is compatible with E46 models. It takes the connection BMW provides for the cd changer. Radio and steering wheel controls work for volume and track advance, but you must change playlists from the ipod. Less than $200 installed.

Instead of the normal glovebox location, I had them install the connector in the covered compartment below the hvac controls. That way the ipod is hidden and I can easily reach it from the driver's seat.

I've had it 4 months with no problems.

nyccarguy

Cars are meant to be driven. I'm taking another step towards making my 1990 E30 325i a semi daily driver. The tires on the car are dry rotted, so I picked up a set of 4 BF Goodrich tires from The Tire Rack for $44 each. I'm having them installed Thursday which means my E30 will be making its maiden (commuting) voyage. I've officially passed the 100 mile mark (82,700) from when I got the car this past April. I took it on a run to get Ice Cream for my (almost) 6 month pregnant wife (nyccarguy baby numero dos is due in April).