BMW 3-Series 2005 and earlier

18485878990585

Comments

  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    I ran into this link in another discussion and thought some of you might be interested in it: BMW Offers Summer Driving School for Teens.

    Sounds like a classic win-win situation to me - the kids learn some important stuff and BMW makes future customers. The article says they use 3-Series coupes and sedans.

    Pat
    Host
    Sedans and Women's Auto Center Message Boards
  • brave1heartbrave1heart Member Posts: 2,698
  • trejos28trejos28 Member Posts: 93
    you gotta be excited. How long have you been waiting?
  • jnscheongjnscheong Member Posts: 66
    VIN decoding info can be found in the FAQ section on www.e46fanatics.com.

    jnscheong
  • adam68adam68 Member Posts: 59
    I ordered on April 1....so it has been about
    a 2 month wait.
  • e46avatare46avatar Member Posts: 9
    shipo - Sorry to dissapoint, but I am an electrical engineer , not a chemical engineer ;-). as stated in my post, I had found the article on the net and thought it made some good points and decided to share it here.

    Has anmyone tried the Zymol line of products? I just recieved the starter pack today and they had shipped me the pack for dark colors and when I called them and told them that my car was silver and that I had ordered the pack for light colors they said that the dark would work for silver too.
    Hmm...doesn't really make sense to me.

    Has anyone tried the dark color pack on a silver paintjob?

    Also has anyone noticed that with the steptronic in manual, the car starts off in second gear and not first?
  • burrsrburrsr Member Posts: 255
    I'm an engineer (as you could guess by the highly analytical and numeric nature of many of my posts - possibly a bit much at times, I'll admit :)) and have nothing to do with sales. Out of curiosity, how did you infer the "sales" aspect? Maybe a 180-degree career change is in order... :)
  • bmwagonmasterbmwagonmaster Member Posts: 150
    Great idea, but who's going to post the definitive answer to what appears to be THE most FAQ of all: "Which is better, the 325 or 330?" Anbody "brave" (hint, hint) enough to answer that one? :)
  • lewparkerlewparker Member Posts: 28
    Hi guys, I'm picking up my car tomorrow at 10am. My dealer says he will install an alarm for $350 and I also want to ask for wheel locks. Alpine325i, you seemed pretty adamant that one type of wheel lock was much better than the other, trouble is I can't remember which one you prefer. Could you tell me, or if anyone else remembers could you let me know? Thanks.
  • burrsrburrsr Member Posts: 255
    Several hundred (or maybe even over 1,000) posts back, I posted a long-winded dissertation on my observations of the Steptronic. One of the things I mentioned was the fact that, in Manual mode, it will downshift when you come to a (near) complete stop to 2nd. If you don't manually click down to 1st, the tranny will start in 2nd, which is OK but obviously not optimal for off-the-line performance. The reason it will not downshift to 1st, I believe, is that it would give that sudden "jerk" felt when the engine brakes in such a low gear. This would get annoying real quickly. I use Manual mode the majority of the time, and I have subconsciously trained myself to click down to 1st at a stop.

    Another interesting point about the Step: in a manual tranny, you can instantly tell what gear you're in by the feel of the shifter's position in your hand -- WITHOUT taking your eyes off the road. With the Step, on occasion I will forget what gear I'm in (although most of the time I'm in the proper gear matched to speed). In order to verify, because the shifter is in the same position regardless of gear, you must take your eyes OFF the road to glance at the readout. Another subtle nuance of the Step, but worth pointing out...
  • yeeehayeeeha Member Posts: 33
    2 types of wheel locks: one comes with keys ($50), the other w/o keys ($24 ish)...get the locks WITHOUT the keys!
  • gurumikegurumike Member Posts: 442
    jnscheong - your car is in 155 !! It will show "produced, not shipped" in the next day or two. Right now, I'd guess you'll be picking it up around July 14, give or take about 3-4 days.

    Brave1Heart - No, they wouldn't call it an Acura if they sold it here unless they didn't call it an Accord. This would not be unfeasible as the Europe Accord is, in fact, a totally different vehicle than the US car (platform, suspension, engine etc). It most likely would be a Honda (as should all of the "Acura" cars) Accord. It would clash with the TL type S, but complement the Accord line with, in true Honda fashion, a hot "Type R" model. I can't believe they haven't done it already. You'd have thought a car maker like Honda would have noticed, during their drive to and from work, how many "slammed", spoilered, big wheeled and tuned Accords there are driving around and that might represent a good marketing opportunity. Anyway, at least I feel better knowing that none of them do 7.0 to sixty !!!

    goody4 - drag's use an auto tranny for totally different reasons than you suggested by way of your comparison. They're usually one or two speed 'boxes as the power is delivered rather differently than on a road car.

    am I starting to be a troll?

    Brave1Heart - (sorry, again)... The Getrag 6 speed transmission in a 540i is a more expensive piece of equipment than the ZF 5 speed auto box. Hence the higher price. Remember also that the stick shift has the sport package as standard, a $2,800 option on the auto.
  • drew_drew_ Member Posts: 3,382
    image
  • jnscheongjnscheong Member Posts: 66
  • e46avatare46avatar Member Posts: 9
    thanks for the info.

    Would you happen to know if you are going at 55 mph and you stepped on the gas so that you go into kick down mode. What gear is the kick down mode? I did a bad bad thing lastnight. My car has 1050 miles on it and I raced an Audi A4. I went into kickdown mode and the rpms actually hit above 6000. Engine did not cut out.

    I hope I didn't hurt the engine. It was a silly spur of the moment thing.
  • dago1dago1 Member Posts: 1
    does anyone have any information on the 1999 model. I am looking at ome with 12000 miless.
  • lewparkerlewparker Member Posts: 28
  • aaron330iaaron330i Member Posts: 136
    I'm from Austin, TX, but I also ordered mine from Temple which is only a bit longer than an hour away.

    I'd also be happy to meet up with any other Austinites for a beer, picknick, whatever.

    Can't wait to get my car...hopeing by the end of June.

    *crosses fingers*
  • aaron330iaaron330i Member Posts: 136
    ...I bet we'll hit 5000 posts way before a week since the 4000 mark.
  • lewparkerlewparker Member Posts: 28
  • kominskykominsky Member Posts: 850
    I think you'll be fine. You're car is nearly broken in so a touch of 6K RPM shouldn't hurt anything. I wouldn't recommend extended trips into that range yet, though. The first day I had my BMW, I found myself on more than one occasion shifting at over 5000RPM... The thing just revved so fast and smooth, if I wasn't looking at the tach, I had no idea how high I was revving. My Altima (157K miles, current commuter car), on the other hand, has so many amusing ways of letting me know I should be seeking the next gear. :-)
  • shiposhipo Member Posts: 9,148
    Well, I guess I am the one to ask, I have a 1999 328i. What do you need to know?

    Best Regards,
    Shipo
  • hmarkhmark Member Posts: 2
    I just bought a 1994 325 (first BMW) and am curious if xenon headlights can be retrofitted -- and what would be involved in doing that. Thanks.
  • hmarkhmark Member Posts: 2
    Forgot to ask my other question. This 1994 325i does not have a tilt steering wheel. Is it possible to add tilt wheel now? Better yet, to add tilt and telescoping steering wheel? Thanks.
  • kominskykominsky Member Posts: 850
    check bavauto.com for the xenons


    http://www.bavauto.com/hid/hid.html

  • gurumikegurumike Member Posts: 442
  • dl7265dl7265 Member Posts: 1,381
    Well i promptly got my headlight bulb replaced and was told there was a open recall for a puter reformat, it seems "unkle sam " wants less emmisions comming from the tailpipe , but no cost to performance or so he said , i declined .....

    GOLFNUT7 :I took a nice drive thru the Ozarks last summer and must say MO has some of the greatest twisties around allbeit dangerous as welll.... enjoy the ride :)

    ALARM: i would recommed to you guys getting LO -JACK instead, of course it wont help for just a break in ....

    325i-330i debate, in Dallas traffic real life driving id invest the extra 5k , cause u arent going anywhere fast anyhow ....

    AARON330I : WHAT A FRIENDLY INVITE KEEP US INFORMED MAYBE ILL HEAD DOWN THERE ...

    OH one more rant, while we are comparing 325-330 its funny the 3 series is allways called sport and the C class MB lux, after driving a C320 , id say my lowely 323i felt more powerful and really more lux with full leather not "partial " and the fact that in the C u can't even get a in-dash CD player , what is Lux about having to go to the trunk to play a CD ????? folks i think we win on both account's :)

    Regards
    DL
  • dl7265dl7265 Member Posts: 1,381
    Keri suggested we go for a ride in her new 2dr BMW coupe in the parking lot we slipped into her bucket seats , keri took over from there,at nearly 90mph ..........
    fast slow fast fast slow .........POE

    :)
  • denrightdenright Member Posts: 285
    burssr (sp??) posted this above:

    ========================
    MANUALS
    Optimizing 0-60mph or 1/4-mile runs requires the driver to be able to modulate the throttle, clutch, tires, and surface to achieve the best launch possible. Too many rpms and popping the clutch may result in excess wheel spin, costing precious 0.1's at the line. Too much "clutch spin" and too little rpm's, on the other hand, may result in unused friction potential between tires and road being left at the line. It's a fine balance, and even shifts carry some amount of variation, though not as much as at the critical launch. Many variables, much driver subjectivity.

    ==========================

    This makes perfect sense to me. I think this point is what lies behind the vastly different times quoted in different publications on the 0-60 times for the 330i and the 330xi.

    I suspect that one can rev higher and drop the clutch more aggressively in an AWD 330xi (as compared to a RWD 330i) without significant wheel spin, because the torque is being delivered to four rather than two wheels. I believe this explains the better 0-60 times quoted in MotorWeek and Motor Trend for the 330xi (6.2 and 5.8 seconds, respectively) than for the 330i. Both publications seemed to confirm this as well.
  • adam68adam68 Member Posts: 59
    Does anyone know what is actually leather and what is vinyl on the 3 series?
    For $1,450 I'd hope it's not that
    "only what the body touches" BS...

    Thoughts on Sport Package:
    The coupes come standard with the sport
    suspension and sport steering wheel. The
    seats and wheels, while nice are not a necessity
    for me. Instead I took that $1000 and added the
    Xenon and alarm. If the suspension was not standard I would most definitely have taken the SP. I'm 5'10" and in shape, but the sport seats actually felt a little restricting for me. Also, I have seen one or two year old cars where the side bolsters look completely worn.

    The above is only my opinion...

    Has anyone considered adding the BMW phone? I know it's much safer, but kind of $$$...
  • dtleedtlee Member Posts: 15
  • unboringuyunboringuy Member Posts: 90
    I haven't posted here lately, but continue to diligently read all of the posts. I'm one of the "fortunate" ones that had the cooling fan problem on my 330xi that I purchased on April 6. It's the one that overheated and blew up six hours after delivery. Well, as I previously reported, the dealer has been extremely good to work with. They took the car back, ordered me a new one, and gave me a 1999 3 Series to drive in the meantime. I expect delivery of the second new car in early July.

    My real beef here is with BMWNA. Under the circumstances, I thought it would be reasonable for them to at least move production up so that I would not have to wait 6 months (original order in January, until July for delivery of second car). I thought this was the least BMW could do in light of the fact that they KNEW about the fan problem, didn't do anything about it, didn't tell dealers about it, and then sold cars with these problems to the unsuspecting public.

    The customer service folks at BMWNA (including a "supervisor") said, "We never move production up, and there is NOTHING we can do for you." Hell, they didn't even offer to send me a hat or a shirt for my trouble! And remember, it isn't the dealer who produced the vehicle, while knowing about the fan problem and not saying anything about it. Sounds like something Chrysler would do.

    I guess my question to all of you out there is this: Should we be concerned about BMW's apparent lack of concern for its customers? What if something else happens down the road and the dealer is not as willing to handle the problems?

    Just curious....what do you think?
  • burrsrburrsr Member Posts: 255
    kominsky -- I think you meant to respond to e46avatar, not me. Gretl is well-broken in after 5,600 miles! Anyway, regarding the kick-down point: if in Manual mode and you press the throttle past the kick-down point (at about 95% of pedal travel where there is a noticeable "notch" felt) the tranny will downshift to the lowest gear possible without over-revving the engine. We've agonized over the redlines of the engines and where the rev limiter comes in, but at 55 mph, the tranny would definitely kick down to 2nd gear. Not sure if the 325 and 330 Steps are geared the same, but certainly similarly. In my 330, 2nd is good for about 65 mph, where it shifts to 3rd at around 6,500 rpm. So at 55, you're looking at about 5,500 rpm. I'm sure when the engine revved up like that, knowing you're still under the magical 1,200 mark probably caused you to instinctively back off the throttle immediately, causing the tranny to shift to 3rd at 6,000 rpm. So the engine was only revved from about 5,500 to 6,000 rpm, probably no more than 0.2 sec. No harm done! If, however, you had sustained 6,000 rpm (I occasionally do, now that Gretl is fully broken-in, on hills and around curves) for a prolonged period, the story may be different. Also, that magical 1,200 miles likely has some level of safety factor built into it, so the engine is probably nearly broken-in before 1,200 miles -- 1,050 is close enough!
  • jpaganjpagan Member Posts: 11
    ADAM68: I read your posting about purchasing your 3251 in South Florida. I live in the Tampa Bay area. Could you please comment on what type of deal did you get and where did you purchase your car.
  • jpaganjpagan Member Posts: 11
    Could anyone direct me to a website to view the 2002 BMW line, specifically the 3 series.
  • koaladudekoaladude Member Posts: 9
    I've heard that RWD were quite bad in winter conditions (I live in Quebec). Can I get away with RWD with good winter tires (eg Blizzak) or should I seriously consider the xi? (this is killing me since with a bit of a stretch I could maybe get the 330i instead of the 325xi)

    There's quite a lot of bimmers here in Montreal but come to think of it now, I don't see many of them in the heart of the winter.

    I've never owned a bimmer. My current car, coming off lease, is an Audi A4 AWD (with all season tires).
  • gurumikegurumike Member Posts: 442
    ..Rwd, in the form of a new BMW, is not really a bad thing. In fact, a rwd BMW would be a better choice than most cars for your area but, given that you will encounter inclement weather quite frequently (for a large percentage of your use), I think it would be a mistake not to get an AWD option. I certainly don't think you'll be dissapointed!!
  • eugeug Member Posts: 46
    Ordered a 325ci, silver w/ blk leather, manual, SP, PP, and CD, at invoice + 1500 + ad. Now status 150. Not too happy with the ad+training($480) fee though, but I expected I'd pay between 1500 and 2000 over invoice based on what I saw in previous messages. Is it too late to ask them to throw in the mats and wheel locks?
  • parumpparump Member Posts: 65
    I can understand your disappointment with BMWNA. However, I suspect that the production line is planned far in advance. The offer to replace your car seems appropriate. Many people with troubled cars are unable to effectively use the "lemon law" without significant time and expense. If your order number was "bumped" to a sooner date, another prior order would be delayed.

    An alternative might be to propose accepting a vehicle that is currently available. Would you be willing to accept a similar or even maybe upgraded model?

    Just a suggestion.
  • yeeehayeeeha Member Posts: 33
    FYI, If I remember correctly, the training fee is $160, and everyone must pay it...non-negotiable.
    The ad (maco, dag, whatevever)fee you paid is legit as well, and is added if you purchased in a major/metro market...

    Too late to ask for mats and locks? Never too late to ask for anything. Tell 'em you assumed the deal included mats or something. I think most all dealers offer to throw them in. THe mats are around $80, and the locks are $25ish, so we're talking about $100....worth a shot!
  • denrightdenright Member Posts: 285
    I test drove a 325xi with a manual transmission and found it to be somewhat sluggish and disappointing in its acceleration. This would be even more true if you got it with an automatic tranny.

    I can appreciate your dilemma. I agonized over whether to pull the trigger on a 330xi. Loaded with options, a 330xi will cost almost US$40K before taxes. I decided that it was worth it.

    I can tell you that I would not look forward to a Quebec winter with a RWD car.
  • adam68adam68 Member Posts: 59
    Down here the standard discount is $1,500
    off of list. There are three BMW dealers within a 30 min drive and all offered the same discount.
  • eugeug Member Posts: 46
    Thanks for the advice. Next time I talk to the dealer, I'll bring it up.
  • brave1heartbrave1heart Member Posts: 2,698
    I read recently that sales of the Excursion are down about 25% this year while sales of small cars (esp. Korean models) are up in the double-digits. Although gas is a small percentage of families' annual budget, it seems that a lot of consumers are feeling the pain from the higher gas prices and downsizing to more fuel-efficient vehicles. My feeling is that gas price hikes are not temporary this time and they will keep going up in the coming years, so consumers will be increasingly looking for more fuel-efficient cars. I think that cars like the 3-series and the A4 are very well positioned because they offer great power and awesome fuel efficiency in addition to a perfect blend of comfort and performance.
    I've also been thinking about usable HP for everyday driving. It seems that there are a lot of new cars coming out with some dizzying levels of HP: 240 HP in the Altima, 270 or so coming up from the WRX and about the same from the Mitsubishi Lancer to name a few. It's all good stuff. I like seeing vehicles like that much more than those waste-of-space, butt-ugly gas guzzling vans turned SUVs like the Excursion. As far as usable HP for everyday driving, to me at least, any car that has a 0-60 time in the range of 5.5-7.5 secs is reasonably fast. Anything over this range would be too slow for my taste and anything faster that that is overkill when it comes to everyday driving. Track driving would be a different story. In everyday driving, any car that has a power-to-weight ratio that allows it to accelerate in the above range is sufficient. You can get to triple-digit speed territory reasonably fast in a car like that and I would not recommend that to anyone that cares about their license anyway.
    OK, it's dinner time. Thank you for attending the daily affirmation with Brave Heart.
  • brave1heartbrave1heart Member Posts: 2,698
    burrsr - i got confused about your profession, i wasn't trying to be funny or anything. i really enjoy your highly analytical and well-supported by facts and numbers posts

    koala - winter tires are better than awd. i'm in boston and got the 325i sp. if i were you, i'd get the 325i or 330i rwd and put in snows from november till april or so. keep in mind that you can only fit in 17" over the 330's brakes and those snows are a lot more expensive. with the 325, you can fit in 16" wheels over the brakes. one thing to keep in mind is that both the 325i and 330i sp have a pretty low ground clearance. their non-sp and esp. awd counterparts are higher and you should consider their ground clearance if you drive in deep snow a lot. good luck - whatever you choose, the 3-series is a great car and i think you'll be fine with either awd or rwd and snows.

    faq - good point - it's first-come first-serve and the bravest wins :o) maybe we should all agree on some rules of what to post there.
  • denrightdenright Member Posts: 285
    Braveheart's statement that "winter tires are better than awd" notwithstanding, I am quite sure that most drivers and most experts would agree that AWD offers substantial benefits in inclement conditions as compared to RWD.


    Although the following article has been decried and roundly criticized by many of our fellow posters, I will provide it for your reading pleasure. Take it for what it's worth.


    http://www.aacbg.com/firstlook/textreviews/2001330if.htm

  • brave1heartbrave1heart Member Posts: 2,698
    agreed - sure-footed acceleration comes to mind first and that's in any condition - not just ice and snow. it works on sand, leaves, in pouring rain. it's always a tradeoff and koala seems to understand this. besides, awd will always be better than rwd accelerating in snow and ice when they have equivalent tires. although i still prefer the rwd for a year-round car, i have to admit that there's nothing like our audi a4 quattro on snow - i never have to think about flooring it in any conditions. article still has zero credibility, though - i'm surprised you'd recommend it to anyone even for what it's worth, which in my mind is zero.
  • denrightdenright Member Posts: 285
    I honestly don't know that that article has no credibility. I haven't driven a RWD E46 through a winter and I don't believe you have either. The author obviously had a difficult time, and I doubt he is the only one. Just because you don't expect to have a hard time this coming winter doesn't mean that other people, with their different driving styles, won't have difficulties with inclement weather and RWD.

    I recognize that there are disparate viewpoints on this subject, but I thought Koala should read this article. That said, I did qualify the link with a "take it for what it's worth," and I made sure to inform the reader that other posters have criticized it. Fair enough?
  • alpine325ialpine325i Member Posts: 209
    A friend of mine works for Devon Hill BWM. When I went to pick up my car, the first thing he said was: "make sure that you get a good set of snow tires, these cars are horrible in the snow, even in a few inches". He went on to say that when he had to move alot of the 325i's and 330i's, sport or non sport, in a few inches of snow, they were spinning and it was hard to move them around. He said my front wheel drive honda with the factory tires works great in the snow. Just my .02 :o)
  • brave1heartbrave1heart Member Posts: 2,698
    yes, it is fair, ok. you are right that i have not driven an e46 in snow but i do always try to be very objective in my recommendations - "i think you'll be fine with either awd or rwd and snows". i think my recommendation pointed out a few things that may help him decide better for himself.
    as far as winter driving experience, i routinely used to go 20 mph faster than the rest of the traffic in heavy snow with my jetta vr6. more to the point about rwds and snow: my wife had a used rwd nissan 240sx for at least two winters in new york city commuting 30 miles each way every day and she was fine. it was a manual, it din't even have electronic stability and the tires were just all-season and not nearly brand-new. she's just an average driver, i wouldn't rate her higher than that and she wouldn't fight me about that (she's laughing right now sitting next to me here). she wants me to mention that she did spin 180 degrees a couple of times but she was ok. i really think the 3-series would be fine, esp. with all-season/snow tires and electronic stability. but again, awd allows you not to have to be so careful accelerating and it can get you out of trouble more easily in corners if you start sliding.
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