BMW 3-Series Maintenance and Repair

div2

I've even heard that some older BMWs had THREE pedals and NO cupholders or cruise control. Why, it sounds like you actually had to DRIVE them...

paule

What the heck was the third pedal for? Oh, you must be talking about the emergency brake (or is it a parking brake); never mind............

kyfdx

Wow.... you must be really old... tell us more, Grandpa.. (just kidding)

paule

Check out an '05 Dodge Caravan; they're still using a foot operated parking brake. Just ask Shipo!

shipo

Yup, all three of our cars have three pedals. ;-) Both Caravans have the pedal parking brake and of course my BMW has a proper implementation of the third pedal, as a clutch. ;-)

 

Best Regards,

Shipo

paule

Just don't forget which car you're driving when you put that left foot down

shipo

Tehe, with all of the snow we have had around here lately it's been kind of fun to jam my left foot down on the third pedal of our older Caravan (it has slightly challenged tires). Locking up the rears up on that thing generates lots of loopty-doos. ;-)

 

Best Regards,

Shipo

dkl

Has anyone had problems with their 6 cylinder bmw engine pulleys. I've been to the dealer 4 times for a noise that sounds like a bad drive belt that occurs with every cold start, but only lasts a few minutes. The dealer has replaced the alternator belt tensioner which has not solved the problem. The service manager said this is a problem endemic to all 6 cylinder engines but I don't see much on this forum. Has anyone else had this problem and if so what was the solution. thanks.

dl7265

if its a loud screaching noise ?i suggest you check the crank case vent valve. I seen cases of this in 6 and 4 cyl BMW engines,and they usually start by replacing pullys, belts ect... hope this helps.

 

DL

webby1

DL

Interesting....my son just took his 320i in last night for the same problem.

The temp went from 32 F to 60F overnight so when the dealer started the car he could not hear anything. May have to leave it overnight again.

Does replacing the crank case vent valve cures the issue?

Regards,

Webby

dkl

thank you. I'll mention this to the dealer when I take it in and post the results.

dl7265

Honestly im not sure of the exact function. But my friends 318IC developed the problem and he dropped a dime on it while they guesses replacing pullys, belts ect..

 

Then I noticed looking over some old paperwork that my former 1999 323i had the same repair done under warranty.

 

It does seem a bit odd to me that a I4 and I6 developed the identical problem.

 

Good Luck,

DL

adawaal

Actually, I just had a similar problem with the remote/key system in my 2004 325xi over the past week or so. Same key I've always used on a daily basis since I bought the car 8 months ago, so it certainly "recharges" daily. I don't think I hit any weird key combinations or anything. Originally thought that it might just be the bitter cold here in Minnesota (-15 to -20 temps with -40 wind chills), but it's much warmer now and the problem remains. If some BMW brain out there has any clue, please let us in on the secret....

 

UPDATE: Just talked to the BMW service folks. Apparently this does happen in extreme cold every now and then. All we need to do is to "reset" or "reinitialize" the key. He walked me through it over the phone, and it's very simple. For some reason it seems to be important to be using both keys (master & slave, though telling the two apart visually is impossible) at the same time.

 

1. Grab both keys, unlock the door(s), insert the master key into the ignition.

2. Turn the key to position #2 (just before the engine is engaged) and leave there for a few seconds.

3. Remove the key. Press and hold the "unlock door" key. While holding this key, slowly press and release the center lock key (BMW logo) three times. Release all keys.

4. You should hear the car doors lock and unlock.

5. Repeat the key combination with the slave key (don't need to put it in the ignition.

6. Congrats! Your keys have been reset/reinitialized. No need to motor down to the local BMW dealership.

 

Now, while I haven't bothered to check yet, I'm sure I also lost the seat/other settings on my keys. Oh well....

 

Adawaal

kc001

My 2005 325i was produced before Sep. 2004, it did not have bluetooth installed while the latest ones come with it, standarded.

 

does anybody else have the same problem and how do you resolve it?

 

I have contacted BMWUSA and my dealer, so far they have not told me what to do with it yet. and it has been for a while.

 

thanks

gordonwd

1. Grab both keys, unlock the door(s), insert the master key into the ignition.

2. Turn the key to position #2 (just before the engine is engaged) and leave there for a few seconds.

3. Remove the key. Press and hold the "unlock door" key. While holding this key, slowly press and release the center lock key (BMW logo) three times. Release all keys.

etc.

 

I think you left out the part where you have to do this by the light of a full moon, and then walk around the car counterclockwise three times while holding a key in each hand and chanting the words to "Deutchland Uber Alles", backwards. :-)

rob992

Has anyone had a strange problem with brakes?

I pulled out my car a few days ago (after it had been sitting in cold weather for almost a week), and I immediately noticed that the brakes were pulsing / shaking whenever I touched the pedal. Felt like a warped rotor at the front right wheel, as the brakes were difficult to modulate and I couldn't stop the car smoothly.

Drove for 200 miles with this problem and it remained--the higher the speed the worse it got. But the next morning, I start the car and it was completely gone.

It's a 2002 with about 25k miles, and it's a manual so I use engine braking quite a lot--no reason for a warped rotor at this stage.

The only thing I could think of: there were several sudden temperature changes cold to warm and back all in a few days. Could that have had anything to do with this?

I'd like to have the car checked out, but I just don't have time to deal with the dealer these days.

Is this a one-time problem, or might it be something more serious? I appreciate any help.

kyfdx

Has it been sitting in snow? Maybe snow and ice packed in the wheels? Then it melted?

 

Don't ask me how I know....

div2

You probably had a coating of rust on the rotors. Your 200 mile drive removed it. As for engine braking, you DO match revs when you downshift, right? The last time I checked, pads and rotors are still cheaper than transmissions.

rob992

No it wasn't parked in the snow. Indoors, but not heated. And I know what rust feels like on the rotors--it wears off after a few taps on the pedal.

Thing is, the car was doing it all through the 200 miles, as bad at the end as at the beginning.

Next day it was gone.

 

Yes I know how to match revs.

mchen39084

One month ago, I reported my problem. Thank you and others for giving me advices. It appeared that I could be the only person who has had this problem. Obviously, it could be an electrical (or computer)problem or a problem caused by myself.

 

The chief machanics of my dealership droved my car for two weeks (500 miles), and BMW sent a field engineer to the dealership to check the computer memory in my car. They do not think that this car has problems. The hypothesis now is that my foot was somehow touching the gas pedal when the problem occurred. I have driven cars in U.S. and Europe since 1971 for half a million miles, but I never saw this problem with cars I owned or I rented. I must admit that I did not own a German car before. I understand that most cars have the gas pedal hanging from the top, unlike the BMW 3-series.

 

I have had my car back, and I hope that they are correct and that the problem will not show up again in the next equivalent period (4000 miles). I thank my dealership (Capital Cities Imported Cars, Albany NY) and BMW North America for their help.

joepause

I have two estimates to fix a dent in my new 330Ci coupe. One is from the dealer's body shop and is $210 more than and independent body shop's estimate. The difference between the two is the dealer has provided for 4 1/2 more hours of labor. Is the dealer shop the way to go, or should I save the money and go with the independent shop? Do I hurt my warranty by using an independent shop?

brislance1

Joepause

 

How big is the dent in your 330? I would recommend having a paintless dent shop such as dent busters look at it too. I had my son-in-law's Mercedes 500SL in to a dent busters shop and the result was like new! I have had several of my cars to paintless shops and have always had great success. If the dent is really large, they may not be able to help you and a body shop is the only solution.. If you are going to have a body shop work on your car, call several independent garages that do mechanical work on BMW's and Mercedes and ask them where they would recommend you taking your new BMW for body work. Usually they know of the best body shop in town. Dealers will of course recommend themselves and they are not always the top shop! Your warranty should not be affected.

kyfdx

I'm going to guess that this is a pretty big repair.. especially, if one shop is 4.5 hours higher than the other one..

 

If you have to pick between the two... don't do it over $210... Ask around, and find out who does the best work.. Bad paint work on a BMW will kill the trade-in value.. (well.. any paint work, but bad work is worse).

 

But, choose the best one... whether it turns out to be the BMW dealer or not, is not important to your warranty or anything else..

 

regards,

kyfdx

joepause

brislance1,

 

Thanks for the advice. The dent isn't big, but it did crack the paint down to the metal, so I believe a dentless repair won't work.

teach3

two things for the "members of the board" (now theres a compliment!):

 

1) on oil: I have a 2005 330i, now with about 6k miles (mostly highway) -- the oil has become darker and more sludgy than when I first looked at the dipstick -- hardly unusual -- but it seems darker and more sludgy than my past (non-BMW) cars -- so for those who have the experience, is this anything to worry about (other than perhaps getting an oil change at 7500 miles, even if I have to pay for it, just to be safe?)

 

2) on performance: I am interested in upgrading the acceleration at lower speeds (in first and second gear) and have been canvassing other websites about Dinan upgrades -- specifically the CAI (cold air intake), throttle upgrade and relevant software (Dinan seems to insist that the three go together. There is good and bad here: installing Dinan doesn't interfere with the BMW warranty but, on the other hand, is a bit pricey -- my questions, for those who have the upgrades, are: 1) does it work? not just psychologically but actually (assuming there is a difference...) and 2) would one also have to get the free flow exhaust upgrade (the anxiety being that the other upgrades may hurt the engine without a proper exhaust outlet)

 

thanks in advance!

bmw325xinj

Yes I HAVE THIS SAME PROBLEM.

 

I have the 325xi and each time the weather is cold, I heart his shrilling/shrieking noise coming from the drive belt area. but then it goes away after a frew minutes.

 

the dealer told me it's normal for this type of car especially when the weather is cold.

 

should i believe him or not?

paule

I wouldn't believe him.

I have a 325xi and it's quiet as a mouse (well, except for that nice throaty exhaust note ).

genee

I am about to have the 60K work done on a 2002 325i. I will not take it to the dealer as they told me to drive squealing brakes until the dash light came on when, in fact, the pads were gone and it was metal-to-metal. In fact, they claimed to have checked the brakes and I had at "at least 10%" left. The next day I had an independent replace them with "green" pads and took the bare ones to the dealer. "Sometimes the sensors don't work." Anyway, I have been told there is a combination of "button pokes" that will clear the maintainence light. Any help out there?

lynne711

I have a 2003 330XI. I dislike the "ice warning" feature that causes the computer to automatically switch to a display of the outside temperature whenever the temp drops to 37.5. The display stays on temp after that, so I have to manually switch it back to the display that I want. I live in Minnesota, so this happens all winter long.

 

The owner's manual describes how this works, but then there is another paragraph marked by the icon they use for settings that are changeable by the dealer. The language in that paragraph says "After giving an ice warning, the display returns to the previous setting." I thought this meant the dealer could change the computer so that it would return to the previous display after giving the ice warning, but my dealer says no, that isn't possible. The "service advisor" went and talked to someone else, came back and said he heard it "from the highest authority," whatever that means. Did I misunderstand the owner's manual? Anyone else familiar with this issue? It's a minor thing, really, but it has been bugging me for 2 winters.

kyfdx

It can be set either way.... the default, is to go back to the original display...

 

That said, I've never tried to have mine changed.. I bought mine used, and just stick with what was programmed... Mine is programmed to show the temperature as the default setting at start-up anyway... so, obviously, I don't have that problem...

shipo

The ice warning thing was one of the most annoying things about my former 328i, and one of the most enjoyable differences with my 530i. The 530i always shows the OAT in a certain spot, regardless of what else you have set to display elsewhere. The ice warning displays in the message area for a few seconds and then clears itself. I don't mind that. I hated the way my 328i did it.

 

I am hoping that the new E90 uses the methodology of the E39 and not the E46.

 

Best Regards,

Shipo

njmarcy

Hi all,

 

I have a 2005 RED 325xi..picked it up in Nov..The car reflects a weird "glare off the paint"...and also has a zillion circular motions on the paint. like using a "ruff" buffer in detail..

I brought it back...they shined it up..looked great...had it washed..(brushless place)..all the problems back..

brought it back..and they did a full detail..I spoke with the detail supervisor, and he said I should check with car washes first, to see what detergent they use....

I left saying to myself..I doubt if many BMW owners have to go threw THIS.

Had it washed again, by hand ...and its all back..I called customer service BMW USA, and she sent me back to the repair manager..who said that the regional guy who had seen it prior, said "thats normal for red paint,,like black paint"..

I am going back in two weeks to have a belt replaced...I am losing my patience..I had a red subaru for 5 years...was fine...any one else have problems with red paint in 05?..any suggestions where I should go for assistance?..The person at BMW USA said the dealership could authorize that the car be repainted.."under warranty"..but I tend to think it will be the regional guys decision...and he saw no problem with it..pls help!

Th

pjo1966

I had the same problem with my red 2003 Infiniti FX35. I never found a solution. The car had a myriad of other problems that led me to get rid of it after a year. It's not a solution, but during that year I tried my best not to look too closely.

 

I hope you find a satisfactory resolution. I love the look of the red.

pjo1966

I generally drive my 2005 325i in sport mode. When I'm coming to a complete stop, I've noticed when the transmission automatically downshifts to first gear the transition is really harsh. I never noticed this on my 2001 Z3. Is this common?

kyfdx

It is the same with my wife's '03.. I think it is even a little harsh in regular mode, but definitely in sport..

 

Seems fairly typical for a 3-series..

ss2u2

Hi folks, Just pick up car after inspI and noticed the following re: brake pad measurements.

at 15k oil service 15913mi, tech noted brake pad thickness as lf/rf 10mm and lr/rr 12mm.On inspI

31714mi, tech noted brake pad thickness as lf/rf 12mm and lr/rr 10mm? Well lets see, one could assume that the inspI tech just transposed the #'s(which suspiously match the #'s of the first tech), but obviously my pads would have worn down in the 15801mi. between these measurements. So my question before I return is, what instrument do I use to measure the brake pads,from what point to what point do I measure and what is BMW's minimum for replacing pads/rotors? TIA for your help...Steve/o2'330cic

ss2u2

pjo1966, I had a similiar problem with my 02' 330cic slush box, in normal mode, my trans clunked in the downshifts. A reprograming fixed the problem. Hope this helps...Steve

 

from service papers:

 

0054586 reprogram gms egs module

771wpb94

fc:0024230100

note: performed sib 24-04-03 to reprogram egs for harsh 3-2, 2-1 down shift

kyfdx

I'd go back to the service department, show them the two documents, and ask them what is up?

 

It could be something as simple as one tech who doesn't know how to accurately measure pad thickness..

 

I'd then ask the service manager to have his most experienced mechanic re-check it..

 

I don't know how old your car is, but if it is still less than 3-years old, this is important, as replacement pads are free until then..

 

If it turns out they are okay, but getting close.. I'd pay for the maintenance extension to 4yr/50K ($399).. Brakes alone will cost that much.

 

regards,

kyfdx

ss2u2

kyfdx, thanks good suggestion, it's an 2002! I'm going to measure them myself now that I know how.If close to the 3mm limit, I'll bring it to there attention and will definitely look into the extended warranty. I'm keeping this e46 a long time, so plan on learning to diy in the future...Steve

dag

I have a 2002 325XI with 36k miles and the original tires. I need new tires already and I was wondering if anyone has any recommendations for all climate driving since I live in the midwest. Thanks.

erickpl

They are unidirectional, and I'm not too sure I care for that. I'll probably go back to the Goodyear RSA's that were on there when I purchased it.

 

-Paul

kyfdx

How do you like the Michelins?

 

Other 3-series owners seem to like Pirelli P-Zero Nero A/S..

erickpl

But I had problems with the pulling the car to one side when I first got em. I swapped front to rear and it took care of it for the most part. It is pulling again now. They're getting a bit noisy too... louder than the RSA's EVER were.

 

-Paul

kyfdx

Yeah.. some of the problems with going with other 3-series owner's recommendations.. is that they are biased way over to the performance side of the equation.. Some driver's just seem immune to worries about tramlining and noise, as long as the car sticks in turns... Finding a nice compromise is hard...

webby1

That is why I gave up on Michelins....always had issues with getting the car to track properly.

In my 2002 Accord coupe I had 2 replaced under warranty ( belts shifted )and then I had to move the wheels in every possible configuration to get it correct.

I am done with Michelin's.

The Pirelli's snows are great and am installing Pirelli's P Zero Nero M and S in April.

Regards,

Webby

erickpl

with Michelin on my Civic Si. So I was a bit disappointed with the Pilot A/S's and the pulling issue. They have worn a LOT faster than the Eagle RSA's. I got over 50,000 with them and still had a CA-legal amount of tread left when I replaced them.

 

-Paul

ponytrekker

Famous steptronic clunk. There a software fix./

webby1

I have been using Michelins for over 30 yrs, however lately too many problems. I did not like the way Michelin Canada handled the problem. Honda dealer was great and helped to solve the issue. I have switched to BF Goodrich Traction TA in my wife's 2002 civic and Daughters 2003 civic and pleasantly surprised what a great tire !

Regards,

Webby

kyfdx

Ironically enough.. Michelin owns BFGoodrich.

webby1

"Ironically enough.. Michelin owns BFGoodrich"

That is true !

Regards,

Webby