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Comments
Probably not; the dealer's explanation sounds reasonable. That said, I'd keep an eye on the thermostat as well as the plastic thermostat housing, since overheating can seriously reduce their life span.
Low miles on an 11 year old car isn't necessarily all that good a thing.
Sounds high.
Also what maintenance will it need right away.
A BMW of that vintage requires an oil change at 7500 miles, a minor service every 15000 and a major service every 30000. These numbers are approximate since the car calculates the exact interval based on driving conditions. Brake fluid is changed every two years and coolant every three years. You must use the fluids specified by BMW(no Walmart coolant or brake fluid, please!). As always, I would strongly advise that you have the car thoroughly checked out by a mechanic who knows BMWs.
He also says it has tan Leatherette interior what is this.
Leatherette is the BMW name for vinyl. It really doesn't look bad and it's probably a better choice than leather for an open car.
The M42 engine has a timing chain. As a matter of fact all BMW four cylinders sold in the US used timing chains. The only US-spec BMW engine that used a belt-the M20 "small" six-was replaced by the M50 in 1991/1992.
Okay then all he has coming up is a 30,000 mile interval service I guess....
I was driving.. all of the sudden, I feel the car get sluggish.. when I take my foot off the gas.. a sudden decrease in speed (abnormally). I thought the tranny was out of gear or something.. I was on the highway.. after another 1/2 mile.. I felt the steering wheel/car started to feel like it had a flat(tires were all fine). Steering wheel started to shake. I pulled over and there was a serious burning smell coming from the front left tire/brake area. I'm having the car towed into the dealer tmro.. but if anyone can shed some light before I go in.. I'd be grateful!
Thanks
In any event, it doesn't hurt to replace the timing chain tensioner at 100K on the M44/42 motors; the part costs less than $50 and takes all of about 15 minutes to install.
It could be a heat shield, but it might also be a transmission fault- which is why I strongly advise that you have a good BMW tech inspect the car.
Also the radio has a code on the faceplate. He said that the battery ran dead and the code came on. He said that the bmw dealer has to give you the code to reprogram. Could this be right?
Yes you need to pull the radio and write down the serial number. Any BMW dealer should then be able to provide the code upon proof of vehicle ownership. You simply enter the five digit numeric code through the buttons on the faceplate.
ic= Convertible
is= Coupe
I would switch to Mobil 1 0W-40 and change it when the Service Interval Indicator tells you(@7500 miles). Change the transmission oil(Mobil 1 ATF) and rear axle oil(Mobil 1/Redline/Valvoline Synpower 75W-90) every 50000 miles.
The check engine light(CEL) indicates that the on-board diagnostic system-in your case OBDI-has detected a problem in the engine management and/or the emission control system. It's just about impossible to make an accurate long distance diagnosis since the CEL can be triggered for a number of reasons. I'd say that as long as the car is running fine it should be safe to drive. In the meantime, you might want to check under the hood to verify that the oil filler cap is on all the way and the dipstick is fully inserted into its tube. Make sure that no vacumn hoses are cracked or disconnected. In the future you might want to pick up a Peake Research R5/FCX(II). It reads engine fault codes and also allows you to reset the CEL, Oil Service, and Inspection lights.
Sweet car. One of my favorites.
I need to locate the fuel pump.
It is located in the fuel tank. A brief DIY pictorial can be found here. The later model 3ers are very similar so this DIY page should also be of help. If you are replacing the pump be sure to get either a BMW or a Bosch pump-and replace the rubber gasket ring. Needless to say, be VERY careful as gasoline vapors are easily ignited.
I called BMW North America and reported the incident. They asked me to take it back to the dealer to have it "evaluated" whatever that means. Hopefully, the on board computer registered the malfunction, but who knows.
And for those of you who might think i hit the accelerator instead of the brake, think again, cause had i done that, my car and the other vehicle would have major damages. Not to mention the fact that the both vehicle would have left the parking stalls and hit the vehicle in the next row, since I know i pressed the pedal all the way down to the floor.
BMW NA Customer Relations
I have 2002 325iT Sportswagon with 58,995 miles. I have just recently completed Inspection II at local BMW dealership. However, they did tell me that my belts are cracking and needs to be replaced ($250) and the boots/bushings need to be replaced as well ($450). I have already set up an appointment to fix the busings and replace the belts, then got suspicious as my boss's 330Ci had to FIX THE EXACT SAME ISSUES when he had done his 60K Inspection done a month ago. Do the belts and bushings need to be replace at 60K? Or does this seem like a gimmick? I am strongly considering taking the car to an independent BMW mechanic for an estimate. However, I am afraid that going to independent mechanic will devoid my CPO extended warranty. Is my local BMW center pulling my leg? I know this is a fine luxury car, but maintenance cost is way above my head.
Any advice would be appreciated.
No show, no go. If they are so small that YOU can see them then they aren't a problem unless the dealer is just suggesting replacement based on age, not condition.
So the question is, does the scehduled service DEMAND that these items be replaced or just suggest they be "inspected"?
I'm thinking of purchasing a 2005/2006 325i within the next 6 months. I'm new in the BMW market therefore not very farmiliar with them. What sort of common problems should I be aware of? I owned a 2002 Jetta which had transmission problems at 80,000km. I quickly sold the car after replacing the transmission but this made me "sort of weary" of German cars; although a Bimmer and a Jetta are totally different cars. Is the 3 Series worth it or should I be looking for a Japanese alternative? Are these cars (3 series) lemons? Any advice that you can offer me will be highly appreciated. Thanks.
Depends on what you want. Many consider BMWs to be the pinnacle of sport/luxury cars. To a slightly lesser extent, I'd throw Audi in there, too.
There are some good Japanese brands in the segment.....namely Infiniti & Lexus.
Best thing to do is to drive the cars you think you might be interested in and make your choice. No klunkers in any of those brands.
My new car, after just 500 miles already shows wear on the driver's ">link title rubber door seal. But the more serious problem is the paint on the driver's door handle is flaking off.
This is a great driver's car, but these problems should't happen to a new car, especially one in this price range.
Maintenance is included during the 3 Series warranty period. Past the warranty period, maintenance costs are going to be higher than a Chevy, for example. But, I think reliability is right up there with the best of them with the BMW based on the folks I've spoken to that have owned BMWs.
I test drove an A4 & A6, an Infiniti G and M, and a Lexus ES and IS before I decided on the BMW. All nice drivers. The BMW drove the best out of all of those, however. Close 2nd would be the Audis....probably tied with the Infinities.
Audi offers free maintenance for the '06s but will do away with that for the '07 model year. Neither the Infiniti, nor the Lexus offer free maintenance. I figure free maintenance adds about $1,200-$2000 to the value of the car.
Don't know if all BMW dealerships do this, but mine offers free loaner cars when it's in for service, too. Free hand car washes are offered too. All the lux brands offer the boutique coffee bar experiences (mine has pastries, bottled water and sodas for free) if that means anything to you.
Build quality is high on all the brands. I don't think you would find much difference between any of them.
All the above brands seem to treat their customers much better than a Ford, Chrysler or GM dealership does. I got the impression customer service was more of a focus rather than a tag line with the lux brands.
Truth told, the deciding factor should be your driving experience. That's what swayed me.
Good luck and let us know what you decide.
I use the "knuckle thump" test before I buy a vehicle. The "thump" of the BMW surfaces is very solid. Look at things like the stiching of the seats and on the interior door panels, too. It's all very straight an high quality. The wood looks good, too. I've seen some real wood in cars that actually looks like plastic (felt that way about the Lexux, even though they use real wood).
Again, best thing to do is to drive the ones you're interested in and make a decision from there.
Could you share your opinion of buying Used 2003 325i Vs ACCORD Ex, I'm getting into buying BMW for the first time, please let me know is it very expensive to maintain Luxury Vehicle compared to Japanese vehicles after 1 year maintenance. Please provide your valuable inputs based on your past experience, Is it good to buy from Private owner with 1 year warranty left out Vs Paying more money to buy Certified Pre Owned vehicle from Dealer.
You might even want to throw the Acura RL into the mix, too. According to some reports, the RL is selling in the very low 40s. At that price, it's bumping heads with a loaded 3 Series.
The leather around my 2000 323i's steering wheel has become loose you you can turn it. I spoke to my dealer and they said there was nothing they could do. Anyone have this happen to them? Is it common? Any thoughts on a remedy? It's not a huge deal, but it is kind of annoying when I'm driving.
he found a transmission for an e30, can the e36 be switched out and replaced with an e30? um an 89 - 91 used to replace a 92, if that makes more sense-which it does to me...
THANKS SO MUCH!! He's worked so hard, and listened to my mouth for too long not to get this beauty on the road..
It's happened once two days ago:
when I was getting off a freeway (~40 mil/hr), suddenly all warning (fault) lights came on and flashing, accompanied with beeping sounds. The whole event lasted 2~3 seconds. Then all warning lights went off. The electronics seems have reset themselves, because the clock time memory and trip milage memory were lost.
I didn't have time to confirm whether the engine speed gauge was showing abnormal reading during the 2~3 second incident. But, the car was running through the whole event, and I didn't need to restart the car.
After the incident, I droved for another ~60 miles to go back home. Everything appeared to be normal (no warning light, engine speed, water temperaure).
This morning, I sent it to the dealer for a check. As I expected, they didn't find anything, except the electronic system did lost some memory data.
I will have to talk with the dealer again, asking them to check "a big butterfly valve for air intake during acceleration".
abfisch
After paying off for the car, I dont want incur incremental expenses.
Appreciate your inputs on this matter.