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Comments
On your noise issue, can you pinpoint the source when you open the hood? It could be many things including fan blades touching the cowl, a water pump saying good-bye or harmless "idler gear rattle" (if you have a manual tranny). I can't think of anything related to the steering column that could cause a noise at idle.
If you're not a do-it-yourself-er I'd get your car to a mechanic. If it turns out to be fan or water pump related, things could get nasty if a part decides to let go.
The oil life monitoring systems are typically fairly complicated algorithms that take into account driving conditions, temperatures, cold starts... to determine when the oil is reaching the end of it's life. It is not a sensor that detects the quality of the oil.
Depending on when you get around to resetting it, you may want to take that into account for the next oil change.
Trip computer functions are secondary calculations for the ECM and have nothing to do with how well the car runs, unless there is a problem with speed sensors or flow/MAP sensors.
Since the car runs right, I tend to believe that all of the sensors are working. Further, since there are no problems with the car, I don't want the dealer to start changing sensors for a function that does not affect my driving with the risk of screwing something up - at least at this point.
My calculation is pretty straight forward and I did it about a 2 dozen times - always with fairly consistent results: Mileage from the trip computer and fuel pumped.
What I need is some other 545i owners to run the same test.
My response was to address the fact that the oil life determination is not a sensor and is much more than just miles driven, fuel used or time.
So, I guess the question remains as to what is involved with the service indicator in '98 (oil life, break system flush...) and was all the service performed that you feel is needed? Then either reset the light or have the service performed.
Don't have a '98, so I'll shut up now and let someone that does answer the question.
thanks
Although they are acceptably comfortable, I have found out after buying the car that these tires
are much more uncomfortable due to the thick sidewalls.
They apparently wear out much faster, and generate a lot of noise once they get between 10k to 20k miles.
Does anyone have any experience with these tires, and are there any alternatives without going to runflats ?
Since I am not an aggressive driver, are there any all-season or touring tires that are more comfortable ?
Feedback would be greatly appreciated.
http://bmwtips.com/tipsntricks/door/doorhandle.htm
On the other hand, there is someone who knows whether keeping in filling the tank after the automatic stop has worked can mislead the trip computer calculations? I tend to believe so.
Regards
Jose
In non run flats Michelin Pilot Sports or Pirelli P Zero Nero are highly recommended.
Do you have a spare tire?
Although, when these go for me, I will probably opt for a non-run flat tire.
Tires opinions are like elbows - everybody has one.
I was doing some research for the future and here is what I found:
- the Michelin Pilot Sports are a great performance tires as well as the new Goodyear (forget all the letters) which is supposed to be very impressive. A previous posting had some opinions on the new Goodyear.
- If you are not a totally aggressive drive, the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S has an all season rating and a much higher tread life (400).
- Yokohama makes a tire that has a decent tread life (280) and is priced very reasonably. It does not compare to some of the high end Dunlop/Michelin/Goodyear..., according to the race experts, but may be a good option for someone who is not pushing the car to it's limits.
Thanks for the info. To do my tests, I had given it one slow kick after the automatic stop to make sure it was not kicked out from an air bubble. I have performed the fills from multiple stations, so I think the error factor is minimal.
It seems like your calculation is good.
600 miles to a tank is great. I get about 400 - 450.
03 525i 13K
When the car encounters rough or uneven pavement, there is a rattle noise from both front wheels, but mostly heard on the driver's side (you must have the windows open to hear the rattle). This happens even when the brakes are applied. The noise is tinny metal on metal sound.
Everything is tight and all looks normal.
Please advise.
Let me know what happens with the dealer.
I have also heard good things about the two tire choices you mention.
Thanks for the reply.
I always feel more comfortable having an actual spare, even if it is a space saver.
I am sure you could even pick up one from a junk yard as I would assume most of the 5 series would use the same one.
03 525i 13K
When the car encounters rough or uneven pavement, there is a rattle noise from both front wheels, but mostly heard on the driver's side (you must have the windows open to hear the rattle). This happens even when the brakes are applied. The noise is tinny metal on metal sound.
Everything is tight and all looks normal.
Please advise.
FWIW, the liners that I bought were of an obvious redesign since my car was built, and just as obviously, more substantial.
Another thing that occurs to me is that your liners may "look" fast and secure, however, the lower-front-middle-screw mates with a clip that attaches to a trailing piece of the bumper skin (if I recall correctly), and I suppose that it would be possible for the clip to lose its attachment to the bumper and still be securely screwed to the fender-liner. That would rattle too, and if that is the case, it is a very simple fix to simply re-attach the clip to the bumper skin.
Disclaimer: The above is based on the SWAG* method of debugging (I'm a programmer), so it's worth what you paid for it. ;-)
*SWAG = Sophisticated Wild [non-permissible content removed] Guess
Best Regards,
Shipo
I'm only certified for WAG...
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WAG in Kentucky is the same as SWAG in the Boston area. The only difference is that with all of the laid-off techi-types around here (many still from the time when the DOT BOOM went DOT BOMB), there has to be a differentiation between the young bucks and us old Grey Beards. ;-)
Best Regards,
Shipo
It seems like the wine is also more pronounced when decelerating. Do you find this true of yours?
I drive alot of highway and my tread is very good - should get 25k out of the tires, but I am starting to worry about how much the noise will increase.
Have you received any response from your dealer.
After going over a month without the battery dying the dead battery problem cropped up again in a more persistant manner in mid-February. It turns out that I had a bad blower motor resistor in my HVAC system. This was causing the intermittent power drain to the battery. Apparently this is a relatively common problem among BMWs. The major problem is, of course, when it is only an intermittent fault it is hard to diagnose. One clue the resistor is bad is that your climate control appears to be functioning on the dashboard but no air is coming out of the vents. Hope this helps someone out in the future.
Any other ideas?
There is a heavy duty spring steel clip (that is supposed to be) on each caliper, I wonder if it is missing or loose.
Best Regards,
Shipo
My last car was an A6Q, and didn't have this problem.
http://www.bmwdiy.info/battery-maint/index.html
I'd say a few longer trips will likely charge it back up. If you do decide to top off the water level I'd suggest driving it for an hour or so right after doing it or you may have a truly dead battery on your hands. If you only drive the car for short distances you might also want to get a battery tender like the one mentioned on the above site.
Please advise me regarding buying a car from this list
BMW 520i
Mercedes 240E
Lexsus 300ES
What ever you do don't get the 300ES, it's just a glorified Camry, dull as dirt.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
I own a E60 2004 530i. I had a strange occurence the other day and wonder if anyone knows anything about it and what should I do?
I was coming to a complete stop at an intersection, and when i had come to a complete stop, my car started to choke and make clung clung noises and the brakes failed to work, i had continuing pressing the brakes, but was still going about 5-10km/hr, and the car had gone into the intersection, so i decided to floor it. After a few seconds, the brakes were fine, but I have lost confidence in the safety of the car right now. I am going to phone BMW to tell them about the problem tomorrow, but any help on this subject would be appreciated.
Thanks
Curtis
If you've never driven a vehicle without power brakes, the amount of brake pedal pressure needed to slow or stop the car is startling..
I think you had an engine problem, not a brake problem..
regards,
kyfdx
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I think Kyfdx is right. You want to find out why the motor suddenly dies leaving you w no power assists.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
thanks, curtis