BMW 3-Series 2006

shipo

I'm pretty sure that the standard BMW Lug Bolt has a 17mm head, however, we are having a nice thunderstorm right about now, and I don't want to get all wet moving the car out of the way to check. I'll post back tomorrow.

Regarding the Torque Wrench, the good old fashioned "Beam Torque Wrench" should be more than sufficient if all you are doing is Lug Nuts/Bolts. Sears sells this one for $29.99:

Sears Beam Torque Wrench

Regarding the size of the square drive, you definitely should get a 1/2 inch drive, I don't even think the 3/8 inch units go up to 88.5 lb-ft, and those that do (if any), are probably way expensive.

Best Regards,
Shipo

mhg

I am interested in purchasing a new 330i and am wondering about its performance in snow and/or ice. Are the run flat tires good performers in those conditions? Will the car's traction control system help or is four wheel dry a must in handling poor conditions (no bounding through foot high drifts, but icy conditions on a pretty regular basis. Thanks for your feedback.

shipo

First off, there are (or soon will be) three different drive-train/wheel & tire combinations to choose from for the 330i (all of which come equipped with Run-Flat tires). Each of the three will behave significantly different in the snow. Straight from the factory with no modifications, the 330xi (AWD version) will be the king of snow, followed at a considerable distance by a 330i without the Sport Package. Both of those two models come with All-Season tires, and as such are -okay- in the snow, (especially the "xi" as I said before). Then there is the 330i SP, that car will be all but worthless in the snow if you leave the factory rubber on it.

So, since I live in snow country (big time), guess which one I'm going to order. Yup, you got it, the 330i SP. Why? Because I plan on doing to it what I did to my former 530i SP (which was also worthless in the snow with the factory tires), and buy a set of winter wheels and tires for it. Said winter set will totally transform a 330i SP into a car that will almost be able to nip at the heels of the 330xi under acceleration, and yet it will be able to handle and stop better in most slippery conditions. Of course you could do the same thing to a 330xi (ie. mount winter rubber in it too), then it would reign supreme in every winter driving criteria except for braking at the limit (the "xi" weighs a little more which will negatively affect the stopping distance).

Best Regards,
Shipo

dl7265

Excellent. Did not know about the beam. Saved me some dough. Now i hope the factory did not use an impact during production... :confuse:

DL

wco81

I've heard that metallic paint jobs don't last as well because the metal flakes reflect the sun back onto the cover layer, breaking it down faster.

shipo

Hmmm, sounds like a fish story to me. I've never heard or seen any evidence to suggest anything but the opposite. The fact is that, for BMW at least, there are several more coats of paint (including clear coat) on Metallic cars than on flat color cars, and those extra coats seem to, if anything, last longer. As an example, I've seen plenty of fine looking twenty year old dark colored metallic BMWs running around in the sunny southwest, however, I've yet to see one with oxidized paint.

Best Regards,
Shipo

div2

At one time BMW(along with several other car companies) did have a problem with premature deterioration of their metallic paints. They solved the problem by the mid-80s.

shipo

Ahhh, thanks for the info. ;-) I don't suppose those problems occurred with the change over to more ecologically friendly water borne paints did it?

Best Regards,
Shipo

fsetter

I thought I saw a mention of this with earlier discussions (speculations) about the new 3 series (E90) .... that is, the new coupe when it is launched might have a retractable hardtop. Does anyone have any info on this?

paule

Now i hope the factory did not use an impact during production

The factory uses a calibrated pneumatic gun. I'd bet good money it is +/- 1 psi of the recommended torque.

bookman2

Shipo, I've just ordered an '06 330i SP and I live in Chicago. I had planned to mount 225/40VR18 winter tires on all four corners when the time comes (specifically Continental ContiWinterContact TS790 V). You suggest a significantly smaller size--why?

dl7265

Thanks, I will find out soon, My wheels are schedualled to arrive tomorrow and i bought a torque wrench and a deep and shallow 17mm sockets today ( thanks Shipo)

DL

shipo

Conventional wisdom holds that the taller the sidewall and the narrower the tread, the better the tire will work in the snow. Since the E90 330i will accomodate seventeen inch wheels, that is the defacto recommendation for rim size for winter tires. If you check the TireRack.com web site, they echo this by recommending 225/45 R-17 tires (same size as the non-SP 330i), or alternatively 215/50 R-17 tires, which are about a half of an inch narrower than the 225s. Both tires can be mounted on 17 x 7.5 or 17 x 8.0 wheels. Were it me, I'd probably pick the 17 x 8.0 inch wheels and use the 225/45 R-17 winter tires, which can even be had as "Run Flats" if you opt for the expensive Dunlop Winter Sport M3 tires ($162 each).

I hope this helps.

Best Regards,
Shipo

shipo

You got it! Any time. ;-)

Best Regards,
Shipo

delcis

Can any current E90 owners confirm the rear turn signal color? Is it, in fact, red? With a lack of solid info I am hoping that the clear/white segment in the rear is a combination turn signal and backup light.

odessit

You made me stand up and walk out of my office Yes, rear turn signal is in fact red. To be more precise rear turn signal is red and located, if we take left turn signal for example, in the upper left segment of the rear signal glass assembly.

delcis

Thank you for confirming this. Not a deal breaker, but red is definitely not my favorite color for turn signals. From the BMW.de website, it looks like the European version has identical rear lights. I thought amber/yellow rear turn signals were required by most countries in Europe? Hmm.

P.S. IMHO the rear light assembly looks most like a recent Civic, if anything.

odessit

Maybe it’s better if you post them on some photo sharing websites? I think it would be too excessive to post all of them here. I can offer you to post them on my web album at www.fotki.com . I have paid subscription there and have unlimited space. Let me know if you want me to post them and provide link on this board so everyone can enjoy loking at them.
mike

P.S. what car was that?

planoml

I wasn't planning to post all of the 300, maybe 4-5. Thanks for the offer. There should be an easy way to post a few pics here. It's an E90.

odessit

Under the box where you write the message to post you will find buttons. One of the buttons has tex "Img". Click that button. It will place beginning of html tag in your text.

Then you simply write the destination on the internet where your pictures are. Yes, it means you still must place them somewhere on the internet. Then you press button "Img" again, and it will close html tag with this symbol.
If it seems complicated, then leave driving to drivers and programming to programmers:) No offence, just kidding:). Send me the pictures –I’ll post them
mike

dukat

My friend has a 6 year old BMW and the dealer just charged him $900 for brake pad/oil change. Ridiculous doesn't come close to explaining what they charge for out of warranty work.

Question is how different is changing brake pads on the e90's compared to a typical Japanese car? I've done it myself on my Acura so could I just goto the autoparts store, pickup new pads and put them on the same way?

I'm just trying to guage how much the e90 will cost me in maintinence once the warranty is out. I've been reading the last few pages here regarding the tire discussion and am relieved I can buy 3rd party tires should I need to.

Thanks!

corvette

You can extend the 4/50 maintenance plan to a 6 year, 100,000 mile maintenance plan for under $1000 if you shop around. It is worth it if you will put nearly 100k on the car in 6 years, as it would include the major Inspection II, an oil service, and an Inspection I, a brake fluid flush, plus probably a set of brake pads all around (the extension also covers brakes).

Oil change requires synthetic oil on all BMW's, and should cost around $100 at a BMW dealer, or $70 at an independent garage. With synthetic oil, you can do it yourself for well under $50.

Brakes on the E90 are similar to other BMW's, or so the tuning guys say. There is an electronic brake pad wear sensor to contend with. The brake fluid must be changed every two years, regardless of mileage. Your best bet, once your warranty expires, is to find an independent mechanic who specializes in BMWs, and use them for repairs you can not tackle yourself. Once the maintenance plan expires, you should use the indie mechanic for maintenance items you can't or don't want to tackle yourself.

I think that, since the ride is tuned for stiff runflat tires, the ride with non-runflats would be overly soft--maybe not to the point of feeling like your father's Oldsmobile, but not a desirable trait, either.

shipo

I've done the brakes on both my E46 328i (same brakes as the E46 325i) and my E39 530i (same brakes as the later E39 540i), and I can say that they were both the easiest brake jobs I've ever done, Japanese, American or German. If you do a little shopping, buy the parts over the internet and then do the work yourself, there should be no reason why you cannot do a full pad and rotor replacement for well under $200 per axle.

The only thing I would bother having done at the dealership or a good independent shop is the biannual brake fluid flush.

Best Regards,
Shipo

shipo

I've done the brakes on both my E46 328i (same brakes as the E46 325i) and my E39 530i (same brakes as the later E39 540i), and I can say that they were both the easiest brake jobs I've ever done, Japanese, American or German. If you do a little shopping, buy the parts over the internet and then do the work yourself, there should be no reason why you cannot do a full pad and rotor replacement for well under $200 per axle.

The only thing I would bother having done at the dealership or a good independent shop is the biannual brake fluid flush.

Best Regards,
Shipo

rs1157

Hey all,

This place is great. I always come here when ever I purchase a car to get other users info. Anyway my car is comming in on the 21st, cant wait.

Servicing. $100 for an oil change is not terrible! (well it is bu it isnt) The cars oild has to be changed once ever 15,000 to 18,000 miles. If that was at regular intervals that would be 6 changes. The car also holds 8 quarts of $5/ quart oil. So. Even well after the warranty runs out, the servicng should not be to bad.

The automatic transmission should be sealed so it never needs to be changed.
The oil every 15k
The radiator 100k
brake fluid every 2 years
steering fluid 100k (probable)
Differential 100k ????
Spark Plugs 65k (6 right, no double spark per cylinder?)

The brake's should last at least 40k
and you could take them to anyplace to get them changed.

Id get a computer reader for the car to make sure the dealer doesn't rip you off, BMW is a great car company, but cant say that about most service centers,

Anyone try out that bluetooth thing? I wanted to see how well it worked?

What type of mpg is everyone getting? How many miles do you get before the warnimg light turns on, or until you get to E. I drive 55 miles a day to work, and one reason why I got the car is that I beleive that I should be able to get over 29 mpg casue the car has such low gearing in the overdrive gears.

By the way I got mine with Sparkling Graphite, with the terra interior. and burl wood ( i liked the aluminum but it only looks good with the black interior, i think)

Well looking to hear from ya all.

bookman2

Shipo, thanks a bunch. That helps alot.

dl7265

Hey, how was your trip ? Did you have a great time ?

DL

dl7265

My 325i is getting 24mpg per the OBC ( i never trust them) and also by hand. Thats in a combined cycle of about 70/30 driving. Also since you asked the ::: warning::: comes on at 50 miles to empty. Now tonite i was 30 miles to empty when i stopped. I put in 15.7 gallons. According to the manual it holds 15.9 gallons Yikes! including a 2.1 reserve. So either said pump was not accurate or do they mean 15.9 plus 2.1 ? Either way sounds like my 30 miles to empty was dangerously close...

DL

barry626

Shipo

I plan to buy 17x 8.0 wheels for my 330i. Using 225/45 R-17 Snows.
I have chance to buy "BMW" wheels @ half price (recondition) ones like new?
Would u know if 17 x 8.0 from 1999-2004 330 series would fit? believe offset is 47mm.
Or long as 17x 8.0 will fit & offset doesn't make a difference?

Thanks for advice, much appreciated.

shipo

In theory at least the 17" wheels from the E46 should work perfectly well (same diameter and same offset), however, during a conversation I had recently with a TireRack specialist, I found that there is an added wrinkle. According to him, there are some twenty criteria that determine whether any given wheel will fit on any given car. The one that gives me the most pause regarding mounting E46 17" wheels on an E90 330i is the inner diameter of the wheel. The brakes are rather larger on the E90 330i than they were on the E46 330i, and as such, there may not be enough inner wheel clearance for the brake calipers.

Short of "Buying and Trying" I have no idea how to find out if they'll work until the aftermarket folks (such as http://www.bmwwheels.com) update their compatibility charts.

Sorry I couldn't be more helpful.

Best Regards,
Shipo

kbhockey

Hi all
i have about 450M on the car so far-so a little early to really tell what MPG but averaging 25 in town and 30ish on the highway--taking a trip this weekend to philly so should get a good read on highway mileage-

325 SP, AS, Sparkling Graphite/Blk/Alum

cheers
KB

planoml

I'll take you up on the offer. I have about five pics. What's the best way to get them to you.

planoml

You may already know that the trip computer has an "average mile" feature.

planoml

It was great. As soon as the pics are posted, I'll give you guys a short write-up.

odessit

You may email them to the address in my profile. Look in the Bio section – that email address can accept large attachments in case your files are large.
If you wish to put more pics - ll be happy to host them in my album for you.
mike

pat

It's not a good idea to post your email address - the best way to let someone have it is make it public in your profile. That lets only registered, logged-in members see it which protects you from those who would use it maliciously (spambots and the like).

As I write this, you have time to delete your message, but if you miss it and want me to, just drop me an email. You can change your profile and repost.

odessit

Thanks, I should’ve know better. My bad. Already fixed the mistake. Thanks again.

dl7265

So, My style 159 wheels/tires and exhaust trims arrived. The 1st thing to notice is the 159's do not have a standard lip. So the weights are actually mounted in the inside of the wheel. So far as cleaning and ascetics is pretty cool. However i can see a curbing, would take a direct hit . (Will have to be careful) . The chrome trims easily slide on and have a screw set. The inner pipe actually sticks out father than the outer. I will have to examine a 330i to see if thats the same case.

Anyways, I got a great deal on the parts and confuse the general public on my 325i/330i project Interestingly enough I have yet to see a E90 on the road that wasn't a test drive.

DL

blueguydotcom

nterestingly enough I have yet to see a E90 on the road that wasn't a test drive.

So far I've seen about 20 on he roads around San Diego. Can spot them from a distance - bimmer colors and the shape really stick out on the road. At first I thought it looked kinda like a 5 (not nearly as sexy). Now I'm seeing them as similar but very, distinctively different.

If I'm in my bimmer I flash them and give them a thumbs up. The owners seems to appreciate that. Weird, as I didn't use to be so demonstrative.

selm

I too am in SD and have only seen 1 on the road. Then again I drive a little less than 10K miles per year.

planoml

Sound nice. Post some pics. I'm getting professional help from Mike on mine.

dl7265

I have been followed and approached by many E46/E36 owners . All were very kind, sans the ealier M3 owner i posted about.

DL

odessit

Enjoy
Just in case you don’t see images on this page – simply go to this album
http://public.fotki.com/mvs/public/bmw-1/planoml/

kdshapiro

Great pics and gorgeous Bimmer.

planoml

Guys like you make this site what it is.

I hope the pics are a trip down memory lane for some, and something to look forward to for those planning. This was my first ED. If you can put up with the 6-8 week wait for the car to reach home, I encourage everyone to do it. Picked up the car in Munich on the 20th, went through Austria, Italy, and Switzerland; for a final drop off in Paris on the 27th. Came back on the 30th. Everyone we met, was very nice and helpful. Following are some notes on the pics:

1. Neuswanstein-Germany
2. Lake Como-Italy
3. Interlaken-Switzerland
4. Berner Oberland-Switzerland
5. Paris

By the way-it's a 325i, Sparkeling Graphite, Black ette, Aluminum. Got step with the promise that we could switch as soon as BMW comes out with a DSG styled tranny.

planoml

Thanks man. You know I found out a lot about ED from you and Shipo.

rs1157

Hello all,

Nice pictures, car fits in nicely. Got a question for you guys who got one already. How many miles do you get on a tank of gas? are you gettin 350 ish or more. Becasue if I did my calculations right the car can get a thoeretical 455. now in real world you might not break the 400 miles mark. but my current cars ((Jeep Wrangler) yah we can have a big conversation on how a wrangler switched to a bimmer. and if those jeep heads found me turning to the Germans, oh man I dont want to think what they will do to me ) But any way my current car gets 277 when the theoretical is 324. but that is a different story. I get on the books 17 mpg highway, and the best I ever calculated was 16.99 so pretty close. dont want to know what I get in the city. Anyway the warning light comes on with 1/4 left.

The only reason I ask is becasue I drive 110 miles a day for work, and am trying to fgure out if i can fill up on Monday and be set for the rest of the week. but unless I do something special I dont think that will happen. but on the bright side I should be doubling my fuel economy, the bmw and the jeep arent to different in price when you factor in gas. Also the bmw's insurance is 200 less per 6 months. They are som many pluses with this car. I might even regain my hearing. driving at 75 mph, it reaches 80 dB (with the top up)

Has anybody found anything that they do not like about the new 3 series. At first glance the onl thing i did not like was that the hood of the car contained the upper part of the radiator grill, but after looking at the car I didnt care.

What do you people think of the back seat of the car, im a tall guy, 6-2 its ok for small people i guess.

Oh yah I love the regular steering wheel, it is nice, but I do not like the sport steering wheel, why did they have a big hump in it? Well those are my only gripes.

Also about Servicing I hear BMW service does not cover rotating tires every 5k miles. and they do not recommend it. Can you get the tires rotated with their pressure sensors in them?

how many keys does the car come with?

dl7265

Awsome I am so jelous, I can't wait to plan my 1st trip. So how many miles did you drive ? And how did your brakes feel ?

DL

barry626

DL

Where did u buy your 159 wheels from?

Thanks!

hpowders

Anybody out there know if you order both the premium and sport package, do the sport seats then come with lumbar support?