BMW 3-Series 2006

blueguydotcom

DRLs can be set.

odessit

HOW? I do not have iDrive... tell me how please.

dl7265

i couldn't give a FWD over a 3 in anything...

DL

fedlawman

couldn't give a FWD over a 3 in anything...

And you haven't driven a FWD car since, what, 1978?

bookman2

really?

shipo

"i couldn't give a FWD over a 3 in anything..."

Hmmm, how about a Mini Cooper? I'm thinking at least 5. ;-)

Best Regards,
Shipo

dl7265

06/2005 actually a A3, not bad, just not a fan of torque steer..

DL

branco327

blueguydotcom,

I believe you are the only person I have ever heard or read saying they did not like the look of the E46 with ZHP or M package.

To many, this is perhaps the nicest looking Bimmer ever made so far. For me it is!

It's a pity you feel that way about your car but I can tell you this car turns heads big time!

http://img141.echo.cx/img141/2896/004700121ca.jpg

blueguydotcom

Hmmm, best looking bimmers...05 and 06 M5, Z8, Z1.

I got a view of which heads my ZHP turns...all the wrong ones.

kennynmd

could anyone tell me what the price of the comfort access option will be when it becomes available? thanks

shipo

$500.

dl7265

You know what ? it did not even cross my mind the little bugger was fwd. Hmm well maybe ill get one for a oil change loaner next time

DL

kennynmd

I remember someone saying that here, not sure it was you. Dealership told me 1k. I was looking at the pricing for the comfort access on a 750i and its 1k also.

skobola

It's really a shame that all the unimpressed people will not make change for me, because I test drove the new 325 and ordered it immediately. I hoped that if more of people will be unimpressed, the price could go down, but as we all know, it is pretty high now and it really does not seem that it will go down any time soon. I have a 2003 325 and once I test drove the new 325 I could not see myself waiting for my lease to end in March 2006. Luckily, the dealer told me that they will wash my current Bimmer off, i.e., there will be no penalty for the early lease termination because they will buy the car from me for whatever I still owe to BMW FS (around $21K). To be honest, the new BMW's tail does not look as hot as I would like it, but I really do not care how the car looks like anyway, as long as it drives as the new or old Bimmers do. And in that domain, I could not believe that the new 325 can be that much better than the old one (including of add'l power)! Therefore I just bit the bullet, as the new one will certainly cost me more than my current one (my current lease is at $361 per month incl. tax), and the new one will probably be around $450, as I ordered it with sunshades and BMW Assist, because I have a cellular phone with BT and I live in Florida. I still have option to walk out, but if they meet me at less than $450 per month (incl. tax), I will take it. As I said, it's a shame that they will probably not lower the price due to the number of unimpressed people before my Bimmer arrives, which will be probably mid-July. Well, tough for me, I guess... Only if the unimpressed people start yelling and screaming and actually not buying the car, maybe BMW will lower the lease price, but has to be very drastic and quickly, so please, all the unimpressed people, please, do not go for the new Bimmer and go for Lexuses or whatever other alternatives, so the Bimmer can go really down...

shipo

Per the official BMW price list:

Option code: 322
Description: Comfort Access (not available until Sep 2005 production)
MSRP: $500
Invoice: $455

Best Regards,
Shipo

kennynmd

Thanks again, wonder why the discrepancy in the price for the 750i? Anyways, can dealers take orders now for Sept. production. I decided to wait and get comfort access. By that way since its $500, It'll be a similarly priced to getting Prem. pack which I don't want since I don't need bluetooth wireless and BMW assist.

Also, would getting aftermarket 18" wheels and tires possibly void the warranty on brakes, rotors, etc.? Any experiences?

bigpapaluke

Does anyone have information regarding the new E90 colors scheduled to come out later this year? I see there is a brick red, a forest green, a champagne / goldish, and I saw somewhere there may be a version of the steel blue. Can anyone confirm the latter?

Thanks,
Luke

odessit

Ok, can someone finally tell me how to turn on daytime running headlights feature???

blueguydotcom

Nice deal! i'd love to do that with my 330i. Egad, I'd be willing to pay a few k under sticker for that deal and not even bother with ED if I could get my mitts on an e90 right now.

blueguydotcom

Go to the dealer and tell them you want the feature turned on. It's that simple. just like the blinking clown nose, they program it there.

odessit

Why like blinking clown? Actually I turn on headlight during day time always. In my city there are a lot of … not so good drivers who simply may “not see you”.
Does it cost anything at the dealer?

odessit

Actually, what are other options that can be turned on by dealer?

kyfdx

They have a whole list of things you can customize... By blinking clown nose, he means the red light on the rearview mirror.. You can program it to blink when you lock the car.. just like if you had an alarm..

regards,
kyfdx

odessit

Thanks for the explanation. Are all those customizations free to set up or dealer will charge hourly rate for that? I assume if I had iDrive I would be able to program it myself. Right?
mike

kyfdx

They should do it for free.. one time upon delivery of the car.. If they never mentioned these options to you... they should do it for free now..

I've heard everything from 1/2 hour to 2 hours labor charges to do it, after delivery..

regards,
kyfdx

kasperghost

Sept. 05 Colors

Alpine White
Electric Red
Jet Black

Metallic
Titanium Silver
Artic White
Sparkling Graphite
Sonora (biege-kindof)
Ultramarine Blue (light blue) Yes, to answer your question
Monaco Blue (dark)
Barrique Red
Deep Green
Black Saphire

Paint Chips avaiable at the dealer

Hope this helps

kdshapiro

Well everybody is entitled to their opinion. But if one is interested in an entry level sports sedan then there are a couple of thoughts:

1.For whatever reason a person dislikes the styling of the BMW. They may not have driven the car and have formed an opinion on the styling without the test drive. Well that is their perogative, but methinks one might be missing out on something.

2. They have driven the car and are unimpressed. Almost every independent review gives it a thumbs up, so the persons opinion, while certainly valid is in the minority.

3. They might have driven the G35 and mistaken the sweet spot of the rpm for the precision and smoothness the BMW gives.

4. They might dislike BMW just because.

At any rate, there is certainly a few choices to be had.

bigpapaluke

It does help - thank you. Was definitely curious about the Ultramarine Blue or the Barrique Red. My issue is that while I love the look of the black leather with the aluminum trim, having had black leather seats in the summer time can make the car kind of toasty. So that leaves (IMO) the terra leather with the aluminum trim, which looks very sporty. But finding an exterior color that compliments it may be challenging. The Black Sapphire looks sharp, but difficult to keep clean (based on personal experience). Love the barrique red, but that may make the car too monochromatic. So I'm considering the Sparkling Graphite or the Ultramarine Blue as alternatives.

At least it's better to have too many choices than not enough, right?

joek1

I am considering ordering the 06 e46 coupe this sept for oct delivery. Do you think the color selection will be the same. I want to order silver grey which is available for the 05 model. Do you think they will drop it for the 06 e46 coupe to be built in sept 05? Let me know what you think.

scalimtg

Hi! I have a question for you that has nothing to do with your question. I was wondering if the "06 e46 coupe" your are mentioning is same as the new body style 330/325ci?
I've been waiting for the release since november 04 when I was more than ready to purchase a car. I've been getting different information from all different sources regarding the release date. I have contacted the corporate headquarters and was told it should be ready to order in Aug 2005. Dealership is telling me sometime next year. Web sites have been posting sometime next year. Do you have a reliable source providing the release date? I am getting frustrated and looking into other options now, since I will not wait another year to get rid of my temp. car I have been driving~ Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks!

kyfdx

is the same as the '05...

New coupe out next spring/summer at earliest.. more likely next Fall (of '06).

ttangbee

I got my '06 325 a few weeks ago and one thing I noticed missing compared to my previous '02 is the automatic door lock feature when it goes over 8mph. Is this something available to the '06 and if so, does it need programming at the dealers? I'm also missing front seatback storage nets that is stated as standard. Anyone know what's going on?

blueguydotcom

Go to the dealer and have door locking programmed into the car.

As for the nets..no idea and I'd never allow anyone to use them anyway. Nothing is allowed to be stored in my car.

amt7565

You got to put some magazines in there to keep the people in the rear entertained.
So that they don't have to keep asking "are we there yet" for the upteenth time...

odessit

I already posted about nets (and people laughed at me ). I emailed BMW of North America and they confirmed that this is missing part that should be standard. I went to a dealer then and demanded it to be installed on my vehicle. They will order it from Germany since there are no parts like this in US for this car yet and will install it free of charge.

blueguydotcom

You got to put some magazines in there to keep the people in the rear entertained.
So that they don't have to keep asking "are we there yet" for the upteenth time

I'd sooner die than allow a magazine to reside in my car. I've had friends and family ask if I really use the car because there's nothing in the interior beyond CDs stored in the driver's door bin. :shades:

kasperghost

"I want to order silver grey which is available for the 05 model."

I don't know for a fact if it will change, but silver is a classic color in any manufucturer's lineup. If the color was to change, they wouldn't do it so close to a major transition. (It didn't for the 04-05 e45 sedan nor for the e90 sedan limited color lineup.)

blueguydotcom

big difference between silver grey and silver. big gap there.

kennynmd

I know this is a BMW board but I have been deciding between the two. Today I drove the c230 and although it has a really nice exterior, I was disappointed in the interior. 1) the 230's window switches are way low near the door speakers. Everytime I tried to operate the switch , I had to move my leg out the way. 2) although I never use it, the cruise control switch is right above the turn signal switch. When I used the turn signals o switch lanes I would use the cruise control switch. 3) the interior felt really tight. I know it's similar in size to the e46, but when I had my 325ci I felt I had more room. Finally, you can't go to the next preset station on the radio from the steering wheel control.
So what does this all mean...I will be ordering my 325 when the comfort access option becomes available..can't wait.!!!

ttangbee

Thanks for the reply. I did talk to my dealer and programming auto door lock should be resolved. However, he says that storage nets might be impossible since he thinks the whole seats need to be replaced, even though I had told him that the parts might be ordered from Germany and installed as an accessory.

lbl

I've just test drove 2006 330i and it handles very well. I am deciding between xi and i and want to know whether there will be any difference between the 2 models. My lease expires in 2 months and I was told that production on xi starts in September. That means I will not have a chance to test drive xi. Does anyone have any thoughts on whether xi would drive differently? Does anyone know the prices for xi? Thanks.

wco81

Is that suppose to have this forum put in some emoticon?

odessit

I am glad that the programming part is resolved. Will your dealer do it for free or they will charge you for work hours?

Now about the storage nets. I don’t know what dealer you talked to but when I talked to my dealer about this I actually saw how the service guy pulled on the computer screen the back part of a seat with the net and ordered it. It is really a part of a seat, not the entire seat. I think that the plastic back of your front seats simply detaches from the seat itself. Maybe it is attached on some hooks or on velcro or something like that. I am not 100% sure. But I saw that it is in fact a separate part.

mike

ttangbee

They'll do the programming for free.

About the storage nets, I'll wait for my dealer's call to see if indeed he may be able to install these as a separate part and if not, I'll tell him about your experience. I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks for the info.

pat

In a word, yes.

If you go to your Preferences (upper left) you'll find a check box to "Display Emotorcons." Check it, click Set Preference (at the bottom of the page) - you'll see the Emotorcons beneath the post box, including the little shades car.

It is supposed to be on for everyone by default, but there is some bug on the loose that turns it off for some seemingly at random.

ivan_99

When the new 3 series first appeared I thought it looked nice but was disappointed with the prev-gen maxima rear end. It has angles and curves that voids any comparisons.

Today is the first day I’ve seen one on the road. Totally blew me away, what a gorgeous car. The rear does not look anything like the prev-gen maxima.

It was a silver 325 (not sure of rims).

Too bad I’m nhot in the market.

wildcatjon

I also considered the xi but ordered a 330i instead and will put snow tires/wheels on it. There is a full dealer product information brochure in a pdf file on e90post.com that you can print off. It has every single spec about the car, including the xi models, including wheel choices, etc. Wheels are the same 17 inch std. wheels on the 330i, and the pricing is $1900 extra. Same x-drive in the x3 and x5, which means it is supposed to be RWD unless the sensors sense wheel spin. Also, you can get sport package, but you don't get sport suspension and you don't get the sport wheels (you get model 158 wheels, not the 162). Pics are in that brochure. I think that is $900. The car is heavier, which affects fuel economy just a little bit, and the front suspension has more steel rather than alumnium parts to support the FWD aspects of the xdrive. Lastly, you can upgrade to the sport 162 wheels/tires for another $600, but of course, you'd still have to buy winter wheels/tires bc even with an xi, you can't drive sport hp tires in the snow. Oh, and headlight washers are std on the xi (in the cold weather pkg in the i). Full pricing - invoice and retail on the xi is posted on that site too.

bartalk3

In one BMW brochure, they list Ultramarine Blue (light blue) as available in September. In another brochure, that color is not listed at all. Does anyone know whether that color will be available?

gonzo1184

Has anyone heard any news about the the xi? release date and when orders can be placed for the redesigned 3325xi?

giovanni1

I am almost positive you can place orders now, however I am not sure when they are do into the dealerships.