BMW 3-Series 2005 and earlier

dave330i · May 2002

At a stop light, I practice blipping the throttle. This does 2 things. It helps with muscle memory, and I get to see which method is more natural for me (toe on brake & heel on throttle for me).

tcn2k · May 2002

The black strip on the bumper has excessl length that is hidden at the end of the bumer as the black strip goes into the bumper. All you have to do is grip the strip in the middle and give it a good pressure toward the desired direction and it will go that way. And no, you do not need to remove the strip to do this, since it is made to slide back and forth with force of course.

erickpl · May 2002

Sorry, some of this might be late, so bear with me.

My color choice was the oxford green metallic 2 with the natural brown leather (with wood). Looks incredible. It does have the black at the bottom (with black mats). Brown mats in mud and dirt just don't work for me. Nobody else around here, that I've seen has the Green 2 / natural brown combination.

WOO HOO

My spouse also is a manual preferrer. She comes from the world of Mustangs and RX-7's, so I feel like shipo, picked a winner there!

As long as we don't live in heavily populated areas (read Los Angeles or Dallas!) we will have at least one manual. Traffic, age, or amputation would be basically the only reasons we would have an automatic.

As for the xi and the vibration, mine was fixed (for the most part) by rotating the tires. The softer rubber on my tires is already cupping a bit, leading to the noise. Rotating solved most of those issues, but once tires cup, they are never as quiet - until you replace them. I hope the vibration problem while accellerating for the other poster is fixed soon. The 2002's are NOT the first AWD's. The xi was introduced in 2001, but BMW DID have the ix back in the early 90's, so they are not new to AWD as previously stated. You may also want to check the bearings to see if any are worn. If the tires were out of round, that could have caused premature wear. (Read this in the current Road and Track).

Shipo has on more than one occasion,
Also, with the xi, we are loving it in the mountains where we live. I love the surefootedness of the car. With my entire family of 4 and luggage, we still have no problems getting up and going. I would have loved the 330xi, but I just couldn't justify the cost for the different engine and trims especially when the 325xi more than met my needs. Just wanting the biggest and best I guess.

-Paul

brave1heart · May 2002

This is my bible on shifting techniques. It has helped me become a much better driver. Give it a try if you are interested -

http://www.happytogether.com/318ti/notebook/shifting/

vkwheels · May 2002

Have never seen it, but it certainly sounds like an elegant combination.

Happy Belated Birthday to Shipo!

1pierce · May 2002

In starting this flame war, I wasn't saying that a manual isn't "more connected", or "more fun". Of course it is, for me too. My point is that for MOST people (this group excluded), including spouses, male and female, who learn to drive a stick later in driving life (i.e after their teen years), they either love it passionately, or somewhat dread it and are uncomfortable.

If they are uncomfortable and insecure, as my wife would surely be, because they fear stalling, rattling valves, or drifting backward on a hill, they will be more consumed with the stress of shifting than with driving the car safely and enjoyably. That's why I don't advocate the advice often given here of "I'd just talk the wife into learning to drive a stick..."

Even if I wanted a stick, and my wife caved (which she is unlikely to do), I know she'd curse me and feel stressed everytime she had to drive it. I want her to like my car - so she doesn't begrudge me the huge payment - not dread the thing everytime she has to drive it. Plus, beginning drivers are NOT good for your clutch, especially when they only drive it once a week.

PS: I agree with the poster who thinks that women pick-up shifting faster than men. Don't know why this is. One thing is for sure: your average teenage girl in Germany or England can outshift the top 10% of manual drivers here in America.

vkwheels · May 2002

I think you're doing a bit of rabble-rousing here, intentionally or not ;-) ! Are you going to order your car & did you settle on a color? I ordered mine on Apr. 10. It'll be here sooner than later at this point.

brave1heart · May 2002

There is no flame war going on here - just a constructive difference in opinions. We all have different preferences but we share our passion for BMW's peacefully, that's the key thing. I am past the point of arguing which one is better for the majority of the population. I am a lot more interested in sharing shifting techniques and discussing tires with dave330i & Co. rather than convincing people that yes, their wives could learn to drive a manual too.

As far as Europe vs. the U.S., keep in mind that people there drive manuals mostly because gas is a lot more expensive. If they had the same prices as us, probably a lot more people would be driving automatics. People that drive manuals here do it mostly because they love driving, not to save money on fuel as much. A lot of them a real enthusiasts and can probably shift a lot better than your average German or British teenage girl.

SMG - who really buys these? There's no denying that they are faster than manuals but I'd think that the people buying these are those who cannot drive manuals, not those who can but are looking to improve their performance.

nyccarguy · May 2002

And yes, like brave said, it is a faster shifter than even the best stick driver, but is also very expensive. It is a $2400 option on the M3. To add that to the options list of a 330i xi or Ci would make fully loaded versions of these cars push into the $45-$46K range, which is dangerously close to 5 series territory.

rshaw11 · May 2002

When I got my new 325i home the tire pressure put in by the dealer was 35/42. I checked the chart on the door and that's for a max. load. The chart says, for up to four passengers set the pressure to 30/35. Anyone have any suggestions on the "correct" pressure to use. I drive mostly city streets and freeways. Thanks

postoak · May 2002

I've been driving stick shifts for 15 years and have never seen the need for heel-and-toeing or double clutching. In fact, I've tried them a few times and they just seem too hard. I DO rev match, on both up and down shifts. This is relatively easy. It certainly isn't necessary to heel-and-toe to rev match. I suppose heel-and-toe and double-clutch techniques ARE necessary/desirable for racing, but if you are thinking about switching to a stick shift for the first time, don't be scared off by all this talk about them.

ddblue · May 2002

My understanding is that Armor All has a substance that causes the rubber/plastic to crack over time. I always have used STP Son-of-a-Gun, and it works beautifully. If you use Meguiar's, Mothers, or Griot's Garage stuff, you also cannot go wrong.

ddblue · May 2002

Maybe I'm not clear on what you wrote, but why would you need to blip the throttle on the upshifts? The RPMs are already up there. It's the downshifts that need it.

erickpl · May 2002

Yes, I have to admit, the green/natural brown is a good combination. hopefully I will have my pics developed in a week or so so I can put them up somewhere for people to see. Damn I wish I had a digital camera.

-Paul

abcnyc · May 2002

Where have you read or found out that Armor All damages rubber or plastic over time ? I currently use it on my wheels and trim. I'd like to know if I should switch products.

postoak · May 2002

ddblue - I didn't say I blipped the throttle -- I said I rev matched.

Blipping the throttle is also another term I either don't understand or don't see the need for. A "blip" implies (to me at least) that you press down on the accelerator quickly and then release quickly. I never do that. I try to hold my revs exactly where they need to be when I release the clutch pedal. I dunno maybe I've been shifting wrong all these years.

1pierce · May 2002

Brave: You're right. I don't know why I let myself get sucked into discussions of manual vs step and SP vs no SP. I just hate to see somebody get "peer pressured" (whether intentional or not) into buying something they may not truly want (like I almost was w/SP). I guess we just have to remember that while we all love BMW's, we all have very different lifestyles, environments and personal tastes to be accommodated.

vkwheels: I decided on Electric Red. The white is very elegant, but I just gazed into the red car in the showroom and thought "This is the only color that I KNOW I'll never get tired of" - just like my last red car, which I had for 7 years.

The car will be: Electric Red w/black leatherette, Step, PP, HK, and Xenons: MSRP $33,095. Trying to get it for $31,700-32,000. Don't think I can do much better - There is only about $2,700 between MSRP and Invoice on this car as configured. Plan to get it ordered by end of May, and will make my first offers this weekend. I have one quote on lease financing from my credit union, so I have something to compare the payment to when I talk to the dealer.

mcnal01 · May 2002

I haven't driven my xi in snowy conditions yet but I did test drive an xi last winter on snow covered roads and found it to be very sure footed. I only have about 3000 miles on the car so far but have had no problems and no vibrations even at speeds exceeding 100 mph.

1pierce · May 2002

The dealer I am talking to is asking for a $500 deposit to order the car. Is that in line with what you guys paid? It seems high to me, but I've never ordered before. I guess I'm OK with it, if it is typical for BMW orders.

hippo168 · May 2002

Just make sure it is refundable, in case something comes up and you don't like the car, or you can't buy it...

I paid the $500 deposit, I didn't have a problem with that, esp I ordered my car (instead of picking from the lot).

1pierce · May 2002

The two dealers I have met with so far have shown absolutely NO interest in working with me to get out of my lease a couple months early. They don't seem to want to touch my trade (they haven't even seen my car - all talk has been theoretical).

I guess I'll have to suck it up and try to return my 99 Maxima with several chips in the windshield and brakes about 5,000 mi past their prime to Nissan in August. Other than those items, the car is loaded and pretty much perfect, and will be under the mileage (just barely, I hope!).

Actually the timing of this order will work out perfectly - the dealer says he'll have my car by late July,a and will store it locked in his building until I'm ready for it. I just hope I don't get rocked on "excess wear and tear".

rshaw11 · May 2002

As far as the windshield goes, you could have it repaired. I had two small chips repaired and you can't even see them. And because I was willing to have it repaired, instead of replaced, my insurance company paid the full $75 cost.

gary330ci · May 2002

I also placed a $500 deposit last October when I ordered mine. As a comparison, when I was looking at CLK's (before I saw the light and decided on the 3-series) all the local MB dealers were asking for a $1000 deposit. In that context, I thought $500 wasn't too bad a deal.

chewie5 · May 2002

My dealer asked for a $1000 deposit when I ordered my car. I was told that it was only refundable when they sold the car to someone else if I backed out. Someone else mentioned that they legally couldn't keep your deposit, but that may just apply in California.

nyccarguy · May 2002

You're better off just turning the car into Nissan when your lease is up. You probably won't get charged for excess wear and tear as much as you think. I turned in my 1998 Ford Explorer Sport when the lease was up after 2 years with the following: Different Color rear passenger seat belts (The interior was Grey, the rear seat-belts were red) because my dogs chewed them up and I replaced them cheap from the junkyard. A 9" long down to the metal scratch in the tailgate from some unscrupulous vandal who decided to get creative with my rear wiper blade. The rear wiper blade was broken off.

My parents recently turned in their 1998 CLK 320 to Mercedes-Benz and were charged $215 for a big, nasty door ding. That car was far from in perfect condition. My mother treats the insides of her cars like rolling garbage cans. There were numerous other minor scratches that we were not charged for.

There's a few reasons the dealer doens't want to work with you on your '99 Maxima:

It is the previous generation Maxima. A maxima is a great car, but a BMW dealer has no use for one on his lot. Check your dealer's lot and used car selection, what's there? BMWs, MBs, Audi's, and maybe a Boxster and a couple of SUVs. So the car will just be bought and sold at auction the week you give it to them.

nyccarguy · May 2002

A $500 deposit is normal.

yalesom · May 2002

I can't believe that for a $30,000+ car, BMW couldn't provide wheel locks. Does anyone have any experiences with either of the 2 offered by BMW or other manufacturers?

vkwheels · May 2002

& it is refundable (at least in Calif.)

sunnybrook · May 2002

Does anyone know where one could purchase this accessory for the 2002 325i at a relatively decent price? I assumed circle bmw carried this, but according to their website it only shows it as available for earlier models.

wrjohnsonpghpa · May 2002

I recently bought my chrome exhaust tips from Pacific BMW. I have an '02 325i too. You'll need 2 at about $12 each.

jimbres · May 2002

FWIW, my dealer demanded 10% down when I ordered my 330i w/5spd in April of last year. In my area (NYC metro area), 4-door E46s with stick are uncommon, & the dealer feared getting stuck with a hard-to-sell car. My color choice didn't help much, either: steel grey / tanin red leather.

seivwrig · May 2002

I think the $500 deposit is normal. Use your charge card, the dealer generally will not place a charge against the card. That way you still have your cash.

Almost everyone will charge you for wheel locks. Try having the dealer throw those in with the deal on the car. Circle BMW, Pacific BMW and Passport BMW have good prices especially if you are a BMWCCA member or read/subscribe to Bimmer Magazine. I purchased most of my accessories in Germany and England. I did get my alarm from Passport. I'll buy small price items at my local dealership. For anyone doing ED, I can email you the German prices on 3er accessories. Don't buy accessories at the ED center, their prices are higher and Niederlassung Munchen is just down the street. If you want a map of the Munich BMW complex, I can email it. Or I can add it to my website.

1johann · May 2002

It has been a long time since we drove a rear wheel drive car. Did it in the winters of Michigan. Now in the DC area and thinking of a used/CPO 323i/328i/325i BMW.

Concerns..........

i) Do all of the old (1999-2001) 3 series come with traction control as standard?

ii) Is it necessary to buy snow tires for the back and/or front for winter driving? Or, are all weather tires w/traction control (see above) sufficient?

I don't think I want to change tires with the change of the seasons.

Note: It only snows a bit here - and just a few times of year.....but it does get slippery often in the winter.

jimbres · May 2002

The E46 has had traction control since its introduction in 1999. Beginning with the 2000 model year, DSC - Dynamic Stability Control - has also been standard. This helps prevent loss of control due to skidding.

nyccarguy · May 2002

BMW's all season traction has been standard on the 3 series since 1996. I believe Dynamic Stability Control is also standard on all 1999-2000 BMW 3 series.

Snow tires: That's a sore subject that often pops up frequently on this (and many other) boards. The general consensus is that if you have a RWD BMW equipped with all season tires, AST, & DSC that you should be fine especially in your area. Many here who live in NYC & NJ don't put snow tires on if they have all season tires.

kominsky · May 2002

Before I give some early assessments, I have to point out a couple of things. For any comparison between the Kumho's and the Contis, keep in mind that the Contis had 18K miles on them and I don't necessarily remember how they behaved when new. Also the Kumho's only have about 80 miles on them so I'm sure they are not yet free of die-release compound (not "scrubbed in"). Also, I haven't had a chance to play with tire pressures so when I find the settings I'm happiest with, some or all of my findings may be obsolete. I plan on finding some time for play this extended weekend, if my opinions change, I'll send an update.

The good;

* They already feel stickier. Even without being scrubbed in yet. I was surprised by the grip on my drive home. It was raining a little and with ~normal~ driving (some may consider it aggressive ;-)) the rear didn't slide at all unless provoked. The contis have been very prone to sliding around when the road is wet.

* They are much quieter. If I remember correctly, the contis were much quieter when new too. They started getting noisier at about 5K miles, I think.

* The ride feels a little more compliant.

The bad;

* They feel floatier... less feel for what they are ABOUT to do. You can feel it when they start to break loose but with the contis, I could feel when they were ~almost~ ready to break loose. I mentioned this to a coworker who has Kumho's on his A4 and he said that he noticed that too, but the feel improves vastly once the tires are broken in.

* I was hoping they'd have less of a tendency to tramline... no such luck. I guess that's part of the price you pay for wide, performance rubber.

Bottom line, from my initial observations, I bought 4 tires for slightly more than I would have paid for 2 Contis and they are at least as good, and probably will be better once properly broken in.

1pierce · May 2002

What nyccarguy said - especially the part about that being a testy subject.

If I were you, and the car you buy doesn't have the SP tires (which just won't go up hill in snow), I wouldn't get snow tires for a DC winter. If you're buying new tires, I have Bridgestone Potenza RE950's on my Maxima, and they have good snow/rain traction, with pretty sporty handling, a pretty quiet ride, and they look cool. I'd consider them for a BMW.

Remember, 20 years ago, we all drove RWD cars in the snow, and we got by just fine. And, that was before all of these high-tech traction and stability control systems, and with 1970's tire technology.

1johann · May 2002

It has been a long time since we drove a rear wheel drive car. Did it in the winters of Michigan. Now in the DC area and thinking of a used/CPO 323i/328i/325i BMW.

Concerns..........

i) Do all of the old (1999-2001) 3 series come with traction control as standard?

ii) Is it necessary to buy snow tires for the back and/or front for winter driving? Or, are all weather tires w/traction control (see above) sufficient?

I don't think I want to change tires with the change of the seasons.

Note: It only snows a bit here - and just a few times of year.....but it does get slippery often in the winter.

rshaw11 · May 2002

Does anyone technical information about the bi-xenon headlights. I know they run at a higher voltage, and are brighter, but how does the self-leveling feature work? Thanks.

kominsky · May 2002

... the winter tire debate (argument?) is gonna start again. :-)

Many here, myself included, want seperate summer and winter tires. All season's are a "jack of all trades, master of none". If you want the best performance in all conditions, buy an extra set of wheels with winter tires and swap them out for the snowy season.

That said, many others use all-season's year-round and are very happy with them. I think we may even have one poster, unless he's seen the error in his ways, who uses summer tires all year (brave, have you seen the error in your ways? :-)).

As for traction control, I know all e46's, 2000-on
have TCS and DSC standard. I believe that '99s had TSC standard and DSC optional, but I'm not sure.

brave1heart · May 2002

Nice write-up on the Kumhos. The Rack has general guidelines for tires break-in - have you read them? Basically, don't push them to the limit (cornering, accel, and braking) for the first 500 miles. It will be hard, I know. BTW, my Contis were quiet till about 11-12K miles after which they got noticeably louder. As far as snow tires, I agree with the general consensus on the board. It's key to recognize that your needs would depend on your driving experience and especially circumstances, though. My circumstances are changing and summer tires will not cut it in the area that we are moving to, so I am planning on getting a set of snow tires in a few months.

marinbeemer · May 2002

Thanks to those of you who responded to my questions regarding the extended service protection and LoJack--especially Shipo. I'll take your advice and avoid the extended service. I'll check into the BMW alarm system through pacificbmw.com.

My only thought why LoJack might be good is that they claim they're the only ones "the authorities" use to track stolen vehicles--given that's it uses GPS for tracking. Traditional car alarms seem to be a waste of time, hearing them go off allthe time and people ignore them. Any thoughts on that?

MarinBeemer

vkwheels · May 2002

Sounds like the std system on the 325's are pretty good. I'm not getting a separate alarm. I'm on the fence on the LoJack issue right now, will prob. opt out & keep the Club handy. If nothing else it's a visual deterrent (when in use).

brave1heart · May 2002

deposit - $500 seems to be the standard for the 3-series. I was asked to pay the same. pierce1, at least here in Mass, the dealer must return your deposit if you walk out of the deal unless he has already received the car on his lot in which case he is allowed to keep some or all of the money to cover costs he has incurred.

trade-in - I was able to sell my Jetta VR6 to a private party for $2,500 more than what the dealer was offering me. It took a few months but it was well worth the wait. BTW, that was before GM killed the used car market with 0% financing on new cars - it might be much tougher to sell a car now.

postoak - In everyday driving, there is no need for heel and toeing. However, there is a section on the track where we autocross where I max out on RPM's (the RPM's just keep hitting the rev limiter at ~6,800) in second about 100 ft before a tight slalom starts. Shifting in third would help you get to the slalom section a little faster but if you have to downshift into 5-6K RPM's without heel and toeing right before you enter the slalom, you will seriously upset the balance of the car and you will lose a lot of time. So what I do is leave it in second because I am not comfortable with heel and toeing yet.

rshaw11 - Tire pressure is a trial and error. Your preferences will determine what's good for you. Generally, I find anything over 36 psi to be a little uncomfortable for everyday driving in my 325i SP, so I keep it at 32/34 F/R which gives you a very comfortable ride even with the SP. On the track, I use 37/36 F/R because more air in the fronts reduces understeer and gives the car a better balance when pushed very hard. Try different settings and see what you like for yourself.

postoak · May 2002

I paid a bit more attention to what I'm doing on upshifts on the way home today. First, although the RPMs are higher on an upshift, on my engine they drop very fast so what I've gotten in the habit of doing is pressing down on the accelerator (once the clutch is pressed in) and holding at the point that I know will match my revs in the next gear for the speed I'm going. Is this wrong?

brave1heart - I've admitted before that I'm not the most coordinated individual in the world (23 handicap at golf) and I find those advanced techniques too hard to master for the result obtained (assuming no racing or auto-x-ing).

allano · May 2002

I hope I'm not stating the obvious: LoJack is a car retrieval system not a car alarm system. It does not prevent a car from being stolen but rather allows the police to locate "miss-placed" vehicle.
If you want to try to prevent your car from being stolen, option for the alarm system. If you would like to maximize you chances of retrieving your car once it is stolen, option for LoJack. In my area, LoJack pays for itself in five years with lower insurance premiums.

marinbeemer · May 2002

When I posted the question, I knew the difference between a car alarm and LoJack and also that if someone really wants your car, they'll simply load it onto a flatbed truck and drive away with it. To me, that's why car alarms don't seem to be any more effective than The Club. I was impressed with the GPS locating technology used by LoJack and by the fact that a car equipped with LoJack doesn't have a sticker announcing "Protected by LoJack" (similar to those "cute" bumper stickers, "Protected by Smith and Wesson")--which would tip off the thieves to search for the GPS unit. If your LoJack-equipped car is stolen by thieves who load it onto a flatbed truck, you notify the police ASAP and the LoJack unit is activated. Becasue the GPS unit is well hidden in the car, theoretically, the thieves aren't aware that the car is equipped with LoJack, and the police have a better chance of retrieving it before it goes to a chop shop or a container ship.

MarinBeemer

mschukar · May 2002

I can't believe that for a $30,000+ car, BMW couldn't provide wheel locks

Had my 325i come with wheel locks, I would have insisted that they be taken off! I had wheel locks on my Miatauntil I tried taking the wheel off with the little wrench they provided. I ended up screwing up the key for the lug nuts making it useless. Fortunately, I was in my garage trying to make sure a rim fit so I could drive to the tire store.

Make sure you try using the wheel locks on the car with the supplied wrench. You may find a thief will have an easier time getting them off than you.

Think about where your wheels might be stolen; parked someplace where help is available vs. getting a flat on a highway in the middle of nowhere. If you can't get your wheel off to change the tire, you may be in for a very long walk!

-murray

div2 · May 2002

I've put @10K on the Kumhos Ecstas I fitted to the Club Sport. They replaced a set of Dunlop D40M2s and I can honestly say that they are just as good or better- especially considering the price. They do become more communcative as they wear in. I haven't really pushed them past their dry limits on the street as the Club Sport is over-tired to begin with. That said, the Kumhos give plenty of warning before they begin to lose grip in the wet.

wrjohnsonpghpa · May 2002

Yes indeed you can close the gaps between the front license plate bracket replacement molding strip and the side molding strips by sliding the side strips towards the middle. You need something to give you a little soft friction on the side molding strips to move them (I used jar openers that a table pad company had given us). It probalby took a minute to do in total. My car is now perfect! Kudoos and thanks to tcn2k!

BMW 3-Series 2005 and earlier

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