BMW 3-Series 2005 and earlier

specialk2980 · July 2003

Does anyone know the new incentive rates effective today? (July 1) I know that the old rates of 2.9% on 3 and 5 series were until June 30th, I was wondering if anyone knows the new ones?

jb_shin · July 2003

www.bmwna.com -> Virtual Center -> European Delivery

or www.eurobuyers.com

bmwdriver02 · July 2003

nyccarguy:
by the looks of things in NYC, it looks like the Caddy Escalade is the top selling luxury SUV...that is with about 24 inch rims :P

bavarian · July 2003

Shipping and handling is $695 whether I pick the car up on ED or drive it off the lot in Indiana or anywhere else in the USA.

I was going to Germany anyway on vacation and instead of renting a car will be able to drive my own on some delicious roads. Once I get over the 1200 mile break in I'll be free to steam down the Autobahn at speeds that aren't prudent in the Midwest. Saving money on the price of the car is icing on the cake.

As a BMWCCA member I will also get a $500 rebate check when the car comes Stateside.

jb shin has given some great links to help explain ED. There is also an Edmunds topic on BMW ED which includes some great photos and travelogues from guys like Postoak.

I am looking forward to the experience and will be buying a German Nav DVD to help me on my daily excoursions.

jb_shin · July 2003

You mentioned that you will be making your way up to Berlin. What is your itinerary like, I ask because I live in Berlin.

sailoverfuel · July 2003

That is kick [non-permissible content removed]! sounds like D' way to do it. Enjoy your trip and keep us posted upon your return.

ksoman · July 2003

nyccarguy: We just decided to junk our life in AZ and move to nyc. I've been working on that side for a while and weekly commuting 3000 miles back and forth isnt fun.... oh i remember, i was going to mention, my wife bought a 2004 325 convertible purely for the mystic blue color... oh what a heavenly color.

white6: I am not aware of bmw offering 2.9% on 2004's but shop around, my wife got a 3.79% from her credit union in NJ.

320i: I mentioned seeing one in toronto and I saw it again at the airport while leaving saturday morning. Next stop, Hamburg and a weekend of driving for fun....

ksso

mxpro738 · July 2003

Hello, All.

Do any of you have experience driving both the 330i and the 530i? How are their handling characteristics different? For apples-to-apples, assume for the moment that both have the sport package.

Thank you, in advance.

kdshapiro · July 2003

www.crashtest.com

msiseng · July 2003

A lot of familiar names in here from the G35 forums. Interesting reading...

sactocarlover · July 2003

I have a hardtop left over from my 1989 3 Series convertible. I sold the car with the intention of replacing it but have since bought a newer 3 series. Does anyone have any idea what these sell for? I haven't found any comparable items on ebay, and I know it cost $3,300 new in '89 but have no idea how much it might have depreciated. Thanks.

seivwrig · July 2003

Sounds like you did your homework. I know that I have learned a lot from my first ED experience. It will probably be a while before I do it again. What really stinks is that most of my family lives in England. I have two cousins in the Dusseldorf and my youngest brother in Spangdahlem AB.

Your trip to Berlin is a decent one. Hopefully, you are doing a lot of sightseeing. If you plan to make a straight trip from Munich to Berlin, I recommend a full night of sleep. Driving over 300 miles after a transatlantic flight is a killer.

brave1heart · July 2003

Great car, great options, and an exciting trip ahead of you! Congrats!!

bavarian · July 2003

Although in the early stages of planning my first day will be a Sunday in Munich adjusting to the time difference and the easy availablity of great beer.

Monday, first thing, I will go to pick up the car in Munich. As I already have a 325i I won't need a great deal of explanation apart from the Nav.
In the first day I plan to drive to Neuschwanstein Castle as I am a big Wagner/King Ludwig fan. I plan to spend the night in Bayreuth at the excellent Arvena Congress Hotel. From there, next morning after an enormous free breakfast buffet I will head for Berlin approx 260 miles away.

I will be staying at the Hilton in the Gendarmenmarkt which spoiled me last time I was there. I do plan daily excoursions near (Spreewald) or far (Rotenburg)to rack up some miles and see some wonderful countryside. I am hoping to hit 1200 miles before Friday which is the day I will have to drop off the car in Berlin.
At no time do I intend to drive tired and if I don't make it back to my hotel in Berlin each night I will find comfy lodgings using the Nav and a Fodor's guide.

Thanks for the good wishes-it's going to be a bitchin' little car(smaller than the next 3'er and lacking in flame surfacing and bustles etc)

BTW- I didn't know about the 2.9% BMW rate until I talked to my dealer, who offered it versus a HELOC. I signed on the last day June 30th and if I weren't paying for my car until pickup date (Sept 15) I wouldn't have qualified as it is only good for 60 days after the expiration date. With ED though I have to pay for the car by Aug 15 which falls within the 60 days. Through ED and the low interest rate the monthly payments are $49 more than my previous car which didn't have Nav, HK, SP, Xenons,CWP, fog lights, cruise control, steering wheel controls etc. This car I get to keep after 5 years.

Pardon my drool!
Norris

vkwheels · July 2003

A piece of black plastic fell on my head when I was sliding the sunroof panel shut a few days ago. It appears to be from the runner. Anyone have a similar incident? I imagine it'll be fixed under warranty. It's the first thing to go wrong on Eva in her 13 month lifespan.

scipio1 · July 2003

Do people name their cars? My wife did that. She calls our BMWs Gracy (330) and Racy (M3). I wish we had those little emoticons so I could add a cross-eyed smiley, which is exactly how I reacted when she told me the nicknames.

seivwrig · July 2003

I have had the problem with the sunroof clips. It is covered by the warranty. I have had the classic problems: sunroof clips broke, door and window rattle. The rattles are the most annoying. For the door seals, you can use Gummi-Pflegge(sp?). For the window rattles, you can have the window regulators replaced. Both are not good fixes, in my opinion. I think the window regulators are the problem.

As far as the clips on the sunroof, I have not had a problem since getting it fixed.

With 30K miles, it is time to look for some performance tires!!!

bmw323is · July 2003

scipio, I think the names your wife uses are funny. At the insistence of a female friend, I named my car Bart. Everybody else uses female names, but Bart seemed to fit my car because it is black, and menacing - like Black Bart.

brave1heart · July 2003

I'll take it you're keeping the license plate then

)

leenelsonmd · July 2003

So I took the M3 from Houston to Asheville, NC a couple of weeks ago. My wife flew and my Dad and I drove. It is the first father/son time that we have had since I left home for college back in 1989.

Drove from Houston to Gadsden, Al on the first day (770miles) in 11 hours. Average speed was 87mph. Average mpg about 24mpg. The drive was great. Very few state troopers. Almost zero police presence in MS and AL. Set the cruise control between 95 and 100mph. Top speed on this leg was 133mph. Only casualty was left front fog light was cracked by a rock on the interstate.

Day 2. Drove from Gadsen, AL to Rome, GA and had a short job interview there. Then drove from Rome, GA to Asheville, NC. Took the back roads all the way. Beautiful drive. Not very fast. Drove the Cherohala skyway from TN into NC. Wonderful. Had a ton of fun rowing through the gears all the way.

While in NC, drove Hwy 9 from Black Mountain to Bat Cave/Chimney rock. Drove it fast and hard in 3rd gear much of the way with the tires screaming and the brakes red hot all the way. I have probably never driven the car this hard. Lots of threshold and beyond threshold braking through a twisty mountain road with ascents and descents. I thought I was going to burn them up, but not a hint of fade did I find.

When done in Asheville, drove hwy 129 from Robbinsville, NC to TN. It is called THE DRAGON. In an 11 mile stretch on the NC/TN border, there are 318 turns. The road is beautiful and the turns are about the best I have ever seen. High banks and just wicked transitions. Great road. Crawling with motorcyclists though who come there from all over the country. I spent the night in Oak Ridge, TN.

Drove from Oak Ridge, TN to Houston the next day. Average speed 88mph. Trip took 12 hours. Again, not much of a police presence. Once in MS topped a hill with a state trooper headed the opposite direction. He had instant on and just lit my V1 up (instantly pegged the detector). I was doing 100mph when he got me and was braking hard. He never even blinked though. I guess I was saved by the V1. Top speed 155mph. Some time trials: (100-130mph in 6th: 9sec, 100-130 in 5th: 7.5 secs, 100-130 in 4th: 7 secs) (The car had about 450lbs of cargo not including the driver).

Total trip mileage 3100miles. Unbelievable.

I got home and was checking out my tires. I noticed on the inside of my rear tires (Left >> Right) I had nylon and even some of the steel belts showing. I couldn't believe it since I routinely check my tread, but the inside rears are the most difficult to observe.

I have ordered some Goodyear F1 GSD3 to replace them. 245/40 18s for the front and 275/35 18s for the rear. Total Tire rack cost $900. Unfortunately, they have been on back order and I have no idea how long it is going to take to get them. (The widths are a little more than the OEMs, but they fit the OEM rims).

My wife was a little upset -- the car is 8 months old, I live 2 miles from work, and I have 16.5k miles on the car and need new tires already. I am loving this thing.

Bimmers are for driving. Drive it and have fun--safely. What beautiful machines they have created.

My rotors are quite visibly worn too. I hope these will be replaced with my inspection 1.

Any comments? Do you love the cars you are driving?

Anyone ever driven the Dragon?

chile96 · July 2003

HI all....... Have relocated to ATL and just finished getting most of my new place set up. I bought the universal remote transmitter(URT) for the new 3er this spring and it worked perfectly with my security gate and garage door. I remember others having trouble programming theirs but I basically ignored those posts as mine already worked and I had no idea how to help them. I know, me me me me...lol. Well, what goes around comes around! My new home has security gates and of course a garage door but I can't seem to program either. The darn thing blinks rapidly like it has accepted the code but won't open either. So if anybody feels liking helping out this poor selfish jerk, please give me some hints>.....lol.

Lee - Good to see your trip went well. I told Liz about your mileage and new tires...She replied don't even think about it! Sorry we couldn't hook up before we left and "switched" cars for a drive(although I'm sure you would've been quite unimpressed with the trade). I do have a question though. When I mentioned looking at Boxsters, you were polite but I could tell you had something to say about that - should I be looking at something else? I really like the 330 performance pkg but do I really wqant 2 similar cars in the garage? An M3 would be nice but would want to buy new and can get a boxster for less.

Take care all
fo

jmess · July 2003

Dude, sounds like you may have an alignment problem. Too much negative camber and/or toe out eats up the inside edges of tires.

hgeyer · July 2003

You can download the generic programming instructions from www.homelink.com. You probably need to have the garage and gate "learn" your new remote, but I'd follow the full instructions in the .pdf files there.

Good luck.

brave1heart · July 2003

<<<My wife was a little upset -- the car is 8 months old, I live 2 miles from work, and I have 16.5k miles on the car and need new tires already.>>> You're really getting your money's worth, keep it up!

leenelsonmd · July 2003

jmess: I am sure you are right. Both rears are similar, and I was wondering if this is how the car is manufactured or if there was a real problem. Definitely looks like a camber in problem to me.

chile: I wanted to hook up before you left town and let you leave some of my rubber on the road. I was disappointed too. I may be flying into Atl soon to look at 2-3 jobs there. I will let you know. You asked about the Boxster -- I guess I have never been much of a Porsche fan. I always thought they cost a little too much and sounded like a sewing machine. Of course the M3 exhaust note sounds like it is wound a little too tight as well, but I still love it. The boxster S is the minimum Psh that you should consider, IMO. It drives great and is a fun car, but I tend to stick with new cars and so I would never consider it since an M3 is far superior and about the same price. Plus, I can fit 3 adults in the back of my car in a pinch. 2 full size adults fit back there without a problem for short drives. Really, if I were shopping for Psh I would look at the Carrera, but again, the M3 is faster, slaloms as well, and cost about $20k less out the door, so it is a tough sell. Now the twin turbo Psh is a car that dreams are made of I suppose. I have never driven one, but that is an unbelievable car, if you can afford the equivalent of 2 M3s. The benefits of the boxster S is that you can usually get a good deal on a used one --they lose value like a brick in the ocean and so if you want a good used car this is a reasonable one to look at. There is nothing wrong with 2 3 series sitting in the garage though. Get the coupe for yourself and let your wife drive the sedan.

brave1: yeah I am getting my money's worth. Every time I drive that car I get that deep down smile. It is terrific. It just pulls and pulls and pulls and I love just letting it go. I guess we all feel that way about the current 3 series. God forbid they make it larger the next time around. It is perfect now in size -- they could shed some weight and it would be heaven on earth. It is funny that driving a car like this helps assuage the cravings that most of us had to be a fighter pilot. A friend of mine has given up his nice sports car to take up flying, but he only gets to do this once every couple of weeks. I am sure it is great, but how can one give up a feeling that you can have every day on the way to work. It makes work and everything else seem worth while. I am reluctant to try the flying thing since I would probably like it too much and then my wife would always be worried about me crashing the thing--ditto for motorcycles.

fredandrews · July 2003

Jim -

I have a similiar problem. See my earlier post. Anyway, I purchased a 325i w/sport package Style 96 rims about 7 weeks ago. I recently found out that my rim is cracked and bent which causes a slow leak. I am not aware of hitting any object including potholes and have only experienced normal driving conditions. BMW has indicated that it will not repair/replace this rim stating that the rim was bent because of outside influences. The cost quoted to replace from BMW was $400. I can get a used one from Car-parts.com for about $200.

I really believe that even if I hit a pothole, that a wheel/rim should not bend and believe that it is a design defect. I have read about others having this problem. If possible, if we can identify enough owners with this problem, I believe that we can present a strong case to BMW for replacement of these wheels.

If anyone else has this problem, please speak up.

Frederick

chile96 · July 2003

Enroute to watch the fireworks last night at Lenox mall in Atlanta, I nailed a pothole that was actually a sunken manhole cover and it sounded dreadful. I immediately thought of these bent rim posts and my heart sank. As of last night everything appeared OK to the naked eye but I haven't gone down to the garage this morning. I guarantee you'll see a 2nd post from me shortly if I discover a flat.

take care
fo

shipo · July 2003

The Sport Package and Bent Rims is a fact of life, regardless of the make of the car. Over the years, I have managed to bend three Audi rims and five VW rims (OEM BBS wheels no less), however, so far anyway, I have yet to bend a BMW rim.

Unfortunately for you, I seriously doubt that you are going to convince anybody that you current cracked/bent rim is a design flaw. Like I said, opting for the Sport Package (and the resultant low profile tires) dramatically increases your chances of bending a rim. :-/

I hope this helps.

Best Regards,
Shipo

jbailey6 · July 2003

Fred and Shipo, thanks a lot for your replies! I took my car into the dealer. The manager of the service department pointed out that the rim "abrasion" and slight contiguous tire damage were due to curb impact without me even mentioning this fact. His feeling was that nothing needed to be done and the tire pressure has remained normal. I didn't even broach the issue of having anything done under the warranty. Clearly, this problem resulted from something I had done. Admittedly, I have often had slight curb impacts with other vehicles (non-BMW) without having any problem at all. It's clear that with BMW (even without the sport package as in my case) the tires and rims are far more susceptible to damage than with more standard vehicles, like Toyotas. I suppose that I have learned now that I just have to be even more careful and paranoid about the car than I already am. Fred, I agree with Shipo. The chances of getting BMW to repair the cracked rim under the warranty are very slight. Anyway, thanks for your advice and comments, Jim

brave1heart · July 2003

47K miles on my '01 325 with sport package and no bent rims...

leenelsonmd · July 2003

No bent rims by 47k?

Are you sure you are getting the most out of your vehicle ;-) ?

brave1heart · July 2003

I think I am - I won my class at the last two autoX events ;o) Good thing there are no potholes there, although leaving the pavement can be costly, as is spinning and crossing someone else's path of travel...

anthonycecil · July 2003

I don`t believ only one message on the 3. Tomorrow there will be fifty new messages. Tony

nyccarguy · July 2003

Good to hear that you're getting better at autoX! Keep up the good work! Those are 47K hard mile folks. Brave's BMW seems to be holding up quite well.

leenelsonmd · July 2003

What tire pressure do you use for autox? Are you using slicks or street tires?

honda_autobahn · July 2003

Anyone got the newer DVD navigation system in a 3 series? How is it? Talk to you? Map coverage? Does it have a split screen with map and arrow? Accurate? Worth the $1800 cost? How much are newer map DVDs?

honda_autobahn · July 2003

Anyone got an opinion on the run flat tires (Goodyear RS-A) that come with the Sport Package. How is the ride? Traction in rain and snow any good? What about replacement options - appears to be limited to Goodyear in 205/50R17 runflats? Can you replace them with a non-runflat tire?

riez · July 2003

honda_autobahn... Most reviews I've read have slammed run-flat tires in comparison to similar non-run-flats tires. To get them to be run flat, the sidewalls have to be made quite stiff. Usually compromises both ride and handling. A real lose-lose. I've had one flat in about 20 years. Used roadside assistance. But I appreciate great handling and ride every time I'm in the car.

While new 5 Series uses them in Sport Pkg, at least BMW made sure the rims will work with non run flats. Wear out the original set and then buy proper (i.e., non-run flat) summer & winter tire sets.

sopecreek · July 2003

Wow, one flat in 20 years? What is your secret? I usually get a flat every other year...

riez · July 2003

sopecreek... Don't get me wrong, I've had more than my share of slow leaks and minor punctures (e.g., small nail). But the tire didn't blow out and could be patched (think I've done that about 3 or 4 times in past 5 years). I also keep a small air compressor in my trunk. Runs off the cigarette lighter.

I can fix the infrequent leak or flats. All tires eventually wear out anyway. But till then I want my tires to perform. Provide outstanding handling and ride. Great braking. Work well in wet conditions. And there is no substitute for good winter tires.

soverypoornow · July 2003

I don't have the new nav, but I have the old one. In order:
1) It's fine, not on par with the Lexus and Acura systems I've seen.
2)Yes, it talks to you. We've named the nav voice "Helga"
3) Coverage seems ok, but I live in S California, and haven't taken it too far astray from there to check out the more rural areas.
4) Yes, it has a split screen with map/arrow
5) It's reasonably accurate, but it is not uncommon for it to get a bit confused from time to time. Can be off by 1/4 mile or so. I'm on freeway. It thinks I'm on side street a good distance from the freeway. Doesn't happen often, but it does happen once in awhile.
6)Now that I have one, I couldn't live without it. Most on this board I think feel otherwise, though. $1,800 is a lot of money, but it sure makes the interior of my non-PP 330i look cool with the silver int trim.
7) I've had it a year and they just sent me an updated map CD for free, I guess. It just all of a sudden came in the mail. Not sure why.

I assume DVD is similar in functionality, save all maps on one disc and a bit faster.

nyccarguy · July 2003

reiz: Not to mention the cost of replacing the ru-flats as well as they are not readily available. I know people who have a house in Florida (and live in NY). Every winter they drive their Lexus SC430 (w/ run-flats) down to Florida and drive their MB S430 back up to NY. They junked the run flats and bought a spare so theycouls have the piece of mind. I'm sure they'd be stuck somewhere in North Carolina for days waiting for a Run Flat tire to come in. They also said the tires are noisy at speed (above 80mph) and if you sustain that speed for more than 5 minutes, the low pressure light comes on and won't shut off. You have to take the car to the dealer to reset the light. Not sure how it will be on BMWs though. I'm sure there'll be some brand new E60 Run Flats available on ebay:)

honda_autobahn · July 2003

What happens if you replace the run flat tires with regular tires on the same rims? Can it be done? Will the pressure monitor still work? Know you would still be stuck with a compact spare.

scipio1 · July 2003

The navman has been especially hard to mount on the 330, since the suction cup definitely does not hold on the 3's forward sloping dash. The manual is unclear - it says there's a permanent sticky surface by peeling away a layer ont he suction cup, but for the life of me I can't figure out how to do it.

We ended up mounting just above the center air vents using hook-and-loop velcro. Not necessarily the most elegant solution, but it's better than a windshield mounting for an unobtrusive location.

The navigation directions have been fine, and seem to use much the same logic as the BMW system, resulting in similar errors when they occur (for example the onramp from Rancho Conejo onto 101 South is listed as "turn left" on both, but in reality it's an onramp from the right lane).

I can conclusively say that the Navman screen is light-years better than the BMW screen in terms of functionality. My opinion is that the BMW nav direction arrow screen is more useable than the Navman's, but the BMW map feature is next to useless.

As such, my complaints about the Navman are:

(1) Mounting system is basically unsuitable for a dashboard mount, and will require some creativity on your part to make it workable.

(2) Not as convenient as a built-in BMW system.

(3) Moving betwen vehicles is probably tougher than a Streetpilot, for those mounting issues. If you don't mind a windshield mounting, though, it should be ok.

On the plus side, the Navman is sleek, small, and very good, for about a third to a half the price of an integrated GPS nav. Overall a thumbs up, but can't be a resounding two thumbs up no-brainer until Navman puts out better mounts, even as secodnary accessories.

tcn2k · July 2003

Throw us a pic of the system (nav).

scipio1 · July 2003

If so, I'll post some as soon as we get our new camera. Worst case I can try linking. I think the pic really helps show the size of the unit, which I think is considerably smaller than a StreetPilot. On the 3, if you mount it just over the center vents, it is highly visible to the driver while remaining under the line of sight through the front of the car (so it doesn't block your view).

We just gave our old Sony DSC-P1 to my mother, so we're in the process of shopping for a new one. The Sony DSC-Ps are great cameras, by the way. This time around, we're looking at Canons, my wife likes how small they're making them. OT, but if anyone has feedback good or bad about the S400, I'd love to hear it before we buy one.

pat · July 2003

Check out this message in the Photo Gallery of your Owners Club: KarenS "BMW 3-Series Owners: Photo Gallery" Apr 27, 2001 10:40am

kdshapiro · July 2003

Check this out

jean7of9 · July 2003

I have been driving my 03 330xi with Run flat tires since March 03. The car is stable at any speed even with excess of 110 miles/h. At high speed the nice engine roar mutes all other noises including tires. At normal speed up to 70 miles/h the Run flat tires noise never breaks the whisper silence inside the car. You do not buy Run flats for performance but the peace of mind just in case you (or your wife) have a flat at an awkward moment or in a suspicious area. You hope that you will never use this feature, like the fire detector at home. Would do discard the detector just because you did not have a fire in 20 years?
As for performance, if you are daily on the racing track then you do not need Run flats but Z rated tires. If you use the 3 series for daily commute and Sunday drives then a split second decrease of performance is not needed. There is one draw back for Run flats if you live in a snowy area. There are no Winter Run flats yet to enable you using the Tire Presure Monitor System which comes with Runflats. In my case I will buy a winter kit and disactivate the Pressure Monitor for Winter.

scipio1 · July 2003

Thanks for the link!

I'm terribly afraid of what Chris Bangle is about to do to our beloved 3. I'm trying to give the new 5 the benefit of the doubt, and it seems to be quite an engineering achievement. It just doesn't look beautiful to me.

The extra size and the move to an ever bigger engine also disturbs me. Let Mercedes and Audi play the muscle game, the marvel of the M3 was always less brute force and more in its balance and agility. Extra brute force is always welcome, but not at any price in my opinion.

I am dearly hoping that the new 3 will prove me wrong.

BMW 3-Series 2005 and earlier

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