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The dealer (and BMW) will not cover a tire under warranty. Check to see if the tire mfr. offers one. In most cases puncture wounds will not be covered.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
The 3's shorter wheel base and lighter weight are going to give a contrast that will derive options more than advantages. The speedometer and tach are similar to the 3 only in that that have silver trim. I don't know how you came away thinking that the seats and steering wheel were the same as the 330. The leather is a totally different texture compared and they are not shaped like a 3 series at all. The seats are broader, taller, and deeper. The headrests are bigger. They both look distinguishably BMW but in different senses. Jean, the steering wheel has different buttons, 3-spokes. It has features that work with the I-drive. The tilt is different. The leather is again a different texture and certainly the steering wheel with the gauges as a background is not at all like the presentation of the 330i. The 3 series sounds different to give a sportier sensation that is not emphasized in the more comfort directed 5......engine growl in 330i is a sweet sweet sound (it may make the car even quicker, high fan factor in 330 without a doubt). I look forward to your review of the total experience of the new 5 that of course will include the ride and drive (try the sport) and don't miss the Logic 7 sound, take my word, don't miss the rumble of the Logic 7 Sound (blows H-K right off the road). rumble
If anyone has a car that they already love, especially a fabulous 330i, and intend on keeping in favor of any other vehicle for the time being, than it's OK......do you need a hug? Look, it's virtually 100% different. Wait until we get the Bangle endition.
thanks
Thanks
David T
Thank you...
The clown nose (the red light under the mirror) can be programmed (for free) by your service department to blink as if you had an alarm.
If thieves are not deterred by your blinking red light, then they're not going to be swayed by any alarm you put into your car.
Quite frankly, noisy alarms are more annoying to neighbors and passerby than thieves. Alarms do not keep cars from being stolen or broken into. If someone wants to get into your car, they will regardless of the noise. No alarm will stop that.
Save your $500 and put it toward something useful.
The cheapest way would be to buy the alarm mail order with a BMWCCA discount and self-install ($250ish). Otherwise, you can probably get a friendly dealer to do it for $425, parts + labor.
Whether or not you get the alarm, you MUST invest in a set of wheel locks. Under no circumstances should you neglect to get wheel locks.
We used to live in Central Jersey
We used to have an alarm system on the car
We still had 3 attempted break-in's in a short time of 4 months - each costing $1000 plus in damage
We started leaving the car unlocked, with the steering locked
We never saw the car broken in again and never stolen.
We lived happily ever after...
The End.
Why not just have a $50 deductible on theft? Steal my wheels and everything in the car...call the insurance company and it's replaced.
I'm with KSO on this one. I see people who lock convertibles and put alarms on. ROFL locking a convertible is like using saran wrap to keep a cat out of a chicken coop.
regards,
kyfdx
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Regardless, don't leave anything of value in the car and you have nothing to worry about. An alarm will not keep someone from breaking into a car. A simple flashing light is the most deterrence you can offer. A would-be thief either sees the light and decides he doesn't want the noise or he just smashes away.
kydfx - is that a radio station name? anyway, I have been with statefarm for about 8 years now. Knowing quite a bit about the insurance industry insides, I can tell you the only real way to save money on insurance is not really shopping for cheap insurance but to have a clean history, and trying to stick with the same company. Loyalty earns you discounts, huge ones and having a clean driving record helps, so does bunching all your insurances with the same company. Oh the original point I was making is, based on the risk categorization, insurance companies will allow certain minimum deductibles (including $0) based on the specificity of the location. It is entirely possible that the same insurance company mandates a minimum 250 deductible in say phoenix, where cars constantly get stolen and driven across the border, but may allow for a $0 deductible a little further north, say in salt lake city, utah...
<eom>
ksso
nobody, including liberty has been able to give me a quote which will reduce my payments for the two cars... again i'm not marketing my insurance company, 'm just saying that sticking with an insurance company and having a clean history helps. most insurance companies will kick in a discount for staying with them clean for 3 years and additional discounts after 5/6 years, plus other things like multi car, multi line, house/rental etc. will kick in some miniscule discounts which might add up to another 10%, if crafted carefully.
As far as one company being cheaper than another? That will vary with vehicle, coverages, driver, etc.. I switched to State Farm in 1985, because my insurance company wanted $1800 per year to cover an 18 year old car that I was paying just $6000 for. State Farm covered it for $450 full coverage. I've been with them ever since.
regards,
kyfdx
(not a radio station!!)
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After enjoying sirius in my car for months, I'm ready to plunge into getting a sirius extension for my wife's 3. The issue is, having paid a little under $300 including tax and installation for my car's receiver and antenna, i'm not too keen on paying about $750 bucks for bmw to install only the receiver and antenna... does anyone have experience in this area just buying the receiver from bmw and getting it installed outside or by self? I'm not interested in XM and most enthusiasts who have DIT, have used and described the XM...
I've never had a big need for leather. It seems slippery and hot (at different times of the year). Yet, the only options are leather or "leatherette". Any opinions? I'm not worried about resale value, just which works better for comfort and going around corners.
I did not test drive a car with leather but I sat in several at the dealership and I don't think you would slide around much. In hindsight,If I were doing it again,I probably would pay the extra five dollars per month on my lease and go with the leather.
It is a BMW after all! I'm hoping to move into a 5 series when my lease is up in 2 years and there will be no question at that point.
Good luck!You won't go wrong either way,the car drives fantastic as you probably already know.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
FWIW, I love leather and loathe cloth. Can't stand how hot it is. But then again, I run my AC 24/7...
2. the world beef consumption is so high that all the animals already sacrificed for my meat cravings have this skin left over that needs to be put to productive use, why waste such a valuable thing?
3. Needless to say, leatherette is an artificial chemically manufactured substance, it is not natural and like any chemical product, it may not be completely inert.
And after all that is said, I think bmw makes some awesome leatherette.
ksso
's Winter Sport M2 should be on any BMW owner's short list... if living in the north east.
Interestly enough, tirerack.com also recommends the same tire for my wife's Honda Odyssey. After thinking about it, I like the idea. Tires make such a difference in the handling of *any* vehicle. Often, better handling = safer driving.
That said, any of you know if the M2 wears out faster than average, compared to typical Q-rated snow tires? Also, is the M2 rubber compound like the Blizzak... first half of the tread is winter compound, the remainder is an all-season compound?
Thanks for any insight.
After posting my question, I realized that I could search on this discussion. Earlier posts have similar responses. I hadn't thought about the issue of maintaining leather which a number of people mentioned.
Special ordering cloth is an interesting idea. It's possible that they have other markets where they regularly offer cloth.
Any advice would help here. I guess I also need to reset the computer. Any suggestions?
How is traction with the standard all-season tires in snow? Will I need to get snow tires? (I live in Southeast Michigan, and we usually don't get a lot of snow, but are typically good for at least couple of 6"+ snows per season.)
Here's why I'm asking: If I'm going to need to replace my tires with snows anyway, I might go ahead and get the Sport Package (which I know will be rotten in snow). But if you think I could get away with the all-season standard tires, I'd go that route since I'd prefer not to deal with the expenses and hassle of switching tires twice a year.
What do you think??? Thanks!
IMHO, I think all-seasons on a RWD BMW would not fare a whole lot better than the performance tires. Why? Well, I've seen a number of non-SP 528s get stuck in little more than a couple of inches of snow. After my McD's incident, I ordered a set of Dunlop Wintersport M2s from the Tirerack. Phenomenal snow tire and amazing in the rain and in the dry, as well. It made a world of difference, and I was able to get around in 5+ inches of snow (not like a 4x4 or AWD, mind you). I think it makes all the difference in the world. All-seasons are the equivalent of wearing one pair of shoes for all activities (sports, business, casual). It just doesn't work well in all conditions. I drive my 325Ci with the Dunlops from mid-October to the middle of March. Even when it's dry, the tires really hug the road well, and I should know as I drive pretty darned hard (8/10ths).
The drain plug is behind a plastic trap-door under the car. While it's not too difficult to get at, I managed to snap the bolt the first time I did my own change... and that was using a torque wrench. Turns out that the bolt is hollow (made extracting it very easy, btw) and made to sacrifice itself rather than stripping out the oil pan threads. I'm not sure if I had a faulty bolt, improperly set (although I always double check it), or out of spec torque wrench. Anyway, the replacement went in without a problem.
FWIW, after hearing div2 and others talk about "top-sider" oil extractors, I got one. What an awesome device! I can now do an oil change without lifting the car or ever laying around on the ground. This is the one I got, but there are cheaper versions around. One thing to consider is that many cannot hold the full 7 quarts of oil... this one can.
http://www.griotsgarage.com/catalog.jsp?&SKU=10122
As for the computer reset, they sell reset tools or you could probably have your dealer do it for a nominal fee.
Can anyone recommend a good body shop in the Philly/S. Jersey area? Or do you think the local dealer (DeSimone) can do a good repair?
My last question is how much have people paid for similar damage repairs?
Thanks for the suggestions,
Glenn
How did you deal with resetting the computer after changing your oil?