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BMW 3-Series 2005 and earlier

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Comments

  • riezriez Member Posts: 2,361
    eos (bob)... Unlike many marques, BMW does NOT offer an extended warranty as part of a new car purchase. Nearest BMW offers is CPO warranty on their used cars. If you can buy a low-mile, recent MY CPO car, that will work to extend much of the warranty (though the CPO warranty is not as extensive as the original 4/50 b-to-b warranty and has a $50 deductible).

    I don't know why BMW doesn't offer such an extended warranty. Ton of other marques do (e.g., Lexus, Infiniti, Lincoln, Hyundai, etc.). I wonder if it isn't because BMW is a bit concerned about future warranty costs. Lexus and Infiniti can because their build quality is so high.

    But you have to remember that BMW does help by offering full "free" maintenance during the 4/50 period (for MY 2003s and later). My Lexus only gives me the first maintenance free. After that, all at my dime. (But can't say I trust BMW's service intervals or level of service when they pay for it. Roundel (BWM CCA), Bimmer, and others often recommend a lot more maintenance.

    Do keep in mind that these extended warranties aren't cheap. They are really service contracts with the manufacturer that work like an insurance product. No claims and you wasted your money. And they normally start the terms at time of purchase. So if you sell the car at 75,000 miles, you've used up 3/4s of your 100k coverage, even when the b-to-b part covered the first 50 or 60k. I bought one for my new '04 Lexus IS300. Going 7/100 cost me $1,625. (Peace of mind and I deduct my car for taxes.) When I had a '00 Lincoln LS8 I looked into it. Their longest term plan (forget if 7/84 or 7/100) cost nearly $2,400.

    And keep in mind that BMW does NOT offer a separate powertrain warranty. Many marques (e.g., Lexus, Infiniti, Hyundai, etc.) have this as standard in addition to the original b-to-b warranty. Infiniti and Lexus have some of the best overall warranties that are marred only by the lack of decent "free" maintenance.
  • hippo168hippo168 Member Posts: 115
    I have trouble locating wiper blade replacements from the auto stores. The catalogs (both Bosch and some other brand) don't even show there is a wiper blade model for my 2001 325i.

    Where can I find them?
  • div2div2 Member Posts: 2,580
    Buy the refills at a dealer. Use your CCA discount. The price won't be unreasonable and they will work great.
  • eoseos Member Posts: 27
    Altantabenny and Riez:

    Thanks for the perspective. The fact that the warranty is third-party and not cheap is probably going to sway my son to say no thanks to the dealer's offer.

    Bob
  • bretaabretaa Member Posts: 130
    Thanks for the info. I didn't know Motorwerks was a Walser dealer, and didn't know that Walser had such a bad reputation. What is the issue with them? I had already heard from others here that Sears Imported was the way to go for service. Do you have any recs for detailers in the Twin Cities area? Thanks!

    Bret
  • erickplerickpl Member Posts: 2,735
    I was at my dealership (BMW of Bakersfield) and they have an X3 in their showroom. When I was there, they were taking it out for a test drive. I have to admit, I like the size of it, it sounded good... tempting. :)

    But I'm always looking for new cars. :) heheh My wife thinks I need help. :) heheh

    -Paul
  • memphis10memphis10 Member Posts: 161
    My car is about to hit the 5000 mile mark. I was thinking of getting an oil change done and paying out of pocket. I am sure that the synthetic oil will be fine for 15000 miles but I was thinking if it would be better to get the new engine residue / particles out and get new oil. Thoughts.
  • kdshapirokdshapiro Member Posts: 5,751
    I follow the manufacturers service recommendations to a 'T'. However, changing the oil can never hurt the car, the question though does it really buy anything other than piece of mind?
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 235,200
    I was at Sweeney BMW in Cincinnati on Saturday, and customers were test driving a new X3 3.0.. I was parked at the end of a row ('02 Honda CRV) and they pulled it up next to mine. It seems almost identically sized to my CRV. (just to give you an idea on size.. not to compare). I think it looks great, except a lot of black plastic on the bumpers. Just an FYI.

    regards,
    kyfdx

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  • asleepyasleepy Member Posts: 70
    For the past week, the left Xenon lamp on my 2003 325i (only 6000 miles) has been acting up -- sometimes the left Xenon will come on when turned on and during other times, it won't. When it does not, the orange car diagram appears in the instrument panel with a red light. Most of the time when the Xenon won't come on, I would turn it off and on a couple of times and it comes on, eventually. Has anyone else experienced this? Looks like another trip to the dealer....
  • vkwheelsvkwheels Member Posts: 218
    Very inventive to compare to art/interior design! Cars, just like women, need R-E-S-P-E-C-T, don't you think? ;-)
  • rworrellrworrell Member Posts: 149
    I've only dealt with Walser once (when I was considering a Lincoln LS but ended up buying a 328Ci--and it was a terrible experience), so a lot of it is what I've heard and read. Walser has been in trouble for its sales tactics, especially in the area of finance and extended warranties. I've heard stories of their offering misleading information, intimidation, etc. They've been formally censured by the state Attorney General about those tactics. Here's an excerpt from a news article about them:

    'In a settlement with the Minnesota attorney general, Walser has agreed to tape or video-record sales to ensure that "products are presented in a way that they're supposed to be," says Mr. Walser. The company must deliver all recordings to the AG's office monthly for four months and by request after that. Consumers may also get copies of their own tapes.'

    Try googling minnesota attorney general walser to see more.

    As far as detailers go, I've always done my own work. There's a guy in the BMWCCA who did a seminar for the club and he really knows his stuff and I've heard he does good work. His company is called Sterling Enterprises and I think their phone number is (612) 598-7920. Good luck!
  • brave1heartbrave1heart Member Posts: 2,698
    I had the same problem at ~ 9-10K miles. The dealer replaced the whole headlight assembly next time I brought the car in for service. It's been working great since then.
  • kominskykominsky Member Posts: 850
    I had a similar problem but in my case it didn't fire up one time, then it did work the next time, then it never worked again until my service dept. installed a new igniter. That was about 40K miles ago and there has been no problem since that time.
  • asleepyasleepy Member Posts: 70
    Thanks for your responses. I'll have the dealer check both out.
  • tenet1tenet1 Member Posts: 354
    Read Page 82 of the latest Business Week and you will see this statistic:

    Fewest defects per 100 new vehicles in 2003:
    #1 Toyota
    #2 BMW
    #3 Honda

    Fewest defects per 100 new vehicles in 1999:
    #1 BMW
    #2 Toyota/Honda

    I find that there is such a stereotype attached to BMW's that people will always ask me if I am having problems with my BMW when they see it. In over 2 years of ownership my car is flawless.
  • riezriez Member Posts: 2,361
    tenet1... What source for the data is cited in the BW article? JD Powers? CR? Some other source?

    Issue with "defects" is trying to determine if major or minor. Always a methodological issue. Does a defective transmission or engine equal a problematic cupholder or CD player?

    Timing of data also a serious methodological issue. Is this data after 30 days? 90 days? 1 year? 3 years? Is initial quality more or less important than long-term reliability?
  • tenet1tenet1 Member Posts: 354
    The source is JD Powers & Associates Initial Quality Study

    There is not much else supporting the data like the questions you ask around when the survey was conducted. However, I am sure the same methodolgy applied to all car manufacturers.
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 235,200
    Usually means the first 90 days. Indicative of nothing, unless the numbers are really bad ala Yugo.. BMWs are expensive to maintain and repair.. They are great cars.. I'm shopping for one myself.. But, I know what I'm getting into.. They are also fairly reliable, but not cheap to keep.

    regards,
    kyfdx

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  • blueguydotcomblueguydotcom Member Posts: 6,249
    I find that there is such a stereotype attached to BMW's that people will always ask me if I am having problems with my BMW when they see it. In over 2 years of ownership my car is flawless

    Lucky. 6 months of ownership and I have a laundry list.
  • kdshapirokdshapiro Member Posts: 5,751
    "Lucky. 6 months of ownership and I have a laundry list"

    Your laundry list on your BMW probably matches those on my former Nissans. All three of them. Getting a German car was a no brainer for me, no matter what, it had to better.
  • evantoddevantodd Member Posts: 11
    my friend says he uses Mid-Grade for his 325. Is Mid-Grade ok for a 325 or is Premium Gas Necessary?
  • hippo168hippo168 Member Posts: 115
    Any suggestions? Thanks.
  • erickplerickpl Member Posts: 2,735
    In message 24796, you mentioned the reset procedure for the Service Interval. I assume this is for the 3 series right? :)

    I'm changing my oil this weekend and will be needing to reset that (along with replacing the filters and such).

    -Paul
  • ksomanksoman Member Posts: 683
    are you paid to repeat that same line everytime?
    ksso
  • kdshapirokdshapiro Member Posts: 5,751
    Yes!
  • vkwheelsvkwheels Member Posts: 218
    I use both, now that it's under $2/gal. Gas mileage w/ premium seems better.
  • memphis10memphis10 Member Posts: 161
    My friend just picked up a 2004 325i. Same packages a mine (Silver, Leatherette, SP, PP, Xe) except mine is a 2003 model. He got the aluminum trim instead of the wood trim. I hated my wood trim until I saw the aluminum trim. It looks cheap and ugly and the wood trim on black interior looks much better. Also, the black shifter knob looks hideous. But I like the 5 spoke wheels he got with his sports pkg. They are gorgeous, much better than the 03 sports pkg wheels.
  • blueguydotcomblueguydotcom Member Posts: 6,249
    my friend says he uses Mid-Grade for his 325.

    Your friend is part of a hilarious legion who spend 30-40k on a car and then cheap out over a lousy 10 cents a gallon.

    Is Mid-Grade ok for a 325 or is Premium Gas Necessary?

    You can use mid grade as Bimmer's system will simply retard the engine's performance. Instead of getting all your horsies, you'll get fewer and won't be following manu specs. But hey, that's a $1.60 a fillup saved!
  • nyccarguynyccarguy Member Posts: 16,373
    Last week on my whirlwind NYC to NH and back in less than 24 hours Thanksgiving day, I spotted something a bit out of the ordinary at a gas station in Connecticut, a Blue 330 Xi with a 5 speed, body kit, lowered, and custom (18" or 19") wheels. I've seen modified BMWs before, but just never an Xi. It was a cool sight to see, but for the money the guy put into the car I'd take an M3 and invest in a set of snow tires (just MHO).

    Speaking of the M3, I saw this beautiful Silver/Black E36 M3 Luxury on the way to work this morning. Still a great car even though it has been retired since the end of '99. I did a CPO search in my area to see if any were around. There's a cosmos black/black '99 with 32K miles selling CPO for $25K and change. Man I'd love to get my hands on that:) Good thing I'm sensible and am in the middle of buying a condo so it looks like I'll be holding onto my '01 Prelude for quite a while.

    2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD

  • brave1heartbrave1heart Member Posts: 2,698
    Yes, it is for the 2001 and later models E46, I believe...
  • brave1heartbrave1heart Member Posts: 2,698
    Geez, lots of bad vibes on the board today. Must be related to the brutally cold weather...

    91 octane is the minimum required for the E46, although there is a noticeable improvement in acceleration with 93 and even more so with 94. I have not in my experience noticed any tangible difference in fuel economy when using higher grade. FWIW, I've heard that your car will run OK with octane < 91 but it may retard the timing. I would not try it...
  • brave1heartbrave1heart Member Posts: 2,698
    The best shop bar none is Turner Motorsports but it may be a little bit of a hike depending on where you live. They are off 495 ~ 1hr from Boston. Autobahn seems to have a good reputation for some reason but every time I've called them, I've been turned off by both their attitude and pricing. You will hear "We only service BMWs" before you've told him what car you drive and their prices are at least as high as the dealers' and Turner's. Try some other shops that advertise in the Boston Bimmer mag if you can't make it Turner.
  • ksomanksoman Member Posts: 683
    many parts of the country dont even know that fuel above 91 oct exists... what you talking mang!

    :)
    ksso

    there isn't an amoco errr now bp in every part of the world
  • jbailey6jbailey6 Member Posts: 13
    I have a 2003 330 xi. It has Conti Touring Contact tires (205/50 R 17 93V CV95, extra load, M + S). According to the vehicle manual, the tires require a pressure of 33 for the front and 38 for the rear tires. I asked the Service Manager at the local BMW dealer about this and he confirmed that it was correct after some hesitancy. Whenever, I take the car to a gas station to have the tires checked, I'm asked where I got these weird pressures from and why do I want them. When I explain that this is what the BMW manual suggests, the guys look incredulous. They think that all 4 tires should have the same pressure of around 33. Has anyone got any opinions about this matter? The car is driving really well, but I'd hate to be driving around on improperly inflated tires. I'll be very grateful for some opinions. Thanks, Jim
  • kdshapirokdshapiro Member Posts: 5,751
    Jim - my philosophy is to follow the manufacturers recommendations. I have two vehicles and both vehicles have different front and rear pressures. Why? I don't know. Maybe someone can tell us.
  • brave1heartbrave1heart Member Posts: 2,698
    Do we have opinions on tire pressure? Yeah, some of us have strong opinions. After 9 track days on 4 different tracks and 16 autoX events, I think I do know something about tire pressure. With the same tire sizes and tire pressure all around, the 3-series will tend to understeer. If you put in more air in the rears, they will understeer (push) even more. In autoX, that will kill you every time. On the track, it's bad too, as you can't rotate the car early enough. In street driving, it probably gives you an added degree of security as you won't be able to throw the car easily into an oversteer that might lead to a spin. If it understeers, you let off the gas and you'd probably be OK. Not a good performance setup but again, probably safe. Here's a table that might help you understand your car's behavior better:

    TO INCREASE UNDERSTEER / TO INCREASE OVERSTEER
    Front Tire Pressure Lower Higher
    Rear Tire Pressure Higher Lower
    Front Tire Width Smaller Larger
    Rear Tire Width Larger Smaller
    Front Camber More Positive More Negative
    Rear Camber More Negative More Positive
    Front Springs Stiffer Softer
    Rear Springs Softer Stiffer
    Front Sway Bar Stiffer Softer
    Rear Sway Bar Softer Stiffer

    Bottom line is, for street driving any mix between 28 and 40 is OK. The lower the pressure, the more comfortable the ride and the worse the fuel economy. The higher the pressure, the bumpier the ride is but fuel economy is better. Same pressure all around (32/32 works well - higher for heavier cars) is OK and so is a setup that uses more pressure in the rears.
  • blueguydotcomblueguydotcom Member Posts: 6,249
    I've encountered many gas attendants who insist my air pressure should be at over 40 psi! I point to the specs in my manual or on my door jamb and they always say the tires' rating is a better thing to follow. It's all very annoying as it's my car so you'd think they'd accept i want it my way.

    BTW, I'd check my own tire pressure but I'm physically incapable of doing so. It's not that I'm lazy. :P
  • andergtrandergtr Member Posts: 101
    see my reply to your post over at the scion xB discussion board.
  • andergtrandergtr Member Posts: 101
    i think it's important to differentiate whether you are the type who keeps the car only within the warranty period and dumps it or whether you keep the car for the long haul (e.g. 100,000 miles or more).

    if you keep the car only within warranty, it's almost irrelevant what kind of problems crop up, because it's not your issue--the burden is on the dealer to fix it. it's a headache, but if the car is unreliable, no money comes out of your pocket.

    on the other hand, if you are a guy who buys a car and keeps it well beyond the warranty period, that's another issue entirely. the cost of ownership for a new BMW for 4 years/50K miles is nothing, because that's included in the warranty. compare a lexus to a BMW after 100,000 miles, and i would argue that the lexus will handily beat the BMW for reliability.

    BMW's are great cars, but they require some babying if you want them to always perform.

    FYI, i'm a guy who keeps cars for 100K miles or more, because at a rate of 30K miles/year, that's just a little over three years of driving. if i only kept my car within warranty, i'd be turning them every 18 months.
  • ksomanksoman Member Posts: 683
    97.9942783% of those gas attendants are there because they are not elsewhere doing more intellectually challenging things, i'd not trust them even after my death.

    ksso
  • gordonwdgordonwd Member Posts: 337
    I know I'm opening myself up for flames by bringing up the cost of oil changes on a $30K+ car, but there is a line between paying for quality and being taken advantage of. I need to get one more oil change on my '98 Audi A4 1.8T before ordering my 325i which I expect to have in about April of next year. I called my Audi dealer and they wanted $69.95 for a basic oil change (and I don't think that they use synthetic oil, either). Then I called a local VW dealer and they'll do it for $39. Hey, it's the same engine as in the Passat and Jetta, and they even have a mechanic that used to work at Audi dealerships in the area. The only extra charge by the VW dealer is if they have to reset the service indicator, but that only takes me about 10 seconds to do by instructions in the manual! By the way, the recommended change interval is 5000 miles, so we're talking 2-3 changes per year.

    Too bad there are not many alternatives with the BMW, although there are a few independent German-car specialist shops in the area. I'll probably have to shop around after my initial 4 years are up.
  • blueguydotcomblueguydotcom Member Posts: 6,249
    Get your oil changed however you like. nothing wrong with being sensible with your cash. the audi guys won't do anything different from the cats at VW (well maybe customer service won't be as nice). heck, if you have a mechanic you know and like, take it to him for the change.

    Then there's the do it yourself option. I have a few friends with lux cars who do the oil swap in their driveway.
  • erickplerickpl Member Posts: 2,735
    I am doing the oil changes myself using a fluid extractor and buying the parts I need from my BMW dealer (using BMW synthetic 5W-30). This makes it possible to change the oil w/o having to climb under the car since the filter is on top anyway.

    Resetting the service indicator is easy if you follow brave's process listed several pages back (search for service indicator post #24796).

    I'm doing mine this weekend, along with a new air filter, a/c microfilter swap, and wiper replacements (my 50,000 service). My dealer wanted 200.00. I am doing it for less and I can use my fluid extractor on my other cars as well.

    -Paul
  • div2div2 Member Posts: 2,580
    Contrary to popular belief, there IS an excellent alternative to expensive oil changes. First, buy one of these:
    image@$65
    and one of these:
    image@$140
    and do the job yourself. With a CCA discount your oil and filter shouldn't cost more than $35, and after three or four changes the extractor and reset tool will have paid for themselves. Also note that BMW's "Inspection I" service is essentially an oil change combined with an examination of various parts and systems. Once out of warranty you can do those yourself as well; it takes all of about two hours, tops. And don't be ashamed of wanting to save money. I reserve my venom and ridicule for those nitwits who spend $40000+ on a new car and then post:"I know the manual says to use premium fuel, but will it hurt to use the cheapest no-name rotgut fuel I can find?". Idiots!
  • motenor1motenor1 Member Posts: 35
    is it a reset tool? to reset the interval indicator?
  • div2div2 Member Posts: 2,580
    Yes, it is a Service Interval Indicator reset tool-but it can also retrieve engine fault codes as well as reset the check engine light. See: www.peakeresearch.com. I've found that the tool works exactly as advertised.
  • erickplerickpl Member Posts: 2,735
    Div,

    Can't we just use the method Brave posted a while back to reset the SI?

    I am assuming that besides the reset feature, this tool adds those diagnostic features for that $140?

    -Paul
  • div2div2 Member Posts: 2,580
    Sure you can; I'm just a gearhead who doesn't want to run to the shop every time I get a CEL. Peake does sell a $50 tool that just resets the SI, but it only works on pre-2000 cars.
  • erickplerickpl Member Posts: 2,735
    for the clarification. My shop is over an hour away, so I don't want to do that either, though it means time off from work to do it. I'll have to look into that thing.

    -Paul
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