BMW 3-Series 2005 and earlier

nyccarguy · January 2004

Congrats on your car! Enjoy!

westmorland · January 2004

Well we did it - ordered a new 330ci last night (SP, PP, heat seats, septronic, Xenon, titanium with black leather and black top). Are we nuts ? That car cost more than 2 new Miatas. we have never owned a BMW before and will be selling our 2000 TL which has been an absolutely terrific car in all respects (it has 33000 miles and is fun to drive although so smooth and predictable my wife got bored with it). Please - somebody tell me I am not crazy !
Westmorland

kdshapiro · January 2004

Good luck with your car! Sounds like you did your homework. Might as well get the mask with the smile painted on it.

nycjeep · January 2004

Hey folks,

You were all helpful back in December when I contemplated getting winter tires for my '03 325i. I bought a set of Blizzaks, and the purchase was worth it.

Regarding electrical problems, I have to report that my 3-series has been a pain. In the first month of ownership, the car refused to start and stranded me in CT(I live in NYC). The engine was turning over but not starting (not sure about the technical jargon here). I had to get the car towed and me, my sister, and 3-year old nephew had to ride shotgun in a tow truck to BMW CT. After a couple of days, the service people diagnosed some faulty computer behind the glovebox and replaced it.

A couple of weeks ago, I'm driving down the road and started to smell a "burning" smell in the car. I had the car checked-out and was told twice that the car was "fine" and my driving style was too aggressive, and I was abusing the clutch. In my defense, I told BMW that I'm really not an aggressive driver, BUT the mechanic had the service people convinced that I was the problem and NOT the car. I brought the car back to the same dealer(VOB in Rockville, MD) for the third time last week b/c I could no longer deal with the smell. I dealt directly with the service manager and not one of the lemmings behind the counter. "Magically," they discovered that a bad wiring...once again behind the glovebox...was the cause of the offensive smell and they replaced the fusebox unit, etc. I can't begin to tell you folks how frustrating this ordeal was.

Lastly, I got a letter from BMW regarding a recall of an electrical switch that's suppose to stop the windows from "pinching." My car was checked and wasn't part of the faulty lot. (at least a little good news)

For the most part, I love my BMW(I've owned in the past) but now I wonder if I would have been better off with a G35 or Lexus. Perish the thought, right!?!

ss2u2 · January 2004

I'm into my 2nd year of BMW ownership (330cic) and I want to thank everyone for sharing your knowledge/time. Great board and I enjoy reading it!
  My q's are: 1) correct ft/lbs of torque for lug
                 bolts.
              2) normal service interval for
                a) antifreeze change and flush
                  (covered under warranty?)
                b) brake fluid bleed and change
                  (covered under warranty?)
              3) new BMW rotor thickness and re-
                 placement minimum

    tia, Steve

kdshapiro · January 2004

"Perish the thought, right!?! "

They have had their share of problems as well, at least according to some of the posters on the G35 board.

shipo · January 2004

The new spec is 88 lb-ft or 120 nm, contrary to what many Owner's Manuals (including mine) say.

Best Regards,
Shipo

div2 · January 2004

Shipo is correct on the lug bolt torque; as for your other questions-

The coolant change interval is three years; use BMW coolant ONLY! Anyone that tells you some off-the-shelf brand is just as good is either misinformed, a liar, or an idiot-or possibly all three.

Brake fluid gets changed every two years-though I would shorten that interval by 50%-75% if I tracked the car. Use only DOT 4 fluid; I like ATE Super Blue Racing Fluid, but other good choices include BMW Brake Fluid, Castrol LMA, and Valvoline Synpower.

I don't have the rotor thickness specs, but I'll go out on a limb and state that I've always been able to make the rotor survive two sets of pads-at least on every BMW I've owned. That said, most dealers want to replace the rotors with every pad change on the theory that the rotor will wear down below the minimum thickness before the second set of pads is worn out. That may be true, but I suspect that the only way that could cause a problem would be if the car was driven very aggressively on the street and/or was being tracked.

rzep3 · January 2004

I swapped cars with 325Xi owner who is out of
reach now. One thing wich drives me nuts is that the time (on the original BMW radio console) is not correct. How do I set the time ?

tenet1 · January 2004

There are 2 knobs (stalks, sticks??) on your odo display area. Take the one on the right and turn in clockwise and hold it in that position and the time will change. You can vary the speed at which the time changes by holding or releasing the stalk in the clockwise or anti-clockwise position. This will change the time on the radion and the OBC

erickpl · January 2004

You can turn it clockwise to go forward in time... counter clockwise to go back in time.

BTW, my 2002 325xi has over 55,000 miles on it already.

Major grins per mile too.

Who needs Prozac?

-Paul

rzep3 · January 2004

Thanks for the advise. I am doning something wrong. Both of those knobs seems to be push-on only. One on the left resets the odometer and
one on the right changes units of temparature (C vs F).

I tried turning each one of them and they will NOT turn in either direction. I have not use excessive force on those as I am afraid to break them. What am I doing wrong ?

tenet1 · January 2004

It does take a bit of force (but not so much that it feels like it can break). Wierd why yours wont turn

erickpl · January 2004

The knob does feel a bit tight and it feels like it is being torqued, but you can indeed twist it. Check the manual (if it is in the car to verify).

Paul

rzep3 · January 2004

Thanks for the advise. I am doning something wrong. Both of those knobs seems to be push-on only. One on the left resets the odometer and
one on the right changes units of temparature (C vs F).

I tried turning each one of them and they will NOT turn in either direction. I have not use excessive force on those as I am afraid to break them. What am I doing wrong ?

ptrekker · January 2004

the display has to be set to the clock function in order for twisting the stalk to change the clock!

kyfdx · January 2004

Do you have the premium pkg with the on-board computer?

efxx · January 2004

My service engine soon light came on again on my '02 325i grrr! The same thing happened last year around this time of year. We've had some extremely cold weather the last 2 winters in the northeast and I wonder if that contributed to the service engine soon indicator coming on.

There was 1 day last month when I started my car and it was idling rough. The rough idle went away on the 3rd re-start. What the heck is going on!

I have an service appointment with the dealership tomorrow.

erickpl · January 2004

Didn't think to ask about the OBC.

PRess the button on the end of the turn stalk until the time is displaying. Twisting the one that previously changed it between F and C will change your time.

Good point ptrekker.

-Paul

erickpl · January 2004

What kind of gas you using? In winter, the formulation can be different than in the summer. You should be able to do a search at the bottom and search for winter gas or something like that to find out all you'd want to know about that.

-Paul

brave1heart · January 2004

You need to have the ignition key in the "1" position and then turn the knob. Don't use too much force. You don't have to push it either. It's a little tricky but it will work. Position "1" (if you're not sure) is when you turn the key and the OBC comes up but the electronics have not been activated yet.

brave1heart · January 2004

Ate Super Blue would be overkill for street driving. The BMW brake fluid is just fine as is anything else that is DOT 4. If you do track your car and need a brake fluid with a higher boiling point, Ate is great, although I'd get the Ate Gold because it is less messy than Ate Super Blue. Even though it will be similar in color to the fluid that's already in the car, you should be easily able to tell the new fluid from the old fluid when you're flushing it. For street driving, BMW recommends a flush every two years; our BMW Chapter requires that the fluid be flushed within the past 6 months of a driving event that you will be attending.

BTW, Tony Funicello from Trackmasters at Watkins Glen (best driving instructor that I've ever met!!) recommends the Ford Performance brake fluid as an inexpensive option that is at least as good as the Ate stuff. Just don't tell anyone that you're using a Ford product in your expensive BMW

)

ss2u2 · January 2004

shipo, Ya I knew it was lower than the manual states, just not what #. Any idea why?

div2, roger wilco on the antifreeze. My rotors showed 11mm front and 12mm back, at inspection I. I have 20k mi. on the car and I'm trying to gauge if I'll be needing them replaced before warranty is up. I've heard that 6mm is the replacement minimum. Appreciate the brake info...no track time for this ragtop, local chapter doesn't allow. autox is another story.

oh yea "and something else" I changed my oil today and when I removed the cap to refill, the entire underside of the cap had a gooey off-white/beige substance on it. oil and/or condensation within the engine? Remember seeing something similar on my old mustang. I know it isn't right, any ideas? tia Steve

brave1heart · January 2004

Not sure about the 330, as its rotors are slightly larger than the 325's but for the 325, the minimum thickness for the fronts is 21 mm and for the rears, it is 17 mm. I replaced my fronts with Ate slotted Power discs (strongly recommend!!!) a couple of months ago at 57K miles when I put in my 3-rd set of pads and the rotors were down to 21 mm. You should be able to get at least as many miles - in addition to the miles, I have a lot of autoX and track days on those rotors. I am replacing the rears in the spring but the last time I measured them, they were still at 18 mm, so even less worry there...

ss2u2 · January 2004

I know,I know... off to read my warranty again! But just in case I miss it,are the radiator flush and brake line bleed covered under it?

brave1heart · January 2004

My SES light came up just a couple of weeks after I put in the ECIS CAI in November of '02 in my 325i. It was on ~ 80% of the time last winter but it went away in the spring when it warmed up. It is definitely related to the cold air. The fault codes that had been registered on my car were all along the lines of "Misfire on cylinder #. Permissible range exceeded". I don't know if the air-mass flow sensor was getting confused with the dense cold air but I never ever experienced problems with rough idle, loss of power or any of that. This winter, the light has come up only once even with all the extremely cold air and I think it's because my wife had filled up and had not tightened up the lid. Long story short, don't lose sleep over it.

brave1heart · January 2004

The brake flush is covered after 2 years and that's 2 years from the production date, not from the day you took delivery of the car. As far as the radiator flush, that actually is recommended every FOUR years on the E46 and would not be covered under the maintenance program or obviously under warranty...

brave1heart · January 2004

Didn't you say you have a 330?!? If that's the case, there is no way you'd be down to 11 mm. You probably measured just the outside half of the rotor - keep in mind that they are vented front and rear and you need to measure the combined width, gap included. Usually, they will be a little thicker right at the edges because the pads don't quite hit that last 1/16" or so of surface, so it is hard to measure the thickness without a special tool... You'll have a much better chance with the pads (those need to be down to 3 mm) if what you're trying to do is get them both replaced by the dealer before the maintenance program runs out. Just go to a parking lot, floor it, slam on the brakes, measure, then do it again. What's a better way to spend a Sunday afternoon anyhow

)

ss2u2 · January 2004

ok Thanks and good to know. ya I'll have to learn how to replace brakes and rotors, as well as the flush anyway. Since I plan on smiling while driving this car into the retirement sunset 3 years down the road anyway. You got any ideas what I'm looking at under my refill cap from my previous post? #25570. thats got me worried.

ss2u2 · January 2004

My mistake, I went back to the insp I service checklist and the measurements are for the pads,doh!!! there still going strong. I guess I'm not being aggresive enough in my corner braking.

ps Thats the first mistake I've made today...but I could be wrong.

pss set up a skid pad, some cones and the parking lot thing could be great fun!

shipo · January 2004

"oh yea "and something else" I changed my oil today and when I removed the cap to refill, the entire underside of the cap had a gooey off-white/beige substance on it. oil and/or condensation within the engine? Remember seeing something similar on my old mustang. I know it isn't right, any ideas?"

It has been many years since I've seen such a substance inside a valve cover, and never on a car that used synthetic oil. In the past I always (rightly or wrongly) associated such an occurrence to a leaking head gasket or cracked head (in one case a cracked cylinder wall on an old Chrysler 440, but that's another story) that was allowing coolant to escape the water galleries and eventually mix with the oil.

In the distant past (early 1970s) I would notice that glop inside cars that used cheap oil AND made lots of very short trips (less than 2 miles) which never heated the engine up enough to cause any water collected in the oil to evaporate. This was the result of condensation (atmospheric water and combustion by-products) collecting on the inner surfaces of the engine and then being mixed with the oil when the engine was re-started next.

What does all of this have to do with your situation? I'm not really sure. That said, I would start with more frequent oil changes and alerting your dealership to the occurrence and have them put it on record.

Best Regards,
Shipo

efxx · January 2004

All of a sudden the "Service Engine Soon" indicator goes off on the day I'm scheduled to bring my car in. I brought the car in to get checked despite the SES indicator turning off. They couldn't find anything wrong with the car.

Gas:

Since I've had the car in November of 2001, I've gotten gas from Exxon twice and all the other times I've fueld up at Mobil and I always use 93 octane.

The car is never running while the gas cap is opened and I always make sure the cap is properly sealed after fueling.

erickpl · January 2004

Anybody know of a good writeup to cover a brake bleed? I have one of those fluid extractors (with brake bleed kit) and want to make sure I do it right.

Do I extract the fluid first, then add the new - pulling it through or do I just add it to the master cylinder and stop when the new fluid shows?

-paul

kominsky · January 2004

The second method you mention is the way I've heard of it being done. That way, there's little chance for air bubbles.

Read the description Griot's has.

http://www.griotsgarage.com/catalog.jsp?&SKU=85700

yama330 · January 2004

I would guess that you live in a cold area and have lately used your car only for short trips. The goo is a water/oil emulsion. Before you get too alarmed, you should go on a good one hour long drive to evaporate off the water and then check the situation.

ss2u2 · January 2004

So, I checked the refill cap when I got home from work today. There was a good amount of condensation, it dripped off, on the inside of the cap. Will have to keep an eye on it.

shipo, I was thinkin' along those lines also. Was told once, that substance, was an oil/water mix and worst case was the result of a bad head gasket or cracked block...but what do I know. Thanks, I will definitely have it noted for the record.

yama330, appreciate your reply! yes I live in the Chicago area and its -18c right know. I drive 15 miles to and from work each day and short trips are few. I do have a heated garage, might that have something to do with it. I'll be taking a 3 hour trip this weekend and will see what happens...car runs great so I'm chillin' for now!

pat · January 2004

You have a delete button
                   a delete button
                      a delete button

                           :>)

One of the oddities of this software is that if you Refresh the page after posting (without following some other link first) your message will repost. This bites just about everyone sooner or later.

Probably the best way to redisplay a page after making a post is to use the Recent Msgs link on either page bar.

brislance1 · January 2004

Need fast help! What is a realistic price to offer (cash) a dealer in the snow belt for a new 03 325i with step, sports, premium and cold weather package. Lists for over $36,000. Dealer wants $34,000. Seems high since they were selling some new 03's below invoice in November. Thanks.

kyfdx · January 2004

I was offered this deal.

2003 325i
premium
leather
steptronic
cold pkg
xenons

I think the MSRP was right around $36K
His offer was $31,700.

Good deal, but didn't take it because I had heart set on sport pkg, and wife didn't want a white car.

The dealer cost on that car considering the $2000 incentive they had on them is almost exactly $5K under MSRP. I wouldn't want to pay more than $500 over that. That seems like a nicely optioned car. The only thing I could see that would keep it from selling would be no leather.

regards,
kyfdx

nyccarguy · January 2004

Which car does your wife feel safer when she's driving (inclememt weather), her A4 with All Seasons or your 325i w/ 4 snows (assuming you let her drive your car:)?

kyfdx · January 2004

feels safer in her 325i sport with 4 winter tires than in my CRV with all-seasons, and I do also. I have better traction for getting out of deep snow, or up a steep hill, but the CRV can't come close to stopping or turning like her car does on the winter tires. And, if we were in an accident, the lower center of gravity of the BMW would lend an extra element of safety.

I know...its not a direct comparison between an A4 and a CRV..

Safety aside, I would of course be able to get through some situations in the CRV that the BMW couldn't.

regards,
kyfdx

stacyandbrian · January 2004

This is driving me crazy and I need some help. Please, if you own a 2004 or 03 325xi with auto trans, tell me if your car makes a high pitched whine while in idle. My 323i purred like a cat when in idle, my new 325xi makes a high pitched noise from the engine when at idle, i can hear it in my house while it's warming up in the driveway. I took it to the dealer and they said it's normail. Today at the street corner a 325xi pulled up next to me and it was just as quiet as my old 323i!!!! Please, let me know if your 325xi is quiet or makes that noise!! What should I do!!!

imadrone · January 2004

Wife and I did ED for 2004 325iT (steel blue/gray, 5-speed, SP, HK, PS) and enjoyed a wonderful 4,400 mile 3 week driving vacation through Europe last autumn. Just passed 5,000 since its arrival here 3 weeks ago, and have appointment for oil/filter change tomorrow. Munich Delivery Center said "don't waste your money" when asked about changing prior to the scheduled 15,000 miles, but the added peace of mind in disposing of the break-in oil is worth the out of pocket expense. We LOVE the car, have had zero problems, but are in the market for wheel locks. Are factory ones the best, or are other products better? Recommendations much appreciated.

Thanks, Richard

erickpl · January 2004

You can go aftermarket, but the BMW locks are nice because they come with covers to match the other nuts and you can't really tell which is the keyed version. They are about the same price as other keys.

Keep in mind. The lugs and nuts are 1 piece on a BMW whereas the lugs on most cars are on the rotor/axle piece (meaning when you take off a wheel, the whole lug/nut combination comes off as one piece. Finding non-BMW wheel locks may be tough in this case.

-Paul

kyfdx · January 2004

Great color combo... I like the options list. Only the most important stuff. I assume you plan on keeping it awhile.. If you don't mind, what was the US MSRP.. and what did you buy it for? I assume the savings was substantial to do ED? Mine is steel blue/black, but your color combo is my favorite.

regards,
kyfdx

efxx · January 2004

Has anyone replaced halogen light assembly with xenons on MY02-04 3?

If so,

1. Where did you get the xenon assembly?
2. How difficult was the installation (i.e. did
you have to cut wires, etc)?

denk · January 2004

One more data point--my 325xi does not whine at idle. Ask your bmw service rep to start up another 325xi from their stock. I'll bet it doesn't make the noise. Then he will have to check it out. Or, if you have other bmw dealers in your area, take it to them and explain that your original dealer was not willing to check out something that is obviously not normal.

imadrone · January 2004

Thanks for the wheel lock advice, Paul. I'll follow it.
Kydfx, US MSRP was a bit over 36K and we paid 33K flat. Didn't really care to wrestle over a few shekels on the table, and were (and are) very pleased with our dealer. We charge all purchases, pay cards off each month, generate free air miles, and enjoyed free flights to and from Frankfurt. So, probably not worth doing ED just for MSRP savings, but we love traveling in Europe anyway, and this also saved us the cost of a rental car. Bet your steel blue/black looks great too, but Redding, California gets just too darned hot in the summer for us to have black interior.
As for keeping it a while, my wife has had her 320i for 21 years, and I still love my '68 Volvo 122S and '68 M-B 280SE. But, if the 2007 325i Sport Wagon is offered with the 3.0 liter/6-sp combo, and it has not been Bangle-ized (I find the styling of the new 5 series reprehensible), we may have to part with our newest automobile and head back to Munich.

Happy motoring,
Richard

brave1heart · January 2004

It seems that the dealer gave you the run-around. The SES light does NOT need to be on - they should have read the fault codes registered by the computer and give you a printout of those. They did it for me.

brave1heart · January 2004

Of course I let her drive the 325 - we practically swapped cars for a few months because I drive 500 miles a week and we wanted to maximize the warranty on her car so it won't expire with too few miles on it. During the summer, I go to driving events at least a couple of times each month and it's just too much hassle having to take the child seat out each time, so we tend to swap cars during the winter instead. We live on a very steep hill and she complains that when she drives down the hill with the A4, the ABS kicks in too often. She doesn't have that problem with the 325's snow tires. To be fair, the A4's all-seasons are approaching the end of their useful life and will need to be replaced by next winter. FWIW, she likes the lumbar support on the A4 better than the SP seats in the 325 (I don't). She also complains that the 325 is too low and she has to bend too far down to put our 2-year old in his car seat. It's always a tradeoff I guess...

BMW 3-Series 2005 and earlier

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