BMW 3-Series 2005 and earlier

memphis10 · January 2004

My scratched the front rim of my BMW on the curb. Any suggestions on how to fix or hide it.

325irav4 · February 2004

Our 01 325i sedan has a high pitched whine at idle which can not be heard inside the car but is quiet noticable outside. It seems loudest midway down the right side of the car. The dealer said it is the in-tank fuel pump and is normal.

billymay · February 2004

memphis - I've scraped my 17" rims on an '02 coupe. If you're near San Diego, there's a great company here that refinishes blemishes so that you can't even tell. It's about $80-$100 depending on the severity of the damage.

Much cheaper than a new wheel.

aldubya · February 2004

My lease on my 325xi is up shortly. Am going to lease an '04 325xi. Any comments on the desirablity of getting Xenon lights?

cody22 · February 2004

They are very cool. I just bought a 2003 325I with the Xenons ... I love them. You can truly see very clearly compared to Halogins (sp?). They claim to burn cooler and thus have a longer life as well.

aldubya · February 2004

Thank you Cody 22. Anyone else have comments on whether the Xenon light is worth the extra cost?
Are they more desirable?

riez · February 2004

CR has done some research on the subject. Thinking they've updated their test criteria to include headlights. They've found that not all Xenon HID are alike (some aren't all that great in a specific car) and that in many cases good halogens do just as well. Key is actual execution in the specific car. The new aftermarket Sylvania halogens (forget the tradename) are reportedly quite good for a little bit of money.

blueguydotcom · February 2004

My lease on my 325xi is up shortly. Am going to lease an '04 325xi. Any comments on the desirablity of getting Xenon lights?

I despise driving my Halogen equipped car at night because the lights just don't come close to Xenon's on my BMW. I feel like most halogen cars don't even have their lights on.

cjs2002 · February 2004

question ....

anyone know the dates of the Chicago Auto show... I'm thinking of taking a run down there?

denk · February 2004

is Feb 6-15.

nyccarguy · February 2004

Well, I just have to say that the more I read about the BMW 3er, the more I want one. I don't know how many of you subscribe to Car And Driver, but this month there was a $35K sport sedan comparison test consisting of 7 cars. The 5 speed manual & SP equipped $35,540 325i placed second (G35 came in 1st) despite a huge power deficiency compared to the rest of the cars. They called the 2.5L mill's 184hp output modest. It was basically the only fault they truly found with the car. It still put up some great numbers though. The BMW was the lightest of the group and turned in the 3rd fastest 0-60mph time (7.0 flat) and 1/4 mile time (15.4 @ 91 mph).

As we all know, the numbers don't tell the whole story (neither to magazine reviews). The editors raved about the car's balance, well weighted steering...and all the other things that make the 325i a true BMW.

tonybse3 · February 2004

Hello,
I just would like to ask for an advice...
I am planning to buy used BMW 3 coupe, most probably 318i, 1997-1998, around 60-90k miles. Can get one of these for 10k or less. Would like to use the car in weekends - for fun drive only , as a second car. But still probably I will pass 25k miles per year.
Any experience about known issues with this particular model and estimated maintenance cost would be greatly appreciated.
And is there any driving difference between 318i and 323i? Should I look for another model? Thanks in advance.

stacyandbrian · February 2004

Our 2004 "whistling" 325xi has the transmission slip problem also. 4 out of 5 mornings when I back the car out of the garage and onto driveway, when I put the car in drive, there is no response to my pressing the gas. This happens for about 2 to 3 seconds. Our driveway is on a downslope and it's scary because the car keeps rolling backwards until it engages. I am so frustrated with this car, there is a clunking sound comimg from the rear passenger side strut everytime we make a right turn or hit a bump, the car "whistles" so loud it's embarrasing and the transmission slips. I really feel cheated by bmw. I have sent 4 emails via my account in bmw's owner circle bmwna, and no response yet. My dealer calls the "whistling" normal, see for yourself and tell me what you think, i posted a mpeg of it in action, here is the link:
http://bmwwhistle.tripod.com/index.htm
It's a tripod account, so sometimes it runs over it's limit, but it restores within the hour. We would appreciate anyone's help on this situation!!!! Ahhhhhh!

tenet1 · February 2004

The Xenons are definately worth it. This is the first car where I always feel like the lights are on at night. The biggest impact of the Xenons is in conditions where visibilty is low and when it is raining. I can only imagine how good the swiveling Xenon's are.

tenet1 · February 2004

Your situation is not normal and you should do the following:

1) Go to another dealer - Some dealers are just worse than others when it comes to service. Where are you located??

2) Call BMW NA directly - They could have a field Engineer come out in case the dealers are stumped

Good Luck

arielle · February 2004

Have decided on a 325; test drove the convertible and the sedan. I think the convertible is far sharper looking than the sedan, but the practical issues of the convertible bother me (less visibility with the top up; interior noise, small back seat, moving front seat to get to back seat, small trunk space, higher price), so I'll probably go with the sedan which offers a lot more usefulness, but i don't find it as eye-catching as the convertible. in the long run if i got the convertible i think those practicality issues would drive me nuts.

kyfdx · February 2004

which is about 95% of the time, the sedan looks much better than the convertible. I love convertibles, but the trade-offs are exactly as you describe.

diver110 · February 2004

I have a 540i now and love it. Still, I wouldn't mind a bit more performance. The M5 is out of my league, so I am thinking about the M3. I spend a lot of time in traffic and so might perfer the "auto-manual" transmission. Does anyone know anything about it? Is it reliable? It came out in 2002. I generally find the 3 series seats a bit uncomfortable? Is the M series any better?

325irav4 · February 2004

Heard your MPEG. Very loud and bad. Mine is not such a whistle but a much quieter high pitched buzz. No comparison.

nyccarguy · February 2004

Why not look at the coupe? The Coupes have the same lines as the convertible, just the top doesn't go down.

diver110: You should go and test drive the car to see if it is comfortable for you. Are you talking about ride comfort or seat comfort? An M3 comes with a seriously track tuned (damn close to it) suspension which you may not like. It comes with sport seats which may be narrower than the average car seat.

I'm sure the SMG equipped M3 is fine, but a car like this begs to be driven by the 6-speed manual.

Have you checked out your local Mercedes-Benz dealership? They make a very good automatic transmission (with automanual controls) and MBs are generally comfortable cars.

ksoman · February 2004

wow, i've never heard anybody compare sedans and convertibles.... and in addition to other things, there's almost a $7-$10K spread, depending on how you option out...

as a convertible owner, i can tell you, the space limitations are certainly "REAL", but so is the BIG WIDE GRIN on your face that nothing else will replace... for me, this car was not a people or luggage hauler and i'm not a SUV buyer, so the convertible made a great car #2

ksso

hgeyer · February 2004

Is this the end of the "Bangle era"?

http://www.emailthis.clickability.com/et/emailThis?clickMap=viewT- his&etMailToID=647502127

shipo · February 2004

I'm not too sure that the above news is all that good. Consider the following:

"Mr. van Hooydonk, (the new Chief of Design for the BMW brand) who since 2001 has been president of Designworks USA, BMW's California design studio, was the lead designer for the exterior of the current 7 Series (so that's a good thing?) and the recently launched 6 series coupe."

Well, at least I like the new 645Ci, but I have to admit that some of its styling is too reminiscent of the E60 and E65. :-/

Best Regards,
Shipo

cody22 · February 2004

re; Diver110's question --

Just picked up a 5 month old 2003 BMW 325i Sedan - premium & sport pkg. I wanted an automatic this go-around precisely why you commented on it -- traffic. Sitting in an hour backup on the Bay Bridge in SF area. I decided a Manual is just too hard on the clutch in this mess. Anyway, the new transmission is called a "Steptronic". I really like it. I am able to leave it in DRIVE most of the time. Or switch to SPORT Drive - which basically is a higher RPM Automatic with 4 speeds instead of 5. Then for those momemts where I need more pep and control, I just take over with MANUAL with a move of the "stick". I can rev up the RPMs as high as I want (or down shift)and shift the gears to control my performance. The only down-side that I "feel" is that there's sort of a pause (or lag)when I initially hit the gas from a dead stop. Just not a smooth acceleration. More like a jerk or something. But I'm getting used to that.

diver110 · February 2004

This repeats a prior message that may have been not that clear. I have a 540i now and am very happy with it. I probably should leave well enough alone, but I am some what tempted by the M series. I spend a lot of time in traffic and so a manual is too much of a pain. In the 3 series the M class has an optional SMG transmission (clutchless, can be driven auto or manual). Anyone know anything about it and how reliable it is? How reliable is the M class? Are they a pain to own? How comfortable are the seats? Many thanks.

gordonwd · February 2004

The SMG tranny is available across the 3-series line for 2004. You might prefer a 330i with SMG as opposed to the M3 with its seriously stiff suspension. The sport suspension pkg is a pre-requisite for SMG, but a 325i or 330i with sport suspension will be more comfortable for average use than the M3.

diver110 · February 2004

This repeats a prior message that may have been not that clear. I have a 540i now and am very happy with it. I probably should leave well enough alone, but I am some what tempted by the M series. I spend a lot of time in traffic and so a manual is too much of a pain. In the 3 series the M class has an optional SMG transmission (clutchless, can be driven auto or manual). Anyone know anything about it and how reliable it is? How reliable is the M class? Are they a pain to own? How comfortable are the seats? Many thanks.

diver110 · February 2004

Thanks gordonwd for the feedback. I should drive the 330i as well. I drove the 3 series once, but found the seats uncomfortable. The M3s have different seats. I wonder if they are more comfortable. Any sense if M3s are a pain to own?

erickpl · February 2004

the ZHP instead of the 330i or M3? Seems like it would be a good compromise.

-Paul

borno · February 2004

just bought a '01m3cic w/6sp. it's truly amazing bought from private party with hard top, strut brace and dinan upgrade completed. it's steel grey w/imola red leather. does anyone know if daytime running lights can be installed. also, when i leave the lights on there is no alarm...seems strange for a car like this. does any one have tips or suggestion regarding this or anything else?? thanks in advance

brave1heart · February 2004

I think the article was fair. The G35 seems like a good car and it does offer a lot for the money. The acceleration numbers were consistent with past reviews and so were braking numbers but I was VERY surprised at the consistently high skidpad numbers on ALL cars. In the Jan '01 issue of C&D, the 325i SP pulled in .86 g on the skidpad with Contisports. Then they fitted it with SO3s and the skidpad number was the same (braking was much better, though!!). In the March '04 test, the car pulled in .89 on the skidpad with Michelin Pilots. There is no way these tires would make such a huge difference over the SO3s - it must have been the weather conditions... The IS300 came up at .87, the G35 at .90 with 55 profile tires - it sounds too high.

As far as the 325i vs. the G35, if we take out the HP difference, I doubt I'd personally find anything else that would make me prefer it over the 325. The BMW looks better inside and out, is more composed, is 200 lbs lighter, is 10+ inches shorter!!, and it is a great platform to build on. I'd be curious to see a comparo on lap times.

blueguydotcom · February 2004

the ZHP instead of the 330i or M3? Seems like it would be a good compromise.

-Paul

No SMG on the ZHP. Makes no sense. They put a cruddy slushbox on the ZHP this year but no SMG? Here's a wacky idea, make the SMG part of the ZHP package for a grand more. That way you won't have poseur ZHP's zipping around.

erickpl · February 2004

Thanks for clarifying that. I was thinking the ZHPZ had the SMG... oh well.

Offering it with the SMG for 1000 more sounds like a great idea.

-Paul

kominsky · February 2004

brave wrote "I'd be curious to see a comparo on lap times."

Does anyone know why car magazines don't do lap time tests on cars? More likely than not, no one would care for mini-vans, SUV's, etc, but when comparing sportscars or sport sedans, it would make sense. In motorcycle comparos, they almost always run the bikes on a tight track and a faster track to compare how the bikes do in those environments.

div2 · February 2004

The 1997-1998 3er coupes are great cars. The 318is has the M44 four cylinder engine. It's pretty much bulletproof. I would not get a 318 with an automatic due to the fact that you need to keep the engine above 2500 rpm to extract the best performance out of it. The 323is and 328is have the proven and reliable M52 six-the main difference in the engines is their displacement. The five speed 328i is a fairly quick car(0-60 in @6.2 seconds)-the 323i is @one second slower. All BMWs of that vintage require an oil and filter change about every 9000 miles-$35 DIY, $50 or so for a shop to do it. The major service(Inspection II) occurs every 36000 and will cost around $400 at a good indie shop-@600+ at a dealer. Coolant is changed every three years, brake fluid every two. The gearbox and final drive oils get changed ever other Inspection II. Sixes will need a new water pump at roughly 60000 mile intervals-$200. The side windows will sometimes fall into the door due to breakage of some plastic clips that connect the glass to the regulator. The parts are cheap and there are several how-to pages on the web. As with any used BMW, I'd want to see a full service history and I would also have the car inspected by a good BMW tech. As for which coupe to get-well, drive a few and pick the one that YOU like. There are enough 1997-1998 cars out there that you can afford to be picky.

riez · February 2004

kominsky... Every now and then one of the major auto magazines will do a comparison test or special test showing lap times at a particular track. But since they don't own the tracks and likely costs a pretty penny to use the track, they don't do it too often. R&T has done a couple real detail ones, giving vehicle performance in all the curves.

white6 · February 2004

Noticed in the C&D comparo that their 325i weighed 3300 pounds. I'm quite sure that, with about $6,500 in options, there was some added "optional" weight. I've ordered a stripped 325i (sport package and nothing else); I will be curious to see what the curb weight is on my car when it gets here.

brave1heart · February 2004

It is < 3,250 lbs!!

kdshapiro · February 2004

German SMG video

nissancar · February 2004

Thanks for your response regarding my bmw radio code. I did look around the manuals for the code but its no where. I guess I have to settle down for the last resort to find the serial number.

I had some luck with my battery as it turns out to be the Boston cold that my car was not starting in the morning. With a slight weather change my batter is doing fine which is OEM '98.

Thanks alot, I really appreciate your reply.

riez · February 2004

Had a $35,540 MSRP. From the stats and pictures you can see it had Sport Pkg, sunroof, leather, non-wood (titanium) interior trim. Assuming it had Prem Pkg. Is that blue metallic paint?

Very good stats--325i 5-speed manual Sport running on Michelin Pilot HX, 225/45WR-17 tires:

0-60 mph in 7.0 seconds (3rd place)
rolling 5-60 mph in 8.0 seconds (last place)
0-100 mph in 19.4 seconds (5th place)
0-120 mph in 31.3 mph (tied for 3rd place)
1/4 mile in 15.4 secs at 91 mph (tied for 3rd)
70-0 mph braking in 172 ft (4th place)
Pulled 0.89g (tied for 2nd)
63.4 mph lane-change (2nd place)
top gear 30-50 mph in 8.7 secs (2nd place)
top gear 50-70 mph in 9.1 secs (3rd place)
19 mpg achieved (highest in group)

nyccarguy · February 2004

I think the titanium would suggest the car didn't have the Premium Package.

riez · February 2004

nyccarguy... You may be right. I don't have an '04 sedan brochure so not exactly sure what all ways an '04 can be equipped. All I know is this is a heavily loaded '04 325i. MSRP pushing $36K and it had the manual transmission. BMW might have provided an interestingly equipped one. From the small interior picture, looks like it didn't have the Cold Weather Pkg. Pulled out an '03 brochure. The paint is metallic (so there is another option) and I'd guess it had optional Xenon HID. But there has to be something else to drive the price up so high. That got me thinking Prem Pkg.

finewine · February 2004

What ar ethe inspection costs. The dealer is telling me between 6-8oo and that the 100k maintance warrenty will NOT cover the spark plug change @ 100k.
thoughts/opins/ideas
"01 330CiC
thanks

brave1heart · February 2004

I remember reading that the moonroof alone weighs ~ 60 lbs.

riez · February 2004

brave1heart... And the driver might add anywhere from 150-225 pounds. Plus the weight of a full tank of gas. Would be interesting to see how much ALL of the fluids weigh in a 3 Series: gas, oil, coolant, transmission, brake, power steering, differential, windshield wiper, etc. Anyone know? Guess?

shipo · February 2004

Hmmm, how much weight for the fluids? I'll make and educated guess:

325i/330i:
Fuel: 112.2 lbs.
Washer Fluid: 11.2 lbs.
Coolant: 17.8 lbs.
Engine oil: 12.1 lbs.
Transmission: ? (Don't have the capacity for any of the transmissions available to me)
Differential: ? (Don't have the capacity for the differential(s) available to me)

Total: 153.3*

*If anybody has the capacity for the two different manual transmissions, the automatic transmission and the differential, I will add them to my calculations.

Best Regards,
Shipo

riez · February 2004

Don't forget brake fluid. Power steering fluid.

MY2003 3 Series sedan brochure says the unladen weight of the 325i manual is 3,219 pounds and the 325i automatic is 3,307 pounds. So the automatic weighs 88 pounds more.

nyccarguy · February 2004

OK, so I think the 325i in C&D's test is optioned out as followed:

-Metallic Paint (Is that Mystic Blue?...yummy)
-Leather Interior (If it was leatherette they would've griped about it)
-Cold Weather Package (Can't see the heated seats, but the headlight washers are there)
-Sport Package (Duh!)
-Moonroof
-Xenon Headlights

Now there are 2 possible options that we're missing here(purely speculation):

HK Radio (I wouldn't know if this looks any different, can anybody confirm)? Would bring the price to $35,545

Power seats. They would've voiced their opinion if their $35K+ BMW test car didn't have power seats (they nit pick when it comes to BMWs). This brings the price up to $35,865. Their tester looking to be an '03, maybe the price went up for '04 $325?

nyccarguy · February 2004

the price of an '04 325i went up $325? Cue the twilight Zone music:)

BMW 3-Series 2005 and earlier

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