BMW 3-Series 2005 and earlier

angelmaya · November 2005

My 01 325i is idling like crap. The mechanic said there is nothing that can be done. I live in a congested area so I'm stuck idling quite a bit. Is there any why I can improve the idle so it doesn't rev for no reason and so it is smooth? Oh yea, affordably? Ang

nyccarguy · November 2005

Nice man. When's the new ride coming home? I hope you got a good "deal" on the 330CiC! :P

kyfdx · November 2005

It came home on Friday..

I think I got a good deal....

My son insisted we put the top down when we picked it up.. so, we were cruising to lunch under sunny skies, with a balmy temperature of 24 degrees.. :surprise:

nyccarguy · November 2005

congrats again on a great car! What color/options did you get? Share with us! Inquiring minds want to know.

kyfdx · November 2005

Silver-gray with black leather..
Automatic
Cold weather package
Xenons
BMW Assist w/bluetooth...

It was the only '05 left on the lot... If it had been the wrong color, or didn't have xenons and heated seats, I would have passed on it, but almost everything is standard on the 330 convertible....

If the car was for me, I would have had to have the Sport or Performance package.. Not having the Sport package was really my only regret, but my wife couldn't care less.. I also wouldn't have paid for BMW assist, but it was on there, so there you go... Now, we have to get a new bluetooth phone for my wife, so she can go hands free...

The silver-gray is a great color.. Not as nice as the old Steel Gray, but close...

regards,
kyfdx
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gordonwd · November 2005

It takes 5 days for someone to help this guy out?

You're right that it's not in any of the usual places. Open the glove box and there is a panel there with a couple of snap clips that you can open to get to the fuses.

efazio · November 2005

Thank you very much...
I will check it today when off from work!

crucial · November 2005

:confuse: Recent random "chirping" noises coming from the dash board / vent (predominantly from the left driver side dash/air vent) after start-up and would go away after about 5-10 min. What might be the cause? Dealer couldn't find the solution. Thanks in advance.

rshaw11 · November 2005

I have 29,000 miles on my 2002 325i and my tires are wearing a little thin. I've been looking around for a replacement and don't really want to get Continental's again. Does anyone have a recommendation for new tires? Handling is important, but I want them to be quiet and last longer than the current tires. Thanks for all recommendations.

erickpl · November 2005

My 2002 325xi came with Goodyear Eagle RS-A's and did the job for me. I'm not the most aggressive driver and they worked for me. Not sure if you would really want an A/S on a regular 325i though.

They lasted for over 50,000 miles.

-Paul

gordonwd · November 2005

My '04 325i also came with RS-As and I have no complaints about them. They got me through the last winter OK in the Detroit area, so they work sufficiently in a reasonable amount of snow. I also expect to get over 40K out of them.

div2 · November 2005

If you want to stick with an A/S tire, you might want to look at the Nokian WR. It's A/S with the added bonus of the "Snowflake on the Mountain" winter tire rating. The down side is that it only has an H speed rating.

kominsky · December 2005

Has anyone ever replaced a lower-control-arm/tie-rod combo on a BMW? I'm wondering if it's a job best reserved for trained mechanics or if a backyard hack with a pretty good set of tools, such as myself, could handle it.

I had the right side replaced at 49K miles (under warranty) and just had the left side done on my car ('01 330Ci w/90K miles). The price tag was considerably higher than I thought it would be. I hope to keep the car for another 50K miles so it's not unreasonable to assume that there will be at least one more go-around.

brave1heart · December 2005

I had my '01 '325i's LCAs replaced at 60K miles. It's expensive (~$800 for the two corners) but unfortunately, my limited skillset is not quite up to this task...

kominsky · December 2005

Was that an independant shop? I'm paying nearly that for one side (including 4-wheel alignment).

brave1heart · December 2005

That was a dealer 2-3 years ago. A friend in Seattle has the same problem and he's getting quotes ~ $850 for both corners. You shouldn't be paying more than that in PA considering this is the price in expensive cities like Boston and Seattle...

grantchstr · December 2005

I regrettably now cannot garage my car so its outside at night in winter. Is there a way of preventing ice formation on windshields? I would guess that maybe a simple tarp would work but are there any sprays that would alleviate the problem?

grantchstr · December 2005

I agree that the Nokian tire is the way to go if you are in a "cold winter" zone.

motorcity3 · December 2005

Hello everyone. My driver's side windshield washer injectors have gotten weak on my 2001 325i . By that I mean they can only shoot the washer fluid not more than 10 inches or so above the windshield base. The passenger side ones are perfectly fine. Has anyone encountered this and is there anything I can do short of having them replaced? Thanks in advance.

motorcity3 · December 2005

I also need new tires and last time I posted the same question you did I go a number of people recommending Kumho Ecsta ASX. I haven't bought them yet but I think I am going to go with them.

Disclaimer: I am looking for tires that are a bit on the cheap side and these Kumhos fit the bill.

div2 · December 2005

I think Kumho tires are an excellent value for the money. They aren't top of the heap by any means, but they almost always provide good performance and service.

sunilb · December 2005

I purchased Kumhos Ecsta ASX's ~ 8K miles ago and I think they are good if you are looking for something with better traction in the wet, quiet, longer treadlife and less expensive than most other brands. You do give up a little bit of handling, but that's it from my perspective.

These were recommended by the guys at Tirerack.

blueguydotcom · December 2005

Well, I took the bait from a local dealer and let them appraise my 03 330i ZHP (leather, xenons, metallica paint, performance package, 6 speed, 35.6k miles - MSRP 43k). I got a good laugh. They believe it's worth 23k.

My buyout on the lease in May of 06 is 25k. Soemthing tells me the actual value of the car will be far, far lower by then...

kyfdx · December 2005

I'd say that makes your lease an even better deal than it seemed when you made it..

Congratulations!!

regards,
kyfdx
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blueguydotcom · December 2005

Oh yeah. That lease will probably be the one i will talk about when I am 75 and boring my grandkids with stories of old school gas powered engines.

nyccarguy · December 2005

I feel bad for whoever buys your car as an extra clean CPO car!

The lease deal you made was a good one, it will be the deal you compare all your furure leases to.

fedlawman · December 2005

After you turn it in, the dealer will wash it, CPO it, and sell it for $32K.

bdr127 · December 2005

Sedan, I presume? What color is your car? Does it need new tires?

FWIW, KBB shows $24k for the car...

blueguydotcom · December 2005

330i zhp, tires have 10k left on them, or about 15k for most drivers. It's silver-gray metallic. Perfect shape and sparkling clean.

I know what KBB shows and Edmunds but those numbers are almost always inaccurate (they're normally much higher than real world numbers).

kyfdx · December 2005

You'd be surprised at the numbers the dealers are putting on E46s, though...

My dealer offered me $21,500 ACV for my '03 325i with 38K miles.... This was just three weeks ago...

regards,
kyfdx
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grantchstr · December 2005

Thats a hell of a lot of depreciation in a short period of time is it not? What percentage of your purchase price?

I thought BMWs held their value better than that historically.....what caused the rot?

blueguydotcom · December 2005

I paid 40k (43k msrp) for the car in 2003, so it's 42% depreciation in 30 months.

kyfdx · December 2005

I bought mine used... 2 years and 30K miles ago...

Plus.. that is trade-in value.. If you pay retail, but get wholesale for trade-in... those figures aren't exactly comparable...

I sold it privately for $22,600... actually, a pretty good deal for a friend of mine.... Still, less than $300 per month of depreciation for two years.. I think with a few weeks of time, and no personal favors, I could have pulled $23,500-$24,000 pretty easily (of course, I'll never know)...

I'm very happy with the rate of depreciation..

regards,
kyfdx
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div2 · December 2005

In March of 2001 I bought a CPO 1997 528i with 40K miles for $23,000. Almost five years and 90K miles later I flipped it for $9500. Fifteen cents/mile for depreciation isn't too shabby...

blueguydotcom · December 2005

That's the beauty of a used car though. The first 3 years is where most of the depriciation hits ya. After year 3 it begins to level out. Smart money management says buy a 3 year old car...

brave1heart · December 2005

GM's perpetual discounts caused it. Most other manufacturers had to follow suit, so new cars in general got much cheaper and then used cars depreciated as well. The 3-series still holds its value weel relative to other cars. As far as GM, they are living on borrowed time and they have no-one to blame but themselves.

brave1heart · December 2005

Chauvinist?! I got a good laugh out of that Roundel letter. It goes to show that there's always some 'sensitive person' who gets offended even when you put together a breezy article on a tough and very technical topic. That last issue of Roundel has a lot of negative vibes - must be the weather?!

grantchstr · December 2005

My 2005 325xi which I leased in April has a residual of $19,000 after 36 months. I thought this was a nice low number but from what you guys are saying that will in fact be high, above where I could buy a used one in three years time. I have only got 6,000 miles on the clock so my car will be low mileage for sure, maybe 24,000 miles - but you NEVER get value for low mileage in the market unfortunately.

div2 · December 2005

Chauvinist?! I got a good laugh out of that Roundel letter.

I couldn't quite figure that one out either. Satch thought that my line about an old powerglide working as well as an SMG would be the comment that would draw the heat. Oh well...

islander71 · December 2005

FWIW, I unfortunately had to utilize BMW Roadside Assistance while out-of-state on Monday. I punctured a tire on my 02 330i and BMW had someone to me in 25 minutes to change it out. I was impressed. The service is free for the first five years of ownership or 50,000 miles, whichever comes first. Trying to locate a 205/50R/17 Continental Sport Contact tire in GA on the other hand was not easy.

venture · December 2005

What is everyone who uses, or has used, rain-x opinion of it? Does it work? Is it worth the trouble?

What about using it on the headlight covers? Will it do any harm?

Also, the windshield washer in various varities i.e., bug remover, de-icer, etc. Any reason not to use it also?

Boy, I'm full of questions.

brave1heart · December 2005

Rain-x works well - I use it a lot especially for track events and it almost completely eliminates the need to use wipers, esp. at high speed as the rain drops simply roll off the windshield fast. Never used it on headlights - not sure that there's a need for it...

kominsky · December 2005

using it on the lights might make bug clean-up a little easier.

kominsky · December 2005

Brave, are you still running 205/50 winter tires? I just made the switch this year to 205 wintersport m3's from 225 wintersport m2's. I'm not sure if it's the tread pattern, the change in width, or old sneaker syndrome, but I don't like them. They seem really twitchy on dry roads. On the plus side, they do work better in their intended environment.

brave1heart · December 2005

Terry, my M2s are 205/55/16. You lose a ton of traction on dry roads going from 235/40/17 PS2s and I don't like it either. It doesn't help that my M2s are worn out probably past the halfway point and they are not great in snow and not great in the dry either. Next year, I am getting new Dunlop M3s in 205/55/16. In your case, you are going from 245 in the rear to 205 - my DSC light is constantly lit up and it's probably the same for you ;o)

venture · December 2005

"Never used it on headlights - not sure that there's a need for it..."

I was thinking that it may make them a little more "slippery" and make the winter crud a little less able to stick to them.

kominsky · December 2005

16's? Yuck! You have the lack of traction plus additional sidewall flex... glad I'm not you!

brave1heart · December 2005

Well, as luck would have it, I hit a giant pothole a few days ago and I just noticed a huge bulge in the front passenger side tire sidewall. I just placed an order for a new set of Dunlop M3...

shipo · December 2005

Imagine the mess that pothole would have made in your summer set. :P

Best Regards,
Shipo

brave1heart · December 2005

Yep. I was running 38 psi in the fronts - maybe that helped save the rim too.

BMW 3-Series 2005 and earlier

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