Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
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The individual adjustments have set points that limit the number of positions when compared with the electric seats. I have the manual ones.
Dan
i'll take any opinions about car. more specifically, if i do go with car im going to opt for the sport package.
question: do the tires in sport package really cut through snow and are they truly all seasons??
thanks in advance.
christofori: I'm sorry to hear about your woes. My 325iT w/5spd, which was produced AFTER 4/30/01, got a bad aux fan. The fan bit the dust this past Saturday. It never spiked red but it got close. Oddly enough, I got through to Roadside Assistance easily the first time. But when I called back to confirm or to check on the status of my call...it was a 20+ minute wait. Whoever they subcontract to must be sacked. I agree, that's unacceptable!
On the upswing...they looked at the car on Monday, got the part on Tuesday, and I picked it up yesterday afternoon. Perfect. It's just a shame that BMW has let this issue drag on they way it did. Being a known issue, spending a few minutes more carefully testing each fan would cost them less than replacing each at the dealers later on recall or under warranty.
I know these questions have been posted but with no search on the board I will have to re post them again.
1. Fan and thermostat problem. Should I be concerned about either failing?
2. Steering... is it the new (new)?
3. Any pointers on examining the car before picking it up. I know I'll just want to jump inside and take off but I've seen a few posts about clear coat damage, scratches etc. Noticed a huge bird dropping when I looked at it last night.
4. Break in ... My dealer said don't go over 100mph and no cruise control but everyone here talks about 4500rpm. I was always under the impression that the car should be driven on day one like it will be driven on day 365. Is there a recording of the rpms that the dealer can access and void the warranty.
Do all the lighter colors have a somewhat cloudy or nonuniform appearance up close? I've noticed this on Steel Blue and Gray and the Silver.
Sorry for being long winded. Thanks for your reply.
1. Fan/thermostat: should not worry since u are getting the steptronic (problem occurs only on manuals)
2.Steering: new (old); i.e. less boost.
3.Go thru e46fanatics.com faq (Jerry's pickup list)AND the motley fool pick up list (www.fool.com.............automotive section)
4.Manual recommends: keep speed below 100mph and RPMs below 4500 for approx the first 1200 miles. I would do what the manual says in black and white..cant go wrong with that!!
Good luck!
Going to work in the morning, I usually set the thermostat to 66 deg, start out with the windows open and manual fan (just press small or large fan symbol). When I start getting cool, I close the windows, press "Auto" and let the fan(/heater) keep the temp at 66.
After these recent 90deg days around Boston and after I have been chilled to the bone with inside A/C, I open all windows about half-way, put the fan on 3/4 manual, and temp to 70 degrees until I warm up. Then I turn on the A/C (center button on the right stack), close the windows, press Auto (to put the fan on auto) and let it bring the inside down to 70. Set and forget -- so nice.
I've been pretty busy lately at work, but I'd like to send a 'congratulations' to the next wave of BMW owners! I try to remember all the regulars here and hope to hear from them down the road....otherwise, I'm pretty bummed right now, because my 325i is supposedly sitting at 190 status for 2 weeks now....I know, I know, but I'm getting pretty anxious...
Gurumike,
I'm proabably one of the few who know exactly what you do, but how are affiliated with BMW and their tracking system? I have yet to ask you to check a status on mine after a 5 weeks of waiting, but what do you need to know....my order is a steel gray on black leather 325i, PP, SP, CD, and HID heading to Garlyn Shelton in Temple, TX. It completed production two weeks ago down in South Africa....a HUGE Thanks in advance....
BTW, it took a hell of a long time to read (more like skim) through all the posts I missed!
You should also make sure that your dealer is not charging you for power seats and the HK upgrade, as those items became standard on a 330 as of 3/01.
Climate control is great. I have is set so it is manual fan and climate when I start the car, then when I am comfortable, I switch to auto. The auto recirculate is nice too. senses smog etc and swtchs to recirc.
I had to get used to the s- wheel control but love them. Hard to use when turning but I suppose I shouldn't anyway.
Guru or other: Where the heck is the FM antena? not on the roof, don't see it in the windshield or rear window?
Christo- sorry for the mess. I bet its the aux fan. I've read on bimmer.org that people have replaced the fan and still have probs. Wonder if the fan failing is the result of something else.
OFf to a meeting. check in later
drcr
I have driven many rear wheel drive vehicles from old Dodges to new German stuff (I used to work for MB and drove lots of them), to some extent virtually ALL of them have had some play in the rear differential. If I TRY, I can make the diff clunk or thud too, however, with a manual, it is a fairly simple thing the keep the torque reversals (on power, off power, on power...) and sudden torque applications (Park to First or Reverse) to the rear axle to a minimum.
Johneunah,
I installed my universal remote myself and it took me about 15 minutes, most of the time is spent cutting the headliner plate. It is pre-scored so all you have to do is put the headliner piece on a clean cutting board and use a new X-Acto blade to cut from the backside. Once the cutting is done, fit the remote to the headliner plate, attach the wire for the for the remote (tucked into the main headliner off to the right of the opening and the wire for the sunroof (if so equipped), snap it back in place, and you are ready for programming.
Maril555,
The last time I checked, the 330i SP had Power seats.
Brave1heart & all,
Power seats: As a general statement, they move fore/aft via a long screw (on most cars) or a hydraulic setup (fairly rare). In either case, they offer infinite adjustment between the front and rear limits. One reason I like them is that it always seems that when I drive a car with a manual transmission and manual seats, I can never get the seat "just so" so that my clutch work is smooth. Case in point, I drove my brothers Audi TT this last weekend and it has manual seats. Sure enough, one notch was just a little too close to the clutch pedal and the next one was just a little too far.
Steering wheel controls: when I first got my car, I thought that I would LOVE having the controls there. As it turned out, I kept naturally using the actual radio buttons and had to FORCE myself to learn to use the buttons on the wheel. Now, after over two years, I find myself hitting the horn in our mini-van when I want to change the station or the track on the CD. Oops!
Climate Control: When driving in a suit in hot/humid weather in an area where trees, buildings, mountains and/or clouds give you intermittent sun, Climate Control is at it's finest. I drove almost 1,500 miles this last weekend (in the mini-van) and I cannot tell you how many times I had to make small changes to the temp/fan settings, very annoying when used to the "Set and Forget" system in my 328i.
Catch up: Well I am now caught up (way over 300 messages) and I will attempt a review of my brothers' (little Shipo?) Audi TT later today.
Best Regards,
Shipo
Best Regards,
Shipo
The first part of ur explanation I understood....that there is some exaggerated play in the driveshaft......but do u know if:
a) This is more so in the AWD cars and in steptronic more than manual?
b.) More importantly, can it be harmful in any manner? For eg: if at one point the "thud" is strong enough, can it break the rear axle(s)??
Does one have to be careful about that?
c.) Could it be a loose suspension bushing that is making this sound?
Or a loose guibo? or some damage in transit?
Guess i am going crazy!!
Thanks in advance!
Hope things work out for you.
Auto climate: "I turn on the A/C (center button on the right stack), close the windows, press Auto (to put the fan on auto) and let it bring the inside down to 70." Do you have to use the A/C with the auto climate? If that's the case, I won't be using it too often b/c I barely use the A/C. But I'd like to make sure I'm using it correctly for when I have passengers in the car.
Radio antenna is integrated into the rear window - I can clearly see the vertical and horizontal lines of the antenna on the rear window - they are higher on one side and lower on the other side I think.
veekay1 - I don't think you can break the rear axle but I've heard BMW's wheels are designed to fall off and leave you stranded if you don't drive fast and hard enough
Given that a 4WD car by the nature of the beast has two differentials (or even three depending on how the fore/aft split is accomplished), four drive axles, lots of extra bushings, C/V joints and the like, it is not at all surprising that you will notice some "Play" in the system. I rather doubt that you have a problem, however, make your service department aware of the problem ASAP. That will benefit you in two ways, 1) IF it is a problem, you get it fixed soon and 2) IF it becomes a real problem down the road after the warranty expires, you can claim that it was a "Known pre-existing condition" and still get it fixed. Once again, given that you have to "force" this problem to occur by rapidly altering the amount of torque going to the wheels (ie. from coasting to accelerating) I highly suspect that you do not have a problem.
As a point of reference, if I do sudden power alterations (on, off, on...) in my RWD 328i in say second gear, I too can hear a soft thud from the rear end, I consider this normal.
As far as breaking a rear axle, AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN. Worst-case scenario, a C/V joint or some such will fail WAY before an axle.
Brave1heart,
The climate control system works with as many tools as you give it. On "Full Auto" with the A/C button lit, the system will use all vents, fan speeds, engine heat, A/C cold and maybe even a little black magic to reach and maintain your pre-set temperature. If you turn off the A/C, the system will then use the fan in an attempt to cool your car by blowing in as much outside air as possible. If you then turn down the fan speed, the system will still try to reach the pre-set temperature, but if it is hot outside, well, you get the idea.
An interesting anomaly, is on a day when it is cool outside combined with heavy rain (max humidity), you will find that by simply turning on the A/C, the system will dry the air enough to allow you to maintain fog-free windows without the "Hurricane Blast" defogger.
Speaking of the defogger, most cars (I suspect the E46 is no exception) automatically engage the A/C when the defogger is on in an effort to dry the air inside the car.
Best Regards,
Shipo
I still havent got a call from the svc dept. so was getting Shipo's opinion on my "thud" situation!
However, just spoke to the service manager....am supposed to go to for the "test" drive with the shaft foreman on Friday .....lets see what he thinks!!
In any case, thanks a ton!!
As far as how I can do locates at home,
https://www.bmwcenternet.com
A service for dealer employees. I can log on and review many issues related to sales/service/parts such as current residual values and interest rates as well as run a national or region specific locate. Now, how much would you like to bid for my user name and password.....?
1. I'm happy with the acceleration and handling of my 325i SP manual
2. I've realized that mods are a tradeoff at best: you gain something at the expense of something else. Not willing to sacrifice high speed comfort (drone) for an acceleration gain.
3. The stock 325i is very well optimized already. Even the stock exhaust sounds great and has enough rumble at full throttle.
4. The money you spend on mods is not just money gone down the toilet; it actually decreases the resale value of your car and you'd have to remove the mods before you sell the car if you're hoping for a halfway reasonable price
5. Even Dinan's warranty, which is one of the best, is likely to breach you factory warranty. You may still be covered by Dinan for the parts that they installed but good luck convincing BMWNA to cover you in case there is a gray area. I might reconsider this once my warranty runs out.
Feel free to convince me otherwise but you may have a tough job.
The car had not been cleaned/prepped before I tested it, the dealer said that they do the certification after the car is sold (???). How do they know it is a certified series if it hasn't passed the 87-point inspection?
I noticed that the tires had quite a bit of wear on them too, so I'll probably need to get them changed by September at the latest.
It should be ready for pickup this Saturday...can't wait...I know I should check stuff from the list...but I'm tempted to drive it off the lot right away...
PS. Should the dealer be able to locate service records for me?
If I had to guess, I'd say that the wheel moves a baffle behind the vents that chooses the amount of air which comes from the air conditioner or from the heater. Moving the wheel to show more blue dots moves the baffle to allow more air from the air conditioner. Anyone know what really happens?
If you leave the wheel so that the white dot is in the middle, the middle vent will produce air that is about the same temp as all of the other vents. If you move the wheel so that the blue dots are showing, the air is colder than the other vents and if you move it to the red zone, the air is warmer.
Year round I keep the temp setting at 64.
In the winter, I set the wheel to the white dot when I am alone, when my wife is with me, I simply move the wheel to the red zone and aim the middle vents at her.
In the summer, I ALWAYS keep the wheel in the blue zone unless my wife is cold, then I perform the same steps as in the winter.
Hope this helps.
Best Regards,
Shipo
Yes, you guys, as usual were very quick to point out the same (more or less) explanation as Shipo, but I guess I just needed some more reassurance. Also, I think Shipo's personal analogy (with his 328i) helped the most. So, as you can see, my emotional (sigh of relief) response was purely innocent and didnt mean to offend you two!
Now, officially, let me acknowledge that both Guru and Brave are almost always on the ball and are a great resource on this board!!!
Veekay1
I know exactly what u must be going thru man!
Mine came on the same ship (Jinsei Maru) and I called my dealer right away and asked him to get on the VPC's back and get the car on the truck...it was only a 100 miles away.....took delivery on the 15th!
Just keep the pressure on....although it seems like one long "work order".......these are the situations in which one should be especially careful at delivery and make sure there wasnt any "in transit" damage or other similar issues pertaining to major malfunction etc........Where are u located? Who is ur dealer? Can u drive upto Newark and take a look see?
Good luck man!!
I just don't know how you get through life worrying so much - I hope it's just your new Bimmer.
Can anyone share any ownership perspectives or thoughts on the situation? I would opt for a 2.5 with only CD player and maybe metallic paint. Should be able to get for under $30K. We plan to test drive this week or weekend, which I'm sure will do nothing but lean me in favor of getting.
Downsides:
- No garage = parking 2 new BMWs under the elements
- 2 drivers, 3 cars (albeit one free)???
- Convertible sounds good in summer, less good in winter
- Opportunity costs of purchasing
Upsides:
- Fun (for half the year)!
- Happy wife
Much depends on the deal I can get and the timing involved. Thx for input.
P.S. Those Z3's come with hard tops too - you probably knew that, right?
Thx
Thx for the input; keep 'em comin'.
Best Regards,
Shipo
Hope this helps.