Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
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-eug
Butterfly valve: This is a simple device that may be a little tricky to describe, so here I go. Hmmm, first try was a failure, Take II.
Consider the following parts and steps:
A hollow cylinder (like a pipe)
A small round rod a little longer than the outer diameter of the cylinder
A round thin rigid wafer (metal or plastic) with a diameter of the inside of the cylinder
Step 1: Drill the cylinder straight through, making sure that the two holes are centered between the two sides of the cylinder, the diameter should be just larger than the diameter of the rod.
Step 2: Cut a slot or grind a flat surface in the rod the same length as the diameter of the wafer. You will then drill and tap the wafer and rod so that they can be mated and secured by two screws. Make sure that the rod mounts the wafer such that the rod passes through the center of the wafer.
Step 3: Slide the rod through the hole you drilled in the cylinder and then screw the wafer to the rod.
You have now created a butterfly valve inside the pipe. You can turn the rod such that the wafer either opens the passage through the cylinder or completely closes it, or anywhere in-between. This is a simplistic version of the mechanism inside a throttle body.
MFeldman, I am heading out to dinner, I will think about your situation and ask you a few questions later.
Best Regards,
Shipo
How did you broach the topic with your dealer? Because I took delivery of the car without an "Owe You" for the steering, I wonder if they'll address it at all. Furthermore, my dealer did know about the steering issue but was also told by BMW/NA that the "old" steering would be re-instated after April 2001. My car seems to have gotten some old parts...bad aux fan and "new" steering. Wonder if Regensberg is just a little behind the times.
Thanks in advance
Dan
Of course...I could be imagining things. But I can't imaging that a 325 wagon with SP would have lighter steering than a 200lb lighter 323 without SP.
I've heard that the retrofitted steering isn't exactly last years steering but something very close...still lighter at slow speeds but definitely as heavy when at speed. Is that true?
I have got to get it to the dealer but had no time lately. I was hoping someone would say it is a simple reset type fix I could do myself. Any ideas?
Thanks
The only thing that I can think of is that maybe the pedal arm itself is pinched or that the cable (if there even is a cable) is pinched going through the firewall. If it is the latter, it might be that as the engine compartment heats up, metal expansion occurs and the pinch gets tighter. I would have to study an exploded view of the throttle linkage to suggest any more things to check.
Marc,
Do you have the fold down rear seats or the standard seats?
Best Regards,
Shipo
jason - that makes more sense!
Quality control at VPC - So good that you will never be able to tell what was "refinished", if any work is done. If it is not PERFECT, it does not qualify as a new BMW and they will not ship the car to the dealer. Don't worry about it ! Really.
I make an awesome gewurztraminer in a dry alsatian style. I consider it the BMW of grapes. I don't want to mention where I work, but it grows beautifully in Long Island's sandy soils.
Specially the paintjob seems below par, as if they used 2 layers, being confident the car sells anyway. I came out of a MB 280 SE and the difference in overall quality was immediate and extremely obvious.
I have a scratch on the car from a garden hose! It barely touched and I can't get the scratch out no matter what. My son walked by the car and he hardly touched the car with his wrist guard. Yeap, another, very visible, unremovable scratch. Did I mention my car has never seen the inside of a carwash to avoid this stuff? I hand wash the car only and that's why it upsets me more.
I have had a new transmission (warranty), new (flimsy) cupholder, Noisy temperature intake fan, heavily scratched rear window from how it folds and there are leaks where the materials meet, also with the hard top on. Try removing the back seat (for a good leather cleaning) without laughing.
And yet it is a pleasure to drive. When I don't think about the above things and just sit down and open the throttle in a New England curve with the sun beaming down ..... it's just great pleasure. Just wished BMW would spend $1000 more on quality. CHARGE ME! I'll pay for it or, alternatively, cut those profits a little. Come on BMW!
P.S. At 16, I spent my first summer on my own working at a camp near the Tappan Zee bridge. I learned about Springsteen and beer. It was a great time.
Since my wife has the ubiquitous Dodge Caravan, I had no need for the extra utility of the fold down back seats. As a result, I have never seen or used the fold down seats of an E46.
Having said that, a few things come to mind:
1) You have probably already done this one; fold down the rear seat backs and push, prod, torque, twist and poke all around the rear deck area looking for anything that is loose.
2) Test the rear speakers to see if they are firmly mounted especially if you have the HK system. I suspect that the magnets on the HK speakers are heavier than the standard speakers and would therefore be more subject to accelerative forces.
3) Have someone you trust drive around while you lay with your legs in the trunk and your torso under the deck lid and see if you can pinpoint where the noise is coming from. Failing that, see if pressing various areas of the deck or the speakers stops the noise during acceleration.
If this noise is a loud as I think it is, you should not have too much of a problem isolating it. Once that is done, fixing is should be easy.
One other thought has occurred to me, this one is a real long shot; back in 1998 when I was shopping for my 328i, there was a thread here on the original E46 board about whether the fold down seats compromised the structural rigidity of the car. There never was a definitive answer posted, however, if in fact the fold down rear seats do compromise the chassis rigidity, it could be that the deck will be totally stable while the car is in a constant state, but come loose when under power due to torque from the engine. Modern cars are fairly stiff in their construction and BMWs more so than most, however, it was not too many years ago when the driver of a car with over 200HP could actually see the whole body twist from the torque of the engine during 1st gear acceleration. I would not dwell on this; however, keep it in the back of your mind while hunting for the noise.
Let me know what you find out, I am interested to see what is going on.
Best Regards,
Shipo
P.S.
Hmmm, 16, the Hudson, Springsteen and beer, sounds like a great summer. ;-)
Also when the manual speaks of the weight, it says "unladen." What does that mean? Does it mean without fluids, or does my car need a date?
When did you car become "produced not shipped"? Depending on the answer, your car may be on a ship already. My car went to "produced not shipped" on 6/8. There was a ship scheduled to leave Germany on 6/11. I called BMWNA on 6/11 and was told that my car is still "produced not shipped". I called BMWNA again on 6/14 and was told that my car is "en route" and has gotten on the ship on 6/11. I know that a ship left Germany on 6/18 for Oxnard. If your car became "produced not shipped" early to mid last week, it may have gotten on the 6/18 ship.
Anyhow, hope you find out soon.
jnscheong
Also, I read a recent post on bimmer.org that seemed to say that the "clown nose" is now standard on 325's, along with fogs, cruise and climate control. Is this true ? If it is, I'm going to ask that the dealer program it to blink as if there were an alarm in the car. (I plan on actually installing an alarm at a later date.)
Thanks.
If you really like the car, treat it as used and counter-offer using the blue-book or nada retail for a 2000. Otherwise, just walk away and see what reaction you get.
Many post ago someone was in fear that the new Altima and Maxima at 240 & 260 hp was a bad thing for the current and 2002 BMW's.
I bet we will see that these cars with their upgraded hp engines will get closer to the performance #'s of the 3 series, but will still fall short. Suspensions, steering, gear ratios to name a few will all play a part, don't forget American car makers have been increasing hp in many of their models just to keep pace with their European counterparts.
At the end of the day, you can only use so much hp on our busy roads.
Not sure even with the extra hp of both the Altima and Maxima why someone who has the affordibility would opt for one of them over a BMW.
It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I got to see Avignon, Aix-en-Provence, Marseille. I even managed a long weekend in Paris - the Louvre and Musee d'Orsay. I got around fairly well with my "conversational" French even in the Metro.
We stayed in this little hotel that had fantastic food - desserts to die for. The company headquarters were in this historic Italian style villa with mosaic floors and a swimming pool. C'est la vie.
roadster range. I also drove a S2000 prior to buying my Z3. It was a screamer, but you have to drive it like a 2 stroke motorcycle (always on the pipe!). You might want to also check out a used '99 or '00 M roadster. they are rocket ships!!!
Nothing like the feel of the wind in your hair as you fly through your favorite set of twisties!!!
PPS: In reflection do I miss my Z3?......Not as much as I thought I would
Good luck, let us know what you end up doing
Luckily, I'll be going away on a golf vacation to Myrtle Beach. I'll have something to keep my mind off of the car for a week. When I get back though I'll be doing daily status checks on the car again. Keep me updated.
I had 5 miles at delivery. 400+ sounds like it was a loaner for a week or someone(employee/other) used it. I'd ask for a significant discount.
Anyone else had more than say 25 miles at delivery?
Saw my first red 325i yesterday. For some reason, around here, red is no longer a popular color in the 3 series -- but I see quite a lot of 10 - 15 year old ones in red. The dark green is also very uncommon.
Sapphire Black - the only color I haven't seen in real life. Someone was nice enough to post a picture, but the internet is not kind to colors -- I really couldn't tell any difference between it and regular black.
The popular colors around here are black, white, grey, and silver. This probably accounts for 95 percent of these cars.
I agree with other posters about the sand interior -- it's too yellow, too light. I wish BMW made a "camel" like some other manufacturers.
Questions:
Anyone out there who has become dissatisfied with a color after living with it for a while?
Anyone who feels their choice of exterior/interior combination was a mistake? Why?
I'm currently leaning toward the grey, but am thinking I might go leather just to get the grey interior. Has anyone got this combo -- how's it look?
carpevino - We'd never guess what you do for a living from your user id
bmw323is - I think unladen is w/o fluids. Your car may still need a date, though, I dunno
To me, anything over 20 miles does not qualify the car as new. Mine had only about 5 miles on it.
Alp - I didn't know you can FF through the S wheel controls when you press the 'M' button on the dash. Thanks for the tip. I only thought the 'M' worked for the dash controls. BTW, I am slowly getting used to the S wheel controls and I'm beginning to like it. However, I keep my roof open all the time and at any speed and it confuses the auto climate a lot.
shawn33 - The more competition BMW faces, the better it will become and probably cheaper too. I agree that it is very unlikely any other company will be able to make a better car overall than the 3-series.
postoak - The longer I have my 325, the more I like the Orient Blue. And that's even after I had a navy blue car for 4 years before that. Still love the black 'ette too.
Wow, this is about the best board we've had for a while. Keep 'em coming.
I'm getting black/grey leather - PP, heated seats, xeon lights, CD
SP - do I really need it, a BMW should handle great without it. Is it a very big improvement. I live in the NYC area, and go to manhatten often. I'm worried about all the potholes. SP comes with performance tires and would require me to buy winter tires. I was hoping with the standard all-season tires I wouldn't need to buy winter tires. I do have experience driving a rear wheel drive car in snow. I had an 81 Volvo 240 with all-season tires in Albany when I went to college.
HK - Is it really that much better? Is it worth $700? I'm going to the dealership this Friday to try to hear the difference.
Also I know other people have asked but is the anyway to make sure I get the 323/328 type of steering?
I just wanted to add one thing. If I buy from a dealer in NJ and take my car in for service to a local dealer will i not get a loaner car?
Thank you
Josh
Thanks for all the input regarding my Z3 question. My wife and I test drove one last night, and it was an absolute blast. All the 3er sensations are "intensified" (especially engine/exhaust note) due to the lack of roof, sound-proofing, insulation, etc. It was noticeably less rigid, but I expected that. It was also great to have a good ol' clutch and stick back under foot and in hand. I miss that a lot. We will probably take the unanimous advice of the board and pursue this further. I may break out the Rizzo method over the weekend to see what kind of deals can be had within a 100-mile radius. Will keep you posted...
Poastoak -- I have Steel Gray with gray leather (330i). I think it's a great combination, if a bit conservative (in the way a sedan should be). It works great with the PP wood. If I had gotten the SP and a stick, I would have probably gone with black 'ette -- I think it complements the aluminum trim better. Funny how option packages can affect color choices...
We are on track to hit 6,000 by noon (EST)!
Thanks again for your extensive input. I will try your diagnostics; i have done some already. I'll probably be second guessing those fold down seats.
I don't want to give the impression that I spent my 16th summer in a drunken haze; I didn't. But it was fun to get into bars before they really started cracking down. Saw Springsteen that Thanksgiving, opening night at the Garden. In aword, it was awesome. The trains were so jam packed on the way bach to Jersey at 1:30 am that conductors didn't even try to sell tickets.
Dantlo
Thanks too. THe 330 doesn't have a red button, or am I not finding it?
it seems most dealers dont carry 325 sedans with xenon...they say i have to opt for 330
maroon95: you can get a 325 with xenon. I have one. Your dealer is trying to make more $$. I'd go somewhere else. But you might have to order it. Dealers tend to have very few 325's on their lots, and I found most with PP, auto, no SP no manual.
genie: poor you! :-) I'm incredibly jealous! Now why can't I find a job like that? We spent 2 days in Nice (ohjoy...I didn't want to go back to the Riv...nice, but expensive), 5 days in Aix, and 3 in Les Baux. The people in Provence are incredibly nice! I got by with little French and a lot of humility. I found that nearly everybody was very interested in helping and even appreciated me poor attempts at French. And the food...the FOOD! It's impossible to find a bad restaurant in Provence. (unless you go to a McD's or their local equivalent)
I'm a little confused with some of the questions above. My 325i comes with xenon, headlight washers, fog lights and a single cd as standard equipment, is that not the case in the States???
Any comments from BMW 325i owners without sport pkg would be appreciated. I wanted it, but my bank book didn't.
I'm dying waiting for it!!!!!
On a brighter note, my 330i (w/ xenons!) arrives in S.B. today!! Shall I take it home tonight or wait a few days? Whadda y' all think?
French Pizza was interesting! I'm not a fan of Roquefort to begin with, but on pizza? ugh!!
Yes, I also purchased through Crevier. They gave me a decent price and delivery date. I've been pretty happy with them. I talked to Gaby yesterday, he included the mats for my car at no charge. Cool!
I hope you get your car soon. The last week was the toughest and although the 7-week wait never bothered me, I remember the anticipation was building up exponentially at the end.
Anyone talk to their BMW dealer about them?
Enjoy!