ponytrekker, not sure if you're asking a question about there being a software fix...if so see post #1530. My steptronic clunk was taken care of with a software fix. Steve
I disappeared for awhile after I brought home my new baby, a pre-owned BMW 325xi station wagon. Many thanks to kdyx!
It only had 12,900 miles at the time of purchase. It has the sports package. It has leather. It has the xenon lights. The premium pack with the BMW assist.
Here's what happened:
1) about a month into owning it, the back panel of my driver's seat fell off. The plate frame was broken, too.
2) poor gas mileage issues -- like 226 miles on three-quarters of a tank (in my Saab, I was getting about 400 miles).
3) onboard computer stuff, like the computer doesn't average out the mph I'm going, and therefore, I'm not sure it's calculating the right gas mileage.
Okay, the dealer was very kind enough to pick up the car, and give me a loaner station wagon without awd. Unfortunately, I had it during the blizzard, and struggled through some drifts.
However, I found that it handled much better. It also braked on a dime without any autobody action. However, it seemed to run out of windshield wiper fluid quick. I really liked that car.
In any case, I was given back my car. The handbrake had loosened, and was tightened again. Now, it's loosened again.
I told them about the brakes, they said they were checked. When I got the car back, they worked right for a couple of days, now....
Whenever, I stop at low or high-speeds, as soon as I touch the brakes, I don't go to an easy glide to a stop, period. I get this back and forth dive that is very uncomfortable. I don't know whether it is the tire pressure, but I've had the car back two weeks, so it should be okay.
I am getting to the point that I kind of like to drive the car, but really, really hate to hit the brakes, even gently. When I stop at a light, it's getting worse.
Sure the car takes great corners, turns nicely around in a tight circle, but.... does anybody have any idea as to what I should or can do about this?
Also:
I got a battery icon lighting up on the panel, twice. It didn't happen again. I called my service rep. at the original dealer but he never called me back.
Recently, I've been getting this intermittent cogwheel light that comes on when I turn on the car, and it's idling.
Same problems with the onboard computer calculating things.
I wish I could turn off the awd sometimes... But, alas.
It's a very stiff ride. I hate this stop and go stuff, though.
I have a long road trip scheduled for Friday. I wasn't sure what to do. People are usually helpful, here.
Oh!!!! Listen up people!!!
I thought I was going to get a year of BMW assist. Guess not??? If you buy a pre-owned car, even if it was a corporate BMW lease, you only get the remainder of the time. This means, I bought the car in December, and by March or April, BMW is looking for $240 for the rest of the year, plus $5 for any traffic, or directions.
Sheesh. No one told me.
No one seems to be calling me back right now.
One more thing: the closest dealer to me says because I didn't buy my car from them, under NO circumstances will they give me a loaner if my car needs a repair. If I'm lucky, they might be able to give me a ride home.
THIS IS JMK. Alot of people say how great they are. I bought a car from their other department, and despite the fact that they should want to keep me as a loyal customer, it's too bad.
Furthermore -- they wanted to charge me more than $7,000 for almost the same car (I think, it even had less options).
Sorry to write for so long. Thanks for all your help.
I have a 1998 328 convertible w/102k mi. It was running fine until after I filled up at the gas station a little while ago.
Soon after turning out of the station, the gauge fell back to the empty mark and my fuel light came on. I stopped, turned the engine off and reengaged the gas cap and the gauge went back to full.
I thought it was corrected, but every ten minutes or so it happened again. This has never happened before.
I used premium gas and the gas cap itself is less than 1 year old.
hi, i have a 2004 325 xi, manual transmission and i 'm having problems with difficulty putting it into 1,2,3 or 4 gear intermittently and randomly. this usually happens in stop and go city traffic.it does not fall in these gears smoothly, this happens about 3-4 times a week.i have driven manual transmission cars all through my life and this is the worst experience. it has been to the dealer twice and they say they cannot reproduce it. what should i do?
hi, i have a 2004 325 xi and i have the same problem, i hear a squeak about a few seconds after applying the hand brake and stepping out of the car. the dealer says that the wheel moves a little hence so the noise. i'm not convinced.the dealer is lazy and doesnt want to attend to the problem imo.
I had the gauge problem when i lived in a high-sulphur-duel area ( new mexico ) until i started using chevron only--then it went away. My manual says to use chevron, actually, which is unfortunately not available around here(chicago).
Hi Cargal2: I've been following your adventures and misadventures of the little red wagon. I am sorry to hear your mishaps but I'll try to help. 1) MPG Issue. I will share what I know for a fact. In 2001 I bought a 325i, no, not a 325xi, but I too was surprised at the low mpg I was getting. I had 5 sp manual transmission and I kept rigurous records from the moment I bought brand new with 30 miles, up until when I sold it with 41,143. The fact of the matter was that my city mpg was 21-22 max; on a trip to Dallas(Hwy)I managed to get 26.45 mpg. I am an engineer, I try to calculate things right, but the bottomline is that despite what I 'ved read in this forum, or what you may have read, economy is not in the stars for BMWs. Has been my personal experience. In your case, your permanently engaged 4WD will not make matters better. Granted, if that would have been at the top of my list, I would've opted for a Prius, or another [non-permissible content removed] econobox. All I am saying is that you may have led to believe those EPA figures, when the reality is other. 2)A broken back panel and plate frame should be brought to the attention of whoever sold it to you. Hopefully, you still have warranty to cover such items. 3)My personal experience with this onboard computer: I keep it continuously on external temperature; ocassionally, when my fuel gas gauge light goes on I switch to read more or less how many miles I can still drive; as a rule of thumb I never go below 50~40 miles before refueling (no matter where, first place I find with premium).Here in H-town they fine you pretty hard if you gas out on a freeway. Bottomline: I never use the mpg calculator per se;I learned the hard way, that it's useless, nor I put too much stock in it. What I do follow is that arrow at the bottom of your speedometer.That is a vacuum gauge that somehow does correlate to your gas consumption. If you have a manual (don't remember), you can find the optimal rpm to be in the 25~30 mpg range indiacted by this gauge. Maybe I am being a little heretic for the followers of this forum but I am being honest. Again: don't sweat the computer,just use the user friendly parts. Its a performance oriented car, not a consumer friendly. Still, I love my 330i imola red performance pkg bimmer. 4)Dealers, at least in Texas only give loaners to those who bought cars there. I was surprised to hear a good samaritan giving you even a wagon even if you didn't buy there. Another of the BMW culture shocks. 5)I am not surprised of hearing what they are doing to you about the BMW Assist.In my opinion it is a ripoff. I don't have and don't miss it. I anticipated at the time of my purchase that there would be a surprise or two with this; I disliked the wort antenna in the roof plus I had a gut feeling that somehow they would make it stingy. My suggestion, write a stern and polite letter to BMW NA and/or your dealer executive manager indicating your dissapointment and requesting your full year. 6)Check your manual at once. That cogwheel indicator could be (i don't have it with me -the manual-, right now) excessive wear on your brake pads. I know there's a sensor.But that's unconceivable in a car with suchh a low mileage. These things go on around 35K~50~, depending how fierce you drive. Also that battery light is concerning. Bimmers normally have superduper batteries (this is no Walmart/Sears) that could last 5 in some cases 10 years. So,this plus your brake issues more than warrants to make an appointment (once more) with the dealer that can give you a loaner, and fix your car, once and for all. Tell them to check your gauges, battery and brake sensors, as well. Brakes are the life preserving device on any car, but especially on BMWs, for they are performance oriented cars. Do not be complacent on this and see to address it. I may have not given you a hole of solutions but I hope it helps.
i really wonder--i have a 328, and my year long mpg--according to the computer--is 26.7. That's probably 70% highway, and on highway drives when i go the limit i ALWAYS get over 30. I've gotten as high as 36.
Now, this is a RWD manual tranny, but is it possible the trip computer is lying to me?
I think i'm going to reset the computer MPG tracker and follow the next few tanks.
As for the problem wagon--i'd try to get the dealer to buy it back at not too much of a loss or get a good trade-in on a good car by threatening to be noisy. Problem cars are problem cars.
While my experience with the 2.5 liter mill is limited and my experience with an AWD model is zip, I would like to offer a few observations.
1) My 530i 5-Speed (exact same drive train as a 330i) has consistently gotten better than 24 mpg in mixed city/highway driving and a touch over 30 mpg on the highway (with its OEM SP summer tires). I've compared my trip computer readings with against actual fuel consumption and the difference is negligible. 2) I have noticed that I seem to get a little better mileage with my winter tires mounted vs. my wider summer tires, and while the difference is hard to compare "Apples to Apples", it seems to be a little over 1 mpg. 3) The mileage that I used to get on my non-SP equipped 1999 328i (which has the same gearing as both the 530i and 330i) was about the same as my 530i in mixed city/highway driving, however, I could usually count on at least 34 mpg on a road trip (I got almost 36 on one 400 mile trip). 4) Now I come to the 325i. It has roughly the same engine as the two BMWs I've just discussed, just a little smaller. In an effort to keep acceleration times fairly low, BMW opted to change the gearing (for the manual transmission equipped cars that is), thus causing the engine to run at a higher RPM at any given speed in any given gear. That is most likely why the 2.5 liter cars have a lower EPA rating, and why in reality the difference appears to be even greater.
A couple of years ago I posted a table showing the difference the gearing made between the two cars at a number of arbitrary speeds, I'll see if I can find it and re-post it.
PD: As I drove this morning to work I noticed the mpg gauge is below the tachometer, not the speedometer. I don't know if your wagon is manual or auto transmission but you could try checking your mpg the old fashion way: try to fill at the same location,usually below 1/4 (or as soon as the light goes on), don't overfill, just let the pump shutoff. Take your mileage; then repeat next time, take mileage, save your receipt and do the math: miles between fills/gallons@last fill and compare over a couple of filled tanks. You have a nice car, red is efervescent, blood hounded, 17", so if the verdict is not what you thought, you make your final decision. I saw you have a Prius (wow, talk about fuel efficiency) but it may be unrealistic to compare even slightly both vehicles. I just bought a 2005 4Runner with 18/22 city/hwy mpg on the sticker. I am getting 16 on the city. So I am getting to believe these EPA figures are inflated across the board. So knock a couple of miles off your mpg and you're in reality.Good luck with your other issues.
You should not expect to get the same fuel mileage out of your car as what is posted on the window sticker. The EPA figures are based on a very controlled drive cycle that does not exactly match real world conditions. You could probably search any forum on here and find people stating that their fuel mileage does not meet the EPA estimates. A rule of thumb is to figure 1-2 mpg below what is posted on the window sticker. If you have a lead foot, make it more like 3-4 below.
Hmmm, well, maybe. Both of my BMWs have easily exceeded the EPA mileage ratings. In fact, I don't think that I've ever has a car that has an EPA rating that didn't either match or exceed said rating.
Our 325i gets 24-26 MPG in mixed driving.. Mostly suburban.. I think that is pretty good.. Our 4-cylinder Accord with similar weight and only 150 HP usually did right around 26 MPG..
If not for the added expense of premium fuel, it would just about be a wash...
I always hesitate to comment on other's fuel mileage, as driving habits, commute areas, etc. are too variable as to make comparisons accurate..
In general, though.. I'm happy with my fuel mileage in comparison to previous vehicles..
Plus, going around corners without using the brakes.. I like that part, also..
When reading the user manual's specific requirement for premium unleaded gasoline 91 (AKI), I remember the saleman told me the car only need 87 gasoline and he fill a full tank of 87.
Will this be a problem? Or, can I simply use up this tank and follow with 91 from now on?
The saleman apparently didn't know what he was doing.
Errr, well, I suppose that's possible, however, since I started buying EPA rated cars, I've lived in the Metropolitan area of Detroit, Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas, Atlanta, New York City and for the last 2.5 years, Boston. ;-)
There will be no "problem" if you use up the current tank of 87 and then switch to Premium. While it is true that your car can safely run on 87, it won't develop as much power and it will not yield peak fuel economy like it will when running with higher grade gasoline.
But, when I got down to half a tank, I'd fill it up with premium.. Shell stations in my area sell 93 octane.. That would get you back up to peak operating condition pretty quickly..
i've heard varying opinions on this, but was wondering what people here believe:
Are the fluids in newer [2001+] BMW's really lifetime? (ie, the tranny and differential fluids) Or is it better to replace these every few years?
On the one hand, I would imagine changing them would make sense (all of the other cars I've had required this), but at the same time I could envision fluids that are of a much higher tolerance and therefore last much longer.
The dealer offered a bounch of options (i.e. extended warranty etc), for a 05 325i, A/T, that I purchased yesterday.
I feel two items might worth the money, so I asked them to give me two-day grace period to decide whether to buy those packages (at discounted initial prices):
1.) 6 years/100K miles, Full maintance upgrade, $1495 ($1895 after the grace period)
2.) LoJack, $795 ($995 after grace period)
Does anyone of them worth it?
I checked the "true cost for owner" in edmunds.com, it says $1,522 estimated maintanace cost for the 5th year. Given such number, the "Full maintance upgrade" seems like a good deal. Also the package is fully tranferable if I sell the car before the 6th year.
Also, there was 3.) 7 year/70K mile "vehicle mechanical repair" for $2195 ($2695 after grace period)
One last comment on the EPA estimates: the manufacturer can rate his EPA estimates LOWER than what they obtain using the EPA drive cycle. This is at the discretion of the manufacturer and some manufacturers will do this to have their estimates more closely match real world results.
It's quite possible BMW does this exact thing. I don't have enough first hand info on how closely BMW's estimates correlate to actual fuel mileage.
Could someone please help me? My insurance company is giving me a hard time. They won't allow me the discount for having a security system because one doesn't show up when they enter the VIN number. I've looked in the book and I can't find anything stating what type of system it has. I have a 2005 325i. I know some people have discussed this in the past and I've heard something of a engine immobilizer and Coded Driveaway Protection but can't find this anywhere in the manual. The insurance company will honor the discount if I can bring them proof my car is equipped. They mentioned something about passive anti-theft or Automatic disable. Any help would be appreciated.
--Manual Snippet-- It is in your best interest to follow the break-in tips very closely. Doing this, you will create the basis for a long, optimum service life.
Engine and differential Up to 1,250 miles/2,000 km: Drive at varying engine and road speeds, but do not exceed the following engine or road speeds:
5,500 rpm or 105 mph / 170 km/h.
Obey your local and state maximum speed limits.
Do not depress the accelerator pedal to the full-throttle position. --/Manual Snippet--
So, it sounds like you may have pushed it a little too fast. ;-)
The good news is that pretty much any BMW that you can buy here in the U.S. is remarkably stable at high speed. ;-)
I did the European Delivery thing with my 530i, and after the requisite 1,250 miles, I opened it up on the Autobahn. The car was so stable at 130 mph that Mrs. Shipo had no idea just how fast we were traveling. So much so that she decided to read a book, everything was that calm and composed. All of that ended as I came flying around a right hand curve carved into the side of a mountain (thus limiting visibility to maybe 400 meters), when some dude pulled out in front of me on a motorcycle at a range of less than 100 meters. I think he thought he had greater acceleration than he did, unfortunately for him I was traveling an easy 70 mph faster than him when he pulled out. Needless to say, the gap between us diminished to NOTHING like RIGHT NOW! As soon as I saw him I dropped anchor and before our speed differential switched to his favor my front bumper came within inches (like maybe 10) of his rear wheel. I'm betting that if I hadn't opted for the SP on my car, he would not have survived the encounter. As it was, he finished passing the car he had pulled out to pass, moved to the right, waved me past, and then he moved to the shoulder, stopped, got off and sat down. The fact is that the extreme stability of my car under full brake (ABS moaning away) at somewhere over a Buck Twenty, saved his life.
From the drivers seat, I was very pleased at how composed and controllable the car was in such an extreme situation (a full tilt boogie "panic stop" on a curve at over 120 mph qualifies as an extreme situation to me anyway), not to mention the relief at not killing someone/messing up my brand new car. Yup, I think that BMWs are pretty stable at high speed. ;-)
Hehe. Yup! My wife, who almost never swears (giving birth she was heard to say "Ahh, ahh, arggg, OWIE (or is that spelled owy)!") said, "What the HELL was he thinking. He's probably a tourist and isn't used to these speeds. By the way, how fast were we going?"
Not seeing the need to press the issue, I simply responded, "Fast." ;-)
Yeah, me too. We can't wait to do it again for an E90 330i. We are probably going to take the kids this time as well. We're thinking next April (2006) would be a good time to take them out of school for a week and do the spring thing in the Tuileries (that means something for everyone, wife and daughter get to see the gardens, dad and son get to do the Munich-Paris-Munich run in the BMW, with the return trip taking rather less time than the outbound trip) like we did for the 530i.
Man.. I hope the wife gets a raise before summer of '06.. lol.
My son is 11 now... I think a trip to Europe would be appropriate around age 12, don't you think? (visions of the movie, European Vacation running in my head)..
In the meantime, I'll drop down to the Hofbrauhaus, and have a Hefe-weizen.. and dream a little bit...
Look at it this way, by taking her along that means that you will probably HAVE to drive far enough (as in Munich-Paris-Munich) to get over the 1,250 mile break-in requirement, and we all know what THAT means. ;-)
You know.. I thought about that also.. I was considering doing the quick in-and-out for ED, to save the maximum amount of money.. but, then going all the way over there, and not driving the autobahn at speed.. just seemed silly...
My other option was to rent a BMW and really wring it out...
My other option was to rent a BMW and really wring it out..."
Hmmm, well sort of. Back when I worked for MB-USA, I was for a time shuttling back and forth between Montvale and Stuttgart every month (one month here, one month there, and with a pregnant wife no less), I had the opportunity to rent lots of cars in Germany. Yeah, yeah, I can hear what you're saying, "What? Working for Mercedes-Benz and you needed to rent a car? What's up with that?" Well, as a consultant, I was not able to use a company car (insurance reasons), so I rented instead. The problem is that rentals with any kind of decent performance are prohibitively expensive (at least they were 8 years ago). In the end I usually wound up with something like a 318i, which was kind of embarrassing pulling into the MB lot with all of that high end iron.
Funny story; in the fall of 1996, a friend of mine (Klaus) and I drove a rental 318i of mine down to Lago di Garda, Italy for a weekend of mountain biking in the Alps. On the way back (very early Monday morning, rushing to get back to Stuttgart in time for work) I was driving north out of Austria toward Ulm. I had the 318i flat out in the left lane passing a line of cars while climbing a long grade (I'm sure that even with the grade we were moving at something north of 100 mph), when I checked my mirror. A kilometer or so back I saw a vehicle catching me fairly quickly, and while I was estimating whether I had time to finish passing the line of cars, it flashed me to get out of the way. Fair enough, I moved to the right only to be blown away by nothing less than a "Chrysler Caravan" doing an easy 130 mph (remember, we were climbing a grade)!
You don't have to go to Germany to see idiots like that...
I was going through the mountains on I-40 between Knoxville and Asheville...
Driving my 911 at a nice leisurely pace of 90 MPH.. very curvy for an interstate there.. cutting through the mountains.... Easy for the 911, but you could definitely feel the G-forces..
And, a Pontiac Transport minivan just blows by me on a curve.. doing about 100, rolled all the way over as far as the springs would go... I was amazed.. Even in our Accord, I wouldn't go over 75 through there...
And, as I'm sure you are aware.. those speed limits are for all the other idiots, not me... ;-)
Shipo, I was wondering about your reasoning for going from the 530 to the 330 next year. I have a '01 530 and am thinking of doing the same "downgrade". My reasons center on the fact that the 330 is upgraded in size to approximate the 530 of our vintage and the styling of the new 330 is far closer to our 530. Any other thoughts you might have or anyone else out there. Also do you have any info on the relative quietness of the new 330 vis-a-vis our 530s?
Hmmm, from break-in procedures to high speed stability to opting for an E90 instead of an E60 after having an E39. Yikes, thread creap is officially here.
So, before Pat gets after us, I think I'll answer you over on the 2006 BMW 3-series disscussion. ;-)
I have spoken w/ four dealerships in my goegraphic area (Washington, DC metro area) to try to get the best lease deal possible on a 325i. Here's my criteria for the car: 1. Premium package 2. Heated seats 3. Automatic transmission 4. 15,000 annual mileage allowance 5. 3 year loan 6. $0 down payment
The best deal quoted to me so far is: $400/mo. on an MSRP of $34,545 w/ a selling price of $32,430 ($500 above invoice which is $32,930). Should I go w/ this price? I floated this mo. rate by two other dealers and they refused to match it so I am assuming that this is as good as it gets. How can I be sure? Also, I have not yet been to the dealer in person. Is there anything that I should be careful about checking into when I get there to avoid extra hidden costs that may bump up the monthly rate?
Comments
-Paul
I disappeared for awhile after I brought home my new baby, a pre-owned BMW 325xi station wagon. Many thanks to kdyx!
It only had 12,900 miles at the time of purchase. It has the sports package. It has leather. It has the xenon lights. The premium pack with the BMW assist.
Here's what happened:
1) about a month into owning it, the back panel of my driver's seat fell off. The plate frame was broken, too.
2) poor gas mileage issues -- like 226 miles on three-quarters of a tank (in my Saab, I was getting about 400 miles).
3) onboard computer stuff, like the computer doesn't average out the mph I'm going, and therefore, I'm not sure it's calculating the right gas mileage.
Okay, the dealer was very kind enough to pick up the car, and give me a loaner station wagon without awd. Unfortunately, I had it during the blizzard, and struggled through some drifts.
However, I found that it handled much better. It also braked on a dime without any autobody action. However, it seemed to run out of windshield wiper fluid quick. I really liked that car.
In any case, I was given back my car. The handbrake had loosened, and was tightened again. Now, it's loosened again.
I told them about the brakes, they said they were checked. When I got the car back, they worked right for a couple of days, now....
Whenever, I stop at low or high-speeds, as soon as I touch the brakes, I don't go to an easy glide to a stop, period. I get this back and forth dive that is very uncomfortable. I don't know whether it is the tire pressure, but I've had the car back two weeks, so it should be okay.
I am getting to the point that I kind of like to drive the car, but really, really hate to hit the brakes, even gently. When I stop at a light, it's getting worse.
Sure the car takes great corners, turns nicely around in a tight circle, but.... does anybody have any idea as to what I should or can do about this?
Also:
I got a battery icon lighting up on the panel, twice. It didn't happen again. I called my service rep. at the original dealer but he never called me back.
Recently, I've been getting this intermittent cogwheel light that comes on when I turn on the car, and it's idling.
Same problems with the onboard computer calculating things.
I wish I could turn off the awd sometimes... But, alas.
It's a very stiff ride. I hate this stop and go stuff, though.
I have a long road trip scheduled for Friday. I wasn't sure what to do. People are usually helpful, here.
Oh!!!! Listen up people!!!
I thought I was going to get a year of BMW assist. Guess not??? If you buy a pre-owned car, even if it was a corporate BMW lease, you only get the remainder of the time. This means, I bought the car in December, and by March or April, BMW is looking for $240 for the rest of the year, plus $5 for any traffic, or directions.
Sheesh. No one told me.
No one seems to be calling me back right now.
One more thing: the closest dealer to me says because I didn't buy my car from them, under NO circumstances will they give me a loaner if my car needs a repair. If I'm lucky, they might be able to give me a ride home.
THIS IS JMK. Alot of people say how great they are. I bought a car from their other department, and despite the fact that they should want to keep me as a loyal customer, it's too bad.
Furthermore -- they wanted to charge me more than $7,000 for almost the same car (I think, it even had less options).
Sorry to write for so long. Thanks for all your help.
Cargal
I have a 1998 328 convertible w/102k mi. It was running fine until after I filled up at the gas station a little while ago.
Soon after turning out of the station, the gauge fell back to the empty mark and my fuel light came on. I stopped, turned the engine off and reengaged the gas cap and the gauge went back to full.
I thought it was corrected, but every ten minutes or so it happened again. This has never happened before.
I used premium gas and the gas cap itself is less than 1 year old.
What gives?
i have a 2004 325 xi, manual transmission and i 'm having problems with difficulty putting it into 1,2,3 or 4 gear intermittently and randomly. this usually happens in stop and go city traffic.it does not fall in these gears smoothly, this happens about 3-4 times a week.i have driven manual transmission cars all through my life and this is the worst experience. it has been to the dealer twice and they say they cannot reproduce it. what should i do?
i have a 2004 325 xi and i have the same problem, i hear a squeak about a few seconds after applying the hand brake and stepping out of the car. the dealer says that the wheel moves a little hence so the noise. i'm not convinced.the dealer is lazy and doesnt want to attend to the problem imo.
When you get a fresh tank of gas, you could toss a bottle of techron in there just to clean everything up.
I did use a different brand of gas this time. Otherwise I'm a loyal Chevron customer.
Thanks again,
I've been following your adventures and misadventures of the little red wagon. I am sorry to hear your mishaps but I'll try to help.
1) MPG Issue. I will share what I know for a fact. In 2001 I bought a 325i, no, not a 325xi, but I too was surprised at the low mpg I was getting. I had 5 sp manual transmission and I kept rigurous records from the moment I bought brand new with 30 miles, up until when I sold it with 41,143. The fact of the matter was that my city mpg was 21-22 max; on a trip to Dallas(Hwy)I managed to get 26.45 mpg. I am an engineer, I try to calculate things right, but the bottomline is that despite what I 'ved read in this forum, or what you may have read, economy is not in the stars for BMWs. Has been my personal experience. In your case, your permanently engaged 4WD will not make matters better. Granted, if that would have been at the top of my list, I would've opted for a Prius, or another [non-permissible content removed] econobox. All I am saying is that you may have led to believe those EPA figures, when the reality is other.
2)A broken back panel and plate frame should be brought to the attention of whoever sold it to you. Hopefully, you still have warranty to cover such items.
3)My personal experience with this onboard computer: I keep it continuously on external temperature; ocassionally, when my fuel gas gauge light goes on I switch to read more or less how many miles I can still drive; as a rule of thumb I never go below 50~40 miles before refueling (no matter where, first place I find with premium).Here in H-town they fine you pretty hard if you gas out on a freeway. Bottomline: I never use the mpg calculator per se;I learned the hard way, that it's useless, nor I put too much stock in it. What I do follow is that arrow at the bottom of your speedometer.That is a vacuum gauge that somehow does correlate to your gas consumption. If you have a manual (don't remember), you can find the optimal rpm to be in the 25~30 mpg range indiacted by this gauge. Maybe I am being a little heretic for the followers of this forum but I am being honest. Again: don't sweat the computer,just use the user friendly parts. Its a performance oriented car, not a consumer friendly. Still, I love my 330i imola red performance pkg bimmer.
4)Dealers, at least in Texas only give loaners to those who bought cars there. I was surprised to hear a good samaritan giving you even a wagon even if you didn't buy there. Another of the BMW culture shocks.
5)I am not surprised of hearing what they are doing to you about the BMW Assist.In my opinion it is a ripoff. I don't have and don't miss it. I anticipated at the time of my purchase that there would be a surprise or two with this; I disliked the wort antenna in the roof plus I had a gut feeling that somehow they would make it stingy. My suggestion, write a stern and polite letter to BMW NA and/or your dealer executive manager indicating your dissapointment and requesting your full year.
6)Check your manual at once. That cogwheel indicator could be (i don't have it with me -the manual-, right now) excessive wear on your brake pads. I know there's a sensor.But that's unconceivable in a car with suchh a low mileage. These things go on around 35K~50~, depending how fierce you drive. Also that battery light is concerning. Bimmers normally have superduper batteries (this is no Walmart/Sears) that could last 5 in some cases 10 years. So,this plus your brake issues more than warrants to make an appointment (once more) with the dealer that can give you a loaner, and fix your car, once and for all. Tell them to check your gauges, battery and brake sensors, as well. Brakes are the life preserving device on any car, but especially on BMWs, for they are performance oriented cars. Do not be complacent on this and see to address it. I may have not given you a hole of solutions but I hope it helps.
Now, this is a RWD manual tranny, but is it possible the trip computer is lying to me?
I think i'm going to reset the computer MPG tracker and follow the next few tanks.
As for the problem wagon--i'd try to get the dealer to buy it back at not too much of a loss or get a good trade-in on a good car by threatening to be noisy. Problem cars are problem cars.
1) My 530i 5-Speed (exact same drive train as a 330i) has consistently gotten better than 24 mpg in mixed city/highway driving and a touch over 30 mpg on the highway (with its OEM SP summer tires). I've compared my trip computer readings with against actual fuel consumption and the difference is negligible.
2) I have noticed that I seem to get a little better mileage with my winter tires mounted vs. my wider summer tires, and while the difference is hard to compare "Apples to Apples", it seems to be a little over 1 mpg.
3) The mileage that I used to get on my non-SP equipped 1999 328i (which has the same gearing as both the 530i and 330i) was about the same as my 530i in mixed city/highway driving, however, I could usually count on at least 34 mpg on a road trip (I got almost 36 on one 400 mile trip).
4) Now I come to the 325i. It has roughly the same engine as the two BMWs I've just discussed, just a little smaller. In an effort to keep acceleration times fairly low, BMW opted to change the gearing (for the manual transmission equipped cars that is), thus causing the engine to run at a higher RPM at any given speed in any given gear. That is most likely why the 2.5 liter cars have a lower EPA rating, and why in reality the difference appears to be even greater.
A couple of years ago I posted a table showing the difference the gearing made between the two cars at a number of arbitrary speeds, I'll see if I can find it and re-post it.
Best Regards,
Shipo
---------------------------------------- Tire ---------- Engine
---------- Diff -- Top Gear -- Revs/Mile -- RPMs@100
325i --- 3.15 --- 1.00 --------- 831.00 ------ 4362.75
325iA - 3.46 --- 0.74 --------- 831.00 ------ 3546.15
330i --- 2.93 --- 1.00 --------- 822.00 ------ 4014.10
330iA - 3.38 --- 0.74 --------- 822.00 ------ 3426.64
Speed in each gear at: 6500 RPMs
--------------------- 1st Gear -- 2nd Gear -- 3rd Gear -- 4th Gear -- 5th Gear
325iM Ratio ----- 4.23 --------- 2.53 --------- 1.66 --------- 1.22 --------- 1.00
325iM Speed - 35.22 -------- 58.89 ------- 89.75 ------ 122.12 ----- 148.99
325iA Ratio ----- 3.67 --------- 2.00 --------- 1.41 --------- 1.00 --------- 0.74
325iA Speed - 36.96 -------- 67.82 ------- 96.20 ------ 135.64 ----- 183.30
330iM Ratio ----- 4.21 --------- 2.49 --------- 1.66 --------- 1.24 --------- 1.00
330iM Speed - 38.46 -------- 65.03 ------- 97.55 ------ 130.59 ----- 161.93
330iA Ratio ----- 3.67 --------- 2.00 --------- 1.41 --------- 1.00 --------- 0.74
330iA Speed - 38.25 -------- 70.19 ------- 99.55 ------ 140.37 ----- 189.69
Best Regards,
Shipo
The EPA figures are based on a very controlled drive cycle that does not exactly match real world conditions.
You could probably search any forum on here and find people stating that their fuel mileage does not meet the EPA estimates.
A rule of thumb is to figure 1-2 mpg below what is posted on the window sticker.
If you have a lead foot, make it more like 3-4 below.
Best Regards,
Shipo
If not for the added expense of premium fuel, it would just about be a wash...
I always hesitate to comment on other's fuel mileage, as driving habits, commute areas, etc. are too variable as to make comparisons accurate..
In general, though.. I'm happy with my fuel mileage in comparison to previous vehicles..
Plus, going around corners without using the brakes.. I like that part, also..
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As the announcer says, "mileage will vary".
When reading the user manual's specific requirement for premium unleaded gasoline 91 (AKI), I remember the saleman told me the car only need 87 gasoline and he fill a full tank of 87.
Will this be a problem? Or, can I simply use up this tank and follow with 91 from now on?
The saleman apparently didn't know what he was doing.
Best Regards,
Shipo
Best Regards,
Shipo
But, when I got down to half a tank, I'd fill it up with premium.. Shell stations in my area sell 93 octane.. That would get you back up to peak operating condition pretty quickly..
The 87 won't "hurt" your car, in the meantime..
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Are the fluids in newer [2001+] BMW's really lifetime? (ie, the tranny and differential fluids) Or is it better to replace these every few years?
On the one hand, I would imagine changing them would make sense (all of the other cars I've had required this), but at the same time I could envision fluids that are of a much higher tolerance and therefore last much longer.
thoughts?
E.G. Change tranny and diff at inspection II.
I feel two items might worth the money, so I asked them to give me two-day grace period to decide whether to buy those packages (at discounted initial prices):
1.) 6 years/100K miles, Full maintance upgrade, $1495 ($1895 after the grace period)
2.) LoJack, $795 ($995 after grace period)
Does anyone of them worth it?
I checked the "true cost for owner" in edmunds.com, it says $1,522 estimated maintanace cost for the 5th year. Given such number, the "Full maintance upgrade" seems like a good deal. Also the package is fully tranferable if I sell the car before the 6th year.
Also, there was
3.) 7 year/70K mile "vehicle mechanical repair" for $2195 ($2695 after grace period)
Any input will be appreciated. Thanks.
the manufacturer can rate his EPA estimates LOWER than what they obtain using the EPA drive cycle. This is at the discretion of the manufacturer and some manufacturers will do this to have their estimates more closely match real world results.
It's quite possible BMW does this exact thing. I don't have enough first hand info on how closely BMW's estimates correlate to actual fuel mileage.
I shall defer to the experts on this board......
By the way Shipo, you really get around!
Best Regards,
Shipo
I didn't notice such thing in the user manual. Is this appliable to BMW 325i?
I suspect that yours has a page like that as well.
Best Regards,
Shipo
--Manual Snippet--
It is in your best interest to follow the break-in tips very closely. Doing this, you will create the basis for a long, optimum service life.
Engine and differential
Up to 1,250 miles/2,000 km: Drive at varying engine and road speeds, but do not exceed the following engine or road speeds:
5,500 rpm or 105 mph / 170 km/h.
Obey your local and state maximum speed limits.
Do not depress the accelerator pedal to the full-throttle position.
--/Manual Snippet--
So, it sounds like you may have pushed it a little too fast. ;-)
Best Regards,
Shipo
I must say though that the M3s are remarkably stable at high speed.
I did the European Delivery thing with my 530i, and after the requisite 1,250 miles, I opened it up on the Autobahn. The car was so stable at 130 mph that Mrs. Shipo had no idea just how fast we were traveling. So much so that she decided to read a book, everything was that calm and composed. All of that ended as I came flying around a right hand curve carved into the side of a mountain (thus limiting visibility to maybe 400 meters), when some dude pulled out in front of me on a motorcycle at a range of less than 100 meters. I think he thought he had greater acceleration than he did, unfortunately for him I was traveling an easy 70 mph faster than him when he pulled out. Needless to say, the gap between us diminished to NOTHING like RIGHT NOW! As soon as I saw him I dropped anchor and before our speed differential switched to his favor my front bumper came within inches (like maybe 10) of his rear wheel. I'm betting that if I hadn't opted for the SP on my car, he would not have survived the encounter. As it was, he finished passing the car he had pulled out to pass, moved to the right, waved me past, and then he moved to the shoulder, stopped, got off and sat down. The fact is that the extreme stability of my car under full brake (ABS moaning away) at somewhere over a Buck Twenty, saved his life.
From the drivers seat, I was very pleased at how composed and controllable the car was in such an extreme situation (a full tilt boogie "panic stop" on a curve at over 120 mph qualifies as an extreme situation to me anyway), not to mention the relief at not killing someone/messing up my brand new car. Yup, I think that BMWs are pretty stable at high speed. ;-)
Best Regards,
Shipo
Bet there was some serious puckering going on though!
-Paul
I'm ready to get on a plane tomorrow..
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Not seeing the need to press the issue, I simply responded, "Fast." ;-)
Best Regards,
Shipo
Best Regards,
Shipo
My son is 11 now... I think a trip to Europe would be appropriate around age 12, don't you think? (visions of the movie, European Vacation running in my head)..
In the meantime, I'll drop down to the Hofbrauhaus, and have a Hefe-weizen.. and dream a little bit...
regards,
kyfdx
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Best Regards,
Shipo
I think I'll have more fun with him than Mrs. kyfdx, but I bet we'll have to take her, too...
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Best Regards,
Shipo
My other option was to rent a BMW and really wring it out...
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Hmmm, well sort of. Back when I worked for MB-USA, I was for a time shuttling back and forth between Montvale and Stuttgart every month (one month here, one month there, and with a pregnant wife no less), I had the opportunity to rent lots of cars in Germany. Yeah, yeah, I can hear what you're saying, "What? Working for Mercedes-Benz and you needed to rent a car? What's up with that?" Well, as a consultant, I was not able to use a company car (insurance reasons), so I rented instead. The problem is that rentals with any kind of decent performance are prohibitively expensive (at least they were 8 years ago). In the end I usually wound up with something like a 318i, which was kind of embarrassing pulling into the MB lot with all of that high end iron.
Funny story; in the fall of 1996, a friend of mine (Klaus) and I drove a rental 318i of mine down to Lago di Garda, Italy for a weekend of mountain biking in the Alps. On the way back (very early Monday morning, rushing to get back to Stuttgart in time for work) I was driving north out of Austria toward Ulm. I had the 318i flat out in the left lane passing a line of cars while climbing a long grade (I'm sure that even with the grade we were moving at something north of 100 mph), when I checked my mirror. A kilometer or so back I saw a vehicle catching me fairly quickly, and while I was estimating whether I had time to finish passing the line of cars, it flashed me to get out of the way. Fair enough, I moved to the right only to be blown away by nothing less than a "Chrysler Caravan" doing an easy 130 mph (remember, we were climbing a grade)!
Best Regards,
Shipo
I was going through the mountains on I-40 between Knoxville and Asheville...
Driving my 911 at a nice leisurely pace of 90 MPH.. very curvy for an interstate there.. cutting through the mountains.... Easy for the 911, but you could definitely feel the G-forces..
And, a Pontiac Transport minivan just blows by me on a curve.. doing about 100, rolled all the way over as far as the springs would go... I was amazed.. Even in our Accord, I wouldn't go over 75 through there...
And, as I'm sure you are aware.. those speed limits are for all the other idiots, not me... ;-)
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So, before Pat gets after us, I think I'll answer you over on the 2006 BMW 3-series disscussion. ;-)
Best Regards,
Shipo
1. Premium package
2. Heated seats
3. Automatic transmission
4. 15,000 annual mileage allowance
5. 3 year loan
6. $0 down payment
The best deal quoted to me so far is: $400/mo. on an MSRP of $34,545 w/ a selling price of $32,430 ($500 above invoice which is $32,930). Should I go w/ this price? I floated this mo. rate by two other dealers and they refused to match it so I am assuming that this is as good as it gets. How can I be sure? Also, I have not yet been to the dealer in person. Is there anything that I should be careful about checking into when I get there to avoid extra hidden costs that may bump up the monthly rate?