BMW 3-Series Maintenance and Repair

joyrider147 · July 2007

Also, are you using a different gas cap than the BMW factory issue one? It could keep it from closing properly.

grantchstr · July 2007

The car is 24,000 miles old - mint and original. The gas door closes onto a catch which is enveloped with a small rubber cap so its not possible to see whether anything is bent without ripping off the rubber cap. There is nothing wrong or distorted with the hinges to the gas door either. It was working one day and then popped the next.
The catch does appear to be a cheap-and-nasty design - I have never had this kind of problem in any other cars I have owned or still own - ever. Including MG, Singer le Mans, Austin Healey, Lotus Elan, Mini, Jensen, Volvo, Landcruiser........

sunilb · July 2007

My expansion tank had a crack in it, so I had the shop (independent) replace it, and they added coolant as well.

I noticed that the coolant is green in color... but have heard that BMW coolant is blue. Is this any cause for concern?

roadburner · July 2007

At the very least I'd want to find out what coolant they used. I only use BMW coolant, and so do most independent shops. In your case it probably won't hurt anything, but I wouldn't want to run a "hybrid" mix for more than a year or so.

r74g · July 2007

I was driving home the other day from work and I had the air on, I got a bit of a funny odor, and noticed that the air wasn't as cold.

The next day same thing and it came with a bit of a humming noise, almost laborious sound.

Now, I still hear the noise, but no cold air comes out. Any thoughts as to what it may be? I sort of think the ac needs to be recharged or the motor is about to go?

roadburner · July 2007

Any thoughts as to what it may be?

I'm assuming that the interior blower fan is running normally, correct? It could be several things, but I suspect that the compressor may be shot. I'd take it to a good independent BMW tech, otherwise you will just be guessing at a fix.

r74g · July 2007

yep, the air comes out, just not cold and it has a bit of an odd smell to it. not strong, just odd.

I called the guy by my house, he has been around 20 years, didnt really want to take it to the dealer.

thanks!

travelingman47 · July 2007

I'm new here so forgive me if I am posting in the wrong area. I have an older 325i convertible (1990)and had problems with the windshield washer. It had sludge in the tank and when I cleaned it out with my garden hose there was a small float type device that came floating to the top of the reservoir. I have no idea where it came from or how to put it back. I filled the reservoir with fresh fluid and it works fine but the low washer level light stays on now. Any help with this is most appreciated.

Mr_Shiftright · July 2007

I think that is supposed to attach to the reservoir cap, and probably came loose. You should be able to buy a replacement, or better yet, just disconnect the wires that go to the cap.

Try a wrecking yard, you might get lucky.

alcatraznz · July 2007

I own a 1991 318i auto sedan. I recently had the transmission rebuilt and since then have noticed that on occasion the car will not change down a gear until it reaches 70 km/hr. My mechanic and subsequent garages have tried to read the on board computer that stores the instructions for gear changes, without success.
Has anyone experienced this problem before. I dont know much about the onboard computer but believe it quite costly to replace. Can this somehow be overridden in order to resolve this issue?

mexboy157 · July 2007

Hi I think I am having the same problem as you!! I had my oil changed but the Non-BMW dealership did not know how to reset the change oil/service engine light so can you explain to me how you did it please and thank you !!!!!

my email= mexboy157@yahoo.com

mikefo · July 2007

Our 1995 BMW 318 just had its oil changed and I had the coolant replaced at the independent shop. Now the car overheats, a clanging noise can be heard, and the power steering/power brakes don't function. HELP.

shipo · July 2007

Did they forget to put oil in it?

mikefo · July 2007

Nope, the dipstick shows a regular reading.

circlew · July 2007

They did something to the belt system, IMO.

Regards,
OW

scott_57 · August 2007

I have a 1999 328i sedan. When running the A/C the driver side blows cool and the passenger side blows warm air. Have had some water leaking into the interior and believe that the A/C drain is plugged up. Could this be the cause of this problem?

kariton · August 2007

Hi, I am a newbie in this forum.

My wife has a bmw325 which is nearing the warranty of 50,000miles. We want to extend the BMW sponsored warranty and free maintenance up to 100,000. The dealer quoted $2,500 and $1,500 respectively. In addition, the these are warranties by company associated to BMW and not by the actual BMW company. They said that there is no available warranty by BMW. Is this a good deal or do I have to look for another dealer in a different city? There is only one BMW dealer in our metro area.Thanks.

circlew · August 2007

You could save the $1,500 if you do your own maintenance but I would get the 100,000 mile warranty if I were in your place. I have seen the cost somewhere on the BMW forum a lot lower, however, in the sub-$2K range, I believe.

I can tell you that I purchased a bumper-bumper warranty (4 yr additional/70K Total miles) on my wife's GMC 1 month before the 3 yr/36 ran out for $1,900. Last May, 18 months since, the A/C evaporator failed - $870 Cost (I paid $66 for Freon/coolant). So, almost half the cost of extended warranty with one part failure.

Regards,
OW

eruc · August 2007

I just bought a new 07 328i coupe last month. The milage is horrible, around 16, well below advertised 21 local 30 highway. I know it's still in break in period, but this still sounds very low. Wonder what's the number from other 328 owners.
Also I noticed that the engine warms up very slowly. It's about 5 miles drive from my home to work, half local, half highway. And the oil temperature gauge doesn't reach the half point until I've arrived at work already. And it cools off slowly as well, the hood feels hot even a couple hours after use. I used to have a Honda Civic and it warms up just within a couple minutes after a cold start.

roadburner · August 2007

I just bought a new 07 328i coupe last month. The mileage is horrible, around 16, well below advertised 21 local 30 highway.

I wouldn't expect to get much over 20 mpg- assuming that the majority of your driving consists of your 5 mile work commute.

Also I noticed that the engine warms up very slowly. It's about 5 miles drive from my home to work, half local, half highway. And the oil temperature gauge doesn't reach the half point until I've arrived at work already.

That's completely normal; oil temperature always lags behind water temperature. In your case I'm actually surprised that it warms up so quickly.

shipo · August 2007

Your mileage is most likely due to the fact that your engine isn't being given time to warm up before you shut it down. Like it or not, you have to drive these things a bit before they're fully warm, especially the oil. Think about it this way, your Civic was a tiny little one point something engine with roughly three and a half quarts of oil in the pan. The three liter engine in your 328i has twice the oil capacity of the civic, and it does take a while to get all of that oil warm.

Best Regards,
Shipo

robl1 · August 2007

2003 330xi - Left Xenon headlamp went out about 1 month ago and headlamp warning went on from the dashboard. Turn car off and the next morning start up the car and warning light is off and headlamp is fine. This has now happened 3 more times including today. Is this the igniter, electrical or is the headlamp about to die?

kominsky · August 2007

I had the same symptoms with my '01 a few years ago. It didn't last as long... I think I had a total of 2 or 3 iterations over about a week before it totally died. It was the ignitor in my case.

robl1 · August 2007

Well its at the dealer now so we'll see what they say.

tnguyen74 · August 2007

I have a 2003 325i sedan with an intermittant A/C problem. The A/C blows cold and randomly it seems like the compressor stops (I suspect) and than warm air comes out for about 30 seconds and than the cold air comes back. I read a clip on the web (see link) that describes it being a bad a/c compressor outside temperature sensor. Come to think of it I do remember hitting road debris which tore up the right side wheel well cover near the fog lamp which I had to replace. There was a loose wire connector which (at the time I didn't know what it was). Now I beleive it's the outside temperature sensor linked to the compressor.

I need an expert opinion on whether I'm going the right direction with replacing the outside temperature sensor and if so is there a diagram with the proper installation. It seems like since the air is cold-warm-cold again possibly the compressor kicking on/off. I had my mechanic test for freon levels and that checked out ok along with the compressor.

Below is exact problem:
http://en.allexperts.com/q/BMW-Repair-805/C-Temperature-Sensor.htm

guxpert · August 2007

I own a '94 325i with 52k miles. The power windows are supposed to open slightly when the door handle is pulled and go back up when the door is closed. Recently, this feature has not been working. Is there something I can do to remedy this or do I need to take for repair?

grantchstr · August 2007

I have a 2005 325xi with 25,000 on the clock, no serious heavy driving.
At what mileage range can one usually expect the pads/rotors to be replaced? On a BMW would just pads be changed and the rotors be still OK? (I also have a Volvo S60 where rotors are changed at the same time as the pads).

Thanks.

klinkerklu · August 2007

I hate to be a pessimist, but keep track of how much time the car has been in the shop. :lemon:

This engine ticking/lifter issue seems to be getting out of control. After replacing our faulty lifters, our car still ticks intermittently. I've been keeping track of this on other forums, and it appears they are re-designing a new cylinder for the 3 series engines, since replacing the lifters does not permanently fix the problem.
You can read more about this at the following link- there is a whole thread dedicated to the issue:

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1311875#post1311875

banglenot · August 2007

My wife's '03 325xi sedan has only 30K miles on it (she doesn't drive much). The mechanic at the inspection station said she needed ball joints.

Seems to me they shouldn't wear out so fast.

Anyone aware of ball joint problems on the 325xi sedan? Any knowledge of recalls, repair bulletins, etc for this?

Thanks --

joyrider147 · August 2007

All depends on how many miles up put on the car a year and how many times you use your brakes or how hard you use them. On my '96 Dodge Stratus, I only put 2,400 miles a year on the car and only replace the front brake pads once every 2 years, only for safety inspection purposes, only. And the old pads that were removed still had plenty of life left. BMWs have 4 way disc brakes not like the disc brake in front; drum brakes in rear combo braking system like most cars built mid-1990s. That's why I only have to replace 2 sets of brake pads at a total of 20.00 or 40.00.
Drum brakes aren't subjected to additional wear since they reduce front brake wear by only slowing down the rear portion of the car and aid the front brakes, which take the full force of the car to stop.
To answer your question, I believe the rotors will still be good when you change just the pads, unless you've been using the car to do alot of burnouts. Since you have a BMW with 4 sets of disc brakes, its good measure to replace ALL pads simultaneously at a total of 80.00. Consult with your BMW dealer or your owner's manual for recommended brake pad replacement intervals or brake pad thickness prior to full replacement when it may not be necessary. But you don't want to excessively wear the pads down because then they'll cut into the rotors and then you'd have to replace ALL brake pads and ALL 4 rotors at an additional estimated 75.00 and more for a rotor making the grand total $380.00 for an abused braking system. And, I didn't even include the brake wear sensor that will be needed to be replaced once activated. Keep in mind, if that electronic wear sensor is tripped, that sensor will keep the dash indicator lit until you replace ALL worn down brake sensors, even though the brakes were properly serviced. Domestics have just a strip of metal that makes a squealing sound indicating worn brake linings and that sound will go away once the pads are changed and no brake sensor will need to be replaced, making my brake job FAR cheaper than your's, but consider what we drive.
I'm not sure if your car is covered under a service warranty, but I think the mounting bolts holding your calipers on are standard metric, not some BMW issue bolts since they know other garages may have to replace the brakes 10 years later when the car's off warranty. That means you can replace the brake pads yourself, but remember to block the rear wheels when jacking that car up or you'll find out like I did when my '87 BMW 528e started to roll backwards. Look at videos on Youtube.com detailing brake pad servicing and changing.

On a side note, while servicing the brakes, examine all brake lines going to each wheel the brake lines under the car going to the rear, and the rear lines. Also check under the hood all coolant lines, brake lines, power steering lines, all hoses and electrical wiring. Use a lubricant recommended by BMW to lubricate electrical wire sheathing or covering, fluid hoses, and any fittings to ensure a good seal to those fittings. Hand clean the engine bay with a damp rag and a non-reactive, mild solution approved by BMW.
Look for oxidizing, oil deposits or sludge, damaged hoses or worn out hoses, bad electrical connections, leaking reservoirs, fluid leaking from engine, etc. Make a note of it during vehicle routine maintenance to get the car more rapid but less costly preventive maintenance for your car.
Keeping a clean, well-maintained and properly lubricated engine bay is not only one simple cheap solution to reduce excessive wear and tear, but also helps keep the vehicle's value up because it's clean and the engine bay has been routinely maintenanced, ensuring that most if not ALL accessories still work when you go to sell the car.
10 years later, if this car is a dirty, rust-box that has non-working accessories caused by electrical faults, engine overheating due to poorly sealing coolant lines, power steering problems due to fluid leaks and seals that haven't been properly maintained or replaced severely reduces its value and will only cost you more money in the end.

joyrider147 · August 2007

As far as I know of, no recalls. During driving this vehicle at low, medium, and high speeds, is there any rattling, grinding, vibrating, pulsating, rough steering, does the car pull one side to the other? ANY steering or manuevering problems? Does the suspension system bounce, wobble, tilt, shake, creak, or is it loose? If not, then it doesn't seem like your car would need ball joints. Just in case, take the car to a second garage for inspection for a second opinion.

Ball joints should only wear out if the replacements that are on the car NOW if they were previously replaced should go bad if the replacements aren't what was recommended for that type of car. Or ball joints may go bad if the previous owners have been using that car for an off-road buggy.

Also, did this car previously have large, chrome, non-factory rims installed? Because some thug gangsta's rims, if not sized for the vehicle properly (tire size, rim weight), that'll easily destroy the car's suspension system as with any car and most of those rims aren't designed properly to be put on the car. In fact, the factory rims should be the only ones put on there since the are capable of handling the car that they were designed for.

Also, research the business with the Better Business Bureau. Has the garage been known for overbilling, repairing cars that didn't need that type of repair?

Because if the mechanic is trying to rip you off, getting 2 or 4 ball joints replaced on a newish BMW is costly and he'd make a nice pay off of it. But I'd start by taking the car to a different garage not affiliated with that garage and not only check the ball joints, but give the car a good once over, looking for traces of previously replaced parts, any servicing, was the car routinely maintained at proper intervals and any other components to the car that are soon to go bad.

Many BMWs are highly reliable and will handle a lot of driving (the 1980s BMWs are tanks) and will respond very well to servicing and maintenance with full replacement being the last option if the car was excessively used or abused.

banglenot · August 2007

Thanks, joyrider. My wife was sole owner. I'm having the dealership check out the ball joints just to make sure.

roadburner · August 2007

Since you have a BMW with 4 sets of disc brakes, its good measure to replace ALL pads simultaneously at a total of 80.00.

Why? Every BMW I've owned going back to my 1973 Bavaria 3.0 has worn the rear brake pads at @50% of the rate of the front pads. Last year I replaced the original rear pads on my 1995 E36 and at over 103K miles they still weren't worn to the factory minimums- and this was on a tracked and autocrossed car.

...you'd have to replace ALL brake pads and ALL 4 rotors at an additional estimated 75.00 and more for a rotor...

That's somewhat high for a RWD E46; OEM front rotors run around $52 and rears go for about $42.

Keeping a clean, well-maintained and properly lubricated engine bay is not only one simple cheap solution to reduce excessive wear and tear, but also helps keep the vehicle's value up because it's clean and the engine bay has been routinely maintenanced, ensuring that most if not ALL accessories still work when you go to sell the car.

That's why I was able to sell my wife's 130K 1997 528i for twice what Carmax offered.

davidd3 · August 2007

Wow! Thanks for the info. I assumed my car is fixed. Now I'm skeptical. All I can say for now is so far so good. It's been a few weeks and I haven't heard the ticking since the fix.

grantchstr · August 2007

24,000 miles on the car and no heavy driving at all is what I said actually. So the point about "depends on how much you drive per year" is obvious and answered.

And "depends how many times you use your brakes or how hard you use them" is obvious which is why I stated and repeat - no heavy driving. The car is mostly driven by a careful wife!

roadburner · August 2007

The car is mostly driven by a careful wife!

My wife is "careful" too, which means she goes through brakes faster that I do! She applies them at corners I accelerate through and also tends to tap them if she sees ANY brake lights ahead. Urban driving combined with "cautious" driving can wear out a set of pads rather quickly.

grantchstr · August 2007

Hey pal, if you notice I sadi this is a stick shift so that will mean LESS use of brakes. We are both from Europe so we both know how to drive properly - ie not the American automatic transmision/jam on the brakes all the time way of driving thank you very much!

I still have no clue whether pads/rotors will typically need changing at 30K, 40K or 50K etc etc.....

shipo · August 2007

"I still have no clue whether pads/rotors will typically need changing at 30K, 40K or 50K etc etc..."

And you still don't, and nothing anybody tells you here will change that fact. Like it or don't, your pads will wear out when they wear out. Of the mileages that you listed, you might get any of them, or more or less.

Best Regards,
Shipo

Mr_Shiftright · August 2007

Too many variables to predict that. When will your shoes wear out?

I drive pretty hard and most of my cars need pads at the 30K mark or less. I never turn rotors regardless...either they are in spec and clean as they are, or they are too rough, and they go. If I stopped in 20 feet when I was 19 feet in back of a truck, I'd be very unhappy that I saved $200 on rotors.

robl1 · August 2007

It was the ignitor in my case too but my dealer must not be very bright. They changed the headlight modules and the xenons. Headlight still didn't work so finally they changed the ignitor. Repair was under warrantee. Works fine now. I don't think I'd go for xenons on a new car. When a regualar headlamp goes out I can just replace it myself!

kominsky · August 2007

Good to hear you got it resolved.

FWIW, my car has ~130K miles on it and other than the ignitor problem early on, the HIDs have been flawless. On my wife's Odyssey, with similar miles, I've replaced the halogen on one side twice and the other side once. So, based on personal experience, it seems that while the xenons are more complicated and would be expensive (out of warranty), they are more robust too. I believe in the future I'll stick with HIDs simply for the wider pattern... our area is loaded with whitetail deer and it's really nice seeing the green glow of their eyes BEFORE they make it to the road!

jodan · August 2007

I have an AWD, so far I have no problem with it. 325xi 2004.

jodan · August 2007

roadburner · August 2007

There are lots of different opinions on this issue. I change the oil every 7500 miles using a BMW Longlife 01 approved oil. Some commonly available oils that meet this standard are Castrol Syntec 0W-30, Mobil 1 0W-40, Valvoline 5W-40, and BMW's own synthetic 5W-30 house brand(which is a Castrol product, but NOT the same as Syntec 0W-30). I use Mobil 1 because I have always been pleased with its performance. My wife drives a 2005 X3 2.5 which has the same engine as your car. I once ran the 0W-40 oil for 9000 miles and then had a used oil analysis performed. The results indicated I could have run the oil an additional 1000 miles. Still, I just feel more comfortable changing it at half the interval called for by the car's service interval indicator.

kenneth813 · August 2007

Hi, I have a 1997 318TI AT which is over 11K miles and I just found out the timing belt need to replace A.S.A.P.
I am wondering if anyone can suggest a specialist or repair shop in Los Angeles which can do the job. I do not want go back to BMW because I have many bad experience with them before. Thanks.

roadburner · August 2007

Hi, I have a 1997 318TI AT which is over 11K miles and I just found out the timing belt need to replace A.S.A.P.

Your car has the M44 1.9 liter engine which has a timing chain. Your car should easily go at least 150K before you should even have to think about replacing it. Who told you that the non-existent belt needed to be replaced? In any case, I'd look here if you still need to find an independent BMW tech.

kenneth813 · August 2007

I am sorry, I forgot my car was a second hand car and it is 95' 318TI AT. Also have you ever tried those independent BMW tech before? Are they reliable? Thank you for your quick response.

ftroha · August 2007

For what it's worth, seven years ago I was told by a mechanic that I probably needed to replace the timing belt in my '93 318is. If I recall, the cost would have been around 1K. Rather than tell him to go ahead with the repair, I did some research on the Internet and learned that the problem might be the belt tensioner, a much cheaper repair. I went back to the mechanic with my printouts of a couple of articles I had found and the cost of the part needed (i.e., the tensioner). When he got around to checking my car out, he did in fact discover all I needed was the tensioner. I've been driving the car ever since, and I've had no problems related to the belt itself (which is still the original) or the tensioner. The point of my writing this is it's quite possible (given the similar make/model/year) that your car has a tensioner issue at this point in its life.

roadburner · August 2007

Also have you ever tried those independent BMW tech before? Are they reliable?

I know several BIMRS members, but haven't dealt with any in your area. The shops I do know provide first class service. Are you a BMW CCA member? If so, ask some local chapter members which shops they use.

roadburner · August 2007

For what it's worth, seven years ago I was told by a mechanic that I probably needed to replace the timing belt in my '93 318is.

Repeat after me:

No US spec BMW four cylinder engine has EVER used a timing belt.

That said, BMW did supercede the M42 chain tensioner with the improved version(PN:11311743187) which was fitted to later cars.

BMW 3-Series Maintenance and Repair

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