BMW 3-Series Maintenance and Repair

Mr_Shiftright · September 2009

Any engine noise, tapping, etc.?

lukasevich · September 2009

nope...

lukasevich · September 2009

nope...

pedro11 · September 2009

hi can any 1 help?????????
i have a bmw 330 d and last night while driving the dsc light came on with the telltale light ie handbrake light but appears in orange like the dsc and red when the handbrake is on.the car is no different to drive and is idleing fine
can any1 please help
totally lost, 1st bmw and poss the last!!
cheers
pedro

pedro11 · September 2009

hi can any 1 help?????????
i have a bmw 330 d and last night while driving the dsc light came on with the telltale light ie handbrake light but appears in orange like the dsc and red when the handbrake is on.the car is no different to drive and is idleing fine
can any1 please help
totally lost, 1st bmw and poss the last!!
cheers
pedro

Mr_Shiftright · September 2009

I think BMWs scanning computer can read actual oil pressure in lbs.

luckybelly · September 2009

IF the light comes on after the car has just been turned on - after about 10 sec. of running. The problem is your oil level sending unit is defective. Its a good idea to replace it when u get the next oil service done. The level unit is at the bottom of the oil pan and costs about $180 for the part.Easy to do it when changing oil. If you wish it can be done at home. Take the usual precautions.

If you are in NorCal - bay area - let me know.

:shades:

lukasevich · September 2009

That's exactly what happens! can I wait until the next oil change? or should it be done now?

thank a bunch!!

I'm on the other side of the country, in Baltimore, MD

luckybelly · September 2009

Its not a serious problem. As long as you don't ignore it when the light lights up any other time except that specific time. i.e. - while driving for more than few minutes and it shows in yellow or red - then pull over as soon as it is safe and manually check the level.
:shades:

kominsky · September 2009

bavauto.com has the sensor w/ o-ring for $110. Replacing the part is basically just removing 3 bolts, unplugging the old one, plug in the new one, and put the bolts back in. Unlike the sedans, my coupe has a steel reinforcement plate that must be removed to get to the oil pan. I would imagine your convertible has a similar plate. If I remember correctly, it's just six bolts that need to be removed to get the plate out of the way... no big deal.

fomentar · September 2009

I recently had my car ('03 330xi, 165K miles) serviced...car was pulling to right under braking, especially noticeable at highway speeds. Replaced front control arm bushings, rear lower ball joints and performed alignment. Still experiencing the non linear tracking...any thoughts on potential cause and potential solution?

rob140 · September 2009

brake calipers corroded, or need bleeding, or new pads and rotors.

Rob

kominsky · October 2009

I was replacing a turn-signal socket in my '01 330Ci. When I closed the hood, the passenger-side "kidney" popped out and hit the garage floor. Looking it over, the plastic was cracked at all points where it mounts to the hood. I did a quick check of the driver-side grill and 3 of the 6 mounting points were cracked.

Duct tape to the rescue and the new parts should be arriving tomorrow.

The main reason I bring this up is that it might be something people want to check on their cars. My car has never been in an accident so I assume it's just age and heat cycling of the plastic that caused the deterioration. My car does, however, have fairly high miles (160K).

Mr_Shiftright · October 2009

I see this a lot with BMWs of that era. Their clips for interior and exterior trim do not age well, nor does their weatherstrip on the windshields.

kominsky · October 2009

Funny you brought that up...I noticed about a week ago that the stripping on one side of my windshield was gone. I had the windshield replaced about 3 years ago and assumed it was inferior quality stuff used by the replacer. I never looked close enough to determine if this is user servicable or if the windshield needs to be removed... do you know?

Mr_Shiftright · October 2009

Yeah I think you have to pop it out....but a quick fix is to use LATEX black caulking from a tube. Just wet your finger, squish it in there, clean it off with a wet rag and let it set.

kominsky · October 2009

I'm not sure I want to go there... I'm thinking if I do that, another cracked windshield would be a disaster. Unless the latex would peel off fairly easily. Then again, with the miles I've put on the car, I wouldn't be too upset to replace it... "No really Honey, that cracked windshield means I have to go buy a 1-er!"... Yeh, that could work...

Mr_Shiftright · October 2009

No I mean you just put the latex over the bad spot in the weatherstrip---instead of removing the windshield. If youre going to take the windshield out, why then of course you'd use a brand new weatherstrip.

bmwx330 · October 2009

Has anyone been experiencing light squeak issue ? It only happens when the engine is warm (230 degrees).

When it started, it would only squeak while making left or right turn. Took it to dealer and they replaced brake sensor. It didn't do anything other than the squeak now happens after coming to a full stop/then accelerating.

Took it back to dealer 2nd time and now it happens on right turns (they deglazed the rotors). Funny thing is when I drove their loaner ('09 X5, 7500 miles), it had the exact same squeak issue.

I read on some blog that if you go in reverse and slam on your brakes a few times, it would eliminate suqeak. I've tried this but the squeak returns after a few days.

Is this just an issue I have to deal with ? I never had this problem on my '03 330

r34 · October 2009

I also have a 2007 335xi but I didn't get that noise. You may want to bring the car to another dealer for service.
I heard another noise though. When the car was warm and was in idle, I could hear some kind of loud belt noise from the engine. I didn't get it from other cars. Does anyone know if it's normal?

Thanks.

bmwleaking · October 2009

Following a minor accident, my BMW 3351 has taken in water. The dealer has been unable to fix the problem, which blows out the sound system for the car resulting in terrible feedback/screeching. Is this just the incompetence of Nalley BMW's body shop or is there an inherent lack of serviceability with this model once something happens to it?

rob140 · October 2009

All water leaks can be fixed whether in your house or your car, but they can be very difficult to find the exact source, because it is hidden behind your dash. If you could take out dash etc and then lay on your back on the floor, you may be able to spot the source. The body shop isn't going to want to do this because of the great expense which you will not want to pay for.

kominsky · October 2009

I may have been unclear... I knew what you meant. My concern is that if I fix the stripping problem with latex now and then, at a later date, need to replace the windshield again... will removing the caulk at that point be a problem?

Mr_Shiftright · October 2009

Oh i see what you mean. No, not with latex. It doesn't form some rock-hard material like an epoxy. And I'm talking about a very judicious amount only at the point of possible water intrusion---not around the whole windshield. That might not look so good and is probably unnecessary---but if you are careful and do a good water cleanup, it's fairly inconspicuous stuff.

kominsky · October 2009

I think I'll give it a try. Thanks!!

Mr_Shiftright · October 2009

You might have to buy it in those large tubes that you use with a caulking gun unfortunately. You can just squeeze a little out by hand onto your wet finger. It's not silicone, so there's no mess.

Remember this is outdoor latex caulk, like for chimneys, siding, windows, etc.---not bathroom stuff.

upstatedoc · October 2009

Just acquired my '09 328i...x, drives like a dream so far. I have noticed that when I have both driver side windows down, there is a whistling noise coming from the side view mirror area. If i put my hand in between the mirror and the car at speed, the sound goes away. Weird air flow dynamics?

bhill2 · October 2009

I have an '09 335i sedan, and have also noticed a whistle from that area, in this case (even) with the windows up. Now, like upstatedoc, I would like to know if others have noticed this.

kyfdx · October 2009

What happened to the GTI?

upstatedoc · October 2009

I upgraded.

The GTI and '04 MDX got swaped for the 328.

Back on topic, I might ask the dealer to order a new side view mirror assembly if it becomes really annoying.

kominsky · October 2009

I got the new grill inserts and installed them last weekend. I'm not a mechanic by any stretch of the imagination, but I've done most of the maintenance work on my car.. brakes (pads, rotors, and sensors), water-pump, thermostat, belts, hoses, oil level sensor, installed the alarm, etc... and I've been amazed at how well engineered this car is. Everything comes apart and goes together incredibly easily. Other than figuring out how to disconnect a couple of electrical connectors I've had no problems doing any of it.

However, these grill inserts have shown me that there is a darkside to BMW. You have to be able to see the front and the back of the hood at the same time and have 3 hands to align (and keep aligned) the two pieces. Then push them together to interlock them, without misaligning them first. What a pain!! It took 1 part mechanical knowledge, 1 part common sense, 3 parts luck, and 34 parts voodoo to get it right. :sick:

pdude1 · October 2009

I'm having this consistent problem with squeaking brakes in first gear in acceleration mode, not braking. Dealer has tried to fix it twice.

Anyone else having this problem?

rob140 · October 2009

first-are you sure it is the brakes. if so, you have to use your own smarts to figure out the trigger. for example-could it be that hitting the brakes and then accelerating will duplicate the response. If so, you may be able to duplicate in 2nd. gear. This would indicate corrosion and a safety issue or maybe a problem with the dsc.

pdude1 · October 2009

"...for example-could it be that hitting the brakes and then accelerating will duplicate the response. If so, you may be able to duplicate in 2nd. gear..."

I'm not sure I understand unless you mean starting in 2nd gear? I'll usually come to a stop. Then from a stop I will engage the clutch in 1st, and when I start moving when the clutch is out I'll hear it, but soon as I go into 2nd it's gone. It seems to get worse, the warmer the engine gets. When I first start driving, I don't hear it, but after driving for a bit then I'll hear the squeak. Sometimes it's louder than other times.

does that make sense?

hollywould · October 2009

Hi, I'm VERY new to BMW's. I've always wanted one, and I believe I may be picking one up on Friday.

Currently I have a 04 Chevy Tahoe, (lifted monster truck) with 74k miles. I'm very tired of the truck feeling, so I'm going to go towards sporty with some luxury.

KBB on my truck trade in is 10-11k. I found a 2001 325i absolutlely beautiful BMW and the dealer is willing to trade me straight across. I know I'm taking a 1-2k loss, but I think it may be ok. I'll probably save that in gas in 1 year.

Now, my concern is that it is an 01 with 106k mileage. I am assuming this has no warranty. It appears to be meticulously maintained. I'd like your feedback on that since you all seem to be BMW enthusiasts and I'm new to it all.

My other question is, is what are your tune up/maintenance recommendations. My tahoe is like 30,60 and 100. So, I'm curious when the necessary tune ups are?

Any other tips, suggestions, warnings, etc...?

qali · October 2009

From reading on various forums, I think my 2007 335i has Tire pressure sensors on each tire that relay information to the in-car display. I am about to put on winter tires on a new set of BMW wheels that will not contain these sensors. My question is how will the Tire Pressure Monitoring System react if the new wheels/tires do not have any sensors? Is it possible to turn off the monitoring system?

kominsky · October 2009

Maintenance is key with BMWs! I would look for service records with the car, or I believe, you can take the VIN to a BMW dealership and they can get you a history of all maintenance done on that car by any BMW service department.

The onboard computer tells you when to do or have done the required maintenance... but a basic rule of thumb is:

every 15K is an oil service (I do mine every 7500 miles)
every 30K is an inspection I
every 60K is an inspection II

To see what's involved with each inspection, you can look here...
http://www.bimmerzone.com/inspection.htm

jaj · October 2009

Clutch pedal on my '09 328 X-Drive jiggles from side to side when touched. Clutch operation feels normal and shifting is fine. Anyone else come across this?

hoodoomusic · October 2009

A few days ago, I pushed my defrost button and nothing happened. The display was fine but there was no air blowing. The next day, the fan just all of a sudden started blowing for no reason! I turned the car off, and the air just kept blowing!!!

I ended up taking out the fuse to stop it, but I have no idea what happened. Sound familiar to anyone??? :sick:

crayor · October 2009

My 2007 328i coupe would not start last Friday I had to tow it to BMW. I was told that my car had problems with the Intelligent Battery Sensor and that they had to get a new one and then charge it. My car is still at the dealership and I was told today (Tuesday) that water was accumulating on or near the battery???
Does anyone know anything about this?

Mr_Shiftright · October 2009

BMW has had lots of problems with battery discharge, and yes the Battery Sensor could be involved, but the "water accumulating" sounds like nonsense to me. There are certainly plenty of known and far more plausible causes for this re-current (no pun intended) issue with BMW battery discharge.

crayor · October 2009

BMW called me about an hour ago and stated that the water was coming in through the right rear tail light and that water was accumulating on or near the battery. A few months ago I had a new rear bumper cover installed. BMW is saying that who ever installed the cover did not seal the tail light? I did not have the tail light replaced. Also they want me to pay $1398.00 for this job!
I had three different tow guys come out to charge my battery before they towed it to BMW. No one mentioned water by or near the battery. I also did not see any.

crayor · October 2009

Thanks so much for responding! Can you tell me what you know about the IBS? Or what I should know!! I posted another message about what BMW telling me how the water accumulated in the battery. Please let me know what you think!

Mr_Shiftright · October 2009

RE: Water in the trunk area. Why not do this? Dry out the trunk completely, then put some newspaper down in the trunk. Then run a garden hose---first over the bumper cover (I don't know how this can cause a leak, but I don't have the car in front of me), and then if no water comes in (you'll see wet newspaper) put the hose over the tail light lenses.

It is quite common to get a trunk leak through the tail light lens seal. A quick fix for that is to tighten up the tail light lens assembly (I think on your car you do this from inside, with some large "star" wheels.

If necessary, you can remove the entire tail light lens asssembly and then coat the gasket that seals it to the body with some LATEX caulking compound from a hardware store. I like latex vs. silicone because it's way easier to clean up (cleans up with water before it cures).

I don't see how a little water in the trunk is going to affect the battery. This is a non-sequitor to me.

The Battery sensor IBS could be defective if it doesn't tell the DME (ECU) the information the DME needs to switch things on and off as needed. (such as entering or leaving Sleep Mode) Or the interface could be defective.

But you should get warnings of low battery due to excessive drain.

Was any aftermarket equipment ever wired into this car (radio, DVD, NAV, GPS, etc)?

crayor · October 2009

Thanks again!!! I did not have any equipment wired into this car. No warnings of low battery or defective tail light occurred. Other warnings such as my sun roof and tire have appeared recently.
BMW states the water on or near the battery when they pulled it out after working on the IBS, they stated the water shorted the battery cable and this caused my IBS to go out. Wouldn't you check and pull out the battery at the time of inspection? Not after installing a new IBS?
Would you have a problem with the tail light leaking water into the battery if you had a rear end bumper cover replaced?
I appreciate your time and thoughts on this matter!

kyfdx · October 2009

The battery on a 3-series is in the trunk....

crayor · October 2009

I forgot to tell you there wasn't any water in the trunk!! Not on or near the battery. I had three different guys show up to try and charge the battery before we towed it to BMW. They didn't tell me there was water on the battery and I didn't see any.

Mr_Shiftright · October 2009

Water shorted out a 1/2" thick battery cable? In the trunk of a car? Was the water 3 feet deep? And only the IBS goes out in a 400 Ampere dead short and nothing else?

None of this makes any sense. I think they're either jivin' you or I haven't heard the whole story.

crayor · October 2009

I could not see ANY water in my trunk, not on nor near the battery. Not on the battery cover or under the battery cover.

Mr_Shiftright, I am a gal so I have no idea what a 400 Ampere dead short is!!!

Unfortunately, it would not be the first time they have taken advantage of my lack of knowlege.

Mr_Shiftright · October 2009

Well all that means is that a shorted battery would discharge a LOT of electricity all at once....like say shorting out a toaster. A shorted battery cable would smoke and spark. Remember, a car battery has a great deal of power in it, to turn over a 200 HP engine---make it spin, in fact!

So the idea that this battery discharges from a "short" and does no damage to fuses, or any other components, or any wires, but selects just one small device to fry---well it makes no sense, if you see what I mean.

I'm not saying the battery sensor wasn't bad, only that I really doubt that a few raindrops sprinkled on the top of a battery is going to do that.

BMW 3-Series Maintenance and Repair

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