BMW 3-Series 2006

planoml · October 2005

Thanks. Yes, that's what they seem to say. Based on this, it doesn't appear that there will be a substantial price increase.

squirtdad · October 2005

Once you get some miles on, please post your drivinng experiences, many are waiting for a hands on report on an xi......thanks

wstevec · October 2005

I would be happy to share, but based on my limited driving (4 days) the new X-Drive seems to offer all the traction of the Audi Quattro without the lag. By the way, I am a little nervous about not having a spare tire, so I am carrying a 5-Gal. air tank (secured with a flexible cargo-net) in my trunk just to be safe. I have no desire to run the RFT (Run Flat Tires) if they ever go flat. I wonder if there is anyone out there who has???

tturedraider · October 2005

There is a fairly interesting video about the run-flats on the BMW website. It might make you feel a little more secure about them. From looking at the video it seems they are capable of doing the job.

btw - if you're interested in having a separate set of winter wheels and tires you might checkout my post #4526. You get a spare set of all seasons, too.

davidd3 · October 2005

Today my car was struck on the front bumper by a couple of white objects, on the highway at a speed of 70mph. Couldn't be avoided. Not sure what it was. No dents, but some paint damage. The front bumper has a bunch of white stripes, a couple of which stripped the paint and require touch-up. The rest appear to be on the surface. I'll pick up some touch up paint from a dealer to touch up the spots where the paint is gone. I'm looking for suggestions on what I should use to try to safely remove the white marks on the surface? They don't come off with a wet towel. If it may matter, my color is sparkling graphite. Thanks.

dfosher · October 2005

My car will arrive in port on October 13, 2005 (New York, NY) and be delivered to a dealership in Vermont. Anyone have any idea when it might arrive at my dealer ship? Six hours away.

aloitoy · October 2005

This is the first shot I've seen of the coupe/M3 body. I'm 35 payments away from upgrading!

more at... http://www.leftlanenews.com/?p=87 ">

dave330i · October 2005

"I'm looking for suggestions on what I should use to try to safely remove the white marks on the surface? They don't come off with a wet towel. If it may matter, my color is sparkling graphite. Thanks."

Mix a little vinegar with water and towel the area with it. I had similar issue with my old 330i and it did the trick. I believe it removes any wax in the area, so you'll need to reapply the wax.

It's great for removing water spots as well.

wstevec · October 2005

My car arrived on a Friday and did not leave port until the following Tuesday and it arrived at the dealership on Wednesday. I guess that would make it 2/3 business days to leave the port and one day for transport.

erickpl · October 2005

is a MUCH better version of AWD versus the version on the E46 xi's. It is much more dynamic vs the 62/38 rear/front split that I have. I've heard it compared favorably to Audi's Quattro from other sources as well.

-Paul

selm · October 2005

I agree. That video did a very good job of selling the technology and makes me feel better about possibly having to spend a premium if something goes wrong.

smwls8 · October 2005

Has anyone changed the oil in an 06 3 series? I did the oil changes in my previous Z3, but haven't looked closely at the 06. My computer is saying 13000 until service when I start it, but I now have over 6000 miles on this car. I am not comfortable relying on the computer. I plan on changing it myself a maximum of 7500 miles. Has anyone bought an oil filter for the new 3.0 liter? I believe I read this new engine holds 8 quarts with filter (whew!) I guess thats how they get extended service schedules out of these cars. Thanks...

erickpl · October 2005

Probably will need to get the filter from your BMW dealer. As for process, follow the same process as on the E46 using a fluid extractor and you should be just fine.

The old E46's used 7+ quarts as well.

-Paul

shipo · October 2005

"As for process, follow the same process as on the E46 using a fluid extractor and you should be just fine."

Except for one thing. The E90 does not have a dipstick, and as such, I don't believe that an oil extractor will work (unless there is some kind of a passage way from the filter housing down to the oil pan that has yet to be found).

Best Regards,
Shipo

dave330i · October 2005

"My computer is saying 13000 until service when I start it, but I now have over 6000 miles on this car. I am not comfortable relying on the computer. I plan on changing it myself a maximum of 7500 miles."

You do realize the oil in your engine isn't dino juice, but complex synthetic? It has nothing to do with trusting the computer. It has everything to do with weather you trust the quality & quantity of engine oil in your car.

From what I've heard, the oil's good for 15,000+ miles. It's usually the filter that doesn't last.

erickpl · October 2005

can be changed w/o changing the oil on the E46 (and probably the E90 too), if you wanted to.

-Paul

planoml · October 2005

CHWEEEEEEET!!

dvand17 · October 2005

So I brought my E90 in for the software upgrades/recalls, and mentioned to the BMW service guy that my steering wheel made a small grinding noise when I turned the wheel full circle, and wanted him to check it out. Turns out I had a damaged, cracked steering wheel column! I just bought my car in July and have noticed the sound since I purchased it, but just assumed it to be a new car quirk. Has anyone else had this issue? Does anyone know what would cause this and if I should be more concerned? Thanks!

dl7265 · October 2005

came on today,as luck would have it I was about 2 miles from my Center and pulled into the service bay. It was a high beam out.

Advisor: Its not in stock I can have it tomorrow.
Me: ok how long will it take ?
Advisor: to install and wash and vacuum your car about an hour. Do you want a loaner?
Me: your wash and vacuuming my car and giving me a loaner for a bulb out?
Advisor: yes sir, we allways do on a service.
Me: i can wait an hour.
Advisor: ill reserve you one just in case.

kudos to Classic BMW for awesome service!!

Oil change: im probably going to buy one at 7500 and see how it goes. It will be the first E90 one, even a tech has done. Im at 6000 currently.

DL

corvette · October 2005

It was a high beam out.

If you were driving a VW, your alternator light would come on. At least that's what I've seen happen before. :confuse:

saigonboi21 · October 2005

i have never really turned it full circle but i did notice it shaking. It kind of "trembles" sometimes- mostly when im on the freeway. I wonder if this is normal because my 87 325i is like that also. You can see the steering wheel "trembling". Please advice. Thank You!

natalie02le · October 2005

I recently purchased a 2006 330i with 17inch wheels and Bridgestone run flat tires. I had expected to receive information about tire insurance with all of the other sales pitches at time of purchase - paint protection, bmw assist, etc. However, upon questioning the dealer (Florida west coast) the response was "we do not offer that, you must contact the tire manufacturer or other tire insurance provider". I have read several postings about this and would appreciate information on where and how to purchase run flat tire insurance.

blueguydotcom · October 2005

You're sad your dealer didn't try to scam you? Wow.

claven · October 2005

I have 500 miles on my Arctic Metallic w/ black leatherette 325i (w/SP). The hue changes are dramatic in different lights and angles. The color ranges from light blue to a light sea green to a light silver...definitely different (which is what I wanted). The Italian dealership here had never seen the color before and liked it so much they ordered a showroom car in that color. Can't wait to get back to the states next year to get the window tint (not allowed over here

)

lehrer1 · October 2005

Tire insurance and paint protection both are swindle. My opinion is based on detailed study.

bdr127 · October 2005

Tire insurance and paint protection both are swindle. My opinion is based on detailed study.

Just curious.... I'd like to see your detailed study.

corvette · October 2005

Here's my story about one of my friends who bought a Jetta TDI. The local VW dealership, Don Jacobs Volkswagen, sold him the tire insurance, with the promise that it would pay to repair his flat tire, and if the tire can't be repaired, it would be replaced. He got a nail in his tire, took it to the dealership, and they charged him $40 to patch the tire--the insurance only pays $20. So, it paid to repair his tire, just not the 100% you would assume.

The irony of this story is that, he could have just gone to Big O Tires and paid $12-15 to have the tire patched (using the same RMA-approved umbrella plug procedure), and gotten fully reimbursed.

cde1570 · October 2005

When I purchased our 2006 325i last month, the dealer offered road hazard tire insurance. (36 month/$489, 48 month/$589, 60 month/$689). I declined the coverage at that time.

blueguydotcom · October 2005

Or gone to costco and had it done for free.

wurb32 · October 2005

hi i live in new york. i am having a hard time deciding if i should buy a regular real wheel drive "i" model or an all-wheel drive "xi" model. the xi is more expensive. so my question is, does 325i or 330i perform well in winters?

can someone who has driven an "i" model in the winter give me some advice?

rhmass · October 2005

I think the reason to consider tire insurance may only relate to the '06 models which are equipped with Run Flat tires that BMW considers not repairable with nail punctures.
In the current issue of R&T I received yesterday which has an article discussing the testing of the RF tires, it also says that current manufacturers and BMW consider nail puntures not repairable for RF tires. It might be for liability reasons. If this is the case, each nail punture will cost at least $250 to 300. So it becomes a matter of buying the insurance (at a reasonable cost of no more than $400 for five years) or self-insure. IIn your friend's experience with his VW dealer, shouldn't the policy specify $20 to be the limit it will pay for tire patching, so he should have known it. Otherwise, he should have a case for full cost coverage. As always, read the fine print before signing.

blueguydotcom · October 2005

A nail puncture on any 18 inch regular tire won't be repaired by reputable shops either. The sidewall gets destroyed almost instantly.

Ask me how I know. I had one tire swallow a nail 1month into ownership. It's replacement ran me $400 because the Bridgestone Potenza RE40 was a VERY rare tire in June of 2003. The bridgestone corporate offce even said one would be available for a month or two.

And yet I still don't think the tire insurance is worthwhile...

erickpl · October 2005

if you go with winter tires and wheels. The all season or performance tires will not do nearly as well.

I'm waiting for Shipo, but he'll say something like:

From best to worst
xi with winter wheels/tires
i with winter wheels/tires
xi with all seasons
i with all seasons
i with performace

The new x-drive is a lot more versatile than the old xi's (like my E46 325xi) and more comparable to the quattro system from Audi (as far as shifting power around). Whether you go xi or not is up to you, but regardless of that, winter tires and separate wheels for them would probably be the best option for you.

-Paul

davidd3 · October 2005

Good question. I was in your exact situation several months ago and I ended up opting for RWD rather than AWD. This was my way of thinking.

AWD will cost you $2,000 more up front. But what many people don't realize is that AWD also costs more as you go. AWD adds a lot of weight to the car, which manifests itself in a sllight but not insignificant loss of both acceleration and gas mileage as copmpared to the RWD model. It is also said that the AWD version does not handle as well, though this point has been debated. AWD models have a higher maintenance cost during the life of a car, though this won't matter to you if you do not plan on keeping the car beyond the 50,000 miles free maintenance period.

Based on my experience with a RWD Infiniti G35 in the past 3 NY winters, I do not expect the RWD new 3-Series to be driveable in the snow (not even with the standard all-season tires), unless you have a dedicated set of winter wheels/tires. That will set you back $1,000 or more. Cheaper than AWD, and without the year-round drawbacks. So I'll try this way for my 3 year lease and see how it goes. If it is satsifactory, I'll do it again and again. Otherwise, I can opt for AWD from my next car.

I plan to order winter wheels/tires soon. I'm now researching it @ tirerack.com and also by reading posts @ this forum.

shipo · October 2005

Hey Paul,

Ya took da woids right outa me mouf. ;-)

Best Regards,
Shipo

shipo · October 2005

I got a 1999 328i (non-SP, all season 205 width tires) in January of 1999 and drove it through the remainder of that winter as well as the next three, all of which were in the NYC metro area. While I'm not going to wax enthusiastic over that cars' winter driving capabilities, it was adequate, that and nothing more.

In the spring of 2002 I traded up to a 530i SP (with summer performance tires), and a few months later I moved from Bergen County to southern New Hampshire. While I had no illusions that the 530i would have been able to deal with New York/New Jersey winters and as such was planning on a set of winter tires anyway, one single measly quarter inch snow showed me just how bad summer tires were in the white stuff. I couldn't even make it up my driveway. :P

Six weeks later my new wheels and tires from TireRack showed up (the wheels were on back order), and not one week later we got an 18" snowfall. The only bad news here was that our house lost power within the first few hours and I only had enough gas to keep my generator running for another ten hours. With a rutted 8" of snow on the ground I hopped into the 530i for its inaugural run through some deep white stuff. Long story short, in spite of all of the hills and curves of our local roads, I easily passed lines of cars struggling to climb hills and eventually caught up to a conga line of SUVs and had to slow down. The transformation in my car was so astounding that it was hard to believe that I was actually driving the same car.

So, what's the down side? Speed. Many (but certainly not all) winter tires have a top speed of only 100 miles per hour. In my case I didn't feel that I would need to drive much faster than that (hmmm, New Hampshire to my clients offices in the NYC metro area in less than two hours, the thought has merit), so I decided not to spend the extra money on the higher performance winter rubber.

Best Regards,
Shipo

corvette · October 2005

They represented to him that it would pay the full cost to repair the tire. No excuse for not reading the fine print, but just another example of slimy dealer behavior.

The point people are missing is that just because BMW NA says a run-flat can't be repaired and a BMW dealer won't do it doesn't mean it can't be repaired. You just need to find a tire dealer with equipment to mount and dismount runflats.

untrue · October 2005

Take this from a 2-bmw owner (wife has an a4 quattro). Snow tires will get you anywhere except for the steepest driveways/hills. The A4 with regular all season goes EVERYWHERE. Perhaps it won't stop as quickly as a 3 with dedicated snows but if you're carefull you'll be ok. If you have to drive over any steep hills get the xi. I know I will.

CZ

p.s. I had Michelin Arctic Alpins on my 740i sport and they did ok everywhere but it still took a few tries to get up my steep driveway if it had more then 2-3 inches of snow on it. This is in CT....

bdr127 · October 2005

The point people are missing is that just because BMW NA says a run-flat can't be repaired and a BMW dealer won't do it doesn't mean it can't be repaired. You just need to find a tire dealer with equipment to mount and dismount runflats.

I think we've beaten this topic to death.....

The consensus: Neither the tire manufacturer(s) nor BMW advocate repairing runflat tires. They don't do it to make you shell out money for new ones, but to avoid liability. In some cases, the tire can be repaired. In some cases, the tire needs to be replaced. You have to approach each "flat" tire on a case by case basis.

erickpl · October 2005

Well, it IS October so it is time for the annual tire and AWD/RWD debate and discussion.

Having been here for several years now, I was ready to see it again

-Paul

rhmass · October 2005

As I am debating if I should get snow shoes for my xiT this winter, your experience with your a4 quatro led me to decide to try at least for this winter to stay with the standard all season tires. In the past, my snow tire equipped 3 series always got me through winters without assolutely any problem. Just got kind tired for the change-over twice a year!
I may regret this January when a big snow storm hits us!

lehrer1 · October 2005

Does anybody know what are our Bavarian friends did to "decoffeenate" 06 330i engine for 06 325i. The torque and HP must be better.
Lehrer1

shipo · October 2005

The 330i has a highly tuned three runner intake manifold that optimizes the rhythmic turbulence of the intake manifold so as to optimize volumetric efficiency (greater amounts of air and fuel in the combustion chamber before the spark event) in the combustion chamber. The 325i was given a single runner intake that is only optimized for midrange power and torque, thus preventing it from attaining the peak torque numbers (lower end) of the 330i as well as preventing it from the high rpm horsepower peak of its 3-Series sibling.

Best Regards,
Shipo

P.S.

The following two links are to threads discussing this very topic.

shipo, "BMW 3-Series 2006+" #3773, 30 Jul 2005 9:21 am
davidd3, "BMW 3-Series 2006+" #3748, 28 Jul 2005 9:22 am

wurb32 · October 2005

Thank you all for the advice. I am now leaning toward getting a 330i with the winter tires. Does anyone have recommendation on the winter tires?

rhmass · October 2005

As shipo mentioned earlier, you don't really need high performance winter tires since their purpose is not to drive fast, but safely within speed. I'd think Michelan X-Ice will work fine. This is the tire to replace the arctic alpins that I had for all my previous 3 series and they were excellent for all around winter driving. You should be able to get a set of four on steel wheels from Tirerack for less than $700.

dave330i · October 2005

"Thank you all for the advice. I am now leaning toward getting a 330i with the winter tires. Does anyone have recommendation on the winter tires?"

Check out Tirerack.com. They'll have a comprehensive list of tire choices, and wheel size that'll work with your car.

shipo · October 2005

I'll echo what you said as well. I had Michelin Arctic-Alpin tires for my 530i, tires that I chose because they had 95% of the traction capabilities of the segment leader in 2002, but were much quieter on dry pavement (where the spend most of their time), and more capable on wet pavement. Were it that I was in the market for new winter tires today I'd be opting for the Michelin X-Ice model which replaced the Arctic-Alpins.

Best Regards,
Shipo

lehrer1 · October 2005

Shipo, thank you for your response.
What is strange, the torque/rpm curves run parallel for for the both engines.
Besides,if BMW found a way to improve the engine, what is the reason to decofeenate it.
It is also simpler for production to have only one engine.
Shipo, thank you for your response.
Best regards,
Lehrer1

bdr127 · October 2005

Besides,if BMW found a way to improve the engine, what is the reason to decofeenate it.

To create two distinct markets....

Some people aren't willing to pay more just for an engine (they just don't care about speed & acceleration), while others would readily justify the expense.

It also grabs more of the lower-priced (comparatively) luxury market and creates brand loyalty so that maybe one day they move up into something bigger. In this case, think of the 325i as the "gateway drug."

potemkin · October 2005

bdr127, exactly right!

I stepped up from '95 318ti to an '05 325i SP precisely because even though I do care about speed and acceleration, I didn't think the price difference was justifiable at this time. Besides, the leap from the 1.8L to the 2.5L is impressive enough.

Now I think I'll save up my pennies for an M3.

BMW 3-Series 2006

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