BMW 3-Series 2006

pat · January 2006

Hi toons, no, that's not the sort of communication I would have in email because the whole point of our Forums is to share information publicly amongst our community.

You should detail the exact issues you are having and what you have done to try to resolve them. I hope someone can offer you some suggestions.

toons · January 2006

Thanks for prompt reply,

Background:
I bought a new 325i 2006 about two weeks ago from southern ca dealership. I've been able to use the bluetooth features since then after paired with the car.

However, I have the same problem of not be able to connect the bluetooth everytime I start the car. The frustration part was, somehow, the time you needed the bluetooth the most, it didn't work.

I emailed the sales person, and informed him that software upgrades may be needed. Let's see what'll happen.

Toon

bartalk3 · January 2006

The Park Distance Control that beeps when your rear end is close to something--can you shut that off? I can't recall. If someone pulls up close to you at a stop light, the thing could start beeping incessantly.

jaxs1 · January 2006

Wouldn't the rear alarm only work if you were backing up?
I find it hard to believe they would be so stupid as to have it start beeping while you are stationary at a stop light.

kdshapiro · January 2006

Have you had any issues? Assuming the PDC was activiated in drive it could be an interesting way to tell if you are about to be rear-ended.

bartalk3 · January 2006

I haven't ordered the car yet. Thinking of ordering it with the parking distance control, but wanted to get the experience of someone who has it.

rhmass · January 2006

We have PDC on both of our cars. It only works when the transimission on "R". It can't be turned off. We find the option works well and don't find the beeping intrusive.

toons · January 2006

Any advice and/or more explanation on the non-sport mode, sport mode and manual for the steptronic?

Manual does not clarify this too much. Some discusions only mention more powerful with the sport mode.

bartalk3 · January 2006

rh mass: Thanks for the info on the PDC. Sounds like it might help save the back bumper. Does it beep loud enough to be heard over the engine, etc (my hearing ain't great)?

davidd3 · January 2006

Think of non-sport mode as a regular automatic transmission.

Think of manual mode as a manual transmission without a clutch. It allows you to shift gears, but with a computer override to make sure you do no damage. So it's not a true manual.

More powerful is an accurate description of sport mode. It's totally automatic. No gears to shift. But the shifting is set up differently than the non-sport mode. Revs much higher between shifts. And oh that sound! Give it a try.

Non-sport mode is more fuel efficient than sport mode.

Hope this helps to clear it up.

No sport mode for me today. It's snowing AGAIN in NY. Schools are closed. Snow tires would be a more appropriate discussion. I'm finding that I can indeed get around OK with RWD + snow tires, just like people said in this forum. Some slipping upon initial acceleration, but no going sideways and no getting stuck. Haven't need to press the DSC button yet.

bartalk3 · January 2006

What is BMW Assist and how does it work? They come to get you if you break down? If you get the premium package, is it standard or you have to pay extra for it? It's good for 4 years or 50,000 miles?

Thanks.

bdr127 · January 2006

Think of BMW Assist as BMW's version of OnStar. If your airbags deploy, they'll contact you over the stereo speakers and send emergency services, if necessary. If someone is having a medical emergency in the car, you can press the button to get a BMW Assist operator. If your car is stolen, you can call up their 800 number and they can track its location via GPS.

BMW Assist comes as part of the Premium Package on the 3-series or as a stand-alone option. On a new car, you get the service free for one year. After that, it works out to something like $20/mo if you want to continue the service.

BMW Assist should not be confused with Roadside Assistance. That is the service that will pick you up if you are broken down, tow your car, bring you gas, change your flat tire, etc. Roadside Assistance is good for the entire term of the warranty (4yr/50k, or out to 6yr/100k, if you purchase the warranty upgrade).

bartalk3 · January 2006

bdr: Thanks for clearing up BMW Assist and Roadside Assistance.

gordonwd · January 2006

A year of BMW Assist came with my car, and I used it exactly once: on the first day when I got my car home, I pressed the button in my driveway and registered the service with the Assist operator. I never used it again, and really they did not make much attempt to get me to sign up (I did not give them any credit card info during the original signup just in case they tried to "automatically" renew me).

The basic service is really only good for emergencies. It does not include directions or "concierge" services over the wireless connection. They do give you an 800 number to call for the concierge services, but I had no need for any services at all during that year. Looking back on my entire 40+ year driving career, I can only think of one or two times when I would have needed the emergency services. Hardly seems worth it, but that's my opinion.

rhmass · January 2006

bartalk3
Yes the beeping is loud enough, I think, for those in the car. However one won't hear it outside of the car.
The frequency of beeping increases as the distance between the rear bumper and the object decreases. When it is only 12 inches of space left, the beeping becomes a steady one. So you can actually gauge the distance by the beeping sound. The option works fine really, better than the fancier one in many Japanese cars with the rear-view camera. When you back up, you want to check out your surrounding visually, not to only look at the screen for the rear space, in my opinion.

shipo · January 2006

"The frequency of beeping increases as the distance between the rear bumper and the object decreases. When it is only 12 inches of space left, the beeping becomes a steady one."

Hmmm, I really learned to parallel park while I lived in Chicago during the 1980s and early 1990s, and then used that skill again when I lived in Manhattan during the mid 1990s. What the Chicago experience taught me was that one needed to ease your cars' bumper into the bumper of the car behind you, give it a little gas, crank the wheel, ease your front bumper into the rear of the car in front of your, give it a little gas, and then repeat the process. Using that techinque the folks in Chicago have discovered that they could fit their car into spots that were only a few inches longer than the car itself. ;-)

I'm thinking that if the PDC tone goes solid when still a foot from the other car is would be pretty useless. I don't suppose the threshold for the solid tone can be set via the iDrive system. I'm thinking something more appropriate like two to three inches would be optimal.

Having said all of that, I never once parked either of my BMWs in that manner, preferring not to touch bumpers at all. Even still, I'm thinking that a two to three inch threshold would be a boon to those of us who still need to parallel park in tight spaces.

Best Regards,
Shipo

bartalk3 · January 2006

Having lived in Manhattan, yes, I would agree that in parking one often leaves only about one milimeter distance from the car in front and in back. In less insane places, however, 12 inches seems reasonable.

ivan_99 · January 2006

Of course, you can still back up a little after you have the solid tone...say half a foot or so.

div2 · January 2006

I find it helpful to use the PDC when I chase my cats down the driveway; it definitely enhances my target acquisition.

toons · January 2006

1. In a layman's term then, sports mode is used when you want to pass the car or driving up the hills?

2. What is the purpose of the manual mode then besides just to give you a change of how you drive the car? I drove a stick before switching to steptronic, still, does not give the same feel.

3. Switching between these three mode very often would not effect the performance of the car or cause problem later on?

erickpl · January 2006

1. Sport mode raises the rpm shift point, but still shifts it for you. Result is faster acceleration and lower mileage.

This can be good for passing quickly (like on a 2 lane, etc). Your top gear (6) is not used.

2. Manual mode overrides even sport mode and YOU decide when to shift the car. It will go to, or nearly to redline, and then shift for you, if you don't, in order to protect the engine. It will not feel the same as a stick, but it can still be fun on a twisty.

3. Shouldn't cause a problem. When I've driven a step-equipped BMW, I'll put it in sport mode or manual mode at a stoplight and let er rip when it is green. Once I get to my cruising speed (speed limit?

) I'll flip it back to auto mode (or back to auto/sport mode).

-Paul

rhmass · January 2006

Unfortunately, I don't think your cat will trigger the beeping unless it is a big one as tall as the bumper height! So you may be out of luck.

Seriously, some of these options are not for "ultimate drivers" like you. However it does save me from getting rear bumper scars and the tilt down passenger's side mirror has made my wife the perfect parallel parker now!
There is something to be said for some BMW "frivolous" features.

ivan_99 · January 2006

Yes...some of these features are useful.

On my family vehicle, cant call it a mini-van for some reason, I had a small child standing behind my van at Wal-Martdidnt see himjust heard the solid tone when I put it in reverse.

div2 · January 2006

Well, I wouldn't mind having PDC on the X3, but it's not needed on something as small as my ti. Of course, BMW makes a PDC retrofit kit for the Compact- but not for the X3...

davidd3 · January 2006

1. I don't use sports mode for passing or driving up hills. The non-sports mode has plenty of power for that. I tend to use sports mode JUST FOR THE FUN OF IT. For instance, pulling away from a red light or a stop sign as fast as I can, or coming up to speed on an entrance ramp to a highway. Places where you can go from 0 to 50+. It also adds to the enjoyment of the twisties. The engine sounds great in sports mode. After each occassional burst in sports mode, I put it back in non-sports mode for better gas mileage.

2. There's no real purpose to the manual mode. It's just there for those who, although they opted for an automatic transmission, still enjoy shifting gears themselves now and then. While it's not a true manual, a steptronic transmission could be a compromise for a husband and wife who share a car, where the husband wanted a manual transmission and the wife insisted on an automatic transmission.

3. I assume and hope that switching between modes will not cause any problems. I bounce back and forth between sports mode and non-sports mode quite frequently when driving by myself.

erickpl · January 2006

hehe my wife hates when I go into manual mode whenever we're in those cars.

-Paul

cdnpinhead · January 2006

I drive a manual myself, but the other car in the family is an automatic. Where manu-matic (or whatever) is extremely useful is in the mountains. When one is either climbing or descending a 6% pass in Colorado for 5+ miles, with lots of curves, it's aggravating (going uphill) & borderline dangerous (going down) to have the car shift as a function of throttle position and/or engine speed.

Those who drive in the flatlands all the time would certainly find the ability to hold a vehicle in a specific gear much less useful.

kyfdx · January 2006

It comes in handy, if your local speed limit is 25mph, and you have hills... I pop my wife's car down a gear, and then I can coast down the hill, without using the brakes, or breaking the speed limit...

Otherwise, the thrill of it wears off pretty fast..

davidd3 · January 2006

The new issue of Motor Trend has a comparison test between the 330i, the Lexus IS350 and the MB C350. The conclusion in a nutshell: although the 330i is the least powerful, it is nevertheless the best car overall.

gordonwd · January 2006

It's just there for those who, although they opted for an automatic transmission, still enjoy shifting gears themselves now and then.

Just my opinion, but I don't think that "shifting" these manually-shifted automatics is anything like a manual transmission. Mainly, when I shift my manual from one gear to another, it shifts NOW when I move the lever. With an automatic, and the Steptronic is one of those, there is always that lag while the trans decides what it wants to do, followed by a typically mushy shift.

I know that I've tried this out on various loaners that I've had from my dealer, and I'm just not impressed. Now the SMG (or Audi's DSG) is a horse of a different color and, while I've not driven one, it should have the instant-shift feel of a real manual trans.

dvand17 · January 2006

Does anyone else's car front heating ducts make a slight whistling or howling noise when used? When I turn the cold/hot dial on the dash all the way towards the red square, the ducts make an awful noise, but when I turn it more towards the blue square, the noise goes away, but my A/C unit shoots out colder air. Any luck with this?

davidd3 · January 2006

Maybe we can conclude as follows:

For those who are accustomed to driving manual transmissions, the manual mode of the Steptronic transmission is a disappointment.

But for those life-long drivers of automatic transmissions, the manual mode of the Steptronic transmission is a novelty, another toy to play with.

bmq · January 2006

I bought my new 330i SG/Black Leather over the past weekend and they offered me a paintguard/leatherguard service called PermaPlate. I have a few days to decide if I want it or not.

It will cost me $500, at they claim that it will keep me from ever having to wax or buff the exterior again, and will maintain the factory shine . Also provides leather protection so that the leather does not dry or stain or crack. A five year guarantee is included.
Web site: www.permaplate.com

Keeping in mind that I am not the kind to spend a lot of time with Zaino, etc. on my own, what is your opinion of this?

Anybody else have any experience with this? Is it worth it?

div2 · January 2006

It's a rip-off. The trade calls these types of packages "Mop and Glow". The only thing PermaPlate will enhance and protect is your dealer's profit margin. The black leather in the 1997 E39 daily driver I sold last November was stain and crack free- and I never treated it with anything other than a damp cloth. I never waxed the sled either, but the paint still had an excellent shine. FWIW, the buyer paid $4500 more than CarMax offered.
In your case I'd recommend waxing it with BMW's proprietary wax once or twice per year. I'd use BMW's leather treatment on the seats at the same time. If you still want to throw $500 out the window, please mail it to me instead...

corvette · January 2006

If you don't want to spend a lot of time on it, have it professionally detailed (including wax) a couple of times per year, and be sure to remove bird droppings, sap, and tar quickly.

dhanno · January 2006

carnaught,
Were you able to get the programming updates (CIP 20, I assume) applied to the car? If yes, did it fix the bluetooth problem of the phone not connecting with the car intermittently?

Anyone else recently have the updates applied to their cars? Can you please share your experiences?

screwbluetooth · January 2006

I picked my 2006 325i up last Friday and bringing it in tomorrow. The BMW Service Center has no knowledge of the CIP 20. It has been a very frustrating experience trying to get it to work. I did alot of research prior to buying the car and was "assured" it would work. Well, the bottom line is that it works when it wants. 35% of the time. I now just leave my car running. The T-Mobile reps have been great. I leave my car running so that I don't unpair, and went to get the guys Gift Cards because of all the help they have done. I almost hope, and joked with them, that a thief takes my car. Cause then, I'm done with Bluetooth and BMW. I thought of writing the agreement "I walk out and it works", well, it should have been works 99% of the time.

bdr127 · January 2006

You seem to have a lot of hostility toward BMW over this issue.... Have you tried doing the same type of things with any other car with Bluetooth? (Acura?)

davidd3 · January 2006

Wow!

Let us not lose sight of the fact that the new 3 is a car and not a telephone booth on wheels.

That said, it is reasonable for buyers to expect that ALL of its standard and optional features will work well.

Apparently Bluetooth is very important to you and I can understand your frustration.

May we understand that your bluetooth phone is on BMW's approved list of bluetooth phones offered by your cell service provider? When I looked into this over the summer there was only 1 Verizon bluetooth phone on BMW's approved list, although Verizon offered several bluetooth phones at the time. I understood at the time that the approved phone was tested by BMW and found to pair up well, while the other phones may or may not pair up well. I am still procrastinating.

dhanno · January 2006

I empathize with screwbluetooth and have the same frustrations with bluetooth in the car as well as BMW service levels.

Several other car companies (including Acura) provide bluetooth feature in their cars that work flawlessly. In spite of BMW's stringent Quality Control levels and "precise German Engineering", there has been an inconsistency in providing the bluetooth functionality in the 2006 model 3-series cars. This problem seems to occur in cars manufactured during certain months (September is particularly bad), and not others.

The service provided by BMW and Service Centers to fix this problem is less than satisfactory. In spite of a lot of people reporting these issues, BMW has been really slow in coming up with a fix to the problem and even slower in communicating it to the BMW service centers.

Agreed it's a car and not a telephone booth on wheels, but having handsfree phone capabilities in the car is a very important feature to me and a lot of other people. It has been a consideration in the buying process as well as retaining/switching cell phone carriers. Besides, if a feature in the car doesn't work, I consider it to be false advertising.

Before shooting the messenger, ask yourself is it unreasonable to expect a timely fix to this problem from what's considered one of the best car companies in the world?

wally27 · January 2006

I ask the question because the BMW dealer says no, but the BMW hotline says yes. Hotline also says BMW Assist comes standard on all 3-series, but the order guide calls it out as a $750 option. I don't want BMW Assist but do want Nav and Bluetooth. Does anyone know the true answer?? :confuse:

davidd3 · January 2006

I did not mean to make light of this problem or shoot the messenger. When I said that it's a car and not a phone booth on wheels, I was just trying to be funny. As amazed as I am that bottled water became a huge industry, it amazes me even more that handsfree phone capabilities has become such an important feature in cars.

Agreed that this feature (or any other feature for that matter) should have worked well from the start, and failing that, should have been fixed in a timely manner. The reports in this forum about the Bluetooth problem and the lack of a quick fix are certainly concerning to me as an owner even though I am not yet using that feature.

bdr127 · January 2006

I ask the question because the BMW dealer says no, but the BMW hotline says yes. Hotline also says BMW Assist comes standard on all 3-series, but the order guide calls it out as a $750 option. I don't want BMW Assist but do want Nav and Bluetooth. Does anyone know the true answer??

Here are the facts:

In order to get Bluetooth capabilities in the 2006 BMW 3-Series, you need to have BMW Assist, whether it is from the Premium Package (which the majority of 3's have, especially one with nav, as you said you want) for $2900 on 325i and $2200 on 330i.... or as a standalone option for $750.

The reason you need BMW Assist in order to have Bluetooth, is because BMW incorporated Bluetooth into its existing TCU (telematics control unit) that was used for BMW Assist. Bluetooth and BMW Assist share the TCU.

kyfdx · January 2006

I don't think BMW Assist is standard.. It is a stand-alone option, and it is also included in the Premium Package.. So, if you get the Premium Package, you are going to get BMW Assist, whether you want it or not..

With I-drive and Navi, you get voice recognition, but I can't find anything that says it comes with Bluetooth..

I guess it is possible that you have to get the premium package to order NAV, but I don't know that to be the case.. In any case, I don't see Bluetooth as a separate option.. it seems to be bundled with the BMW Assist, and not with any other option.

regards,
kyfdx
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surfdaddy · January 2006

Hi,
Just wanted you and others know that I am having the same problems with my car. I picked up my 2006 325xi about 2 weeks ago and was assured the Bluetooth system would work with the phones listed on the BMW approved phone list. Well my wife and I purchased 2 phones and 2year contracts with Cingular. The Cingular rep came over to my home and we got both phones to sync up with the car. About an hour later I got my wife into the car to set up the voice commands and it would not pair up with either of them. Yesterday the car was able to pair up but it was just temporary. I have contacted my salesman and he says that the service department should be able to fix it, but looking at all the others having the same problems I kind of dought it. Has anyone found a solution yet?

screwbluetooth · January 2006

All right. I got back from the dealer with the Software install (not sure if it's CIP 20 or something else). But the problem DEFINITELY surrounds a specific production date (3 month period). I burn 4000+ minutes a month and 35K miles a year. On a given day, I'll make 15 car calls and use 90 minutes. So, this is number #1 to me. Maybe I should have said that to start, as it's not like I'm going down to get a Gallon of Milk and want my phone to work and it's a minor inconvenience.

I guess my frustration started when I did the research well before buying the car and found that the TMobile phones were no longer produced that were compatible. I spent hours and hours with TMobile and BMW in New Jersey. The TMobile guys I bought Gift Certicates.

BOTTOM LINE - I'm scared to say or comment, but it's been 8 hours and 4-5 pairs and it works totally fine. I think at a certain point, you either have to laugh or give up. I got to the point where I just left the #*$*#* car running once I was paired up, so that I know that I would have usefulness of the Bluetooth phone when I got back to the car. I was to the point, where I could give a hoot if the car was gone.

I don't mean to be negative or wait for the fix, but I guess what bothers me is I bought the right option, went to BMW, choose them over a Chrysler 300 (old car was a 2004 BMW 325i) and expected it to work from day #1.

Scared to go pick up the kids tonight..........will I pair up??????????

barry626 · January 2006

Wonder what has gone so wrong with so many cars?
Telephone service one uses or wrong bluetooth phones?
Or has something gone wrong with the 3 series being made?

I ordered my car in May & picked it up on 6/29. Perfect since day one!
Recently got the 19.2 update & was afraid I would have problems?
I did have to pair the phone to the car again but all is still fine!
Sure hope BMW gets it act together & corrects this mess.

carnaught · January 2006

dhanno,
no I have not gotten the CIP 20 programming update. I have only experienced the Bluetooth connection malfunction once. Otherwise, I must say it has worked flawlessly and I hate to mess with it fearing I may make it worse.

I have Bluetooth on all my three cars and the best connectivity function is on my Infiniti M but it has the worst the voice quality of the three. The Acura TL has had its times of difficulty with connecting (with two different phones and two different providers, both Acura approved). The best overall Bluetooth performance of the three cars is the BMW.

screwbluetooth,
forgive me if it's been mentioned. Is your phone BMW recommended and have you played with the phone's programming functions?

snsn · January 2006

Received my programming updates on Tuesday. Prior to taking my car in, I figured out why I had to always pair my Razr with the Bluetooth in my car everytime I tried to use it. The Bluetooth set-up on my phone was in the "off" position. I was only temporarily turning it "on" everytime I tried to use the Bluetooth in my car. I have since changed the Bluetooth set-up to always be "on" and have not had any issues with my phone (other than having to constantly charge it). I do not even have to take the phone out of my purse when I get in the car. The phone automatically pairs itself within seconds of me starting the car. I was told that the "temporary Bluetooth on" feature was so there would be less of a drain on the battery.

I did have another small issue with the car that my service advisor was a little perplexed about. When I took my car in for the programming updates, I had 13,000+ miles on my car. My car indicated that my next oil change was due in 6,000 miles. My service advisor stated that the person scheduled before me had the same issue. He also had the same car ('06 325i).

corvette · January 2006

...I had 13,000+ miles on my car. My car indicated that my next oil change was due in 6,000 miles.

Same here... Mine is also figuring 19,000 miles between oil changes (currently have 9,500).

BMW 3-Series 2006

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