A friend of mine will be looking to purchase a new 5-Series in the very near future. Since he is a little more performance minded, and upgrading from a 325ci manual, I was pushing him towards the 545i.
The question I have is, with the new 3.0 liter in the '06 3 Series and the new V8 in the '06 7 Series, when will these engine choices be available for the 5 Series?
I was hoping that the new 3.0 liter would be available for the 5 Series soon, so as to see if the 530i is more spirited and might be a lower cost option to the 545i.
I was hoping that the new 3.0 liter would be available for the 5 Series soon, so as to see if the 530i is more spirited and might be a lower cost option to the 545i.
The new motor is already available as mentioned in the Edmund's review of the 530xi. I imagine it will be a reasonable alternative to the 545i in an era of >$2/gal premium gas.
My understanding is that ALL 5-Series I6 engined cars now being built are Model Year 2006 cars (maybe the 545i as well?), and as such, unless you are considering a car that is one of the last 2005s still in the pipeline, it will have the new magnesium block 3.0 liter mill with the greater output.
Hmmm, I have a 2002 530i and I can drive from my home in southern New Hampshire to a client of mine in central Long Island and back on a single tank of gas. I have routinely gotten over 500 miles between fill-ups (and New England is not a place for nice steady state Cruise Control driving), talk about bladder busting! While I don't think the EPA ratings are out yet on the new engines, I've heard numbers bandied about that suggest a 12% improvement in fuel economy. Yikes! That means more in the neighborhood of 600 miles on a tank for a road trip. I'm guessing that even those of us who don't need to stop very often could be heard to say, "Mommy, I gotta pee, bad." ;-)
I've also heard/read that the new composite (magnesium-aluminum) engine in the new 2006 530i is more fuel-efficient, yet the 2005 and 2006 EPA ratings are identical at 19/29mpg!
Perhaps this is explained by the higher final drive ratio of 3.64 (MY2006) versus 3.46 (MY2005). This translates to a 5.2% higher engine rpm in the 2006 at any given speed. Higher rpm generally equals to higher fuel consumption when all other conditions are the same.
Like to get your thoughts on the new 5's 3.0 liters.
My current lazy commute of 25 minutes thru a few New England towns will be changing in a few months to a 45 minute run which mixes the same initial route plus an additional 20 minutes on a highway. I do this in an '02 A4 1.8Q - great car considering the hills and snow this year and solid gas mileage. It has served me well from a practicality/size standpoint because its usually only me in the car. IF we needed more, we'd take the wifes XC.
But 3 issues are causing me to re-think my auto situation: A4 lease ending, hopeful family expansion and issue of car seats and 3, the above lengthening of my commute.
I am 6'4 and this is the one downside to the A4 on long drives. While it does have plenty aft drivers seat distance, after awhile, I start feeling claustraphobic especially around my head and shoulders on the window side.
So I like the idea of 5's roomier space and comfortable driving experience on my new commute.
Now that you know everything about me, finally the issue. (KYFDX and Shipo have already suffered through earlier posts of mine)
The 2 potential cars are the '06 525 and 530 with the increased HP & torque. I've never been one tear it up nor want to lap a track but I do like solid acceleration now and then in traffic.
I am leaning toward the 525 for economics but want to hear your thoughts on its capabilities vs. the new 530. Will the 525 be enough??
Please also throw in consideration for both the manual and automatics on both cars and their potential help/hinderance/tendencies.
(ps. I have driven the '05 530 with auto at 225 hp and found it fine)
"I have routinely gotten over 500 miles between fill-ups"
How do you DO that? I haven't squeezed out more than 24.3 mpg, and that was virtually all nonstop hwy miles (405 miles to the warning light). The rest of the time, it's been right around 23, and that's an effort because I don't like to drive sedately. When I open it up a little, it drops to 21. Most of my driving is non-rush hour, on a mix of two-lane roads and suburban sprawl, with speeds all over the map, including hwy (55+).
Mine is a 2002 530i 5-Speed, and without even trying I get 29 mpg on the highway, and have gotten over 32 on a couple of occasions. FWIW, I NEVER drive below 75 with a relatively open road in front of me, and on my trips there are usually sections where the traffic is tooling along at nearly 90, and other sections that are stopped for miles and miles, none of which is conducive to great fuel mileage.
Has anyone done an inexpensive mod to a '91 520i for performance? I live in Germany and bought a '91 520i (not available in the states). Since the 520i model is German-only, I can't get any English manuals on the car. The obvious choice would be to change out the chip (if it has one). I love the car, but the small in-line 6 cyl is not very peppy when merging on the autobahn. Once it's up to speed, it's fine. Anyone got any tips? Thanks, -Red
My car is the (evil?) twin of yours: 02 530i 5 spd (sp). I bought it at the end of December, and I have put approximately 3000 miles on it. It now has 48,300+ miles. I routinely do 80 on the Beltway, but I don't do a lot of Beltway driving. I can get up to 60-65 on the back roads, but not for long. 50 is more like it, except for when I get stuck behind slowpokes who insist on driving the speed limit (or below).
This is the biggest (the only) disappointment I have with the car (cupholders notwithstanding). I was hoping for mileage more akin to yours.
The only time since I've had my car that it got fuel mileage like yours on a trip was when it was still in Europe and I was tooling down the Autobahn at something north of 120 mph. If I recall correctly, at 125 mph, my car was delivering about 24 mpg (I reset the trip computer for a nice long straight stretch of about 10 miles, so this is not necessarily very accurate).
Thinking as I type... The topic of how an engine was broken has been touched upon here at TownHall before, and it might be time to revisit it.
I grew up in the Detroit area, and while growing up, I had a number of friends whose parents were employed by the Auto Industry. I distinctly remember hearing the father of one of my friends (who was an engineer for Chrysler, I think) having an argument with my step-father about the proper method of breaking in an engine. This man claimed that the best way was to take your brand new car (right from the showroom) and put it into second gear if you had an automatic or a 3-Speed manual, or third gear if you had a 4-Speed manual, and drive for a couple of hours up and down the freeway at about 70 mph. He claimed that the car would have more power and deliver better fuel economy if the engine was broken in using his method.
Fast forward some thirty years, and I have yet to hear a single engineer suggest the same thing. Having said that, I broke my car in on the Autobahn with the average speed for the first 1,250 miles being well in excess of 90 mph, and the speed for the next 1,000 or so miles being as high as traffic (or the cars' speed limiter) would allow.
Once back in the U.S., and prior to it being delivered to me at my local dealership, the folks there "Upgraded" my OBC with the latest software from Germany without my knowledge. That turned out to be a disaster as throttle response and drivability were so negatively impacted that I could barely drive the car. When I moved up to New Hampshire later that year, I took my car in to the local BMW dealership (Tulley in Nashua), and took a technician out for a drive to show him the problem. During the drive he commented, "I thought this was a 530i?"
"Yes, it's a 530. Why do you ask?"
"Wow, this thing feels like a 540, it's really quick."
"Could it be that you are just used to 530's with automatic transmissions?"
"Nope, I drive dozens of 5-Series cars each week and lots of them have manual transmissions. This is easily the fastest 530 I've ever ridden in."
In the end, he re-upgraded my OBC with new software that was released in early October of 2002 (and is still in the car), and my problems were solved. We did take a second drive to see how well the new software worked, and he again stated that he was very surprised at how fast my car accelerated up to freeway speeds.
Could the quickness and the fuel economy that my car delivers have anything to do with the fact that it was broken in at (relatively) high speeds while it was still in Europe? I don't really know, however, my car does seem to be able to "Step and Fetch" pretty well.
No, they actually switched your engine for a 330d . fwif my former 323i never achieved the mileage your 530i does.. On the oil topic, you don't mind combining brands? When I was attending Vo-tech it was considered a no no.
Enough about the iDrive being an issue. If you know your way around a mouse and a joystick (and I assume you do given your presence here) then the 5-Series iDrive is not a problem. Any driver knows that once behind the wheel attention should be focused on the road, with or without iDrive unless of course you are auditioning for the show "Jackass".
I picked up a well-equipped '05 530i and within a week I was able to navigate iDrive comfortably particularly when I learned that many of the commands can be voice activated anyway. In fact, iDrive allows BMW not only to provide considerably more features but more customizable features than any other car in its class. Just think of what the already cluttered dashboard on a MB E320/E500 would look like if it possessed half the iDrive features.
The old adage of "seeing is believing" is definitely true here. Car and computer enthusiasts had to know that those technologies were sure to merge someday to provide a much better, safer driving experience. Though not perfect, that day is now. Those of you who would rather listen to the iDrive detractors at Motor Trend, Road and Track, Car & Driver or even Edmunds need to move ever so slightly out of the dark ages. This aint your daddy's Chevy or yo' mamma's Acura TL/RL.
The next time I am "actively" cruising the highway following directions in my HUD, dialing or receiving a handsfree telephone call, selecting a CD or calling up a preset radio station by voice activiation, I'll be thinking of the naysayers. I'll chuckle even more when I, unlike them, get to experience the car's agility, cornering, braking and comfortable ride all of which makes driving fun again! Keep your dials, knobs, switches, toggles, etc. Give me simple, elegant, functional controls. Give me iDrive. Give me BMW!
"fwif my former 323i never achieved the mileage your 530i does."
Hmmm, that may not be too surprising given the high RPM gearing (compared to the 328i or my 530i, which has the same gearing as my 328i had) that the Manual Transmission 323i was equipped with. Then there is the later engine control systems of the 3.0 liter mill which not only pollute less (ULEV certification), but also deliver better fuel economy than the 2.8 liter mill that it replaced. Having said that, I'd love to have a 530d, talk about both mileage and torque!
Regarding combining oils, it is my understanding that the BMW/Castrol oil and Mobil-1 0W-40 meet the same specs and as such should be able to be mixed. Having said that, I don't think that what I do is REALLY mixing oil, as my procedure is to pretty much remove all of the oil in the engine and filter assembly with my suction extraction device, replace the filter and then add 8 quarts of new Mobil-1 oil. I don't believe that the remaining trace amounts of the BMW oil are significant.
I see your referring to a topsider your probably correct. I actually had not hear of every other change with different brands, more like if used said vehicle was ran on Dino for instance for 30k miles and new owner switched to valvoline , ive heard complaints of build up smoking ,ect..have never personally experienced this however.
My mechanic days (replaced 1/2 a senior class day) in the 8o's was in fact transmission and cv joints .unfortunatlly those old K cars wore me out, we had no end to customers that appreciated our (free) labor as students. Thats where I quickly learned the failacy known as FWD... Regards, DL
I am currently vacillating between getting a 2006 530xi and a 2006 330xi (next fall). Since I am a gadget nut, I am curious how the new 3 stacks up agains the 5, gadget-wise.
From what I have been able to learn, both have (standard or optional) Nav, Satellite Radio, park-distance control, Bluetooth, and mp3 capabilities.
In terms of the Logic 7 premium stereo, I am guessing that since the have the same name, they are identical.
Does anyone know if they iDrive and Nav systems in the 3 and 5 are identical?
As far as I can tell, the only gadget that the 5 has that is not available in the new 3 is the Heads Up Display (and both will get the push-button keyless start in the fall).
Since the 330 and 530 have the same engine and the same 'gadgets' available (iDrive, Nav, sound system, bluetooth), etc, are the 'only' differences between the two of them: [1]size, [2] design, [3] cost, and [4] 'prestige' ? Personally, I don't care about [1] or [4].
Then yours should be the "evil twin", not mine. Mine is Titanium Silver, black leather, 5 spd, pp, sp, xenon. Unfortunately, it has standard audio and those 48k miles. Somehow, I don't think BMW will go for it. Bummer.
And I have to say that I don't understand why you plan to let go of a car that you love so much and which serves you so well. Is this a y-chromosome thing? Because I don't have one of those.
BTW, on the two days a year that it actually gets hot in NH, what is the interior of your car like? I'm kind of dreading summer (which ordinarily I love) because I'm afraid I'm going to roast in there. I'm thinking if it's as bad as all that, I can tint the windows, but I'd rather not have to bother.
Why turn the car in? My business partner and I are launching one or even possibly two different new business this year, and as such, we are keeping finances as low as possible, just in case. Couple that with the fact that I want to finish my flying lessons and buy a plane (there is actually a significant need for this assuming either of the two business launches are successful), and there is no room in the checking account for the 530i. :-( Given any other scenario, I'd probably keep the 5er at least a year longer and then grapple with the decision of whether to keep it even longer or get an E90 330i. As it is, the new business(es) have sort of made that decision for me. :-/
Regarding how hot my car gets on the two really hot days per year up here (it's actually probably more like three days), I have the luxury of working from home (when I'm not on the road), so I haven't had to really deal with the ultra hot interior too much. In fact, I'm not sure if I can remember ever getting into the car when it was unbearable. Does that mean that it won't ever get too hot inside? I'm not really sure. One thing I habitually do if I'm going to be parking it in the sun is to open the rear vent of the sun-roof a little, thus allowing convection to remove the hottest of the hot air. That has always seemed to help keep my cars a little cooler regardless of what color they were.
I hope your new ventures work out well enough to ease the pain of parting with your 5. I can't tell you how many times I have heard someone say "I never should have gotten rid of it; it was the best car I ever had." And yours sounds like the best of the best.
When I had hatchbacks, I would open the liftgate before opening the door. Whoosh--out went the heat in short order. In my Lexus, I always cracked the sunroof, but I don't have a clue as to whether it actually did anything--it got so hot anyway it was hard to tell. I'll try the key thing--where you can open the windows and sunroof remotely to vent before you get to the car...and I think I read something in the manual about a fan that you can set on a timer. If I got that right, I'll try it too.
I'm already saying, "I should figure out a way to keep it." As you said, as of next Wednesday, I'll be saying, "I never should have gotten rid of it; it was the best car I ever had." Why? Because it has been the best car I've ever had.
I picked up my 2005 545 in early November and, like you, had iDrive sorted out in a week. First thing I learned was that most of the iDrive settings are one-time affairs. Those that are easily controlled via the array of steering wheel buttons plus the useful voice command.
No one should let iDrive and the frantic complaints about it from people who have not driven it for more than a test drive or two influence their decision to buy a 5-Series.
Thinking about the mileage that your car is getting, a couple of (remote?) possibilities occur to me:
1) Could the previous owner of your car have "Chipped" it? If so, your engine may have more aggressive throttle software, at the expense of mileage.
2) Could the previous owner of your car have babied it too much and driven it like the proverbial "Little old lady to church on Sunday?" If so, maybe you just need to wind up those six squirrels to the point that they are so dizzy that they sneeze out any combustion chamber deposits left behind by the sedate driving.
3) Could the previous owner of your car have used cheap fuel? If not, could they have used what they thought was decent fuel that was lacking in sufficient detergents to keep the fuel system clean and in top condition? BMW has joined forces with a few other vehicle manufacturers to push for a higher standard fuel when it comes to cleaning agents (see: http://www.toptiergas.com ), maybe your car just needs a few months on Shell V-Power gasoline to bring it around.
4) Have you taken your car in to see if it has the latest firmware in the OBC? Maybe you have a flawed version like I had for a while.
Have you ever calculated your mileage yourself to see whether your OBC is accurate? I talked to my mechanic (indy) and he thinks I ought to be happy with my mileage. He's not convinced anyone gets the numbers you and shipo get. I've heard this from several acquaintances of mine as well. (I don't mean to insult anyone's intelligence here; just passing along what I've heard.) And FWIW, a friend of mine just bought an 02 325i and he gets pretty much what I'm getting, but he has a bit more lead in his foot than I do.
1) Yes, I've checked the OBC against physical gas and both the Odometer as well as what MapQuest says I should have driven. I'm always within a tenth or two (high and low), which leads me to conclude that the variance is due to when some fuel pumps "Click" off versus others.
2) The 325i (I'm assuming it's a manual) has "Shorter" gearing than either the 330i or the 530i. As such, even the EPA rates it lower than our cars on the highway segment.
3) Historically speaking, BMWs haven't necessarily been known for their stellar fuel mileage. A 320i owned by an old lady friend of mine had a very difficult time returning 22 mpg on a long trip. Another friend of mine who owned a 325e, a car that was supposedly built for efficiency would top out at about 24 mpg on the highway. I've mentioned this as a way of suggesting that your "Indy" mechanic may just be under the impression that BMWs are still operating under the same rules of "Good performance at the expense of fuel economy."
Hmmm, regarding the mileage that my car is delivering, consider the following business trip extracted from my expense report from last August: Started with about half of a tank and 242 miles since last fill-up. Drove from my home in southern New Hampshire to visit my Mom in Scarsdale (about 215 miles), where I filled up, resetting the Odometer to mile 0.
Miles 0 to 31: I drove to a client's office in Mineola, NY. Miles 31 to 62: I drove back to my Mom's place in Scarsdale, NY. Miles 62 to 90: I drove from Scarsdale to Midtown Manhattan. Miles 90 to 191: I drove from Manhattan to a client's office in Conshohocken, PA. Miles 191 to 205: Between said office and hotel and various eateries. Miles 205 to 221: I drove an associate to the Philly Amtrak station. Miles 221 to 337: Philadelphia to Woodcliff Lake, NJ to have dinner with some friends. Miles 337 to 361: Woodcliff Lake back to Scarsdale to spend the night. Miles 361 to 552: Scarsdale to a gas station on I-495, just shy of where it meets I-93.
Total gallons added at that station; 17.7, which calculates out to just over 31 mpg for the trip. I was trying to make it all of the way home, however, I-495 was reduced to 1 lane for night time construction, and the traffic was pretty heavy (as in stopped). After sweating it out in the car (wondering how long we were going to inch along), I finally got to an exit and filled up, less than 25 miles from home.
30 miles in 22 minutes.. it is all starting to make sense now....lol
Still.. an incredibly high average speed.
I checked my wife's car... I can't vouch for the first 7500 miles, but I assume the OBC has never been touched.. The car now has 26,XXX miles, and I know we've never reset it...
Average about 16.5K mi./yr, with 21 mile commute each way taking about 35 minutes.
In preparation to return my 2002 530i to BMW this coming Tuesday (end of lease), I removed my winter tires this afternoon and put the OEM rubber back on. Last fall when I mounted my winter tires, I remember being in a bit of a rush, and apparently I forgot to mark the wheels so that I would know where they were last mounted. As such, I needed to examine the wheels and tires very closely so as to be able to divine where they came from. Given brake dust and tread wear, that turned out to be a fairly easy bit of detective work, however, it generated a mystery all of its own.
Unlike most performance tires (and even my winter tires), the OEM Michelin Pilot Primacy tires do NOT have a directional marking on the sidewall. Instead, one sidewall is marked with "Outside" while the other is unmarked. Hmmm, I guess that makes sense given that these tires are asymmetrical, however, upon closer inspection, I noticed that the "Inside" portion of the tread has an arced tread pattern for water removal similar to that of most other performance tires that I've had in the past. This is a good thing right? Well, on the right side of the car, the direction of the arced tread groove would in fact channel water away from the center of the contact patch; however, on the left side of the car, the reverse seems to be true, and that doesn’t seem to be too safe, at least to my way of thinking (flawed though it probably is). I'm sure that Michelin took water into consideration given that the Pilot Primacy tires are considered to be reasonably good in wet conditions, I'm just having a difficult time understanding how the left side of the car doesn't start to hydro-plane way before the right side.
On the freeway I drive in the left lane a lot. ;-) As such, it slopes off to my left, however, near my house, there are lots of two lane twisty roads, so assuming I'm on the correct side of the road, it will slope to the right.
The problem with the Michelin Pilot Primacy tires is that the water is directed FROM the center of the contact patch on the right side tires, but TOWARD the center of the contact patch on the left side tires.
Shipo: I've been following your countdown to lease-return day...my condolences. I was curious about your lease and wondered if you'd mind sharing some information. I'm in the market for a 2001/2002 530i, and looked at a CPO'd 2002 530iA today (only 19,000 miles). Sapphire Black/Sand with SP, PP, CWP & Xenons. Their asking price is $34,995, and it's very negotiable. For comparison purposes, I was wondering what the residual number is on your car. Can I presume 36-month, 12K/year? I'm trying to get a sense for what their cost is, excluding the added cost for CPO. BMWFS has a current incentive on 2001 & 2002 5ers; 3.9% financing on up to the full sale price, and BMW will make the first 2 payments. An opportunity for a good deal if one can find the right car at the right price. Where are you returning your car? I'm in the Boston area. Thanks.
Looking for a CPO 530i? Cool, I'm jealous already. ;-)
Point by point: My car: 2002 530i, 5-Speed, Sapphire Black/Black, PP, SP, Xenon & Premium Audio. Mileage (as of tonight): 29,445. Residual (I have yet to find the actual paperwork, we've been having some work done on our house, and it got lost in the shuffle): ~$29,000 (plus or minus $250). Return location: Tulley BMW in Nashua, NH. As of: Tuesday 22-Mar-2005 7:30 PM.
I'm assuming it is a perfect candidate to be CPOed and then offered for sale on the Tulley used car lot. It's in great condition and I don't expect it to last too long before it is resold in spite of the fact that it has that demon 5-Speed manual transmission. ;-)
Comments
The question I have is, with the new 3.0 liter in the '06 3 Series and the new V8 in the '06 7 Series, when will these engine choices be available for the 5 Series?
I was hoping that the new 3.0 liter would be available for the 5 Series soon, so as to see if the 530i is more spirited and might be a lower cost option to the 545i.
Thank you.
The new motor is already available as mentioned in the Edmund's review of the 530xi. I imagine it will be a reasonable alternative to the 545i in an era of >$2/gal premium gas.
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FirstDrives/articleId=104929
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
Best Regards,
Shipo
Best Regards,
Shipo
Best Regards,
Shipo
Thanks from the desert for your help/comments on this and other boards, from a fellow manual [non-permissible content removed].
Best Regards,
Shipo
Perhaps this is explained by the higher final drive ratio of 3.64 (MY2006) versus 3.46 (MY2005). This translates to a 5.2% higher engine rpm in the 2006 at any given speed. Higher rpm generally equals to higher fuel consumption when all other conditions are the same.
Martin T.
Like to get your thoughts on the new 5's 3.0 liters.
My current lazy commute of 25 minutes thru a few New England towns will be changing in a few months to a 45 minute run which mixes the same initial route plus an additional 20 minutes on a highway. I do this in an '02 A4 1.8Q - great car considering the hills and snow this year and solid gas mileage. It has served me well from a practicality/size standpoint because its usually only me in the car. IF we needed more, we'd take the wifes XC.
But 3 issues are causing me to re-think my auto situation: A4 lease ending, hopeful family expansion and issue of car seats and 3, the above lengthening of my commute.
I am 6'4 and this is the one downside to the A4 on long drives. While it does have plenty aft drivers seat distance, after awhile, I start feeling claustraphobic especially around my head and shoulders on the window side.
So I like the idea of 5's roomier space and comfortable driving experience on my new commute.
Now that you know everything about me, finally the issue. (KYFDX and Shipo have already suffered through earlier posts of mine)
The 2 potential cars are the '06 525 and 530 with the increased HP & torque. I've never been one tear it up nor want to lap a track but I do like solid acceleration now and then in traffic.
I am leaning toward the 525 for economics but want to hear your thoughts on its capabilities vs. the new 530. Will the 525 be enough??
Please also throw in consideration for both the manual and automatics on both cars and their potential help/hinderance/tendencies.
(ps. I have driven the '05 530 with auto at 225 hp and found it fine)
thanks!!!!
How do you DO that? I haven't squeezed out more than 24.3 mpg, and that was virtually all nonstop hwy miles (405 miles to the warning light). The rest of the time, it's been right around 23, and that's an effort because I don't like to drive sedately. When I open it up a little, it drops to 21. Most of my driving is non-rush hour, on a mix of two-lane roads and suburban sprawl, with speeds all over the map, including hwy (55+).
Yikes, what do you drive? A 540iA SP? An M5?
Mine is a 2002 530i 5-Speed, and without even trying I get 29 mpg on the highway, and have gotten over 32 on a couple of occasions. FWIW, I NEVER drive below 75 with a relatively open road in front of me, and on my trips there are usually sections where the traffic is tooling along at nearly 90, and other sections that are stopped for miles and miles, none of which is conducive to great fuel mileage.
-Red
regards,
kyfdx
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Best Regards,
Shipo
This is the biggest (the only) disappointment I have with the car (cupholders notwithstanding). I was hoping for mileage more akin to yours.
The only time since I've had my car that it got fuel mileage like yours on a trip was when it was still in Europe and I was tooling down the Autobahn at something north of 120 mph. If I recall correctly, at 125 mph, my car was delivering about 24 mpg (I reset the trip computer for a nice long straight stretch of about 10 miles, so this is not necessarily very accurate).
Thinking as I type...
The topic of how an engine was broken has been touched upon here at TownHall before, and it might be time to revisit it.
I grew up in the Detroit area, and while growing up, I had a number of friends whose parents were employed by the Auto Industry. I distinctly remember hearing the father of one of my friends (who was an engineer for Chrysler, I think) having an argument with my step-father about the proper method of breaking in an engine. This man claimed that the best way was to take your brand new car (right from the showroom) and put it into second gear if you had an automatic or a 3-Speed manual, or third gear if you had a 4-Speed manual, and drive for a couple of hours up and down the freeway at about 70 mph. He claimed that the car would have more power and deliver better fuel economy if the engine was broken in using his method.
Fast forward some thirty years, and I have yet to hear a single engineer suggest the same thing. Having said that, I broke my car in on the Autobahn with the average speed for the first 1,250 miles being well in excess of 90 mph, and the speed for the next 1,000 or so miles being as high as traffic (or the cars' speed limiter) would allow.
Once back in the U.S., and prior to it being delivered to me at my local dealership, the folks there "Upgraded" my OBC with the latest software from Germany without my knowledge. That turned out to be a disaster as throttle response and drivability were so negatively impacted that I could barely drive the car. When I moved up to New Hampshire later that year, I took my car in to the local BMW dealership (Tulley in Nashua), and took a technician out for a drive to show him the problem. During the drive he commented, "I thought this was a 530i?"
"Yes, it's a 530. Why do you ask?"
"Wow, this thing feels like a 540, it's really quick."
"Could it be that you are just used to 530's with automatic transmissions?"
"Nope, I drive dozens of 5-Series cars each week and lots of them have manual transmissions. This is easily the fastest 530 I've ever ridden in."
In the end, he re-upgraded my OBC with new software that was released in early October of 2002 (and is still in the car), and my problems were solved. We did take a second drive to see how well the new software worked, and he again stated that he was very surprised at how fast my car accelerated up to freeway speeds.
Could the quickness and the fuel economy that my car delivers have anything to do with the fact that it was broken in at (relatively) high speeds while it was still in Europe? I don't really know, however, my car does seem to be able to "Step and Fetch" pretty well.
Best Regards,
Shipo
On the oil topic, you don't mind combining brands? When I was attending Vo-tech it was considered a no no.
I picked up a well-equipped '05 530i and within a week I was able to navigate iDrive comfortably particularly when I learned that many of the commands can be voice activated anyway. In fact, iDrive allows BMW not only to provide considerably more features but more customizable features than any other car in its class. Just think of what the already cluttered dashboard on a MB E320/E500 would look like if it possessed half the iDrive features.
The old adage of "seeing is believing" is definitely true here. Car and computer enthusiasts had to know that those technologies were sure to merge someday to provide a much better, safer driving experience. Though not perfect, that day is now. Those of you who would rather listen to the iDrive detractors at Motor Trend, Road and Track, Car & Driver or even Edmunds need to move ever so slightly out of the dark ages. This aint your daddy's Chevy or yo' mamma's Acura TL/RL.
The next time I am "actively" cruising the highway following directions in my HUD, dialing or receiving a handsfree telephone call, selecting a CD or calling up a preset radio station by voice activiation, I'll be thinking of the naysayers. I'll chuckle even more when I, unlike them, get to experience the car's agility, cornering, braking and comfortable ride all of which makes driving fun again! Keep your dials, knobs, switches, toggles, etc. Give me simple, elegant, functional controls. Give me iDrive. Give me BMW!
Hmmm, that may not be too surprising given the high RPM gearing (compared to the 328i or my 530i, which has the same gearing as my 328i had) that the Manual Transmission 323i was equipped with. Then there is the later engine control systems of the 3.0 liter mill which not only pollute less (ULEV certification), but also deliver better fuel economy than the 2.8 liter mill that it replaced. Having said that, I'd love to have a 530d, talk about both mileage and torque!
Regarding combining oils, it is my understanding that the BMW/Castrol oil and Mobil-1 0W-40 meet the same specs and as such should be able to be mixed. Having said that, I don't think that what I do is REALLY mixing oil, as my procedure is to pretty much remove all of the oil in the engine and filter assembly with my suction extraction device, replace the filter and then add 8 quarts of new Mobil-1 oil. I don't believe that the remaining trace amounts of the BMW oil are significant.
Best Regards,
Shipo
My mechanic days (replaced 1/2 a senior class day) in the 8o's was in fact transmission and cv joints .unfortunatlly those old K cars wore me out, we had no end to customers that appreciated our (free) labor as students. Thats where I quickly learned the failacy known as FWD...
Regards,
DL
Are there any other 02 530i drivers out there? What's your gas mileage like?
FWIW, It's a 2002 530i, Sapphire Black, Black Leather, 5-Speed, PP, SP, Xenon, Premium Audio with just less than 30K miles on the clock.
Best Regards,
Shipo
From what I have been able to learn, both have (standard or optional) Nav, Satellite Radio, park-distance control, Bluetooth, and mp3 capabilities.
In terms of the Logic 7 premium stereo, I am guessing that since the have the same name, they are identical.
Does anyone know if they iDrive and Nav systems in the 3 and 5 are identical?
As far as I can tell, the only gadget that the 5 has that is not available in the new 3 is the Heads Up Display (and both will get the push-button keyless start in the fall).
Since the 330 and 530 have the same engine and the same 'gadgets' available (iDrive, Nav, sound system, bluetooth), etc, are the 'only' differences between the two of them:
[1]size, [2] design, [3] cost, and [4] 'prestige' ?
Personally, I don't care about [1] or [4].
If you don't care about 1) and 4), then it comes down to looks, because the 330i will be substantially cheaper..
So, unless you are in love with the 5-series look, the 330i is the clear winner, according to your parameters...
regards,
kyfdx
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And I have to say that I don't understand why you plan to let go of a car that you love so much and which serves you so well. Is this a y-chromosome thing? Because I don't have one of those.
BTW, on the two days a year that it actually gets hot in NH, what is the interior of your car like? I'm kind of dreading summer (which ordinarily I love) because I'm afraid I'm going to roast in there. I'm thinking if it's as bad as all that, I can tint the windows, but I'd rather not have to bother.
Regarding how hot my car gets on the two really hot days per year up here (it's actually probably more like three days), I have the luxury of working from home (when I'm not on the road), so I haven't had to really deal with the ultra hot interior too much. In fact, I'm not sure if I can remember ever getting into the car when it was unbearable. Does that mean that it won't ever get too hot inside? I'm not really sure. One thing I habitually do if I'm going to be parking it in the sun is to open the rear vent of the sun-roof a little, thus allowing convection to remove the hottest of the hot air. That has always seemed to help keep my cars a little cooler regardless of what color they were.
Best Regards,
Shipo
48828 miles
26.4 MPG
52.1 MPH
When I had hatchbacks, I would open the liftgate before opening the door. Whoosh--out went the heat in short order. In my Lexus, I always cracked the sunroof, but I don't have a clue as to whether it actually did anything--it got so hot anyway it was hard to tell. I'll try the key thing--where you can open the windows and sunroof remotely to vent before you get to the car...and I think I read something in the manual about a fan that you can set on a timer. If I got that right, I'll try it too.
And if all else fails, I'll tint the windows.
Best Regards,
Shipo
I picked up my 2005 545 in early November and, like you, had iDrive sorted out in a week. First thing I learned was that most of the iDrive settings are one-time affairs. Those that are easily controlled via the array of steering wheel buttons plus the useful voice command.
No one should let iDrive and the frantic complaints about it from people who have not driven it for more than a test drive or two influence their decision to buy a 5-Series.
Jose
Thinking about the mileage that your car is getting, a couple of (remote?) possibilities occur to me:
1) Could the previous owner of your car have "Chipped" it? If so, your engine may have more aggressive throttle software, at the expense of mileage.
2) Could the previous owner of your car have babied it too much and driven it like the proverbial "Little old lady to church on Sunday?" If so, maybe you just need to wind up those six squirrels to the point that they are so dizzy that they sneeze out any combustion chamber deposits left behind by the sedate driving.
3) Could the previous owner of your car have used cheap fuel? If not, could they have used what they thought was decent fuel that was lacking in sufficient detergents to keep the fuel system clean and in top condition? BMW has joined forces with a few other vehicle manufacturers to push for a higher standard fuel when it comes to cleaning agents (see: http://www.toptiergas.com ), maybe your car just needs a few months on Shell V-Power gasoline to bring it around.
4) Have you taken your car in to see if it has the latest firmware in the OBC? Maybe you have a flawed version like I had for a while.
Best Regards,
Shipo
My wife's 325i has an average around 34 MPH (I think), and around 24.5 MPG.
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60 miles on I-75 twice a month.
I-65 to Nashville 7 or 8 times a year.
Western Ky Pkwy to Paducah 2 or 3 times a year.
Houses in our subdivision are a mile off US 460, through a horse farm, and the entrance is 8 miles from town. Rural roads are a definite majority.
Hope motorcycle weather breaks soon to hold down the mileage on the 530i.
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1) Yes, I've checked the OBC against physical gas and both the Odometer as well as what MapQuest says I should have driven. I'm always within a tenth or two (high and low), which leads me to conclude that the variance is due to when some fuel pumps "Click" off versus others.
2) The 325i (I'm assuming it's a manual) has "Shorter" gearing than either the 330i or the 530i. As such, even the EPA rates it lower than our cars on the highway segment.
3) Historically speaking, BMWs haven't necessarily been known for their stellar fuel mileage. A 320i owned by an old lady friend of mine had a very difficult time returning 22 mpg on a long trip. Another friend of mine who owned a 325e, a car that was supposedly built for efficiency would top out at about 24 mpg on the highway. I've mentioned this as a way of suggesting that your "Indy" mechanic may just be under the impression that BMWs are still operating under the same rules of "Good performance at the expense of fuel economy."
Hmmm, regarding the mileage that my car is delivering, consider the following business trip extracted from my expense report from last August:
Started with about half of a tank and 242 miles since last fill-up. Drove from my home in southern New Hampshire to visit my Mom in Scarsdale (about 215 miles), where I filled up, resetting the Odometer to mile 0.
Miles 0 to 31: I drove to a client's office in Mineola, NY.
Miles 31 to 62: I drove back to my Mom's place in Scarsdale, NY.
Miles 62 to 90: I drove from Scarsdale to Midtown Manhattan.
Miles 90 to 191: I drove from Manhattan to a client's office in Conshohocken, PA.
Miles 191 to 205: Between said office and hotel and various eateries.
Miles 205 to 221: I drove an associate to the Philly Amtrak station.
Miles 221 to 337: Philadelphia to Woodcliff Lake, NJ to have dinner with some friends.
Miles 337 to 361: Woodcliff Lake back to Scarsdale to spend the night.
Miles 361 to 552: Scarsdale to a gas station on I-495, just shy of where it meets I-93.
Total gallons added at that station; 17.7, which calculates out to just over 31 mpg for the trip. I was trying to make it all of the way home, however, I-495 was reduced to 1 lane for night time construction, and the traffic was pretty heavy (as in stopped). After sweating it out in the car (wondering how long we were going to inch along), I finally got to an exit and filled up, less than 25 miles from home.
Best Regards,
Shipo
Still.. an incredibly high average speed.
I checked my wife's car... I can't vouch for the first 7500 miles, but I assume the OBC has never been touched.. The car now has 26,XXX miles, and I know we've never reset it...
Average about 16.5K mi./yr, with 21 mile commute each way taking about 35 minutes.
34.7 MPH.. 24.4 MPG
'03 325i with Sport package..
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Unlike most performance tires (and even my winter tires), the OEM Michelin Pilot Primacy tires do NOT have a directional marking on the sidewall. Instead, one sidewall is marked with "Outside" while the other is unmarked. Hmmm, I guess that makes sense given that these tires are asymmetrical, however, upon closer inspection, I noticed that the "Inside" portion of the tread has an arced tread pattern for water removal similar to that of most other performance tires that I've had in the past. This is a good thing right? Well, on the right side of the car, the direction of the arced tread groove would in fact channel water away from the center of the contact patch; however, on the left side of the car, the reverse seems to be true, and that doesn’t seem to be too safe, at least to my way of thinking (flawed though it probably is). I'm sure that Michelin took water into consideration given that the Pilot Primacy tires are considered to be reasonably good in wet conditions, I'm just having a difficult time understanding how the left side of the car doesn't start to hydro-plane way before the right side.
Any comments?
Best Regards,
Shipo
-Paul
The problem with the Michelin Pilot Primacy tires is that the water is directed FROM the center of the contact patch on the right side tires, but TOWARD the center of the contact patch on the left side tires.
Best Regards,
Shipo
I've been following your countdown to lease-return day...my condolences. I was curious about your lease and wondered if you'd mind sharing some information. I'm in the market for a 2001/2002 530i, and looked at a CPO'd 2002 530iA today (only 19,000 miles). Sapphire Black/Sand with SP, PP, CWP & Xenons. Their asking price is $34,995, and it's very negotiable. For comparison purposes, I was wondering what the residual number is on your car. Can I presume 36-month, 12K/year? I'm trying to get a sense for what their cost is, excluding the added cost for CPO. BMWFS has a current incentive on 2001 & 2002 5ers; 3.9% financing on up to the full sale price, and BMW will make the first 2 payments. An opportunity for a good deal if one can find the right car at the right price. Where are you returning your car? I'm in the Boston area. Thanks.
Regards,
Phil
Point by point:
My car: 2002 530i, 5-Speed, Sapphire Black/Black, PP, SP, Xenon & Premium Audio.
Mileage (as of tonight): 29,445.
Residual (I have yet to find the actual paperwork, we've been having some work done on our house, and it got lost in the shuffle): ~$29,000 (plus or minus $250).
Return location: Tulley BMW in Nashua, NH.
As of: Tuesday 22-Mar-2005 7:30 PM.
I'm assuming it is a perfect candidate to be CPOed and then offered for sale on the Tulley used car lot. It's in great condition and I don't expect it to last too long before it is resold in spite of the fact that it has that demon 5-Speed manual transmission. ;-)
Best Regards,
Shipo