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PS, I'd make up my mind soon, only a few more days left for the 4k incentive on the 530.
Does anyone know how to disable factor
alarm in a 2000 BMW 540?
Dealer fixed false alarm problem 2 weeks
ago by replacing a faulty sensor. It's
going off again (2am last night *URGH*).
Is there anyway to just lock the doors
WITHOUT any alarm? Thanks
Imran
is the result of an innocent 'Reload'.
Imran
Concern with winter is all too real. If I had only one car it would have to be AWD. Also, something rarely considered, AWD is superior in the rain. I believe it will be standard on most cars in the future, not only wagons. The safety and handling factors are just too beneficial. I have a 530 and Subaru Outback and understand roadlust vs practical. Perhaps you can have it both ways by getting a bargain used AWD wagon for sheer utility. Good luck.
BTW, I just washed, polished, and glazed my Slate Green 530 with Klasse this past weekend. As my girlfriend said, it looks like a jewel.
1. BMW is considering expanding U.S. production facilities in USA. Considering further increasing production at Spartanburg SC plant, where Z4 and X5 now built.
2. BMW aims to sell 300,000 cars in the United States each year, up from 232,000 vehicles sold in USA in 2002.
3. In May, US overtook Germany as BMW's largest market. (Wonder if this means we'll get better cupholders and other American-desired amenties?)
I'm not sure I could give a better example of the type of car / seller to avoid in looking for a used BMW. The car itself is highly suspicious. It's been "upgrated" (sic) to 2001 M5. Including the "greel". And the interior leather has just normal "ware". The salvage title explanation is a crock.
My advice is to find a late model BMW being sold by someone you can meet face to face. They should have all maintenance records and look/sound like the type of person who could have afforded a $50k+ car in the first place. I believe the quality of the previous (and preferably only/original) owner is as important as the appearance of the car.
Shopping E-Bay makes it difficult to evaluate the seller, but one giveaway for me is that they should be able to spell.
My 97 528 has had two sets of Continental Contitours and I have been satisfied with them and inclined to switch for those.
Anyway, squeezed into my first bimmer. 525, 5sp, PP, CWP, Titanium/black. I negotiated for 4 months with countless dealers and finally brought my baby home on June 19th. Yes, I know the 2.5L sucks, but I couldn't afford a 530. I'll just drive like a granny until I can buy a 530.
Unfortunately, you can imagine my disappointment when the "service engine soon" light comes on just as the car hits 100 miles. No, I didn't mess with the gas cap; I was still on my first tank. Dealer fixes it. Tells me the cap must have come loose. No problem. The love affair continues. Now, it's two days later and the same light comes on again. Ugh.
Someone please hold me and tell me it's going to be ok. I've fallen in love with the e39; I've got the bimmer bug. But this problem is starting to worry me, and it's making me think that the A6 was looking pretty good.
With the OBDII and other systems, there are a ton of these problems in nearly all marques and models today. I keep hearing two things related to fueling:
1. Follow the instructions exactly when putting the fuel filler cap back on.
2. Fill up with the key OUT of the ignition. Do NOT fill up with the key in the ignition running the electrical systems. Turn the car off completely when refueling. Put the key back in after you have filled up and closed the fuel filler cap and door.
Following these two instructions, my wife and I have put about 55,000 miles on our two BMWs with only a single incident. Shortly after she got her's, she filled her tank up and forgot #2 above. (I do most of the refueling.)
Can't imagine replacing perfectly good new tires in a new car. Seems like a huge waste of money. Esp. if you keep plain Jane all-season tires like the ContiTouringContacts.
If you are inclined to change tires, you might consider dedicated 3-season high performance tires (e.g., ContiSportContact or ContiSportContact2s) in spring-summer-fall and dedicated winter tires in winter.
I haven't even opened the fuel lid, let alone the cap, since that service visit two days ago. I've got a bad feeling about this.
My 2002 Honda S2000 had a "service soon" light come on early in it's career. And a friend who has a nearly brand new Honda Accord has both the "check engine" light and "maintenance required" lights come on within the first 1,000 miles. Again, no actual problems.
I'm not making "light" of your problem, literally or figuratively. But in spite of the annoyance, this isn't a reason I would second guess a BMW 5-series. I could list a lot of "real problems" one of my business associates has had with an A6 2.7, if it will make you feel better.
Oh, and there is nothing that "sucks" about the 2.5 liter 525i. Period.
I would not be buying new ones but instead having the dealer switch them before I take the car. Any switching would have to be with other OEM tires- the Continentals are on a lot of cars on the lot and there may be some Michelin Pilots. I think the Contin. are all Contitours but I will see. Thanks for your input.
You didn't say if you had experience with the P6's yourself?
I also just put a new set of ContiSportContact2s on my 540i6. Really like 'em so far. But they only have about 3,000 miles so far.
If you like Continentals and want all-season tires, you might consider their high performance ContiExtremeContact all seasons.
I'm guessin' the manufacturers have to set the systems to be overly sensitive to keep their lawyers happy and the EPA off their backs.
This is not unique to BMWs although it is a bit of a pain to deal with.
I just can't get over the interior styling. Too pretty. Too dignified. Too luxury oriented. Almost effiminate. And I don't want iDrive. Hate the dash gauge layout. Hope there is a nice CPO '03 540i6 ready for me in '05!
Best Regards,
Shipo
My car is everything I wanted it to be and then some.
I have been reading all your letters the past few months while waiting for the car and they have been of great help. Let me give you some feedback. Decided to buy one in Jan after seeing some advanced shots of the 2004. Did not like it then and don't now. I also would not buy a first year model. The report from Consumer Reports also pushed me to act on the 2003. Gas mile: 18 in the city, 25 highway. Cup holders: who cares, only drink water in it anyway. If I drink coffee in it, my mugs are too big for any cup holder unless I'm driving a Hummer. Color (Slate Green): nothing but positive comments from all, turns heads. Saw it in a showroom prior to order and loved the color. The sound of the motor is a favorite. The local dealer did try to sell me a $500 tire warrantee. Said the warrantee that comes with the car didn't cover tire repairs if I suffer a blow out. In fact, he practically had the order form filled out and was waiting for my check. Obviously, anyone who has bought a tire warrantee before knows the cost is about $15 per tire. It was a nice try. No other problems yet. I'll keep you all posted.
Now my question: has anyone put mud flaps on their car? These wheels are great but do kick up alot of road debris. My 94 Maxima came with them and have saved the body much wear and tear over the years. They also look very stylish. The flaps in the Accessories catalog look nice and are inexpensive.
Thanks again for the good reading over the past few months.
When given the opportunity to buy a new 530 at$3,500 below invoice, I happily took it. Now I can watch, wait and see what develops. If the new 5 works out, I can buy then and have a low mileage, low cost 530 to sell to someone who can't stand the new style.
Mark
What I didn't take into account was how accommodating the BMW dealerships are. They're picking up my car from my office and returing it to me at the end of the day. If needed, a loaner is available. You guys assume and know about this stuff. For a bimmer newbie like me, it was like nirvana hearing the service dept offer to pick up the car.
It was also nice to hear that a number of you have had this problem with no lasting effects. That was my ultimate worry.
Thanks again to all.
I am in the market for a "new" car and am considering either a low mileage (28k miles) 2002 BMW 530i w/ Sport, Premium, and Steptronic, OR a 2004 Audi A4 3.0 Quattro Tip w/ Sport & Premium Pkg. Given this choice, what would you buy?
I live in FL so Quattro is not a must-have. I think the Audi has a nicer interior and more features, but the BMW has better fuel economy and acceleration. The BMW is priced at $35,900...a steal at that price!
Which ever car I get will be a keeper for a while, so reliability is an issue too!
Happy motoring,
Jack
regards,
kyfdx
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Test driving is key to learning what will actually work for you. But I'm talking at least an hour or more per car. See if they'll let you borrow overnight.
Do any of you have experience driving both the 330i and the 530i? How are their handling characteristics different? For apples-to-apples, assume for the moment that both have the sport package.
Thank you, in advance.
To me, the 5 is worth the weight penalty by felling better on the road. I have a 2 year old and a 6 year old in my family, so that tipped the balance for me. No family and I'd have been all over the 3.
Both are leaders in their class. U drive, U decide.
Happy motoring,
Jack
I am a bit bummed about some technical data.
First, BMW now using only ZF transmissions in all versions, including the 545i. 545i uses ZF Type G. This replaces the current bulletproof Getrag Type D.
Second, the overdrive 6th gears in the manual versions is not very deep. 0.87:1 in the 545i and 0.85:1 in the 525i and 530i. Their final drive ratios are 3.15:1 (525i) and 2.93:1 (530i & 545i).
Interestingly, the individual gear ratios for the automatics are all the same: 4:17, 2.34, 1.52, 1.14, 0.87, and 0.691. Too bad 5th isn't direct 1.00, but at least it uses a decent overdrive ratio. Automatic final drives are 3.73 (525i), 3.46 (530i), and 3.38 (545i).
Weight figures are good. Manuals weigh in at 3417 (525i), 3481 (530i), and 3737 (545i). Automatics weigh in at 3450 (525i), 3503 (530i), and 3748 (545i).
Weight distribution figures are great. All versions, except the 545ia, nearly 50:50. Least balanced is the 545ia at 51.1/48.9. Best is 525i at 50.2/49.8.
Too bad all the Sport Packages use run-flat tires. At least the "special run-flat rims used on Sport Package models will also accept conventional tires."
Roundel raved about driving experience. They loved the AFS and ARS in the Sport Package.
My wife is liking an automatic, but I want the fun of manual shifting.
-Paul
kyfdx
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As I've said before, until my left foot gives out, I'l take the control and reliability of a manual 6-speed over an SMG. While the SMG has performance advantages over the steptronic (less power loss, faster shifts), it also is a complex piece of electronics that apparantly is not without some bugs. How they will hold up over 100k miles is another uncertainty. I have yet to need a clutch replacement in any BMW I've owned.
As for giving the 5-series a run for the money in performance, it seems about the only thing they have going for them is (inflated) horsepower. Although I only gave it a brief test drive, the supposedly 340 horsepower M45 did not seem as quick as a friend's 282 horsepower 540iA sport. Perhaps the test car wasn't broken in. But the 340 horsepower "rating" would put the M45 almost exactly halfway between the 540i and M5. In "reality" that's a joke. And the handling and steering were not even close. A "lowly" 530i w/ sport package is several rungs up the ladder from the M45 in handling, in my opinion. And all 5-series at least give the enthusiast the option of a manual transmission. The automatic in the M45 was unimpressive compared to the BMW or anything by AMG.
If it sounds like I'm being harsh on the M45, I probably am. Not because I am a BMW loyalist. I've never owned a BMW and currently drive a Maxima as a family sedan. But in looking ahead, I think that Infiniti could have done an "infinitely" better job with the styling and guts of the M45. They came a lot closer to getting it right with the G35 coupe as a 3-series competitor. I even think the Q45 is a relatively better 7-series competitor.
One of my business associates is currently cross shopping the M45 with Cadillac and Lincoln. He's concluded that it's probably the best choice within that group. But that's not the standard by which the 5-series drivers I know made their purchase decision.
Think M45 also hurt because it doesn't offer a manual transmission or a really serious Sport Package.
Latest issue of Motor Trend had a small article on the sales of newly introduced vehicles. Sales of M45 started slow and have plummetted. The market seems to have recognized that the M45 isn't likely to be destined for USA too long.
Wonder if M45 will be repeat of Infiniti's M30. That car (2-door coupe and convertible) was only around for about 2 or 3 years in USA. It was also a hurried cut-and-paste job of a Japanese-market car. Think it was in USA from about 1990-1992. I still see one every now and then. Odd angular car that obviously has Japanese-market styling cues. Thinking it was off the Nissan Leopard platform.