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sean10mm posted:I can't speak for the old ix/xi/whatevers, but the F30 335i xDrive with the ZDH handling package is shitloads of fun in Sport+ mode. I test drove a RWD M Sport first and didn't feel like I lost much if anything going to AWD. You do have to get the 335i to have a manual option with AWD though. I still have not had a chance to drive a AWD e90 or e46, but thanks for the input everyone. I was not really aware of the Infinity G35x / 37x cars, I guess they are a class competitor. Seem pretty nice, but no BMW (this might be good in the parts / maintenance department) I think it will be down to a G35x or a awd E46. The Infinity 4 door has more dated looks and is sort of boring and no manual transmission in the AWD version but I guess they are a hoot to drive and the AWD system is quite a bit better.
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Jun 6, 2013 01:36
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To be completely honest.... I hate my G35. It was a pretty boring car.
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Jun 6, 2013 01:49
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I wouldn't bother with an AWD BMW either, I'd go with an Evo X or an up-optioned turbo Subaru of some ilk. Audi AWD systems are pretty good too if you want to go German, but there's a higher overall reliability risk. Anyone know if Merc 4Matics are any good? I know the GLK can kill some snow if it needs to.
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Jun 6, 2013 02:12
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Hey, the new E63 is gonna be 4Matic only. Get one of those!
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Jun 6, 2013 02:54
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Das Volk posted:I wouldn't bother with an AWD BMW either, I'd go with an Evo X or an up-optioned turbo Subaru of some ilk. Audi AWD systems are pretty good too if you want to go German, but there's a higher overall reliability risk. Friends don't let friends buy Audis.
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Jun 6, 2013 03:27
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spandexcajun posted:I still have not had a chance to drive a AWD e90 or e46, but thanks for the input everyone. I was not really aware of the Infinity G35x / 37x cars, I guess they are a class competitor. Seem pretty nice, but no BMW (this might be good in the parts / maintenance department) I think it will be down to a G35x or a awd E46. The Infinity 4 door has more dated looks and is sort of boring and no manual transmission in the AWD version but I guess they are a hoot to drive and the AWD system is quite a bit better. I know you're in Denver, but maybe Legacy GT?
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Jun 6, 2013 03:58
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Potentially going to check out a 2003 e46 M3 with 99k miles on it. I've done some research and know some things to check for on e46's are the VANOS and recent inspection I's and II's. How do M3's hold up after the 100k mile range? And what specifically should I look for? If I do check the car out and consider picking it up I am leaning towards getting a PPI done on it. From pictures the car looks very very clean but I won't know for sure until I see it, for reference the guy is asking close to $14k.
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Jun 6, 2013 04:46
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Popete posted:Potentially going to check out a 2003 e46 M3 with 99k miles on it. I've done some research and know some things to check for on e46's are the VANOS and recent inspection I's and II's. How do M3's hold up after the 100k mile range? And what specifically should I look for? If I do check the car out and consider picking it up I am leaning towards getting a PPI done on it. From pictures the car looks very very clean but I won't know for sure until I see it, for reference the guy is asking close to $14k. Just the typical e46 stuff: Cooling system replacement, VANOS, control arms/bushings, subframe shouldn't be an issue but take a look anyway. I wouldn't think of buying an M3 without a thorough PPI from my mechanic though. Maintenance/Parts costs are just too high to get into one blind.
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Jun 6, 2013 05:47
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ExecuDork posted:I bought those same Goodyear tire carriers this spring when I replaced my brake pads and swapped out the winter tires - best $40 I've spent on any car. Quoting myself to fix a dumbness: my tire carriers clearly say MICHELIN on them, not Goodyear.
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Jun 6, 2013 13:59
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Popete posted:Potentially going to check out a 2003 e46 M3 with 99k miles on it. I've done some research and know some things to check for on e46's are the VANOS and recent inspection I's and II's. How do M3's hold up after the 100k mile range? And what specifically should I look for? If I do check the car out and consider picking it up I am leaning towards getting a PPI done on it. From pictures the car looks very very clean but I won't know for sure until I see it, for reference the guy is asking close to $14k. is it the manual or the SMG?
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Jun 6, 2013 14:38
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Popete posted:Potentially going to check out a 2003 e46 M3 with 99k miles on it. I've done some research and know some things to check for on e46's are the VANOS and recent inspection I's and II's. How do M3's hold up after the 100k mile range? And what specifically should I look for? If I do check the car out and consider picking it up I am leaning towards getting a PPI done on it. From pictures the car looks very very clean but I won't know for sure until I see it, for reference the guy is asking close to $14k. The SMG pumps are expensive and prone to failure. As in almost every other case, shop for a manual for reliability and simplicity.
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Jun 6, 2013 16:30
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Das Volk posted:I wouldn't bother with an AWD BMW either, I'd go with an Evo X or an up-optioned turbo Subaru of some ilk. Audi AWD systems are pretty good too if you want to go German, but there's a higher overall reliability risk. It depends on what you want, but the STI and Evo are pretty small and crude, the A4 is slow and the S4 had a substantially higher real-world price than the 335i when I was cross-shopping it and a worse rep for reliability. Of course I owned a 99 A4 1.8T quattro so the reliability of my advice may be dubious. 
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Jun 6, 2013 18:13
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It's a manual, I am avoiding SMG not sure I would enjoy it as much.
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Jun 6, 2013 18:34
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Popete posted:It's a manual, I am avoiding SMG not sure I would enjoy it as much. And avoiding SMG is just a good financial decision anyways. They're not great to drive around with, though pretty good on the track when they work, and the common failure is an expensive one.
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Jun 6, 2013 22:21
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So although I said I wanted a manual I've found a tempting deal $17k for a 2004 M3 SMG with 57k miles. With that low of a mileage is the SMG still not a good choice do to expensive and imminent repairs? I doubt I would actual go check the car out but the price for that low of mileage seems like a bargain.
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Jun 8, 2013 20:49
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You'll find that because of the lack desirability and maintenance issues, SMG e46s are almost always cheaper by a few thousand for cars in the same condition.
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Jun 8, 2013 21:09
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The SMG sucks at any price, just walk away. The thing is, that pump fails pretty much whenever it wants; it might fail after another hundred miles...it might go for another hundred thousand miles. Regardless, the discount you get over an equivalent manual car will.be paid back (and more) if/when the SMG pump fails.
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Jun 8, 2013 21:28
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Alright thanks, I'll just stick with the manual like I wanted anyways. I've been looking on Craigslist and BMW forums for awhile now and it can be tough to find decent coupe manual M3s, it seems the majority is convertible SMG. Was SMG the popular choice to get when they first came out? I just can't see myself putting down that kind of money on a new M3 and getting SMG.
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Jun 8, 2013 23:08
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Nobody in the US can drive a manual, so the majority sold here were SMG cars.
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Jun 9, 2013 01:21
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Back when those cars were new it seemed the SMG* was unilaterally stocked up at every dealership and was "the" choice for most of the "newer to the brand" buyers since it could be put in auto mode, only the "orderer" types were getting MT's, hence the small population. If you really dig into Bimmerfest/E46 Fanatics M3 forums there are still plenty of cars with their original SMG's around now over 100k miles and as mentioned in this thread before others that are toast by 50k miles. I think it's a $2,500 fix for the pump and a $10k fix if the entire unit goes. Besides the risk factor that eras SMG is pretty rough and slammy as a "flappy paddle gearbox" and not really ideal for a DD - they love the track though, the new DCT is sooooo much better all around. *SMG/SMGII whatever its a sequential manual gearbox.
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Jun 9, 2013 01:31
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You might be surprised just how high the take rate for manual E46 M3s was in North America. My understanding is that it was something like 30-40% for the life of the model, with a slight edge to the SMG. Even today, the take rate for manual E9x M3s, while not as high as its predecessor, is still about the highest rate for any single model sold by any make.
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Jun 9, 2013 01:40
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MrChips posted:You might be surprised just how high the take rate for manual E46 M3s was in North America. My understanding is that it was something like 30-40% for the life of the model, with a slight edge to the SMG. I still had to order a manual, although it doesn't help that it's at the end of the model run and the only cars left in dealerships are frozen/LMR editions optioned with everything under the sun (cars no one buying at this stage wants.)
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Jun 9, 2013 17:53
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Is this the engine block drain for coolant? Everything I've read says it's a normal 13mm bolt but it looks like an 8mm hex on mine. 
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Jun 9, 2013 19:38
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Yeah that's it. My car had the bolt-style head on it, but it was still a threaded plug. Also, be prepared to catch precisely none of the coolant that comes out. 
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Jun 10, 2013 00:19
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MrChips posted:Yeah that's it. My car had the bolt-style head on it, but it was still a threaded plug. I plan to catch it.... Directly on my face, just like every other time I've done a cooling system job.
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Jun 10, 2013 00:30
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spandexcajun posted:I live in Denver, so I only need the awd like 5 - 10 days a year in town, but when you need it you need it. You don't need AWD. In the length of time I've owned this car, I've called off work on only one occasion because I just couldn't get there - but I tried. When I got turned around and home, the apartment parking lot was so slick that I couldn't get the car back in the garage without 3 people's help. Yeah. THAT was bad. Other than that, I've skipped out a handful of times because the time it would take me to get from Northglenn to DIA would be better spent working remotely, and essentially my whole office did the same, so no worries there. 45 miles is a long round trip when everyone else is going 25 mph. But you're only going 6 miles. If I were the only car on the road, the M3 is good to go in anything I've encountered so far. It starts getting a little dicey (very little. More like DRIFTU PURACTISSSS!) when there's 18" or so, and the plows start skipping the side streets. spandexcajun posted:All though I guess there is no reason I could not take the van, it is fwd... it's tempting even though I know better. In other news... I put bluetooth in my car today. I followed this guide, but rather than adding an aux jack to plug in, I did this instead. ****** Buy a Brookstone Big Blue Wireless Bluetooth Speaker for ~$100. Disassemble it. It breaks down to this:  It's about 1/2 the size of a dollar bill. Continue as instructed in the OP. * Grab about 18" of Cat 5 Ethernet cable. The wires are small enough that it makes soldering a snap! * Strip 3mm back and solder the orange and white (ground), green (+Left), orange (+Right) and the wires to the head unit. Grind out one of the holes in the top cover to allow the cat 5 through. It doesn't take much. * Solder the Green and the Orange wires to the red Left and Right Positive speaker wires to match how you soldered left and right on the head unit. * Solder ONE black ground wire to the Orange and White (Ground) wire. DO NOT solder both black wires together, then solder them to the O/W Ground. It doesn't work out, and you'll just get clicking noises from the unit in the car. Insulate the soldered joints with tape or heat shrink. * Take the completed unit out to the car. * Take out the trip computer, as in the OP. * Also take out the Climate Control and Sunglass Tray pieces - they just snap out. * Pass the bluetooth unit in through the radio slot to the back on the left. * Finagle it down into the Climate Control slot. You'll probably have to push the cabling for the stock head unit back, and up, to get the bluetooth circuit board back and turned around so it will pass through that slot. Best results if you start with the battery. * Continue on and pass the bluetooth unit down into the cavity behind the sunglass tray and trip computer. * Pass your MiniUSB power connector up through the hole in the sunglass tray, as you would have done (in reverse) with your 1/8" audio cable in the OP. * Attach the USB power and turn the Bluetooth unit on. If you got lost, it's the lower right button, when holding the silver pad with the ribbon cable at the top center. * Reconnect your head unit, but don't replace it yet. Test your bluetooth connection. It should work. When it does... * Reassemble your center stack, radio first. (You'll probably have to pull down on the stack below the radio to give clearance for the Cat 5 cable to pass without getting mangled. TROUBLESHOOTING: With your phone at maximum volume, and the Bluetooth unit at maximum volume, it will sound like it's cutting out skipping every couple seconds. Turn the volume down on the bluetooth unit until it stops overdriving the head unit. The Cigarette lighter on my '97 M3 is always hot (I don't know if that's stock or if someone rewired it in the past...), so it keeps the battery charged via USB, even while parked. If I were to disconnect the USB, I'd still have about 12 hours of standby before the blue battery was dead. At that point, I'd have to pull the trip computer to power the bluetooth unit back on. Inconvenient, but not the end of the world. That's also the reason I chose to put it at the bottom of the center stack, and not run the USB power up behind the head unit to stash it there. Good luck! Kenny Rogers fucked around with this message at 02:09 on Jun 10, 2013 |
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Jun 10, 2013 01:48
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The caution button, and door unlock button on my 04 325xi have sunk in, and are no longer depressable. I popped the caution button off, revealing the little bulb, and the surrounding bracket that goes up and down activating the blinkers, but it wouldn't rise up high enough to set correctly. Then after playing with it for 2 minutes, it just stopped working all together. I really don't know what happened to cause them to stop working, but I would very much like to fix it, as I'm sure I'll never pass another inspection if I can't activate my 4 ways. Is this what I'm looking for to replace it? BMW Partstore.
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Jun 10, 2013 05:33
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Binge posted:The caution button, and door unlock button on my 04 325xi have sunk in, and are no longer depressable. I popped the caution button off, revealing the little bulb, and the surrounding bracket that goes up and down activating the blinkers, but it wouldn't rise up high enough to set correctly. Then after playing with it for 2 minutes, it just stopped working all together. I really don't know what happened to cause them to stop working, but I would very much like to fix it, as I'm sure I'll never pass another inspection if I can't activate my 4 ways. You're looking for the hazard/central unlock switch in the central console, right? That's not the right part in that case; this is what I am assuming is the part you're looking for. Don't be alarmed that it's listed for the X5; it's common with all models of the E46.
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Jun 10, 2013 05:46
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Yes, that is it exactly, and the word hazard was what I could not think of while I've been searching for the part, and when I posted that. Ordering it right now!
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Jun 10, 2013 06:18
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I knew it had to happen eventually, but I think I lost a window regulator in my e39 540. Its the drivers side rear window, and whether using the controls on the door, or the drivers door, it makes a faint click-click like its trying to move, then stops, as if I'm trying to roll it up when its all the way at the top. Anything else this could be? The part on pelican is $300, so since its the back seat I probably just won't fix it.....
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Jun 11, 2013 21:34
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I can't for the life of me get the bulb out of my low beam on my US hella ellipsoids... It looks a lot different than any pictures online, the bulb looks like it's held in by some sort of metal ring that won't budge anywhere and neither will the bulb... The other side looks like it has a brand new metal ring so I assume the PO broke it off and replaced it at some point.. Any ideas on how I'm supposed to take this apart?
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Jun 11, 2013 23:59
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Drunken Lullabies posted:I can't for the life of me get the bulb out of my low beam on my US hella ellipsoids... It looks a lot different than any pictures online, the bulb looks like it's held in by some sort of metal ring that won't budge anywhere and neither will the bulb... The other side looks like it has a brand new metal ring so I assume the PO broke it off and replaced it at some point.. Any ideas on how I'm supposed to take this apart?
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Jun 12, 2013 00:18
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Yeah for every BMW I've ever owned the bulbs twist 90 degrees and pull out. edit: Great. Spend 150 bucks on my hood latch a week ago so I could drive the car for another 4 months. Then tonight my brake pedal sinks to the floor and my reservoir is suddenly almost empty. If it's a hardline, I am loving done with my 328. Trying to put 40,000km/year on an e36 has gotten ridiculous. Crustashio fucked around with this message at 03:29 on Jun 12, 2013 |
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Jun 12, 2013 02:21
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So as some of you may recall I just got this new to me 2007 335i flappy tranny (sad but it was a free car so gently caress it (also flame away I love you all)) with sport package and maybe other packages I don’t know and probably don’t care about. Is there a VIN lookup or something similar if I wanted to find out? The car has just shy of 45k miles on it. I just had the oil changed at the dealer and they also did spark plugs and a new HPFP. I have a few (more) questions. What oil do you guys typically run? PO was running Castrol Edge synthetic 5w30. I’ve been using Amsoil SSO 5w30 in my STi and in a car that is notorious for consuming oil, mine has not even come close to average consumption based on what I’ve read. As a result I’m pretty happy with the Amsoil, but its pricy and inconvenient since it has to be ordered. Plus, the filler on the 335 says that Castrol is recommended. I’ve heard of “German Castrol” but would not know how to look for that at Autozone or whatever. What else should I / can I do to freshen it up? Brakes feel good, tranny seems good. Is there an easy way to check coolant levels? I have noticed there is no oil dipstick. Power steering seems happy unless I’m at full lock and it whines a little, but I never do that unless I’m “checking it” anyway. I have noticed a couple other things though. The motor sounds good but there is a rattling on cold start, almost like some part of the exhaust is hitting something 2-4 times at start. It’s a light metallic tap tap and not alarming sound and it stops immediately and never returns. I’ve read about waste gate rattles, is that a possibility? Second is that the seat belt butler on the driver side stopped going all the way back in. It functions correctly but the last couple drives it has only retracted back into its spot about 60%. I heard they are adjustable but I don’t know how. Finally, I have noticed this drip coming from the back of the car.  I feel like it’s AC condensation, it’s definitely not oil or brake fluid as it is odorless and drys without leaving a residue behind. I assume it runs down the car to the passenger side read fender and drips off. I think it runs down because of the silly slope of my driveway. Any common coolant leaks? That’s the only thing it looks like it might be besides AC condensation. No SES lights or anything though leads me to believe, in my limited BMW experience, that the sensors are happy and everything is working fine. Last two questions for now: I paired my iphone 4 to the car and it works to make and receive calls and what not. Can I play music through the Bluetooth connection? If not then -1 for the BMW. Last one is what are the recommend racks for carrying bikes? I have racks I just need bars I guess to mount the racks to. I need to be able to carry two trail bikes (60 lb max). Thanks in advance doods, I know these questions are all over the place.
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Jun 12, 2013 16:55
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My was doing that. It's just AC condensation which drips down on the passenger side. I was worried it was washer fluid beacuse the light for it kept coming on, but it was just at the right level to sometimes be low and sometimes not.
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Jun 12, 2013 16:58
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THE BLACK NINJA posted:VIN lookup? VIN lookup.
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Jun 12, 2013 17:04
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Awesome, thanks guys. I'll use that VIN jam when I get home tonight.
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Jun 12, 2013 17:30
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Anyone ever used something like this to find coolant leaks? http://www.amazon.com/Dye-Lite%C2%AE-Engine-Coolant-Auto-Check/dp/B001872DZY For a bit I thought my coolant leak was in the heater core section of the system, but it's started losing coolant again at a rate of somewhere around a half quart a week, depending on how often I drive. How hard I drive doesn't seem to have any impact. There's a slight smell of coolant when I'm driving, but it's not coming through the exhaust so it doesn't seem to be getting in to the cylinders. The oil is old enough that I'm changing it this weekend, but the dipstick is clean, no "mayo" or other signs of contamination that way, so it doesn't seem like its going there either. Lastly, I've thrown a cardboard box under the car while parked a number of times and seen nothing but the A/C water, so if it's coming out externally it's doing so only while driving or in such small quantities that it pools on the various underbody bits and blows off while moving. I know the car is due for the full cooling system refresh anyways, but I at least want to *find* the problem before I just throw everything at it.
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Jun 12, 2013 20:05
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Thanks, it was just really siezed on there. I always get nervous about breaking things I own, but my old man had no problem tearing it out. I'm ripping these lovely HID's out, should I go with HIR lights or stock 9005's?
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Jun 13, 2013 07:16
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Going for a test drive of this 2012 BMW 650i tomorrow. Does the car look good on paper? I'm a total BMW newbie so your opinions mean a lot! http://www.advantagebmwhouston.com/details/Used+2012+BMW+6%20Series+650i+WBALX3C53CC528584#.UbU5ziQ0UXI.email Any specific questions or things I should look for?
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Jun 13, 2013 15:57
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