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BMW 3-Series Maintenance and Repair

4450 messages,  Last post on Dec 05, 2009 at 12:23 PM

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#51 of 4450 div2 by ccotenj Feb 27, 2001 (8:21 am)
yup, i really don't think you are qualified to be offering opinions on this subject. much less me....   -Chris
#52 of 4450 ccotenj by div2 Feb 27, 2001 (8:35 am)
Yeah, what do WE know???
#53 of 4450 But Bob Dylan Said by lokki Feb 27, 2001 (3:35 pm)
You don't need to be a weatherman to know which way the wind blows....   Surely that means something.   If you find out what, let me know please.
#54 of 4450 the 3 series E46 has numerous quality issues by smoothrunning Feb 28, 2001 (4:18 am)
the notorious thermostat failures,   steering wheel shimmies,   check engines lights coming on,   airbag warning lights coming on,   transmissions failing(the e36 and e46 3 series have a general motors automatic transmission),   the e39 528i's have the gm transmission too   numerous rattles and squeaks,   premature brake pad wear(this has been reported numerous times before by others)   ticking engine noise at idle(not related to oil starvation),   engine knocking at low speeds,   the notorious clunk(while moving forward slowly in 1st gear try turning and half thru the turn depress the clutch and one might hear the noise.. this is at parking lot speeds; a british magazine commented on this and found it to be unacceptable); seems this was a problem since the 1992-1999 e36 3 series as well   cars stalling out in the middle of the road!   these are just some of the problems that I have heard of.   anyone else had other issues?
#55 of 4450 COULD ALL THESE QUALITY ISSUES BE RELATED TO THE FACT THAT THE E46 3 SERIES ARE MANUFACTURED IN S. AFRICA???? by smoothrunning Feb 28, 2001 (4:36 am)
talk about third world countries... finland   that's kinda like porsche manufacturing their boxsters in finland   i remember early boxsters had their engines catching fire and seizing..   the quality of the honda accords dropped too once they were made in ohio   bmw should lower their price and/or increase the standard options...   $35,000 for a 184 horsepower car is too much...   there was an actual owner the uuc digest(a BMW forum) a while back and he wanted to sell his e46 330Ci after one year... he stated the msrp was $44.5 plus tax   guess what he was offered? $26,000!!   so he stands to lose almost $25,000 in one year!!   now the car had high miles for a 2000 model (36K miles) but still that is really dismal   i heard of another guy who wanted to sell his 1997 540i that cost well over $50,000 brand new!   he was offered $20,000!!!   maybe all the electrical gremlins affecting the cars take their toll after all in a bigger way   OUCH!
#56 of 4450 smoothrunning by div2 Feb 28, 2001 (6:53 am)
I usually don't respond to trolls; particularly ones who manifest their ignorance in such an obvious manner. Nonetheless, I must correct your most hilariously inaccurate statement: E46s sold in the US are built in Germany. BMW does have a plant in South Africa- which builds BMWs for only for domestic consumption. When you eventually get to sit in a BMW(or perhaps even DRIVE one)let us know.
#57 of 4450 div2 by ccotenj Feb 28, 2001 (8:55 am)
geez. call the guys in the white coats, we got a live one here...   -Chris
#58 of 4450 Reminds me of the Winston Churchill quote about Democracy by lokki Feb 28, 2001 (4:10 pm)
Churchill said,   "Democracy is the worst form of government...except for all the others"
#59 of 4450 S. African BMW's are being delivered to stateside as we speak by smoothrunning Feb 28, 2001 (8:49 pm)
and that is reality   that is the big tamale whether you like it or not   personally I'll pass
#60 of 4450 I can give a reason for every single E46 Problem by mitsugst Mar 01, 2001 (1:49 am)
I personally have never owned a BMW, although I have driven many, admired them all my life, have a lot of knowledge of and experience with cars, and my next car will be a 330Ci (or maybe even a 325ti). Anyway, all the issues that are related to BMW's posted above are justifiable, and in any case who cares. Here's my reason's for the problems:   OEM Factory Brake pads (not rotors nor calipers): manufactured for the masses by a select few companies, all having wear problems. Get over this, as a matter of fact most cars have this problem, it's just like many factory battery problems (in case you haven't heard of them).   steering wheel shimmy: Big wheels, low profile tires, and dings caused by curves can cause this. It's called responsive steering to everything underneath (even a slight imperfection in the wheel). Get a real tire co to balance the wheel and you won't notice it unless your rim is elliptical. I also believe there is some true problems with these though (especially some of the metric sizes they like to use - mostly tastes though).   Auto Transmission problems: All that needs to be said is "General Motors Auto Transmission?"   rattles and squeaks: Frame-less windows are the culprits in this department, all cars with these have this problem. It's a drawback to have this problem, but the advantage is an increase in body rigidity for the great canyon carving BMW's are known for. If you like the handling, then get over the windows. You just simply need to get the dealer to readjust the windows on occasion (the internal door components tend to loosen up and the window tends to roll differently, it's a mandatory break in period).   Thermostat failure: see brakes   Clutch problems: The clutch is known to be one of the best in the industry, if it has some flaws, you can't expect perfection. It's another one of those you can't have everything (great performance, some drawbacks)   Ticking Engine noise and Engine knock: Most if not all DOHC engines have these problems, DOHC creates more power although has noise drawbacks. If you like the power, get over this, it's inevitable and normal. I've had DOHC engines make noise from day 1 (actually one month old) and go 100k miles (as is reads today) and never have a problem.   warning lights coming on, and car stalling: merely random failures, acceptable due to the amount of electronics in the car. Too few occurrences of these to mean anything.   THE BOTTOM LINE: Take the car as a whole, compare it to others, then make a decision for yourself. BMW's don't have their reputation, and hundreds upon hundreds of awards, for not being one of the best. Pricey (for their respective classes), but one of the best.   P.S. Anybody know any information on the new 325ti? It's specs? It's HP to weight ratio? It's expected performance? It's sounds practical and a lot of fun. Replies to this message: maxine1 (Sep 26, 2005 1:01 pm)

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