New 2003 330ci
Unknown
I finally purchased my first BMW 330ci. I got an awesome deal on a
2003 model so I didn't purchase the 2004 325ci that I was originally
going to get. The car looks so sweet. Thank you everyone for all your
input, which helped convince me to buy the car. I'm actually using a
loaner right now because the car had a broken moonroof cover when I
bought the car. Somehow it got dislodged from the rail so the cover
couldn't be easily slid back to reveal the moonroof. Talk about bad
luck. Well, that's what warranties are for. It was pretty much the
last 330ci in the west coast so I was fortunate enough to get it.
I have two questions that I would appreciate this NG's invaluable
input on. First, the 3 series do not come with any alarm system, as
many of you already know. Can this be easily self installed? If so,
which alarm is compatible and where can I get instructions on how to
do it? The rep that sold me the car also mentioned that I could get
Lo-Jack installed. He even emphasized the fact that it would probably
be a better investment than getting an alarm. What are your takes on
this? Also, can a Lo-Jack be self installed?
Second, I've heard many of you mention that dealers provide one free
programming for every car. Does this have to be performed by the
dealer where I purchase the car or will any dealer do this? I imagine
they all have access to the same vehicle history database. What kinds
of things can be programmed? I've heard of programming the clown light
so that it activates when the car is locked to give the impression
that the car has an alarm. What else?
Thanks again for your input guys!
John Lee
Skid
gives you the deterrence value of the alarm without the cost. If you want
the alarm, it is a DIY and costs about $225 from the site below, which
provides instructions. Your dealer will charge you a lot more.
http://www.circlebmw.com/service/access/9416520.htm
Some discussion points:
BMW's anti-theft safeguards are very good. You can't start one without a
properly coded key. That means a thief either has to have the technology and
time to disable the system, or a truck to load or tow it. The most common
problem seems to be thieves breaking passenger windows to get at the glove
compartment, where some clueless owners leave the valet key in the owner's
manual. Car-jacking is another problem entirely, being alert is the only
defense there.
An alarm may let you know when somebody is messing with your car, or when it
gets a nudge from an inconsiderate parker, or when a bus passes too close,
etc. It doesn't deter a professional thief. Ask yourself what you did the
last time you heard someone else's car alarm sound. Did you call the cops or
just keep walking?
Lo-Jack may help police find your car after you report it stolen. Two
questions to ask yourself here. Is that peace of mind worth the price, given
the fact that a BMW is not that simple to steal in the first place? If it is
stolen for a joyride, damaged, abused and/or stripped, do you want it back?
Not everyone will answer the same way. If you are considering it, check with
your insurance company for discounts that may make it more affordable.
Great car, by the way. I just bought a 2003 330i, and took the free option
of a blinking clown nose. I've never had a car stolen, and hope that the
thieves in my town don't like my BMW as much as I do. Fortunately, the Lexus
and Infiniti models have more bling-bling appeal, according to the local
cops.
<John Lee> wrote in message
news:kdntgv0u4ctc07d30...@4ax.com...
M32003Bmw
>First, the 3 series do not come with any alarm system, as
>many of you already know. Can this be easily self installed? If so,
>which alarm is compatible and where can I get instructions on how to
>do it? The rep that sold me the car also mentioned that I could get
>Lo-Jack installed. He even emphasized the fact that it would probably
>be a better investment than getting an alarm. What are your takes on
>this? Also, can a Lo-Jack be self installed?
>
>Second, I've heard many of you mention that dealers provide one free
>programming for every car. Does this have to be performed by the
>dealer where I purchase the car or will any dealer do this? I imagine
>they all have access to the same vehicle history database. What kinds
>of things can be programmed? I've heard of programming the clown light
>so that it activates when the car is locked to give the impression
>that the car has an alarm. What else?
>
>Thanks again for your input guys!
>John Lee
3s *can* come with alarms. It is allegedly easy to self-install if it is
pre-wired. Open your trunk and it will show if it is.
Don't just get the clown nose activated. They probably won't do it and it is
not an audible alarm, not that I know of anyway. The alarm horn is probably on
board already, but the nose and alarm aren't connected, if I am understanding
correctly. I got an alarm from them and they installed it for about 400 or so
dollars on my M3. They should do it cheaper since you just purchased your car.
I also got all the Lo-Jack that was available, the extended warranty on it
too, whatever it is called. The name escapes me at the moment. I will warn
you, they won't let you be in the room when the Lo-Jack is installed. They
don't want you knowing where it is incase you slip and tell your friends and
then they steal the car. Yeah, I know, strange.
Lo-Jack is supposed to be good, actually not available everywhere even if it is
installed and really, you want to deter anyone from actually driving off with
your car and chopping it up. Even if the engine is disabled, it can still be
towed away by someone and then they can chop it up. So I suggest a car alarm
too. I still have both. The extended Lo-Jack stuff is if they don't recover
your car, they give you $5000.00 plus whatever your insurance company gives you
too. Also, there is the added cost that is a quicker alert system, supposedly
finding it within or starting to look for it within 15 minutes.
I think if I had to choose one or the other, I would go with the car alarm over
the Lo-Jack. Car alarm is a lot cheaper too.
My son installed his own BMW alarm but he is very car savvy. Maybe it is easy
for anyone. I bought his and really, the installation on mine and the cost of
it was not much more than I paid for his which he
installed himself. I paid almost $400 for his if I am remembering right.
M32003Bmw
>Fortunately, the Lexus
>and Infiniti models have more bling-bling appeal, according to the local
>cops.
Toyotas Camrys and Hondas are the most stolen car. No bling bling appeal
there.
Unknown
>gives you the deterrence value of the alarm without the cost. If you want
>the alarm, it is a DIY and costs about $225 from the site below, which
>provides instructions. Your dealer will charge you a lot more.
>http://www.circlebmw.com/service/access/9416520.htm
$225 sounds reasonable. There seems to be a lot of steps however. I'll
look at it in greater detail to see if it's feasible for me to do it.
Do you know if this will automatically enable the clown light? Or do
you still have to bring it into the dealer to do that?
>Some discussion points:
>
>BMW's anti-theft safeguards are very good. You can't start one without a
>properly coded key. That means a thief either has to have the technology and
>time to disable the system, or a truck to load or tow it. The most common
>problem seems to be thieves breaking passenger windows to get at the glove
>compartment, where some clueless owners leave the valet key in the owner's
>manual. Car-jacking is another problem entirely, being alert is the only
>defense there.
Okay, note, do not leave valet key in car. =) The sales rep mentioned
about flat-bedding the car away. I would imagine that most car-jackers
would not have the means to disable the system. That was the reason
for the lo-jack, but as you mentioned BMW may not be really worth
stealing in the first place. One scenario worth considering is that
since BMW are hard to start (if not possible) without the key, the
crook flatbeds the car to a safe spot... waits to see if the cops find
it, which will indicate whether or not it has Lo-Jack installed. If
not, then they can take their time disabling the anti-theft safeguard.
I dunno... this might work.
>An alarm may let you know when somebody is messing with your car, or when it
>gets a nudge from an inconsiderate parker, or when a bus passes too close,
>etc. It doesn't deter a professional thief. Ask yourself what you did the
>last time you heard someone else's car alarm sound. Did you call the cops or
>just keep walking?
Nope, just kept walking. =)
>Lo-Jack may help police find your car after you report it stolen. Two
>questions to ask yourself here. Is that peace of mind worth the price, given
>the fact that a BMW is not that simple to steal in the first place? If it is
>stolen for a joyride, damaged, abused and/or stripped, do you want it back?
>Not everyone will answer the same way. If you are considering it, check with
>your insurance company for discounts that may make it more affordable.
All very good points. I'll check with my insurance company when I sign
up for a new plan.
>Great car, by the way. I just bought a 2003 330i, and took the free option
>of a blinking clown nose. I've never had a car stolen, and hope that the
>thieves in my town don't like my BMW as much as I do. Fortunately, the Lexus
>and Infiniti models have more bling-bling appeal, according to the local
>cops.
Hopefully I'll have the same luck as you then. =)
Thanks!
John
Unknown
>pre-wired. Open your trunk and it will show if it is.
Where in the trunk does it show if it's prewired?
>Don't just get the clown nose activated. They probably won't do it and it is
>not an audible alarm, not that I know of anyway. The alarm horn is probably on
>board already, but the nose and alarm aren't connected, if I am understanding
>correctly. I got an alarm from them and they installed it for about 400 or so
>dollars on my M3. They should do it cheaper since you just purchased your car.
I've heard several people say that they got the dealer to do it for
them. Maybe they're just more lenient than the typical dealer since
they're sorta cheating themselves out of the cost of selling an alarm
system.
> I also got all the Lo-Jack that was available, the extended warranty on it
>too, whatever it is called. The name escapes me at the moment. I will warn
>you, they won't let you be in the room when the Lo-Jack is installed. They
>don't want you knowing where it is incase you slip and tell your friends and
>then they steal the car. Yeah, I know, strange.
Haha... so do they do it at random places for each car they install it
on? I wonder how big it is. There must be limited options on where to
put it if it's large enough.
>Lo-Jack is supposed to be good, actually not available everywhere even if it is
>installed and really, you want to deter anyone from actually driving off with
>your car and chopping it up. Even if the engine is disabled, it can still be
>towed away by someone and then they can chop it up. So I suggest a car alarm
>too. I still have both.
True true...
>The extended Lo-Jack stuff is if they don't recover
>your car, they give you $5000.00 plus whatever your insurance company gives you
>too. Also, there is the added cost that is a quicker alert system, supposedly
>finding it within or starting to look for it within 15 minutes.
So what does a "standard" Lo-Jack do? Recover the car in more than 15
minutes? What happens if their system is unsuccessful in tracking down
your car in a timely manner?
>I think if I had to choose one or the other, I would go with the car alarm over
>the Lo-Jack. Car alarm is a lot cheaper too.
I'll consider that
>My son installed his own BMW alarm but he is very car savvy. Maybe it is easy
>for anyone. I bought his and really, the installation on mine and the cost of
>it was not much more than I paid for his which he
>installed himself. I paid almost $400 for his if I am remembering right.
I'll have to look into the prices. As skid mentioned you can get an
alarm for $225. I wonder if it's the same one that BMW uses.
John
M32003Bmw
>Where in the trunk does it show if it's prewired?
On the trunk lid itself. Open it up and it will be on the left toward the top,
same side of the lid the latch is on.
>Haha... so do they do it at random places for each car they install it
>on? I wonder how big it is. There must be limited options on where to
>put it if it's large enough.
Yes, they have a series of points where it can be placed. I think there is a
similar device put out by someone else that is similar to Lo-Jack that you can
put on and take off yourself. Can't tell you the name right now because I
don't remember it. It is an antenna of sorts.
>So what does a "standard" Lo-Jack do? Recover the car in more than 15
>minutes? What happens if their system is unsuccessful in tracking down
>your car in a timely manner?
I think if you don't have the extended one, you are out of luck. Don't quote
me on that. Go here to read up on it: http://www.lojack.com/
Okay, just read it is the Early Warning Device that is additional, plus I paid
for all the lifetime fees. You can read about it on their site.
>I'll have to look into the prices. As skid mentioned you can get an
>alarm for $225. I wonder if it's the same one that BMW uses.
BMW no doubt charges more than other places, so check it out.
Skid
yours is too. The link I gave you IS a BMW dealer, but they ship the stock
BMW alarm system for a lower price than other dealers retail it. You might
ask your dealer if they would match the online price. The DIY install is not
bad if you're handy with tools, but some people would rather spend the money
than the time. The siren is part of the alarm kit, and does NOT come with
the car.
Key programming, with a bunch of owner options including the blinking
clown-nose, is free the first time around. My dealer did it for me as part
of the new car setup process. I was told that if you select that option, the
alarm will be enabled if and when you install it yourself. Otherwise, you
will have to take it back to the dealer to activate the alarm, but they
shouldn't charge you more than a half-hour of shop time.
Lo-Jack helps police track your car AFTER you report it stolen. There is a
newer, more expensive version that is supposed to notify you by e-mail or
cell phone if your car is moved without your permission, but you still have
to call the cops to report it stolen.
Call me cheap or naive, but IMHO if theft-prevention is the goal, the
blinking clown nose gets you most of the benefit with none of the cost. It
makes the potential thief think there is an alarm on the car. If he thinks
that and breaks in anyway, he expects a siren to sound and is not going to
be surprised or deterred when it does. Opening the hood and clipping a wire
will turn it off in a few seconds. I personally have had enough frustration
dealing with flase alarms that blare a siren in the middle of the night
because of traffic noise, thunder or a neighbor tapping the bumper that I'd
rather go without.
Likewise, Lo-Jack is only a deterrent if the potential thief knows it's
there. If I could find a Lo-Jack decal, I'd put it on without the hardware.
One thing to keep in mind is that Lo-Jack doesn't have universal coverage.
In many states, big city police have the tracking equipment and rural
departments don't. Pro thieves know this. Some of them have the technology
to defeat Lo-Jack. Otherwise they move it as fast as possible to a chop shop
somewhere Lo-Jack doesn't reach.
Bottom line, either way you are paying for peace of mind. How much you pay,
and how much peace of mind you really get, is a call you can only make
yourself. But do some homework first.
Here's a post I stole from another forum:
> Joyriders: deterred by flashing red LED
> Amatuers: deterred by starter kill and/or siren
> Professional Car Theives: Unstoppable. (This includes those w/ a tow
> truck.) Unless you lock your ride up with a boot, if a pro wants it,
> it's his.
> Even that chip in the key sh*t doesn't protect you. It, like all
> alarms, just slows the pros down.
<John Lee> wrote in message
news:454ugvo3b9mo8akb8...@4ax.com...
Unknown
>same side of the lid the latch is on.
I'll check when I get my car back.
>I think if you don't have the extended one, you are out of luck. Don't quote
>me on that. Go here to read up on it: http://www.lojack.com/
>Okay, just read it is the Early Warning Device that is additional, plus I paid
>for all the lifetime fees. You can read about it on their site.
I'll do the research. Thanks.
>>I'll have to look into the prices. As skid mentioned you can get an
>>alarm for $225. I wonder if it's the same one that BMW uses.
>
>BMW no doubt charges more than other places, so check it out.
>
Will do.
John
Unknown
>clown-nose, is free the first time around. My dealer did it for me as part
>of the new car setup process. I was told that if you select that option, the
>alarm will be enabled if and when you install it yourself. Otherwise, you
>will have to take it back to the dealer to activate the alarm, but they
>shouldn't charge you more than a half-hour of shop time.
Sounds like I should get it enabled (if possible) since it could be
useful when I do the self-install and also as a false deterrent in the
event that I don't opt to go with an alarm.
>Likewise, Lo-Jack is only a deterrent if the potential thief knows it's
>there. If I could find a Lo-Jack decal, I'd put it on without the hardware.
>One thing to keep in mind is that Lo-Jack doesn't have universal coverage.
>In many states, big city police have the tracking equipment and rural
>departments don't. Pro thieves know this. Some of them have the technology
>to defeat Lo-Jack. Otherwise they move it as fast as possible to a chop shop
>somewhere Lo-Jack doesn't reach.
Good point. I didn't think about the coverage.
M32003Bmw
>If I could find a Lo-Jack decal, I'd put it on without the hardware.
Lo-Jack comes with no decal, so when you have it, they don't know if you have
it or not.
>One thing to keep in mind is that Lo-Jack doesn't have universal coverage.
They just got Washington State coverage as they notified me by email. If you
want to read the article, here it is:
http://www.imakenews.com/lojack/index000033178.cfm?x=a1VcCJ7,a13J3ntv
or if that breaks up:
http://tinyurl.com/govt
JRE
and trunk-mounted CD changer.
The alarm horn does not come with the car. It comes with the
alarm kit. I've installed three of them now. No big deal...the
tilt sensor and motion detector are pretty quick and
easy...though the alarm horn is a bit of a pain to mount because
the position is awkward and it's buried under the base of the
windshield near the wiper motor so you have to remove the HVAC
filter housing. However, anyone that knows which end of a wrench
to hold shouldn't need more than 60 minutes or so (the first
time).
It is possible to get the clown nose to flash without the alarm
installed. At one point doing so caused fault codes to be stored
but I don't know if that's still true (or particularly care,
actually).
JRE
M32003Bmw wrote:
>
> 3s *can* come with alarms. It is allegedly easy to self-install if it is
> pre-wired. Open your trunk and it will show if it is.
> Don't just get the clown nose activated. They probably won't do it and it is
> not an audible alarm, not that I know of anyway. The alarm horn is probably on
> board already, but the nose and alarm aren't connected, if I am understanding
> correctly.
<snip>
M32003Bmw
>The alarm horn does not come with the car. It comes with the
>alarm kit.
Yes, he's right. I was wrong.
DItalianSalami
>
> Thanks again for your input guys!
> John Lee
I don't know about other insurance companies, but mine gave a very good
discount for lojack. I'll have to double check but I think it was like
10-20% off of the comprehensive coverage. May have been 30. Well
anyway they don't even care if you get an alarm after lojack. Mine will
only discount for one or the other, and lojack gives a much better
discount. So of course with insurance savings either install is going
to pay for itself in the end.
The first thing my insurance agent told me to do was not to leave the
lojack card in the car. The whole idea is that you don't want thieves
knowing you have it, cuz if you do they'll look for it and take it out
first. They only put the lojack device in a couple of places. I found
mine already and I was just doing some minor work.
--
-DItalianSalami
-97 Estoril Blue M3
-Remove Spamsux from Email to Respond
daytripper
<donatoo...@AdelphiaSpamsux.Net> wrote:
>John Lee wrote:
>>
>> Thanks again for your input guys!
>> John Lee
>
>I don't know about other insurance companies, but mine gave a very good
>discount for lojack. I'll have to double check but I think it was like
>10-20% off of the comprehensive coverage. May have been 30.
Massachusetts gives 35% off the comprehensive coverage premium portion of auto
insurance for LoJak...
M32003Bmw
>I don't know about other insurance companies, but mine gave a very good
>discount for lojack. I'll have to double check but I think it was like
>10-20% off of the comprehensive coverage. May have been 30. Well
>anyway they don't even care if you get an alarm after lojack. Mine will
>only discount for one or the other, and lojack gives a much better
>discount. So of course with insurance savings either install is going
>to pay for itself in the end.
Mine must be a very weird company because I was thinking I would get mine
lowered because of it, but they were like, "oh no, we view Lo-Jack as
customization so it could make your insurance go up." I am like, "what the
hell?" Then they went onto say that BMWs excellent theft preventative devices
already on the car is what would lower the insurance cost. They said they
wouldn't even mention I had Lo-Jack so my cost wouldn't go up. That is the
first time I had ever heard of a company treating Lo-Jack that way.
>
>The first thing my insurance agent told me to do was not to leave the
>lojack card in the car. The whole idea is that you don't want thieves
>knowing you have it, cuz if you do they'll look for it and take it out
>first. They only put the lojack device in a couple of places. I found
>mine already and I was just doing some minor work.
I heard there are about 5 places.
Put your card on your key ring.
Unknown
I turned on my car yesterday and walked to the front of the car. I was
surprised as to how loud the engine is. More specifically, the fan is
quite loud. There appears to be two fans, one right in front of the
engine and the other in front of the radiator. I think the one in
front of the radiator is the one that's generating the most amount of
noise. It almost sounds like a hair blow-dryer. Not only that, but
when you stand to the side of the engine you can feel the heat coming
from below the hood and onto your leg. Very warm. Is the noise and
heat normal? I imagine the heat is but I would imagine the BMW to be
quieter. It is very quiet when I'm inside the car and the window is
raised. Actually about the only thing I hear inside the car is the
growl of the exhaust when I start moving the car from a standstill.
The 323ci loaner I had didn't have that kind of growl. Is this a
"feature" of the 330ci? It sounds really cool either way.
I'm not sure what this part is called, but it's the strips along the
sides of the roof of the car where you usually mount roof racks. I
believe it controls water flow. Well, one side is sticking up a little
so I'm going to bring it to BMW to have it fixed. Hopefully there will
be no other problems. =)
John
Skid
The auxilliary fan doesn't run all the time. You'll hear it when the weather
is hot and the AC is on. Otherwise what you're hearing, and feeling on your
leg, is normal.
<John Lee> wrote in message
news:fmj5hvsbonlnenccl...@4ax.com...
Unknown
Woohoo! Now everyone will know I'm coming. =) Does the sedan also
share the same growl? Or is it quieter since it's targeting a slightly
different audience?
>The auxilliary fan doesn't run all the time. You'll hear it when the weather
>is hot and the AC is on. Otherwise what you're hearing, and feeling on your
>leg, is normal.
Ah, I see. It's a relief to hear that it is normal. I wish that it was
quieter though. But as long as the cabin is quiet I guess that should
be good enough because that's where I'll be. I noticed that the
auxiliary fan stays spinning for a little while after I turned off the
car. I guess it's cooling things down before it takes a rest. Pretty
neat.
John
Skid
spend money on a sports exhaust that amplifies it a bit and provides an
almost imperceptible HP boost, but I think it's perfect the way it is. You
know you're driving a powerful car, but you can still have a conversation or
hear the radio without turning it up to a near-painful volume.
<John Lee> wrote in message
news:udl5hvkd9gpf2e92u...@4ax.com...
Unknown
you start moving the car and when you're passing another car up. Every
other time, the growl is barely noticeable and the engine is nice and
quiet. I'm definitely not going to tweak my exhaust to make it noiser.
I like it the way it is right now too.
John
Unknown
>>gives you the deterrence value of the alarm without the cost. If you want
>>the alarm, it is a DIY and costs about $225 from the site below, which
>>provides instructions. Your dealer will charge you a lot more.
>>http://www.circlebmw.com/service/access/9416520.htm
>
>$225 sounds reasonable. There seems to be a lot of steps however. I'll
>look at it in greater detail to see if it's feasible for me to do it.
>Do you know if this will automatically enable the clown light? Or do
>you still have to bring it into the dealer to do that?
I picked up my car the other day and when I talked to the dealer, he
mentioned that the alarm has to be activated by software after you
install it. He says that they charge about $100 to activate it (guess
it takes that much time to do it or it could just be a poor estimate),
so if that's the case, then it might just be better to have them do
the whole installation since I'll have to bring them the car
eventually anyway. What do you think? Or is there another way?
John
Skid
original setup and coding of the keys on a new car. It was on mine.
I chose not to install the alarm, but I have seen posts from others who say
that once the clown nose is activated you should not have to go back to the
dealer to activate an alarm system installed afterward.
In any case, the dealer should not charge you more than half an hour of shop
time for a five-minute job (I watched.)
It's all a matter of money. My dealer wanted more than $500 to install the
alarm. He said he would charge me $50 to activate a DIY alarm. I chose the
blinking clown nose, which was free.
If I wanted the alarm, I'd probably install it myself to save $300. I did
install a CD changer for less than half what the dealer wanted, and while
the alarm is more complicated the instructions I've seen on various sites
including:
http://www.e46fanatics.com/faq/faqs.php
make it seem doable. Your car, your cash, your call.
<John Lee> wrote in message
news:3i06hvk2vm62uo41f...@4ax.com...
Unknown
>original setup and coding of the keys on a new car. It was on mine.
Too late for me since I already picked up my car. I wish I had asked
sooner. No biggie.
>I chose not to install the alarm, but I have seen posts from others who say
>that once the clown nose is activated you should not have to go back to the
>dealer to activate an alarm system installed afterward.
>
>In any case, the dealer should not charge you more than half an hour of shop
>time for a five-minute job (I watched.)
I'll keep that in mind.
>It's all a matter of money. My dealer wanted more than $500 to install the
>alarm. He said he would charge me $50 to activate a DIY alarm. I chose the
>blinking clown nose, which was free.
>
>If I wanted the alarm, I'd probably install it myself to save $300. I did
>install a CD changer for less than half what the dealer wanted, and while
>the alarm is more complicated the instructions I've seen on various sites
>including:
>
>http://www.e46fanatics.com/faq/faqs.php
>
>make it seem doable. Your car, your cash, your call.
Great, thanks for the input!
John