# My new car... Sahara Beige 2001 330i



## zach- (Nov 28, 2004)

Hi guys! I've been browsing the forums for about a week now and they continue to make me more excited about my car. I had an accident several weeks ago near the 101 and Indian Bend -- I totalled my car, a silver 1997 Lexus ES300. After much searching, I found a "Sahara Beige" (what a funny color) 2001 330i in Vegas that I really liked, so I went up there and got it. It's a fantastic vehicle... I feel like I'm steering on rails. The acceleration from 60mph to 100mph is INSANE. I love the xenons, I love the climate control, I love the low-end power and throaty exhaust growl. I do miss heated seats -- that'll be annoying when I go back to Indiana for winter break.

I don't know if I have the 'sport' package or not - I don't think so. I've got xenons, leather, stock CD (with the HK system, I believe), dual chrome exhaust (may be rice, but looks nice ).

I'm home with family for Thanksgiving, but when I get back to Tempe, I'll post pics of the car!

I'm a little concerned about theft/vandalism. Tempe isn't the greatest place in the world and while I've never felt uncomfortable, I do feel a little more exposed with the 330i. I'm renting a house a few blocks away from the ASU campus with five other friends. The neighborhood I'm in isn't horrible, most of the residents are families with few renters. There are a few new Accords and Altimas. I never had a problem with my ES, aside from dumbass roomates hitting it with their bicycles.

Unfortunately, we don't have a garage, only a carport. I plan on using a sunshade, obviously, when the hot weather returns, but also plan on using a car cover to protect it from the elements and minimize attention to it. Other than that, I don't really know of anything else I could do to preserve/protect my car. A Phoenix police officer suggested getting a Club, but everything I've read has said that thieves will either cut the steering wheel and slide it right off, or feel 'challenged' by it and be MORE inclined to try to break into the car. Any thoughts on that? I never leave CDs or anything else valuable in my car, so hopefully it wouldn't be too attractive to passing thieves. And the head unit is just the stock Business CD radio unit.

How difficult are the xenon headlights to remove? I've been feeling kind of nervous about those, too... are they just a smash-and-grab job, or does it require more time? The advantage of having so many roommates is that we all come and go at various times of the day. There's really no time during the day that no one will not be home, and we continue that pace up to 11pm or 12am... and then start over around 6am and 7am.

Also, this is kind of weird, but... does my car have an alarm? It doesn't beep or chirp when I lock the doors. I guess I should get one! (and a tilt sensor?)The cop I spoke to also recommended getting a 'kill switch,' but I have to wonder - there aren't too many undetectable places, within reach of the driver, that one could hide a kill switch, are there?

Would LoJack be a wise investment? Tempe/Phoenix is only like 2-3 hours away from the border - the main reason why so many cars are stolen. But I've heard that if your car IS stolen, you might as well hope they never recover it, because it'll be in crappy condition - either gutted or trashed.

Sorry for the huge post! I look forward to hanging out here!


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## PhilH (Jun 7, 2002)

If your front bumper and wheels look like this, then you have the sport package...









If your front bumper and wheels look like this, then you don't have the sport package...


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## Llarry (May 17, 2002)

Congratulations! Rare color!

Also, the front seats & steering wheel are different on a 330i with sport pkg.

The tilt sensor is included with the alarm.


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## ljh824 (Jul 14, 2004)

Post some pics please. Would love to see that color. Congrats!!


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## zach- (Nov 28, 2004)

Thanks for the positive posts, I'm grinning constantly when I think of my car! :bigpimp: 

I'll post pics tonight... it's really pretty. It's got a slight tint to it -- not as much as I would prefer (20% all-around) -- which makes it look sharp at night, too.

I guess it doesn't have the sport package. Blast. My rims look like the second picture. I'm a little nervous about taking the car back home to Indiana over winter break. I've heard mixed things about driving an RWD BMW in the snow. I plan on weighting the back with salt or sand and driving conservatively... things that should keep me safe. I will try to maintain the condition of the wheels by cleaning them regularly.


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## iateyourcheese (Sep 9, 2004)

Just took my 330i non sport home to Indiana (South Bend) for Thanksgiving. I was rewarded with 7 inches of snow in one evening. :thumbdwn: It handled so-so. I've driven mostly FWD cars in the snow so it was a different experience. It was kind of fun to break the back end loose when going around a corner. Just give it a blip of the throttle and that thing is gone! It goes to show that the BMW dealer up there sells lots more xi's than the one in St. Louis.

Of course, it wasn't nearly as bad as a light, rear wheel drive pickup without any extra weight in the back (had an old S10 that was a beast in the snow). :yikes:


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## dallasfan824 (Nov 21, 2004)

CONGRATULATIONS! I am new here too. I just got a Jet Black 2001 325, sport/premium, sun roof, auto, leather.

FYI, don't bother with the Club. My old car had one and it was stolen. My car has the light for the alarm, but as far as I know, does not have one in it.

Welcome to the club. I have learned a lot about my car here. Hopefully, you will too.


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## Salvator (Oct 14, 2003)

iateyourcheese said:


> Of course, it wasn't nearly as bad as a light, rear wheel drive pickup without any extra weight in the back (had an old S10 that was a beast in the snow). :yikes:


I had a '95 S10 extended cab... Got stuck in my driveway (slight slope) numerous times... 

Get your self some dedicated winter tires for you return trips to Indiana... and some quality summer tires for your time in AZ...


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## wag-zhp (Apr 8, 2004)

Welcome to the 'fest! Nice and rare color. The pictures that PhilH posted are a great way to ID the 'sport' package. Another way to tell (provided that the wheel is still stock) is by the steering wheel, sport version is 3 spoke, non-sport is 4 spoke. Sounds like you don't have the alarm option installed. Your car should be pre-wired for an alarm and it can be installed by a dealership or as a DIY. If you do the DIY approach, you will still have to take it to a dealership to get the alarm functions activated. 

I'm not sure if our cars are very popular with auto thieves... I don't think they are common enough to be attractive targets for parting out at a chopshop, like accords, integras, camrys, etc... That doesn't mean they aren't attractive for joyriders, so a little precaution is advisable. Note that BMWs have a built in "Coded Driveaway Protection", where if you don't have a matching key the car is supposed to be unstartable. I love that commercial where the guy does the look left then right before pulling the "beater" car cover off of his (can't recall the make) new car. If I had to park my car on the street or in a public garage, I'd buy one of those covers in a heartbeat.

Now on the other hand, vandals can be a cause for concern. To avoid being keyed, I try to park in areas out of the heavy foot traffic pathways, but not so much as to be conspicuous. I prefer end parking spaces, where someone can only park next to you on one side, but again not if it's overly conspicuous. Nothing sticks out like a sore thumb more than a nice car all alone at the end of a parking lot. (And to really draw negative attention, go ahead and take up more than one parking space!) If and end space isn't available, I also try to park next to other nice, well cared for cars. I figure if someone appreciates nice cars and tries to take care of theirs, they might be carefull enough to not door ding yours if you park next to them.

Now that I've got you good and paranoid, the best way to avoid all of these problems is to never leave your car. Just stay in it and enjoy the driving. :thumbup:


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## zach- (Nov 28, 2004)

http://s87350046.onlinehome.us/bmw/

There are some pics  Let me know what you think!

The tint is not quite dark enough for my taste. How much extra would a tint shop charge to remove old tint before installing new tint? On my ES, I paid $140 for a great tint job... I figure if it's $10 or $20 more, I'll just back to the same place.

You'll notice that I found a couple flaws with my car... I don't think they're major problems, but they do irk me a little bit. I am taking it to a mechanic tomorrow (Sun Valley or Tempe Imports, haven't decided yet) and will have it checked out just so I can have some more peace of mind.

There is a weird sound when I turn the wheel at slow speeds... it isn't 'squeaking' or 'groaning,' it's a deeper sound than squeaking, and not as loud or noticeable as groaning. I don't think it's the power steering, it sounds like something in the steering column isn't rubbing correctly. I haven't noticed yet if it occurs at higher speeds. It could just be because the weather is cold out (40~degrees).

Also, my CD player doesn't eject the CDs very forcefully. It just sort of spits a quarter of a inch of the CD out, and I have to pull it the rest of the way. That's slightly irritating.

And finally, where is the power steering fluid located? I just wanted to take a look at it, but I couldn't find it in the engine compartment anywhere. Thanks!


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## alpinewhite325i (Jan 20, 2002)

zach- said:


> http://s87350046.onlinehome.us/bmw/
> 
> There are some pics  Let me know what you think!
> 
> ...


The CD player not ejecting correctly is a common problem. If you are still under the factory waranty (4 yrs / 50k) the cd and the steering will be covered.

The power steering pump is right next to the oil filter. But, if you don't know where that is, you're going to need to look in your manual.


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## operknockity (Apr 19, 2002)

alpinewhite325i said:


> The power steering pump is right next to the oil filter. But, if you don't know where that is, you're going to need to look in your manual.


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## operknockity (Apr 19, 2002)

zach- said:


> There are some pics  Let me know what you think!!


 Purdy!!

Two of your issues...

The misalignment of the bumper might be due to having hit something, but there should be other evidence of that like scratches in the paint. Or it could just be that way from the factory.

The funny looking "welds" are actually due to some kind of spray coating that is applied to help protect the welds and as soundproofing. All bimmers are like that. If you want the warm fuzzies, find a friend with a bimmer or swing by your dealer and look under the hoods.


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## operknockity (Apr 19, 2002)

Oh yeah.... Almost forgot...










A is the BRT
B is the IHNI

:rofl: http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12812


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