2001 325cic problems please help!!

[cssmgt]

Hello....I am new BMW owner and need some guidance and or suggestions.

I loved the initial buying experience, but this situtation has put a bad taste in my mouth.

I purchased a 2001 quote unquote "certified" 325cic back in March of 04.
Still has the factory warranty and the addtional 2 years after that.

Had 42000 miles on it when I got it, it has 48000 now.

Since then it has been in the dealership a number of times and is going back this Friday for the following problems.

Problem 1:

I noticed that when the A/C is on (which is everyday, I live in FL) and I am downshifting or putting the car in neutral to come to a stop or slow down, the RPM's drop below 500 and the car seems like it will stall(typical engine vibration) and then the RPMs go back up to normal and everything is fine.

The first time it was in the dealership they said it needed an Eprom update.
The problem still occurred.
The second time it was in the shop they said it was the gas pedal and replaced that.
The problem still occurred.
It is going in this Friday again, let's see what they say.

Quesiton to you: Is this normal, has anyone else exeperienced this? Not once have they said this is normal don't wory about it.

Problem 2: Severe front end vibration all speeds, steering wheel shaking on braking

First time in: replaced pads,rotors, control arm bushings
Second time in: replaced both rear tires .. ?? Both had flat spots ??

I am bringing it in again for the above problems as well as:

Crackling or moulding vibration noise in the door panels when using the stereo.
I have the standard bmw radio which sounds good some times but others you think the speakers are blown but it's just the door panels or back panels vibrating with the bass.

Should this happen on a 30K+ car? Has anyone experienced any of these problems.

I told the sales rep I want an exchange, I am tired of this.

Thanks for helping me.

Regards,

cssmgt :dunno:

<img src="http://www.games-4-you.com/images/b2001.jpg">

[streetk14]

I might be able to shed some light on your problems. I drive a lot of these cars, and I think they all do it. If the engine is stalling on decelaration, this is a different story. The rpms will drop momentarily like you said, then jump back up to idle speed. I probably wouldn't worry about it, unless you are losing sleep over it :D
The front end vibration could be your tires. When was the last time you had them balanced? You could have a wheel that is out-of-round also. This could also be caused by the wear pattern on your front tires. For starters, I would have them inspect the wheels & tires, and have them do a balance check.
I have experienced the door speaker noise. This is usually caused by the door panel moving from the bass. It is possible to sort of "shim" the door panel with foam to reduce vibration and tension the panel a bit. You might want to do some investigation prior to taking the car to the shop. I would adjust the sound to the front speakers only. Then set the balance all the way to the left, and try to pin-point where the abnormal noise is coming from. Do the same to the right side. It is always good to be prepared.

[norihaga]

Sorry boss, an exchange won't help you. These problems ("no sir, it's not a bug, it's a feature!") are par for the course with any 3 series. Maybe if they give you a Lexus, or maybe a 5-series, you won't have to experience (i) the stalling problem; (ii) control arm ball joint/bushing failure; (iii) ***tty stereo sound, including the vibration. :)

What I don't understand is why your dealership sold you two new REAR tires to solve a shake through the steering wheel. Maybe BMW sneaked rear-wheel steering onto your car and didn't tell anyone.

:dunno: ;)

In all seriousness, I agree with other poster that uneven tire wear can cause this. Had that on my old Eclipse when I blew out one tire on a track day and replaced only that one. Felt like the rotors were warped or sometimes like a wheel bearing was going, but it was just the tires.


Hello....I am new BMW owner and need some guidance and or suggestions.

I loved the initial buying experience, but this situtation has put a bad taste in my mouth.

I purchased a 2001 quote unquote "certified" 325cic back in March of 04.
Still has the factory warranty and the addtional 2 years after that.

Had 42000 miles on it when I got it, it has 48000 now.

Since then it has been in the dealership a number of times and is going back this Friday for the following problems.

Problem 1:

I noticed that when the A/C is on (which is everyday, I live in FL) and I am downshifting or putting the car in neutral to come to a stop or slow down, the RPM's drop below 500 and the car seems like it will stall(typical engine vibration) and then the RPMs go back up to normal and everything is fine.

The first time it was in the dealership they said it needed an Eprom update.
The problem still occurred.
The second time it was in the shop they said it was the gas pedal and replaced that.
The problem still occurred.
It is going in this Friday again, let's see what they say.

Quesiton to you: Is this normal, has anyone else exeperienced this? Not once have they said this is normal don't wory about it.

Problem 2: Severe front end vibration all speeds, steering wheel shaking on braking

First time in: replaced pads,rotors, control arm bushings
Second time in: replaced both rear tires .. ?? Both had flat spots ??

I am bringing it in again for the above problems as well as:

Crackling or moulding vibration noise in the door panels when using the stereo.
I have the standard bmw radio which sounds good some times but others you think the speakers are blown but it's just the door panels or back panels vibrating with the bass.

Should this happen on a 30K+ car? Has anyone experienced any of these problems.

I told the sales rep I want an exchange, I am tired of this.

Thanks for helping me.

Regards,

cssmgt :dunno:

<img src="http://www.games-4-you.com/images/b2001.jpg">

[Artslinger]

The RPM drop below 500 is kind of typical for the 325, if you have had the software update that should helped with the problem, my car does this and it seems to come and go and it is worse when under heavy AC load. Have them take another try at fixing the RPM drop. The gas pedal is a known problem on the '01 325 but it should have nothing to do with the RPM drop, the replacment is fix for a sticky pedal, if it had never been replaced on your car it was a worth while repair.

The shaking is something the dealer needs to sort out, they replaced the brakes and control arms and something is not right. It could be a bent rim or bad tire, but I kind of doubt it, keep bring in the car until the problem is resolved. Luckily you had the control arms replaced under warranty this is something like a $1200 repair and they go at between 30k-60k miles.

Speaker crackling is another known problem with the HK stereo upgrade, you can do a search here on the problem. It can be fixed but not all dealers want to put the effort it fixing the vibrations.