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Where’s the, What’s this, Can I, Will this, How do I ……… SEARCH!

97K views 80 replies 40 participants last post by  Nalia 
#1 · (Edited)
We have Wheel, Tire and HPFP Stickies. Judging from the rash of basic questions being posted ***8211; perhaps we need a ***8220;******** How to use the ***8216;Search***8217; function***8221;?

Getting a new or new to you BMW is exciting and fun. As ***8220;enthusiasts***8221; we are compelled to learn everything we can about our cars. But with great cars, comes a great responsibility; and that responsibility is to become intimately familiar with the power of the SEARCH THIS FORUM function.

I***8217;ll take one step backward. The first responsibility is to RTFM!

***8220;But my car didn***8217;t come with an owner***8217;s manual.***8221;

So, here is a link to the BMWUSA Owner***8217;s manual download site. If you are even contemplating owning an E9X, spend some time and learn about the model you are interested in. What***8217;s more: This is where the answer to that pesky, ***8220;Triangle with Snow Flake Sign ***8211; What***8217;s This?***8221; plus many other mysteries resides.

http://www.bmwusa.com/standard/content/owner/dgh.aspx

You are here on the internet. I presume that means you know how to use a browser? Therefore, you should know how to search. That IS how you made it to Bimmerfest.com, right? My point being, nearly any condition you might encounter with your beloved E9X, the likelihood that it has already been discussed here is pretty good. You don***8217;t need to be a ***8220;Google-fu***8221; master ***8211; just use some basic tricks and tools.
Here is how it works:

See that Search this Forum button on the far right?


Click it and you get some options.


What is on your mind? Type it in.

It does help if you use Standard American English because for some unknown reason the forum administrators set it up to operate that way, but worst case scenario, type in something like ***8220;Pwnd***8221; and yo wil get wat ur looking 4.



Wow Results in 0.07 seconds. It is guaranteed that you cannot post a new thread and have someone repond to it in less time.



Searching is so much faster than typing a whole new thread***8230; Search for something like 91 Octane. Then get back to us in a year or so when you are finished reading all the posts. :) j/k

Sometimes you will do a search and it really doesn***8217;t address your question. It helps if you make that clear in your initial post when you start a thread.

***8220;I did a search, but***8230;***8230;***8221; FWIW: In my experience, making the effort of doing a search makes veteran members a lot more willing to answer your question, that is ***8211; respond to your post. Many of the established members of the E9X forum are extremely knowledgable, well read, well educated folks. If you make an effort, (meaning a semblance of good grammar and good spelling), they will too ***8211; and you will gain.

What***8217;s more, if you have enough memory cells functioning, you can do a search based on Threads or Posts by a contributing member. How cool is that?



Do you need visuals?
Using the Google Images search function is a great place to start. 9 of 10 times it points me to a Bimmerfest site. Point in fact. Today, I did a search for Space Gray with Saddle Brown Leather and it pulled up 3 photographs I***8217;ve posted on the first page! If it doesn***8217;t point you to Bimmerfest, it will point you to ***8220;the other site***8221; where there are a lot of really good images. Use the resource!
If you see a paper clip listed in a thread it means there are pictures attached. Sometimes, this is a quick way to triage your search and save time.



Now, on to some real life examples:

***8220;I love my car. It***8217;s so clean and shiny, but OMG, I just discovered swirls and my leather has butt prints from my jeans and what do I do about the infernal brake dust and can I use 87 octane gasoline?***8221;

SEARCH : Leather Cleaner or Brake Dust or Paint Swirls

Did you know that Bimmerfest has a whole subforum dedicated to detailing? And guess what? You can search this forum too! In fact you can use the basic search functions with the general search button and it will give you a chance to see what folks who have other models BMWs might have to say.



***8220;I just heard a horrendous crunch when my car hit a pothole the size of the Grand Canyon and I can***8217;t believe I just bent my wheel. WTH?***8221;

SEARCH: Pothole Explosions

Finally,
If you lack imagination or are just plain lazy, here is a list of search terms to plug into the handy search function graciously provided by Bimmerfest.

Please feel free to add to the list of search terms***8230;..

Leather Cleaner
Pothole Explosions
RFT
Set TPMS
Snowflake
Rebadged Toyota
Oil Change Interval
Check Engine Light
HPFP
M-Sport
Comfort Access
IDrive
USB
Air Filter

Enjoy your 3er and may the Search Function be with you.
 
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7
#49 ·
help?

hi i dont know if i'm in the right forum but i just got my first bmw today ( its a 2007 328xi) and i cannot figure out the bluetooth, it has all the phone buttons and stuff but there is no option in the radio part (i looked up how to install it on the bmw website) so i'm assuming mine just didn't come with it or it is broken? orrrr am i supposed to somehow get this connected and pay for it? also the voice command thing doesn't work. Thanks whoever can help me! sorry i'm still learning haha i went from a honda civic to a bmw so you can see what your working with here hahaha
 
#50 ·
hi i dont know if i'm in the right forum but i just got my first bmw today ( its a 2007 328xi) and i cannot figure out the bluetooth, it has all the phone buttons and stuff but there is no option in the radio part (i looked up how to install it on the bmw website) so i'm assuming mine just didn't come with it or it is broken? orrrr am i supposed to somehow get this connected and pay for it? also the voice command thing doesn't work. Thanks whoever can help me! sorry i'm still learning haha i went from a honda civic to a bmw so you can see what your working with here hahaha
Welcome aboard Jacqui, hopefully using the seach function you found the answer to your questions. If not, repost your question as a new thread.

I bet if you do a search using Bluetooth as the keyword a boat load of information will surface.

Again, welcome and congrats on the new car.
 
#51 ·
Kat, I can definitely appreciate your efforts putting this how-to guide together I think, I think (when used properly) the search function can definitely help at least 60% of the masses. The problem is the search function is very basic at best and only goes after individual keywords. So for instance i want "big wheels", it gives me all topics with the word "big" and all of the words with "wheels" not exactly "big wheels". If some kind of boolean logic can be incorporated it would be awesome - but I don't know the technical limitations of a forum like this.

Problem #2 is that I strongly believe there are people on here that wake up bright and early just to troll the threads looking for opportunities to use any of the search emoticons. I never once was personally offended by the "i just got the snowflake bong" thread - I just roll my eyes and move on. But others find the time to write a smart-ass and all to often dick-ish remark and then scream "search" when they could just say "its the car telling you its cold". It diverts the purpose of the "community" and doesn't encourage new members to post and feel welcomed to the fam.
 
#52 ·
Cy3,

I appreciate the comment. Yes, the sticky was the result of many, too many, trite questions that could have been answered by a simple seach. My intent was never to make new members uncomfortable, but to simply suggest that new members explore a bit before leaping in. Not sure about the 5er, 6er or 7 subforums, but the 3er forum gets at least 3 hits per week during the fall regarding the infamous snowflake icon.

This is amusing that after 3 months it finally gets notice only because one of our regular members resurrected it. ;)
 
#58 ·
Some people you just can't help....we're gonna have to either upgrade or deal with it...the pool has gotten quite diluted here..... :p
 
#59 ·
Hello everyone

2hours ago while i was driving i noticed the engine sign showed up and all the sudden my car doesn't drive more than 60 :S ! like thats the fastest it can go .. tomorrow morning I'm taking it to see whats going on .. I'm really worried that the warranty isn't gonna cover the problem -_- ..

but i tried driving my car after few minutes and it drive normally .. but what makes me worried is that it didn't go further than 60km/hr .. and the engine light sign is still on ! whats going on (((((

please help and let me know if my warranty covers it or no .. and whats it might the problem be ?

ps : i changed all the car oil 2 weeks ago or 3

bmw 3series 2009 convertible 4v
 
#60 ·
I have a 2006 330xi. I hate the yellow corners of the headlights. Anyone know of any good websites that have headlights with clear corners, legit sites please. I hate the hood of the car is there a way that I can change it to a 2009 hood?

The door handles of the car keep getting stuck once you open the door, so when you open the door and close it, it doesn't fully close because the handle is stuck so you have to push it in yourself. Anyone know how I can fix that?

Thanks!
 
#62 ·
I have a 2006 330xi. I hate the yellow corners of the headlights. Anyone know of any good websites that have headlights with clear corners, legit sites please. I hate the hood of the car is there a way that I can change it to a 2009 hood?

The door handles of the car keep getting stuck once you open the door, so when you open the door and close it, it doesn't fully close because the handle is stuck so you have to push it in yourself. Anyone know how I can fix that?

Thanks!
I have a tested theory that has proven successful in the past re sticky door handles... have you tried spraying a little WD-40 in the door's latch? It doesn't have to completely soak it, but just enough so that the latch no longer sticks... just a suggestion, but your door issue could be a bit different from what I dealt with.
 
#64 ·
Didn't think about the wd40, put some by the door latch and it fixed the problem..thanks!
No worries, I'm glad it fixed the problem. WD-40 is my own personal good luck charm when it comes to doors.
 
#65 ·
What does this symbol mean???

Hello everyone I'm new here and bought my first ever BMW, it's a 2010 328i xdrive. Unfortunately the manual was not in the car when I got it, but the dealership is sending me one. Last night I noticed a symbol that was lit on the dash it looks like a triangle with like an exclamation point inside it. I hope I'm making sense and someone can tell me what this means. I'm not sure if it was lit the whole time it is quite small so I guess its possible it was on the whole time and I just never noticed it. Any help will be great!!! Thank You Dan
 
#66 ·
Hello everyone I'm new here and bought my first ever BMW, it's a 2010 328i xdrive. Unfortunately the manual was not in the car when I got it, but the dealership is sending me one. Last night I noticed a symbol that was lit on the dash it looks like a triangle with like an exclamation point inside it. I hope I'm making sense and someone can tell me what this means. I'm not sure if it was lit the whole time it is quite small so I guess its possible it was on the whole time and I just never noticed it. Any help will be great!!! Thank You Dan
I believe you can download the manual from BMW's web site, under the owners section.
 
#68 ·
I never understand why so many people get bent out of shape at folks for supposedly not using the search. I mean, if I see a topic that I have no interest in, I dont freakin click on it..... if it has been asked before and I dont want to talk about it again, I go on to the next one and so on. I think that there is always room for questions of any kind. People come and go all the time on this and other forums, and someone might bring up a topic that I want to discuss. It may have been discussed a thousand times before, but not with me and the person posting and I may not know that is had been discussed because I dont do some random search to see if something I have interest in was talked about 5 years ago. So, if we dont want to read something, or we dont want to answer something then we dont have to. Keeping the threads fresh, with fresh perspectives and yes, fresh questions from fresh people is a good thing. When I "get tired of the same $hit posted week in and week out", I go to a different forum. But whatever, to each their own. Happy driving.
 
#70 ·
ha ha, this thread is kinda funny, being a savvy:) IT person myself, and a member of quite a few forums( cameras, bikes, motorcycles, etc) you see the same search problem every where....
But at the same time this thread is complaining about useless initial threads, this one is filled up with bored veterans shooting the bull with all their personal comments, so what's worse?
I also agree with a few of the most recent posts above about encouraging people to participate, ask questions and getting fresh ideas in a forum such as this.
Should be fun...I've heard a lot about BMW drivers :)
 
#71 ·
ha ha, this thread is kinda funny, being a savvy:) IT person myself, and a member of quite a few forums( cameras, bikes, motorcycles, etc) you see the same search problem every where....But at the same time this thread is complaining about useless initial threads, this one is filled up with bored veterans shooting the bull with all their personal comments, so what's worse?
I also agree with a few of the most recent posts above about encouraging people to participate, ask questions and getting fresh ideas in a forum such as this.
Should be fun...I've heard a lot about BMW drivers :)
Yes, we're all a bunch of ******* (fill in your favorite expletive derogatory here).

Being a member of the savvy intarweb cognoscenti, I am sure you are well aware that some topics, which tend to remain evergreen are also time and place sensitive. If you spend any amount of time here, you will see that even the "bored veterans" are willing to gladly share information regarding clutch replacements, A/C problems, best tires for tracking cars, brake replacements, leather questions, etc.

However, for historical context one must appreciate that when this sticky was stickied, it was in response to literally hundreds of threads that were popping up daily regarding items that were answered literally dozens of times before (not to mention were basic information available in the owner's manual): i.e. "what does the snowflake on my dash mean", "will it hurt my car if I put regular vs. premium octane gas in my car", "runflats vs go-flats", ad nauseum.

It wasn't that we didn't welcome new members who were curious, it was just that we had an influx of members, who by the way, have essentially disappeared who demonstrated no capacity/capability for learning by themselves, but wanted everything spoon fed to them. This is one of the best car forums out there and without hesitation I can personally say that the E9X forum has always been very exemplary in their welcoming of new members and entertaining their questions/concerns.

So, please understand the context of the original post.

For historical note, please note that when the original post was made, the OP was nothing more than "just another member" of Bimmerfest. And just so you know, except for a bit more ability to keep the spam out and watch for outliers, that member is still "just another member" of Bimmerfest.

:)
 
#72 ·
mileagedroped

Hello there,

I bought used 2011 328Xi from dealer in nebraska on september 2013. The miles on the car were 26500. Recently the car was shaking at idle, stop signals, i took it to the dealer in Iowa since in moved here. I was told that the 2 Ignition coil and 2 spark plugs gone bad and it was said to replace all the 6 spark plugs and ignition coils brand new. The charges were 1200$ close. I agreed to put new. Now during this winter time, I'm starting the car for 10-15 min before i drive in the morning to get the engine heat up. I drive to office 2.5 miles one way. Now i noticed that the Car mileage is totally dropped to 12 per gallon in city, while before it used to give 18-20 miles per gallon in city and on highways 23/gallon.

Could you please help me in understanding what made the mileage to go such low.

I appreciate your help. Thanks
 
#73 ·
Hello there,

I bought used 2011 328Xi from dealer in nebraska on september 2013. The miles on the car were 26500. Recently the car was shaking at idle, stop signals, i took it to the dealer in Iowa since in moved here. I was told that the 2 Ignition coil and 2 spark plugs gone bad and it was said to replace all the 6 spark plugs and ignition coils brand new. The charges were 1200$ close. I agreed to put new. Now during this winter time, I'm starting the car for 10-15 min before i drive in the morning to get the engine heat up. I drive to office 2.5 miles one way. Now i noticed that the Car mileage is totally dropped to 12 per gallon in city, while before it used to give 18-20 miles per gallon in city and on highways 23/gallon.

Could you please help me in understanding what made the mileage to go such low.

I appreciate your help. Thanks
You should have started a new thread. Nevertheless.

Idling the car for 10-15 minutes is the WORST thing you can do, for the car and for better mileage. Get in the car, and drive it to work. Just doing that will probably bump up your mileage to what it used to be. Idling like that might have caused the spark plugs to go bad, btw.
 
#76 ·
I felt welcome here until I saw this post. Excuse me for having a life and not spending my time on the internet and forums. I sincerely appreciate those who honestly try to help. The reason I usually stay off of these forums is because of the know-it-alls who would rather berate than help.
 
#77 · (Edited)
After a couple years here, the same posts pop up over and over. (It's part of why I seldom post/visit here anymore). So to save new members the trouble of asking, the tutorial is provided as a convenience (almost 5 years ago). :thumbup::rofl:

Damn you @Nordic_Kat!! :rofl::rofl:
 
#78 ·
I feel, as a noob to any forum, I must do a great deal of searching so that I can have a clean conscience when someone asks me if I searched.
However, as valuable as the original post is, I believe there's an universal truth to any database, which is what this forum essentially is: You've got to put something in it to get something out of it.
Therefore, we can search.

In contrast, the forum for a brand new model will have a great deal less to search for and a great deal of "noobs" asking the same stupid questions that the "new to me" crowd asks in the well established board.

Is searching a bad thing? No, absolutely not, especially when your search reveals an answer you contributed to. Is asking questions a bad thing? No, but somehow many people feel that the fresh meat should search themselves and try to learn some more by reading things instead of getting prepackaged answers. And it's this same philosophy I am a bit on the fence with. We live in a instant gratification society, well, at least us in the US of A, though the rest of the Western and developing world is getting accustomed to this lifestyle as well. So, why is it a bad thing to ask a question and get an answer instead of reading a gazillion threads? Because we don't learn. But, if learning is overrated in our society anyway because I can pay someone to do my crap (taskrabbit comes to mind) why get upset when someone asks a question? And why not charge for the answer?

Thankfully there are a great deal of wonderful people browsing these and other forums of virtually every topic that love to share their knowledge and lend a helping hand. To you I say Thank You!
 
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