Had enough

1346 Views 14 Replies 9 Participants Last post by legend700, Feb 24, 2002

RChoudry

Discussion Starter · Feb 22, 2002

Well, I finally broke down and had enough of the problem with my 01 330i sp steering. It's been retrofitted, aligned twice (with maximum toe-in), and is still not right. I test drove an 02 330ci sp and 330i w/o sp yesterday. The difference is immeasurable. The 330ci sp is excellent in responsiveness, steering efffort, directional stability, and turning radius. Still working out details (price), but pretty sure I'm trading in for an 02 330ci sp/leatherette/hs/snrf/Jet black.

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Baptizer

· #2 · Feb 22, 2002

SOrry to hear about your problems..hopefully everything works out for you! what color interior? black?

RChoudry

Discussion Starter · #3 · Feb 23, 2002

yeah, I've got black leather now, but I've had a hard time finding a dealer who has leatherette in stock. Apparently it's very rare. I think I'll go with black again and save 1450. Not sure if I'm getting xenons or not.

I love the sedan, but the coupe felt soooo good handling-wise that I don't want to take a chance getting a sedan again. I'm sure the handling characteristics, even on the new one's are not different.

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ashecnc

· #4 · Feb 23, 2002

I love my steering, its amazing...I got a 01 sedan as a loaner and I could not BELIEVE the difference..its was so light.... I had that car for about 5 days. When I picked my car up....my car's steering was like night and day..no words will describe.... I loved mine :thumb:

RChoudry

Discussion Starter · #5 · Feb 23, 2002

I did quite an archives search and found that a lot of people were quite happy with their retrofitted steering while just as many weren't. It's strange that a definitive cure does not exist for this problem.

Spiderm0n

· #6 · Feb 23, 2002

Anyone know what percent of the people that were eligible for the retrofit even got it?

Nick325xiT 5spd

· #7 · Feb 23, 2002

Did they have the same tires?

The shitty continentals on my car are driving me nuts. Mushy and unresponsive.

I'm getting tempted to go out and knife them, just so I have an excuse to change them.

Nick

RChoudry

Discussion Starter · #8 · Feb 23, 2002

yes, both had the same tires, although the 330i 2002 sedan had run-flat tires which felt different.

ashecnc

· #9 · Feb 23, 2002

I hated conti's...once I got my pilots..I love them..bmw should use pilots...makes no sense to me :dunno:

Dan

· #10 · Feb 23, 2002

RChoudry said:
Well, I finally broke down and had enough of the problem with my 01 330i sp steering. It's been retrofitted, aligned twice (with maximum toe-in), and is still not right. I test drove an 02 330ci sp and 330i w/o sp yesterday. The difference is immeasurable. The 330ci sp is excellent in responsiveness, steering efffort, directional stability, and turning radius. Still working out details (price), but pretty sure I'm trading in for an 02 330ci sp/leatherette/hs/snrf/Jet black.

Is the '02 steering fixed? Is it as heavy as the '99s? The '01 steering was so light, it was a joke. That light steering was so bad that it was the only reason I didn't buy an '01 last year. I was so mad, I wrote a letter to BMWNA to complain that they ruined what I thought was one of the best features of the E46 - its original, accurate, perfectly weighted steering.

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RChoudry

Discussion Starter · #11 · Feb 23, 2002

Yes, it feels excellent. The 02 steering is completely improved. There are going to be a lot used 01's in a couple of years on the market and I'm not sure how they're going to hold up in the market because new tires, sway bars, etc... can't really remedy this problem.

IndyMike

· #12 · Feb 23, 2002

RChoudry said:
Yes, it feels excellent. The 02 steering is completely improved. There are going to be a lot used 01's in a couple of years on the market and I'm not sure how they're going to hold up in the market because new tires, sway bars, etc... can't really remedy this problem.

I honestly think that 99% of the general public doesn't know that there is any difference between the steering racks for 01's and 02's, so I would venture to say that it will have negligible effect upon resale value.

For us '01'ers, thank God for a mostly ignorant public!:thumb:

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legend700

· #13 · Feb 23, 2002

RChoudry said:
Yes, it feels excellent. The 02 steering is completely improved. There are going to be a lot used 01's in a couple of years on the market and I'm not sure how they're going to hold up in the market because new tires, sway bars, etc... can't really remedy this problem.

I would bet that over 98% of the people driving our cars wouldn't know what you are talking about when you mention 'light steering'. I was on the retro-fit list; drove a 2000 325i for a couple of days (loaner) and when the time came had the kit returned. The 'light' steering is precise and feels like using a surgical knife. I am a lot on Interstates and it tracks absolutely straight. I admit that in the beginning (especially at around Autobahn speeds in Germany) I tended to overcompensate because of the lower steering effort. To me the 'original' steering now feels a bit tedious, but I would not reject one setting in favor of the other. Who knows, I might be driving a 'cult' car. What other company would even offer an alternative? We can all be happy.

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fuz

· #14 · Feb 23, 2002

legend700 said:
I would bet that over 98% of the people driving our cars wouldn't know what you are talking about when you mention 'light steering'. I was on the retro-fit list; drove a 2000 325i for a couple of days (loaner) and when the time came had the kit returned. The 'light' steering is precise and feels like using a surgical knife. I am a lot on Interstates and it tracks absolutely straight. I admit that in the beginning (especially at around Autobahn speeds in Germany) I tended to overcompensate because of the lower steering effort. To me the 'original' steering now feels a bit tedious, but I would not reject one setting in favor of the other. Who knows, I might be driving a 'cult' car. What other company would even offer an alternative? We can all be happy.

You remind me of my cousin, who never drove a german car in his life, so when he finaly stepped into a MB, he was at first really put off by the hevy steering on the C240. Myself on the other hand, drove an old MB 300E for the past 5 years and I thought the steering was a little too light! So when I stepped into a BMW, it felt perfect.

He just didn't like it at all. WIMP! I'll never let him live it down.

I find he doesn't like hot sauce either.

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legend700

· #15 · Feb 24, 2002

fuz said:
You remind me of my cousin, who never drove a german car in his life, so when he finaly stepped into a MB, he was at first really put off by the hevy steering on the C240. Myself on the other hand, drove an old MB 300E for the past 5 years and I thought the steering was a little too light! So when I stepped into a BMW, it felt perfect. He just didn't like it at all. WIMP! I'll never let him live it down.

I find he doesn't like hot sauce either.

Hey fuz:
Wanna know something funny? I lived in Germany for 25 years; actually, I was born there. I know German cars, and having 'heavy' steering was never one of their most important features! It's not such a big deal, really.
Being German I can easily put away a case of Pilsner Urquell. Is that good enough to be one of the guys? I am also looking for a gun rack for my ragtop.

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