My first BMW

[55BigBlock]

I'd like to introduce myself. I'm an old car guy but I've never owned a BMW. Last weekend I purchased a 2003 325xi. The old girl seems ok. She's got 223,000 miles, runs great and the transmission shifts good. The bad is the airbag light is on and the check engine light too. The radio display is unreadable and the right rear window regulator is bad. It has a couple rust spots. The good; it has a nice set of Momo wheels and excellent tires. The air blows cold and the interior is in good shape except for the steering wheel. I hope to get some questions answered here. As soon as I figure out how to post some pictures I will.

[MarcoZandrini]

Welcome to the addiction. You should scan the engine computer (DME in BMWeze) and the auto tranny computer (EGS) for codes. These cars are rolling computers so you need to be a bit tech savvy when working on them. Also, buy a Bentley (and only a Bentley) manual.

[ECSTuning]

^+1 to scan her and get a Bentley. There is no better manual for a BMW than a Bentley. For the scan tool make sure it's BMW specific, a generic code reader isn't going to give you much help on these cars, I'm a fan of the Schwaben BMW scan tool it's going to give you in-depth access to the DME and pull the BMW specific codes instead of generic "p" codes. I have it available HERE.

[Bimmer Merchant]

Congrats on your purchase. Judging by the mileage, maintenance was not neglected by previous owner.

Now that you own a bmw, i suggest that you make friends with a good, reliable and fair indy bmw shop in your city, Im sure members here can offer recommendations. Not to mention a good used, oem parts distributor. I recommend OEM parts since they will maintain the value of your bimmer and last longer versus chinese or aftermarket parts. Lastly, invest some money on redoing your cooling system such as radiator, thermostat, hoses and water pump. It will avoid heating issues and keep your inline six-cylinder engine running longer. Hope that helps

[Jackson42]

Strongly recommend you get the BMW electronic documentation set. Parts catalog, wiring diagrams, and service instructions. Available on eBay for less than $20. Bentley manual is a good starting point but it won't take you all the places the factory documents will.

[Jackson42]

Also strongly agree with Bimmer Merchant regarding the cooling system. To completely zero-time the cooling system with high-quality parts is less than a grand in parts if you do it yourself and it will give you peace of mind. These engines are all-alloy and completely intolerant of overheating. Especially replace the two plastic water pipes that come from the head and the back of the water pump gallery - they tend to crumble with age, and can cause catastrophic overheating in the blink of an eye. Requires removal of the intake manifold, which is a bit of a pain, but if you work methodically it really isn't too bad of a job.

[magnetchief]

250,000 miles almost ! Damn. Run it hard until it blows up. Then get another disposable car.


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[Eaglesail]

55BigBlock
..............I also purchased a BMW...first time...last February..2017. Mine is a 03 325Xi...116k when bought. It did not have issues...still does not at 124k Some owners of BMW cars are known to ride them hard....some not so much. There are a sprinkling of BMW INDY's around and about in the USA. These people charge far less than the BMW dealerships....In my area of Connecticut, there is a dedicated BMW specialist in my area...get a professional opinion with these cars first...